Crime novels

Book Review – Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I have to admit I’ve sort of abandoned my plan to reread every Agatha Christie book. I started it ages ago and knew that it would take me ages. Not because her books take that long to read but because I didn’t want to suffer from burnout. Still, I haven’t really been keeping up with it this year. I think the last Christie book I read was back in December. Although, it’s not as if I read a great deal in 2022. I only picked up 4 of her books. Absolutely abysmal when compared to the 16 I got through in 2021. So, I’m going to try and improve this year. I’ve still got over 30 to get through so I need to get cracking. To get me started, I finally listened to an audiobook I’ve had in my library for too long. I normally like Hugh Fraser’s narration but surely David Suchet would be even better, right? At least Poriot would sound familiar.

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Book Review – The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

While I was away, I didn’t get quite as much reading done as I expected. I took 4 hardbacks and my Kindle just to be safe. In the end, I finished 2 and got halfway through a third. Not bad but not what I was hoping for. It gave me time to finish this one, and I’m glad I finally read it. I’ve been putting it off for a while because I was worried about how I’d feel about it. I mean, how long can Janice Hallett keep going with her gimmick before it gets old? I love the DIY approach to crime fiction but it doesn’t really leave room for the depth I’m looking for. Then there’s the fact that I was disappointed with her second book. I’d told myself that this book would be the decider. If I didn’t like it then I would probably avoid any future books. At least ones with the same conceit. So, there was a little extra pressure on this one than normal. Would I enjoy it?

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Book Review – The Accident on the A35 by Graeme Macrae Burnet

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Between the publication of Graeme Macrae Burnet’s first Georges Gorski novel and the second, he had become a Booker-shortlisted author. The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau didn’t get a great deal of attention when it was published. I’m not saying that the second book got loads but it certainly benefited from being the writer’s follow-up to His Bloody Project. I first read Adèle Bedeau last year and enjoyed it. When I stumbled across the audiobook of the sequel at the library, I decided it was time to get through book 2. There’s a third one on the way at some point, so at least it would leave me in a position to read that at some point.

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Book Review – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

It’s been a while since I last read an Agatha Christie novel and I haven’t read anything festive this year. So, I decided to combine both in one go. I haven’t read Hercule Poirot’s Christmas for a while but I did watch the TV adaptation last year. It seemed like the best kind of book to pick up just before Christmas. At a time when there is so much going on and there’s always some distraction. I was planning to read each part on the designated day but that didn’t work out. In the end, I just smashed through it on Boxing Day. It was exactly what I needed.

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Book Review – The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau by Graeme Macrae Burnet

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When is it possible to say for sure that an author is one of your favourites? How many of their books do you need to have read before you can make that claim? Even after reading His Bloody Project, I was sure that Graeme Macrae Burnet would be in a position to earn that title. Then I read Case Study and it only confirmed how much I enjoy his writing. In order to get the full experience, I also bought copies of his other works but, as usual, it took me a while to get around to them. When I found the audiobook version of this book in my library’s catalogue, it seemed like it was the right time to do so. So, I listened to it during work with the hope that I could finally bestow the all-important title on the Scottish author.

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Book Review – The Bullet That Miss by Richard Osman

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

Every time I browse the Waterstones website I stumble across another celebrity who has written a book. I blame Richard Osman. I understand that it’s not actually down to him but his success as a writer hasn’t helped. It’s as if publishers have finally realised that star power is a thing. Part of me is excited that people I like are writing books for me to read. The rest of me is slightly sad that these people are handed massive deals when other writers aren’t given a chance. After all, it doesn’t always work out. I’ve read plenty of celebrity novels that just fell flat.

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Bookish Post – August 2022 Reading Wrap-Up

books, wrap-up
Teacup on top of vintage books.

Number of books read: 7
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 1
Number of ebooks: 0
Number of audiobooks: 5
Number of ARCS: 0

In previous years, I’ve started off slowly and sped up as I got closer to December. This year, it feels as though the opposite is happening. I’m only getting slower. It doesn’t help that I’ve had a lot of social engagements recently. It’s also due to a lack of motivation. Maybe 2022 had too strong a start and I’m burnt out?

5* reviews: 0
4.5* reviews: 0
4* reviews: 1

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Book Review – Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch

books, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Sorting out my library card has been an absolute revelation. I’m so annoyed that I gave so much money to Jeffrey Bezos for Audible when I could have been doing this. Admittedly, there isn’t a lot of choice and most of the books I want to listen to are already taken. On the other hand, it means that I can listen to books I wouldn’t have wanted to waste a credit on. Like this one. I’d heard about this book but didn’t really pay much attention. I’ve read a couple of Herman Koch’s books before and didn’t really rate them. In my opinion, The Dinner is massively overrated and Summer House with Swimming Pool was disappointing. So, I didn’t expect much from this one but, as it was free, I decided to try it out.

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Book Review – How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My family holiday was lovely overall. There was one awkward moment when, during a day at the beach, I revealed this baby. I don’t think any of them trusted me for the rest of the week. I swear they were hiding the knives just in case. There were definite side-eyes over the dinner table. It was probably a mistake to pick this as one of my holiday reads but I was desperate to finally read it. It sounded like such a fun book. Like a bit of a British American Psycho.

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Bookish Post – July 2022 Reading Wrap-Up

books, wrap-up
Teacup on top of vintage books.

Number of books read: 7
Number of rereads: 0
Number of physical books: 4
Number of ebooks: 0
Number of audiobooks: 3
Number of ARCS: 0

5* reviews: 0
4.5* reviews: 0
4* reviews: 0

So, July didn’t exactly work out as I intended. It started with me getting Covid and I never really made up for lost reading time. Then my final week was spent on holiday with my 3-year-old niece and 1-year-old nephew. Meaning there wasn’t much time for reading in between playing and going on adventures. I still managed to get a few things off my TBR, so it’s not a complete disaster and I’m still ahead of my yearly target.

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