Blood Count - suspend your disbelief!

Blood Count by Robert Goddard is a thriller in which the past catches up with surgeon Edward Hammond in an unexpected and dangerous way. Thirteen years ago, he was paid a substantial amount of money to perform a life saving operation on Dragan Gazi, a unsavoury Serbian gangster, who subsequently went on to lead his men in the slaughter of thousands during the Balkan civil wars. But now, with Gazi on trial for war crimes in The Hague, his family blackmail Edward into finding the Italian financier who knows where Gazi's many millions can be found. If Edward doesn't succeed, his ill-advised operation will be exposed and his reputation and career ruined. But Marco Piravani isn't an easy man to find, and so begins a dash across Europe that Edward hopes will give him some kind of redemption. There is so much action in this book that it can leave the reader a little breathless at times. Lots of characters, not always believable ... in fact, mostly unbelievable ... populate the pages to either place, or remove, hurdles in front of our hero - and sometimes, it seems both! There is a hint of a love interest, both regarding Edward's ex-wife and a former lover of Gazi who gave birth to his child, but it is only a hint. The real star of the book is the break-neck chase across the continent ... with Edward hot on the heels of Paravani, and then Gazi's family hot on the heels of Edward. But honestly, this is a totally bonkers plot, but told really well by the author, who has definitely mastered the art of the page-turner. So, park your logic and common sense for the duration and you cannot help but race through this ridiculous romp of a story.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 336 print pages.

Price I paid: £0.50

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Goldfinch - a tour de force!

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, follows the troubled life of Theo Decker, who, at the age of thirteen, survives a bomb attack in a New York museum. The blast kills his mother - although he doesn't know it at the time, as he is trying to comfort a dying man who persuades him to save The Goldfinch (a painting his mother had specifically brought him to the museum to see) and also to deliver his ring to his partner, Hobie. When Theo gets his head around things, he visits Hobie and discovers that a young girl who he'd also spotted in the museum before the blast is now in residence with Hobie. "Pippa" has been badly injured and Theo keeps coming to visit until she is sent to live with relatives. In the meantime, Theo is taken in by the Barbour family - whose son, Andy, is one of Theo's school friends. Eventually, Theo's very absent father turns up and takes him to Las Vegas to live with him and his partner. His father is a gambler and his partner doesn't want to be a mother to this strange child, and Theo is very much left to his own devices until Boris, a wild and exotic boy from school, takes a shine to him and they strike up a loving but very unhealthy friendship involving drugs, alcohol and absenteeism. When Theo's father dies on the run from people he owes a heck of a lot of money to, Theo heads back to New York and throws himself on the mercy of Hobie, who takes him in, with Theo eventually becoming his business partner in the antiques trade. But things sour, and Theo ends up making some very poor life choices, which lead him back to Boris. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014, and a very, very long book, this would usually put me off, but this story is well worth the effort,  even though it does sag at certain times and gets a little rambling towards the end. Full of trauma, longing, disappointment, misunderstandings and drugs, this isn't for everyone and, indeed, is not always an easy read. But there is also a lot of love in this book - even though much of it was on the destructive side. The characters are not easy to like and you can't always believe that Theo could make such poor decisions, but you still end up rooting for him, as well as for Boris, who we know is a very, very bad boy! And what about the fate of painting? Well, The Goldfinch starts as a source of comfort and the one constant in Theo's troubled life, but as he grows up, this all changes ... but to find out how, as well as the impact of this change, you will have to read the book. 

My STAR rating: FIVE. 

Length: 880 print pages.

Price I paid: Free (borrowed from my husband).

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

The Essex Serpent - a story of obsession!

The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry is a novel set in Victorian England and is full of strong, but not always likeable, characters. Cora Seaborne is happy when widowhood means she can finally escape her abusive husband and moves from London to Essex to pursue activities that were barred to her in her married state. With her, are son, Francis, who is a curious and obsessive boy, and her companion, Martha. Both women are strong minded and opinionated and welcome the freedom that the Essex countryside brings them compared to the stifling "society life" they had endured in London. Cora is a keen naturalist as well as a scoffer of superstition and religion, so when she hears of the rumours that the mythical "Essex Serpent" has returned to a coastal parish called Aldwinter, she sets off to "discover" what she believes is a previously unknown species of animal. And it is here she meets the local vicar, William Ransome, who also does not believe the rumours but who is trying to calm his panicky parishioners. Despite them not agreeing on anything, they and their families become firm friends. As strange events and tragedies hurl the area into further unease, Cora and Will develop intense feelings for each other that threaten to tear everything apart. This is a very enjoyable story, with lots of characters besides the two main families who all bring something to the tale - particularly Martha, who has an amazing social conscience and big heart, and the obsessive and driven Dr Luke Garrett, a surgeon whose unrequited love for Cora is almost his ruin. Great dialogue, characters and full of menace and threat, as well as mystical moments, this is a study of how obsession, in all its forms, can make you selfish and self-absorbed, and make you hurt the ones you love without you realising it. I highly recommend this book and almost gave it full marks, but felt that it meandered somewhat and lost a little focus towards the end. Still worth the read and I can totally understand why this has been made into a TV series.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 432 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98

