My Father's House - Excellent Start to the Year!

My Father's House, by Joseph O'Connor starts with a seriously ill man being driven through the streets of Rome in the back of a Daimler by Delia, the wife of a diplomat. Also in the car is an Irish Priest, Fr Hugh O'Flaherty. They get the man safely to hospital, and it then unfolds that all three are part of the resistance battling against the Nazi occupation of their city during the second world war. Fr Hugh is instrumental in running The Escape Line - which helps allied soldiers and Jews escape the clutches of the Nazis. His "Choir" meets regularly in the Vatican (a neutral state) and this is where they sing (which helps deflect suspicion), but also plan each "Rendimento" (mission). The ill man is Sam Derry, who usually runs the missions - but he is laid up and the next Rendimento is imminent. Fr Hugh steps in to take a more active role. This proves extremely dangerous as he is already under suspicion from SS Officer Paul Hauptmann, who is terrorising the city and is determined to break The Escape Line. The book takes us through the countdown to the mission, using a mixture of narrative and interviews with, and memoirs by, the participants. The tension is palpable throughout, and it is a nail biting thriller ... even more so as it is based on a true story. The face to face interactions between Fr Hugh and his SS adversary are chilling, and it becomes almost impossible to believe that The Choir will be successful this time. The detailed descriptions of the places, as well as how rounded the characters are makes for a very satisfying read. This is definitely a page-turner and an excellent start to my reading year. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this period of history, or indeed anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 399 print pages.

Price I paid: Free, was a gift.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Well, here we are in a brand spanking new year ... yes, 2026 has arrived and has left me wondering where my reading adventures will take me!

Last year I focused on reading those books that had been gifted to me but, through no fault of their own, had been left languishing on the shelf. For the most part, I have whittled that pile down to just 4 books - 1 of which I've almost finished. However, 2 of the ones left are rather chunky fellows! So, I'm going to dive into those ones this year and get them done before I tackle the still outstanding piles of books lurking under the bed that I haven't been able to part with ... yes, they are still there! 

I didn't quite manage to block out time to read during the day, so am going to have another go at that to see if I can get through more amazing books than I did during 2025. 

So, onwards we go ... Happy New Reading Year to you all!

The Redeemer - Confusing But Impelling!

The Redeemer, by Jo Nesbo is the sixth in the Harry Hole series, which takes the Oslo Police Department's best investigator on the hunt for the killer of a Salvation Army singer who was shot in the street on the run up to Christmas. But there seems to be no obvious suspect, no weapon and no motive. However, we, the reader, know that there is a Croatian assassin on the loose and heading home thinking his work is done. But, it turns out, he has shot the wrong person! With little to work on, and trying to stay sober, Harry finds his way to the former Yugoslavia to hunt for clues ... and the temptation of the bottle hits hard once again. He returns to Oslo, battling his own demons but trying to become the redeemer for the victim, an injured colleague and a new love interest who may not be all that they seem. This is a confusing book, with many characters who are similar and I found it hard to get my head around who was who on quite a few occasions. Despite this irritation, Harry Hole os a compellingly flawed character, who you cannot help but root for despite his shortcomings! The plot is twisty and intriguing and introduced me to new concepts - like hyperplasticity - which makes facial recognition tricky ... ideal for an assassin! The lines between good and bad, and indeed, what makes a redeemer are explored. You are also left guessing as to what's going to happen until the very end, which is always satisfying in a thriller! Recommended, but maybe using the print or ebook, as when you use the audio edition - though fantastically narrated by Sean Barrett - it's tricky to "flick back" to check who each particular character is and how they relate to the plot!

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 397 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Booth - Interesting Take on History

Booth, by Karen Joy Fowler, recounts the story of the Booth family - an American theatrical dynasty that produced Abraham Lincoln's assassin. In 1822, Englishman Junius Booth, an unstable, but  charming, celebrated Shakespearian actor, moves into a remote cabin outside Baltimore with his wife, who bears him 10 children. The life of this family, of whom only 6 children survive, is told primarily through the eyes of several of the siblings, which is a great device to give differing viewpoints on the same set of circumstances and relationships. We see how their father flits in and out of their lives between tours, and how his sons all want to follow in his footsteps to tread the boards. One, Edwin, becomes as renowned an actor as his father, but, then we also have John Wilkes who, despite having the same upbringing, doesn't have the same acting chops as his brother, but does become radicalised, ending with him killing the president of the United States. How this much loved, but hot tempered middle child becomes the man who changed the course of history is explored through the years of his youth and American Civil War, though at a distance. We don't hear directly from him for much of the time, and he only really takes centre stage towards the back end of the book. What's more interesting perhaps is how does a family, so deeply affected by love, hate, success, failure, addiction and, of course, slavery, even begin to function after one of their own commits such a heinous act? There are some indications of this right at then end, but I would have loved to see more - though perhaps there isn't further information to be found on that score! Widely researched and easy to read, I found this an interesting take on a period of history whose ripples can still be felt in the world today, and can completely understand why it was long listed for the Booker Prize in 2022. I used the audio edition, which is excellently narrated by January LaVoy.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 496 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Tom Lake - Warmly Intimate

