Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 59

The Nonesuch (by Georgette Heyer)

I have been reading books by Georgette Heyer for over forty years, gradually acquiring more of her historical novels and replacing some which fell to pieces. My copy of ‘The Nonesuch’ was given to me by a relative when I was 17, and I had read it at least six times, the last time being around ten years ago. So it was clearly time to re-read yet again...

When I picked up the book, I hadn’t recalled the story at all, but I quickly remembered most of the cast. Ancilla Trent is the heroine, an un...

No Ballet Shoes in Syria (by Catherine Bruton)

I don’t remember why I put this book on my wishlist late last year. Maybe Amazon recommended it to me, based on other books I had read or ordered, but I think it may have been a personal recommendation. I had never heard of Catherine Bruton, and I don’t often decide to read modern children’s books, although some are excellent. But ‘No Ballet Shoes for Syria’ sounded intriguing, and I was delighted to be given it for a recent birthday.

The heroine of this book is 11-year-old Aya, an asylum see...

An Evil Cradling (by Brian Keenan)

Although I probably heard the name of Brian Keenan in the late 1980s when he was a hostage in Lebanon, it’s not a name I recalled. I would almost certainly never have come across his book - nor picked it up if I had spotted it somewhere - if it weren’t for a reading group I joined recently. Their aim is to read books outside our usual preferred genres, and, where possible, to choose books written in different cultures.

This month, the first meeting after the Cyprus lockdown, the choice was K...

Love Songs and Lies (by Libby Purves)

I have been enjoying re-reading my Libby Purves novels, and have almost reached the end. ‘Love Songs and Lies’ is the one I’ve just finished; I first read it in 2007. Thirteen years later I had totally forgotten the people and everything about the plot. So it was like reading a new book all over again, knowing in advance that I would like it.

Sally is the main protagonist of this book, which is told by her in the first person. We meet her at first as an Oxford University student in the 1970...

Bittersweet (by Shauna Niequist)

I very much liked the first book I read by Shauna Niequist, so I put a couple of her other books on my wishlist. I was given ‘Bittersweet’ for Christmas, and just finished reading it. I read a couple of chapters each day over the course of two weeks or so, as there was a lot to think about in each one.

As with the other books I’ve read by this author, the style is something like that of a relaxed autobiography crossed with a personal journal. And the theme of this particular one is that of g...

Sad Cypress (by Agatha Christie)

I felt like reading one of our large collection of Agatha Christie books, and found a few that I had not previously read. I have no idea how we acquired ‘Sad Cypress’ but as far as I know I had never read it. I picked it up last night, and found it so engrossing that I finished it this afternoon.

This book has an interesting construction, one which I don’t recall from previous novels by this author. It opens with a scene in a courtroom. Elinor, a young woman, is accused of murdering another...

Seven Days in Summer (by Marcia Willett)

I have loved Marcia Willett’s writing for a long time now, ever since I first picked up one of her novels at a charity shop over twenty years ago. I keep an eye out for her new publications and put them on my wishlist as soon as they’re available in paperback. I was given ‘Seven Days in Summer’ for Christmas 2018 and for some reason it stayed on my to-be-read shelf all this time. Until a few days ago.

This novel - which takes place over the course of just a week - is set primarily in Devon wi...

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

In my slow re-reading of Elinor M Brent-Dyers Chalet School series for teenagers, along with many other books, I have reached the fourth one she wrote: The Head Girl of the Chalet School. Its over ten years since I last read this book, and I had almost entirely forgotten what it was about.

It turns out that its not really a very memorable book at all. Grizel is the head girl of the title, and shes quite an interesting character. Shes impetuous and strong-willed, and in the early chapters...

Reaper Man (by Terry Pratchett)

I am enjoying re-reading the Discworld books in order, interspersed with others of my favourite books and some new ones. Ive just finished reading Reaper Man, 11th in Terry Pratchetts brilliant and lengthy series. I recalled liking it very much the first time I read it. I had not remembered that I was less impressed last time I read it, which was in 2005.

Since I hadnt read the book for nearly fifteen years, I didnt remember much about it, other than the overall theme. Death, an important...

Swallowtail Summer (by Erica James)

Its probably twenty years since I started reading Erica James novels. I liked the first ones I read so much that I gradually acquired more of her work. She is still publishing new books fairly regularly, so I keep an eye on them, and as soon as theyre available in paperback I add them to my wishlist. Swallowtail Summer was published last year, and I was given it for Christmas 2019.

I kept the book on my to-read shelf, savouring the idea of another Erica James - and finally read over the past...