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

Mr Loverman - don't waste time

In Mr Loverman, by Bernadine Evaristo, we follow the life of Antiguan born Barrington Walker, who is seventy-four and has lived in Hackney, London since the 1960s. He lives with his wife, Carmel, with whom he has raised two daughters, Donna and Maxine. "Barry" is flamboyant, loves quoting Shakespeare and wearing dapper suits. But his life with Carmel is not a happy one, and one of his daughters barely speaks to him. His wife is convinced he is cheating on her with other women, but she is only half right - yes, he is cheating, but it isn't with other women. Barry is secretly gay and has found comfort over the years from many sources, but, primarily, with his childhood friend Morris, with whom he has had an on-off affair since they were both 14 years old, back in Antigua. Barry keeps threatening to divorce Carmel and go and live with Morris, but always backs out. But things are coming to a head once more and it's time for Barry to come out of the closet once and for all, or risk losing the true love of his life. This is a fantastic read. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, the characters are well rounded and the cracking dialogue throughout is hugely entertaining. You feel for all the characters who have found themselves in an impossible position, and you root for them to make the change so that they can try to live the lives they have always wanted in the time they have left. A story about not wasting your life trying to conform to the expectations of others, this will leave you with a warm glow and wanting more. 

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 240 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98

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

The Lessons - Love Hurts

In The Lessons by Naomi Alderman, we follow the life of James, who, from an early age, never seems to fit in anywhere but makes it to Oxford University where he thinks all will be well. But even here, he feels like an outsider and is on the point of leaving when he finds himself, almost by accident, among a circle of intense friends who live together in a house owned by fellow student - the immensely wealthy Mark Winters. Mark is a kind of puppet master, being incredibly generous, fun and loving one minute, but horrifically cruel and destructive the next. Mark moves into the house with his girlfriend Jess (far too good for him!) and becomes embroiled in the life and loves of Mark - helping to pick up the pieces when drink, drugs and dangerous sexual relations, primarily with men, threaten his benefactor's destruction. Life carries on, with more parties than studies, but graduation finally happens and the housemates break up and go their separate ways but not before Mark strings James along, awakening a desire in the latter that is instantly thwarted. But a tragedy pulls them back together, with James falling back under Mark's spell. But can James really help Mark without losing himself completely? This isn't an easy read and some of the characters are hard to like, and maybe unbelievable at times. But as a study of toxic love, it is a masterclass. You want to shout at James when you see how bad Mark is for him ... why oh why does he keep going back for more? But then, occasionally, you realise how damaged Mark is, and what may be lying underneath the self-centred chaos that emanates from every pore. With echoes of Brideshead Revisited, this is a more modern take on doomed relationships amid fabulous wealth! 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 288 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

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

The Testaments - great start to the year!

The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood was a hangover from last year's challenge in that it was a winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2019. It is set some 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale and features narratives from three characters - Agnes, who has grown up as the daughter of a Commander in Gilead; Jade who has grown up in Canada, and Aunt Lydia - a woman responsible for the training and placement of Handmaids in Gilead. We hear about their backgrounds and how the religious totalitarian state of Gilead has impacted on their lives. Most interesting to me was the Aunt Lydia thread, where we find out about how her life changed when she was trapped inside Gilead at the time of its formation, where she had to adapt to survive, and how she continually evolved to the extent where she now is plotting the downfall of the regime. OfFred, the protagonist of the first book is referenced, although we don't know exactly where she is, but her actions from 15 years ago are now having consequences for the characters in this book. I don't really want to say too much more about the plot as it will give away too much to anyone who might wish to read this book for themselves. What I will say is that the skill of the author is evident in bringing these disparate characters together and, that despite their vast differences, the fact that they can and do work towards a common cause is rendered believable. Even though the character of Jade was jarring at times - she is a rebellious teenager with a bit of a mouth on her, so that's no great surprise - you cannot help but root for her. Not always an easy read due to the disturbing treatment of women in particular (well, it is Gilead!), this is still a very welcome sequel and I was left a little bereft when I finished it!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed as an audio book from the library.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Welcome to 2023

Welcome to 2023, a brand new year that I really, REALLY hope will be an improvement on the last. I managed to read 26 books in total, 10 of which were Man Booker Shortlisted titles. I am still reading an 11th in audio (I always have an audio and either a print or ebook on the go at the same time), which I'll carry over into the new reading year. 

This year, as you may have seen from the blurb at the top of this blog, I am not getting distracted by another challenge than to get through the piles ... and I mean piles ... of books that have been patiently waiting their turn to be read. And to stop me picking and choosing and leaving all the larger tomes to last, I am introducing an element of chance. Each time I need a new book to read, the dice will decide! And with that in mind ....

I am pleased to announce that the first roll of the dice has been thrown in order to select the number one print book of this year ... and it turned out to be ... DOUBLE SIX! And what is the 6th book in pile number 6? It's The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt, which is a bit of a chunky beast, but I'm ready for it!

Rolling dice (credit: Clipart Library)