Author: Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I had been waiting quite some time to be able to read ‘Leave No Trace’ by Jo Callaghan, as I was a big fan of ‘In the Blink of an Eye‘, which I read towards the end of last year. I wanted to find out more DCS Kat Franks and her team, and where in Warwickshire the next book would be set.

This was just as engaging as the last book. This time, there is a serial killer who appears to be targeting men in the local area of Nuneaton. DCS Franks and her team are in a race against time to try and bring the killer to justice before they strike again. Working alongside Locke, again, we follow their investigation and we consider the question, who is the better detective – human or AI? And there is quite an interesting moment with DNA, where a machine may not have the reaction that a person would, and does this lead to an important clue being missed? Yet there is another brilliant moment where AI can do something that a human would never be able to do and it does, again, raise questions about the pros and cons of AI.

I did have an idea who did it, but at the same moment as DCS Franks and her team. So, I do not think that is a bad thing as it meant that I had followed the same clues and come to the same conclusions as the experts, so as an armchair detective I will take that. There are, of course, some chilling moments, especially the chapters told from the perspective of the murderer, but this is a police procedural book, so we are following them as they solve the crime. And, fantastically. at the end of the book we are left with a bit of a ‘cliffhanger’ as we see where the next story may take us.

Returning to this book was like rejoining a group of friends and becoming in invested in the next stage of their story. Each one of them has a tale that you are a little invested in and feel you are checking in with them all, making sure that they are all OK, and things are working out with them all. There are also some tense moments that will keep you reading, as you have to know how things are going to turn out.

So, yet again, I am left ready to read the next book, and I can’t wait to see where the next case will take us, and how DCS Franks and her team are doing.

Hold Back the Night by Jessica Moor

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Wow, this book could be my book of the year. ‘Hold Back the Night’ by Jessica Moor was picked as the March read for The Book Taster Book Club and I was really intrigued by the premise of the book, but I was not expecting how blown away I was by the absolutely stunning story.

‘Hold Back the Night’ is about Annie, a nurse in a psychiatric hospital in the late fifties and sixties, a landlady to those who nobody else wants to help during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and an elderly woman during the Covid epidemic, who is forced to reflect on her life and her actions. Particularly those actions of her time in the psychiatric hospital, especially when a ghost of her past reappears in her life in the 1980s. I do not think I can do this story justice, but what I can say is that this book and the characters that you meet will stay with you for a long time after you have finished the final page.

There is a study of isolation, loneliness and freedom throughout the book. The male patients in the psychiatric hospital have been isolated from society for a number of reasons, but one reason is their sexuality and the fear they experience as they are treated for this. The men who come to stay with Annie are all HIV-positive and have been isolated by the rest of the world because of this, and they live in fear of death. And, finally, Covid isolates Annie, and she experiences the isolation and fear that the men she met in the past must have faced every day – this, as well as the loss of her friend Rita, forces Annie into this reflective mood and brings us the story of her past.

But, it also lets us think about love and what that really means. And why have people not been allowed to love in the way that they want to? Who has the right to have an opinion on love in any form? I think Annie was really rather liberal for the times that she lived in, but, at the start, she has a fear hovering over her that prevents her from making as much of a difference as she could, unlike her friend Rita. She takes the 1980s as her chance to seek redemption for her past, but also, we see that she accepts people for who they really are. And, at the end, we see her celebrate love.

‘To all the ghosts we failed to see’ is the dedication at the start of the book and I hope that this book does remind people of those ghosts, brings them back to our living memory and never lets us forget them. I would encourage everybody to read this book, because it is both a wonderful story and an education – and you will finish the book angry with the past and hopeful for the future. Thank you, Jessica Moor, for bringing this book to us all.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The pick for my IRL book club this month is ‘Blue Sisters’ by Coco Mellors. Now, this is a book that has been absolutely everywhere for quite some time, and a book with an absolutely stunning cover, but it was a book that I was not sure about picking up. However, that is what I love about book club, it makes you read books that you may not normally read.

I enjoyed that this book focused on the four Blue sisters, and how the three are dealing with the grief of losing Nicky, a year before. It is definitely a book that focuses on character and it does do this very well. You do feel you really know these sisters by the end of the book, and how they view their relationship with each other, their parents and their sister Nicky. As well as some of their relationships with the careers they have followed and the people that they may have met along the way.

