I'm three quarters of the way through this (listening whilst home decorating). It gives an overview of the Chilean miners trapped in 2010 rather than one person's story, which means it lacks the personal touch & emotional punch but I'm still enjoying it.

I didn't get on with this story of Cora, a slave in southern US who runs away. I felt her character didn't develop and, although there were some good descriptions of the plantation, once she ran away it was all the same. I got confused as to what was happening at times. The writing was good in places and subtlety revealed the horrors of life as a slave but overall this was a slow & boring listen. ⭐️⭐️1/2 stars

Retro pick - visited Barnsdale (Geoff's garden) a couple of years ago and picked this up to learn more about the man, his garden and TV career.

Good but unusual. Familiar with WW2 history & you'll know the story -assassination attempt of Heidrich in Prague. But this story is equally about the narrator who is writing a book about the incident and his reflection on what to include or not. Style is split between the text of the book he's writing and his own thoughts about the process. Different take on a familiar true episode in history. Worth reading.

Dysfunctional family living on a farm in the black swamp, tending an apple orchard, fighting and disagreeing about life. Switches to the son's story after he left the swamp and then back tracks to reveal the reason he left. Full of detail about apples, seeds & trees but heavy going as I found the characters unlikeable and the writing style unemotional. Great audio narration though, with lots of variation of voices. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is so beautifully written but I'm really struggling as there isn't much storyline - just lots of description of tragedy from a large, eclectic group of Parisians fleeing occupation. My reading has reduced to a page or two a day as my motivation wanes.

Really enjoyed this light novel told from four perspectives (Hemingway's wives). We meet wife one and learn about their lives then see how she deals with his infidelity. Then we skip forward to meet wife two, & through flashbacks see what was really happening during the period covered in the previous section. It's a clever technique but overall it's a bit of a light read - no real insights into the women. It has inspired me to his read biography.

Great page turner. I loved it. I don't usually read detective novels but this was well written and simple to follow with a limited no of characters. Ex army guy (Strike) is a typical loner private detective who joins with temp agency worker (Robin) to reinvestigate a suicide of a troubled supermodel. I felt there were no silly gimmicks or red herrings, just great build up of facts to drive progress to the great reveal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here's my stack from Edinburgh Book Fest - 3 of these signed by the author. I heard Jesse, Susan & Yewande speak too.

Beautiful writing but dull story. Bailed at pg 82 as I didn't care anymore. Major writes to Angela during WW1. Visits her at home in Ireland after the war to clear up whether or not they are promised to each other. She lives in a weird hotel which is where it lost me. Another reviewer described it as Faulty Towers without the humour. Disappointed.

Mixed feelings about this classic. I can see why it shocked in 1928, not just the coarse sexual language but the idea of a game keeper being loved by a lady of the manor. Lots of introspection and comment on society, together with sensuality & sex, but unfortunately there were too many dreary passages of the husband's thoughts on life and the world. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Glad I stuck it out to the end.

I loved The Last Runaway but this was disappointing. Working class Mary and spinster Elizabeth look for fossils in Lyme. It's the story of their friendship with comment on the conventions of the day regarding the role of women and the emergence of new beliefs regarding creation. I liked the characters and insight into history, but it was really slow. I probably would've bailed if it weren't based on real events. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My sewing project today took longer than expected so I'm only on page 59 but I'm starting to waver a bit, as the husband & wife just aren't very interesting. Anyone read this one and is it worth carrying on?

Solid dystopian drama for young teens. This is a single layered story without plot twists. It follows 3 teens in a near future world run by the temple of light. They go on a quest to find out the truth about the darkness. I found it slow to start but improves when the quest begins. Not a thrilling adventure but some age appropriate mild peril along the way. First in a series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PS I revived a non cost audio copy in exchange for review.

Solid whodunnit albeit somewhat predictable. Well defined characters and interesting dynamics in this Saudi world of veiled woman & desert guides. A girl goes missing, the guide investigates and has his beliefs challenged by a woman in the coroner's office. Quick holiday read you'll have to wrestle from the cat.

Great book. The Donner party head to California in 1800s by wagon, but get trapped in winter. Told through Tamsen Donner, travelling with husband & children. Uses journal & letter style to tell the backstory. Emotional and gritty fictional account of a real incident ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Factual telling of attempts to conquer K2 mountain from 1930s onwards. Lots of detail as new teams try each year, but it feels personal and harrowing when climbers don't return. Great audio narrator but rather dry overall if you're not a regular non-fiction listener. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Great history.

I loved The Bishop's Wife as the wife had lots of character and challenged her Mormon Bishop husband. They had a healthy respect for each other but this book is just frustrating. Claire is so pathetic as a Mormon Bishop's wife who obeys all the time. Just awful even though it is fiction. 👎🏻👎🏻

Amazing book I literally couldn't put down even though I was supposed to be booking a vacation. True story of a dorm room fire, and the recovery of those injured. Heartfelt, gripping and inspiring with focus on family, friends and the investigation into the fire. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommended.

