The Best of Adam Sharp

I read the Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion but did not enjoy it as much as his first book, The Rosie Project.  Set mainly in England and France, Adam is contacted via email by Angelina, his "love that got away" 20 years earlier when Adam was working in Australia.  Adam's marriage to Claire is a bit rocky so Adam engages in an email flirtation with Angelina.  Adam enjoys playing the piano and singing outside his work.  Angelina is married to Charlie and they are coming to stay at their holiday house in France for a week and invite Adam to join them.  Adam is delighted to be seeing Angelina again so accepts the invitation then discovers he is part of a game between Charlie and Angelina.  I found this tedious and silly.  The characters are awful.  Angelina is a spoilt brat.  Disappointing. 3/1/2/5

My Italian Bulldozer

I enjoyed My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith which is mostly set in Tuscany.  English food writer Paul Stuart is recovering from a breakup with his girlfriend and decides to go to a small Italian village to write his next book.  Somehow he is unable to get a rental car but there is one vehicle available for his use - a bulldozer.  He makes friends with the local people and meets a young woman and there may be a romance.  Other women vie for his attention, including his ex-girlfriend.  It is really a romantic story. 3/1/2/5

Killing the Lawyers

I enjoyed Killing the Lawyers by Reginald Hill which is set in a town in England.  PI Joe Sixsmith is learning his new occupation after being made redundant from his factory job. He is a quirky character who owns a cat called Whitey and an aunt called Mirabelle.  When Joe receives a letter from an insurance lawyer declining his claim for his damaged vehicle, Joe goes to see the lawyer in question.  Unfortunately, shortly thereafter there is a tragic incident.  Joe is questioned and he tries to find out how this happened.  On another case Joe investigates who is behind threats to a young local athlete telling her to "throw" a race.  There are many suspects for this one. An easy read.  31/2/5

Blood Sympathy

I enjoyed Blood Sympathy by Reginald Hill which is set in England.  PI Joe Sixsmith is asked to investigate when someone confesses to murdering his whole family.  Sixsmith is a quirky character desperately trying to make a success of his new career, which was forced upon him after being made redundant from his job as a lathe operator.  He has a cat called Whitey which he takes everywhere.  Another problem occurs when a local shopkeeper's business is burnt and the proprietor knows who did it.  These people are doing it tough.  Sixsmith is a lovely character as are they all. 3/1/2/5

Cadillac Jukebox

I read Cadillac Jukebox by James Lee Burke, a Dave Robicheaux story.  Det Robicheaux is asked by an election candidate to ignore calls from an ex-Klansman about whether or not he was actually guilty for the murder of a civil rights activist.  The body-count is high in this story. 4/5

The Bone Seeker

I very much enjoyed The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath.  It is set in the Arctic in an Inuit community.  A young girl goes missing and teacher, Edie Kiglatuk, asks her police friend Derek Palliser to investigate.  The reader learns a lot about the native culture in the region which I found very interesting.  The names were a bit difficult.  Edie and Derek discover a disturbing truth about how major world powers have abused and misused the area where the Inuit live.  These powers go to great lengths to ensure the public does not discover what happened. 4/5

Home

I very much enjoyed Home by Harlan Coben.  Myron Bolitar investigates when a boy who was kidnapped 10 years previously is thought to be seen in London.  This teenager and his friend had been kidnapped from his home and not seen since.  The parents of the boy who is found insist the teenager is their missing son.  Myron then tries to find out what happened to the other boy.  This story will keep you guessing before the truth is revealed. I read the Kindle version.  41/2/5

Finding New Meaning in Life

I read Finding New Meaning in Life by Marcia Griffin & Paul McQuillan which shows us how to find meaning in life using Logotherapy, a form of psychology.  In alternate chapters Marcia and Paul outline a number of issues in our lives including "decisions", "purpose", "responsibility" and "resilience".  Each chapter addresses healthy attitudes and unhealthy attitudes.  An example of a "healthy attitude" - "My past mistakes guide me towards better decisions in the future."  Whereas  the "unhealthy attitude" for this point is "I feel guilty for some of my past and so I try never to think about those events."  There was not a lot of "new" insights for me but it's good to have healthy attitudes reinforced. 31/2/5

The Invisible Ones

I very much enjoyed The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney.  She wrote The Tenderness of Wolves which was also a great book.  This one is set in England where PI Ray Lovell has been hired to find a woman missing from a gypsy community for six years. The story is narrated by Ray as he tries to find Rose.  Other chapters narrated by JJ, a young boy living in the community.  Ray is from gypsy descendants so it was relatively easy for him to penetrate the secrecy surrounding the group.  They were very private people.  This is a great story, well written, with a good twist.  41/2/5

The Taxidermist's Daughter

I very much enjoyed The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse which is set in 1912 England.  The daughter, Connie, is slowly getting some memories back after an operation on her brain.  A young woman is found dead close to her home.  Connie struggles to make sense of her world and work out who this woman was.  Eventually the truth is revealed.  This was a very good story. 41/2/5

Books read on holiday

I've been on holidays for a month aboard the Sun Princess as we sailed around Australia.  The ship had a library, but I had taken books to read.  Also it was difficult for me (a wheelchair user) to manoeuvre through the library with people sitting in their comfy armchairs reading with their feet up on a heavy pouffe. Below is what I read, more details later.

The Taxidermist's Daughter - Kate Mosse
The Invisible Ones - Stef Penney
Finding New Meaning in Life - Marcia Griffin & Paul McQuillan
Home - Harlan Coben
The Bone Seeker - M.J. McGrath
Cadillac Jukebox - James Lee Burke
Blood Sympathy - Reginald Hill
Killing the Lawyers - Reginald Hill

I hope I can remember enough to tell you about them.