Unruly - for those who their history on the sweary side!

Unruly by David Mitchell takes a plunge into the world of the English monarchs from the time where England first became "England" after the Romans left, right up to Queen Elizabeth I. It's an irreverent look at the ups and downs of ruling (mostly downs!) and of being ruled by a person who is either a thug, or thinks they have a god given right to rule, or indeed, both. As a comedian who studied history at Cambridge University, the author obviously has a soft spot for his subject, but holds no punches when describing what they get up to. These lucky individuals attained great power - usually through the happy chance of who their parents were, but sometimes by force. But no matter how they came to the throne, they are portrayed as a bunch of narcissists, with little if any self-control who lived fast and usually died very young. There are many beheadings, wars and general shenanigans. I'm not sure any of them come out with much glory and it certainly is NOT a ringing endorsement of the monarchy as an institution. Told at break neck speed, it's often tricky to keep track of who is who (particularly in the audio edition which I read), so I'm not sure I actually learned a great deal. However, it is fairly entertaining though immensely sweary ... a lot more than I was expecting ... which got in the way for me and became very wearing after a while. I would have loved more facts or indeed, time spent on individual monarchs rather than the dismissive snipes that some of them came and went with incredibly rapidly. But I suppose we all have our favourites! A slight disappointment, but fun in places.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 448 print pages.

Price I paid: £7.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Sea Glass - fine story telling

Sea Glass by Anita Shreve is the story of Honora Beecher and her husband, Sexton, who, in 1929, have just got married and moved themselves into a derelict cottage on the coast of New Hampshire. Honora tries to make the house a bit more liveable and collects sea glass along the shoreline - a hobby that fills her heart with joy. Sexton is a typewriter salesman who has grand ideas about his future, and risks all their money on a massive loan to buy the house they are currently renting. Unfortunately, the stock market crashes and they become penniless - and nobody wants to buy a typewriter! Sexton finds work at a local mill, and is away all week, leaving Honora spending more time by herself or with a new friend who lives along the coast. Their marriage becomes shaky as Sexton becomes more emotionally distant and they both become embroiled in a labour conflict that erupts into violence. This is a great holiday read, with characters that you care about, a bit of romance, politics and civil unrest. It's all there, but written with such a lightness of touch that it's hard to put down and you suddenly find yourself on the last page. Anita Shreve was a great writer of the ups and downs of relationships, and the emotional depth shown within the characters is clear to see, and indeed feel, in most cases. My one gripe was that I found it hard to like Sexton and wondered why Honora was with him in the first place. But that could be just me! An enjoyable book nonetheless.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 356 print pages.

Price: free, borrowed from my Mum.

Formats available: print, audio CD, ebook.

A Game of Thrones - At Last!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is the first volume of an epic fantasy series titles A Song of Ice and Fire, the TV adaptation of which took the world by storm. I have had this on my "to read" pile for years and I now I've finally got round to it! Yes, it's a hefty tome, but it is not a hard read. Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the characters, each of whom are well drawn, which helps the reader to get to know their motivations and quirks very quickly. Eddard Stark, Lord of the North in the land of the Seven Kingdoms is happy to be left doing this own thing, but when King Robert Baratheon (an old friend whom Eddard had helped unseat Aegon Targaryen from the throne) comes North and asks him to be his "Hand" (i.e. right hand man) following the untimely death of the previous incumbent, Eddard can't say no. He takes his two daughters, Sansa (a total romantic) and Arya (a complete tomboy) with him. Sansa is promised to the King's son, Joffrey, and can't wait to get married. Arya is more interested in learning how to fight with a sword. Eddard tries to support Robert, and becomes increasingly suspicious of the Queen (Cersei) and her brother (Jaime) who he fears are secret lovers and that none of Robert's supposed heirs are in fact Robert's children. But Eddard is just one man, and the underhand politics and plotting soon take over events and he is accused of treason after the death of the King. This brings the Stark family into conflict with Queen Cersei and her son, Joffrey, of the powerful House Lannister and war looks set to break out. While all this is going on, in a far off land, the last of the Targaryens (of dragon fame) are trying to muster an army to reclaim the throne, and when her brother is killed, this falls to Daenerys, a young woman whose marriage was used as a bargaining chip, but who now looks to lead this army. There's so much going on, with many threads and a multitude of characters - it probably helped that I had seen the TV series, but it's not necessary. The book definitely adds layers and complexities that the series couldn't. This is a story that's not for the squeamish - no-one is safe, and the treatment of women particularly feels shocking in this day and age. It is definitely medieval in feeling, where power is everything and life is short. A great read and one that transports you to another land. Everyone will have their favourite characters, but Tyrion and Arya are mine so far. Am trying really hard not to dive into the next book straight away!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length:836 print pages.

Price I paid: £1.50 from a charity shop.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Mystery Man - Darkly entertaining!

Mystery Man, by Colin Bateman, is the story of the owner of No Alibis, a Belfast bookshop that specialises in crime fiction. Written in the first person, we discover that he is a total hypochondriac and pretty much scared of everything. He's also totally obsessed with Alison, the woman who works in the jewellery shop across the road. Next door to his shop is a detective agency which seems to have gone bust, and its clients begin to come into the bookshop, assuming our Mystery Man (you never get to know his name) can pick up where the detective left off and solve their case. He has read enough books to assume he'd be able to pull an investigation off, as long as the cases don't involve any danger. So, he takes one on - the case of a missing wife who, he assumes, has just run off with a new lover. But, in an effort to impress Alison, he goes along with her idea to break in next door to get a glimpse of the real detectives files, only to find his dead body mouldering away under a pile of car fresheners. This catapults them into the midst of a deadly plot by a serial killer to eliminate anyone who may know a long hidden secret dating back to Nazi concentration camps ... and they soon realise that they are now on the list! This is very entertaining caper with many light moments, despite the bodies! Our "hero" gives a running dialogue of all the action as well as his innermost thoughts, and while it might seem impossible (both to him and the reader) that anyone could fall for him ... Alison steps up to the mark with her bravery, good sense and can do attitude. They make a good, if unusual team and the dialogue sparkles between them. A murder mystery with a difference, and one that keeps you guessing for the vast majority of the book. The writer is obviously a fan of crime fiction and drops in details for the aficionado ... but it won't really matter if they pass you by, they do not interfere with the action which bowls along a a good pace. I used the audio edition which was narrated by Stephen Armstrong, which was really easy to listen to. A very entertaining read all round, particularly for those who like their humour on the dark side!

