I’ve always enjoyed reading ever since my grandmother gave me my first book at age 10. Some years I read a lot of books, and some years not so much. In 2015 I read 76 books, a number I haven’t been able to match since.
Last year my intention was to read twenty-one books, but I fell one short of my intention. Seventeen of the books were from the library and three were from my own bookshelves. Of the twenty books, I finished all but two, and there is one missing from the list, as I forgot to write it down.
My favourite book this year was Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny. She is a fabulous writer. The books are set in Quebec, Canada and the fictional town of Three Pines, a place so small it isn’t even on a map, a place filled with interesting, and mostly likeable characters and murder.
My least favourite book this year was Hattie’s Home for Broken Hearts. I don’t want to give too much away, but the title is a complete misnomer. From the title, you would assume that Hattie runs a home for broken-hearted people, but that just isn’t the case. I also just couldn’t warm up to the main character. The book got a rating of 4.12 on Goodreads, so maybe it’s just me.
My goal this year is to read at least twenty-two books most of which will be from my own shelves as I have seventy-eight books waiting to be read, but there are a few on my “Want to Read” list that I will borrow from the library.
Kent, 1940.
In the idyllic village of Chilbury change is afoot. Hearts are breaking as sons and husbands leave to fight, and when the Vicar decides to close the choir until the men return, all seems lost.
But coming together in song is just what the women of Chilbury need in these dark hours, and they are ready to sing. With a little fighting spirit and the arrival of a new musical resident, the charismatic Miss Primrose Trent, the choir is reborn.
Some see the choir as a chance to forget their troubles, others the chance to shine. Though for one villager, the choir is the perfect cover to destroy Chilbury’s newfound harmony.
Uplifting and profoundly moving, THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR explores how a village can endure the onslaught of war, how monumental history affects small lives and how survival is as much about friendship as it is about courage.
The Dig by John Preston 3/5
In the long hot summer of 1939, Britain is preparing for war. But on a riverside farm in Suffolk there is the excitement of another kind: Mrs Pretty, the widowed farmer, has had her hunch proved correct that the strange mounds on her land hold buried treasure. As the dig proceeds against a background of mounting national anxiety, it becomes clear though that this is no ordinary find ... and soon the discovery leads to all kinds of jealousies and tensions.
John Preston's recreation of the Sutton Hoo dig - the greatest Anglo-Saxon discovery ever in Britain - brilliantly and comically dramatizes three months of intense activity when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivalry flourished in equal measure.
Hattie's Home for Broken Hearts by Tilly Tennant 2.5/5
Hattie was once thrilled to call the beautiful city of Paris her home. But when her heart is broken by her boyfriend and she loses her dream job, she bids farewell to the city of love and hurries home to Gillypuddle, a sleepy village on the Dorset coast. But as she returns home she finds her parents struggling to cope with a terrible family tragedy.
In a desperate search for a new start, Hattie takes a job at the donkey sanctuary nearby on Sweet Briar Farm where Jo, the taciturn owner, certainly loves her animals far more than humans. Hattie can’t help but fall in love with the donkeys (and the opportunity to get close to dreamy Canadian vet Seth) but Jo is harder to get to know and when she finds her boss sobbing in her sleep one stormy night, she knows that her new friend is hiding a dark secret.
And when handsome newspaper reporter Owen does some digging into Jo’s past he finds something that connects her to Hattie on a whole new level. Can Hattie trust what Owen says, especially when he seems intent on standing in the way of her blossoming romance with Seth? And can Hattie help Jo to start healing and the donkeys of Sweet Briar Farm?
The School at Thrush Green by Miss Read 4.5/5
As two schoolteachers plan for their retirement, readers witness the challenges they face leaving their old home and learning to drive. Once again Miss Read will satisfy fans with her happy blend of nostalgia and authentic flavour.
Village Fortunes by Rebecca Shaw 5/5
Things are heating up in the village of Turnham Malpas. Now comfortably settled in the Big House, Johnny and Alice Templeton are over the moon at the arrival of their second son. But Johnny's roguish younger brother, Chris Templeton, is visiting from Brazil and causing not a little trouble in the village. For Ford and Mercedes Barclay, returning to the village after all these years - and after Ford's shameful imprisonment - is a big step. Will they be welcomed back or shunned? And will Ford be able to convince people he's a changed man? While most of the villagers greet the pair with open arms, there are those who still have their doubts. Meanwhile, poor Fran Charter-Plackett has some important decisions to make about her future. With all her siblings having flown the nest, the pressure is on her to decide what to do with her life. And when her parents discover Fran's shocking secret, things really start to get messy.
Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon 4/5
Who is Pietr the Latvian? Is he a gentleman thief? A Russian drinking absinthe in a grimy bar? A married Norwegian sea captain? A twisted corpse in a train bathroom? Or is he all of these men? Inspector Maigret, tracking a mysterious adversary and a trail of bodies, must bide his time before the answer can come into focus.
