Breathing Lessons - solid story telling with real heart

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler centres on the day Maggie Moran, and her husband Ira, go to the funeral of a friend. Nearing fifty, Maggie seems to be something of a romantic, and drifts into remembrances of how she and Ira got together, and how their life has turned out, with their two children, Jesse and Daisy. Maggie is an optimist, and Ira is more practical and their low level bickering during the journey is well observed and totally believable. On the way back, Maggie persuades Ira to take a short detour to the house where their grandchild lives with the estranged wife of their son Jesse. Maggie cannot help but interfere, and feels sure that if she can broker a reconciliation between Jesse and his little family, then everyones lives will be peachy once again. But despite Maggie's best efforts, she cannot solve the problems in other people's relationships, and is in danger of wrecking her own marriage. Ira is exasperated, but cannot help but recognise his wife's good heart, and be reminded about why he fell in love with her in the first place. This is a heartwarming story, beautifully written. The character of Maggie seems frustratingly oblivious to the potential chaos she may be causing with her good intentions, but you cannot help but like her. I'm just glad I don't live with her! Solid story telling that goes deeper than you might expect, exploring themes of ageing and loneliness and wasted opportunities, as well as family ties.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, borrowed from my mother.
Formats available: print, audio CD, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard - short but sweet

I read all of the Harry Potter books a few years ago, and even though they aren't high literature, they are incredibly well plotted and engrossing. So, when I saw that The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling was being offered free of charge via Audible, I thought it would be rude not to accept such a gift! This is a book within a book, so to speak, being referred to by Hermione Grainger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Purporting to be the favourite bedtime reading for young wizards, it reads like a set of fairy tales, but with witches and wizards as the stars of the show, rather than princes and princesses (if you are looking for a Cinderella-type story, you won't find it in here). There are five tales in all, including The Tale of the Three Brothers, which will already be familiar to Potter fans. I think my personal favourite was The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, where a wizard with a bad attitude gets their comeuppance in increasingly entertaining (for the reader) ways. Each narrative is accompanied by explanatory notes written by none other than Professor Dumbledore, which provides an interesting dimension. This is definitely one for the myriad of Potter fans out there, but it's also a light and entertaining read for anyone who likes fairy tales. If you happen to get the audio edition, each story is read by a different narrator and features some soundscaping too. Very short, but enjoyable.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 144 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Sword of Kings - Uhtred the indestructible!

Sometimes I just can't resist going back to authors and characters that I love. And so, I reached for Sword of Kings, by Bernard Cornwell, the 12th instalment in The Last Kingdom series. Uhtred of Bebbanburg seems quite happy at home, until he hears that King Edward is dying. This means that it is time for him to live up to the oath he made many years before to his former lover, Aethelflaed. He vowed to protect her nephew, Aethelstan, and put him on the throne. However, this means he will have to kill two men who have their own ideas about who should rule when King Edward is gone. And so Uhtred heads south once more with a small band of warriors, and plunges himself into the machinations of 10th Century Anglo Saxon politics. As usual, he encounterss formidable foes, and cannot help but get into incredibly tight scrapes. He almost meets his match and is lucky to escape with his life at one point, but Uhtred, it seems, is indestructible and manages to pull himself together for the final encounter and yes, it's shield wall time again. These novels are always entertaining, and the urge to turn the page is ever present. However, it is all becoming very familiar and, at the age Uhtred must be by now, a little on the unbelievable side. Whilst I have, and always do, enjoy a Bernard Cornwell book, I didn't feel there was much more that could be squeezed out of this character. Luckily, there is just one more book in the series and it will be interesting to see what the fates have in store in that final outing for the legend that is Uhtred.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.
Length: 340 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library.

How to Make Art - some interesting ideas

The May list in my Bibliophile Diary was full of books about art and creativity. I couldn't find any of them at my library in lockdown, so I opted for one I could find as a suitable alternative. How to Make Art, by Mel Elliott is a short book is full of ideas for getting your creative juices flowing when it comes to producing art in many different guises. While it's not in depth for any one of those, it does give the reader a quick insight into what the possibilities might be using different methods and techniques to harness your inner creativity. So, if it's collages, colouring, painting, drawing or creating interesting looking letters, this book can hook you back into your childhood where anything seemed possible and it didn't matter if you made a mess. It's a quick read and fairly easy going. Personally I would have preferred more in depth on some aspects, but as a quick guide to a range of techniques, it's a book that could provide a jumping off point for you to tap into your creative side .... and you never know where that might lead!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 128 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from the library as an ebook.
Formats available: print, ebook.

Lies Sleeping - magical underbelly of London strikes again

Lies Sleeping is the seventh full length book in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Okay, cards on the table, I am a fan of this series which centres on Detective Constable Peter Grant,  who is an apprentice wizard and member of The Folly, a branch of the Metropolitan Police that investigates all things supernatural happening in London. In this edition, we find Peter (and pretty much everyone in the police force) on the hunt for The Faceless Man - who has now been revealed to be one Martin Chorley. However, this won't be easy as he always seems to have a knack for keeping one step ahead (or indeed, one magic spell ahead) of his pursuers - often due to the intervention of Peter's former friend and colleague, Lesley, who has definitely gone over to the dark side. Murder and mayhem is once again on the streets of the capital and Peter seeks the assistance of the River Gods and Goddesses - but there's always a price to pay for that! He uncovers clues that Chorley's activities have all been leading up to something bigger than anyone could imagine, utilising London's vast history to fuel it. If Chorley pulls it off, it could mean the end for his beloved city, so Peter has to do the unthinkable, and try to make an alliance with the most malevolent spirit of them all, Mr Punch. Full of humour, magic and action, these novels are always enjoyable, although, for me, this one didn't quite have the depth of character that the previous ones displayed. There was so much going on, maybe too much, that the witty asides from Peter that I really look forward to were pretty much absent. Overall, if you are a fan, you will still enjoy this novel, and it certainly hasn't put me off reaching for the next book when the time comes. But if you are a newbie, then this isn't the book to start with, as you may wonder what all the fuss has been about! As always, I read the audio edition narrated by the glorious Kobna Holbrook-Smith, who renders the story with such great skill, that I can't imagine Peter Grant speaking with any other voice!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 416 print pages.
Price I paid: Free (as part of a free trial).
Formats available: print; audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.