WOYB – Page 2 – Travels with Ali

What have I been reading this month? Read on to find out!

Last month I read and posted a book by Lisa Jewell – The Family Upstairs – and said I couldn’t put it down, so quickly after that I followed up with the sequel – The Family Remains.

In this story we find out what has become of “The Family Upstairs” and also what happens when the police in France find Michael’s body and the story of his second wife Rachel. There is also a body found on the banks of the Thames which has DCI Samuel Owusu following the trail of clues left behind.

I enjoyed this book every bit as much as the first and it kept me guessing until the last page. 5/5

It seems I am hooked on Lisa Jewell for the moment! Another page turner so different from the last two, I don’t know how she does it.

A story that goes back and forth between 2017 and 2019, about the disappearance in 2018 of Tallulah and her boyfriend and her mother’s search for answers. In 2019, Sophie a published author moves to the village with her boyfriend who starts a new job as headmaster of the local boarding school and soon becomes involved in the search. 5/5

Another Andee Lawrence story, but in this book she is not the main character. Although I enjoyed this book I did get confused about the different relationships between the characters! It kept me guessing until the very end. 4/5

I’ve enjoyed all Jane Harper’s books and this was no exception. Set in the Clare Valley and featuring Aaron Falk once again. Another disappearing act! This one also had me guessing until the very end. I love the way she writes about small communities and the interaction between everyone. 4/5

“Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.” – Mark Twain

This is a challenge set by Debbie from Deb’s World and also Sue, Donna and Jo. I love this challenge as I love reading! Although I am not a prolific a reader as Debbie. This month she has posed the question “When do you stop reading a book you are not enjoying?”. For me it is generally once I have read the sample I have downloaded to see if it has me hooked. That is the beauty of an e-reader or Kindle I think. Because what speaks to one person will fall on deaf ears of another. There are far too many books out there and such little time to continue doggedly through a boring book.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading” William Styron

Time to review some more books for the WOYB challenge hosted by Debbie, Jo, Sue and Donna and I have three books to share with you this month.

The Match

Not one of Harlan’s best I have to say but I enjoyed it all the same. It’s the second in the series of The Boy From the Woods, a man simply known as Wilde. In this book he finally searches for the truth about himself and finds on a DNA site a 100% match for his father. This is when the trouble starts and he stumbles onto something more. I like the way Harlan Coben writes so will generally read most of his books. 3/5

Such a lovely read, I enjoyed every word as did a friend of mine. Set in 1960s California, it tells the tale of Elizabeth Zott a woman who is a chemist in a man’s world. Having been derailed by the unscrupulous men she works with, Elizabeth finds fame hosting a cooking show using her scientific skills. She has a daughter called Mad, who seems to be a child prodigy and thinks more like a teenager than a five year old. There are many hilarious characters in this book. A good fireside, feet up, rainy day kind of book. 5/5

This book has been on my TBR list for a while now so I took the plunge and dived right in. Set in the summer of 1822 in Edinburgh and the city is all of a dither about the forthcoming visit of George IV. It is about the botanical garden and a very rare plant about to flower. Not all of the characters are fictional and the story has elements of the truth about it. The main characters are just so well written you feel as you know them. Firstly Elizabeth a newly widowed young woman from London who comes to stay with an elderly relation and Belle, a courtesan with a mind of her own. Both women are drawn to each other through their love of plants. I loved this book also and highly recommend it. 5/5

A book that I tried in vain to read as it was for my bookclub was Klara and the Sun by Kashuo Ishiguro. It is about Artificial Friends who are made to live in a family and befriend a young teenager. I just felt that every character in the book was artificial and because it is written from Klara, the Artificial Friend’s point of view, there was no emotion in this book. Whenever I tried to read it, I was left feeling quite empty! It has great reviews so perhaps it was just me.

My A – Z of Favourite Authors ~ F ~

Looking through my “read” titles on my Kindle, I have quite a few for this letter.

Julian Fellowes – Past Imperfect. A very enjoyable read, although it does have very mixed reviews.
Gillian Flynn – All of her books, I am a huge fan.
Lucy Foley – The Hunting Party – A mystery set in the Scottish Highlands.
Ken Follett – Fall of Giants. A fantastic read set before and after World War I, it gave me a greater understanding of why the war started and which countries fought against each other.

I hope you enjoy some of these books as much as I have and find some new authors amongst them.