Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton

I have not read a huge number of festive books this year. I think it is because I am such a mood reader, rather than a planner. And, this has definitely been my year for crime and thriller books, so when you can mix that with a festive read, it sounds like my kind of book.

I read this as a buddy read with a lovely fellow bookworm, and it is a great book to read along with someone else, as you can play armchair detective, but you can also share your own anecdotes about Christmas. I also finished it on Christmas Day, which seemed like perfect timing to me.

‘Happy Bloody Christmas’ starts with the discovery of a dead Father Christmas in the pantry (sounds like something out of Cluedo, which I think may have been a little of the inspiration for this book – especially as it gets a shout out in the book) and, from there, we follow Anna as she tries to not only solve the mystery of who stabbed Santa, while also keeping Christmas on track. But it is already Christmas Eve. This leads to a rather amusing series of events as Anna tries to juggle all that comes with an investigation and Christmas.

This is a cosy crime tale for the festive season with a note of light heartedness as it looks at family relationships and pressures at Christmas time. It makes for a rather easy but well-constructed story, that leads us in all sorts of different directions as to who may have chosen Santa as their victim – there are a few moments of misdirection, and that makes for a page-turner of a read.

As I always say, there are no spoilers here, so that makes for a slightly shorter post; however, I am excited to see that there is a second book out next year which I may well pop on my list of festive reads (which, I agree, sounds like rather a lot of planning for a mood reader).

Have you had any favourite festive reads this year?

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

As I have been lucky enought to visit Alaska, it is always a joy to find a book which is set in this wild and majestic part of the world. And, quite by chance, I have read two books this month set in this very place, and the author of ‘The Snow Child’, Eowyn Ivey, is a proud Alaskan which makes this book even more magical to me.

Now, I have to admit that this beautiful book had passed me by until it was selected as the December read of ‘The Book Taster Book Club’ and, to begin with, I was not entirely sure that this would be a book that I would traditionally choose to read (based on initial impressions – or as most of us call it, the cover). However, I would have missed an absolute treat if I had let that impression overtake me, because this book is an absolute treat.

This is a book that you have to savour; this is not a book that can be rushed. This book is inspired by ‘The Snow Girl’, a Russian folk tale, but is a magnificent story in its own right. We meet Jack and Mabel, as they are begining their new life on an Alaskan homestead; they are haunted by a tragedy from their past, but they are determined to make a success of their new life and the new opportunities that are promised to them in Alaska.

One evening, they meet Faina, the beautiful and mysterious young girl who seems to only appear when it snows and disappear as the new life comes with spring. We follow these characters over a number of years, and see how special Faina becomes to Jack and Mabel, and the magic that she brings to not just their lives but those of their closest friends in their new world. And, when you read the final page, you know that this book and its characters will stay with you for life – and that you will want to share them with as many other readers as possible.

There is also so much in this book that is left to the reader’s imagination, and that always makes for a read that becomes an interesting and fascinating one. There is also the mystery of Faina having no speech marks when she has dialogue with anyone in the book. Now, lack of speech marks is not being commented on, because it is something that bothers me, but it is clearly to serve a purpose in this book, and we had quite the conversation at book club as to what that purpose may be.

If you are looking for a magical winter read, then this is a book that I will forever recommend – in fact, since finishing it, I have realised that I love it even more than I thought I did, as I was reading it because it is so beautifully written, the characters are all lovely, and the atmosphere and sense of place within Alaska in the 1920s is stunningly created for the readers. This is a book that, despite being set somewhere remote and difficult to live in, makes you want to be there and experience it alongside the characters; in fact, you probably want to sit down with the characters and have a chat.

So, again, I have to thank ‘The Book Taster’ for bringing another brilliant author to my attention and more books to my tbr pile. Because I know would love to read anything written by Eowyn Ivey, and I am very excited for her new book inspired by ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I have immediately come on here to review ‘The Winter Garden’ by Kristin Hannah, and I am even doing it with some tears still in my eyes. ‘The Winter Garden’ was chosen by the Knowle Book and Pudding Club and I was very excited about it as, about this time last year, I read ‘The Four Winds’ and, when I finished, I knew I wanted to read more books by Kristin Hannah – I just did not think it would be about a year before I did it. And I am determined that I am going to read another one soon, and definitely before another year is out.

I did not know what the premise of this story was, other than the word ‘Leningrad’ on the front cover, but nothing prepared me for what an emotional rollercoaster this read was going to be. I cannot give away what this is about, because I want you all to experience this beautiful book for yourself. Although, my advice is that you should be prepared for some tears as you reach the conclusion of the story.

