Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 58

Convenience Store Woman (by Sayaka Murata)

I had never heard of Sayaka Murata, a Japanese novelist. I very much doubt if I would ever have come across her novel ‘Convenience Store Woman’ under normal circumstances. But it was this month’s chosen novel for the reading group I recently joined, so I ordered it from ‘AwesomeBooks’, and have just finished reading it.

It’s described on the front as ‘Haunting, dark and often hilarious’, which almost makes me wonder if I read the same book as this reviewer. It was a little dark in places, p...

Murder in the Mews (by Agatha Christie)

I am still discovering, on our shelves, books by Agatha Christie which I had never previously read. Possibly they were acquired by - or for - one of our sons when he was a teenager. Our copy of ‘Murder in the Mews’ evidently came from a second-hand shop or church bookstall. I had not realised until I started reading it that it’s not a novel, but four short stories involving Hercule Poirot.

The first one, with the same title as the collection, starts with Poirot walking home with his friend...

Homecomings (by Marcia Willett)

I do so like Marcia Willett’s novels. She writes gentle character-based women’s fiction in exactly the genre I appreciate most. She has quite a gift of characterisation, and is a prolific writer. I put all her books in my wishlist as soon as they’re available in paperback, and was delighted to be given ‘Homecomings’ last Christmas. It’s taken me six months to pick it up to read, but once I’d started I could hardly bear to put it down.

There are several important characters in this book. We fi...

A Gentle Thunder (by Max Lucado)

I’m so glad that I picked up some books by Max Lucado when a friend was getting rid of them. I had read some of his quotations in a variety of places, and often found them apt, sometimes thought-provoking. I don’t agree with all his beliefs - he is an American pastor, although not connected with fundamentalists - but I appreciate the thoughtful way he writes.

The book ‘A Gentle Thunder’ (subtitled ‘Hearing God through the Storm’) has, as its broad focus, the idea of God using any means he ca...

The Rivals of the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

I am very much liking re-reading the early Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. Over the weekend I read ‘Rivals of the Chalet School’, which is fifth in the series. I couldn’t remember much about it, as I last read it over 10 years ago, but I did recall that it involved the rival St Scholastika’s School opening up nearby.

Grizel has left school for university, and Mary Burnett is head girl. She’s fairly quiet and innocuous but seems to make an able head of the prefects. Joey Bettany ...

I Owe You One (by Sophie Kinsella)

I have been reading Sophie Kinsella’s novels for more than twelve years now. She is, in my opinion, an excellent writer of light women’s fiction. So I add her novels to my wishlist as soon as they’re available in paperback. I was given ‘I owe you one’ for Christmas, and have just finished reading it.

The main character of the book, who narrates it, is in her twenties and has the slightly unusual nickname of Fixie. We don’t even learn her real name until well into the book, and nobody uses i...

Witches Abroad (by Terry Pratchett)

In gradually re-reading Terry Pratchett’s Discworld’ series, I was quite pleased to reach ‘Witches Abroad’. It’s the twelfth book in the lengthy series and I’ve always considered it one of my favourites. I last read it in 2004. The basic storyline is that the three Lancre witches - Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick - travel to ‘foreign parts’ in order that Magrat can ensure that a princess does not marry a particular person….

The first part of the book involves their travels ...

Love Walked Among Us (by Paul E Miller)

I very much liked a book I downloaded free by Paul E Miller some time ago, and as a result added a couple of his other books to my wishlist. I read one of them earlier this year, and was given the other, ‘Love walked among us’, for my recent birthday. I’ve been reading it over the past few weeks, mostly just one chapter each day.

As with the other books by this author, the most interesting parts - to me - are the anecdotes about his family. He writes well, and I could almost imagine his wife...

Hidden Talents (by Erica James)

In re-reading the novels by some of my favourite authors, I selected Erica James, whose novels I first discovered nearly twenty years ago. I was given - and read - ‘Hidden Talents’ around sixteen years ago, but despite having liked it very much I had not re-read it until the past few days.

I remembered that the story was about the members of a writing group, but nothing much else. So it was almost like reading a new book, with the added advantage that I knew I would enjoy it.

Dulcie is the c...

Silver on the Tree (by Susan Cooper)

I’m pleased that I finally decided to read through Susan Cooper’s ‘Dark is Rising’ sequence of five books. My sons liked this very much when they were young teenagers, and I had probably read a couple of the books back then. I hadn’t remembered the overall storyline, and am pretty sure I had not previously read ‘Silver on the Tree’, the last in the sequence.

The cover of our 1977 paperback edition has rather a strange and somewhat disturbing image showing - apparently - a sword embedded in s...