The chapters alternate between the stories of each of the sisters, and I quite enjoyed this, as I did feel that I wanted to know a little more about each sister as we got to know them. What is quite interesting is I am not sure these characters are particularly loveable; Bonnie was the only one of the sisters that I really sympathised with and I know as we see their history we understand why each sister is like they are, but it was hard to really find them each loveable. It does not make them bad characters, I think, maybe, it seemed like a collection of sisters of real extremes – who between them possibly had more experiences that most families could possibly have in a usual lifetime. But, then I guess that is why we read, to meet characters and experiences we may not necessarily encounter in our day-to-day life.

This book is beautifully written and I did want to finish it, but when I put it down for a couple of days, I did not rush to pick it up – but when I did pick it up to read, I always ended up really bingeing it and finding it hard to put down. Although, it may be the timing of me reading it that impacted how I read it. After all, our personal mood can often impact a book and how we read it.

So, I do have mixed emotions about this book; I saw it somewhere described as the modern ‘Little Women’, and although it could be argued there are some similar themes, I am not sure it has the warmth of that classic. Yet, it is readable, and I can totally understand why it is such a popular book. It is has certainly led me to have some interest in the books of Coco Mellors, and I will look out for ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ on my travels, because, of course, a bookworm never has enough books.

Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Amanda Prowse is an author that I had not come across until ‘The Book Taster’ announced that she would be at the Live Event this year. So, when a beautiful book buddy and I decided that we would read a book by a Live Event author ahead of the big day, we settled on ‘Swimming to Lundy’ by Amanda Prowse.

Now, if I judged a book by its cover, then I would not have picked this book up. However, that would have meant that I would have missed out on a treat.

Amanda Prowse has written a lovely character-focused story about relationships – whether in a family, romantically or a friendship – she has created a story that is beautiful to read and reminds you about what is important in life. And how easy it can be to lose your way because you do not think that you deserve something, or you have forgotten to think about what is important.

Taw is the most wonderful main character for the story, I would happily hang out with her. Taw is a young woman who decides that she is going to try swimming in the sea every day because she believes that it will keep her close to her father, who died when she was younger. However, that decision sparks a change in her life. It allows her to escape her home life and do something for herself, it allows her to make new friends with the other ‘Peacocks’, and it leads her to meet ‘Bear’.

Now, as you can imagine, this does not mean that everything that is ahead of Taw is smooth sailing. But it does mean that Taw starts to learn more about herself and her mother, their relationship – and the misconception that she may have about her past. It is a journey of self-discovery for Taw, but it is one that you are more than happy to join her on – and you will probably wish you could sit down with her for a drink afterwards too.

One key thing I really loved about this book, is there is a dual timeline to begin with, and you are not really sure why, but it has you hooked and definitely gives you a reason to keep reading, as you have to know how these unconnected stories will eventually connect. And, for a buddy read, this is great, as you can pop your ideas in your WhatsApp and see what comes of them.

So, as usual, ‘The Book Taster’ has introduced me to a new author who has a backlist that I need to get on top of. But, also, I absolutely can’t wait to hear Amanda Prowse speak at ‘The Book Taster Live’ this month. I guess the next question is, which Amanda Prowse book do I read next?

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This book has been on my shelf since I heard Kaliane talk about her book last year. I realise I start a lot of my blog posts about with how long the book has been on my shelf, but that is one of the many curses of being a bookworm. Although I really wanted to read this book, there was something a little intimidating about it for me. I do not know if it was all the hype it was getting, or the fact that it appeared to be a sci-fi book, which is definitely not my go-to genre. Yet I was still really fascinated by this book, so when it became the pick for a monthly buddy read, it gave me the boost I needed to pick it up.

This is such a unique idea for a book; the idea that time travel could bring characters from the past to the present for us to learn from and for the Ministry to see how well they adapt to life in the modern world – and all the moral conflict that comes with that, as ultimately they are human beings displaced for a social experiment. This does seem to reflect the modern world we are living in and creates quite a thought-provoking read as you consider all the moral questions that it raises as you read.

It is a fascinating concept and you do learn a little about the history of the characters, especially that of Commander Graham Gore, who was the original inspiration for the book. It did pique my interest in those early explorations to new worlds, as they would have been for the Victorians, but it also emphasises all the wrongs of that age of exploration. Something that has really been at the fore of current affairs.

If someone aske me to classify this book, I am not sure what you can fully classify it, as I think it could be found in many sections of a bookshop. It is a contemporary piece of fiction from a new voice, it has a very clear (but light) element of sci-fi to it, but it is also a love story. It may not be your traditional love story, but centrally it looks at love in different forms.

