Patches through Time by Sian Turner - book review

 

Patches through Time
by 

Sian Turner (Goodreads Author)

Sue's review

Nov 24, 2025  ·  edit

really liked it

bookshelves: novels, sci-fi

Patches Through Time is a time travel story with relatable and believable characters and a mysterious device. I enjoyed the book once I got into it, took me a couple of chapters.
The relationship between Jake Patch and his daughter Cassie is beautifully drawn. The Drusilla character is not human, described as a sprite but comes across more of an opinionated instruction manual for the time travel device. We don't get to know what her agenda is.
Details of the historical locations in Hastings, and the people have obviously been well researched and are very convincing. I enjoyed it very much once the momentum kicked in.
The character Lucia, a skilled glassmaker, is very intriguing, I hope the author will write her story too.
This book has been described as a 'young adult' story. It's a label I reject. Patches Through Time is quite suitable for anybody from a well read nine year old to someone of 108 who lived through World War 2.

The Shetland Series by Ann Cleeves

 I have now read all eight of Ann Cleeves original series of books, and I've seen all TV episodes u to the end of series seven. I know I have two more series to look foward to, with a change of lead as DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshal) is replaced by DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen). 

I have enjoyed all of them, print and screen, which has surprised me a bit. I often prefer books to filmed interpretations, but these differ a lot, particularly in characterisation and I have really enjoyed both. Ann Cleeves is a superb writer, grounded in her locations and deeply involved with her characters. 

The TV interpretation of the Shetland stories is excellent, the cinematography and locations are beautiful, enigmatic and give the entire series a noir atmosphere which really suits the stories, although liberties are taken, and only series one and two are based on the stories in the books. The character of Fran, in particular is very different, she doesn't appear at all on TV, she's just Cassie's deceased mum and Jimmy Perez' dead wife. 

The characters of two other police officers, Sandy Wilson and Alison McIntosh (Tosh) are treated radically differently in the books. Sandy (played on TV by native Shetlander Steven Robertson) plays a major role in print, the action is often from his POV and his character's development over the series is almost as good as that of Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall), whilst Sandy's TV role is subordinate. On the other hand Tosh (Alison O'Donnell) is Perez right-hand woman on TV yet hardly gets a mention in the books at all.

The first, two part TV series is based on The Red Bones, which is probably the best of the books, so I'm not surprised they chose this story to begin with. It worked and was popular so series two involved three more books, Raven Black, Dead Water and Blue Lightening. Each story was given two episodes. After that the TV stories diverged from the remaining novels. 

As a fellow writer I will name the TV writers, no more actors:- episodes were written exclusively for the screen by Gaby Chiappe, David Kane, Richard Davidson, Robert Murphy, Alexander Perrin, Paul Logue and Louise Ironside, Later series 8 - 10, which I haven't yet viewed, are by Paul Logue and Denise Paul.

Meanwhile Ann Cleeves, the author, has just published another Jimmy Perez novel, which I'm excited about and look froward to reading. It's her first Perez story since 2018 and is no longer set on Shetland. Ann has said about the book, that she felt there needed to be more to DI Jimmy Perez story. I agree.

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves - review

 I've begun reading The Shetland series by Ann Cleeves, for those who don't know, some of this series has been adapted and turned into a very successful TV series, much of it really filmed for the BBC on Shetland. The TV shows are atmospheric, tense, well acted and visually striking, with a very film noir feel about them.

The books so far (I've read 3 of the 8) are different, a bit more mundane in places, and characters and subplots are different. Red Bones is the third in the book series and I have some memories of the TV production of this storyline. However the book is better, with more character development, particularly for the more minor characters. I won't be reviewing them all, but red Bones is my favourite so far.

Red Bones is set in the small island community of Whalsay, the sixth largest of the inhabited Shetland Islands. The name Whalsay means whale island. The sparse landscape and overwhelming foggy weather is beautifully depicted.

Mima was a mother, grandmother, gossip, floozy or witch, depending on who detective Jimmy Perez speaks to. She was always the life and soul of the island, but who shot her? This tiny community harbours secrets, it lives on lies as well as fishing and crofting

And whose is the red skull dug up by visiting archaeologists?

This novel has some beautifully depicted characters, particularly Mima, Sandy who is her grandson and a junior police officer, and the young archaeologist, Hattie.

I remembered some of this story from the TV series, but the characters are differently drawn, subplots are different and any foreknowledge didn't spoil my enjoyment. Plus I couldn't remember who dunnit! In a way solving the murder was subsidiary to the story of this community and its secrets.

