Read in 2026 - 18: The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things

Arundhati Roy

Although this was a highly acclaimed bestseller in the late 1990s, I've never read it until my book-swapping friend A. lent it to me a while ago. Unintentionally, it is very rare for me to read a book either by an Indian author or set in India - or both; the last one I can remember was "The White Tiger" by  Aravind Adiga, read in 2010 and strangely enough not reviewed on my blog.

The God of Small Things has its own wikipedia entry here.

It is a great book, but also a terrible one; I felt the same with "The White Tiger" and also with the two books I have read by Khaled Hosseini ("The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns") and never written reviews on my blog, so I guess it must have been before 2010. Yes, I know it's a different country and different culture, but there are parallels.

Back to the story:

Twins Rahel and Estha are raised by their mother, divorced from their father, in the family home in southern India with their grandmother, uncle and great-aunt. The family are reasonably well off, owing a small pickles factory.

Their uncle studied in Oxford, married an English woman and they had a daughter; when they divorced, he returned to India. When his ex-wife's second husband dies in a car crash, the uncle invites her and their daughter to India for a holiday.

From the start of the book - which jumps back and forth between the 1960s and the 1990s - it is clear that terrible things will happen, and the lives of everyone who survives will be changed forever, including the twins.

But what actually DOES happen and how the family and others around them handle those events is revealed slowly, with the reader having that feeling of inevitability, like a river running its unstoppable course to a waterfall.

The author uses language like architecture, with recurring elements and designing known words into different spellings; for example, to describe a child waking up from her afternoon nap as being A Live, A Wake, A Lert.

Much of what the children think, feel and do is plausible, based on my own experience as a child; you understand some things instinctively on a deep level while others remain a mystery; you use some words the way they are supposed to bbut at the same time create your own; you do as your told but you also do what YOU think you have to do; you get into trouble without meaning to but you can also mischievously create trouble deliberately.

I am not going to tell you more about the plot, in case you wish to read this for yourself. Look up Arundhati Roy on wikipedia to learn more about her and her work; she is a fascinating person. 

Read in 2026 - 17: Murder at the Hedgerow

Thistlewood Manor: Murder at the Hedgerow 

(An Eliza Montagu Cozy Mystery, Book 1)

Fiona Grace

 

Once more, on my trips to and from work and O.K.’s, I’ve been reading a free ebook on my Kindle, the first in a series to get readers interested so that they’ll buy more.

This was a bit different to most of my “first for free” reads,in that it was set in the 1920s, not in our time.

 

Eliza Montagu is one of four grown-up children of a wealthy English family, but unlike her siblings she has left Thistlewood Manor, the opulent family home, in order to escape the restrictions and expectations put on her by society in general and her mother in particular.

Living in a flat in London and financed by her father, she spends her time painting and supporting the Sufragette movement, happily believing she can make a real difference.

Then a letter from her mother arrives, summoning her urgently back to the manor, and she returns home for the first time in three years.

 

The reason for the urgent summons was not the emergency Eliza imagined and worried about. Instead, she finds herself at the centre of her family’s attention more than ever before and is on the brink of returning to London in a huff when an important house guest is found dead – and she appears to be the main suspect.

 

Of course this would not be the first in a series if Eliza really was convicted for the murder, and of course she solves the mystery while at the same time uncovering more secrets.

The author prepares the ground for new mysteries, because not everything that is hinted at in this book is entirely explained, and not all threads end.

 

I did enjoy this but not enough to buy the next books in the series. The writing style was pleasant enough, but thoughts and observations were sometimes repeated unnecessarily, as if readers are prone to forget things from one chapter to the next.

Still, it was easy entertainment with little challenge except for my patience when another repetitive paragraph came up and I sighed inwardly, thinking along the lines of “Yes, I know – you already said that”.

 

The 1920s setting made for some interesting elements such as how different life was for men and women, members of wealthy families as opposed to servants and workers.

