Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from November, 2016

Holding - Graham Norton

Description The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; mother-of-two Brid Riordan hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste. So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke – a former love of both Brid and Evelyn – the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret. Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad, Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore – with searing honesty – the complexities and contradictions that make us human. Review I was intrigued that Graham Norton had written a novel and couldn't wai

The Sellout - Paul Beatty

Description *Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2016* A biting satire about a young man's isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court,  The Sellout  showcases a comic genius at the top of his game. Born in Dickens on the southern outskirts of Los Angeles, the narrator of The Sellout spent his childhood as the subject in his father's racially charged psychological studies. He is told that his father’s work will lead to a memoir that will solve their financial woes. But when his father is killed in a drive-by shooting, he discovers there never was a memoir. All that’s left is a bill for a drive-through funeral. What’s more, Dickens has literally been wiped off the map to save California from further embarrassment. Fuelled by despair, the narrator sets out to right this wrong with the most outrageous action conceivable: reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school, which lands him in the Supreme Court. In his trademark absurdi

Miracle on 5th Avenue - Sarah Morgan

Description Hopeless romantic Eva loves everything about Christmas. Even if she is spending it alone housesitting a spectacular Fifth Avenue apartment. What she didn’t expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous–and mysterious–owner. Bestselling crime writer, and notorious cynic, Lucas Blade has hidden himself away in his penthouse with a deadline looming. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva and Lucas snowbound together will Lucas finally see the magic, and happily ever after that Christmas can bring? Review I've read a few of Sarah Morgan's books but not in this trilogy. However, the book stands alone and so you can read it without having read the previous books. You can always rely on Sarah for a nice romance and a Christmassy read. I love that this book has the love interest as Lucas Blade, he was a great character and the fact that he was a crime writer (one of my fav genres) just made it perfect teamed with New York and Christm