Beautiful prose but suffers from style over substance. Didn't get into the characters and the plot ambles along. Not sure I believe Ann as she falls in love or lust and her actions turn violent. Georgian London with all its quirks is intriguing but odd. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the writing style.

Solid dramatic thriller, albeit predictable. Two boys kill and the story starts with release from prison. The crime is revealed via flashbacks, & the present deals with reunion, probation and sibling dynamics. Det. Serena ponders if the right boy was convicted but I found her dull & insipid.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Teen angst, introspection & foul language dominate this slow thriller. If you love YA this is for you. 16 yr old Natasha nearly drowns but can't remember what happened. Just when you think you know, all is not as it seems. Great audio narration as an annoying teen. ⭐️⭐️ 2.5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ great book with history, emotion and character. Intertwined stories of Ada, Evelyn & Hettie in the wake of WW1 with the overlaying story of the person they lost and the futility of war. Powerful and a literary page turner for me. Felt like real people's lives. Highly recommended.

⭐⭐️⭐️ A really dull listen - plague strikes the world and a group of middle class people survive. It's a bit like The Good Life with little emotion, fear or drama (unless you count the rabbits eating their new crops). Overall it was narrated like a radio play & that was good but I cant recommend.

I'm not far into this audio book (ch6). The production is great - sounds like a radio play, but the story is dull. Middle aged people in middle class settings when a flu like plague grips the world. Maybe this is reality more so than zombies and high drama, but it doesn't make for an exciting read

Great subject, but disappointed with the telling. Maybe it's the child PoV or the breathless audio narration but I found it lacked emotional punch. The characters were flat and frequent jumping past to present distracting. Could've been great but only just okay for me 🔅🔅

I won a free copy of this ages ago but only just making a start on it (as it's hardback & not very portable). Looks like being a interesting look at lives in the wake of WW1. If Sewing Bee wasn't on TV tonight I'd be having an early night as the start has me hooked👍🏼

Overall good read about a boy who runs away to the circus, but too Hollywood for me. Pretty sure the animal cruelty was worse in real life and the plot needed more depth. Disappointed with the big summary at the end to fill in story between the circus time & present day. Worth reading 🔅🔅🔅🔅

Bumped this up my TBR pile after a couple of girls in the bookshop were raving about it. So far so good but I'm only on page 39!

Perfect book for a hot sunny day like today. This engaging family drama is set during the 1976 heatwave in Britain which brought about restrictions on water usage and fines for stealing water.

Started great - brother & sister in Afghanistan separated as girl given to childless couple. Follows lives of those linked somehow to this event, but continuous viewpoint changes kept me at an emotional distance as time progressed. I found I didn't enjoy the last third of the book. Disappointing.

Even half a bar of chocolate can't overcome my jet lag and keep me awake to finish this book which I started at the airport. The unusual structure takes a bit of getting used to, but it's clear how the stories interrelate and I can't wait to see what happens.

Really struggling with this book - it's just not that inspiring and has made for a dull holiday read.

Well written & literary but slow paced & disjointed at times. Follows a shepherd, a gangster, Italian-American infantryman & British security officer. Their stories come together eventually but I didn't really like any of the characters.

Sunny & warm here so I'm already on page 89 of this World War Two novel. However I do hope the stories of the 4 characters link together somehow.

Great true crime that I devoured in a couple of days. Starts with background of the parents which helps you understand their reaction when teenage Brenda goes missing (soon they realise abducted). We then hear about the main suspect. Told with dialogue, it's a family story not CSI or dry history.

Really enjoying this true crime audio book I got for free in exchange for a review. I know nothing about the crime (child disappeared) so it is adding to the tension. Full review when I'm finished, but it's an initial thumbs up from me.

Page 55 and I'm struggling. It has all the elements- impending flood disaster, missing prohibition agents, orphan child ... but the period language makes for a clunky and slow read and I've started skipping pages.

An enjoyable memoir covering life in China from business in the city and the unique problems faced by foreign nationals to running away to a mountain village to restore an old villa. Mark writes in an easy style and his book does for China what books from the 80s did for France & Italy.

This non-fiction account of a military general & his family in Iraq at the time just before Sadam's fall started well, with a a good mix of personal anecdotes and historical detail. But then the journalist author took over and it became a dry telling of events without character. I gave up at 50%.

Really enjoying this above average memoir of life in a Chinese mountain village

First book I read by this author. I loved it. It's a historic romance that I found interesting and believable without being silly & soppy. I learnt a lot about the southern US slave era and the choices people can make to improve the lives of others. Great read.