I’ve just finished reading ‘True Things About Me’, a debut novel by Deborah Kay Davies. One of World Book Night’s favourite new novelists, I thought I would give this a go as I was fascinated by the comparison to Sylvia Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar.’ And I’m so glad I did. This book shocked, amazed and entertained me – probably in that order. It’s a dark tale exploring the blackest elements of the protagonist’s psyche – and that of all of us. Lonely, desperate and actually, suprisingly normal, the book follows one woman’s rapid decline from thirty-something, single, suburban office worker to depressed, lonely, isolated woman trapped in a mentally and physically abusive relationship.  Yet there is humour inter-woven with the bleakness and a sense that the protagonist ( whose name we never learn ) is mocking her newly-found destructive life style, looking in on herself and becoming fascinated at what she finds. The writing is short and snappy with clipped sentances and some wonderful imagery simply told although some of the brutally stark descriptions make reading difficult and sometimes hard to bear. Their simplicity, however, somehow gives them a kind of dark and mournful beauty. A book I just couldn’t put down, I found myself wondering just how far we will go to attain a sense of belonging and acceptance with others. Just how self-destructive can we knowingly be ? And how close are we prepared to teeter on the brink of the crumbling precipice before backing off and seeking the security of solid ground ? Read ‘True Things About Me’ and you may or may not find out…

I finished reading Anna Sewell’s wonderful Black Beauty yesterday. Not a book I thought I would ever find myself reading but one which now sits firmly as one of my favourite reads. Who’d have thought that a 200-page children’s book narrated by a horse could capture the imagination quite so intently ? Poignant, sad and touching, this books tells as much a story of the life of a horse as it does of the Victorian’s attitude towards animals. I loved the short, snappy sentances and the way in which Anna Sewell created and communicated to the reader an empathy with the wants, needs and desires of our equine friends. Using tightly written six-page chapters, the pace moves as swiftly as Beauty’s hooves beating against the cobbles of London’s streets. I did become rather anxious mid-way through the book when things were not looking good for our friend – would it be ‘hooves up’ for Beauty ? You’ll have to read to find out but I would be lying if I denied a tear in the eye as I turned the final page. And as for the infamous theme tune to the 1970s series – find it here – play – and then tell me you didn’t reach for the kleenex…Enjoy!

It’s every book-lover’s holy grail; the once-every-so-often book that keeps its hapless reader up into the early hours reading. The book which once started, really can’t be put down. And such was the case for me with Laura Wilson’s latest thriller ‘A Capital Crime.’  Having waded my weary way through Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy ( forgive me for being the only person on the planet who found these novels turgid, repetitive and two-dimensional ) I couldn’t wait to reward my achievement by throwing myself into the latest Laura Wilson. 

A huge fan of all her thrillers, I love the way Wilson majors not just on plot but also characters and period. Pick up any of her thrillers and you are  in no doubt as to where you are, be it: 1940s London, 1930′s suburbia, 1950′s Soho or 1970′s Croydon.

‘A Capital Crime’ takes us to London in November 1950 – a time of smog, austerity and rationing; a landscape of bombed-out buildings, dismal terraces and abandonned Anderson shelters. I was for the first time, a little wary of this book. It is based on the horrific crimes which occurred at 10 Rillington Place albeit with different characters’ names and interwoven with character-based sub-plots. Is it appropriate to base a work of fiction around a crime of this nature ? My gut feeling is no, but once you get into the book you cannot but admire the way in which Wilson handles her story:  introducing new angles, using factual evidence to bring credibility to the tale and perfecting the period setting.

Picking up the book at 5pm on Sunday having read little more than a hundred pages, I put it down at a little before 1am. So there’s the answer – maybe stories should be based on just that – fiction – but in this case I couldn’t fault her treatment of the events leading up to the capture of Norman Backhouse – a skin-crawling, creepy creature occupying a Victorian terraced house in Paradise Road. The period setting is spot on, the characters utterly believable and the pace ramping up and down to accommodate the suburban sub-plots which weave their way through the horror of the events which unfurled in those years of austerity.  

