Books to Read Tomorrow

Dear Mrs Bird by A.J. Pearce

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Tue, 19 May 2020 16:15:00 +0000

Mrs Bird is a renowned and formidable agony aunt and editor for the 'Women's Friends' Magazine, which is beginning to be grind to a stop. She has a long list of what are unacceptable problems for the magazine as well as articles or fiction which may be published. The fact other women's magazines are tackling the unacceptable aspects of the life that she ignores.

In December 1940, Emmy Lake is on the tram returning home from her job as a secretary at Strawman's solicitors. She dreams of becoming a lady war correspondent and flying around the world, reporting from far flung places, and imagines it a heroic profession. She is reading the adverts and jobs wanted sections of the Evening Chronicle, having read the news. Emmy chances across a job advertised for a Junior at the Launceston Press Ltd - the owners of the Evening Chronicle - it is a sign of her dream coming true. She decides to send off a letter of enquiry and gets an interview.

What the advert does not indicate is that the Junior being sort is for Mrs Bird and not in the main newspaper. Emmy gets to the offices of the paper and is directed up to the floor of the 'Women's Friends' Magazine. She takes in the dreary and thread bare decor but with her mind of the 'glitz' of reporting the war, she ignores the signs that not all is it should be. After an interview with Mr Collins who steps in for Mrs Bird when she's away from the office. His questions are nothing to do with the war, but Emmy is so determined to get the job that she ignores this oversight.

She comes away with the job, and looks forward to her first day as a junior, ready to prove her worth and work her way up to her dream job.

On the first day of her job Emmy encounters Kathleen and begins to fit the pieces together. The job however she feels could lead to her dream job, so she is determined to do all she can to gain a promotion. Her job involves typing up the answers to the problems she is prepared to answer. Emmy is also charged with ensuring the only problems Mrs Bird recieves are on her short list of acceptable ones, and to dispose of the others in the bin, cutting them up before hand.

Emmy cannot understand why those who gathered the courage to ask for help, who may have no one else they can ask are treated so harshly by Mrs Bird in her answers to them. And why so many problems are deemed unacceptable when they are problems so many people have, and are so widely shared with the war and its impact on lives. So she begins to write back to those who send in stamps, using Mrs Birds' name.

She tells her best friend and flatmate Bunty, who grew up with her. Bunty thoroughly disproves and Emmy promises her she will stop, but knows in heart she won't. So secrets and shenanigans arise from her secret begin to arise. As does life under the blitz, it's gentleness, fun and devastation.

Mrs bird's formidable presence shouts from the page as much as her shouts resound around the office, and anywhere she is. She hops in and out of the office, in between good work. Mrs Bird is the only one who can do anything, without her the world would fall apart.

Emmy in contrast is quiet, gentle and caring, yet is also lacking lived experience of the world. Her view of the wars has been in some ways secondhand, she reads letters from her brother and boyfriend about their duties. As a fire-station telephone operator, she hears of the devastation bombs and firs have caused, but has experienced little of that devastation herself. She walks past bombed houses and shops, yet it is after the action and is in some sanitised. Yet when she experiences heartbreak and devastation she begins to grow, and this can be seen in her understanding of the problems people are writing in with.

Bunty is more worldly, this could be because she works at the war office and is part of the hush hush of the war effort, so sees and speaks to those who see action. Yet when devastation occurs she goes into herself and struggles to cope, which any of us I feel would in the circumstances.

They both however as the book progresses grow in character and friendship.

This book has several areas of laughter. one is when Emmy is with Bunty queuing for a seat in a Tea House and sees Mr Collins who beckons them over. She is surprised to find that he has a younger half-sibling. The scene is written like a sketch and I can see many comics plying the roles to their funniest.

Throughout the book there is a mixture of emotions which has your heart being wrung and then laughing.

I also learnt more about the role of women in the war, which was an interesting tangent.

For a roller-coaster ride of life in 1940/41 then read in the comfort of your home, but be warned the bombs falling around you can be heard.

The Lunar Cats by Lynne Truss

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 14:15:00 +0000

This is the second in the adventures of Alec Charlesworth, a retired librarian. His first adventure was in 2014 and called 'Cat Out of Hell', in it Alec and his friend - Wiggy - along with Alec's dog Watson first come in contact and find themselves entangled with Evil Talking Cats (ETC's). This adventure is mentioned in the The Lunar Cats, and beware there is a spoiler as the ending is described.

The Prologue of The Lunar Cats is set in the 18th century just before the Endeavour and Captain Cook make their maiden voyage to Tahiti. The London Society are in a tavern concluding their meeting, it is only at the end of the prologue we are shown the group is made up of cats, with wigs and smoking, discussing the scientific development of the times as well as some rather unusual and only cat related developments.

