How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Tom Hazard is  very old man; he is 429 years old.  He has only aged one year for each fifteen years in passing. Tom looks for meaning in life as he can never have a lasting relationship or let his guard down.  

As it turns out there are others in the world with the same condition and eventually they are discovered by a covert society called Albatross.  The society protects them, allowing them to live in a normal setting for eight years before getting an assignment, then relocating with a new identity. One thing that keeps Tom motivated to live (as he could kill himself to end this existence) is a desire to find his daughter Marion. She apparently inherited his genetic disposition and may be somewhere in the world trying to hide her identity. 

In his long life Tom has met F. Scott Fitzgerald, Captain Cook and Shakespeare among other historical figures. The book is divided by time periods and places.  Recently I read Benedict Cumberbatch has acquired film rights to star in the production.  For what it's worth, I prefered The Midnight Library to this book but I never considered abandoning the book.

Matt Haig was born in Sheffield England. His website may be found HERE. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg the Intrepid Reader for the 2022 Historical Fiction challenge.

Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer

This book is a historical fiction based on the real Ashton Hall built in 1856 in Lancashire England.

Hannah Larson is researching her doctoral dissertation and the subject matter of Ashton Hall plays in.  There is a dark history about the house and a mystery about a  skeleton which was found in a locked room. You will eventually discover who that person was. The backstory on that and the house history is revealed at the end. This is not a ghost story and just about all of the book is set and present time. 

Hannah's life is basically a dumpster fire with a marriage in trouble and her son Nicky having emotional difficulties. I don’t mean he’s unruly or acting up, but more like a medical condition which causes him to become unpredictably violent.  Yet he is bright and it's Nicky who discovers the skeletal remains.

Hannah's research brings the Elizabethan era to life as she goes through old account ledgers and diaries.

Publication date is June 7, 2022 by Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books.  Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mysteries and Thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday and Marg at The Intrepid Reader for the Historical Fiction Readng Challenge.

Cold Grave by Jenny O'Brien{book 6 and the final in the series}

 

I just love Jenny O'Brien.  She writes a great series which brings the characters to life and doesn't overdo the personal entanglements at the expense of the police investigation.

Detective Gaby Darin is a Welsh detective of Italian background, fiercely loyal to her team, job and a woman you'd want in your corner.

After a few DNF books it was a great pleasure to sit back with one of my favorite authors and series. I am sad to see this series end but what a way to tie things up.  Hoping we see the team back together again in the future as I loved watching these characters develop.

Gaby, Mal, Owen, Marie, Jax and Rusty are well fleshed out. I feel as if I know them and can certainly get a mental image of them all. If you are looking for a series which involves police procedurals, a little bit of the detectives' personal lives and is grittier than a cozy - this is your series.  

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Elly Griffiths books (I'll be taking a break from Ruth and Nelson)

 

The next two books in the Dr Ruth Galloway series may wrap it up for me.  I was very enthusiastic about a series with so many books and the first book grabbed me immediately.  This one was....meh.

Ruth is having a hard time with balancing motherhood and an active career.  She feels relief when someone takes Kate so she could get in the trenches and dig, fully immersing herself in her job. The author writes about Ruth's love of her work, mentioning the constant calling in of a child minder to babysit a few hours longer so she can work, making her feel alive and fulfilled.  Yet, she won't allow Kate's father to take a hand in her upbringing.

This is not a crack at single mothers and the balancing act, it's just that it's mentioned so many times in the books.  

Here is a loose breakdown of the plot separating the police investigation and the personal side stories.  

Investigative storyline: There is a house situated near the sea which is in danger of being overtaken by the rising waters.  Every year more beach is shaved off so it's inevitable the house will tumble in the future. The house is owned by a rich family with deep roots in the community.

A group of archaelogists are roaming the coastline near this house as they research coastal erosion.  They discover six bodies a crevice of a cliff.  The bodies are actually skeletal at this point, hands tied behind their backs and evidence of an execution style death. Ruth is called in as the senior archaeologist and bone expert.

DI Harry Nelson arrives to handle the situation in case as it's clear the remains are not from Roman times.  Lots of suspects and secrets.

