The Secrets of Gaslight Lane - silly, entertaining and just what I needed!

The Secrets of Gaslight Lane, by MRC Kasasian was a book I read at a very difficult time when I needed something to take my mind to a completely different world. And it definitely did. This is book four in the Gower Street Detective Series, and it does not disappoint. When a young woman asks Sidney Grice - London's foremost personal detective - to solve the murder of her father, he is ecstatic ... nothing pleases him more than solving unusual murders. And this is an unusual one indeed, for the victim - one Nathan Garstang - was found dead, without any trace of a weapon or an intruder. And if that wasn't enough to get Sidney's juices flowing, the gruesome discovery was made in the same house where the victim's uncle, aunt and servants had also been murdered - a case that was still unsolved. And so the adventure begins. As always, there are twists and turns and lurking danger, but there are also highly entertaining quips and comebacks between Sidney, March Middleton (his young assistant) and Molly, the maid who is given a much larger role in this story. With each book in the series, we learn more about the main characters and their "back stories".  Sidney Grice is as insufferable as ever, but we are beginning to catch glimpses of a soft and tender side that he keeps well hidden. And as for March, although her investigative skills are improving, she fears she has managed to scupper her chances of finding love again! For pure escapism, this is a great series. Set in London in 1883, it's like Sherlock Holmes, but with big laughs and a kick arse female lead! Bring on book five.

My STAR rating: FOUR stars.

Length: 400 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

A Tale for the Time Being - pay attention

You definitely have to keep your wits about you when reading A Tale for the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2013. When Ruth discovers a diary in a Hello Kitty tin that's been washed up on the shore, she discovers that it was written by a 16-year-old Japanese girl called Nao. She cannot help but read it and is transported into Nao's world - a world where she experiences bullying, the philosophy of her 104-year-old great-grandmother (a Buddhist nun), and heartbreak within her family. Ruth becomes increasing concerned for Nao, and fears for her well-being. But what could she do all those miles and possibly years away? This is an unusual book that explores the relationship between writer and reader across time and space. Covering history, science, Zen Buddhism and family relationships, there is a lot going on ... and I mean A LOT! Despite her young age, Nao experienced so much in the book that I felt it didn't quite ring true. And I never really got to grips with Ruth as a person in her own right. Despite these niggles, there are beautiful passages of writing, especially with regard to how Nao expresses herself when writing in her diary - very conversational and it really felt like a teenage girl had written it. The ending may not be for everyone, but if you are interested in Japanese culture, or the experience of people being transported from all they've know into a completely different world, then this could be the book for you.

My STAR rating: FOUR stars.

Length: 400 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio; MP3 CD; ebook.

The White Tiger - dark and a little bleak

The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It's a book of twists and turns with a somewhat unreliable narrator in Balram Halwai, son of a rickshaw-puller, who "makes it big". Balram comes from very humble origins in a tiny village on the River Ganges, and dreams of escape. His opportunity comes when he becomes the chauffeur for a rich village landlord and ends up in Delhi. Despite working for a well-heeled couple, his living conditions are appalling, as is his treatment on most days. However, he slowly climbs the ladder at the expense of other servants, and he sees his pay increase. But instead of sending money home to help his family, he spends it on booze and prostitutes. As he observes the wealth, the corruption, and what appears to be an insurmountable division between the haves and the have nots, he becomes more and more determined to better himself, which leads him down the dark road to murder. Personally, I found this a hard read at times. The main character of Balram is not easy to like or admire as the book goes on, and the darkness of life for many in India is in no way sugar coated. There are some lighter moments, but not many. However, the detailed and atmospheric writing, as well as the fearless nature of the narrative, is something to be admired.  

