Jen's Book Blog

Book #12 – Corsets to Camouflage

Prompt – A book by or about a journalist.

Medium – Book

About the book – Kate Adie is an award-winning journalist, who was Chief News Correspondent for the BBC and has reported from war zones across the world. In this book, she looks at the progress made by women in uniform primarily in the twentieth century, but also earlier than this. She examines the different roles women have played in war, from ‘camp followers’ who were stereotyped as prostitutes, to nurses (such as Florence Nightingale), to WW1/WW2 women in the uniformed services and finally in today’s military. The book is mostly a historical ‘text’ but also acts in a semi-autobiographical fashion, talking about Adie’s life as a war correspondent and how she dealt with being often the only woman in a group of uniformed men.

My Rating – 8/10. This book was a present from my husband and when shown to my mother was met with the observation, ‘yes, that’s just Jenny’s sort of thing’. I really enjoy historical books (I did history at uni so it has always been an interest), especially those with a focus on women and their role in traditionally male-orientated areas. Adie writes brilliantly, and the book is funny and thought-provoking. It’s the sort of book you can’t just pick up and read – you need to have a clear head and be able to give yourself over to it completely, which is why it took quite a long time to read!

I really enjoyed learning about women’s involvement in the world wars – particularly the second world war. Whilst I have read about women on the home front in the second world war, it was nice to read about the women who worked in uniform within the armed services, as well as those working in the land army and in factories. I also don’t really know much about women in today’s armed services, so the short chapters towards the end of the book talking more about the practicalities of serving as a woman were fascinating. Also – after reading the book, I looked more at the life and work of Kate Adie – she is pretty amazing!

Would I read it again? Probably – it is back on my bookcase! I would like to read it at a time when I have less other stuff going through my head to take it in a little more!

Book #11 – The Detective’s Assistant

Prompt – A Western. I have never read a western in my life, and to tell the truth, can’t stand them. This was as much of a western as I could deal with!

Medium – Audiobook

About the book – Written by Kate Hannigan, this is the story of Nell Warne, the fictional niece of the real life detective Kate Warne (who was the first ever female detective in Pinkerton’s Detective Agency). The story is set just before the American Civil War and explores some of the cases that Kate Warne was involved in, told through the eyes of her niece. Nell is orphaned just before the start of the book and goes to live with her Aunt Kitty in Chicago. She gets involved in her Aunt’s cases (much to Kate’s chagrin) but proves herself a worthy and useful ally. The story is also told through letters between Nell and her best friend Gemma, whose father is an ex-slave and who has fled to Canada with her mother and siblings.

My Rating – 7/10. I have been listening to this book as I have been doing housework and baking cookies – who knew there was so much to do in the house when you are stuck inside 24 hours a day? I really enjoyed the story-line, and it is a completely different part of history than I have read about or learned about before – I had vague notions of the American Civil War happening many years prior to 1861, so it was interesting to learn more about that. I really liked Nell as a character – she was the right mixture of precocious and likeable. Her adventures with her aunt were believable, although I think (at least at the beginning of the book), Kate as a character was much less likeable.

I also liked the fact that the book mixed a fictional story with non-fiction facts. I liked being able to place this story within a historical time line, and the fact that a lot of the characters (with the exception of Nell and Gemma) were ‘real life’ people. As someone who loves history, I really liked the mix that was used in this book. I think the things I didn’t like so much were based around the audio book format (it included the most terrible Scottish accent I have ever heard). Otherwise, the book was good and a great ‘starter’ for anyone wanting to learn about this part of American history.

Would I read/listen to it again? Probably not. I think it is a one time listen type of story! I would, however, read a sequel if one ever popped up (I don’t know if there is one in the works at the moment).

Book #10 – Mrs Hudson and the Spirit’s Curse

Prompt – A book set in a city that hosted the Olympics – London!

