Book Count (since 1 January 2012)

Book Count (since 1 January 2014): 30

Saturday 23 June 2012

A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale

I enjoyed this book, about a small Cornish community and the secrets it keeps. The main character is the parish priest, Barnaby, who is not as morally upright as his parishioners would like to believe. The writing is excellent and the story engrossing so you can enjoy this book without engaging with the interesting underlying commentary on the assessment of morality, but it is better if you do. One of those great books that gives you as much or as little as you want.

Au Revoir Liverpool by Maureen Lee

Readable and fairly absorbing but ultimately forgettable book about a young Liverpudlian woman stuck in Paris during the war. The main focus of this novel is her love life and she manages to fall hopelessly in love with three men in unrealistically quick succession. Not a bad holiday read but nothing to put in the postcard.

Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton

A darkly comic novel about a man who loses his way amongst the pubs of Earls Court. This novel has some excellently observed dialogue and witty asides, but is ultimately a worryingly convincing book about the fragility of sanity and happiness.

The Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman

A book about a young couple who live on a remote island in order to keep the lighthouse. One night, an incident and a decision changes their lives and those back on the mainland. This novel is a lot heavier than I thought it would be and pretty difficult to enjoy, but the writing is good and the characters well defined. A very well written book that's surprisingly hard to recommend.

The Contortionists Handbook by Craig Clevenger

A novel about a young man who flaunts the system by assuming new identities each time he moves. An interesting book about the meaning of identity and personality. I enjoyed the writing and the plot but this novel is a bit too philosophical and depressing for me.