Skip on a few hundred years and we come to Alec who is reading an email, which he decides to act on. Alec since his retirement helps authors to research their book, and in the email is being asked
a Mr Thigmo Taxis to research the evidence for Mr Johnson's famous cat Hodge who was abroad the Endeavour on its voyage to Tahiti.

We read that he could after extensive research find any evidence that Hodge exists. We are also shown the journals that the cat Hodge's wrote while on that voyage. Along with the secret that the Endeavour brought back a strange and dangerous object which the history books refuse to mention.

Alec while putting out the recycling then finds a sweet and innocent kitten, far to young to manage on it's own, so much to Watson's umbridge the kitten is given a home. Alec then phones Wiggy the next time he takes Watson for a walk and they discuss ways to test the kitten to see if it an ETC. But she's so cute, I mean look at her eyes and her so sweet paws, she in no way can be an ETC.

The action then flits between the 18th century and modern day, and near the end we see that some cats have more then none lives, or can either time travel or are just simply immortal.

The best scene in the book for me was the contract which the kitten signs between her and Beelzebub.

I found the writing easy to read and enjoyed having my imagination provoked by it. Although there was one scene which I found squeamish and has me looking at my cats claws in a different light. I wonder if dogs - oh the cats calling, yes Sir - now where was I, no the thoughts gone.

This is not a book for the serious reader, but if you want to have your senses befuddled then carry on.

i can't wait to read the first - Cat Out of Hell - and hope that there is another adventure with Alec battling ETC's in the near future.

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 21:09:00 +0000

Maurice swift is a writer without ideas. So he sets about stealing those of others. His first 'victim' is Erich

who he meets while working as a waiter in the Savoy Hotel - Berlin. Eric falls in love with Maurice although the feeling is not receprecated. Once Maurice as bled Eric dry of a story from his youth during the war, he drops him. He the writes an award-winning novel, which leaves Erich destroyed.

Maurice then goes on using people to gain stories and to get what he wants from life. His own novels never reach the success of those taken from others. He uses anyone including his wife, and his child.

He is a disposable who is well written that his self-centredness flows of the page as does his attractivness which is mentioned regularly throughout the book, without it I wonder how far he would have got with plan.

There is however another equally dispicable character in the book. She like Maurice is willing to do anything to get her own way - even destroying lives. Out of the two I can honestly say it is her I hate the most. The malice of her character drips of the page leaving you feeling sullied.

Maurice is a craftsman of his role, he is charmingly written and in this I can see why those around him fall for him. The life of Maurice and the way he gains his stories is spectacularly written and leaves me wondering how much of our lives are fair game to the writers around us.

Although Maurice as you would expect out shines the other characters that does not mean they are in anyway inferior. They are written with gentleness and understanding along with the knowledge that we ourselves would inevitably be taken in by Maurice's charm.

The ending is wonderful as we see Maurice becoming a shell of himself - does guilt play a part I wonder, or is it due to him growing older and not being as attractive which means he can't charm the way he once did.

The question is can someone enable him to fall completely and if so will he stay down or find away to bounce back.

Be prepard to hate and adore this lackluster writer in buckets.

Are You Watching by Vincent Ralph

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 16:51:00 +0000

Jessica Simmons was seven when her mum was killed by a serial killer. Ten years later and thirteen victims later, Jessica decides to use a new YouTube show - The Eye, to catch him. Five people each with a story to tell have one day every five days to gain the most followers and a three month contract. They are filmed from the moment they awake till midnight.

Jessica is determined not just for her, her dad and nan, but for all the families of the serial killers victims. After a time Jessica is the only participant left and she begins to taunt the killer. The events that follow make her understand that this is not a 'game' but reality and a dangerous one at that.

Her dad's grief and bewilderment of the past ten years is breath takingly papabke. This leads to feelings at times that we are invading in his sorrow and I was left wondering how to handle his grief.

Jessica was in some ways annoying, her determination to catch the killer, understandably is all encompassing. Due to this I felt she did not have any consideration for the pain and problems which her plans bring to those around her. However after an incident not relating to her 'task', she begins to grow in her understanding that others also have difficult lives.

All the characters brought either tension or relief to the story which allowed for a brilliant read.

The ending is delightful in its tension and suspense.

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 16:14:00 +0000

The tale is set in Ireland and the narrative is told by a cop who has arrested a young teenage boy in the hopes that he can convince him to change his ways, before he starts down the wrong path. Christmas is seen to through his unhappy eyes, and reminds us that it may be the best time of the year, yet it harbours much sadness the majority of most likely never see through the curtains of our own lives.

The story revolves around Lou who on his way notices a homeless man sitting in a doorway andgives him his coffee - this is extremely unusual for him. He then talks to Gab about the people going into the building where he works, which is an eye opening conversation about how shoes and the way people walk can be used to identify the people Gab has seen from his advantage point of sitting on the floor in a doorway. Lou then does something even more unusual for him, he takes Gab into his office and give him his spare suit and sends him to the post room as there is a job going. Lou can't believe what he has done, but doesn't intervene to lose Gab the job.

