A Year Of Finding Happiness by Lisa Hobman (Audiobook)

Greg is struggling to come to terms with the death of his girlfriend 5 months previously. When Mallory moves to the small Scottish village Greg is immediately attracted to her but accepts he's not ready for a new relationship. Tragically Mallory's fiance is killed in a road accident and Greg decides that he can offer support since he is well aware of the emotions she must be feeling.

I much prefer male-centric romance novels, added to which we have the gorgeous Scottish lilt of Greg Miller Burns narrating the story. You are immediately gripped by events and feel very sympathetic towards Greg. His struggle with grief comes across very clearly, particularly as he's generally a loner and doesn't appreciate support. Being set in a small community there's nowhere for Greg to hide and those around him keep an unobtrusive eye on him.

Having lost his girlfriend 5 months earlier in a climbing accident Greg immediately feels sympathy towards attractive newcomer Mallory. Unfortunately all he manages to do in his initial interactions with her is come across as grumpy and rude. Obviously this is a romantic trope but it works well in this situation since both characters are struggling to come to terms with their grief.

Eventually Greg and Mallory form an uneasy friendship. Greg is determined to support Mallory in any way he can. Greg is constantly consumed by guilt that he finds Mallory attractive and regularly withdraws from her as a form of punishing himself. The guilt he feels results from a lack of closure since his girlfriends body was never found.

Time works wonders (hence the title of the book) and with patience and support, along with a couple of hazards along the way, the couple eventually find happiness.

Music plays a huge part in this story. Greg struggles to say what he means and puts his foot in it more often than not. By using music he's able to convey exactly what he wants to say. The choice of music referenced throughout the story is fantastic.

I did feel the story dragged a little bit. At more than one point Greg and Mallory almost give in to each other but fate throws a spanner in the works. I'm not sure so many interventions from fate were really needed to make this an enjoyable story, especially when we all know exactly how it's going to end.

A Year Of Finding Happiness by Lisa Hobman will be published in audio format on 20th October 2022. The paperback and ebook formats are available now. My thanks to NetGalley and Saga Egmont for a review copy.

 

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Ash and Edi have been best friends since they were children. When Edi needs end of life care as a result of ovarian cancer Ash spends all her time with her, supporting and reminiscing.

This is not an easy read, thankfully it is a relatively quick one. There is no gentle lead into the brutal fact that Edi only has a few weeks left to live and her family are faced with some difficult decisions. The descriptions of the care Edi receives are honest and stark. 

What we do have is a glimpse into an abiding friendship. Friends who've seen each other at their very best and their very worst. Friends who, above all else, are honest with each other. Ash is always honest with Edi, she never tries to sugar coat what is happening or make unrealistic promises. I loved the part that described a close friend as the backup drive to your own memories.

While we are present for all of the things that Ash does for her friend (sourcing food requests, trips outside, plucking chin hair) we also see that she is able to do all these things because of the wonderful support network she has. There is also the reminder that for friends and family life falls into two categories, dealing with someone dying and then coping with the loss.

Descriptions of the hospice and it's staff show the amazing job these places do. We see life celebrated as well as death mourned. We also see that humour still has a place in these situations, that these types of release valves are vital.

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman will be published in ebook and audio format on 8th November 2022. The hardback format will be available on 12th January 2023. My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Books for a review copy.

 

Forever Home by Graham Norton

 

Carol Crottie and Declan Barry have lived together for ten years. Marriage was never on the cards. They’d both been married previously. Carol was divorced but Declan’s wife had walked out on the family years previously so technically he was still married. When Declan is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s his grown children throw Carol out of their father’s house and prevent her from having any say in his care. Declan had made Carol promise that the house would never be sold so when she discovers it is on the market she has to act fast and this leads to a shocking discovery.

I absolutely loved this book, simply couldn’t put it down. The opening pages reminded me very much of the opening of an old film where the scene is set by panning slowly across a landscape before gradually focusing on one particular point. Graham Norton does exactly the same as we move through the small Irish town of Ballytoor, arriving at Stable Row and focusing on number seven.

We’re then introduced to Carol and her confrontation with Declan’s grown children, Sally and Killian. I was immediately filled with anger and sadness as it became clear that Carol was being thrown out of her home. We slowly discover that Carol and Declan had never married and Declan had never made a will so she had no rights to remain in the house. It was very clear that there was animosity between Carol, Sally and Killian.

As we slowly learn about Declan’s decline with Alzheimer’s and Carol’s determination to keep him at home for as long as possible we build a better picture of the dysfunctional family.