We certainly have our share of current day problems, but honestly – I believe that most of us are much better off nowadays. Or can you imagine your parents choosing your spouse for you, you not being able to vote, have a decent job and your own place to live in just the way you like?

 

Fiona Grace is a very prolific writer; unknown to me until now. Her website is here.

Read in 2026 - 16: The Predicament

The Predicament

William Boyd

This is the second novel of a yet-to-be completed trilogy featuring Gabriel Dax, travel writer and involuntary spy. I read the first book, "Gabriel's Moon", last year; click here for my review if you are interested.

Because I liked the first book so much, my sister gave me this one for my birthday in March, and I enjoyed it maybe even more - a delight to read, very well written, meticulously researched, and leaving me looking forward to the third book (which I wouldn't mind not being the last).

Just like before, the characters are fully fleshed-out and (mostly) plausible in their actions. We meet some of the key figures of the first book again, but new people are also introduced. Gabriel is his usual self; wanting to go back to his normal life where he travels not for some mission or other he is asked to accomplish for the MI6 (or the Russians), but to do research and take photos for his successful travel books. He is a decent man with a compassionate heart, a good example being the way he deals with another author who accuses him of plagiarism. 

But once a spy, always a spy, it seems, and so he finds himself in Guatemala first and in Berlin later, both trips only outwardly having to do with his next book.

His stay in Berlin is planned to coincide with John F. Kennedy's speech there, and although I am nowhere near as familiar with my country's capital as my sister, I can relate to much of what is described in the book (of course, it is a very different place now than what it was like in 1963, but I know enough history to perceive the atmosphere as quite authentic).

If I may point out just one minor error I noticed: On a day in late June 1963, Gabriel participates in a raid where the police hope to get hold of a suspect planning an attack on Kennedy during his speech. He meets his fellow spies at 5:00 am and describes the morning as completely dark, pre-dawn. Now, I was reading this particular chapter in late May, and I knew that it was definitely NOT dark anymore at 5:00 am, and would have been even less so in late June. The internet is very useful for such things, and I found out that in late June in 1963, sunrise in Berlin was at around 4:40 am - meaning that 5:00 am will have been nice and bright, not dark at all. This error surprised me, because it doesn't fit in with the otherwise very precise and accurate detail William Boyd provides - and it would have been so easy to get it right.

But this is just me being picky, and rest assured that it did not diminuish my pleasure in reading "The Predicament".

I really am looking forward to Gabriel Dax' next adventure!

Read in 2026 - 14, 15

Lantern Slides

Edna O‘Brien

 

It is rare for me to read short stories, but my book-swapping friend lent me this paperback and of course I read it.

And of course I persisted and read every story, even though I must admit I was largely underwhelmed.

 

Maybe it’s just me – perhaps short stories aren’t my type of literary genre, perhaps I wasn’t in the right mood, perhaps I didn’t “get” the messages (if there were any), perhaps I simply expected something else after having read the praise on the back of the book.

In any case, I found most of and much about the stories neither captivating nor satisfying.

 

They all left me with a degree of sadness (while not really caring) about the way the characters were dealing with their lives in general and other people in particular.

The “Irishness” of the stories was largely coming from references to Catholic habits, traditions and narrowmindedness (by this I don’t want to accuse all Catholics of being narrowminded, but the characters in the stories certainly are when it comes to thoughts and behaviour based on their religion).

 

Out of the 12 stories, there was only one I liked, and I am not at all sure that the author’s intention was to have readers “like” them, let alone bond with the characters. 

To be fair, I should mention that I enjoyed the style of writing and choice of words. As I said, I guess it's just me, and the high praise is fully deserved.

I was familiar with the name Edna O’Brien but as far as I remember, I had never read anything by her before.

And I must say that I am not planning to give her work another try anytime soon.

The Deadly Detective Agency

Ann Parker

 

In contrast to my previous read, this one was delightful, and I was almost sorry to reach the end.

 

Abigail wakes up one morning, feeling good and unusually well rested – until she realises that she is dead.

