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Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O’Donoghue — book review
“That’s what it comes down to, I suppose. I was obsessed with what I was, because I had no idea who I was.” Scenes of a Graphic Nature is a thought-provoking and engrossing novel that is far darker than its brightly coloured cover suggests. After reading and being captivated by Caroline O’Donoghue’s debut novel, Promising…
1st pov, 3.5 STARS, abuse, Adult, ALIENATION, arc, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Caroline O’Donoghue, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, creepy setting, cultural dissonance, england, f/f, fathers & daughters, female authors, film industry, films, identity, illness, IRELAND, IRISH AUTHOR, ISLAND, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, loneliness, mental health, MYSTERY, netgalley, queer, read in 2020, sapphic, Scenes of a Graphic Nature, sex, social issues, unrequited love, village -
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie — book review
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an excellent example of why I consider Agatha Christie to be the Queen of Crime. “Fortunately words, ingeniously used, will serve to mask the ugliness of naked facts.” It’s curious that one of the most influential crime novels ever written came about by accident. The idea for this novel…
1920s, 1st pov, 4.5 STARS, AGATHA CHRISTIE, Booklr, British author, CLASSICS, DETECTIVE, england, favourite authors, female authors, golden age detective fiction, hercule poirot, MURDER, murder mystery, MYSTERY, poirot, published in 1926, QUEEN OF CRIME, re-reads, read in 2020, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, unreliable narrators, village, whodunnit -
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – book review
“Bow all your heads to our adored Mary Katherine.” In recent years Shirley Jackson has experienced a kind of renascence. Perhaps because of Netflix’s adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House or possibly thanks to contemporary authors (such as Donna Tartt, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King) who have credited Jackson as their inspiration, enhancing her…
1950s, 1st pov, 20th century, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, ALIENATION, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, blackwood manor, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, class, constance blackwood, creepy setting, fairytalesque prose, favourite authors, female authors, GOTHIC, House As Character, Kafkaesque, manor/big house, merricat blackwood, modern gothic, MYSTERY, occult, psychological, psychopaths, published in 1962, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2017, read in 2018, READ IN 2019, read in 2020, read in 2021, SHIRLEY JACKSON, SISTERS, surreal, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, unreliable narrators, village, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, witchcraft -
Middlemarch by George Eliot — book review
While I won’t be the first or last reader to address the lengthiness of Middlemarch I do think that it’s worth noting that yes it could easily have benefited from a little ‘trimming’. Still, if you can move past its rather daunting size hopefully you will be able to appreciate George Eliot’s elegant and deeply…
1820s, 1830s, 3.5 STARS, A Study of Provincial Life, big books, British author, Celia Brooke, CLASSICS, Dorothea Brooke, drama, Edward Casaubon, england, family, female authors, Fred Vincy, George Eliot, MARRIAGE, Middlemarch, Nicholas Bulstrode, politics, published in 1871-1872, READ IN 2019, Religion, Rosamond Vincy, science, village, Will Ladislaw -
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz — book review
I like to think of myself as a “serious” Agatha Christie fan. With the exception of one or two books—aberrations of some sort—I have always enjoyed reading Christie. I also happen to be a huge fan of the Poirot ITV series (starring the impeccable David Suchet) on which Horowitz has worked on. As Horowitz demonstrates…
3.5 STARS, Anthony Horowitz, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, British author, Contemporary, CRIME, DETECTIVE, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), england, golden age detective fiction, HISTORICAL FICTION, Magpie Murders, male authors, murder investigation, murder mystery, mystery puzzle, published in 2016, READ IN 2019, small town crime, story within a story, village, whodunnit -
The Missing Years : Book Review
The Missing Years by Lexie Elliott ★★★✰✰ 3 stars The story had some potential, which is why I was very frustrated by the way the storyline developed. To begin with, I was absorbed by the setting of the novel: a creepy manor in Scotlandwhere the main character, Ailsa, lived as child. After her father’s mysterious…
1st pov, 3 STARS, BOOK REVIEW, creepy setting, domestic thriller, drama, family, female authors, GOTHIC, Lexie Elliott, manor/big house, missing fathers, missing men, missing persons, modern gothic, MYSTERY, psychological, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, scotland, scottish author, SISTERS, summer reads, SUSPENSE, The Missing Years, THRILLER, village -
The Franchise Affair : Book Review
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey ★★★★✰ 4 stars This was an interesting novel. The tension between the various parties (the accused and the accuser/victim) creates a sense of suspense and the mystery itself is less about ‘who is right and who is lying’ and more about what the court will decide. The Franchise Affair…
20th century, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, BOOK REVIEW, British author, british classics, class, CLASSICS, CRIME, england, female authors, golden age, golden age detective fiction, HISTORICAL FICTION, Inspector Alan Grant, Inspector Alan Grant #3, josephine tey, modern classics, MYSTERY, published in 1948, READ IN 2019, small town crime, SUSPENSE, the franchise affair, village
luce [is reading] 