With nowhere else to turn Carol has to move back in with her parents. This really hit home that no matter how old you are your parents will always be worried about you. Dave Crottie tries to remain in the background letting his wife deal with the emotional stuff. Moira Crottie is a force to be reckoned with. Despite being eighty she seems to have boundless energy and the fierceness and cunning of a lioness protecting her young.

When Carol’s parents buy the house on Stable Row for her they make a startling discovery. Carol begins to question if she truly knew the man she had lived with. Things become even more involved when a stranger from the past suddenly appears.

The last quarter of the book contains some very black humour, most of it instigated by Moira, proving how strong-willed she is. We also see how Carol reverts to being almost child-like and never questions her mothers decisions.

Forever Home by Graham Norton will be published on 29^th September 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.

Last Circle Of Love by Lorna Landvik

When  a group of church fundraisers are looking for a new idea to raise money for their ailing church someone suggests writing an "ABC of Erotica". As the members of the group, their partners and some other members of the church begin to reflect on what they would include in the book lots of memories are revived and some hostilities arise.

I must admit that previously I hadn't read anything by Lorna Landvik, even though I have a couple of her books on my TBR pile. Who can resist titles such as Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons or Chronicles Of A Radical Hag. 

Books about small town America always appeal to me. They tell the story of community and friendship that I'm sure many of us dream of. This book offers just that kind of feeling. The more I read the more I was comparing this to books by Fannie Flagg, another writer who does strong women in small town America very well.

What the women end up with isn't a book of erotica, it's more a self-help book about relationships. As they think about past and present relationships lots of memories are stirred up and they begin to re-examine their current relationships, realising that over time we begin to take those relationships for granted. As feelings are awakened lots of relationships are rejuvenated, there are also some startling confessions. The women also have to deal with some prejudice from members of the church, realising that there are more people supporting them than against them.

Last Circle Of Love by Lorna Landvik will be published on 6th December 2022 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a review copy.

 

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

 

When the Thursday Murder Club turn their sights to a ten year old murder case little do they realise the extreme events that will ensue. Journalist Bethany Waites was on the trail of a VAT fraud worth £10,000,000 when her car went off a cliff edge. Even though her body was never recovered the consensus is that she's dead. No-one was ever convicted of her murder and the £10,000,000 never recovered. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are determined to figure out exactly what happened to Bethany.

Everything that fans of The Thursday Murder Club have loved in the previous two books,  The Thursday Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice, shine through in the third book in the series. Each of the main characters plays their role to perfection. Ibrahim uses his skills as a psychiatrist to uncover information. Ron, ever a trade unionist, uses his connections to gain access to people with a shady past.

The women are at the forefront of the investigation. Joyce is as ditsy as ever, able to talk herself into any place or situation. Elizabeth really has to put her spy craft to full use in the investigation, particularly when things take an unexpected turn and her past with MI5 (or is it MI6) rears it's head.

There are a host of lesser characters supporting our intrepid investigators. Donna, Chris and Bogdan as usual are at the beck and call of the Thursday Murder Club. The villain from the second book in the series, Connie Johnson, agrees to help discover information. New characters add another dimension to the story. Pauline, a make-up artist, offers romance for Ron. We begin to see a softer side of Ron but we also have sympathy for Ibrahim as he is slowly losing his friend. Another new character is local TV celebrity Mike Waghorn. Mike has stuck with regional TV for the whole of his career, lapping up the celebrity status it gives him locally. 

The story is threaded with humour and a little sadness. The storylines involving Elizabeth's husband, Stephen, really do highlight the devastating effect of Alzheimer's and fill you with dread.

Expanding the number of characters involved with the investigation works well, no doubt many of these characters will be called upon in subsequent books to help the team solve other cases. All that we need now is for Richard Osman to write faster.

Good Taste by Caroline Scott

Struggling writer Stella Douglas has had to return to her home in Yorkshire to be nearer to her recently widowed father. Writing a column for a women's magazine just about pays the bills but Stella relishes researching and writing biographies about 18th century cooks. Unfortunately not everyone is as fascinated by the subjects of these biographies and book sales are low. When her publisher suggests she writes about the history of English food Stella jumps at the chance. Letters fly in from all corners of the country and trips result in her meeting some interesting characters.

Set in 1931, we immediately sympathise with the lead character, Stella, as she has had to leave behind her life in London to return to Yorkshire. London is a heady mix of socialising, restaurants, nightclubs and discovery. By contrast Yorkshire is drab, damp and full of factory chimneys. 

Author Caroline Scott vividly describes Stella's life, from the cramped cottage and it's dank furniture, to her clothes and the food she is writing about. Thanks to these descriptions it is very easy to imagine life between the wars.