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 328 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

Waterland - sad and atmospheric

Waterland by Graham Swift was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize in 1983. It is a book that seeps into you, a bit like the mists across the East Anglian fens where this story is set. It's the summer of 1943 and Henry Crick, the lock-keeper, finds the drowned body of a sixteen-year-old boy. A tragic result of over indulging on the local beer, or murder? It's a mystery that festers for forty years until history teacher Tom Crick, son of that self-same lock-keeper, experiences a marital crisis which, together with the provocation of one of his pupils who slates History as being irrelevant, results in Tom breaking from his syllabus and starts telling stories. Slowly, but surely, we find out about the Crick family, the watery environment of the fens and what really happened during that fateful summer. Sometimes disturbing, but often dreamlike, this is a story worth reading with engaging characters, most predominant of which is the landscape itself. A lesson in combining history, geography and human nature, it's definitely one that stays with you.

My STAR rating: FOUR stars.

Length: 512 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 CD; ebook.

The Ladder of Years - understated drama

In The Ladder of Years, by Anne Tyler, Cordelia Grinstead is on holiday with her family at the beach. Almost out of nowhere, she gets up and begins walking ... and doesn't come back. Instead, she hitches a lift to a new town and reinvents herself. It's not that she becomes a daredevil or does anything particularly exciting. Instead, she gets a nothing much job, stays in a nothing much place and is very, very ordinary. And yet, she is happy. She is more herself, unconstricted by the demands her family placed on her ... where they never appreciated, or even seemed to notice her existence. When real life catches up with her some time later, the reader doesn't know whether to root for her to stick with this new life or go back to the people she'd left behind. Some may say that nothing much happens in this book, and they wouldn't be too far from the truth. Yet, this is a study of the ordinary, everyday lives of many, many women who lose themselves within a family environment and might think ... what if? If you are looking for crashes and bangs, this isn't for you. But if you want to read a beautifully written book with a quiet, yet determined woman at the centre, then there are much worse choices you could make. I borrowed this from my lovely Mum who was a big fan of Ann Tyler ... and now I am too. Thanks Mum.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my Mum.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; MP3 CD; ebook.

The Humans - Odd but oh so good!

If you think you don't like science fiction as a genre, I challenge you to read The Humans, by Matt Haig is! Yes, its main protagonist is an alien, but what this book is really about what it is like to be a human. Professor Andrew Martin has just solved a mathematical problem that has the potential to change everything for humanity ... but an alien race fear what the consequences will be for themselves and the  galaxy if such a primitive species gets hold of this knowledge, so they send one of their own to eliminate the perceived threat. The "alien" takes the place of the Professor in bodily form, and, in his pursuit to track down and destroy anyone who has any knowledge of the solution, he starts to learn what it is to be human ... and where better to start than forming a relationship with the Martin family dog, named, appropriately enough, Newton. Torn between his mission and his first experience of "feelings", the would-be assassin turns protector of his "wife" and "son", who much prefer the changed Professor. This is such a funny, yet poignant book. The main character is wildly entertaining and it is a true fish-out-of-water story, with some great set pieces and witty dialogue. I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you want to learn about humanity and have some giggles along the way.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 302 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.

A Most Wanted Man - though not by me!

Set in Hamburg, A Most Wanted Man, by John Le Carre features a Chechen Muslim immigrant called Issa, who finds refuge with a Turkish family. But all is not what it seems. He is wanted both in Sweden and in Russia and keeps protesting that he just wants to be left alone to live a simple life. But that is not possible when it seems he is set to inherit a large amount of cash from an illegal bank account. Tommy Bruce, the banker, and a human rights lawyer called Annabel Richter do all they can to come to his aid despite the machinations of British Intelligence, The Americans and washed up German Intelligence office, Gunther Bachman, who all want to use or get to Issa for their own purposes. I found this an irritating read and a little dull. Too much chat, not enough action and it was often unclear as to to what was going on. I think there were so many non-empathetic characters, each with a finger in the pie, that sometimes it was hard to follow. Definitely not one of his best and I was left a little disappointed. 

My STAR rating: THREE stars.

Length: 384 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.