The Late Monsieur Gallet by Georges Simenon 4/5
A devastating tale of misfortune, betrayal, and the weakness of family ties, newly translated for the Inspector Maigret series
In the third Maigret mystery, the circumstances of Monsieur Gallet's death all seem fake: the name he was travelling under, his presumed profession, and, more worryingly, his family's grief. Their haughtiness seems to hide ambiguous feelings about the hapless man. Soon Maigret discovers the appalling truth and the real crime hidden beneath the surface of their lies.
Teacher, Teacher by Jack Sheffield 4/5
It's 1977 and Jack Sheffield is appointed headmaster of a small village primary school in North Yorkshire. So begins Jack's eventful journey through the school year and his attempts to overcome the many problems that face him as a young and inexperienced headmaster.
The many colourful chapters include Ruby the 20 stone caretaker with an acute spelling problem, a secretary who worships Margaret Thatcher, a villager who grows giant carrots, a barmaid/parent who requests sex lessons, and a five-year-old boy whose language is colourful in the extreme. And then there's also beautiful, bright Beth Henderson, who is irresistibly attractive to the young headmaster...
Warm, funny and nostalgic, Teacher, Teacher is a delightful read that is guaranteed to make you feel better, whatever kind of day you've had.
The White Cottage Mystery by Margery Allingham 4/5
The mysterious recluse Eric Crowther was murdered, he lived in the gaunt house whose shadow fell across the White Cottage, much as the man himself overshadowed the lives of the occupants of the little white house. Indeed, as Detective Chief Inspector W.T. Challoner soon discovered, seven people had good cause to murder him. Everyone ought to have done it, but by the evidence nobody had. The seven suspects, all with excellent motives for killing the hateful Eric Crowther. So it was not lacking evidence but rather a surfeit of it that sent Challoner and his son Jerry half across Europe in pursuit of the trail. He collected their secrets. And he used them. But which of these long-time sufferers had found the courage to pull the trigger? And should this benefactor really be prosecuted?
Mister Teacher by Jack Sheffield 4/5
It's 1978, and Jack Sheffield begins his second year as headmaster of a small village primary school in North Yorkshire. There are three letters on his desk - one makes him smile, one makes him sad and one is destined to change his life forever. This is from nine-year-old Sebastian, suffering from leukaemia in the local hospital, who writes a heartbreaking letter addressed to 'Mister Teacher'. Jack tries to help, and so begins a journey through the seasons of Yorkshire life in which the school is the natural centre of the community.
There's a colourful cast of characters who accompany Jack through the ups and downs of the school year including Vera, the school secretary who worships Margaret Thatcher and whose greatest ambition is to become President of the Women's Institute; Ruby, the 20-stone caretaker who sings like Julie Andrews; and Dorothy, the coffee shop assistant who is desperate to be Wonder Woman. Most of all, there is the lovely Beth Henderson, a teacher from a nearby school, who with her sister Laura presents Jack with an unexpected dilemma.
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny 5/5
When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder.
None of them had ever met the elderly woman.
The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane?
When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.
But it isn't the only menace Gamache is facing.
The investigation into what happened six months ago—the events that led to his suspension—has dragged on, into the dead of winter. And while most of the opioids he allowed to slip through his hands, in order to bring down the cartels, have been retrieved, there is one devastating exception.
Enough narcotic to kill thousands has disappeared into inner-city Montréal. With the deadly drug about to hit the streets, Gamache races for answers.
As he uses increasingly audacious, even desperate, measures to retrieve the drug, Armand Gamache begins to see his own blind spots. And the terrible things hiding there.
Finding Home by Roisin McAuley 3.5/5
Louise and Rebecca, good friends since their BBC days in Belfast, are searching for a suitable location to shoot a movie about Elizabeth I. As they stumble across Wooldene House, they meet owners Diana and Henry. Widowed Diana yearns for a new romance, while Henry is increasingly drawn to Louise.
The Little Village Christmas by Sue Moorcroft 3.8/5
Alexia Kennedy – interior decorator extraordinaire – has been tasked with giving the little village of Middledip the community café it’s always dreamed of.
After months of fundraising, the villagers can’t wait to see work get started – but disaster strikes when every last penny is stolen. With Middledip up in arms at how this could have happened, Alexia feels ready to admit defeat.
But help comes in an unlikely form when woodsman, Ben Hardaker and his rescue owl Barney, arrive on the scene. Another lost soul who’s hit rock bottom, Ben and Alexia make an unlikely partnership.
However, they soon realise that a little sprinkling of Christmas magic might just help to bring this village – and their lives – together again…
Settle down with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine as you devour this irresistibly festive Christmas tale. The perfect read for fans of Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.
Test of Wills by Charles Todd 4.5/5
In 1919, Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge remains haunted by World War I, where he was forced to have a soldier executed for refusing to fight. When Rutledge is assigned to investigate a murder involving the military, his emotional war wounds flare. It is a case that strikes dangerously close to home--one that will test Rutledge's precarious grip on his own sanity.