A really enjoyable read, thoroughly recommended.

The Guardians by John Grisham - book review

*** 

Well enough written as you'd always expect with John Grisham. The Guardians contains two of his gruesome scenes, although the first is the worst. I don't read his books very often, I have an increasingly delicate constitution!

The Guardians are a crusading group whose aim is to help wrongly convicted prisoners who are serving serving life sentences or worse, sitting on death row. Their tally of victories stands at eight, there are twenty more men and women on their list who need saving.

If the author never wrote about anything else he'd have twenty more stories here!

Good stuff, but only three stars because I wouldn't read The Guardians again.

The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse

 

The Taxidermist's Daughter
by 

Kate Mosse

Sue's review on Goodreads

bookshelves: mystery, novels, thrillers, whodunnit

This is  a beautifully written historic mystery in a Gothic style, although the word Gothic has been so much abused and mixed with slasher/zombie/vampire tales that it almost demeans the quality of this story. 

I loved it, gripping storytelling, great characters and hugely atmospheric. The Taxidermist's Daughter kept me busy, calm and suitably distracted during a very long and tense day sitting in hospital waiting rooms. For that reason, as well as the great writing, it deserves five stars.

I've not read anything by Kate Mosse before, possibly due to an unconscious and obviously irrelevant association with the fashion industry. I stopped being interested in the fashion industry when I was about 17. I will read more books by Kare Mosse.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton - book review

 

Sue's Reviews > Birnam Wood

Birnam Wood
by 

Eleanor Catton

Sue's review

Apr 23, 2024  ·  edit

really liked it

bookshelves: just-bought, novels, thrillers

Bit of a slow burner which begins with a lot of character building, then plot building, then massive plot progression until by the rather overwhelming end you're not sure who to empathise with.
Very well written and I finished reading it in the early hours, then couldn't sleep.
Did I enjoy it? Yes probably, I've never read a novel set in New Zealand before which gave it added interest.
Would I read another by Eleanor Catton? Yes, definitely.

Birdgirl: A Young Environmentalist Looks to the Skies in Search of a Better Future - book review

 This is an important book 

Birdgirl: A Young Environmentalist Looks to the Skies in Search of a Better Future
by 

Mya-Rose Craig (Goodreads Author)

Sue's review

Dec 21, 2023  ·  edit

bookshelves: biog-memoir, might-read again

This book may appear to be about a girl's love of birds, certainly there are a lot of birds in it, but Birdgirl is far more than that. The young author's parents and sister also love birds and in many ways this love cements the family group in times of stress, pain and illness.

The story is of a girl growing up with a permanently stressed father and a mother who has a serious mental illness. The coming of age happens when the girl finally realises that her mother will never be cured, but will always love her. And when she realises that her calling is to fight for the whole environment, not just for the birds.

And the family's passion for birding, for travelling to the far corners of the world to sit, still and calm for hours waiting for the right bird to appear, is vividly described. And their concentrated joy when the bird appears brings brings tears to the eye.

This is a lovely book, a girl's growing-up story, a tale of birding and mania, travel and depression, racism, sexism and radicalism, enchanting places and enduring friendships.

I felt above all it's a family story because without the love, passion and support of her parents, Mya-Rose Craig might be a much more ordinary young woman. She wouldn't have become who she is today.
Birdgirl is a good read so be patient, you don't need to totally share her passion for birds to find the story fascinating.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - book review

 

We Were Liars
by 

E. Lockhart (Goodreads Author)

Sue's reviews

Aug 15, 2023  ·  edit

really liked it

bookshelves: novels

A rather remarkable, engrossing story, almost a five star, it deserves a four and a half but the system is flawed, without nuance.

We Were Liars is a story of privilege and despair, from the mind of a fifteen year old girl named Cadence. Only the privileged can call their daughter Cadence, but her first name is the least of her problems. Her surname is Sinclair which is a much bigger issue.

The author remembers what it's like to be a teenager while too many adults don't, which is understandable. Being fifteen is not fun, you possess the body and urges of an adult yet you still have the self-restraint and understanding of a child. You get things wrong.

No spoilers, read the book.

Finding Dora Maar : An Artist, an Address Book, a Life by Brigitte Benkemoun, translated by Jody Gladding - Book Review

 Sue's Reviews 

Finding Dora Maar: An Artist, an Address Book, a Life
by 

Brigitte Benkemoun,

 

Jody Gladding (Translation)

Sue's review

Jul 05, 2023  ·  edit

really liked it

bookshelves: biog-memoir, art-history, art-and-artists

Fascinating book about the Surrealists in Paris especially photographer Dora Maar who knew them all. Her photographs are every bit as strange as the more contrived work of some of the others associated with the surrealist movement.