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 416 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audiobook, ebook.

The Revenge of Seven - A bit disappointing!

The Revenge of Seven, by Pittacus Lore is book 5 of the Lorien Legacies. I started this series a good few years ago, and decided to dip back into it as I needed something light and easy to digest for a wee while. And this is definitely a book that will not tax the old brain cells too much. The story of the Loric Garde (youngsters from the planet Lorien who have been brought to Earth to escape the destruction of their planet by the Mogadorians) picks up pretty much where the last one ended - Eight is dead (killed by Five), Ella has been captured, and the rest of the Garde are on the run. Ella discovers that she is on a Mogadorian spaceship in the clutches of their leader, Setrakus Ra, who tells her that he is her grandfather! His genetic modifications have created the creature she sees before her and he wants to mould her to become like him, and rule the Earth together. Ella wants nothing more than to escape ... and if she can kill Setrakus Ra, and the traitor Five (who is also on the ship), in the process even better. Meanwhile, Four (John Smith) is trying to reunite the remaining Garde, so he sets out for Florida to find Six, Nine and Marina, but is sidetracked into going to New York to try and foil an apparent plot by high ranking humans to invite the Mogadorians to Earth, which will then result in an invasion. But nothing is quite what it seems and it is already too late - they are already here ... and a big battle takes place. While all of this is happening, Six, Marina and Nine head to Calakmul, where they discover that "Lorien" is not a planet, but an entity, and it has started to spread across the Earth ... will it be in time to save humanity? Tune in next time ...! Whilst there is a lot going on, the plot seemed to drag and felt little repetitive at times. I remember being much more invested in the characters in the previous books ... maybe I've left it too long between readings! Or maybe I've grown out of them. Now I am debating whether to continue with the series and invest any more time into it ... even though I have already invested so much. I do want to find out what happens to the characters but, for once, I found some of the narration in the audio edition off-putting and unsubtle in places - one of the narrators was very shouty and one-dimensional! Not the best read of the year so far, by a long way.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 320 print pgages.

Price I paid: £7.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Once Upon A River - unsettling, yet compelling!

Once Upon A River, by Diane Setterfield felt almost like a fable or some ancient story that has been passed down the generations by word of mouth. This is not surprising, as the scene is set in The Swan, a public house on the Thames, where the locals delight in telling stories to each other. But one midwinter's night, the door bursts open and reveals an injured man holding the corpse of a drowned child. Rita, a local healer, steps in and tends to the injured man and takes the child into another room and stays with her - but then, to everyone's surprise, the child begins to breathe and opens her eyes! She does not speak and is not injured in any way, but nobody knows who the child belongs to. Word spreads about the child, which results in several families making claim to her - announcing her to be the daughter they had previously thought lost or stolen. Even though there is something otherworldly about the child, everyone is drawn to her - including Rita, and the injured man - Henry Daunt - who is a photographer, and saved the child from the river. Time goes by and the child settles in with a young couple who believed she was their child, but that is not the end of it and the claims and counterclaims continue - with greed, grief and opportunity to make money all  playing their part. But what is the real story and where will it lead? This story ebbs and flows, just like the river, around which the story revolves. Full of emotion, fascinating characters and a touch of the supernatural, it takes you on a journey which shows both the best and worst of humanity. Thoroughly enjoyable, though it would have been nice to have a few more lighter moments as there were passages of relentless dourness where the hope of a happy resolution seemed a million miles away. Gripping, despite the lack of "action", I can definitely recommend this book, particularly the audio edition narrated by the incomparable Juliet Stevenson. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 544 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Project Hail Mary - Out of This World!

Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir is a tour-de-force piece of writing ... in my humble opinion! The book opens with Ryland Grace walking up and not really knowing where he is. He assesses his surroundings and soon comes to the realisation that he is in a space craft, travelling through a galaxy he doesn't recognise and that his fellow crew mates are both dead. He knows he has been asleep a long time, the kind of induced deep sleep that can play havoc with your memory. But as he comes to terms with what supplies he has, how to work the equipment, etc, pieces of his former life start to emerge ... and it is exceedingly worrying. It turns out that he has gone from being a science teacher to being sent on mission to save Earth from an extra terrestrial threat. His personal journey, both before and, now, during the mission is funny, intense and scary in equal measures. And when he discovers that he is not actually alone after all, it sets up an amazing first contact story into the bargain! Full of action, heart, and lots of zingers, this is such a thrilling read where the device of his fuzzy memory enables us, the reader,  to discover things at the same time as the main character - both the good, the bad and indeed, the ugly at times. Packed with science too, but explained in such an accessible way, it's a book for anyone - space nerd, thrill seeker or fans of unexpected friendships. Although set in space, it's a very human story too. Can you tell I enjoyed it? I read the audio edition, narrated by Ray Porter, which was fabulous, particularly the communication between Ryland and his unusual ally. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 496 prints pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.