Under Milk Wood - A Treat for Word Lovers

Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas is a play written for radio and was his last work. It follows a day in the life of a small Welsh seaside town, from the dreams of the residents early in the morning, to the drunks creeping home at the end of the day. The residents of the town are brought to life with the most amazingly lyrical language, full of alliteration and poetic rhythms. Designed to be read aloud, its mix of narration, character dialogue and also the odd song, it's a treat for the tongue and the ear. One of my favourite lines is: "Only you can hear the houses sleeping in the streets in the slow deep salt and silent black, bandaged night." Superb! The characters are shown to us in a sequence of vignettes, and are a mix of quirky, funny, eccentric, forthright and even, a little disturbing! Each have their own distinct voice and we hear them clearly each time we drop in on them throughout the day - we, the observer, zipping from one to the other as if we were a fly taking a break on their wall for a few minutes and then moving on. The beauty of the language transports you to a time and place where not much happens, but yet, we learn so much - how Mrs Pugh loves to nag her husband, and he, in return, is always plotting to murder her; or how the love affair between Mr Edwards and Miss Price is conducted solely through letters - they see each other all the time and yet never speak! It is a work of beauty, darkness, love and humanity. If you get a chance to listen to the version narrated by Richard Burton, accompanied by a plethora of actors voicing the characters, you will not be disappointed. The words of Dylan Thomas, heard in Burton's amazing, chocolate coloured Welsh tones is an absolute treat. The only reason I didn't give this full marks is that I could have done without some of the songs which went on a little too long for my taste. Overall, a must for anyone who loves words and what a poet can do with them.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 102 print pages.

Price I paid: £7.99

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

Mercy - Darkly gripping crime thriller

Mercy by Jussi Adler Olsen is a crime novel set in Denmark and features Carl Mørck, a homicide detective who, following an incident which left one of his colleagues dead, another paralysed and himself injured, has returned to work only to be moved to the newly created Department Q. Set up for political reasons (and to get the uncooperative and hard-to-work-with Carl out of the way) Department Q's purpose is to review unsolved crimes. The first case concerns Merete Lynggaard, a politician who disappeared five years ago during a ferry journey with her brother. The narrative follows two time streams - one starting five years ago following Merete, and the other is in the present, following Carl who, believing Merete to be dead, reluctantly starts to investigate her case. He is assisted by Assad, an incredibly capable and positive man employed as his cleaner but who, it turns out, has a real feel for police work. The relationship between Carl and Assad is entertaining, and helps to provide some much needed relief from the Merete part of the story, which is unremittingly grim, as we see her being held captive in a metal room for months, which turn into years. She is being slowly and systematically tortured, but does not know by whom or why. Both her internal dialogue and interactions with her captors show her strength and determination to keep going so that she can get back to the one person she really loves, her disabled brother. This is an incredibly gripping thriller, with the case unraveling in a most satisfying way. As the two time frames begin to converge, the pace picks up and the reader is almost left breathless by the denouement. Great characterisation with a tight plot full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing for a very long time. It wasn't until I'd finished the book that I found out that it's the first in the "Department Q" series ... I can't believe I have inadvertently started yet another series when I haven't finished the many that I am partway through. Hey ho! I'm not sorry I read this book, however, because even if I don't go back for more, it was well worth it. Maybe not for the faint hearted or squeamish, but if you like your thrillers dark, then this could be for you.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 512 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio, ebook.

It's 2025 and Another Reading Year Begins

Welcome to 2025 and a fresh new year full of the promise of new books to read. 

Last year I read what I really, really wanted to read and, for the most part, it was a successful year with very few books picking up less than 4 stars. Yes, the piles of unread books has diminished (the charity shop received a good chunk that didn't make my heart scream ... READ ME NOW!), but it is far from being manageable (probably an impossible task, but one can dream!). This means that when people buy me a new book, it tends to go to the bottom of the still mountainous pile and, at the pace I'm currently reading (I think a sloth could do better!) it's going to be an absolute age before I get to them. This, inevitably leads to those awkward conversations when the giver asks me whether I liked the book or not ... and I have to admit that I've not got round to it as yet! 

So, this year, I'm going to prioritise those gifted books above anything else, and also try to block out time to actually read a little more rather than grab 5-10 minutes at the end of the day when all I really want to do is go to sleep! Oh, and I'm going to revisit the loiterers and lingerers ... if I don't feel that I'd regret donating them to a charity shop without reading them, then it's time to wave them goodbye!

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

My Plans For the Day (Credit: Shoot Me Now GIFS)

The Night I Met Father Christmas - A Magical Christmassy Treat!

The Night I Met Father Christmas, by Ben Miller, is a great read for anyone wanting a sprinkling of Christmas magic. Jackson is a boy who knows all about Christmas ... the elves, the flying reindeer, the workshop in the North Pole ... but there's one thing that puzzles him ... how did Father Christmas BECOME Father Christmas? All that is about to change when, on one Christmas Eve, Jackson gets to meet Father Christmas who has, of course, come down his chimney and twisted his ankle. Jackson is keen to help and, in the process, quiz Santa about his origin story. And so we enter a fairy tale retelling of "A Christmas Carol" featuring Torvil, a mean-spirited elf, who is visited by three Christmassy spirits (yes, a snuffly reindeer is one of them!) who show him his past, present and future ... inspiring Torvill to change his ways and embody the spirit of Christmas. This is such a fun story, with plenty of heart and humour and great characters who, although magical, are totally believable. If you haven't read A Christmas Carol, it doesn't matter, this story completely stands on its own merits. It's aimed at a younger audience, but is still immensely readable for children of ANY AGE! Highly recommended to give you a lift during the long, dark nights of winter, especially if you get the chance to listen to the audio edition (which I did) narrated by Ben Miller himself. It's an absolute treat of a book, and one which I didn't want to end, which is always a good sign! It might well become a new Christmas tradition for me to read this every year! Ho ho ho!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 304 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Confession - The Trouble With Relationships ...