Gab proves himself to be efficient and effective at his job and seems to Lou to be dropping up in unexpected places and after Gab drives Lou - who's well over the drink drive limit - home one night, Lou finds he has stayed the night by seeing him at breakfast the next morning. Lou then begins to wonder if Gab is trying to take over his life.

It is through Gab though that Lou sees his life in a new light. Work becomes less important and he finds once again the love he has for his wife and children and spends time with them over work. Family he begins to understand is more important then work, money and friends.

The story is well written and the characters are full of life and the ending is written with love and understanding of the human heart. Secrets of other characters are revealed which, brings to light their role in the narrative.

The only question I have is where can I get those pills from.

Time is the essence of this story what you learn from it is your own story to find.

Never the Bride by Paul Magrs

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 13:51:00 +0000

This is the first in a four-book series.

Never the Bride is set in the famous literary town of Whitby. The main characters are Brenda and Effie who end up in awkward situations.

Brenda is full of life, with a past she choses not to tell anyone about – mainly she doubts they will believe her or will end up running her out of town. She tuns a B&B which is cosy, quiet and efficiently run. Her morning routine is one of ensuring her make up is on just right and her wig looks it’s best.

Effie is funny in her tactlessness; she lives in the house next door to Brenda and runs a junk shop in the lower rooms. Her house is filled with books on magic and the paraphernalia that goes along with it. Effie herself wants nothing to do with the magic and has ‘distanced’ herself from it. No one knows her family line consists of many witches. However, she begins to realise that magic has not ‘distanced’ itself from her.

The first mishap that they encounter is when their usual waitress – Jess - at the ‘Christmas Hotel’ is looking 20 years younger and is acting as if she was 20 years younger. Effie decides to investigate the ‘Deadly Boutique’ that Jess visited, and havoc occurs. Although there is something tantalising about the boutique, but also something unnerving. Brenda and Effie then make another visit and all hell breaks loose.

For some visiting the ‘Christmas Hotel’ and enjoying Christmas anytime of the year may be a wonderful plan, but beware this one is dowdy, grubby and the elves are not as joyous as they should be. The owner rules the roost with staff and guests well under her thumb.

My favourite location in the book is a trip down memory lane to ‘Woolworths’ and their pick n mix – maybe that’s the reason I like the sound of the ‘Deadly Boutique’.

The friendship between Brenda and Effie is tested with a debonair gentleman comes to town and takes a shine to Effie.

The best of the book for me is my imagination linking a village and its Martian visitor with ‘War of the Worlds’ and offspring ensuing, the mind boggles at how that occurred though.

Whitby wouldn’t be the same though without its most famous literary visitor who is not as he once was. He has changed beyond all imagination.

The ending reminds me of a once watched horror movie, when I was a teenager and I didn’t sleep for days.

The location of Whitby is brought to life by the language used and its atmosphere is charged. The characters are wonderfully written and the interactions between them dances of the page.

Brenda is all for a quiet life, something she has always been short on, but it seems ‘fate’ has other ideas. Effie is prim and proper and believes her ‘respectability is vital to maintain her lifestyle. Stumbling into the ‘trouble’ which now surrounds her and Brenda is not welcomed but she takes a breath and accepts her role in the situation.

I cannot wait to read the second in the series.

If your looking for the weird and weirder then this is the book for you.

The Secrets of Ivy Garden by Catherine Ferguson

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 18:58:00 +0000

This is a book about the heartache and the beauty of life. It begins with goodbyes on a railway platform and the end of an era. Holly says goodbye to her beloved grandma who has brought her up from since the age of four, after Holly’s parents were killed in a car accident. We then see Holly eight months later struggling at work, her grief still raw after the death of Ivy four months earlier. Her boss is sympathetic and sends her home early, not for the first time I feel. Holly then goes home and prepares to go back to the village of Appleton where Ivy lived. She is planning to sell 'Moonbeam' cottage Ivy loved. Holly hates the countryside with a passion and even seems to fear it. Her arrival is not straight forward and she meets Sylivan who becomes a friend and she hopes in time maybe more. She doesn’t plan on staying in the village once the cottage is sold, but both the village and some of the villagers have other plans. In Appleton she will either find healing or heartache.

Village life is portrayed wonderfully, it’s not long before Holly’s arrival is sent along the grapevine and everyone knows Ivy’s granddaughter is back and planning to sell the cottage. It also shows the friendship, reviles and emites of village life which often bubble below the surface.