Personal side stories:

Detective Sergeant Judy Johnson is about to be married to Darren, a man she's known since childhood.  But then she is attracted to Cathbad (for whatever reason) and goes to bed with him.

DI Harry Nelson is attracted to Ruth and concerned for their baby.  He continues to lie to his wife and wants to take a part in Kate's upbringing. Ruth always refuses, yet she seems to yearn for his attention whilst simultaneously pushing him away. 

Ruth's good friend Shona is seeing another married man and this time, Shona gets him to leave his wife. 

My thoughts on continuing:  The first book grabbed me with the excavations, Roman history and the vividly depicted Saltmarsh in Norfolk. As I mentioned in my review of The Janus Stone, the romantic and personal stories as a subplot was fine but I didn't want it to dominate the series.  I want mystery and police investigations.  Alas,  the relationships are getting an equal share of page time and I think I will take a break from the series.

So many books here at the house as well as on my Kindle so if I get back to this series it might be a while.  It had promise.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Paul McCartney is 80! {Sharing my experience at a Wings concert and Beatle memorabilia}

 I have always been a fan of the Beatles but am too young to have been to one of their concerts.  My first experience with them was their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. 

Magazines seem to be a thing of the past these days when you can access just about anything online but I had to have these two publications.   

I have been fortunate enough to have seen Paul McCartney and Wings in concert when they were performing in Germany in 1977.  They performed in the Olympic Village in Munich and it was amazing.  It was also my first laser light show. I was 21 years old and completely besotted.

It's been enjoyable to flip through and read about the early start of their musical careers. I learned that Ringo was hospitalized early in childhood and went into a coma, later getting tuberculosis and admitted to a sanatorium for two years. 

Paul was a scholar winning prizes in Latin and English literature but his love of music sent him down a different a path.  There is quite a bit of information in the magazine to make it well worth the price if you are a fan of the Beatles.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

 

I like the archaeology topics which  are an important part of the plot but I am wondering how many old bones can be discovered in this part of the world.  The series has 14 books so I am looking forward to reading more.

I learned about radiocarbon dating while reading.

“It tests the amount of carbon in the bones. When we’re alive, we take in carbon fourteen. When we die, we stop. By estimating when these bones stopped taking in carbon fourteen we’ll be able to estimate the age of the skeleton.”

Colleagues from the Archaeolgy department at Norfolk  University have been digging on a hill for days.  They have uncovered not only evidence of a Roman villa but also earlier Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements. 

The other side story is about a wealthy family with plans to demolish an old children’s home to build luxury apartments. A child’s skeleton is found beneath a doorway which halts all work. An excavation team is brought in to remove the skeletal remains. It’s discovered the head is missing so this is looking more like a scarification from an early age. Or is it?!

The romantic subplot is fine so far, in my opinion, but I am hoping it won't eventually dominate the mystery and investigative side of the stories. I liked the first book more than this one but will read the next in the series so I can see where our characters are developing.

I am a series addict and love getting to know characters and seeing how they grow personally  and professionally. 

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

 

This is a book I will probably reread years down the road.  There were many twists and back stories which had me invested in Meg's future.

Have you ever watched a movie where you were in support of the bad guy? Meg isn't necessary all bad and her background makes you sympathetic but seriously, don't cross her!

Meg uses different alias - Meg, Maggie, Melody - depending on her situation.  She moves to different towns, develops an identity and smoothly cons her way into someone's life. 

Kat Roberts finds Meg and is determined to expose her but things are not as she imagined, based on her own interactions with Meg ten years prior. Kat blames Meg for a trauma she experienced which temporarily sidelined her journalism career.

This book would be an excellent choice for a book club.  If you haven't read Julie Clark's previous book The Last Flight I would also recommend that one.

Publication date is June 21, 2022 by Sourcebooks Landmark. Genre: Mystery/Thriller and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book.  I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

James Herriot's World via books and television

 If you are a fan of BBC or Masterpiece Theater you may have watched a season or two of All Creatures Great and Small.   The wholesome G-rated shows were inspired by James Herriot’s books. I have read all of his books and enjoyed each and every one. He brought the story to life and I could clearly picture the scenes in Yorkshire as he dealt with his patients – cows, sheep, bulls, dogs and you name it.

