Jen's Book Blog

TBR Pile #20 – Orphan, Monster, Spy

Medium – Book

About the Book – Sarah is a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jewish girl living in the heart of Nazi Germany. When trying to escape, her mother is killed at a roadblock and Sarah is left injured and lost, chased by dogs. She is taken in by Captain Jeremy Floyd, a spy for the British who is living as Helmut Haller, a wireless inventor. Sarah quickly impresses Captain Floyd with her brains and quick-thinking, and he asks whether she would like to be a spy. She ends up in a Nazi Boarding school with girls of Nazi high-ranking officers, and is given the task of getting close to them without them realising her true allegiences.

My Thoughts – This book is the debut novel for Matt Killeen and it is certainly a fast-moving and interesting start to a proposed series for the character of Sarah. The plot is interesting and not something that I have read before – an almost completely ‘female-run’ novel with one main male characters and the rest as supporting characters. There are some trigger warnings that people may need to be aware of – for implied rape and incest, quite graphic violence and swearing (in German!) The plot has a number of twists and turns and I found it one of those books where you never know quite what is going to happen next. It was an interesting point of view to have on the war as well – the German side, but working for the Allies, with all of the worries that went alongside that.

I found the two main characters pretty easy to like – Sarah and Captain Floyd. Sarah is extremely bright and clever, the daughter of an actress and a promising gymnast and pianist. She is very good at thinking herself out of a spot, but still betrays her youth and inexperience when trying to lie to Germans or when going to a banquet (where she gets very drunk). Captain Floyd is your typical surrogate father/mentor – middle-aged (although I have to admit to picturing him younger), working undercover for the British right in the middle of Germany. Their adventures are gory but believable. I found the other characters in the story less likable – some of them aren’t meant to be, but to be honest none of the other characters have really stuck with me.

TBR Pile #19 – Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire

Medium – Audiobook

About the Book – Set at the beginning of WW2, this book is the first in a series by M.R.C. Kasasian, who is also the author of the Gower Street Detectives books. Betty is a policewoman in her thirties, battling against the prejudice and misogyny rife in the police service. She sustains an injury which leads to the amputation of her arm just under the elbow, and in order to remain in the police service, she agrees to take on a role in her home town in Suffolk, where she is promoted to the rank of Inspector. There, she works with the nasty Inspector Sharkey and a weird and wonderful band of police officers, including the slightly immature, but often very surprising, WPC Dodo Chivers. A series of murders comes to her small town and Betty has to try and solve them, whilst juggling the attitudes of her men, the outbreak of the war and her own relationships with the people around her.

My thoughts – This book is one I really enjoyed, right up until the final few chapters. I thought the characters were delightful, especially Dodo, who seems very silly and immature but on occasion is charmingly surprising. I also really liked Betty, who is strong, clever and always seems to have a witty comeback to any situation she faces. The author has a really strong cast of characters, and I am really excited to read more of these books, especially as they cover Betty’s experiences as the war progresses.

So, what was the problem with the ending? Well, for me, it dragged rather. The mystery was solved, and then we spent five or so chapters ‘finishing off’ the story, including several chapters having a chat with the murderer and discussing why the crimes had been committed and how they had been done. I think that part of the book could have been done much quicker, so I would have preferred a much speedier conclusion and more action earlier on. But that is just me, and I am completely accepting of the fact that it isn’t the way that other people enjoy mystery stories!

TBR Pile #18 – The Familiars

Medium – Audiobook

About the Book – Fleetwood Shuttleworth is 17 years old, married to the local Lord of the Manor, and is pregnant for the fourth time. All her previous pregnancies have ended in miscarriage or stillbirth, and Fleetwood is desperate to produce an heir for her husband. One day, she finds a letter from a doctor suggesting that her current pregnancy may kill her, and she descends into a depression, only saved by the arrival of Alice Grey, who quickly becomes her midwife, friend and confidant. The book takes place during the Pendle Witch Trials and Alice is arrested for being a witch. Fleetwood is determined to save Alice, as well as saving herself.

My Thoughts – This book is one of the first I have read by Stacey Halls, although I have another of her audiobooks, The Foundling, in my audible library to listen to. The Familiars uses real life people who were part of the Pendle witch trials and Lancashire in the 1600s and shows the unfairness and injustice that surrounded the trying of witches at the time. It is impossible not to feel pity towards Alice, who is so obviously innocent and arrested because of the machinations of a jealous man, together with the other women who have also been arrested with her. Alice is a really interesting character and I really enjoyed reading about her, although, like the real life Alice, plenty is left unsaid and unknown at the end of the book.

