Month: May 2024

Conviction by Jack Jordan

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have again had it proved to me that it is worth giving an author another go. ‘Conviction’ by Jack Jordan was a thrilling page-turner and I am so glad that I did not let it pass me by after ‘Do No Harm‘.

I have wondered why I found ‘Conviction’ a better read for me, and I think it is because I felt that we were thrown into a thrilling situation that could well be happening as we speak. Do not get me wrong, there is of course the extraordinary drama added to make the read as thrilling as possible, but there is a level of possibility throughout the pages that keeps you hooked.

The moral dilemma in this book is all around the justice system: can a lawyer misrepresent their client in order to keep their own dark secret? Moral dilemmas make for such a fantastic read, because, I like to think, we assume that everyone woud make the right choice – but do we really ever know if they will? This book hooked me in from the moment I started reading, and I really could not put it down. I found myself picking it up at every spare moment, because I had to see how the story was going to turn out.

And a book that makes you gasp at a couple of twists is a well-constructed thriller. The last sentence of the last page was not something that I was expecting, and I am still thinking about it now.

So, this again proves that you should not read an author once and form all your judgements, because sometimes they have another story to tell that might be the story that you need to read. Or sometimes, their story might be needed a different time. This is a lesson I have certainly learnt recently; I am going to make sure that I keep my mind open, especially when it is authors from my favourite genres. And this does mean I am definitely going to be keeping an eye out for Jack Jordan’s next book, which seems to be already making a splash on social media.

A Love Letter to The Book Taster

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

In 2020, when the world seemed a very different place, I took the plunge and joined an online book club – as a total introvert, this was not easy for me, but as we had all been shut away for quite some time, we all craved some normality. That online book club was created by Jenna, who owns The Book Taster – and that moment (this may sound a little dramatic) changed my bookish life.

Fast forward to 2024 and Saturday 11th May was the fourth annual ‘The Book Taster Live’, which has genuinely become a highlight of my year – and this year was no different. From the moment you arrive, you know you are amongst friends, many of whom started as friends in the little squares of Instagram or Zoom, and you know you are going to have a great day.

This year, we started off with the fantastic Kate Sawyer, author of ‘The Stranding‘ (which I have gifted to so many since reading it) and ‘This Family’ (which is on the tbr pile – I am sure nobody is surprised). Kate spoke to us about her journey to becoming an author, what inspired the fantastic ‘The Stranding’, and her newest publication, ‘This Family’. A very different theme to ‘This Family’ but it is true that relationships between people can be absolutely fascinating and it is always interesting to think what brought people to this moment that they are now living in. It was a joy to hear her speak about her varied careers and inspirations that had brought her to this moment.

Following hot on her heels we heard from Susan Fletcher as she spoke about her new book ‘The Night in Question’, which has been on my wishlist for quite some time. I absolutely cannot wait to pick this up and read it, but I have also ended up with another title on the wishlist, as I was not aware of the book ‘Let Me Tell You About the Man I Knew’. This is a book inspired by Van Gogh and one of the women he painted. As a huge fan of the art of Van Gogh and fascinated by the man himself, this sounded like a book I would really enjoy. And it reminded me of another joy of The Book Taster Live, that you discover books you may never have come across without this great event.

Ericka Waller followed next, and I would just love to sit and chat with her all over again (and if I could possibly be taught crochet, that would be great, too). Listening to her talk about the reasons she writes, the experiences of her life and the inspirations for her characters (George will always be a favourite character of mine) and stories was just beautiful. This woman is an inspiration and a truly beautiful soul. I am pretty sure that she had the whole audience in fits of giggles and tears and back again within seconds – and it was just a highlight of the event for me. Also, I love the idea of rescuing books from car boot sales and charity shops – that must be why I have so many, haha!

Now, I am often surprised by how long ago I have read a book, so when I picked up my copy of ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’ that I realised how long I had been a fan of the books of Kiran Millwood Hargrave (the sticker on the front of the book referenced 2017). It will be no surprise that it was an absolute pleasure to hear her speak about what inspires her to write, as she has such a varied collection of titles to share with us all. The most recent, ‘In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen’ is (yes, you have guessed it) on my tbr pile, but I am certainly bumping it up after having heard Kiran talk about it – I mean, who knew there had been a rainforest in Wales; I certainly did not.

Fifth, we heard from the man who had brought us all togther as the OG Book Taster fans four years ago – Mike Gayle (‘All the Lonely People‘ was the first ever book we read as the book club). Mike summed up the importance of the event and community that Jenna has brought together from the moment he stepped on the stage – simply by saying how brilliant the whole event is. Mike talked about his new book ‘A Song of Me and You’ (which I have two copies of, as I could not miss out on the stunning paperback copy, too) and his writing career as a whole – and I can certainly assure him that he definitely makes his readers feel when they are reading his books (Mr Bookwormandtheatremouse can identify when I am reading a Mike Gayle by the tears).

