A Month of Reading from Wine, Books and More

Here’s a look at the highs and lows from a month of reading from Wine, Books & More - beginning with the books that were stand-out great reads.

One reader found the classic Graham Green novel Our Man in Havana such an entertaining and at times hilarious read. The story follows a boring Englishman in Cuba who is asked to be a spy by MI6 and who starts making up stories that strangely come true. Brilliantly written – a five-star read.

Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams has also garnered the full five stars. This is a beautiful love story, says our reader, told in parallel points of view by main characters Nicholas and Isabel. It explores life, destiny romance and faith.

Nick Cutter’s novel The Troop is about a group of boy scouts that becomes trapped on an island. It was everything that you want from a book according to one reader. With really well-crafted characters it makes you feel uncomfortable but in a good way. It all comes together well with a particularly fitting ending.

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McNorris is based on a famous American photo of four children who were apparently for sale. A journalist takes the photo, and it rockets him to stardom. The book follows his journey to find out what happened to the children. It’s a fictionalized account of the real story but blurs the line a bit, basing it on possibilities of what could have happened. Our reader said they wouldn’t normally read something like this, but it tugged on their heart strings. A 5-star read with a lovely ending.

Don’t Stop Believing by Eve Langlais is the third book in the Midwife Mulligan paranormal romance series. It’s the story of a 40+ witch discovering her heritage while also dealing with body image issues and menopause. Our reviewer found the series really funny and gave this book four-stars.

Hannah Kent is the author of historical fiction (Burial Rites; The Good People) but her new book, Always Home, Always Homesick, is her memoir. It describes how as a 17 year old, Hannah spent time in Iceland as an exchange student from Australia and discovers the story that became inspiration for her break-out novel. On her exchange, she moves between families based at the top of Iceland and develops a love of the place. She goes back to Iceland multiple times over her life. Our reader really enjoyed the book, finding it a very interesting read.

Another reader raced through King of Ashes by S A Cosby - recommending all of his books and currently reading through everything he’s written. Although they follow a formula he does it extremely well. Each story is very similar to a Jack Reacher novel but with different protagonists in each book, each main character getting into a situation by trying to help and then it explodes in their face. The characters all have various special skill sets that help them with the situation. Set in Virginia, USA, this book also achieved 5 stars.

Among the disappointing reads were Night Wars by Graham Masterton, a horror novel in the Night Warriors series. The premise is that the night warriors of the title are an ancient order that protects us in our dreams. While the characters were well-written and the plot was certainly creative, beyond that the book had little to recommend it. The ending in particular made no sense. Just didn’t like it, said our reader.

Another disappointing read was Before You Leap, a standalone mystery by Keith Houghton. One reader said it was just a lot of waffle for the first quarter of the book, but by the halfway mark you could guess the ending. The main character lives in Florida, hoping for peace of mind since the murder of his twin sister. The release from jail of the person believed to be the killer throws past events into doubt. Don’t waste your time on this one was the verdict.

The Secret Year of Zara Holt by Kimberley Freeman is a fictionalised account of the woman who became the wife of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt. Holt became famous for going missing while swimming in the sea. The story follows the couple's forty-year relationship and Zara’s burgeoning career as a fashion designer. A promising idea, this reader thought the book didn’t seem very well researched.

Two readers who each enjoy quite different books agreed in their dislike of Guilty by Definition by lexicographer and TV quiz panelist Susie Dent (8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown). The book is a mystery that follows a dictionary editor as she searches for her missing sister. Our first reviewer found this town vs gown book very pedantic and said it seemed to drag, using way too many over-the-top words. Our second reviewer agreed and said the author seemed to be trying to be a bit too clever.

It can be a problem when you enjoy a particular author so much you expect all their books to be of the same high standard. This was the case for one reader and their ongoing enjoyment of mysteries by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Unfortunately My Soul to Take – the second book in the Thora Gudmundsdottir series - was disappointing. Published in 2009, the novel focuses on a murder committed at a former farm turned health resort that also happens to be haunted.

Wine, Books & More meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 5:30 at Hastings War Memorial Library.

Posted by Mya

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