So it is time again for a review of the month’s reading, a post to contribute to the what’s on your bookshelf challenge is hosted by fellow bloggers Deb, Sue, Donna and Jo. The idea is to share what you’re reading, what you’ve enjoyed lately share – why they resonated with you, how they made you feel, who are your favourite authors and what you recommend. I am a day early but here goes anyway!
Detective time
Our book club theme this month was a book with an apostrophe in the title, and I picked up Hjörth and Rosenfeldt The Man Who Wasn’t There. These writers were behind the (original Swedish) series The Bridge which some of you may well have watched and remember. This is actually the third in the series, and to be honest, although the story stood on its own, it did feel like part of a series. The ending certainly demanded a sequel. Basically, bodies are found in a remote part of northern Sweden, and as the detectives unravel the case, other issues come up. It was OK and woild probably have been better if I had read the prevous two books.
Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with Ann Cleeves. I picked up one of the Shetland series I hadn’t read, Thin Air. A group of old university friends travel to Unst, (ie Shetland’s most northerly island,) to celebrate the marriage of one of the group to a local. On the night of the wedding party, one of them disappears, her body found the next day. Of course, Jimmy Perez is sent to investigate and solve the crime. A great read as usual.
Some good fiction
And so to Trent Dalton’s Lola in the Mirror. I had seen this book and had wondered about it, and then when Deb of Deb’s World said it was one of the best books she had ever read, I thought well, let’s give it a go, and I am so glad I did. I loved it from beginning to end…… Next month I am going to hear Dalton in an evening with the author, so of course will report on that too. You can read the plotline here, but really you have to read it to get the whole spirit of the book.
I also really enjoyed Nick Bradley’s Four Seasons in Japan, which interestingly also featured a character who wanted to draw and in his heart, be an artist, This is a book within a book, with one part telling the tale of a young woman working as a translator who finds the other book and becomes intrigued by the plot and characters and attempts to translate it from Japanese into English. This was another book I really enjoyed and would highly recommend. The ending was perhaps a little abrupt for me, and I would love to know if the lost cat came home.
Books about food
There are two books about food this month. Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal is a collection of writing and recipes that I kind of enjoyed. She is clearly influenced by MFK FIsher Iwhich she acknowledges) in her style, and while an interesting read, I did feel that all her ideas were not exactly practical for the ordinary home cook who has to make dinner on getting home from work.
I finally got hold of Diana Henry’s most recent book, the updated Roast Figs, Sugar Snow. I really love her writing and recipes so was looking forward to reading this and grabbing my post its. Well, why it is a nice read there are things like roast goose in it I would never cook. It is a bit of a disappointment to be honest, but still a nice book to read.
So that is my most recent reading – what have you read recently? Here are my ratings using the scheme we use in the book club I am part of, items related to the book out of 5.
- Hjörth and Rosenfeldt The Man Who Wasn’t There 3 Swedish mountains
- Ann Cleeves Thin Air 4 policemen
- Trent Dalton Lola in the Mirror 5 streets of Brisbane
- Nick Bradley Four Seasons in Japan 5 drawings
- Tamar Adler An Everlasting Meal 4 dishes
- Diana Henry Roast Figs, Sugar Snow not sure until I cook something from it
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com or lofgren@thistlesandkiwis.com