The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
CBRBingo: White Whale My local book club is reading classics this year, and this was our April selection. I had seen the movie with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson back in the 90s, but had never read the book, even though I had it in my huge Unread folder on my Kindle. This book is a master class on subtlety, the story of a man who inhabits a role that is increasingly out of place in his world. A butler, son of a butler, he […]
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a thriller. It used to be my favourite genre, but lately I’ve had a hard time finding ones that really excited me. Unfortunately, this one was no exception. I chose to read this because one of my favourite booktubers listed it on her top 5 thrillers, so I went in with high hopes. I’d read Clare Mackintosh’s sophomore novel a couple of years ago and I remember thinking it was okay (also a 3-star, though), so I thought […]
The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told by Tom McCarthy
CBR Bingo – Free! I was happy to receive my first free book through NetGalley. The review that follows was not influenced by any obligation to them. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, edited by Tom McCarthy, is an easy-to-read compilation of true crime stories, some dating back as far as the 1800s. I’ve read a lot of true crime, so some of the stories were familiar, but there were others that were new to me. Each chapter is written by a different author. […]
Assembly by Natasha Brown
CBR13BINGO: Book Club (Sky Arts) Best for: Anyone who loves compact storytelling that manages to tell a deep and engaging tale. In a nutshell: The Narrator, a successful Black British woman who isn’t named, takes us through the day or two before and morning of a visit to her posh white boyfriend’s family home for a party. But that isn’t so much the point; the focus is how Narrator navigates the daily, hourly injustices she faces in this world. Worth quoting: “Assimilate, assimilate … Dissolve […]
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Bingo Category: Flora Another in the long line of twisty mysteries that are all so similar nowadays, but set apart by some pretty good writing and genuine emotion. You will recognize the setup for Then She Was Gone because you’ve read a similar plot summary a million times: Laurel Mack’s daughter Ellie is abducted, and ten years later she meets and falls in love with Floyd–and upon meeting his daughter, Poppy, is shocked at the physical similarities the girl has to Ellie. Then She Was Gone didn’t […]
The Searcher by Tana French
BINGO – REC’D I enjoyed author Tana French’s novel In the Woods and then msvreadsbooks’ review sold me on picking up another French novel The Searcher. Cal Hooper is a retired detective from Chicago who recently bought and moved into a run-down house in a small rural Irish town. He’s determined to keep his head low, not make any enemies of the locals, and enjoy some peace and quiet away from it all. What a boring book that would have been if that’s all that happened. Soon after […]