Fleetwood is also a really interesting character, and she undergoes a transformation through the book, from the timid dutiful wife to the woman who knows exactly what she wants and comes up with ways to get it. Her change is one of the defining parts of the book, and I really enjoyed reading about it. The audible narration of this book was also excellent – the narrator used a soft, Lancashire accent for the narration, which was just the right choice and was both pleasant to listen to and felt like it fitted the novel.

TBR Pile #17 – Sherlock Holmes and the Beast of the Stapletons

Medium – Book

About the Book – The events of the Hound of the Baskervilles occurred five years ago and still the terror of the climatic night haunts Dr Watson. They are called back to Baskerville Hall under the most awful of circumstances – Sir Henry Baskerville’s wife, Audrey, is killed whilst out walking one night, drained completely of blood. The country-folk thereabouts tell the story of a huge, vampiric moth which flies across the moor on lonely nights, sucking blood from sleep, and now, lone women. Sir Henry Baskerville, driven mad by the loss of his wife, and traumatised by the idea that his young son, Harry, may be next, is at his wits end. So Holmes (and eventually, Watson) go back to Devon to face the wrath of the next monster that stalks the moors.

My thoughts – So, as you may have noticed, I am in a Sherlock Holmes ‘mood’ at the moment. I really enjoy reading well-written pastiches of Holmes stories, and like stories which continue another story, so I thought this one looked excellent. And, I have thoughts…

So, firstly, I have to praise Lovegrove’s tone in the book. He strikes exactly the right Holmes/Watson balance and also does a great job at giving the two characters their own voices. Watson is a tad too wimpy for me in places, but not enough to be irritating. Holmes is a little rude in places, and doesn’t really chime with my (or Doyle’s) idea of Holmes being a bit more ‘human’ when he returns from his hiatus. But otherwise, they are excellent. I really like the character of Benjamin Grier, who is a wonderful addition to the story and little Harry Baskerville, who is super cute (although potentially a little advanced speech-wise for three years old? Maybe he’s a prodigy!) The author manages to evoke the sense of dread and terror from the original Hound of the Baskervilles book.

So, why a four star? I think that one of the things that rankled with me was the removal (and replacement) of Watson for part of the book, which he reacted to quite childishly! I also, without wanting to give away too many spoilers, found the ending a bit contrived and a bit of a turn around from the original Hound book. The author leaves out a very minor character in his story which then kind of suggests which way the ending might go. The title, to some extent, also slightly spoils parts of the book. Not a book I would read again, but one which I would gladly pass on as a Christmas present!

TBR Pile #16 – The Complete Sherlock Holmes

Medium – Audiobook

About the Book – Stephen Fry reads the Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From the novel ‘The Study in Scarlet’ to the final (canonical) Holmes tale ‘His Last Bow’, the adventures of the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend and colleague Dr Watson are enduringly popular. The stories cover all sorts of issues and topics, from the dangers of narcotics, to domestic violence, to fraud and murder, and in some ways are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago.

My thoughts – One thing that has probably become clear about me through the reading of this blog is that I absolutely adore the tales of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. I have watched most of the movies (not the horrible American comedy one!), seen stage plays and read pastiches. My love for the tales has even lead to my own foray into fanfiction! For me, the tales of Holmes and Watson are exciting mystery tales with camaraderie and true friendship thrown in. Despite the murder and mayhem, I often find myself immersing myself in the Sherlockian world when I am anxious, a bit depressed, or just want to escape to a world where the good always wins, the bad (generally) get their comeuppance and we return, at the end of every tale to the fire of 221B Baker Street.

Despite my love of the stories, I had actually never read the entire collection until I listened to the audiobook. It is 70(!) hours long and is an absolute labour of love from Stephen Fry. Every character has their own voice, and Holmes and Watson are exactly how I imagine them – Holmes a little stiff, but unbending when he needs to, Watson kind and a bit bluff, but without sounding stupid. The written stories are very hard-going, so I heartily recommend the audiobook as an alternative to slogging through them. I will give a warning – the stories are of their time. There are some racial slurs which we would not tolerate today (for extremely good reason).

