January 2014
Welcome to Fife’s libraries reader reviews newsletter. All books reviewed in this newsletter are available from Fife’s libraries. To find out which libraries have these books, to make a request or share a review, visit www.fifedirect.org.uk/readingroom What’s New? Seventy Seven by Andy Murray How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Dust by Patricia Cornwell Books Reviewed this month The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
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The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz Cold Killing by Luke Delaney The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter by Malcolm MacKay An Englishwoman in New York by Anne-Marie Casey The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman All editions of Right Guid Read are available on www.fifedirect.org.uk
Reader Reviews The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Don Tillman is a socially challenged genetics professor who's decided the time has come to find a wife. His questionnaire is intended to weed out anyone who's unsuitable. The trouble is, Don has rather high standards and doesn't really do flexible so, he's not having much success in identifying The One. When Rosie Jarman comes to his office, Don assumes it's to apply for the Wife Project and duly discounts her on the grounds she smokes, drinks, doesn't eat meat, and is incapable of punctuality. However, Rosie has no interest in becoming Mrs Tillman and is actually there to enlist Don's assistance in a professional capacity: to help her find her biological father……….. An original book that is funny and moving at the same time, It does not have a conventional love story format and is a refreshing change. One of my favourite reads from last year. Highly recommended.
The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz I loved this book - reading these short stories ( based on sessions between patients and a psychoanalyst) is like lifting the curtains on the lives of your friends and neighbours and, yes, even yourself... It was even longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award 2013. A very interesting read. This title is available in Large Print and Spoken Word from Fife’s Libraries.
Cold Killing by Luke Delaney A series of brutal killings leaves South London’s Murder Investigation Unit struggling to connect the crimes: no recognizable method; no forensic evidence; and the victims have nothing in common. DI Sean Corrigan’s troubled past has left him with an uncanny ability to identify the darkness in others – a darkness he struggles to keep buried within his own psyche. Sean knows these murders are the work of one man. As the violence escalates, Sean must find the evidence he needs to bring the perpetrator to justice – before the next attack hits too close to home… What a first novel— fast, thrilling, authentic and scary. Fantastic! This title is available in Spoken Word from Fife’s Libraries.
Reader Reviews The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis The Twelve Tribes of Hattie follows the fortunes of Hattie Shepherd and her family, spanning over fifty years. Each chapter is a linked short story featuring first Hattie, then focusing on individual children, with the final story coming from a grandchild's point of view. This meant that sometimes I found it difficult to remember character’s names. However, it allows us to see how the characters change over time and to see people from different perspectives. It is a powerful, uncompromising and really emotional read. This title is available in Large Print and Spoken Word from Fife’s Libraries.
The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter by Malcolm Mackay I was really looking forward to reading this as it is the start of a new crime thriller set in Glasgow and it didn’t disappoint. The story focuses on Calum MacLean's life as a hitman, setting out his observations as to what makes a successful career, his worries about being drawn into an organisation rather than operating as a freelance, and the lead up and aftermath of killing Lewis Winter. It is a gripping and gritty story of “gangster land”. I can’t wait to read the next two books in the trilogy. This title is available in Large Print from Fife’s Libraries.
An Englishwoman in New York by Anne-Marie Casey When Lucy's husband loses his job and is relocated to New York, she is forced to give up her posh London life and move to a tiny Manhattan apartment. Homesick and resentful at first, Lucy soon finds herself embarking on an exhilarating new affair - no, not with her husband, although she is surprised to find they do still love each other, but with the city itself and the three women she meets at the school gates who, against all odds, become her friends…….. This is an easy read which is very smart and funny set against the backdrop of a vibrant, bustling New York. Very readable.
Reader Reviews The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence Alex Woods goes from age 12 to age 17 during the course of this story. He's a geeky sort of lad to whom extraordinary things happen right from the outset . Alex is one of life's outsiders for reasons I won't reveal but his quiet determination to do what he feels is right in every situation and hang the consequences is both touching and thought provoking. This is a book that is based on twists and events so I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to give too much away. This is a fabulous comic debut but also a quirky, warm and tragic novel that I was sad to finish.
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani There was something about this book, right from the start that got me hooked. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was, but from the moment I picked it up, I wanted to keep reading. The storyline itself is quite simple - Thea has been sent away to the riding camp by her parents. At first we don't know anything about the reasons why, only that Thea sees it as a punishment for something she has done. Whilst she gets to know the girls at the camp, Thea is able to enjoy herself surrounded by the riding that she loves so much. As the book progresses, we are given tantalising glimpses into Thea's home life. Slowly we are drip fed information which helps us build up a picture of not only the life Thea lived before the camp but the series of events which led up to her being sent away. I loved the style of the book and found the descriptions of the people, the relationships and even of the camp to be brilliantly evocative. A fantastic coming of age novel. This title is available in Large Print from Fife’s Libraries.
Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman In her hey-day, ex FBI agent, Brigid Quinn, not only worked serial killer cases but became their prize. Small and blond, from a distance she looked vulnerable and slight...the perfect bait to catch a killer. But as Quinn got older, she realised she needed to find a protégé, a younger field agent to take her place. So Quinn trains a twenty-two year old and lets her loose in the field. The plan works. Until the Route 66 killer not only takes the bait, but kills the bait. Years on, Quinn is trying to move past the fact that she has a young woman's death on her conscience. She's now the perfect Stepford Wife - until she gets a knock on her door. The girl's body has finally been discovered. Quinn is pulled back into the case and the more she learns about the killer the more she comes to believe, despite the overwhelming forensic evidence to hand, that they have the wrong man…..All I can say is Wow—a complex, tense and exciting thriller. I hope there is a sequel!
New Titles Seventy Seven by Andy Murray Andy Murray is one of Britain's best loved athletes. On the 7th July 2013 he became the first British man to lift the Wimbledon trophy for 77 years. His new book, Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven, will take us on a personal journey through his career. Focusing on the last two dramatic years, he will share with us his thoughts on the pivotal moments of his playing career and allow us a glimpse into his world his intense training regime, his close-knit team and his mental and physical battle to get to the very top.
How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern She has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love – with his own life. Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate – but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him that before then she can show him life is worth living . …...
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
Dust by Patricia Cornwell After working on one of the worst mass killings in US history, Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta returns home to recover, but an unsettling call drives her straight back to work. The body of a young woman has been discovered inside the sheltered gates of MIT, draped in an unusual cloth and posed in a way that is too deliberate to be the killer's first strike. A preliminary examination reveals that the body is covered in a fine dust that under ultra-violet light fluoresces blood-red, emerald-green and sapphireblue, and physical evidence links this to another series of disturbing homicides in Washington DC…..