Dervla McTiernan was born in Ireland and lived there until 2011, before moving to Western Australia with her family. Her debut novel The Rúin is set in Ireland and its setting and dialogue quintessentially Irish, but there’s a snippet of her new country of abode, as one of the characters returns from a long stay in Australia.
When I first saw this book, it was around the time I’d requested a children’s picture book to review with my 6yr old godson Pickle, and – as I do love a good life lesson – the title of this book, PUG – How To Be The Best You, sounded perfect.
However, this book isn’t actually about a cute dog. PUG, stands for Philosophical Universal Guidance. Yep… it’s actually a book for we grown-ups. (Ahem… yes I am including myself there.)
I read Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner, the first in this series featuring (then DS, now DI) Manon Bradshaw last year – although I didn’t know (more in the series would follow) at that time. Looking back on my review I certainly took to Manon, who I described as a ‘no nonsense’ sort of person. Which remains the case in her second outing.
I adored this book. I mean LOVE loved it. I adored Eleanor in all of her weirdness. She’s amazingly written and the prose (ie. her voice) – through her thoughts and dialogue are mind-blowingly good. This was a rare occasion on which I both did and did not want a book to end.
Gail Honeyman won a number of awards in Scotland and the UK for this book, and they are most certainly well-deserved.
For reasons unknown I’ve not read Eliza Henry-Jones’ first novel… the very popular and highly praised In the Quiet, but I read an essay by the Yarra Valley-dwelling writer last year in Rebellious Daughters and was excited to receive her latest novel… the aptly named Ache.
I’m a latecomer to this book which has been the subject of a lot of online discussion, in the same way Girl on a Train, Gone Girl and You did way back when. Everything I read and heard about it warned me the book was told from several unreliable viewpoints AND the end would be shocking and / or frustrating.
So I went in prepared…
The backcover blurb on this book compares it to The Girl on the Train – which I guess is the post-Gone Girl benchmark for psychological thrillers. It is reminiscent of the popular book as we’re in the head of a narrator who may not be entirely reliable, trustworthy, or well… sane.
Although I wasn’t captivated immediately, I was most certainly intrigued – and occasionally confused (as I’m sure we’re meant to be) – as I wondered where Lily was leading us.
I need to confess that I had no idea Sophie Hannah had revitalised Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective and his little grey cells until this book appeared on a listing. It was only then I discovered Hannah had previously released The Monogram Murders, featuring Hercule Poirot, in 2014 – almost 40 years after the passing of Dame Agatha.
I adore Agatha Christie. I’ve read all of her books a million times. At least. Once upon a time I used to call them my bath books as I could read a novel in the bath in an hour. (Which was before I sat in the bath for hours on end reading!)