I enjoyed this book, although it did take some concentration, with some rather long chapters at points, which means, to me, it is a book that you have to be able to dedicate some time to, to ensure that you are taking it all in. So, I will certainly be recommending this book to people, especially as something that maybe they traditionally would not pick up to read, because of that fear of it being something very sci-fi – I admit that if I had not heard Kaliane Bradley speak about it, then I may have never picked this book up, so it proves you should never judge a book by its cover – or its genre.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This book has been everywhere over the last few weeks, and I fell for the hype. Especially as it was shared by some of my lovely bookish friends who do not give their praise lightly to books – especially not books that are getting all the hype. So, when I was in the lovely Warwick Books at the start of the month and I spotted that they had a copy of ‘Broken Country’, I had to pick it up because the FOMO was real. And, well, let’s be honest, I would, one hundred per cent, have missed out if I had not picked this book up that day.

‘Broken Country’ kept me up past my bedtime on more than one occasion because I could not leave this world. This a beautifully written book, full of emotion from the first page, that will have you hooked from the moment you start reading. This is a story about love, in all the ways we may experience it, and how it can change our lives. It is hard not to reveal spoilers in this post, because I want to say so much about this book, but I also want people to experience this story with little knowledge of the plot – because you have to become immersed in it.

It is a skillful author who can tell a story from three different periods in a main character’s life and still make it all fit together seamlessly (and not make us reach for a piece of paper to make notes). Beth and her loving husband Frank have been living peacefully on their farm, until the return of Gabriel, Beth’s first love. The foundations of their relationship begin to be shaken and events that follow lead to devastating consequences for all involved. And, although I am not usually a fan of a story that has an affair at its centre, this book seems to be different, and I think that is down to the stunning storytelling and the wonderful characters that are brought to life for the reader. The tale also maintains its thrilling nature as we never have the full information until the very end – so we are drawing our own conclusions and trying to make our own predictions about what may have happened, or what may be going to happen.

The only final thing I am going to say about this story is that I was in tears at the end, and almost wanted to go back to the beginning and experience the story all over again. Because this is a book that you will wish you could read for the first time once you have read that final line.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Sometimes you know it is time to read a book you should have already read. And, I decided that it was time to read ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy. I do enjoy a post-apocalyptic story – which is not something that I would have said a few years ago.

I really enjoyed this book, which always sounds like a strange phrase to say about a book that has a little darkness to it, but this is an incredibly well-constructed story. And the man and boy who you travel down the road with are two wonderful characters – and it is quite a pleasure to spend some time with these two characters, even if it is not the most perfect of situations.

It takes quite some skill to base a book pretty much only around two characters and keep you engaged from beginning to end – and I was. Following them on their journey is quite intimate, as it is them against the world. You feel their bond, their love and all their emotions as they travel along the road. When they feel heartbreak, you feel heartbreak, and when they have moments of joy, you have moments and joy, and that really adds to the reading experience. As I won’t give spoilers, I will say that there was a moment where the actions of the boy moved me to tears, the kindness he showed towards someone less fortunate than himself despite the suffering he was going through was just a beautiful moment.

This may be a book that can be viewed as a little grim, and it is certainly not a completely uplifting read. but it is a very good one. There are chinks of light in the story where you see the best in human nature, although you do see a dark world ahead of us. And we may never really know why, but my interpretation is that this is a world that has been created by man, and this book could be read as a warning to us about the damage we could be doing to the planet and its people.

There is a little bit of an open ending to this book, and I really like that maybe you can make your own decision about what happen next. And that always means that a book that stays with you as you find that you return to its ideas every now and then, and can occasionally just creep up on you, and you are thinking about it again – and that, to me, is a sign of a good book.

I am blown away by the talent of Cormac McCarthy as an author, just from this book, so I would certainly like to read more when I can. I think ‘No Country for Old Men’ could be the next on the list. If people ask me for recommendations then ‘The Road’ is going to be a go-to recommendation, as it is just a really quite wonderful book.

The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I have had a few people tell me that I need to pick this book up, including Mr Bookwormandtheatremouse, and I have finally listened and made the decision that it would be the last book of February for me. Just like ‘Curtain Call’ by Julian Clary, there is no mistaking who wrote this book as you read it, the voice of Bob Mortimer jumps out from the page the minute you start reading – and I am OK with that.

‘The Satsuma Complex’ is a crime novel, but it is often classed as contemporary fiction, and alongside that it is full of humour and warmth as you would expect from the pen of Bob Mortimer. I enjoyed this book, and being inside the head of our main character, Gary, is quite an experience, especially when he likes a chat with the local squirrel (as I write that it sounds so strange, but honestly it all works). Gary is a legal assistant in a firm in London; he feels very anonymous in a large world and seems to live a fairly mundane life. Until one evening, he is having a drink with an acquantice in a local pub and meets the mysterious Emily, who happens to be reading ‘The Satsuma Complex’. From that moment onwards, his life takes quite a different direction – and maybe life is not as mundane as he thought.