The fascinating thing about Brigitte Benkemoun's book is that it's based on a chance find at an online auction. She bought a used vintage diary and found Dora Maar's address book at the back. This happenstance is pure Surrealism, I love it.

As for the book, some great research has gone into the writing and I will definitely read it again.

A Cornish Odyssey by Axel Forrester - book review

 

 A Cornish Odyssey

A Cornish Odyssey (The Odyssey Books)
by 

Axel Forrester (Goodreads Author)

Sue's review

Jun 10, 2023  ·  edit

really liked it

bookshelves: funny, might-read-again, novellas

A small book I bought at the Hastings Bookfair, containing a very enjoyable story of pirates, chocolate cake, love and mermaids, all encountered on a life-changing walking holiday in Cornwall. I read it quickly, sitting outdoors on a June evening, swifts shrieking with joy over my head.
This is a lovely read, funny, moving and with a satisfying ending.

Good Friday #Tennison 3 by Lynda La Plante - book review

 

Good Friday

Good Friday (Tennison, #3)
by 

Lynda La Plante

Sue's review

May 16, 2023  ·  edit

liked it

bookshelves: thrillers, mystery, novels

Half way through this - so far so mediocre. The plot is unfolding, the main character Jane Tennison is building but it's all a bit slow. Too much mundane detail, I'm sure this is to obscure the details which are relevant to the storyline but it's becoming tedious - no actually it became tedious before I was quarter of the way through. I shall keep going because it will get faster, it has to!

Okay I finished it, the finale was exciting and gripping. No spoilers.

However I do stand by what I said when I was half way through. Apart from the explosion at a tube station which was over in a flash, with not a huge amount of description, there was a level blandness with mundane description slowing the narrative down. I didn't need to be taken through the details of how to make spaghetti Bolognese! I could see that this was part of the author character building and distracting the reader with misleading information. But the fact that I could see it happening was a but off-putting. Shouldn't a write of the stature of Lynda La Plante disguise their technique a bit better?

I do admire her scripts and I know this is not the first of her Jane Tennison prequal books. I will read the others, hoping they will have more narrative action and less about ball gowns.

Reading in the Bath - Final Draft By Shelley Burbank

 Lying in a warm bath, in my right hand my copy of Final Draft by Shelley Burbank - a brand-new novel just imported from the USA - and a glass of sauvignon-blanc in my left, should be sheer luxury. 

Certain facts could diminish these luxurious elements, in some people’s eyes. Starting at the top, the dated Artex ceiling and polystyrene coving are slowly parting company with each other and the plastered walls. The spider plant atop the bathroom cabinet has browning tips, its trailing babies are all brown and mama spider is calling, loudly, for water and light. 

There is the wash basin which doesn’t drain properly no doubt due to something grim lurking down in the U-bend.  The shower cubicle is slowly growing its own dark ecosystem, not helped by the charcoal soap somebody gave us for Christmas. Charcoal soap stains everything grey and is the ultimate gift that nobody needs, ever.  The 1970’s green wall tiles (every random 10-15th of them covered in ambiguous flowers) are detaching themselves from the walls and the corner I’ve painted to pretend it never was tiled doesn’t even convince me. Meanwhile the carpeted chipboard floor is slowly disintegrating just behind the toilet… who puts carpet in a bathroom…?

I'm well aware of all these negatives and I don’t care! I've always loved to read in the bath, whatever the state of the bathroom. Today I have this new book in the genre I’m currently into, detective fiction, written by an author I know, well we chat online.  And the book is immediately engaging, I’ve reached page 56 before I notice that the water is cooling down. I could chose to stay put, deplete the reservoir further and vastly increase the gas bill, but not tonight. 

Washing is in order. I’ve been gardening and don’t fancy sleeping with my pollenated, earthy and leaf mould dusted self.  There is an ingrained order to washing which does seem mostly logical. Around the eyes first, then the rest of the face. Next the hair, then moving down the body ending with cleaning between the toes. My grandmother would not approve of hair washing in the bath. 