The Confession, by Jessie Burton starts in 1980 when Elise Morceau meets Constance Holden on Hampstead Heath. She falls under the spell of Connie, who is a successful writer and, when Connie's novel is picked up and destined to be turned into a Hollywood film, Elise accompanies her to LA for the duration. Initially dazzled by the surreal life in Hollywood, Elise is soon spending more and more time on her own and soon tires of playing second fiddle to everything and everyone, becoming increasingly unhappy and resentful. When she spots Connie canoodling with the leading lady from her film, Elise makes a rash decision that changes everything. In parallel to this story is one set 30 years later, where Rose, Elise's daughter, is also adrift in an unhappy relationship and unfulfilling job. She is pretty rudderless and has always wondered about her mother, who she'd never known. When her father mentions that maybe Constance Holden might know what happened to her mother, Rose sets out to find the author and, through a case of mistaken identity, actually goes to work for her as an assistant, using a pseudonym. The two get on very well and Rose really likes her life with Constance, and ends up living with her. But when Constance finds out who she really is, Rose thinks she might have blown her chance of unravelling the mystery of why her mother abandoned her. This was an interesting read, and I really enjoyed the relationship between Rose and the older Connie. However, I found it hard to warm to the Elise and Connie relationship which felt quite toxic. I also found it difficult to relate to either of them and wanted to give them both a "good shake" to get them to actually talk to each other ... but how often do we regret not doing so in our own lives? After all, we all make mistakes. I was also disappointed that everything wasn't wrapped up in a bow by the end of the novel, and I felt like we were left hanging. I suppose that's also true to life - we don't always find the answer to the question we are asking. An interesting study of relationships - both real and hoped for - that is well written and that will keep you turning the page.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 480 print pages.

Price I paid: £1.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

The Spy Who Loved Me - Interesting Change of Pace

The Spy Who Loved Me, by Ian Fleming is a very different kind of Bond book. The narrator is Vivienne Michel, a French Canadian woman who was raised in the UK and embarked upon two love affairs (one when she was very young and the other at her workplace) which both ended badly. To get away from things, she goes travelling and heads to the USA, where she embarks on a road trip on her Vespa. As her budget is very tight, she is persuaded to boost her funds by caretaking at the Dreamy Pines Motor Court motel for the night. Left all alone, two hoodlums appear and proceed to rough her up and threaten her with even nastier things - why, she doesn't know. But then, who should appear knocking on the door ... Mr James Bond, who has had a flat tyre and is seeking refuge for the night. He immediately picks up that something is afoot and goes into "protection" mode. Things come to a head in the middle of the night when the hoodlums attack Viv and set the motel on fire. Bond rescues her and, when she is safe, goes to sort the two thugs out. But Bond seems to be a little off his game and nearly comes a cropper, and it's only when Viv steps in that the tables are turned. We think all is okay and, of course, at that point, Viv and Bond end up in the shower together where ... well, you can imagine the rest. But just when you think all is sunshine and roses, there's a sting in the tail ... I think I enjoyed this book more than the previous Bond tomes as it isn't really a spy novel at all - the driver for the criminals is insurance fraud! Bond doesn't make an appearance until over halfway through the book and he really isn't on his A game. Viv is an interesting character and plucky too, but, of course, she does fall for Bond, which kind of annoyed me ... surely he's not THAT irresistible!!!! Anyhow, it's full of Fleming's usual detail - clothes, food, scenery ... which is always enjoyable. This is still very much a book of its time where the author's attitude to women is pretty clear and is one that would make most modern audiences wince. It kind of feels like a writing exercise where the author has tried to put himself in the shoes of a female character - and as such, it's not entirely successful, but there are some good moments. An interesting change of pace to the other Bond books and, one last thing, if you are expecting this to be "just like the movie" then look away now - it bears very little resemblance to it at all. The version I read was narrated by Rosamund Pike, who did an admirable job.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 128 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, print.

The Dictionary of Lost Words - Melancholic But Hopeful Too

The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams is the tale of Esme, a child growing up without a mother but whose closeness to her father is very touching. She spends her childhood at her father's feet while he works on gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Over time, she rescues "lost words" that are dropped or not being included and keeps them safe in a box. In her teens, and with the aid of a great array of extraordinary females including Lizzie, a servant who is a substitute mother, Ditte her aunt and Tilde, an actress, she realises that the majority of these words are "female" words and are often deemed vulgar. It becomes apparent that this huge and esteemed project of capturing the English language is being edited and skewed by the compilers - middle class, highly educated white men. So Esme seeks out the words that are in common use in the market or pubs and she adds them to her collection. Over the course of time, she has a child out of wedlock, who is adopted, which she never really gets over. However, love does come calling later on in life in the form of Gareth who works at the printers. He takes the words she has collected and creates The Dictionary of Lost Words, especially for her before he heads off to fight in the First World War. This is a book full of melancholy and loss - for words, for innocence and for lives cut down too soon. However, it is also full of hope and determination and the guiding principle that many things deserve to be remembered and celebrated. It is also a tribute to the brave, formidable and indeed the quiet women who were fighting for the right to vote in Great Britain at that time in their own way. A really enjoyable read on many levels and definitely one that I would recommend.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 412 print pages.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio, ebook.