Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 37

The Thursday Murder Club (by Richard Osman)

I didn’t recognise the name Richard Osman when our local book group agreed on his novel ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ for July’s read. When I learned that he is - or was - the co-host of the quiz show ‘Pointless’, which I’ve seen several times when visiting relatives in the UK, it gave an added interest. I was able to buy the book inexpensively online, and liked it very much. It made a pleasant change from the more ‘literary’ (and, in some cases, rather depressing) books we have read in recent mon...

Where the Magic is (by Giselle Green)

I have read and enjoyed all Giselle Green’s books so far, so was delighted when she offered to send me a pre-publication copy of her latest novel ‘Where the Magic Is’. I have just finished reading it on my Kindle, and on the whole liked it very much.

There are three main characters in this novel: Sofia, Cal and Sofia’s 13-year-old daughter Ida. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, as is typical for this author, although until the epilogue we only read Sofia and Cal’s viewpoints. The two ...

The Universal Christ (by Richard Rohr)

I have liked and appreciated the books by Richard Rohr since I first discovered his writing eighteen years ago. I have gradually acquired more of his work, and have found each book challenging, thought-provoking, and well written, if a tad heavy at times. I saw ‘The Universal Christ’ recommended in more than one place last year, so I put it on my wishlist and was given it for my birthday a couple of months back.

Richard Rohr is a Roman Catholic priest who has studied some psychology, and has cou...

A Place like Home (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

I discovered Rosamunde Pilcher in my twenties, and gradually acquired all her books, which I have re-read several times over the decades. Sadly she died in 2019, but she was 94 and had not published a new book since ‘Winter Solstice’ in 2000. 

So I was startled to see ‘A place like home’, a new collection of her short stories, available on Amazon towards the end of last year. I put it on my wishlist, having established that this was not simply a re-naming of one of her previously published colle...

Gay from China at the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

I have loved Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s ‘Chalet School’ series since I first discovered some of her books on my grandmother’s shelves as a teenager. I borrowed later ones from my school library, and began collecting my own copies, mostly abridged Armada editions, and re-read them regularly. My mother, meanwhile, started her own collection, including the hardbacks from her childhood; when I visited, I would dip into some of my favourites. 

When she decided that she was not going to read them again, sh...

Night Watch (by Terry Pratchett)

It’s been an interesting experience re-reading Terry Pratchett’s lengthy ‘Discworld’ series, many of which I only read once before; in some cases nearly twenty years ago. That’s the case with ‘Night Watch’, 29th in the Discworld series, which I first read - aloud to my teenage sons - in 2003. I didn’t remember liking it particularly; I wasn’t much of a fan of the ‘Watch’ books, and almost missed it out this time. 

However I’m glad I decided to read it for the sake of continuity, although it’s ta...

The Garden House (by Marcia Willett)

Having re-read many of my Marcia Willett books over the past few years, I finally picked up the one I was given last Christmas, ‘The Garden House’, which I had not previously read. I was pleased to see that, as so often happens with this author, some characters from previous books appear as well as the new ones who are the primary focus. 

Eleanor - El - is the main character, or at least the one I most related to in this warm, character-driven novel. She’s in her twenties, I suppose, and is slow...

Hamnet (by Maggie O'Farrell)

I had never read anything by Maggie O’Farrell, but her novel ‘Hamnet’ was allocated for this month’s reading group, so I was very pleased to spot it at a church book sale a couple of months ago. The blurb on the back makes it clear that the novel is about William Shakespeare and his family, and if I hadn’t read the blurb it’s explained in a brief note at the front of the book. It’s also mentioned in the blurb that 11-year-old Hamnet is not going to survive. 

So I wasn’t really sure what to expec...

Seriously Funny (by Adrian Plass and Jeff Lucas)

I’ve been a huge fan of the Christian writer Adrian Plass since the late 1980s when his first ‘Sacred Diary’ book was published. I didn’t come across Jeff Lucas until over twenty years later, but have enjoyed - and collected - his books too, since then. I was delighted to discover that they had written a couple of books together and first read ‘Seriously Funny’ in 2010. It was more than time for a re-read.

I had remembered that the format was that of letters - the two writers take it in turns to...

Man with Three Fingers (by Malcolm Saville)

It’s been a nostalgic and enjoyable experience re-reading my collection of ‘Lone Pine’ books by Malcolm Saville, a series which I first read as a teenager. I’m particularly liking this read-through, partly because I’m taking it slowly - no more than one a month - rather than immersing myself in the books one after another as I used to. But another benefit is that I have managed to replace my Armada paperbacks, which were falling to pieces, with ‘Girls Gone By’ editions. 

I had not realised until...