In my grandparents household, time was an element to be obeyed. Getting up time, breakfast time, teeth-cleaning time, playtime, elevenses – a time by its very name. Then after lunchtime there was walk time, a march to the creek to feed the swans and ducks with rice, crusts and fly-walk. Teatime was followed by bath-time, with absolutely no reading. All ablutions were timed even more carefully than meals. Hair-washing-time was not the same as bath time. It involved a twice weekly ritual of standing on a stool bent double over the wash-basin while Granny poured enamel-mugfuls of warm water over my head and, inevitably, up my nose.  Grandfather even tried to control his bowel movements to a strict timetable, with pots of senna-pods stewing on the Aga every evening. Luckily he didn’t attempt this regimen on anyone else.

And now I'm clean. I still have 236 pages of this novel still to read. The writing is fresh, easy and engaging, the story intriguing and the protagonist identifiable. I have five more bath times to look forward to, before the pages start to sag in the moist heat. Luxury!

The Eye of the Wind by Peter Scott - Book Review

 

The eye of the wind.
by 

Peter Markham Scott

Sue's review on Goodreads

Mar 11, 2023  ·  edit

shelves: animals, biog-memoir, non-fiction

This book belonged to my mother, or my father, not sure which. I quite enjoyed reading it despite a large part being taken up by Peter Scott's wartime experiences as a junior naval officer. His very detailed exploits are written with concise language, sometimes belying the excitement and tragedy of the events he describes.

Early in life Peter Scott's main claim to fame was as son of the ill-fated Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott. Before WW2 Peter was making a living as a painter of portraits and wildfowl and I was initially mostly interested in his art and relationship with wildlife and the countryside. He was also a very keen sailor, to Olympic standards and flew light aircraft and gliders. He gives the impression of a person who couldn't sit still for long.

There's no avoiding the fact that as a young man Peter Scott was a hunter who spent much of his 20's working out the best ways to trap and shoot animals, mainly wildfowl. However later this leopard changed his spots, realising eventually that he couldn't reconcile his love for birds, especially geese, with the activity of regularly slaughtering them. His understanding of the birds habits and experience of luring and trapping them were put to good use studying them, ringing them and in collecting live ones which eventually formed the foundation of the Wildfowl Trust flocks at Slimbridge, which he set up in the early 1950's.

I remember being taken there as a child to meet the geese, my father was a huge fan. I know that we met the ne-ne's or Hawiian geese, a species which Scott was certainly responsible for saving from extinction. So hunter or not, he was a great conservationist.

The Lives of the Surrealists by Desmond Morris - book review

 I will return to this book more than once, I'm sure. It contains brief but useful biographies of a number of the surrealists, 32 in all, compiled by an author who was one of them, albeit a late comer. Desmond Morris shows us that some very famous artists, including Francis Bacon, Henry Moore and Picasso, who are not generally described as surrealists were nonetheless closely engaged in surrealism. 

Morris was part of the British tranche of surrealism and personally knew many of those he writes about, giving the writing sometimes a humorous, gossipy quality. As an anthropologist and the author of The Naked Ape, he knows about we humans with our quirks and urges.. Some people have criticised this slightly irreverent take but he says himself, in his introduction, that his intention was not to contribute to the vast quantity of tomes on Art History, but to tell briefly the human lives of his chosen Surrealist artists, which he does in a readable and entertaining way. He's also been criticised for the inclusion of only one work of art by each artist. Anyone who has ever tried to compile such a book about artists will understand why he hasn't included more; getting permission to include works by known artists is incredibly difficult and printing good colour reproductions is expensive.  

Just a shame he didn't chose to write about a few more of the women involved in the movement. To include Roland Penrose with barely a mention of Lee Miller is impolite and to largely ignore such artists as Toyen, Ithyll Colquhoun, Dora Maar, Remedios Varo, Kay Sage and Claude Cahun - not to mention Frida Kahlo, which he doesn't - is almost inexcusable.

Granny Made Me An Anarchist by Stuart Christie - book review

 

  Granny Made Me An Anarchist

Sue's review

Dec 02, 2022  ·  edit

liked it

bookshelves: biog-memoir, non-fiction

Interesting and sometimes disturbing memoir of ideas, activism, establishment plots, political imprisonment and other events in the life of a young Glaswegian anarchist in the 1960's and 70's.
Those were times when so many young people really wanted things to change and didn't want to wait. I do know, I was there for some of it. Things certainly have changed, but not necessarily in all the ways which we hoped for.
Plenty of relevant detail in this well-researched, heartfelt and thoughtful book which anyone seriously interested in UK politics and activism in those times should read. This history isn't covered in conventional reports.

And the title is great!