A bit at a loss of what to do and where to go, especially once it becomes clear that nobody can see or hear her, she leaves the house (walking right through doors and walls is of course new to her and somewhat exciting) and walks around in the village.

 

Eventually, she meets a man who can see and hear her – another ghost.

Terry introduces her to a group of ghosts who for various reasons have not “passed on” yet.

 

By now, Abigail is convinced that she did not die of natural causes but was murdered, and her new friends are ready to help her solve her own murder.

 

I don’t want to tell you too much, in case you want to download and read this free ebook from Amazon’s Kindle store, but it won’t surprise you that the ghosts manage to find out who killed Abigail, and why.

 

Because they all enjoyed having something to do that made sense and was fun, they start a detective agency, and funnily enough, it does not take long for their “business” (money is not involved, since they would of course not have any need for that) to pick up and their first ghostly clients to appear.

 

This really was a nice, relaxing read. There was humour and quirkiness but also some emotional scenes and food for thought; nothing was overdone, the humour not too daft, the emotional bits not too cheesy and the characters (dead or alive) rather plausible while at the same time the supernatural premises gives the whole thing an interesting twist without being over the top or getting on your nerves.

As is so often the case, this freebie is the 1^st in a series about the “Deadly Detectives”, and I would not mind reading more – especially #2 in the series, called “The Deadly Pub Quiz”.

 

The author was unknown to me. Her author’s profile on Amazon is here.

Read in 2026 - 12, 13

It's no news to my regular readers that I almost always parallel-read two books, one on my kindle while I'm on my way to and from work etc., and a "real" one (not that ebooks aren't real) at home.

My last parallel-reads were these two:

Faithless

Karin Slaughter

A paperback I bought for 2 euros from the second-hand stall run by the church once a month in the town centre, this one will next go to my book-swapping friend Andrea who then can decide whether she'll donate it back to the church for another round, keep it, throw it away or give it to someone else.

Early on in the book it becomes clear that this is not the first one about medical examiner Sara and her ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey, as well as Jeffrey's partner Lena. The couple literally stumple upon a terrible crime, its investigation bringing to light even more terrible secrets.

It was a gripping story, and if you don't mind gory details, this book is for you. But I DO mind, even though some of the detail was important to the story; also, I found much of the dialogue unnecessarily lengthy. In short (!), the book could have been more to the point, and although especially towards the end the story picks up speed, it could have gained from being better paced.

But that's just my impression; maybe I simply wasn't in the mood for this kind of crime thriller. Karin Slaughter is a very popular author, but I doubt I'll be actively seeking out more of her books. Her website is here.

Murder in the Family

Kurt Berwick

This free ebook from Amazon's Kindle shop was something of a strange read: Most - but not all - of it is in letters, and there is very little actual storytelling.

We meet various members of the Quilter family; the "present" time is 1928, while the events the story is about have taken place in 1900: One family member was shot in his bedroom, with only the family being in the house at the time, and freshly fallen snow clearly shows that nobody entered or left before or after the deed. 

28 years later, one son of the victim has become more and more convinced that he, a teenager back then, must have done it - why, he can't explain - but somehow amnesia must have wiped out the actual event from his memory. To help him see that it can't have been him and gain peace of mind, one of his sisters asks the family doctor for help who in turn engages a crime analyst.

The analyst only has a bundle of letters to examine and still comes to a satisfying conclusion - but only the VERY end of the book reveals the truth.

It was an unusual book but still pleasant to read, although I found it confusing that almost all family members were adressed alternating between two names. For instance, one of the sisters is called Judith but the letters to her start with "Dearest Marie", while Jonathan is also Daniel, and Robert is Henry... Why?!

I could not find out more about Kurt Berwick, other than that he is a contemporary author and has written quite a few books available on Amazon and listed on Goodreads.com.

Read in 2026 - 11: The Wonders of the Wild Places

The Wonders of The Wild Places

Rachel Lister Jones

If you look at the cover of this book and you know me a little, you will instantly see why it attracted me at first glance: 

The cover is in blue and yellow (my favourite colour combination), the cover art is a lino or wood cut reminding me of Angela Harding's work (which I like very much); I enjoy being outdoors (especially in woodland) and I love reading non-fiction.