Medium – Book

About the book – Flotsam, a poor street girl, gets taken in by Mrs Hudson, the famous housekeeper of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Mrs H, it turns out, is something of a detective herself, and has many high societal connections from sorting out their ‘little problems’. One night, Holmes and Watson are visited by a man who claims to be the victim of a Spirit’s Curse – brought on as he disrespected the gods in Sumatra. Flottie and Mrs H work together with Holmes and Watson to try and solve the mystery – before more people die…

My Rating – 8/10. First book of the quarantine – feels like since my last blog post the world has gone rather to pot. But books are still here, which makes me happy. I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. The first (and most important, I think) is that I am a MASSIVE Holmes and Watson fan. Huge. Like, writing fan fiction and going to escape rooms dressed as them huge. I loved the slightly more vulnerable Holmes, and the relationship between him and Watson, although Watson was slightly on the more stupid side for me.

I also really liked the character of Flottie and thought she was a great addition to the cast of characters – she was gutsy and wasn’t afraid to go off and do her own thing, which was great. Mrs Hudson’s character I also really liked – it was a different Mrs Hudson to the one I have always pictured, but that isn’t a bad thing. The main criticisms I have are the slight modern turns of phrase, and then the mistakes with the canon. I don’t mind the big changes that he suggests (things like Holmes and Watson already knowing and working with each other before moving to Baker Street), but it is the little things which just feel under-researched or mis-edited – like calling Lestrade ‘Lestrange’. I think the bigger changes feel like plot points, the small ones just feel like mistakes.

Would I read it again? I think so – I do have the second one to read at some point (possibly sooner rather than later if we are stuck inside for the rest of the year!)

Book #9 – The Good Girl’s Guide to Being a D*ck

Prompt – A book about, or involving, social media.

Medium – Book

About the book – Alex Reinwarth discovered, quite by accident, that her friend was taking advantage of her and making her life a misery. At the end of her tether, she told this friend to f*** off, and made her life a whole lot better by doing it. This book sells itself as a self-help book, but one very much different to self help books written by the likes of Gywneth Paltrow. Reinwarth’s idea is that if we can get rid of the social guilt of saying ‘yes’ to everything, we can become happier, more rounded human beings.

My rating – 6/10. First things first, I am not a self-help book lover. I think I enjoyed this book more than other self-help books though because of the humour that the author writes with. The book is translated from the German, but someone has done a great job at translating some of the cultural references as well to make them more UK-based.

I liked the author’s way of writing and her explanation at the beginning of the book – that being a d*ck in her definition isn’t about being horrid to everyone, but instead recognising when you are being taken advantage of and when you feel that you ‘have’ to do things you don’t really want to do. When this is addressed, it frees you up to be a more effective friend, partner and self. I am very lucky in having a lovely partner, family and friends, but I feel that some of the other areas of my life covered in the book could do with me becoming more of a d*ck and less of a walk over.

Would I read it again? Probably not, but I have photographed some of the bits I feel most fitted me for future reference!

Book #8 – The Miniaturist

Prompt – A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins. I would say that this book covers a number, but most notably lust, greed and envy.

Medium – Book

About the Book – Nella Oortman is sent off to Amsterdam to be married to a much older man at the age of eighteen. When she arrives she meets her new husband, who seems a little disinterested in her, together with his sister and their servants. As a wedding gift, Nella is given a doll’s house as a gift and goes about employing a miniaturist to create items for the doll’s house. However, the miniatures that are sent to her start to become uncomfortably true-to-life, and Nella begins to wonder how much the miniaturist really knows about her new family and their future…

My rating – 7/10. I picked this book up after having to put down another book I wasn’t really enjoying (but which I will try reading again later!). I liked the setting of the book and found it fairly easy to read and distracting from the whole COVID-19 stuff that is going on at the moment! I really liked the characters, particularly those of Nella, her husband and the servants, and found the storyline immersing. There were plenty of subplots to keep me reading and I particularly liked the bits of the story where Nella started to assert herself and her independence.

I also liked the fact that the author wasn’t afraid to finish the story with a bittersweet ending and that she was willing to keep a little mystery still going at the end of the story. It is the sort of book which could, quite happily, lend itself to a sequel, although I don’t think that there are any plans for that on the part of the author. Maybe that’s a good thing, leaving the characters where they were at the end of the book as they had all come so far, especially Nella. Overall, I would recommend the book, I down-graded it because I did not find it completely enrapturing – it took several days to finish, rather than grabbing me entirely!

Would I read it again? I enjoyed it, but probably not. I am thinking, however, about Jessie Burton’s next book ‘The Muse’ – although I have a lot more books to read before starting anything new!

