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What have you just read? Opinions, Recommendations, and Reviews, part 3
Johnny English meets James Bond in the form of a failed actor, Lou Galloway, in this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read. 
El Flamingo by Nick Davies https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'd heard so much about it that I'm glad I finally got to read Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. Thoroughly enjoyed it.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
A contemporary fiction about an old woman and a mouse. Quirky!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just realised I don't seem to have posted any of my reviews since mid November:Three by Anna Willett -
Unwelcome Guests - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and Lost to the Lake - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
plus first in her Cold Case series The Woman Behind Her- reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Murder In Maastricht by Graham Brack - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Michael Connolly - The Black Echo - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two by Louise Douglas:
The Summer of Lies - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
The Secret of Villa Alba - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
two by Debra Castaneda:
The Spore Queen - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
A Dark and Rising Tide - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Third Girl by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and a re-read of Circe by Madeline Miller, opinion unchanged and enjoyed it just as much this time around - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Lumen Caligo: Fallen by Lawrence C. Cobb
Had tremendous potential, but the outmoded writing style didn't do the plot any favour.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Read two more:The Nine Lives of Kit Marlowe by Jay Margrave - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and
The Family Man by Anna Willett - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dale wrote: "My review of The Gift of the MagpieBy Donna Andrews
4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4..."
Your review link is going to the book page Dale.
Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition by Saadat Hasan Manto
An OwnVoices short story collection set around the brutal India-Pakistan partition of 1947. Heartbreaking and traumatic!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thanks Pam, will fix it tomorrow hopefully when I get near the desk computer.
Pam wrote: "Dale wrote: "My review of The Gift of the MagpieBy Donna Andrews 4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4......"
Fixed now. Thanks Pam
Three good graphic novels for you all:1. Patrik the Vampire, Book 1 by Bree Paulsen
Free for everyone on the author's website, but incomplete, and might stay so for a long time.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2. The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina M. Cho
A story that needs to be read, despite a few flaws in the execution. This one is for tweens and teens.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
3. Home Office Romance by Kintetsu Yamada
A manga set during the pandemic. A sweet opposites-attract romance.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner
3 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
FallenMy review 5 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Changing Habits
My review 3 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Calling Birds
My review 4 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Gold Rings
My review 3 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Geese A Laying
My review 3 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dashing Through the No
My review 1 star:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄💖Brightly Shining by Ingvild H. Rishøi
A Christmas story - yes, but not as "brightly shining" as the title claims. a good option for those who seek darker festive tales.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman
I wanted to say 'Yes' to Backman's latest work, but the result is a slightly mixed 'Maybe'. Not his best work IMHO. He's much better at full-length serious fiction.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shalama: My 96 Seasons in China by Jean Hoffmann Lewanda
The writing style just wasn't for me. The historical content is great, though.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Call of the Wild by Jack LondonMy review 5 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
French Hens by Stuart MacBrideMy review 3 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This Kingdom of Dust by David DyerMy review 5 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Clairvoyant's Glasses: Love Has No Bounds by Helen Goltz
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Witch of Colchis by Rosie Hewlett
An interesting sophomore book by this talented young writer. A great option for those who enjoy powerful Greek mytho retellings.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Clairvoyant's Glasses: Fate Comes to Call by Helen Goltz
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of The Amish Wedding Promise by Laura V. Hilton4 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My review of Snowflake Bay by Donna Kauffman
2 and a half stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I had set a challenge to read 64 books this year. I exceeded my goal by reading 78 books. These were divided into the following categories:42 were books by women authors
16 were books in translation
18 were books in or about the Middle East and Africa
14 were non-fiction
8 were classics
I read some great books by new to me authors. These included a couple of novels by Wallace Stegner, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, North Woods by Daniel Mason, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, The Swan's Nest by Laura McNeal, The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, and There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension and They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by the amazing Hanif Abdurraqib.
All in all, it was a great year for reading.
These are the books I read this month:
71/64. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
72/64. Entitlement by Rumaan Alam.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
73/64. The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
74/64. Hum by Helen Phillips
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
75/64. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
76/64. In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
77/64. The Oceans and the Stars by Mark Helprin
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
78/64. A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Looking forward to another good year for reading.
Happy New Year to all.
My review of
The Lady Travelers Guide to Happily Ever After by Victoria Alexander
3 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Last reads of 2024:Autumn Chills: Tales of Intrigue from the Queen of Crime by Agatha Christie - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Killer’s Christmas List by Chris Frost - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
First of 2025 as I finished it today:The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas - reviewed - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aleman
This shouldn't have been my kind of book at all, but to my surprise, I enjoyed it quite a lot. A dark but entertaining satire.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
This didn't work for me as well as the earlier books of the series. The mystery was quite weak, though the mush was spot on.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons. I delightful book about the unlikely friendship between an 85-year-old woman and a precocious 10-year-old girl.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Midnight Line by Lee ChildMy review ⭐⭐⭐.5
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here One Moment by Liane MoriartyMy review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella
I ended 2024 with this poignant novella. Much recommended! For those like me who are wary of Sophie Kinsella's usual genre, note that this isn't a romcom.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I began 2025 with this beautiful memoir Move Like Water: My Story of the SeaA perfect read for anyone who loves the natural world, especially the sea/ocean.
My review of The Winds from Further West by Alexander McCall Smith
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read The Gathering by Anne Enright, the winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize. It is told from the first-person point of view of a woman trying to come to terms with her brother's suicide. The technique is stream of consciousness. This is the third book I've read by Enright and have enjoyed them all. There is a haunting quality about her writing that I find appealing.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
All About Books
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I loved this indie dystopian scifi, though it was more drama and less scifi. Much recommended!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...