While I enjoyed the original series with Christopher Timothy and Carol Drinkwater more than the latest adaption, this is still good entertainment.  Love the scenery and the animal stories.

James Herriot's Yorkshire

This book – James Herriot’s Yorkshire – is written by James Herriot (his real name is James Alfred Wight) and it is a wonderful compilation of photos and stories about the Yorkshire dales. The town of Darrowby in his fictional works is actually Thirsk. That is where he practiced veterinary medicine along with Sigried and Tristan Farnon (Donald and Brian Sinclair). Herriot may be surprised that his books are still so popular today as well as the number of visitors he attracted to the area.

This book is copyrighted 1979 and is one of the original printings purchased in England. I treasure this book. I’ve read that people who travel to Yorkshire with the specific intent of visiting the area Herriot lived bring this book along and it’s an invaluable asset. If you like rural areas and have a plan to hike about in Yorkshire, this book is for you. Flip through and enjoy stories and photos about small villages, ruins and history.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

 

I wish I could remember who blogged about the Elly Griffiths' books because I'd like to thank you.  Please leave me a comment if you've recently reviewed the Dr Ruth Galloway series!

British author Elly Griffiths has moved to the top of my list of books I'll be reading in June and July. Love the style, the plot, character development and the Norfolk England coastal setting.

Bones are found near an ancient henge off Norfolk's coastline.  The saltmarshes can be dangerous to negotiate as the sands will swallow you up if you take a wrong turn.  When bones are discovered DI Harry Nelson contacts Dr Ruth Galloway to ascertain if the bones are ancient or the remains of missing child from ten years prior. Dr Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist, university professor and lecturer.

One of Ruth's discoveries is from the Iron Age but a cold case quickly becomes a murder investigation as more information surfaces. I enjoyed reading about Ruth and the growing friendship with DI Nelson. Planning on reading the next in the series titled The Janus Stone. I'm just hoping the Galloway/Nelson relationship doesn't turn romantic as I love the detective work and mystery parts best.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday.

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

 

Recently I read Peter Swanson's book Nine Lives and I thought it was terrific.  This led me to request another of his mysteries, Eight Perfect Murders.

When I started reading this one I felt it had too many similarites to the book Nine Lives.  It's defintely a different mystery, not a rehash, but some of the elements made me think about the previous book.

We start with a bookshop owner named Malcolm and a vivid description of the harsh winter snow storm.  A FBI agent calls Malcolm and asks to speak to him, arriving in the storm as he is about to close up the shop.  

She wants to chat with him about a blog post he'd made years ago called Eight Perfect Murders.  Seems someone is taking that list to heart with bodies turning up murdered exactly as the blog post outlined. Is it a serial killer?  Is it Malcolm?

The plot had possibilities but I found it fairly boring.  Not giving up on this author as Nine Lives was very good, IMO.  If you've read any of Swanson's books which would you suggest? If you've read Nine Lives, did you think about some of the similarities between the plot and ending?

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

 

This is a moving narrative about a father's love for his young daughter and the sacrifices he has made to keep her with him.  Cooper has PTSD after several tours in Afghanistan but you won't get that backstory right away. He and his daughter Finch live off the grid without electricity, friends or any connection to the world as we know it.

The story begins when Finch is eight years old and you learn of how Finch is quite a capable young girl.  She has never known any life before this one where they live in the Appalachian Mountains.  They prepare for winter and stock food in the root cellar.  Once a year Cooper's friend Jake arrives with loads of supplies.  Cooper and Finch look forward to that time not just for the supplies but the friendship with Jake.

This is a slow start but I loved all the revelations about Finch's mother, Jake and Cooper's back stories and the reason this father and daughter live in isolation.  Cooper is basically a very good man but circumstances drove him to choose the situation he's in and things are about to take a turn for the worse.

Love, friendship, choices, redemption are themes in this book.  I was very invested with the characters and how things played out.