There are times when the descriptions are actually a little too much. Since the theme of the novel is the history of English food there are descriptions of meals that have now fallen out of fashion, many of them involving offal. As Stella collects anecdotes from around the country we learn all about "nose to tail" eating. Alongside this we also discover how tiny regional variations exist for some foodstuff such as Eccles cakes.

As Stella is researching recipes we meet some eccentric characters and there's even a little romance thrown in too. 

More than anything though I felt that Good Taste was more a social commentary. Researching 18th century cooks Stella shows how far we have come in our eating habits. But life in 1931 isn't much different to our life today. There's an obvious North/South divide, people are struggling financially with some having to rely on soup kitchens and there is a decline in bakers and butchers shops. There are even complaints that people have forgotten how to cook, having become reliant on modern culinary trends and labour saving devices. We really don't seem to have moved much in 90 years - apart from eating less offal!

Good Taste by Caroline Scott will be published on 13th October 2022 in hardback and ebook format. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for a review copy.

 

 

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

At forty-three Ted Ainsworth is content with his life. He's been happily married to Giles for twenty years and is employed in the family ice-cream business. When Giles suddenly announces he's leaving, Ted begins to question whether he genuinely is content.

Earlier this year I read The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain and fell in love with the wonderful Albert, therefore I was really keen to read Becoming Ted. Thankfully I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the previous one.

It's difficult not to make comparisons between the main character in this book, Ted, and Albert from the previous book. Both are gay men, going through drastic changes in their lives. Both have a host of wonderful characters supporting them. I didn't love Ted as much as I did Albert but I didn't dislike him. 

Ted's dilemma is that he's always put other people in his life first, diminishing his own dreams. Husband Giles is horrible; self-centred, arrogant and fickle. Giles leaving is just the catalyst Ted needs to realise he needs to put "Ted First". This act of rebellion leads Ted to admit he has always wanted to be a drag queen. He also has to find the courage to admit to his family that he doesn't like ice-cream.

In order to fulfill his dream Ted is helped along by best friend Denise and pensioner Stanley. Denise is a larger than life character who only has Ted's best interests at heart. Along the way we discover that Denise is also lonely following a disastrous relationship. The description of Denise's experience with dating apps certainly raises an eye.

Flamboyant Stanley is probably the star of this story. In his nineties Stanley is now living in a retirement home. Unfortunately some of the other residents are making his life uncomfortable because he's gay. Stanley refuses to be cowed by them, having fought hard for gay rights as a younger man he refuses to give in to homophobic abuse. We learn how gay men were hounded and abused in the 1950's and 1960's. It makes you realise how far society has come since then, although there are instances in the story that show we still have a way to go in some parts of society.

We have numerous happy endings, as you would expect from a feel good story. A story about acceptance; acceptance of each other and, more importantly, of ourselves.

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 19th January 2023. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline publishers for a review copy.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes (Audiobook)

When Ally dies her fiance, Charlie, and best friend, Becca, are distraught. What they don’t realise is that Ally has left them a bucket list to complete for her. The only problem being Charlie and Becca detest each other. Each year the couple manage to put up with each others company for a few hours while they fulfill an item from the bucket list. Little do they realise that Ally thinks they would be perfect for each other and she has planned to force them together in unlikely situations so that they will realise it too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The characters, the situations, the range of emotions all work well together. The fact that the events take place over a ten year period also allows the main characters to develop and grow.

Becca is a fabulous best friend, just the type we would all wish for. When we initially meet her she’s a struggling actress, living hand to mouth most of the time. She’s very flamboyant, loves nothing better than scouring charity shops for vintage designer clothing.

Fiance Charlie is a television producer, he seems to have his life sorted. He’s got a steady job and a flat he shared with Ally. Calm, reliable and organised, the complete opposite of Becca.

From the very beginning the story tugs at the heartstrings as we join Charlie and Becca at the funeral. From then on the mood is generally lighter, with the odd bit of sadness thrown in. The situations that Charlie and Becca end up in certainly raise a smile. It’s obvious which way the story is going to end, however Pernille Hughes doesn’t rush this, allowing us to see the characters change over time. Becca becomes slightly more mature and Charlie more reckless.

This is a story about grief and hammers home the fact that we all handle grief differently. More importantly it reminds us that we have the capacity to love more than once.

Ten Years by Pernille Hughes is available in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for a review copy.

 

Together, Again by Milly Johnson

When Eleanor Vamplew passes away unexpectedly her daughters, Jolene and Marsha, are left to carry out her final wishes. In her will Eleanor has left almost everything to her third daughter Annis. The problem is that Annis walked out of the house at the age of sixteen and completely cut herself off from the family. 