TBR Pile #15 – Dangerous Alliances

Medium – Book

About the Book – Lady Victoria Aston is a headstrong girl living in the early 19th century and is a complete fanatic for the writings of her favourite author, Jane Austen. She is determined to find her own Mr Darcy/Mr Knightley/Colonel Brandon, but is in no hurry to do so. However, circumstances work against her, and her sister returns to the family home, having fled an abusive marriage. In order to save her family’s reputation, and their home of Oakbridge, Victoria must make a good marriage. There is no shortage of potential candidates, with her childhood friend Tom and the gorgeous and dangerous Mr Carmichael as frontrunners. But it seems that there is something dangerous coming for Victoria and soon, marrying for love will be the least of her worries.

My thoughts – This was another of the YA books I got from the Book Box that I subscribe to. It is not my usual ‘thing’ and although I enjoyed parts of it, there are a few reasons why I have only given it 3 stars. Firstly, I did find the constant references to Jane Austen’s work a bit cringeworthy. I love anything by Austen and think that she is a genius, but the constant references to being like her characters or having an ‘Austen ending’ were slightly irritating. The author did a great job at writing a range of characters, but the characters generally fell into tropes (the good-looking but severe hero, the man with an uncertain reputation, the nagging mother), which did mean that some of the characters seemed two dimensional.

The book was written by an American author, and sometimes this did show – there were some Americanisms, as well as a lack of understanding of UK geography (which wouldn’t have been a problem except the action happens in Hampshire, where I live!) The main character, Lady Victoria, was a nice addition to the book, and I liked how independent and brave she was. There were some unanswered questions in the book which led to plot holes (i.e. why was it so important that Vicky marry quickly as her father seemed in excellent health?) So overall, a book I probably wouldn’t read again, but one I would recommend to other Austen lovers as a nice, gentle story.

TBR Pile #14 – Mrs Hudson’s Diaries

Medium – Book

About the Book – The comedians Barry and Bob Cryer have ‘discovered’ the memoirs of Mrs Hudson, the long-suffering housekeeper of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The diaries trace Mrs Hudson’s thoughts from the arrival of her tenants to their supposed date of her death in 1914. We meet her as she deals with the odd habits of Sherlock Holmes, deals with the not altogether unwanted advances from the mysterious D.L. and paints the town red with her friend Hannah. A reading of the diaries shows a quick mind and the warmness that Holmes, at least, holds his old housekeeper in.

My Thoughts – As you may have gathered through a perusal of my reading matter, I love the stories of Sherlock Holmes. I find them funny, engaging and they engage me in a way that some modern fiction doesn’t – though happily, I have had a run of five-star books over the last couple of weeks that I have really enjoyed. I also love good Sherlock Holmes pastiches and fanfiction, and have even written some myself. However, I can’t honestly say that Mrs Hudson’s Diaries is good Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. Firstly, the humour. I am sure that many people may find it funny, but I just found that it fell a bit flat. Lots of awful puns, odd happenings which don’t seem to have much bearing on any narrative and strange happenings (such as Holmes and Watson playing a Christmas Party game which involves them jumping backwards down a corridor with their trouser legs rolled up).

The authors also included what seemed like random pictures, which didn’t really seem to pertain particularly well to Mrs Hudson or the diaries – I think they were an effort to ‘place’ Mrs Hudson in context but instead I found them out of place. One of the things that I disliked the most though was the difference between the Holmes and Watson of the Conan Doyle stories and those of the book here. Holmes is sympathetic to a point, but Watson seems to be constantly in a bad mood, seems to have had a falling out with Holmes later in life and doesn’t seem to care overmuch about Mrs Hudson. I don’t think there are any pointers to this in the original stories. I’m currently listening to the whole canon read by Stephen Fry and Watson is generally good humoured, kind and fairly cheerful! In conclusion, if you want a good book about Mrs Hudson, read the ‘Sherlock Holmes & Mrs Hudson’ books by Martin Davies – they are more entertaining, fun and Mrs Hudson gets in on the detecting!

TBR Pile #13 – The Lives of Stella Bain

Medium – Book

About the Book – In war-torn France, during the First World War, a nameless woman in nursing uniform is found with shrapnel wounds to the feet. All she knows is her name may be Stella Bain, that she is a nurse and that she can drive an ambulance. She also remembers that she has an obsessive need to get to the Admiralty in London. She works hard in Marne, before making her way to London, where she is ‘adopted’ by a kind doctor and his wife. Through working with the doctor, she begins to regain her memories, but finds that there are things that she is terrified of and is fleeing from.