What I will say about this book is that Kristin Hannah is incredibly skilled at not only putting women at the centre of her stories, but placing them at the centre of history. A place that, sometimes, women miss out on, despite all the important parts they have played throughout our world history – often a little more behind the scenes, but still being essential as the story of the world unfolds.

Alongside this, Kristin writes beautifully about relationships. And, in both of the books that I have read, she has written excellent relationships between mothers and daughters: how these can be some of the most incredible bonds, but also some of the most challenging relationships that women can face. In ‘The Winter Garden’, this relationship is represented in so many different ways but, essentially, love is at the centre of them all, even if it is not always obvious to those who are there until the past is fully understood.

I am not sure if I am doing this book justice, because there is just so much wonderful storytelling throughout this story, and it will have you researching more about the historical events that are described in its pages. But the epilogue is one of the most beautiful I have read, and brought the story to an almost perfect conclusion – although I hoped that there was a further reunion as the book came to a close.

If you are a fan of Kristin Hannah’s books – which is your favourite? As I need to work out the best way to tackle her extensive backlist of titles – and I definitely need to do it sooner than in a year’s time.

All I Want for Christmas by Karen Swan

I have finally done it, I have finally read a Karen Swan book. I am not sure what has taken me so long. However, a big thank you to one of my bookstagram buddies for agreeing to a buddy read with me, and encouraging me to pick this book up.

I think, if I judged this book by its cover, which is a bad habit I admit I have, I would have assumed that this was a cheesy romance story with a bit of a Christmas theme. (And I may have worked out that it was set in Copenhagen, haha). This book is so much more than its cover suggests – and, dare I say it, I may try to read some more books by Karen Swan.

I loved that this book had a wonderful mystery story woven into it, too, that, to me, made the romance element secondary, rather than the being the focus of the story. I absolutely loved that Darcy had to use her art historian skills to be a detective to find out the identity of the woman in the portrait that had been hidden behind another famous painting. This really sucked me in, as I wanted to know who it was just as much as Darcy did – and what it had to do with Max. I did work out a little of the connection, but not the full picture (pardon the pun), and I really enjoyed following Darcy as she worked it out.

I do not want to give too much of the plot away, as I like my posts to be spoiler-free. But there are some of the elements that you would expect from a classic romance novel: the apparently unavailable man and the series of unfortunate events (or fortunate events, depending on your point of view) that seem to keep throwing our central characters together.

It is also a book that makes a good buddy read, as you have so many moments where you want to share what you think, gossip about the secrets that have been revealed, and share your predictions about what is going to happen next. And they are definitely the best kind of buddy-read books.

If you have read a Karen Swan book, please let me know – as I would love to know which other ones are worth a read to spark that Christmas spirit this year.

All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

I recently discovered the books of Chris Whitaker earlier this year when I read ‘We Begin at the End’. And, from finishing that book, I knew I had to pick up ‘All the Colours of the Dark’.

I am not sure I can do ‘All the Colours of the Dark’ the justice that it deserves, especially as I am not willing to give spoilers, as each of you need to read the book yourself and really enjoy the reading experience. This (just like ‘We Begin at the End’) is a book full of emotion and atmosphere. You feel all the emotions that each and every character is feeling and you are immersed in each event and each place – you are really there with the characters as the story unfolds.

Patch and Saint are possibly two of my most favourite characters of all time. This is a coming of age story; we follow the characters from their childhood to adulthood – dealing with the traumatic events that had happened to Patch as a child. Patch deals with his trauma through art – and possibly some less sensible life choices, it appears, although it does begin to make sense as our tale unfolds. Saint deals with it by becoming a Police Officer, in the hope she can find her best friend Patch the resolution he needs and bring him back to her – emotionally, even if he has been present physically.

This is a fantastic study of character too. It really makes us consider why people do what they do, what their motivation is – both good and bad – to be the people they are, and to make the decisions that they do. And it is about the important relationships we have, and the love and support that can be offered by some of the most unusual friendships that are formed in our lives.

It is also about secrets – and when a secret is something that is kept to protect someone you love.

This is a beautiful slow burn of a book – a book that you can not put down because you have to know what is going to happen to each and every one of the characters on the page. It is also a book with a twist or two that will hit you like a bolt of lightning – and possibly break your heart.

I realise that this review probably says a lot but, at the same time, says nothing at all. What I hope this review does do is make you want to pick this book up, because – just like ‘We Begin at the End’ – I want everyone to read and fall in love with this story, the writing and the characters.