Completely unexpectedly Annis turns up and the sisters spend the next few weeks slowly getting to know each other. The three women were born seven years apart so never really bonded as siblings, added to this were emotionally distant parents. As the women get to know each other we discover that their personal lives are suffering as a result of their upbringing. By sharing and supporting each other they begin to put things right.

Fans of Milly Johnson will recognise the basic premise of the story; three women who are all facing dilemmas in their personal lives. Over time they each face up to what is causing their problems and by supporting one another they manage to move on in their lives. What fans won't be familiar with are the much darker themes at the heart of the story. I really don't want to go into the details of the darker themes as they will give too much of the story away.

Jolene is the eldest of the three sisters, the reliable one. Jolene is a successful novelist and has been married to Warren for ten years. There are problems within the marriage but Jolene keeps explaining them away rather than facing them head on. It is easy to see that Jolene is seeking the love and support she didn't get as a child, she is frightened that by challenging her husband she will lose him.

Marsha is the middle sister, born seven years after Jolene. Marsha has never felt as if she was good enough, this stems from not being the boy her parents had hoped for. A lack of love from her parents meant that Marsha looked for it elsewhere and fell in love with a priest. The unrequited love has hampered Marsha from forming meaningful relationships.

Annis is the youngest of the sisters, born seven years after Marsha. There was resentment and jealousy between the girls as their father lavished his affection on Annis. When Annis walked out of the house at sixteen everyone was surprised as she gave no reason for leaving. 

As the sisters get to know each other they learn about how the lack of love from their parents impacted on their childhood and the decisions they made as adults. By understanding what each other went through and supporting each other they gain the strength to action change in their lives.

As you would expect their are a couple of knights in shining armour sprinkled through the story. Daz in particular adds a little bit of lightness to the story. Knights in shining armour is probably the wrong expression as they don't swoop in to save people, it's the sisters who save each other.

Together, Again by Milly Johnson will be published on 29th September 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for a review copy.

 

1989 by Val McDermid

 

Investigative journalist Allie Burns is working in Manchester when she hears about the infux of HIV/AIDS victims from Scotland. Having a nose for a story Allie begins to investigate and is shocked by what she finds is happening in Scotland. Even more shocking is the fact that trials on a drug that may be able to slow down the devastating effects of the virus have been closed down because of the side effects. When she discovers the trials have been moved to East Berlin Allie follows the story and ends up putting her life on the line.

I've always been a fan of Val McDermid, the Tony Hill series is one of my all time favourites. A year ago I read the first book in the Allie Burns series, 1979, and loved it. It was great to immerse yourself in investigative journalism and crime solving in the days before modern technology such as mobile phones and the internet.

The nostalgic aspect continues in the second book in the series, 1989. I enjoyed this book even more than the first one, probably because I was in my mid-twenties at the time the book is set and everything seems very vivid. Many of the stories covered still feel as if they happened only yesterday.

There is a time jump of ten years between the first and second books. This time jump gives us a jaded Allie because of the way in which media tycoons changed the way in which print media and journalists worked. The character of Wallace Lockhart has a fleeting resemblance to Robert Maxwell.

Allie's role has changed drastically. Rather than investigative journalism she's now in charge of news for the north of England, mainly dishing out jobs to freelance journalists. However Allie can never avoid the lure of a possible story and a chance conversation sets her on the path of investigating why AIDS victims are relocating from Edinburgh to Manchester. Over thirty years later it's still shocking to read about the way in which people infected with HIV/AIDs were treated by society.

The AIDS story segue's into the Soviet Union's occupation of East Berlin when Allie discovers that drug trials are being conducted there because the inhabitants are more easily controlled. The thought of Moscow controlling what happens in a European city seemed to be in the dim and distant past, and then events of this year make you realise how drastically things can change.

As Allie follows the trail of breadcrumbs she ends up putting her life on the line but refuses to give up in her search for the truth. A fitting conclusion to a massive story-line but we are left pondering what next for Allie Burns?

At the end of the book Val McDermid shares the forty songs she listened to in order to get her head into the world of 1989. This list is right up my street and added to the nostalgia brought about by the story.

August 2022 Reads

 

August was a very varied month for me in terms of reading. I also managed to read a couple of more books than usual. So in no particular order this is what August resulted in.

I started the month with non-fiction. I really don't read much non-fiction at all and to be honest I can't remember the last non-fiction book I did read. Having taught Maths for 35 years The Big Bang Of Numbers by Manil Suri immediately leapt out at me. This book is more philosophical than mathematical but you really do need to be comfortable with numbers to get the most out of this text.