This book had it all, I thought when I spotted it at the National Trust Shop at Fountains Abbey last summer, or maybe it was at The Little Ripon Book shop. I would have bought it there and then but knew that adding anything more to my luggage wasn't a good idea. Instead, I took a photo of the book cover, and when later in the year O.K. asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I sent him the photo. He duly ordered the book for me, and I was happy to unwrap it on Christmas Day.

When I began to read it a while ago, though, I was disappointed at first: There is hardly a page - or even a paragraph - without errors. Some chapters show less errors, so I guess there must have been some editing; it just wasn't done thoroughly or systematically. Also, I found the lack of structure exhausting. Yes, there are chapters (divided by habitat, such as woods, farms, the Sea and so on), and at the end of each chapter neatly headlined sections list why each habitat is so important, what's threatening it, what's being done to save it and what each of us can do to help.

But from the start to each chapter until those sections at its end, paragraph follows upon paragraph with no space between them, nothing to make you pause and think a little before you move on to the next description of a species. As an example, the first chapter has 20 pages of unstructured information - a lot to take in.

Having said that, I found the information so good and important that I persisted reading, and I am glad I did; I got used to the many errors and pouring out of information and just think how much this otherwise truly wonderful and important book would have profited from proper editing, which clearly wasn't done.

Rachel Lister Jones knows a great deal about nature, be it plants or animals or terrain or water. She also lets us have a glimpse of her sense of humour every now and then, and she is obviously a keen walker and good observer. 

When she wrote this book in 2022, the UK (as almost all the world) was in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic with all its restrictions, and it is interesting to read how this influenced her experience and outlook. Four years later, we know that unfortunately, the brief period of recovery for the natural world did not last, and there are more cars on our roads and more plastic is being produced than ever.

Anyway, if you love nature and can find this book at your local library, I encourage you to give it a go. If Rachel Lister Jones and her publisher should ever decide to print a new version of the book, I'd strongly recommend systematic editing and structuring.

Read in 2026 - 10: The Blackmail Man

The Blackmail Man

Stephen Hudgell

A book hardly worth my attention and time – but still I persisted to the end, because strangely enough I began to care for one of the main characters, and for a while it wasn’t clear where the story was heading, and I was curious as to how it would play out.

 

Ginger is a convicted criminal just released from prison who has nothing better to do than plan for more crimes. This time, he is certain to make his plan work and yield enough money to leave the UK once and for all, to spend the rest of his life on some tropical island with all the booze and female company he wants.

Quite by chance, he meets Frank, CEO of a local company. Over a pint they start talking, and convinced that Ginger is determined to live straight after having served his sentence, Frank offers him a job.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as intended, and Ginger swears revenge.

 

He now turns his hand to blackmail, and when his victim threatens to expose him, murder is his obvious next step.

 

Frank, who has been enlisted by the victim to help get to the bottom of the blackmailing, can’t let Ginger get away with the money AND murder.

He unwillingly teams up with a friend, but Ginger isn’t outwitted so easily…

 

What kept me reading on was curiosity where the events were leading and wanting to see Frank come out of it all without too much harm.

The basic idea of the story was interesting enough: Can a perfectly upright person, trusted husband and father, loyal employee and hard worker, become involved in criminal activities but still fight for their values?

Can a criminal be truly bad to the core, with nothing kind about him at all?

 

From the perspective of following through with these ideas, the book wasn’t a total waste. But the writing was so bad and full of errors that I really was tempted more than once to just leave it.

It wasn’t overly long and kept me sort of entertained during several trips to and from work, and of course I did not spend any money on this free ebook from the kindle store.

It was my first and will remain my only read by this writer. I couldn't find much information about him, but there are several books by him available from Amazon. Hopefully (for him), this was a starter and his writing (and whoever has done the editing!) has improved since.