Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 47

Shadow Doctor 2 (by Adrian Plass)

When I first read Adrian Plass’s book ‘The Shadow Doctor’ back in 2018, it felt unfinished, so I was pleased to know that he was writing a sequel. It’s taken this long to be out in paperback, but I finally acquired a copy of ‘Shadow Doctor 2: The Past Awaits’ recently. Since by that time I had almost entirely forgotten what happened in the first book, I re-read ‘The Shadow Doctor’ just a few days ago before embarking on ‘Shadow Doctor 2’.

This book continues directly on from the previous boo...

The Shadow Doctor (by Adrian Plass)

Adrian Plass is one of my favourite modern Christian writers, and I’m always eager to get hold of his new books, as soon as they are available in paperback. Three years ago I was given ‘The Shadow Doctor’ for my birthday, and liked it very much but felt that the ending was rather inconclusive. I hoped very much that there was going to be a sequel, and was delighted when I learned that the author was already writing one.

However it’s taken until a couple of months ago for the sequel to be ava...

The Sea Garden (by Marcia Willett)

I am loving my re-read of Marcia Willett’s novels. They are warm, character-based stories featuring family life, mostly relaxed and gentle. Yet there are stresses and crises, and sometimes puzzles to be solved. I’ve just finished re-reading ‘The Sea Garden’ which I read in 2014. I didn’t recall it being one of my favourites, but I liked it very much this time. 

Jess is the main person in this novel; or, at least, the catalyst for the story. We meet her en route to stay with Kate, whom I reca...

Wings over Witchend (by Malcolm Saville)

Amongst other authors and some new books I’m re-reading Malcolm Saville’s ‘Lone Pine’ series of twenty books. I loved this series as a teenager, and bought most of them in Armada paperback form, not realising at the time that they were abridged. Not that it would have made much difference, as hardback originals were very difficult to come by. I’ve re-read the series around every ten years through my adult life, although last time I seem to have missed some of them out, including ‘Wings over...

Grandmothers (by Salley Vickers)

Although Salley Vickers has apparently written several other novels, which have been quite widely acclaimed, I hadn’t heard of her. I probably wouldn’t have come across her novel ‘Grandmothers’ but for our local reading group: this was the assigned book for June 2021 and I finished reading just a few hours before the meeting. 

It’s a fairly light-weight novel, which I liked very much. There’s not a whole lot of plot; instead, it’s a character-based book, featuring three different women who a...

Hogfather (by Terry Pratchett)

I’m glad I decided to re-read Terry Pratchett’s ‘Discworld’ series once more. I got a little bogged down earlier in the series, but as it progressed the writing became crisper, the plots more coherent, and the literary and other references all the more enjoyable. I’ve just finished ‘Hogfather’, 20th in the series, and very much enjoyed it. 

As far as I can tell, I had only previously read this book once, shortly after acquiring it at the end of 1997. I had remembered that it was somewhat of ...

A Comedian's Prayer Book (by Frank Skinner)

I don’t think I had ever heard of Frank Skinner, though I gather he’s a popular TV presenter and comedian in the UK. Indeed, I had a moment’s confusion as I thought at first this was Frank Spencer, who is a fictional character on a classic and rather risqué TV sitcom. I wondered what on earth a ‘Comedian’s Prayer Book’  could contain… 

It’s not a book I would likely have come across, but one of my sons sent it to me for my recent birthday, so I looked forward to reading it. It’s a fairly thi...

Monday to Friday Man (by Alice Peterson)

I have liked all the novels I’ve read by Alice Peterson, and have been re-reading them recently. I discovered that although I had read ‘Monday to Friday Man’ in 2012, I only had it on my Kindle. I much prefer reading paperbacks, unless I’m travelling, so I checked ‘AwesomeBooks’ and was delighted to find a ‘Bargain Bin’ edition of this novel, which I immediately ordered. 

The story is narrated by Gilly (pronounced Jilly) who is a young woman of 34 when we meet her. She lives on her own in Lo...

Faith & Doubt (by John Ortberg)

I have very much liked the books written by John Ortberg, which I have read over the past fifteen years or so. He’s an American pastor who thinks outside the books, and writes in a very readable style. He uses anecdotes to illustrate his points, including sometimes poking gentle fun at himself. I’ve started re-reading some of his books, and just finished ‘Faith & Doubt’, which I read previously in 2009.

It’s an encouraging book, expressing the importance of having doubt alongside faith. If t...

Out to Canaan (by Jan Karon)

I’m so enjoying re-reading the ‘Mitford’ series by Jan Karon. Father Tim is a delightful creation; he’s a sixty-something balding priest in an Episcopalian church in the USA. The novels are all told from his point of view, set in the fictional small town of Mitford.

In the first couple of books Father Tim fell in love with his neighbour Cynthia, as well as adopting a teenage boy and a large dog. He interacted with the folk in his town, put up with a difficult (but quite efficient) secretary,...