Tom Lake, by Ann Enright, is set on a cherry farm in Michigan where Lara and her husband live with their three grown up daughters during the pandemic of 2020. As they harvest the cherries, the daughters beg their mother to tell them the story of her love affair with a famous actor - Peter Duke. And so the narrative switches between the present and the past, as Lara goes back over her youth and early adulthood when she ends up acting in a production of Our Town almost by accident, and finds out that she is really rather good at this acting lark. She ends up in Hollywood for a short time and then goes to Tom Lake as a last minute replacement for the part she knows so well, Emily, in Our Town. It is here she meets the up-and- coming star that is Peter Duke. She falls under his spell and they begin a breathless love affair. During this time, they take a trip to a cherry orchard run by the parents of the director (Joe), and Lara senses the magic of the place. Back at Tom Lake, however, Peter's predilection for drink takes over, and he ends up sleeping with Lara's friend (who is also an actress), and things fall apart, not helped by Lara having an accident that leaves her unable to perform. She gives up acting and somehow finds her way back to that cherry orchard... The characters are well drawn, though the daughters can be a little irritating - especially the eldest who is convinced that Peter Duke is her father! This tale of fame, family and love, in all its forms, is beautifully told, and I found myself rooting for Lara despite her youthful follies. Whilst Lara reveals much of her past, it is really pleasing that some details she just shares with us, the reader, rather than her needy children! This helped give the novel a feeling of intimacy. I used the audio edition which was fantastically narrated by Meryl Streep. Definitely can recommend this to almost anyone, and I will be searching out more by the author.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 336 print pages.

Price I paid: £7.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Thursday Murder Club - Not all retirement villages are the same!

The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman, is the first in a series about a group of residents in a retirement village who meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when an actual murder takes place on their doorstep, they find themselves in the middle of a real live case. And so, we find Elizabeth (an ex-spook), Joyce (retired nurse and keen diarist), Ibrahim (dapper psychiatrist) and Ron (a retired and notorious trade union leader) working hard to get to the bottom of things, utilising all and any resources available to them ... including smooth-talking the police into sharing information. This is a fun, yet serious whodunnit. We see the life of the residents of Cooper's Chase, with their days out and range of activities, intermingled, and sometimes integral to solving the crime. Then a second murder takes place, followed by the discovery of a hidden body in the nun's cemetery situated on the grounds (Cooper's Chase was converted from a former convent). Are they all linked, or just red herrings? We go back and forth from present day to the past, sometimes to the 1970s when the convent was a going concern, and sometimes to the time when the events surrounding a photograph which features two of the victims, and which has been left at the scene. The four main characters are clearly drawn and are very pleasing to spend time with. The driving force of the group may be Elizabeth, who is exceptionally good at getting people to do what she wants without being heavy handed. There are sweet, silly and heartbreaking moments, as the lives of old friends and neighbours in the community come into focus, but it's never cloying. If you like your crime a little cosy, then this is definitely a good choice. But just remember ... we all have a past, and more often than not, it WILL catch up with us!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 381 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

White Night - It's hard to be a wizard

White Night by Jim Butcher is the ninth outing for Harry Dresden, Chicago's first, and only, Wizard P.I. When some apparent suicides don't ring true, Harry is called in by the police to take a look. He discovers not only that magic has been at play, but there's a hidden message just for him at each of the scenes. Things get a little worrying when the evidence starts to implicate his half-brother, Thomas, who is a vampire. Harry is convinced he's not the culprit, but soon discovers powerful vampires are involved. As more bodies start to fall, it's a race to get to the bottom of who is doing what. Harry must call on all his friends, and some enemies, to come together to defeat the threat. This is a story that bowls along at breakneck speed - there is barely any downtime at all. Harry has got a lot on his plate - he's training young Molly in the art of wizardry, he's struggling to maintain his sanity while his consciousness plays host to a dangerous but seductive being in his head, he's worried his half-brother vampire, Thomas, has fallen off the "no-blood" wagon, and someone or something is definitely out to get him. And as if that wasn't enough, the war between the wizards and vampires is still raging, with the wizards taking heavy defeats. There is action aplenty, much of it gory, but it's all done with a lightness of touch and Harry's never-ending sarcasm injects much needed humour. We also get a bit more backstory and it's nice to see Harry interacting more with Karrin Murphy (his close friend and police officer) ... will there be a romance between these two at some point? It's great entertainment, especially if you go for the audio edition which is magnificently narrated by James Marsters. One word of warning if you want to dive into this world, please start at the beginning of the series - these are definitely books that need to be read in order to reap the full benefit of the character and plot arcs. I've already ordered the next one!  

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: £7.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.