Michael J. Ritchie's Blog, page 5

“Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke (2020)

“When the Moon rose in the Third Northern Hall I went to the Ninth Vestiblue to witness the joining of three Tides.”

Genre is such a nebulous concept. Nothing is really one specific genre. The Lord of the Rings has a fantasy setting, but is a quest story. The Time Traveler’s Wife has science fiction elements, but is generally regarded as literary. Stephen King is so well known for horror that his other books that are more fantasy or science fiction will still be shoved in the Horror section of a...

“The Book Eaters” by Sunyi Dean (2022)

“These days, Devon only bought three things from the shops: books, booze and Sensitive Care skin cream.”

When we talk about books we loved so much that we devoured them, we don’t mean it literally. Devon and her family, on the other hand, most certainly do.

Devon is a member of one of the last book eater families in Britain. Hidden away from human society, the book eaters are a secret race of folk who live off books, consuming the written word to survive. Their existence is in peril, however, as...

“Death By Shakespeare” by Kathryn Harkup (2020)

“William Shakespeare occupies a special place in history.”

Death comes for us all, and writers are some of the biggest killers. Throughout his works, William Shakespeare sees off over 250 named characters, never mind the hundreds killed in wars and violence offstage. In this book, Kathryn Harkup goes through the plays to work out the truth behind the fiction, and whether Shakespeare really knew what he was talking about.

Previously exploring the poisons of Agatha Christie’s novels, Harkup here a...

“Jamie” by L D Lapinski (2023)

“Have you ever had a secret?”

Working in a bookshop means I’m more aware than most people without children that we’re living in a golden age of kids books. While debates rage currently about Dahl, Blyton, Rowling and Walliams, I’m eager to point people into the direction of the new authors who are coming up, filling bookshelves with diverse casts, interesting plots, and modern ideas. L D Lapinski is one of those really doing excellent work, and her new book is this one, Jamie.

Jamie is a Year Si...

“Capital” by John Lanchester (2012)

“At first light on a late summer morning, a man in a hooded sweatshirt moved softly and slowly along an ordinary-looking street in South London.”

It feels like it’s been a while since I read a big, chunky novel. Capital was one of the chunkiest on my shelf, so I decided to pay London a visit.

Pepys Road is an expensive street in south London with properties that started off cheap but are now worth millions. The residents include an elderly widow slowly dying of a brain tumour, a young football s...

“Tin Man” by Sarah Winman (2017)

“All Dora Judd ever told anyone about that night three weeks before Christmas was that she won the painting in a raffle.”

This is one that a friend has been telling me to read for quite a lot time, so I was interested to finally sit down with it and take it all in.

Ellis and Michael met as young men in a time when their love would not be accepted by the general population. As they grow together, they become inseparable. That is, until Annie shows up and, without ever meaning to, gets in the way....

“The Crime Of Black Dudley” by Margery Allingham (1929)

“The view from the narrow window was dreary and inexpressibly lonely.”

While Christie will always be my one true Queen of Crime, I think it’s fair to give the others a go. I’ve tried Sayers and Marsh, and Tey is still to come, but for now, let’s look in on Margery Allingham.

There’s a party going on at the mansion of Black Dudley, and Dr George Abbershaw was only too happy to accept an invitation, along with several of society’s up and coming bright young things. What no one was counting on, how...

“The Science Of Storytelling” by Will Storr (2019)

“We know how this ends.”

Just a quick one today as, ironically, there’s not much plot here. In Will Storr’s book The Science of Storytelling, he explores why humans tell stories, how to tell them well, and what makes a good one. Without being too technical, he covers psychology, philosophy, neurology and narratology in small bitesize chunks.

Along the way we learn why we’ve been telling the story of King Lear since before we came down from the trees, what it would take to make a three-hour biopi...

“Wrong Place Wrong Time” by Gillian McAllister (2022)

“Jen is glad of the clocks going back tonight.”

If you could turn back time, what would you do differently? I’m sure there’s always something we’d change if we had a do-over. In this novel, our heroine must use her power to solve a crime.

It’s a regular night in October and Jen is carving a pumpkin ready to put outside the house of Halloween. Her husband Kelly is home, and they’re waiting for their teenage son Todd to arrive home in time for his curfew. But then they see Todd outside the house, ...

“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir (2021)

“What’s two plus two?”

I generally try not to fill these reviews with spoilers where I can help it, but I’m afraid on this occasion I will be quite openly talking about some things that happen at least a quarter of the way into the book and beyond, simply because if I don’t then I can’t properly discuss it in the way I want to. If you don’t want to be spoiled, then just know this is already the best book I’ve read all year, and stop reading now. If you don’t mind a little more information, carry...