Wednesday 20 May 2015

Quick Lit May 2015

April was not a great reading month for me. Miss S was on holiday for two weeks and there was not a lot of downtime for reading. It was lovely having her home and spending long days playing and not having to rush everywhere which seems to be the usual situation during term time.

World of Trouble (The Last Policeman #3) by Ben H Winters 
 I was excited to get my hands on this book as I had loved the first two books in the trilogy. It turns out I had only read the first book so I have now completed the first and third books. Fortunately they work well as stand alone novels. This is another sci-fi the end of the world is nigh story but a good cut above the rest. The premise is that an asteroid is going to hit the earth and destroy it. This volume of the trilogy sees the Last Policeman, Hank Palace, travelling across  a terrified country in the six days before the asteroid is due to hit. He is searching for his sister who was last seen heading into the countryside with a group hoping to destroy the asteroid. This book captures a place and time so well. The anxiety is palpable as the date for destruction approaches. This is in many ways a standard crime novel with the sci fi twist an added bonus. I gave it five stars and look forward to reading more by this author.

Murder at Brightwell by Ashley Weaver is a period murder mystery very much in the style of Agatha Christie. I have read all of Agatha Christie's novels (I was obsessed as a teenager) and I was interested to see how this novel stacked up. I loved this novel. The period details were so spot on. I loved the characters and I flew through the novel in a very short time. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series which is out later this year. If you like a good crime novel with engaging characters I strongly suggest you give Ashley Weavers a go. A five star read.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh was a book I picked up on a whim really. I must have seen a review of the book which made me add it to my to read list on Good Reads. I saw it on the shelves at the library and grabbed it and I am glad I did. It tells the story of Victoria, an orphan who has spent most of her life in the foster care system. One of her foster homes introduces her to the Victorian language of flowers which she treasures throughout her later difficult experiences. The bulk of this novel examines her life once she turns 18 and leaves the protections of the foster system. She is drawn back into the lives of the only happy foster family she knew. This book was an enjoyable read although Victoria is not the most endearing character. A solid four star read.

How To Tell Toledo From The Night Sky by Lydia Netzer was a book that I really thought I would like. The main premise of friends creating children that would be perfect for each other as adults is a really interesting one. I enjoyed the university setting but I loathed the main character, Irene. She was utterly unlikeable and I found I just didn't care what happened to her which made it very hard to get enthusiastic about the novel. The ideas explored by Netzer were interesting but I could only give it three stars.

May has been a month of longer books so far. I am hoping to get six titles read this month including some non fiction. I have also rejoined my book club and am looking forward to discussing the book over wine next week. 

I have linked up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit today. This is always a rich source of book reviews. Happy reading.