The Impostor Syndrome

I found this book interesting - The Impostor Syndrome by Harold Hillman.  The author contends that people can sometimes not believe they are capable of doing the job that's been assigned or applied for.  They can be full of self-doubt even though they are doing a good job.  They worry that other people will discover they are not fit for the position.  They feel like a fraud.  This is like a HR book where perfection is frowned upon because it is not always necessary or desirable to be perfect.  Interesting. 4/5

The Colour of Milk

I very much enjoyed The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon which is set in rural England.  Mary is the youngest of the four girls in the family.  She has no brother so her father drives his family to hard work on the farm, wishing he had boys.  Mary's father strikes an agreement with the local vicar for Mary to be a live-in help for the vicar's invalid wife.  There is another woman at the house and some chores are shared with her.  The vicar and his wife have a son, Ralph, who is spoilt and full of himself.  This is a small book and the reader gradually comes to know what the outcome of the story will be.  A poignant tale. 41/2/5

The Interpretation of Murder

I very much enjoyed The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld which is set in 1909 New York.  There is a mysterious disappearance of a young woman after she was murdered and then a similar attempt was made on another young woman's life.  Against this background Sigmund Freud makes his only visit to the United States.  Freud's theories were very controversial at the time and he had come to deliver a series of lectures at a university.  One of his "disciples" Stratham Younger becomes involved in the murder and the young woman who survived the attack on her.  The story was interesting but confusing at times. 4/5

House of the Rising Sun

I very much enjoyed House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke which is set in southern America and Mexico in early 20th century, some during and some after World War I.  Former lawman Hackberry tries to find his son, Ishmael, who has returned from WWI seriously injured.  Hackberry hadn't seen his son since he was small through a series of mishaps caused by the women in his life.  The bad guy in the story is an arms dealer who wants something Hackberry has "stolen" from him.  This is a well-written story about greed and love, with lots of violence.  This is probably an excellent "boy book".  41/2/5

The Lake House

I enjoyed reading The Lake House by Kate Morton which is set in Cornwall, England in the 1930s and in 2003.  In 2003 policewoman Sadie Sparrow has been suspended from her workplace for speaking to the media about a case.  She goes to stay with her grandfather, Bertie, in Cornwall.  She learns about the disappearance of a small child from a grand house in the area in the early 1930s and she investigates with the help of an elderly retired policeman who worked on the case.  She discovers that the sisters of the missing child are still alive and she eventually meets them.  The story switches from the two time periods so we learn what happens in each time and how this then impacts on the lives of people in 2003.  A good mystery.  This is a tried and true formula which works well for the author. 31/2/5

February Book Club

Earlier this week we had our first book club meeting for the year.  It was great to see everyone after a long break.  Only one member was unable to attend.  We've also lost a member to a sea change a little north of us.  Our host helped us beat the heat from outside.  It was a very hot day and we're lucky that we have the means to keep cool.  I think back to my childhood and up till 25 years ago I hadn't lived in an airconditioned house.  Nowadays it is more the norm to have airconditioning.  Our host also provided a delicious supper and it was lovely to talk about what's happened to us over the break.  One of our members will be

marrying soon and we wish her well, a great way to have the family together.  Our host bought some fantastic new books, two of which I was able to grab.  It was a very enjoyable evening - big thank you to our host.