Holly becomes friends with seventeen-year-old Layla whose brother – James - is more than attractive and thirteen years older than Layla. Holly wants to shake her as she moans about her mum and brother – her dad died just before she was born – after all she has a family which Holly longed for as a child. But Layla is bright, fun and caring and helps Holly find her path in life as she helps Layla along hers.

Layla we found out is dyslexic and considers herself stupid but has a wonderful secret which with Holly and Sylivan's help, she finds out that she is not what she believes. The storyline of dyslexia is sensitively written and brings back memories of how I felt at times, before I found out the truth about my inability to write or spell well.

Holly ends up tending to Ivy’s beloved garden after a storm has destroyed it. With Layla's help she begins to understand why Ivy loved gardening so much – although Layla gets her into a tricky situation where she has to use all her wiles, to pretend that she is a more knowledgeable gardener then she is. The only thing she is confident in is who Alan Titchmarsh is. At one point her lack of knowledge is seen as she tackles a crop of tomato plants. The description of the garden is beautiful and even a non-gardener like me is able to see it in all of its splendour.

Holly also ends up discovering Ivy’s diary and with Layla’s 'help' she ends up partly solving the mystery it contains, but it is a surprise to many when the truth is found.

The best line in the book comes after Holly watches a female duck being 'courted' by three males. “Jemima Puddleduck's social life is racier than mine” I wonder how many of us would agree!

The characters are all wonderfully brought to life. Holly we see is growing from her grief into a blossoming flower, ready to begin life again. Layla is a bolshie teenager with her family, who is insecure but with Holly we see the real her and with the boost given her by Sylivan and Holly is palpable. Sylivan is a delight with a view of life unfamiliar I feel to many. The others stand up and define themselves from those around them and truly show you who they are, the good and the bad. I’m not one to cry when reading but I admit this one, at several points, though had me reaching for the tissues.

A delightful, fun and tearful read.

The Humans by Matt Haig

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 13:48:00 +0000

The title ‘The Humans’ made me ask the question what about us humans? intrigued I left the library with a copy.

The story begins with an unknown narrator speaking to readers as an introduction the book he has written explaining his time with us. The readers of the book have the belief that humans are a myth, he tells them we are not and that he has visited, spoken to lived among us. The narrator then goes on to give the readers a clear and deep insight into the human psyche, through the book he has written which in the style of a human novel.

We then see the narrator confused and naked in a service station reading Cosmopolitan, at the start of his journey. All he remembers is suddenly being on a road and in the way of the funny thing’s humans travel around in called cars. Then we see him running from people and desperate to get out of the terrifying rain, as he runs, drivers and passengers spit at him – which he understands as being a friendly greeting.

We learn that the narrator is workacholic Cambridge Mathematics Professor Andrew Martin. He has no deep memories of who he is and believes humans are only interested in violence and greed, yet he also feels our love for one another is our saving grace. We follow him as he learns what it is to be human and who he is, as well as him learning the answers to the many questions he has – such as Why are clothes so important? And What is the correct way to greet people?

Professor Martin is a man who many people I feel could relate to. Many of us at some point will have felt the sense of wondering who we are and what it is to be human, due to mental health issues – although this is not a book about mental health.

Professor Martin is I feel a loveable character who is trying to understand himself, his wife and son – who are encountering who he was before work took their place in his life – and his role in life and in theirs.

Yet we also come across a violent side to him, which could bring everything crashing down.

This is a book which is not afraid to explore human life in its mess and deprivation as well as love and kindness. It could have been shallow and dry, yet it is I feel a deep and sensitive insight into human life, relationships and our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world as an individual and as a member of several groups.

The book is filled with mathematics mainly prime numbers as well as an odd dip into physics and quantum mechanics. A lack of understanding of these areas, I felt did not detract me from the plot or from enjoying the book.

A delightful and insightful read.

Molly and the Cat Cafe by Melissa Daley

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 10:07:00 +0000

This is the first in a series of cosy reads about Molly, a tabby cat, who can read her owners and know exactly what they need. Molly is also able to read writing which even too an avid cat lover is a bit of a stretch to far.

Molly here is two years old and lived to begin with an elderly lady. Molly’s spoilt life is brought to an end as her owner gradually fades with dementia. At first, I had little love towards the lady’s son, as he struggles to cope, but as I read, I begin to see the tragedy which unfolds in the lives of those dementia touches. Although I cannot say I came to like the son, I did begin to emphasise with him.

Molly is re-homed with a friend of the son’s, who has three cat hating dogs. Fur flies and Molly leaves with no feral instinct to aid her on her way. We see her however meeting a cat who teaches her all she needs to know and who then waves her on her way, to a new town, where Molly hopes to find a new home.

After many – and sometimes eventful days – Molly finds herself in bin heaven behind the back of a café.Molly is patient and eventually wins the heart of the café owner – Debbie.

Debbie along with her daughter is an outsider with a painful past and divorce.

