After several weeks of the frivolity of Dorothy Sayer’s Lord Wimsey, it was time to settle down with a more serious crime novel. What better than a classic Swedish detective novel to sober me up! As we had two copies of this crime story at home, it seemed a good idea to read one of them before giving it away. 🙂
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{Review} The Laughing Policeman – Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö
{Review} Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews 1430-1950 – Mark Mazower
Prior to reading this book, the only thing that sprang to mind at the mention of this quintessentially Greek city was an Irish Folk/ Independence song, Salonica. I hoped this weighty tome (coming in at a chunky 544 pages) would shed some light on Salonica, or Thessaloniki as it is now called.
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{Review} The Second Death – Peter Tremayne
It may be the 26th novel in the Fidelma series, but Peter Tremayne is not showing any sign of wanting to say farewell to this exciting, intelligent character. And thank goodness for that! Read the rest of this entry »
{Review} The Year of Living Danishly – Helen Russell
When lifestyle writer, Helen Russell’s husband (known only as Lego Man throughout the book) got headhunted for a job in the High Temple of Lego itself… I mean Lego HQ! After much wheedling on his part, they decided to both decamp to Denmark for a year.
Because you’re never too old for Lego, amiright? Read the rest of this entry »
{Review} Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas
First up: the world creation is seriously good. It came off the page and sucked me in. Read the rest of this entry »
{Review} The Immaculate Deception – Ian Pears
Review
This is the seventh and final book in Ian Pears’ Jonathan Argyll Series. Fortunately, you don’t need to have read any of the previous books in order to understand or enjoy this one.
Flavia di Stefano, the head of the Italian Art Theft Squad is faced with a dilemma. She has been ordered by the newly appointed Prime Minister to get recover a recently stolen painting from what will be a major exhibition at any cost. This is far easier said than done when she realises that to pay the ransom wanted for the painting will lead to her dismissal from the post or worse, to being jailed.
Desperate for help, she joins forces with her ex-boss, Bottando to try to reclaim it. When the attempt to recover the painting and catch the thief goes wrong, Flavia fears the consequences. Turning to Jonathan for help, the two start to unravel a plot that could bring the government to its knees and cause her death.
Overall
A well-written and exciting book. Pears’ knowledge of and passion for Art History shines through. Coupled with his character creation, The Immaculate Deception makes for a good read.
5 Fantasy Series with Brilliant Female Characters to Read While You Wait for the Next ‘Game of Thrones’
After 10 episodes of laughter, tears, screaming at the TV and one memorable too-close-for-comfort shot of the male member, Game of Thrones is over for another year. *Sob*
With the release date for The Winds of Winter still not set and the best part of a year until the next GoT series comes out, it is time to satisfy those fantasy cravings with other novels.
“But where can I find epic fantasy novels with kick-arse female characters? Isn’t traditional fantasy all about orcs running about with axes and groups of sweaty blokes fighting their way through NZ?”
{Review} From Under the Rubble – Solzhenitsyn
This collection features 11 essays written by Solzhenitsyn, Barabenov, A.B. Yehoshua, Shafarevich, Korsakov, Agursky and Borisov and was first published in English in 1975.
From Under the Rubble was intended as a discussion and debate starter on the future of the U.S.S.R. In the foreword and his first essay of 4 (in this collection), Solzhenitsyn explores how, “over half a century of enforced silence” has left every mind in the U.S.S.R. deeply scarred by the “shackles” of propaganda and fear. He also insists that although (comparative) freedom of speech has recently come into existence again, the Soviet nation is in danger of not being freed from, “the lie forced upon us [by the State]”. Read the rest of this entry »
{Review} Too Loud a Solitude – Bohumil Hrabal
Review
For 35 years, Haňt’a has worked as a compactor of wastepaper and books. You could be forgiven for thinking the destroyer of tonnes of literature (subversive and otherwise) is an unthinking cog in the police state’s machine.
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