I've read quite a few books in the last 4 or 5 weeks & here's a little peek at some of them. First up, The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri.
This is the 13th novel in the Inspector Montalbano series that I've previously talked about on another book review & after a shaky start with the first book, I've really grown to love this grumpy Italian character. In this story, he is called to a field of clay (hence The Potter's Field!) where the grisly remains of a dismembered body have been found.
On first inspection, it would seem that this has been an execution, the work of the local mafia but putting all the clues together just doesn't add up to Montalbano. He also has to contend with his friend & colleague Mimi's odd behaviour....is he somehow mixed up in this latest gruesome discovery?
The book features the same characters as in the other novels & the author uses his favourite descriptions of mouth-watering Italian cuisine! I really enjoyed this book & whenever I see others in the series in the library, I always get them out. I'm looking forward to working my way through them, albeit out of order!
My next book is (deep breath!) Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma by Kerry Hudson. I must admit, this was a last minute grab in the library as I liked the look of the cover but it's actually quite a harrowing story.
It's the story of Janie Ryan, told in the first person & starting from the moment she was born. It's details her childhood living with her family & how she is expected to become the next in a long line of brash Aberdeen fishwives but rebels against this to do her own thing.
It follows her throughout her life, sometimes happy but mostly a living hell after escaping one abusive relationship after another. I have to admit, I found this a quite distressing read, not at all what I was expecting - that'll teach me not to read the blurb before I borrow a book again!! You really can't judge a book by it's cover!!
My final book this time is the acclaimed psychological thriller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
I've had this book on my Kindle for months but was holding out on reading it because I was hoping the book club would cover it but they chose others instead.
This tells the tale of Nick & Amy Dunne's difficult marriage & her sudden disappearance on their 5th wedding anniversary. Nick becomes prime suspect, not helped by the fact the police discover that he recently increased Amy's life insurance, borrowed the remains of her trust fund to buy a business & seems devoid of any emotions about his wife's disappearance.
It's hard to tell any more about this story without giving away what happens but all I'll say is that I was really looking forward to this book & although I did think it was great, I don't actually think it's lived up to it's hype. But maybe if I'd read it before all the rave reviews everywhere, I'd have enjoyed it more! I'll still be going to see the film when it's released though!
So that's all for today. I need to clear more space on my bookshelves as I went a bit mad in the library book sale the other day......
.........this doesn't include the 18 books I have lined up on my Kindle either, whoops!!!
What books have you really enjoyed lately?
No comments:
Post a Comment