My Thoughts – This book is billed as a cross between Downton Abbey, Atonement and something else altogether, and I would definitely agree. It has the drama of Downton, the underlying threat of Atonement alongside something very different and remarkable. The story is told in sections, which take place in different time periods and places. There are letters, court proceedings and actual pieces of prose, which break up the text and mean that it is told from many viewpoints. The plot has a number of twists and turns, including the revelation of the identity of Stella, which drives the book from the second half onwards.

Stella is an interesting character, who despite horrible circumstances, maintains a hardiness and solidity which is very attractive. She comes into contact with a number of very sympathetic characters, although I would knock half a star off for the treatment of some of these characters (for example, the doctor’s wife). Alongside the storyline, I really enjoyed the depiction of shell shock, and the author’s demonstration of how it did not just effect the male soldiers, but also the female nurses. This is a book I could see myself reading again, and recommending to others, which does not often happen with books that I read (usually, even the best ones are a one time thing and go to a charity shop or languish on a shelf).

TBR Pile #12 – Hold Back the Tide

Medium – Book

About the Book – Alva Douglas lives with her father, the loch-keeper for a small Scottish town. For the last seven years she has lived in fear as she knows that her father murdered her mother. Now, she is planning a way out. However, she finds her escape delayed by the disappearance of several children in the town and sightings of tall, monstrous, white creatures near her cottage. She works with her friends Ren and Gavan to try and stop the creatures, but soon finds herself threatened not only by the monsters but her father’s behaviour and the owner of the local mill.

My Thoughts – This book is another which came in my Book Box Club subscription box. It is exactly the reason why I love subscription boxes – it is a book I would not have picked up by myself, but one I really enjoyed. I’ve given three of the last books I read from the Book Box Club four or five stars, and I would say that this one is definitely my favourite. It is a bit creepy, with strange monsters which stalk the nights and a really frustrating (human) baddie, and is a definite horror story. There are several truly scary ‘jump-scare’ parts of the book – although I would note that I do have a lower tolerance for scares than most!

The main character, Alva, is extremely likeable. Throughout the book, you are just willing her to get away from the monsters and to find her happy ending (preferably with Ren!). She isn’t a damsel in distress, but instead uses her own initiative and knowledge of shooting and the countryside around her to try and beat the monsters. Other characters, including Gavan and Ren, the post-mistress Maggie and other village characters, make for interesting supporting characters in the story and help to progress the plot. There’s a nice bit of female solidarity at the end, which I very much enjoyed. Talking of the ending, without giving too much away, you will need your tissues. The ending is poignant and a bit of a twist. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

TBR Pile #11 – D: A Tale of Two Worlds

Medium – Book

About the Book – Dhikilo Bentley is a young girl adopted from Somaliland and living in the English seaside town of Cawber. One morning, she wakes up to find that the letter ‘D’ has disappeared from the conversation of her parents. On heading to school, she finds that ‘D’ has disappeared from everywhere else – signs, conversations and school dinners. Soon, things starting with ‘D’ also start to disappear – donkeys, dogs and dentists, among others. Dhikilo is just starting to get used to this new life, where it seems she is the only one who remembers the letter ‘D’, when she goes to the home of her old Professor and his faithful labrador, Nelly Robinson. She soon gets caught up in an adventure which takes her to a whole new world with new creatures a plenty, on a quest to find the missing letter.

My thoughts – There are many things I thoroughly enjoyed about this book. The first was the joyousness of the design of this book. The book is utterly beautiful. Another from the Book Box Club (which is becoming the highlight of my month!), this book is a folio edition – hardback, a beautiful red and gold colour, with illustrations and sort of illuminated letters at the beginning of each chapter. The character of Dhikilo is delightful – it is so refreshing to have a main character in a book who is not Caucasian with a rather middle class background, and instead have a main character who is African and an immigrant. She is curious, clever and intuitive, with great courage and a fascinating inner voice.

The book takes a variety of references from other works, but I most enjoyed the references to the works of Dickens (through the names of the characters and other references in text) and the Narnia stories (travel to a magical world through a hidden door, where it is always winter). The author also makes the story sound surprisingly modern – including the inclusion of our villain, the Gamp. The Gamp is a fearful, bloodless dictator, who rules through fear, has a weird wig, and advisers who whisper in his ear. Remind you of anyone?