A Bird in Winter by Louise Doughty

Thank you Tandem Collective for having me along on the readalong of ‘A Bird in Winter’ by Louise Doughty. What a treat to be gifted a copy of this book to snuggle up with in these winter months and read along with a lovely group of bookworms.

This is a slow burn of a book, following Bird as she is on the run from someone she believes to be dangerous. Someone who had manipulated her in her place of work. Only, as the story unfolds, you realise that maybe Bird is not in the usual line of work and her being on the run may be far more serious than we would first imagine.

I can’t give too much away about this book as there are some secrets along the way that you uncover as the reader. But it is quite an adventure going on the run with Bird – and we find out about her past as she goes.

This is also one of those books with a very clever title. The kind of title that can have a number of meanings as the story is told, and you can interpret it as you wish by the end of the book. And, it is great to think that many different readers will see it in many different ways.

I enjoyed reading this book and I was keen to find out what was going to happen, and there is certainly the opportunity to discuss ideas with other readers. However, there was a little something missing. It felt as though there was something else we could be told as a reader – and not just because the end was left to allow the reader to reach their own conclusion about the tale, but because it suggested at points that there would be a little more given to us, and it did not quite materalise.

Yet, this book has a fantastically strong female lead in Bird and, my word, she is a brilliant character. She demonstrates so much strength and independence and certainly knows how to look after herself. And, as a general rule, she is no nobody’s fool and for that I loved her.

If you like your thrillers to have a slow burn, then you will enjoy this book. I will certainly pick up other books by this author, because I loved the style of the storytelling and did enjoy the read – I just thought there was a small part of the puzzle missing, although I think that is a me problem, rather than a problem with the book or plot itself.

Kala by Colin Walsh

The final in my accidental Irish trilogy of reading is the pick for the ‘Book and Pudding Club’, ‘Kala’ by Colin Walsh.

This is a book that proves you should not judge a book by its cover. I had seen this cover around a lot (attached to the book, of course) and it said to me: slowburn, coming-of-age story, hot summers and probably America. And, how wrong I was – other than having a link to the school days of the main characters, it has nothing to do with the ideas conjured up by the cover, and I have to admit that I am very glad that I was proved wrong about that.

‘Kala’ is set in small-town Ireland; Kala disappeared one evening in the teenage years of our main characters and they have never quite come to terms with it, and they have never had closure. But they are all carrying around their own baggage from those events; it may be physical scars, they may have tried to run away, or they may have turned to other ways to try and escape. Events seem to repeat themselves, just as people are moving on, when two girls disappear – but, a little like in the past, nobody seems to immediately react, as they see it as just attention seeking from ‘difficult’ teenage girls. As the severity of the situation dawns on the town, secrets and lies start to unravel – but will the truth finally be revealed to the whole town?

Now, at the heart of this book there is a mystery, and that is all I can say about the plot. However, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story (which always sounds a little strange when the book has a dark theme), and I loved that many of the chapters were first-person, but one of the chapters was told in the third-person – even though each chapter was based around one of our main characters. I could talk about why I think the author has done this, but I feel that this could give away some of the plot. What I will say, is that I think it worked, and I think it was actually a very clever plot device. (Although, this is more of a comment on me, rather than the book – I did not immediately notice this and then it suddenly hit me – a bit like a twist in a story does.)

If I have not yet convinced you to read this book – and absolutely not judge it by its cover – then hopefully the statement that this book kept me up well past my bedtime, as I just had to finish it, may do. This is a great study of human nature and character, and the darker side of small-town communities – how easy is it to hide your real self? I would really like to read more by this author, as I think Colin Walsh has many more stories to tell.

Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan

It appears I am having a phase of enjoying Irish literature – it has not been intentional but a sheer conincidence which has brought me to some wonderful books. ‘Where the Heart Should Be’ had been a treat to me, from me, when I spotted in one of my favourite independent bookshops, ‘Warwick Books’. I am a fan of Sarah Crossan’s free verse novels and this one had an additonal appeal of being a piece of historical fiction – based on the tragic events of the potato famine in Ireland.

This is a love story, a comment on social equality and justice, and historical fiction. And, it is safe to say, I absolutely adored this book. It had everything that you would expect from the pen of Sarah Crossan; it was beautifully constructed, the characters were engaging and it was emotive and atmospheric. I could not put this book down once I started it, I was swept away in the story.

