Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

 Kennedy writes with a deliberate sense of tension, drawing us into a tight-knit community at a time of political unrest and beliefs....(the Troubles in Northern Ireland)

This is a story of a young Catholic school teacher falling for an older married Protestant barrister, add to the mix the family of one of her pupils and you have a recipe for disaster. 

I had no expectations when I chose this one, so whilst it isn't a stand out tale for me, I did appreciate Kennedy's attempts in giving us both sides of the conflict.

The Library Enthusiast on Choices...

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney

 A domestic drama/mystery which you will need to persevere with initially as Feeney lays down the foundations of her story. 

With quite a few characters to get to know and to understand how they all interconnect, it can become a little tiresome at times. 

But don't be put off, it's worth the journey and there are some excellent moments where you think you 'get it' only to be thrown another possibility.

My advice is to enjoy the slow unwrapping of this tale about motherhood and daughters and just how complicated that relationship can be...

The Library Enthusiast on almost 'getting it'...

Reflecting on Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Ericka Waller

 It took me very few pages to realise that I was going to be an emotional wreck during the reading of this one.

Waller's writing is beautifully tender, with genuine moments of humour as her characters interact with each other.

Goodbye Birdie Greenwing explores relationships between family and friends, it's about hope and loss. Its about learning to live with the decisions we make.

Even though you know Birdie is going to die (spoiler alert) Wallers writing allows you to believe that something else might just happen...you know like when the runaway train is stopped at the last minute or the plane manages to land safely in a corn field...

Wallers writing gives you that sense of positivity even when you know it isn't realistic.

So yes, be prepared to have your heartstrings pulled as you connect with Birdie, Jane, Min (bleddy love Min), Frankie and Ada. 

But trust me, it's worth the snotty noses and tears, because by the time you close this book you will be so bleddy glad you did!

The Library Enthusiast and Good Books...

My Thinking on Graham Norton's book Frankie

 Have to say this is my first Graham Norton book and yes I found it enjoyable but does it make me want to rush out and read more by him?

Probably the honest response would be no, this doesn't mean I wouldn't choose to at some point, but right now I am not in a hurry to read books that whilst offering us likeable characters and an often entertaining story line, it for me, didn't really go beyond that... 

(I can imagine all the avid Norton book fans shaking their heads at my thoughts) 

Please don't think I haven't appreciated the amount of research Norton most likely did to portray his depiction of past eras in his tale of 'Frankie' but I'm sorry I just found her way too passive for me to connect with.

I think I want more from my stories, and that's ok, what a boring world of book readers we would be if we all loved the same tales.

The Library Enthusiast and Books...

My Sentiments on All The Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker

 I recently discovered Whitaker's books and let's just say I haven't looked back since.

What you get with Whitaker is some wonderful broken characters with a purity of depth and soul, if you want to understand what I am very poorly trying to express here is please go read 'We Begin at the End'

(I am still recovering from reading that one so I have not yet felt able to write a review that will do it justice, yes Mr Whitaker you are that talented!)

So what makes this a good story? 

Lets just be honest and admit we need to connect with our hearts as well as our minds when we read a book, we need to appreciate the subtle darkness and light of who we are becoming connected to. Whitaker does this effortlessly when he gives us Summer, Raine, Noah and Purv...and all the rest.

This is a crime tale with a difference, it is truly traumatic and at times unsettling in its character studies, but don't let that put you off.

Whitaker is a master of giving us what we don't realise we need.

Until the next time Mr Whitaker...

The Library Enthusiast on Darkness...

My Perspective on Helen Sarah Fields book These Lost & Broken Things

Initially I was sceptical of attempting this one by Fields, I don't usually consider historical fiction my most favourite thing to read, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

What sets this apart from what I have imagined other historical thrillers to do too much of is in the details, yes we get a sense of time and place, which is crucial to ensure we know this is indeed 'historical' fiction but what Fields does particularly well is not to go all out and give us a complete history lesson...we get just enough information to appreciate the characters and their stories.

The Library Enthusiast and Bookish 

Problem # 346

 

The Devil Stone by Caro Ramsay

 DCI Caplin is a troubled detective from Glasgow, she is a complex character with family issues and a past that is only hinted at in this, her first outing...

I did struggle with keeping tabs on the many characters, particularly the various detectives....good cops bad cops became a juggling act of remembering which was which!

So in a nutshell this is an engaging tale but not particularly straightforward, meaning if you prefer an easy read this one might frustrate you a little.

Having said this, I will be interested to see what Christine Caplin gets up to next...

The Library Enthusiast & Souls...