Book #7 – Ayoade on Top

Prompt – ‘A book with a pun in the title’ – hmmm…. sort of, it’s more like word play, but I’m counting it!

Medium – Book

About the book – Richard Ayoade writes a sort-of autobiographical, sort-of serious film criticism of ‘View from the Top’, a early 2000s film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo. A rom com, this film tells the story of a young girl from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’, who strives to become an air stewardess. Ayoade approaches the subject matter as Kermode would do a serious film, with plenty of sarcasm and dry humour. He points out the cliched nature of romantic comedies and the view of women explored in turn of the millennium popular culture.

My rating – 9.5/10. I loved this book! I already really like Richard Ayoade and find his brand of humour compulsive. This book made me chuckle all the way through and led to some rather embarrassing moments on the train as I giggled my way between stations. Ayoade approached the film so mock-seriously, despite the rather ‘interesting’ subject matter. His humour was dry and I liked the way that he superimposed times in his own childhood with events in the film.

I can’t think of much more to say about this book – I loved it, read it, pass it on! Plus, please do watch Richard Ayoade’s explanation of his writing of the book from the Graham Norton show – it’s brilliant!

Would I read it again? Yes – once I get it back from my husband, who has now decided he’s having it…

Book #6 – Grey Mask

Prompt – ‘A book set in the 1920s’ – despite the cover, it definitely is!

Medium – Book

About the book – Written by Patricia Wentworth in 1928, this is the first in the Miss Silver set of mysteries, a fairly close replica of the Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie. Charles Moray returns from abroad after a broken engagement a number of years ago, to find a criminal organisation using his house as a meeting-place. To his shock, he finds his ex-fiancee, Margaret, an agent of the organisation and hears a plot concerning the murder of a young woman called Margot. Set in London, there is plenty of 1920s nostalgia and some interesting characters.

My rating – 3/10. The length of time it took me to read this probably tells you something about what I felt about this book! There were a few things that I found quite difficult in the book, although it is also worth mentioning that I am in the middle of a house move, the end of a course and a busy time at work, so that did contribute to how long reading took as well – so it isn’t ALL the book’s fault.

One problem I had with it was the lack of the detective in the book. I think she appears in about 30 pages of the book and seems to breeze in and out with useful information before disappearing. It seemed a waste of a character who is so integral to the book and who is named on the front cover! Another issue I had was the storyline – it was quite convoluted, with lots of people with the same sort of name – Margaret, Margot, Margaret again… The similar naming didn’t really play any part in the story in the end, so I felt more individual characters could have been useful. Another issue I had with it was that one of the female characters was desperately irritating. Although the book is a product of its time, the infantilising of ‘Margot’ in comparison to the good sense and intelligence of ‘Margaret’ and Miss Silver was annoying, and I confess to skipping over parts of the story with her in.

Would I read it again? No. Whilst I LOVE vintage crime, I found the storyline boring and convoluted and didn’t like many of the characters. I might read another of the Miss Silver stories, just to see if it is any different.

Book #5 – The Wondering Years

Prompt – ‘A book recommended by your favourite blog, vlog, podcast or online book club’. This book was recommended by ‘The Bible Binge’.

Medium – Book

About the book – Knox McCoy is a professional podcaster living in the South of the United States, who presents two of my favourite podcasts – the ‘Bible Binge’, where Bible stories are presented as a book, film or TV show, and the ‘Popcast with Knox and Jamie’, where they discuss pop culture. This book is the story of how he reconciled his Christian beliefs with pop culture and how pop culture helped to shape his life and his faith. The book uses humour, popular culture references and some of Knox’s own stories to discuss how his own Christianity and life has developed through the years.

My rating – 6/10. I really, really wanted this to become one of my new favourite books. I love both of Knox’s podcasts, and would whole-heartedly recommend them to Christians and non-Christians alike. They are non-preachy, non-conservative and funny, which I love. Knox’s book isn’t necessarily what I expected from his podcast. There are bits that are great, especially towards the end of the book. I enjoyed his musings on the state of Evangelical Christianity in America in the wake of Donald Trump, especially his notes that whilst such Christians might identify as marginalised and persecuted, actually their beliefs are over-represented, with women, people of colour and immigrants suffering far more. I also liked the part of the book where Knox writes about the questions he still has on Christianity – and about how these doubts and questions are OK, because God knows all of the answers.