The café has few customers but with Molly’s help it gains many more. Molly sits in the windowsill watching the world go by. Many of the customers who do begin to use the café do so because of Molly. Molly being in the window also gives the battle axe who once owned the cafe a reason to get the café shut. Debbie, her daughter, and friends begin the process of registering the café as a cat café with the council - a long process. There are surprises in store for all in involved.

Debbie’s daughter is at first acrimonious to Molly as well as her mother – she had not wanted to move – but with Molly’s help their relationship softens and old wounds heal.

Molly should be an inspiration to all cats around the world.

To some this could be called a ‘fluffy’ read with not much substance, to others it is a light-hearted read with a few ups and downs to keep you interested.

The characters are fun and full of life, even the son is rounded. The battle axe for some reason reminds me of Nora Batty from Last of the Summer Wine. I could see her pushing her shopping trolley along, while giving Wally an ear bashing.

Molly is gorgeous and a little minx with her wrangling to get the humans to do what is needed to save the day. Her potter through the café one day, shows the mishaps cats can get into.

The ending is lovely and shows how cats can bring people together.

If you’re not a cat lover then leave well alone, if you are then enjoy an uplifting cat in charge of life – as they are – story.

The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 09:11:00 +0000

This is a sequel to HG Well’s War of the Worlds, but it can be read as a standalone, however as it refers to the original you may lose some of the flow, when reading like this.

It is fourteen years since the first invasion from Mars, which was won by Earths germs and bacteria that the Martians had no immunity too. The spaceships used by the Martians have sparked new technological advances in weaponry. It is due to these two factors that humans are confident that they would prevail over the Martians once more, if they choose to re-invade.

However, Walter Jenkins the narrator of War of the Worlds is not so confident. He has been physically and mentally scared from the first invasion and is now obsessed with a second invasion heading Earth’s way. He believes that the Martians would have watched, learned and adapted to what occurred during the first invasion. Walter is proved right and the second invasion is a success.

Human are nothing more than free range cattle, who the Martians harvest at regular intervals to feed on. The scene where young Martians are learning to feed on human blood is gruesome yet so cute. It shows a loving family scene, only not one which we would recognise or want to witness.

We see familiar characters from the original novel which makes this, along with the fabulous writing, I feel a true sequel.

In some ways knowing from the beginning that Walter and others survive is for me a ‘spolier’, yet it is also a comfort as we know old friends once again outwit the Martians. There is however no hint as to how the Earth fares in the end, whether it is human or Martian owned.

Throughout this book we skip from one continent to another, meeting new characters and seeing the invasion and the resistance is playing out, which does bring interest to the plot. But sometimes I felt this distracted from the main plot and added nothing to the story.

The characters are alive, and this includes the Martians, who strut around knowing they own the place – along with us. However, the determination of the resistance is palpable, even if not all the members are likeable.

Many sequels which are written by other authors are let down by their writing, which comes stilted as the author tries too hard to imitate the original author. Stephen Baxter, however, has done a wonderful job not only in his writing but in bringing the atmosphere of the War of the Worlds into his writing.

A well worth read.

The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 12:52:00 +0000

This is the third in a series about the Victorian amateur detective Charles Lenox. It can be enjoyed as a standalone.

It is 1867 and a by-election in the Northern town of Stirrington is called after the elected MP dies. Charles is called by the Liberal Party to stand as their candidate.

The next two weeks for Charles are busy. He much to the annoyance of Scotland Yard, begins to investigate the murders of two Fleet St journalists a mile apart from each other. A friend's wife miscarries and Charles' fiancee - who happens to also be Charles' next door neighbour - goes to stay with them. This prompts her to send a letter to Charles postponing their marriage.

The trains in those days were on time and frequent it seems, which allows Charles to flit easily between Stirrington and London. His focus seems to be saving his relationship with his fiancee Lady Jane Grey - does someone like Henry VIII I wonder.

He seems to leave the main bulk of his electioneering to his butler and the parties co-coordinator in the area. The murders he seems to leave to his apprentice - a debit riddled fun loving son of a noble family.

His flitting backwards and forwards does grate on the nerves those in Stirrington and they do wonder if he is the right candidate, as his hears seems to be more in London then with them. They are worried that this would be the case, when he was the MP and that their worries and troubles would be of no concern to him.

It is a tension filled plot up until the end.

The characters are personalities in their own right, although that is not to say I warmed to all of them. I found Charles condescending and arrogant to a fault.

The two murders are carried out in the opening few pages, this sucks you into the story immediately. The fast pace continues throughout, and I felt leaves you reeling from one suspect to another, right till near the end.

The miscarriage I felt was sensitively written and showed not only how it affects the mother, but the father, the rest of the family and friends.