I think what is important about this book is that it shows that love can cross divides but what makes this so tragic is that there, sadly, are always those who will not allow the love across the divide, or support the healing that it may bring. This book shows the harm that is inflicted when those who seem powerful try to control others – and the cruelty this can lead to. But, what really made me stop and think, and may have caused me to shed a tear, was the sheer injustice of the situation in Ireland at the time (and sadly for centuries) – the divides caused by the intolerance of those who chose to make Ireland their home, despite it already being the home of others.

I do not want to spoil this book for anyone, so I think the best way to appreciate this book is make sure you read it. But, be prepared that it will stay with you forever – and you will carry the characters around forever, thinking about them and their future.

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

This has been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. It had been recommended so many times that I knew I needed to read it but it was a little neglected on the shelf until ‘My Twelve Days of Bookmas’ challenge, and it finding its place as my October read.

‘Trespasses’ is set in Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles in the 1970s. This is a period of history that has always fascinated me, especially as I read the Kevin and Sadie novels by Joan Lingard when I was growing up. ‘Trespasses’ is a fascinating title for this book, too, as it can have mutliple meanings as you work through the story. This is a study of the relationships, social and religious conflict of the time – all of which can be seen as moments of trespass.

In a city that is divided – Cushla, a local teacher and Catholic, meets Michael and starts an affair with this lawyer from the other side. And some readers may say this is where the trespassing begins as Cushla falls in love with another women’s husband, a man who could be seen as an enemy by Cushla’s family and friends. Especially as, every day, they wake up to more news of tragedy in Belfast.

As well as this, a local family are frowned upon as they are an ‘interfaith’ marriage, despite both being fundamentally Christian, and they become targets of attacks from some who may not be as willing to accept them – they can be seen as trespassers, from each side of the conflict. Cushla wants to help this family, despite the risks she faces in doing so. But, overall, is the trespass from those who are attempting to control the narrative of Northern Ireland?

This is a book full of tragedy, for so many of the characters, in a number of different ways. And this is a book full of emotion – and there were moments that made me angry for those who have to experience such a way of life, especially children who are not able to grow up feeling that they and their family are safe. Or feeling that their only option is violence against others to feel that they are heard or understood.

The final chapter of the book is also quite a moment; I think it is one of my favourite closing chapters to a book. It may not be the traditional happy ending, but you can see that there are chances for things to slowly improve and there are those who will always treasure the kindness that they are shown by others.

I am not sure that I am doing this book justice, but I did feel that this was a book that took me a step on from the Kevin and Sadie books of my younger years. And, maybe, this is a book that readers need to read to remind them of the shadows of Ireland’s past, that are still hanging over it now. I think this book will stay with me for quite some time, and these are characters that will be following me around, and I will continue to think about them, as I hope that their future was far brighter than their present, even if it took a little time.

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

I have seen a few posts around about the books of Chris Whitaker (and, of course, recently spotted him on ‘Between the Covers’ on BBC Two – with the same surprise that he is British and not American – but I think that is an indication of what a great author he is). So, when I spotted ‘We Begin at the End’ at a bit of bargain price, I thought it was time for me to give the book a go.

This novel was brilliant. Excellent atmospheric storytelling from start to finish, gripping you from the very first moment. A slow-burn crime novel, starting with a historical crime that has left its mark on small-town America, we are brought up to date – but the ghosts of the past are still haunting our characters, young and old.

And there is that moment all crime and thriller fans love; the twist that I did not see coming, but that was a wrench and almost a heartbreaking moment. I had to take a minute when it hit me as I was not expecting it at all – and it leaves you with so many points to think about that you know this book will be with you for quite some time to come.

I think the other thing that makes this book the read it is are the characters. They are so well-crafted, you can imagine each and every one of them – they are a true cast that bring the story to life. And some of them are not quite what you expect – it is amazing what people can hide about themselves or how the judgement of others can create a character, correctly or incorrectly. You will admire some of the characters, you will dislike others, but what you will realise as you read is that people are rarely what you expect. Each of these characters will be with me for quite some time, but especially Walk and Duchess: two very different figures, both of whom have a strong sense of justice, but maybe different views of to whom it should be handed out…

This is a book that I am going to be recommending to anyone who will listen to me. You do not need to be a crime fan to read this tale; you just need to be a fan of an excellent story and a well-written book. It will have you reading past your bedtime, or – in my case – ignoring all responsibilities as I just had to know what was going to happen next and what the conclusion to this fantastic story would turn out to be.

So, if you have not yet picked up a novel by Chris Whitaker, maybe now is the time. And it has definitely bumped ‘All the Colours of the Dark’ up my tbr pile.