A couple of non-thriller books made the August list. In The Second Chance Holiday Club by Kate Galley we had recently widowed Evelyn taking off for the Isle of Wight to discover her recently deceased husbands secret "other" family. The coach trip turns into a disaster but prickly Evelyn discovers new friends and a whole new outlook on life. Louise Voss offers up Kerry Tucker Learns To Live in which loner Kerry has to face reality and her past following the death of her mother. Kerry is one of those characters who doesn't challenge, she simply goes along for the sake of an easy life. The more we get to know Kerry we realise that she has quite a few burdens on her shoulders; trauma, secrets, loneliness and grief. 

Obviously thrillers dominated the month. Having read The Art Of Death by David Fennell in July I was keen to get to grips with See No Evil. I hadn't realised that the books featured the same character, DI Grace Archer, so was pleased to discover they were linked as I enjoyed the development of Grace in the first book. A gruesome story featuring a serial killer with possible links to a religious cult is perfect reading for fans of thrillers.

Nicci French is one of those writing teams that has produced some of my favourite crime fiction, however I felt that The Favour just misses the mark slightly. I was hooked from the first page but couldn't get to grips with why a highly intelligent woman would carry out a favour for someone she hasn't seen for ten years without knowing more details. The story seemed to meander a bit towards the end.

The Hiker is the first book I've read by  M. J. Ford. I initially thought it was a fairly run of the mill crime thriller and I'd sorted out who the villains were by the halfway mark. The second half of the story proved me completely wrong and took the thriller in a whole new direction. Set in The Pennines the lonely, desolate landscape gives the story a creepy feeling.

Another author who was new to me was James Buckler with The Simple Truth, which combines a mysterious suicide with extremely topical issues of the environment and Russian money pouring into the UK. The story has plenty of pace and a likeable lead character in young lawyer Lewis Miller who is determined to discover the truth, even if he ends up risking his career or his life.

Three thrillers in August gained my five star approval. I stumbled across Catherine Ryan Howard last summer when I read 56 Days so I was really keen to get to grips with Run Time and I wasn't disappointed. It's one of those novels that's hard to describe without giving too much away. A young actress is given a last minute acting role that she jumps at in the hope of resurrecting her career. She ends up in the middle of nowhere, on a creepy set and strange things begin to happen that mirror the script. 

Second in this list is The It Girl by Ruth Ware. I saw so many good reviews of this novel that I decided to check it out and loved it, probably my favourite read of the month. A dual time frame covers a fledgling friendship at Oxford University between Hannah and April (the "It Girl") and ten years later when Hannah learns that the person who murdered April has died in prison. A whole new series of questions arise as to the guilt of the person convicted of April's murder. The dual time frame works brilliantly to keep you enthralled and you really do become engrossed in the lives of the characters.

The third book that made five stars is Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. Once again I was intrigued by all the great reviews. Just like the previous novel this uses an interesting technique to keep the reader involved. Late one night Jen witnesses her teenage son stab someone to death. Suddenly she then begins to wake up at different periods in her past and looks for clues to prevent the stabbing. Fantastic characters and a plot that's impossible to guess at what comes next.

Three audiobooks this month starting with a Christmas romance, A Bookshop Christmas by Rachel Burton. A fun story-line as it's one of those romances that pokes fun at corny romance fiction. What's not to love about a story that combines romance, Christmas and books. The last audiobook of the month was a disappointment. The Last House On The Cliff by Anne Wyn Clark started well with a seriously spooky setting but then seemed to lose sense of where the plot was going and the author threw every possible element of a mystery into the melting pot. I did consider giving up part way through but perservered, however I didn't write a review as I didn't want to be overly negative.

The third of the audiobooks was Isaac And The Egg by Bobby Palmer. In terms of a star rating this would be five stars (or even six). My year started with the wonderful A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe and this is a similar type of story. Isaac is dealing with grief, or that should be not dealing with grief. Issac is on the brink of suicide when a noise stops him and he discovers the egg. What follows will have you crying, then laughing, then crying some more. It's one of those stories that stays with you for a long time after you've finished it.

Publication dates to look out for are:

Kerry Tucker Learns To Live by Louise Voss will be published in ebook format on 6th October 2022.

The Favour by Nicci French will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 13th October 2022.

The Big Bang Of Numbers by Manil Suri will be published in hardback and ebook format on 27th October 2022.

The Hiker by M. J. Ford will be published in paperback, ebook and audio format on 10th November 2022.

The Second Chance Holiday Club by Kate Galley will be published in ebook format on 1st December 2022 with paperback following on 8th December 2022.

The Simple Truth by James Buckler will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 5th January 2023.