The political story line I felt added nothing to the story except for the tension of Charles going backward and forwards. Saying that the echoes of scandals we have had in recent years, left me wondering how far we have come in the democratic process of voting. The main opponent of Charles is a ghastly man, who expects loyalty from his once employees after moving his brewing factory from the area. Who would have though business and politics going hand in hand.

All in all I found this book enjoyable and would read more by Charles Finch. His writing is compact and fast paced, a good read when the rains falling and life needs some injection of 'fun'.

Waiting for Doggo by Mark B Mills

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 13:15:00 +0000

Doggo is an ugly dog who has a small role to play in the story. He was adopted by Clara from a dogs’ home and is left with her partner of five years after she does a moonlight flit. The story revolves around Dan healing and moving on.

Dan and Doggo do not get on, so Dan takes him back to the home. He leaves a while later with Doggo in tow. A stipulation of the adoption was that Doggo would be castrated, I can almost see Dan and Doggo cross their legs as the female staff member makes snipping motions with her fingers.

We then see Dan in his new job at an advertising company, he decides to take Doggo with him on his first day. The company has a no dog policy, but somehow Dan charms the boss and Doggo is allowed to stay. This is to the consternation of a cat owner, who plays the dirty to get Doggo evicted from his role as office pet.

Dan isn’t faithful to Clara after she has left and sleeps with her sister. He then begins a relationship with his work partner, and life becomes more stable for him after the obligatory hiccups.

Dan also becomes aware that two of the company’s employees are planning on taking the business from its owner. He resorts to shenanigans to protect the owner.

Clara returns and tries to smooth her way back into Dans life, but Doggo takes matters into his own paws.

This is a quick read and is well written, yet it lacks one vital element - Doggo. I wanted to read more about him, a dog with a crush on Jennifer Anderson has so much more in him then he was allowed to show here.

Dan and the plot which revolves around him seem only half constructed, as if they had not grown into fully developed ‘adults’ and had yet to get know each other well enough to be able to have a relationship yet.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 13:23:00 +0000

This is the first in a series. Be warned this is not a book of safe magic.

Rivers of London is set in modern times, when magic has all but died out or at least is well hidden. Peter Grant is a probationary PC who witnesses a murder and in the midst of chasing who he believes the killer to be ends up talking to a ghost. Because of this Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale takes him into his section, it is just him and Peter against the practitioners of magic. It is not only magic Peter has to come to terms with but also the Gods and Goddesses of London and other fantastical people.

The scenes of London are detailed and have been written by someone knowledgeable of London, its sights, sounds and smells which ooze from the page.

If you are expecting a traditional book of magic, forget it This is one of a kind, where magic and the real world collide, mobile phones, well anything technological within the range of magic have their circuits frazzled.

The language is littered with British humour, which makes the characters full and alive.

The spectical of killing by magic is all too real as skin slides from the face and bones are crushed.

The characters each have their own personalities and have no reliance on the others to uphold them. Peter's shock and disbelief when he meets Nightingale is well written and I feel reflects how many of us would feel if our whole world was turned upside down. For me this is why Peter seems so real, especially as we see his struggle to come to terms with everything and to learn the art of magic - no wand waving in this book.

The feuding between the Gods and Goddesses of the Rivers is jumpy and explosive, as you are reading you are waiting for someone to throw the first punch. Peter's unenviable position of peace negotiator really sees the characters struggle with this new world.

The crime is solved not just by tracing the essence of magic which is left behind when magic has been carried out, but by good old fashioned police leg work and databases.

If you want a read of wit and dry humour, along with a ride through London with a heavy dose of magic and intrigue then this is a book I recommend.

The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 13:19:00 +0000

This is the first in a series of sleuth Angela Marchmont.

Charles has lived the past few years in South Africa, and is now back in England. He is invited to stay with friends at Sissingham Hall, the home of his ex fiance Rosamund and her husband Sir Neville.

Sir Neville is murdered and Angela along with Charles searches for his murderer, suspicion falls on each one of the characters.

The book is written in the style of a 1920's mystery. It is not quiet a locked room, but the murder in the manor house is evoked well in the writing.

The staff are hovering in the background but pay little role in the murder and its consequences.

The tension between the characters can be seen, especially between Rosamund and Charles, who have seen nothing of each other since the engagement was ended.

The writing is easy to read and flows seamlessly from one stage to the next and from one setting to another.

The characters are interesting and each is a person in their own right, with no need to lean on another to be brought out in the open.

This is a curl up before the fire, with tea and chocolate cosy murder mystery style of the 1920's era, written in modern times.

A Quiet Life in the Country by T.E. Kinsey

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Sun, 21 Jul 2019 13:16:00 +0000

This is first in a series.

Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady's maid Flo move into a new Edwardian built house down a small country lane on the way to the large Manor House which is a mishmash of styles the Gloucestershire village of Littleton Cotterell. They have come for a quiet life after a life of intrigue and espionage that is hinted at with half mentioned stories of the past. Yet not long after they have moved, they go for a brazing walk across the fields through the woods and to the horror find a man hanging from a tree branch.To them the death was not due to suicide and with non subtle but effective questioning they discover the truth.

Flo is a small Welsh woman, who is more then capable in a brawl to come as the best of the crowd. She is from a circus family and many of the skills she learnt come in handy in the new quite life in the country - usually for saving Lady Hardcastle.

The Manor House belongs to Sir Hector and Lady Farley-Stroud who were friends of Lady Hardcastle's parents. They are fun loving and deeply love each other which is evident in their reactions to each other. They at first find it hard to accept Flo as anything other then a servant, but thanks to Lady Hardcastle Flo is soon accepted and welcomed as a friend.

Dora a Maid of the Stroud's is the only person who takes against them. She is especially spite filled towards Flo, who she deems has set herself above the station in which she was born. Dora causes Flo as much trouble as she can, which Flo handles with dignity.

Both characters, are well rounded and the full force of Lady Hardcastle's personalty jumps from the page. Flo is a witty women whose indifferent speech to Lady Hardcastle would and does provoke disgust among some of the upper class. Although Lady Hardcastle is quite up to the challenge and gives as good as she gets to Flo and those of her detractors.

The Chief Inspector soon learns that they are more then a pair of bumbling amateur lady sleuths and accepts the friendship offered.

The characters are relatable and interact well with each other, and the village is described in a way which brings village life off the page. The social norms of the time are evident as are the breaking of them, it is refreshing to read a novel which shows strong women of this time.

The story is gripping and easy to read with many laughs along the way. To many it may be a distorted view of life in Edwardian times, where servants knew their place, and a Lady would never be so friendly with people of other classes but I like the way the relationships bloom and grow to become solid in later books.

The clues are all there but are well hidden, so the ending is - or was for me - a surprise.

The village policeman however are shown to be bumbling, who were only able to see even the most obvious clue without help is grating, but is the only real objection I can find with the book.

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 13:36:00 +0000

This is the first in a series.

The library is in a universe of its own and is connected to many other universes with their own alternate realities of earth set in different eras. The library is responsible for keeping each reality in order. Books can be dangerous in these realities, as they can shape the reality to being either too chaotic which leads to the influx of Faes, vampires, werewolves and other creatures who love to bring to chaos and destruction with them. Other books can bring too much order and rigidity, which is the inhabitants of dragons.

Humans in both states of reality are servants and playthings of those at the top of the pecking order.

The librarians are quite happy to steal, buy or blackmail to get the books which are then taken back to the library for safety. How you become a librarian is not mentioned, but the librarian for this series is Irene, who's parents where librarians before her. Her assistant and trainee is Kai who is handsome, sulky, prideful and is a dragon who we see most often in his human form, who has a story of his own to tell.

They are sent to fetch a version of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. They find the vampire who had it originally had been murdered by a secret society, they also come in contact with one of the main Fae of the world and end up being caught up in a race for the book between opposing forces.

The two of them also come up against an enemy, who is one of the legends of the library, and are asked to question what the true purpose of the library is.

A book title with library in it is always a draw for me and I wasn't disappointed.

The characters are fun and enticing, the story-line draws you in and the world Irene and Kai are sent to is Victorian with steam punk technology and a healthy dose of magic

To explain more I feel would lead to telling you too much and spoiling the enjoyment of a fun read while sitting curled up before the fire.

Although I will say Kai is someone I would love to meet.

A Man of Some Repute by Elizabeth Edmondson

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 17:02:00 +0000

The book begins in 1953 with Hugo Hawksworth and his 13 year-old sister arriving at Selchester Castle, the home of the Selchesters for generations. Hugo is invited to stay at the Castle by Sir Bernard his new boss.

Sir Bernard is became the trustee of the Selchester's estate after Lord Selchester disappeared in 1947 in a snow storm, and his son is killed in action not long afterwards.

The Castle is inhabited by Lord Selchester's niece, Freya Wryton, and a live in cook/housekeeper, Mrs Partridge.

Hugo works up at the Hall a supposedly Office for Statistics run by the war office, but all the locals know its more then that and often comment on this knowledge. Hugo is looking at individuals and their service to the country weeding out those who have suspected Communist sympathies. This is set in the time not long after the Cambridge Spy Ring affair.

He finds the job slow but interesting, but in the midst of his job, the skeleton of Lord Selchester turns up under the chapel floor, much to the annoyance of the Lord's daughter and heir, who has been counting down the years to when she can register him dead and sell the Castle and its land to a hotel chain.

The Lord had many secrets, and was a renowned blackmailer and generally a not nice person. So when he disappeared not many people were upset and now few are upset by his demise.

