On Her Majesty's Secret Service - The softer side of Bond, well, almost!

On Her Majesty's Secret Service, by Ian Fleming, is book 11 of the James Bond series. In this outing, 007 has fallen out of love with his job in the aftermath of Operation Thunderbolt, when arch villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld completely disappeared. While contemplating his future, James finds himself back at the Casino Royale in France and comes across Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo. They spend an oddly dispassionate night together and Bond doesn't quite know what to make of this troubled woman - who, it turns out, is the daughter of Draco, the head of Union Corse - a Corsican crime organisation. Draco and Bond has a measure of respect for each other, to the extent that Draco suggests to Bond that he marries Tracy, but that's not on Bond's radar! Some time later, Bond gets a lead on Blofeld and is sent, undercover, to Switzerland to see if Blofeld has resurfaced. Not only is it Blofeld, but Bond discovers that he is working on a plot involving biological warfare, and must be stopped. But Bond's cover is blown and he barely escapes with his life down the mountain where, by a fortuitous stroke of luck, he bumps into Tracy once again, who helps him get to safety. After which, he surprises himself by proposing to her. They plan to marry as soon as Bond has resolved the Blofeld crisis - for which he recruits the help of Tracy's father. They foil the evil plot, but Blofeld escapes again, and manages to inflict a tragic revenge on Bond. This is an entertaining outing for Bond and I enjoyed it more than some of the previous books. It's nice to see a softer side to everyone's favourite spy, but there are still passages that troubled me about his attitude to women in general. It is a novel of its time I suppose and if you just take it as breathtaking, action-packed adventure, then you will enjoy it. The audio edition is narrated by David Tennant who does a great job, as you would expect!

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 368 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Saving Missy - Never too late!

Saving Missy, by Beth Morrey, features seventy-nine year old Missy Carmichael who is a prickly, stubborn and incredibly lonely woman. She lives alone in a large house and misses her beloved son and grandson who lives in Australia. She also has a daughter, but their relationship has broken down and she longs for Leo, her husband, to help mend fences, but he's not there (we eventually find out why much later in the book). One day, Missy has a chance encounter with two women and a boy in the local park who transform her life. She slowly starts to come out of her shell and involve herself in the world again, especially when she agrees to look after a dog called Bob ... just for a couple of days! The couple of days turns into weeks and months and Missy tells the dog about all her troubles and feels the companionship that her new furry lodger brings her. Through her new found friends (both the 2- and 4-legged varieties), we hear about Missy's early life, meeting her husband and how she sacrificed her own career for raising a family. We slowly see Missy come back out of her isolated shell and find herself again after all these years. She positively blossoms and, despite a few set backs, she sees hope for the future. This is a lovely book and Missy is a great character. Her friends, Sylvie and Angela, do stretch credibility a little ... if only the world was full of these types of people ... but they create an enjoyable and lively counterpoint to Missy's long-established stillness (at the start). Not earth shattering, but the story is interesting and you definitely become invested and keen to know what happens to Missy. This could be, in part, due to the fantastic narration by Harriet Walter in the audio edition that I used. A good holiday read.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.

Price I paid: £3.99.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio, ebook.

The Year 1000 - snapshot of history

The Year 1000, by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger is a look at what life was like for English people at the turn of the first millennium. Based around the Julian Calendar, it features a month per chapter. We follow the seasons and activities of everyday folk that were key to life at the time, but set against the background of the political goings on ... and there were a few! Full of interesting facts about farming, medicine, church, kings and queens, and how places got their names ... just to name a few ... this book will probably annoy anyone you live or work with as you share with them the latest nugget of information that has been presented to you. Life was tough and often short, but people were not starving - indeed, it may surprise many that people's stature was pretty much as it is today. Christendom loomed large in everyone's lives, but as the millennium approached, there were prophets of doom everywhere (maybe they were a 1000 years too early!!!). Also, fast approaching over the horizon were the abacus and the concept of infinity and zero ... after which, life would never be the same again. Written in an easy to understand style, but without being patronising or too simplistic, this is a great book for anyone who likes their history in bite size pieces.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 240 print pages.

Price I paid: free, was a present.

Formats available: print, abridged audio download, abridge audio cassette.

The Foundling - A Good Yarn

The Foundling, by Stacey Halls is set in mid 18th Century London where, six years after leaving her illegitimate daughter Clara at a Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to claim her ... only to be told that she has already claimed her baby almost immediately after leaving her there. Bess is determined to find out how this could happen, and where her daughter is. Cut to Alexandra, a young widow who barely leaves her home for fear of what might happen on the streets. She is persuaded by her friend, Dr Mead (who works at the Foundling Hospital), to employ a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, Charlotte. The new nursemaid seems to have an instant bond with the girl, something Alexandra struggles to comprehend as she is a strict and almost hands off type of mother. Of course, all is not what it seems and everyone's life is turned up side down when the truth and trauma begins to unravel. This is an emotionally charged historical novel with heartbreaking moments. The characters are well drawn, though I found it hard to warm to Alexandra for quite some time. Full of detail about the society of the time and the huge divide between the haves and the have nots, this will please the history buffs. While the story is interesting, it wasn't difficult to see where things were heading and I'm not entirely sure that the ending was completely satisfactory, but it was still a good yarn. I did enjoy the audio edition, which has two narrators - each representing the narrative as told by the two main characters.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.

