Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 33

Souvenirs of Solitude (by Brennan Manning)

I have appreciated and savoured the books I have read by Brennan Manning. He was a deeply flawed and somewhat outspoken Catholic priest whose books were honest, moving and - at times - controversial. So when I saw his book ‘Souvenirs of Solitude’ available for download free for the Kindle, I took advantage immediately. That was eleven and a half years ago. Books on my Kindle often stay there, unread, for many years until I happen to be travelling and scroll through to find something I want to r...

Anxious People (by Fredrik Backman)

I had not heard of Fredrik Backman, although I gather he’s written some bestselling novels, one of which is soon to be released as a film. His book ‘Anxious People’ was allocated for this month’s reading group, so I acquired a copy and then read it in three or four days. The author is Swedish, and writes in that language, so I was reading a translation - and am very impressed with that, as the language not only flows extremely well, but even manages an annoying  pun that’s mentioned more than o...

A Collector of Hearts (by Sally Quilford)

I have liked all the books I’ve read by Sally Quilford on my Kindle, and downloaded several of them when she has offered them free for a short period. However it sometimes takes me a while to find one of them to read; it happens most often when I’m travelling. That’s the case for ‘A Collector of Hearts’, a novella that I apparently downloaded about a decade ago but have only just read.

Sally Quilford writes in quite a variety of genres, but her main gift is that of characterisation. She weaves a...

The Coming of Bill (by PG Wodehouse)

My father introduced me to the ‘Jeeves’ books by PG Wodehouse when I was about twelve. Although those remain my favourites, I have read many other books by the same author and always find them quirky, original and generally enjoyable. I have downloaded some lesser-known Wodehouse novels from Project Gutenberg as they are now out of print, and keep them on my Kindle for times when I’m away from home.

I don’t think I had ever previously read or heard of ‘The Coming of Bill’. The main character is ...

The Christmas Catch (by Ginny Baird)

I was scrolling through my Kindle in the airport, waiting for a flight to the UK at the end of November, and noticed a book called ‘The Christmas Catch’. Since it was Advent Sunday, I decided to read it despite having no idea what it was about, nor knowing anything about the author, Ginny Baird. Apparently I had downloaded it about ten years ago when it was free as a special offer. 

The book begins with a prologue showing a man, woman and child doing some sledging. Or, rather, sledding: the book...

Starting Over (by Robin Pilcher)

I had almost forgotten how much I like Robin Pilcher’s novels, so am very glad I decided to re-read them. I’ve just finished his second novel, ‘Starting Over’. Apparently I re-read it last in 2017 but I had entirely forgotten the story. It’s character-based - like his better-known late mother, the author has a tremendous gift for creating three-dimensional, sympathetic and entirely believable people.

Liz is one of the first people we meet. She’s around forty, the mother of 19-year-old Alex, and ...

Seven Perfect Things (by Catherine Ryan Hyde)

I have very much liked everything I’ve read by Catherine Ryan Hyde since I first came across one of her novels about fifteen years ago. I added another couple of her novels to my wishlist a year or so ago, and was given ‘Seven perfect things’ for Christmas last year. It’s taken me this long to pick it up - but I have two full ‘to-be-read’ shelves in addition to re-reading some of my favourite authors. 

This novel focuses on three main people. Two of them - Mary and Abby - are mother and daughter...

Big Little Lies (by Liane Moriarty)

I don’t think I had heard of Liane Moriarty, although she has written several books in addition to the one I have just read. But ‘Big little lies’ was this month’s allocated read for our book club, so I acquired a copy second-hand, and have just finished it. 

The novel is set in Australia, and centres around families whose children attend a village state primary school. It particularly focuses on the new Kindergarten class, who are due to start school in January. Australia, being in the Southern...

A Hat Full of Sky (by Terry Pratchett)

In gradually re-reading Terry Pratchett’s lengthy ‘Discworld’ series, I’ve taken a slight detour from the main books to revisit the first couple of Tiffany Aching books, which were written for younger readers, although they’re enjoyable for people of all ages. 

I re-read ‘The Wee Free Men’ back in July, and liked it very much. I last read its sequel, ‘A hat full of sky’ in 2005 and had entirely forgotten the story. Although it took me a day or two to get into it, I thought it an excellent book. ...

The Trouble with Henry and Zoe (by Andy Jones)

I had not heard of Andy Jones, but when I spotted his novel ‘The trouble with Henry and Zoe’ in a church book sale, a year or so ago, I liked the look of the front cover and the blurb on the back sounded interesting. So I paid my 50 cents and it sat on my ‘to-be-read’ shelf until I picked it up to read about a week ago.

The story is, unsurprisingly, about a young man called Henry and a young woman called Zoe. We meet Henry first, wondering whether it’s worse to marry the wrong girl, or to jilt h...