Hugo finds himself involved with tracking the murderer down and opens up a hornets nest.

The characters are of the era, and this can jar with modern readers, especially the doffing of caps to the upper classes. The characters are intertwined beautiful and they play their parts well, so it is hard to work out who the murderer is.

Yet they seemed dream like to me and not fully formed, but this only added to the atmosphere of an era which has been shaped for me by Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, old movies and plays.

Although the plot was intriguing I did feel at times I wanted more depth to the character's thoughts and behaviour, and the ending I felt was contrived and was arrived at with very little detective work as such.

Yet saying that I really enjoyed this book and read the next ones in the series.

The No2 Feline Detective Agency by Mandy Morton

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 13:31:00 +0000

This is the first in a series of delightful and intriguing books where cats ware clothes, drive, cars and motorbikes, buy things off the back of lorries, bake cakes and pastries, and commit murder.

Hetti Bagshot is a cat who once toured the country with her band, but now finds herself renting a room behind a bakery which is run by two kindly sister’s – Betty and Beryl, but she is now facing eviction and is offered a job by her friend Marcia Woolcat, for her fledgling detective, which up to now as been tottering on boredom with petty problems. Marcia is the matron for the residential home – Furcross, where the bodies of three former residents are missing from their graves in the grounds.

She is helped by her assistant Tilly an older cat who has chronic arthritis, a penchant for cardigans and reading, her wealth of knowledge from authors such as Polly Hodge (P D James) often helps Hetti out, even though it comes from Tilly's ramblings.

Hetti meets an old friend from her touring days Marley Toke who is the homes cook. Her cooking is divine, but beware of any dishes who’s names begin with Jamaican as these are highly laced with cat nip.

The book is easy to read, although it is dark in places. It zigs and zags along pathways which often have unexpected twists. The fashion show and it’s drastic ending is one of them.

The characters are rounded and flow from the page, which bring them and their world to life.

The cat who at the end rings to ask Hetti to investigate who is watering his tomato plants and leaving great big boot prints by them makes me wonder what my cat thinks of the feet who so kindly feeds and waters him.

Be warned that once read, you’ll never look at cats in the same way again, especially when they stare at you menacingly.

Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 09:00:00 +0000

This is the first in the Vicky Bliss Series of 6 books. Vicky is a specialist in Medieval Europe and works in an American college teaching history. She is drawn into an adventure when her and her male colleague discover a trail to finding a missing religious icon. Both are determined and stubborn and bet each other that they can find the icon before the other one does.

The trail leads to a castle in the German Town of Rothenburg and they come up across others who are also seeking the icon, and one of them is willing to kill Vicky, her colleague and anyone else who gets in their way.

Vicky is a strong minded women who tends to go off on her own to prove that she is capable and ends up needing rescuing, not because she's a women but because she so often does not understand or recognise the danger a person or group bring into the setting. She is self-deprecating especially about the way she looks, and the way it distracts people especially men from her intelligence.

Vicky and her rescuer are well developed and their interactions can be felt as you read them. The locations are written with enough detail so you can imagine them but with enough left out to fuel your imagination or memories.

I found myself much to my surprise liking Vicky and her rescuer who she becomes involved with in later books. Although I did find myself often silently yelling at her as the danger approached as she was blissful unaware.

If you like light hearted, tongue in cheek stories then this is for you.

Carrots by Collen Helme

noreply@blogger.com (H.R. Stanley) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 09:00:00 +0000

Shelby Nichols is a housewife married to a respectable lawyer. Her life is one of everyday normality until one day in grocery store where she is buying carrots and her head is grazed by a bullet from the cross-fire of a bank robbery nearby, which seems at first to have not caused any change in her personality or life.

Until on day she begins to hear what people are thinking. Shelby hears who they want to kill, what their planning on cook for dinner and what they think about their bosses and spouses.

This leads to trouble when she hears what her children really think of her and she believes her husband loves her but he keeps thinking about a red head in his office. During her investigations into who the redhead is she becomes mixed up with the mafia and is saved by a Ramos a hit-man who is cool and hot. This is problems and Ramos and the boss finding out about Shelby's talent, which leads to even more problems for Shelby when she has to hide it from her husband.

Shelby tells her husband of her new found ability which leads to conflict, can she save her marriage, stay alive and discover what her husbands colleague is up to.

I came across this book through a book promotion and was drawn in from the start. The writing is quick and witty, although not necessarily to everyone's taste. Shelby is a lovable character who can also be extremely annoying, she has a habit of talking too much and edging her way to having her ability being discovered which is how she ended up working for the mob boss.

The hit-man Ramos is well written and we see not only is steely dangerous side, but a fun loving man who has the hots for Shelby and is quite happy to show them, apart from when is boss is around.

The book is fun although in some places it leaves you feeling your reality is being stretched.