Price I paid: £4.00.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Slow Horses - Masterful

Slow Horses by Mick Herron is the first in the "Slough House" spy series which centres on a drab outpost of the UK's Intelligence Service where disgraced spies are sent to push paper for the rest of their career. But when a boy is kidnapped and his beheading is threatened to be shown live on TV, something nags at them that this links to the work they've been assigned to rake through the bins of a right wing journalist and it sets them off on a breathless journey to save the boy and maybe their careers too! Leading the team is Jackson Lamb, a disgustingly rude and unhygienic man who seems to hate everyone and everything, but, remarkably, is protective of his people and will not play by the rules to do so. He also gets the best lines! His team includes River Cartwright, a young spy whose failure during a training exercise landed him at Slough House, but he is convinced that he was fed false information on purpose by a colleague who wanted him out of the way. He is incredibly motivated to show HQ that he really doesn't belong in Slough House, but his impetuosity threatens to land him in yet more trouble. Full of snappy dialogue, strong characters of all creeds, enough intrigue and dirty tricks to shake a stick at, and all mixed together with moments of breakneck action, this incredibly well written novel is an unputdownable thriller that will not disappoint. Even if you have seen the TV adaptation, I would urge you to read the book as it provides greater depth to each character. But be warned ... you may end up having some very late nights trying to reach a suitable place to pause for breath - as they are few and far between! I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series.

My STAR rating: FIVE. 

Length: 328 print pages.

Price I paid: free, was a gift.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.

Amongst Our Weapons - Pure Escapism!

Amongst Our Weapons, by Ben Aaronovitch is the ninth book in the Rivers of London series, and it does not disappoint. An unusual murder takes place at the London Silver Vaults, but despite the massive amount of security there, the murderer vanishes without a trace. DC Peter Grant of the Special Assessment Unit is assigned under the supervision of DCI Thomas Nightingale of course. The investigation takes a nasty turn when another body turns up with the same injuries that could only have been caused by something supernaturally extraordinary - which is right up Peter's alley. All roads lead to a trip "up north". Unfortunately, at the same time as all this is going on, Peter's partner Beverly (who is a river goddess) is due to give birth to twins and she has given him explicit instructions not to miss the event. While she makes preparations, including the digging of a massive birthing pool, Peter must track down what seems to be an avenging angel determined to destroy a group of people who delved into things they shouldn't have delved into during their student days. And why is Peter's old colleague and current nemesis, Leslie, so interested in what's happening too? This story is full of magic, history and reveals more and more back story of the main characters, who are now so familiar that they feel like old friends and it's fun to spend time with them once again. Snappy dialogue soaked with wit, a complex plot, lots of action and intrigue, plus talking foxes obsessed with snacks - who could ask for more? A delight and a worthy addition to the series - but if you haven't dived into the Rivers of London tales before, I would urge you to start with book one. Once again, I read the audio, which was fantastically narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 432 print pages.

Price I paid: £1.99

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook. 

The Salt Path - A Celebration of Nature and Love

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn is a memoir based on the experiences of the author and her husband, Moth. Just days after they learn that Moth is terminally ill with CBD (Corticobasal Degeneration, a neurological disorder), they lose both their home and livelihood. Now homeless and virtually penniless after a failed legal battle to save their home, they make an impulsive decision to walk the South West Coast Path - all 630 miles of it (well, it is Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall) - with only the stuff they can carry on their backs. They soon discover that this is no easy stroll. The steep and scary ups and downs may be scenic, and the passing holidaymakers might enjoy the scorching weather, but it's not as much fun when you are carrying a heavy load and neglected to bring any suncream. Food, water and a place to rest their heads in their small tent are a constant worry, and they are permanently hungry and soon tire of noodles! However, as they walk, they experience the wonders of nature and the kindness of strangers and something unexpected happens - Moth starts to both move and feel better in himself. Slowly but surely, they come to terms with their situation and, if possible, become even closer than they were before. This book is both inspirational and irritating at times. It is, after all, an opinion piece and therefore, if you don't like the author's opinions, you may not like parts of this book. But, overall, the epic trek is one of resilience in the face of an unknown future, the continual slog with little money and not knowing where (or even if) you would sleep at the end of each day is gripping. I raced through it at speed (something Ray and Moth definitely did not do) and would definitely recommend this to anyone who is facing a major change in their life, or indeed anyone considering such a challenging walk! Being in nature can be incredibly healing, and sometimes, just putting one foot in front of the other is an achievement worth celebrating. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 288 print pages.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from a friend.

Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.