Travelling early this month meant I didn't put my list together when I usually do, and then kept putting it off, but I was determined to get it done before the end of March!
The Impostor by Damon Galgut (7/10) Jobless Adam returns to Johannesberg where he intends to live in his brother’s dilapidated house while he figures things out. An interesting enough concept, and set in apartheid South Africa, but a legitimately slow burn. Most of the book I spent wanting to shake Adam out of the weird reverie that he seemed to be permanently stuck in.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (7/10) A group of college seniors, all of Asian-American heritage, form a group to heist artwork from their countries of origin that are perceived to have been stolen by Western colonisers. This book was really mis-sold as a crime/thriller – because it wasn’t and I thought this detracted from it’s true strength of describing the theme.
In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan (10/10) Tasked with pioneering the use of AI in the police force, DCS Kat Frank is initially reluctant but agrees to give it a go. The test case is set as some cold cases, which very quickly reveals that there is still a lot to uncover that was missed by the past investigation. I loved the Kat & Lock combination and am looking forward to the next book already!
You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao (6/10) Teenager Julie’s boyfriend Sam is killed in a car accident, and she later finds that she is still able to communicate with him through her phone despite this. Good concept but I hated how selfish Julie was, while originally forgivable because of the situation she found herself in, the numerous flashbacks throughout revealed this to be her true personality, and once I stopped feeling for her my enjoyment of this book very quickly declined.
The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley (8/10) An academic culture book with a slight twist – instead of studying children in their native educational environment, volunteer high schoolers from America are sent to different parts of the world to experience different teaching cultures. I enjoyed this for the most part, especially how the author was very willing to share the things that didn’t work out – this made it realistic.
Virgin River by Robyn Carr (6/10) Recently widowed midwife Melinda moves to remote Virgin River as a means to overcome her heartbreak for her recent loss, before handsome Jack Sheridan comes along and changes her life plans. I can see how this would be brilliant as a tv series but was far too long-winded as a book for me.
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (8/10) A murder that is about to happen is announced in the newspaper – an intriguing enough opening for a crime/mystery. This one was really well-worked, Christie did wonderfully with pulling the wool over my eyes as I missed so many clues that were right there in plain sight!
Freeze by Kate Simants (7/10) Tori is the producer of a reality tv show premised on participants taking part in challenges in the freezing cold of Greenwich, living on a ship for the duration of the competition. I love exotic locations and I love reality tv, but the crime element didn’t work as well as it could have.
The Secret Smile by Nicci French (5/10) Melinda finds herself unable to escape her ex-boyfriend Brendan, who repeatedly seems to manage to force himself back into her life. I listened to this and the narrator wasn’t the best, and after awhile I got fed up at the number of characters that seemed to lack even the most basic common sense.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (7/10) The story starts with Artificial Friend Klara waiting in a shop to be chosen as a friend by a human, then follows her time with Josie. Ishiguro has a knack of coming up with really bizarre concepts and this was no different, and while I did kind of like the premise I didn’t like where he eventually took the story.
The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams (7/10) Jilted at the altar, Annie is encouraged by her would-be in-laws to take her honeymoon to Australia regardless. She brings along long-lost friend Patrick, this turned out pretty much how one might expect from the title. I thought the story was a bit rushed towards the end though, after they come back from the trip.
The Wager by David Grann (8/10) NF about the shipwreck of The Wager in the 1700s, when England and Spain were maritime forces locked in a battle over the waters surrounding South America. I thought this was brilliantly executed considering it must have been a really difficult topic to research, although I did think the author could have been a bit more helpful with all the ship-related terms (many of which don’t apply anymore too).
The Dark Tide by Simon McCleave (9/10) The first book in the Anglesey series featuring DCI Laura Hart, a former police negotiator who gave up her job after the death of her husband. I loved the setting, especially having visited Anglesey recently, as well as the way the case was worked. Am looking forward to reading more in this series.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (7/10) In a dystopian world where people receive a call on their day of their deaths informing them as such, Rufus and Mateo meet as “Last Friend”s having both received said call. The title tells you how the book ends, and I liked reading about the boys’ last day for the most part, though I wish that we saw more of Rufus – it seemed all to be about Me Me Me when it came to Mateo.
Heat Wave by Richard Castle (7/10) I didn’t like this when I read it, but then @geminii explained the concept to me and it was genius! Written by fictional character Richard Castle, this book covers Detective Nikki Heat’s first case investigating the death of a New York tycoon.
The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris (6/10) Kamala Harris’ life before the Vice Presidential campaign. She shares a lot about her political view (to the extent of becoming ranty) but very little about herself, so given this was sold as an autobiography I felt a bit cheated.
Left’s Right, Right’s Left by Han Yujoo (8/10) Quirky little story of only ~40 pages about the flashbacks that a girl experiences while being abused by her partner. It is translated from Korean but somehow manages to maintain a wistful tone, and is quite deep in that I had to read a lot of it twice to actually understand what was going on, but for a quick read I didn’t mind.
Nudge by Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein (6/10) NF about how little nudges can affect decision-making, alongside discussing the ethics of doing so. It was okay but I’ve read many other books on similar topics that are much better written, this one wasn’t very engaging.
Karma by Sadhguru (6/10) One of the “out there” books that I occasionally find myself reading (or listening to, in this case), and as the title accurately suggests this felt like doing yoga. There was not much new here, but listening to it was strangely captivating, which was partly down to Sadhguru reading it himself.
The Meiji Guillotine Murders by Futaro Yamada (7/10) Two detectives in Meiji era Japan are tasked with investigating a series of seemingly impossible murders, though the narrative is initially confusingly intertwined with a description of the introduction of the guillotine in Japan. It comes together nicely eventually but I didn’t like how much of the book I felt very confused for.