As usual that is all you are going to get from me on plot, as I do not share spoilers, especially for something that has some mystery amongst its pages. However, I will say that I adored the characters in this book; they had so much humour to them, even if they did turn out to be a villain. It may not be the most complex plot to a book, but it is one that does make you feel joy as you read it and probably hear it as Bob Mortimer in your head. This is like a film noir in a book and it is great fun. I think the chats with the squirrel are some of my favourite moments, and I think, if we are all honest, we have all probably had imaginary conversations in our head.

So, if you want to read a story that will leave you with a feeling of joy and that will help you escape the real world, this is definitely a book that is worth picking up, and I will definitely be reading ‘The Avocado Hotel’ to find out what happens to Gary next.

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I love it when I spot a bargain for the Kindle, and I spotted an absolute bargain when I saw that ‘Then She Vanishes’ was on offer for a steal. I was (like so many of my go-to authors) introduced to the books of Claire Douglas by The Book Taster and it is another introduction I am glad was made.

‘Then She Vanishes’ is from Claire’s backlist, first published in 2019 (another thing I love about being introduced to new authors, you often have a backlist to look up to), and I am glad that it is a book that made it onto my tbr list as it was an absolute treat to read. I picked this after a rather delayed flight situation and knew I needed something that would grab my attention, and that is something that I can rely on the books of Claire Douglas to do. This is an author who always offers a guranteed page-turner and this one was no different – in fact, that may have been my favourite so far and that is quite a statement as I have enjoyed each and every one of the books that I have read.

I think the reason why I may have liked this one just a little bit more is that there were a number of mysteries that needed unravelling – there were just so many secrets amongst its pages, that you really were not sure who you should trust or what was really the truth.

There appears to be no reason for Heather to have taken a gun and shot a mother and son who are new in town, and then turn the gun on herself. When her old friend Jess hears about this chain of events, she takes a professional interest as a local journalist, but is soon drawn further into these events than she intends. But, along the way, the dark secrets of the past are brought to the fore – and there has always been the mystery of the disappearance of Heather’s sister Flora; could that have triggered what has recently taken place?

Spoiler-free means all I can say is that you will have to read it to find out how all this comes together in a conclusion; I just cannot possibly say if that conclusion is tidy or not. But, I can say that this is a very well-constructed story told with the odd first-person chapter, and events from both the past and present that keep you even more invested in the story.

So, all in all, this is a great thriller and means I am just going to have find more of Claire Douglas’ backlist to read; in fact, I think there may be one on my tbr pile as we speak…

Hope Street by Mike Gayle

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

One of my most anticipated books of my year landed on my doorstep thanks to the wonderful independent bookshop ‘The Heath Bookshop‘ and it immediately made its way to the top of the tbr pile, which I think might explain why the tbr pile never seems to shrink. However, nothing can stand in the way of letting me start the new Mike Gayle, as it is always going to be an absolute treat, and ‘Hope Street’ was an absolute treat and just the book I needed at the right time.

I am not sure how Mike Gayle does it, but, as always, this book was full of fantastic characters and a heart-warming storyline that, of course, led to some tears.

We meet Connor, who is the final resident of Hope Street, who is waiting for his mum to return but she has been gone for quite some time. We meet Lila, a journalist, who is sent to meet Connor, the young man who won’t leave Hope Street despite the fact that the street is no longer the home of anyone else, but she finds a whole other story when she meets him and realises that he just wants to make sure he is there when his mum returns – and maybe Lila can help him ensure that his mum does return. This creates a story of friendship, love and a reminder that we should always be kind – and never lose hope.

Hope is such an important message all the way through this book, and it is a lovely reminder for the reader, as we read the story that hope can get us a long way – and maybe we should all be a little more Connor. It was also wonderful to have someone at the centre of the story who was neurodivergent, but that this was his superpower, not something that anyone should ever be ashamed of. I love the strength of community in the book, and all the ways that so many people work together to help each other live their best lives and feel love, hope and acceptance.

I honestly do not know how Mike Gayle does it every time, but he really seems to understand people and their character. Every book I have read by Mike Gayle brings some of those people who may sometimes be on the edge of society to the centre, teaches us that we can learn so much from those who are around us, and shows that we should all be more kind and accepting. It really shows what a talented author he is and means that, yet again, I am going to be telling everyone to pick this book up and spend some time in the company of Connor and his friends, because I think everyone could learn a little about themselves and others from reading this book.

And I confess that this may be another book that I will need in both hardback and paperback – because it is another story that I am going to treasure, and which deserves some representation on my bookshelves.