Daisy Buchanan came next. A journalist, public speaker and author, it was brilliant to hear how she made the decision to write the books that she wanted to read, and that is what sparked her career as an author. But, also how important reading and books are to her, how they are a chance to bond with family and friends, and I love the idea that we can read ourselves happy, as books are a very special thing that can be enjoyed by so many. Daisy was so correct when she said that many of us bookworms are introverts who can become extroverts around the bookish community, as we all know that books bring us togther. This is a concept that has really stuck with me since the event.

And, finally, Matt Coyne, author of ‘Frank and Red’, which has been on the wishlist for quite some time and I saved for the event. Matt spoke about his inspiration for Frank and Red, which just sounds a joy (I can not wait to pick it up) and the transition he made from writing non-fiction as a ‘Dad blogger’ to writing fiction. There was so much humour and warmth as Matt spoke about his career and his family that he had the audience in stitches – and I am pretty sure I am going to be a big fan of both Frank and Red when I read the book. And, also, hearing him talk about his friendship with fellow author Sarah Turner (which does mean I now have another book on my tbr pile) was just lovely.

In fact, that is one of the best things about the event; Jenna is definitely the hostess with the mostess, and the conversations that take place on stage are so natural (and not always about books – pants and Cardi B were definitely not topics anyone was expecting – haha) that you feel like you are listening to two friends having a chat over coffee and cake. And, we would all like to sit and have coffee and cake with all of these authors.

But, you do not have to just sit and listen to these authors speak, you can meet each one, too, and have your books signed. And, as someone who is painfully shy,this can sometimes be something that I overthink and make myself nervous about, but each and every one made you feel welcome and had time for a chat, a photo – and even a hug (thank you Ericka). Because, let’s be honest, we are all a community of book lovers who just want to share the love of books at every opportunity.

So, this is a massive thank you to The Book Taster for creating such an incredible event and community (and for all the treats in the fantastic goody bags, which could be a whole other post). And this is a thank you to each and every author over the last four years who have been to speak to us and share their love of books – and thank you to each bookish buddy that I have made along the way. I have definitely found my tribe.

Queen Macbeth by Val McDermid

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

As part of Stratford Literary Festival (which is officially one of my favourite events of the calendar), I went to listen to Val McDermid talk about her new book, ‘Queen Macbeth’. And we were lucky enough to hear this talk in Holy Trinity Church – right next to the grave of the Bard himself, Shakespeare. Val McDermid offered a great talk about her writing process and how she constructs her crime stories, for which she is probably most famous, but also shared her writing process for her new novel – and how Shakespeare got it wrong.

I found ‘Queen Macbeth’ a fantastic read. It is interesting to have a chance to try and understand some of the complex history of Scotland. It did take me a little while to understand which character was which (other than those who are famous or infamous). However, the storytelling itself was beautifully constructed and easy to understand once you got the thread. I enjoyed the fact that it was told through a dual timeline so we could see what had led to the moment we were reading about, which really added to the context of the story.

I am not going to give away any spoilers (other than that Shakespeare clearly constructed the story for his audience, which we all know is true; he wrote what he knew would be appreciated at the time), but I would really recommend reading this to give yourself some understanding of the actual Scottish history and who those important figures were. Plus, Queen Macbeth is a fantastically strong woman, and not the fanatic that we may have been introduced to before.

If you enjoy the writing of Val McDermid, then you will enjoy this book, and I would recommend you pick it up and try something a little different.

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This is definitely a book that seems to have picked up a fan base thanks to the Bookstagram community – and it was certainly them that persuaded me to pick up ‘The List of Suspicious Things’ (and it has a rather cool cover). As we know, I do not need blurbs, so all I knew about this one was that it was set at the time the Yorkshire Ripper was active, which did seem to me like an interesting time for a plot to be set.

But, wow, this book is so much more than a tale that has a link to the true crime story of the mid-1970s – this is a study of community, culture and people, and it was impossible to stop reading.

Miv is having a difficult time; her Mother has become distant and disengaged, her father is doing his bit and her overbearing Aunt has moved in. To give her some focus, her and her best friend, Sharon, decide to try and discover who the man is that appears to be bringing terror to streets of Yorkshire – and create a list of suspicious things.

This book is beautifully written and is a very astute commentary on the difficult divides that there were in communities, the ‘behind closed doors’ attitudes that were keeping dark secrets and influence that the far-right was having on the streets in a time that was difficult for many. My heart was breaking at moments when men were not supposed to cry and members of the community were not safe in their own homes because ‘they were not from around here’. Yet, there are moments of humour and constant reminders that the bad apples are actually few and far between.

I absolutely can not share any spoilers, but reading this book was quite an emotional rollercoaster at times – you could be crying and smiling within lines of the same page. But for me it was actually a celebration of strength of character, and that you should always have the confidence to be yourself. Miv, Sharon and Mr Bashir (among others) will all steal a piece of your heart and will stay with you long after you have read the final line.

This book is a stunning debut and I really hope that there is more to come from Jennie Godfrey, because I would certainly be keen to read it.