However, I did find the book a little hard-going in some places. Firstly (which isn’t really the author’s fault), this book is definitely written with an American audience in mind. Whilst the bits between the pop culture references are great, the actual references are based around American soaps, TV shows and sports, none of which I am familiar with. I also found that the references sometimes seemed ‘plonked’ into the book without any real context. I think I would have preferred the book if it were more of a ‘funny autobiography’, rather than trying to include quite so many pop culture references.

Would I read it again? Yes, actually. I think because I do feel that I didn’t do it full justice. I’m a bit under the weather, so potentially I would have got on with it better if feeling a bit more myself. I love the podcasts so much that I would like to come back to the book again and re-read, to see if my judgement changes!

Book #4 – Then She Was Gone

Prompt – ‘A book that has at least one four-star review on Goodreads’ (this book has lots of those).

Medium – Book

About the book – Laurel Mack’s fifteen year old daughter, Ellie, disappeared ten years ago, with no trace of her being found since. Laurel is sure that her daughter did not run away, although the evidence found says that she did. One day, Laurel goes to a tea shop and is swept off her feet by a handsome man who introduces her to his nine-year-old daughter – who is the spitting image of Ellie. The book hops between narrators, each telling their own story, and whilst the story line feels like it could be straight-forward, there are a number of twists and turns along the way.

My rating – 7/10. I read this book in about 24 hours, partly out of necessity (not feeling 100%), and partly because of the thrilling story line. So why did I not rate this book higher? I think part of the issue was that I prefer a little more ‘mystery’ in books that I read of this type. I like turning to the last page for a surprise and I didn’t really have that for this book. I was a bit disappointed that what I had guessed had happened before I was 50 pages in was what had actually happened!

Then again, this book does not claim to be a ‘whodunit’, so maybe I am being overly harsh. The book did get my heart racing in some places, and I loved the way that the writing jumped between narrators and past and present tense. It really gave the story a disorientating feel, which I enjoyed. I really liked the main character, Laurel and the aforementioned nine-year-old, Poppy. They were well-written and gripped me as characters. I also liked the fact that this novel is a stand-alone. No room for prequels or sequels, just a good thriller.

Would I read it again? I don’t think so! I liked the story line, but the genre isn’t really for me. I am going to pass it on to a lady I visit from our local library who really likes books like this – I think she will enjoy it.

This isn’t a book I would have picked up without the reading challenge, so appreciate using the challenge to try something new!

Book #3 – Becoming

Prompt – ‘A book which won an award in 2019’ – British Book Awards, Narrative non-fiction and audiobook (among others)

Medium – Audiobook (19hrs)

About the book – the autobiography of Michelle Obama, this book tells the story from her childhood in the south side of Chicago to the White House, with a short epilogue discussing her thoughts and feelings after her time there. It discusses her feelings of imposter syndrome, her striving to be ‘good enough’ for her situation, as well as her (and her husband’s) commitment to follow their own agendas and passions during Barack Obama’s presidency.

My rating – I would give this book 9/10. This was a book I really wanted to read ever since its release last year, but I have been putting it off until my TBR pile was a little smaller. I loved how Michelle comes across as humble and human in the book, as she talks about her struggles with self-esteem, bullies and the media. I also loved her focus on women and minorities, and I believe that her comments, whilst focused on America, can be applied to the UK (and any other country) as well. We have more in common than what divides us, kindness and compassion are key in these times, and we cannot stop standing up for what we believe in, albeit arguing in a respectful and loving way.

I also appreciated her insight into what life is actually like in the White House. I found this part of the book particularly interesting, as she discussed how her days would run, what their family life was like and some of the ‘behind the scenes’ information from famous moments in the presidency (I particularly liked the bit about when she hugged the Queen!) My little feminist heart also loved the bits where she talked about being her own woman in her marriage, the sacrifices she would and wouldn’t make, and her experiences working in a sphere dominated by men.

Would I read/listen to it again? Yes, probably. It’s a book that made me cry more than it made me laugh, but I did enjoy it. I liked how connected I felt to the author – especially as I had her in my ears telling her story (the joys of author-read audiobooks!)