So in my last blog post, I reported that May was going well with the quality of books I chose:
Jack Jordan's Redemption had my heart pounding out of my chest, then Jo Callaghan kept me entertained with the latest instalment of her Kat & Lock series, Human Remains. Both of these were firmly in my 5 star rating zone. I was going to say that sadly the rest of the month didn't match up to the same standard, but that would be a misrepresentation of the remaining books as they all came in with strong 4 star ratings. So what were the books which made up the rest of an absolutely great reading month?
As I left you before, I was battling technology with a BorrowBox version of Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney.
This was a buddy read and a well-chosen one at that. Plenty to discuss both where the characters were concerned and content-wise, my only regret is that I wasn't able to get a physical copy to read. I think I would have become far more engrossed in the plot of this one, had that been the case. Don't get me wrong, I was absorbed into the world of author Grady Green as he struggled to come to terms with life without his wife. The book begins with Grady celebrating the success of his book. His wife is fetching fish and chips from the local takeaway and is on the phone to Grady when down the phone he hears the screech of brakes, his wife exiting the car...then disappears. The rest of the book moves on twelve months, Grady has writer's block and moves to a remote island to try to get his writing mojo back. But why is it he keeps seeing his wife everywhere? How can this be possible in such a remote location? I enjoyed trying to work out what was going on in the strange community Grady found himself in, and the ending certainly gave up a lot of the answers to questions I had collected throughout the chapters. Was I shocked? A little, but not enough to earn the book a fifth star, and I certainly enjoyed this book far more than the author's previous book Rock Paper Scissors.
So, what to read after that? What was going to keep the momentum going? Another Jack Jordan book, of course! Just a short story this time, but one that packed a punch. Then another. Then a nice little bombshell to finish off with. A Woman Scorned is one of the author's earlier works - I am working my way through his backlist and have yet to be disappointed.
It's difficult to say too much about this one without giving too much away, but suffice to say there are 3 main characters and all of them have their own agenda. There's also another character who is very much collateral damage in the overall plan - their role is the common denominator in the whole story. To say much more would definitely spoil the book for future readers, so I'm going to leave it there. I just know you'll feel all the emotions along the way through the story - and I wouldn't mind a follow up instalment please, Mr Jordan. Just to know what happens to people in the future...could be a fun story to return to from a writer's perspective?
To finish the month out, I needed a kindle book I could take on my trip to London. I didn't have space in my bag for a book, so it was time to scroll through and see what took my fancy on my kindle. An author who has made a strong mark on my reading journey over the years since lockdown has been Catherine Ryan Howard. Her books 56 days and The Nothing Man both registered strongly, as well as her book prior to the pandemic, Rewind. I'm comforted to know I still have a few books from her backlist left to enjoy, as I love her writing and will be gutted when I've read them all. My book of choice for my journey was Burn After Reading, the plot of which was very different to anything I've ever read before. All her books have diverse plotlines and this one kept that theme going.
The background of this story is set in the world of professional cycling. The competitive nature and structure of how the teams work form the foundation of the story but don't overwhelm it. Our main character is Jack Smyth, a name well-known in the cycling world, alongside his team mate Ben who has also been his best friend for many years. After a big crash ended the two men's careers, Jack moved house with his wife to a remote home away from the hustle and bustle. Sadly this home was engulfed in flames, with Jack bursting into the inferno in a vain attempt to save his wife. All is not as it first appears though, and reports soon come out saying that it wasn't the fire that took his wife's life. A year on from the tragedy and Jack feels it's the right time to put his side of the story out there and calls upon a publishing house to provide a ghost writer to help him do this in book form. But will the writer of choice really be the right person to shoulder such responsibility? There's mystery and intrigue all the way as the story unfolds and in Catherine Ryan Howard's signature style, things certainly don't go the way the reader expects. Another strong 4 stars for this one.
As you can probably tell, I have thoroughly enjoyed my books this month. I've covered some quite diverse subjects which is the order of the day at the moment. I'm definitely needing to mood read this year and the benefits seem to be paying off. My days of "reading to order" to hit deadlines are pretty much over I think, so if you're wanting to read publication day reviews every time then I'm afraid I'm probably not going to be the best blogger to follow. There will be the occasional ones thrown in, but only if they hit the right spot at the time. I'll still try to recommend you some decent books though and keep my ear to the ground as to what is coming up soon, mixed in with some older titles which are waiting patiently on my shelves already.
Let's hope June is just as successful!
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