Overall, I really cannot fault this book which leads wonderfully on from ‘Stratton’s War’ and ‘An Empty Death’ which follow the exploits and family life of Detective Ted Stratton. My only frustration ? I have to wait another year for Wilson’s next book. Hurray up Laura – a year’s a hellva long time!

Just finished reading Julie Powell’s ‘Julie and Julia’ – the true story of a thirty year-old New Yorker who devotes a year of her life to cooking every recipe in Julia Childs’ ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’ A bored secretary working in a New York Government office. Julie Powell took the decision to do something completely different – cook her way through the entire Julia Childs tome in 365 days. Living in a small apartment with her husband, Powell tells the story of her amazing year: what she learnt about herself, what she wanted from life and of course, how to cook. Most interestingly to a fellow blogger, Julie set up a blog and wrote daily about her life and her experiences of cooking each individual recipe. I first learnt of this project through the film starring Meryl Streep and loved the concept – doing something just because you can – and as Julie asks on her blog : ‘ What could happen?’ Well for a start you publish a book, sell the rights to enable the production of a film and set yourself up with a posh laptop as a writer. Clearly lots! This book is a sure sell win to both wanna be writers and cooks alike. And if you dont fancy pan frying offal, boning a duck or killing a lobster – just read about Julie doing it – SO much easier!

Just finished reading a lovely copy of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights. My in-laws bought me a beautiful retro copy of this ‘delight’ for Christmas. I’d wanted to read it for ages as it is a 1930s timeless British childrens’ classic. At first I struggled with the paralell universe inhabited by Kay and his young friends but after the first three chapters I adapted quickly to his world where magic, medieval lanes and mystery are commonplace. I have to say I would challenge Philip Pullman, of His Dark Materials trilogy, to deny having been just a little bit inspired by Masefield’s curious world.

The story starts with Kay arriving home for Christmas by train. On a late December afternoon, with snow starting to fall, Kay encounters a strange Punch and Judy man who grants him custody of his ‘box of delights.’ The box enables Kay to ‘go swiftly’, ‘go small’ and to peer into strange worlds which he is able to enter by just looking into the old box. Kay quickly falls into trouble as a criminal group come after him, keen to gain the box which Kay seeks to protect.

While the dialogue is dated and the narrative at times laborious and overly explanatory, the descriptions are vivid and colourful as Masefield portrays a parallel world where as much is unfamiliar as familiar. A lovely nostalgic read which transports the reader back to a wonderful wintry world seen through the eyes of an eleven year old boy. And especially for Dad, I’ve attached a YouTube link where the original music can be listed to.

Just finished reading Linwood Barclay’s ‘Fear the Worst’ and as usual Barclay lives up to his reputation as a pacey thriller writer of the Dan Brown genre. His books are typicaly set in suburban America and are packed with details which bring small-town America to life. His latest creation follows a single parent whose daughter secures a summer job at the Just Inn Time motel. One day she fails to return home from work and when contacting staff at the Just Inn Time, her father is told that she has never worked there. Therein begins a race against time to find Sydney, his daughter, and bring her home safely. As the mystery unravels, he discovers that there is more to Sydney’s life than he could ever have imagined. Twist upon twist leaves the reader reeling from sub plot to sub plot as Sydney eludes both the police and her frantic father desperate for news of his daughter. Get reading people – this one really is a winner!!!

I loved, loved, loved this book! Absolutely hilarious and so true to the mark if a little far-fetched at times. This little gem provides an insight into corporate office life through e-mails. In fact the entire book contains only e-mails and no narrative as the staff at Miller Shanks advertising agency seek to win a prestigious contract with Coke. If you are familiar with office life you’ll love this. Back stabbing, back covering, gossip, non-PC comms and the usual tittle tattle of 9 – 5 life – this book had me laughing out loud. I have Fergus to thank for recommending it on his blog – read his review and I just had to get it!