"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

I hadn’t read any Hemingway before so I didn’t know what to expect. This is essentially a book about a man who catches a fish. However, the richness of the character and the descriptions are absolutely captivating. The battle of wills between an old fisherman past his prime, and a large and noble fish is deeply engaging. The experience and emotions felt real and authentic. This is not the kind of book I wouldn’t normally gravitate to, but I read it as part of s desire to read more classic literature, and I’m glad that I did.

My rating: ★★★★☆

"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame

This is a difficult book to review. I didn’t find the story at all engaging, and had difficulty finishing the book - I just didn’t want to pick it up again. I found the character of Toad infuriating, and his continued vacillation between bad behaviour and being contrite didn’t appear to convey any kind of meaningful message. The characters of Mole, Rat and Badger were amiable but shallow. I’m not sure why it is a classic.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

"The Thick and The Lean" by Chana Porter

The Thick and the Lean is, in part, a veneration of food and cooking. Set in a world where eating is taboo, the core characters engage in a surreptitious love of the pleasures and sensations of eating well cooked food. It is also a study in deceit and power.

The plot tracks the progress of the two main characters as they navigate their love of food through a society where there is an extreme disparity between the richest and the poorest, and where there is a burgeoning climate crisis. The parallels with current events is clear, but not at all heavy-handed. For me, the story ended up with too many loose ends, but this is a personal preference and does not detract from the power of the story.

The two main characters have depth and complexity, and felt very real. I found myself drawn to them, and wanting good outcomes - albeit in very different ways for each. The supporting cast was also diverse, although with few being especially memorable.

There are themes that some people may find difficult: disordered eating and relationship with food; a free and relaxed attitude to sex, both in public and outside marriage; and the deceitful conduct of one of the main characters. To me, however, these were all justified, and contribute to the colour and depth of the dystopian world in which the author so successfully explores ideas of exclusion, class disparity, and social power.

Thank you #NetGalley and Titan Books for the free review copy of #TheThickandtheLean in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★★☆

NetGalley Review

"Red Dust, White Snow" by Pan Huiting

I was drawn to this book for the intriguing concept, with the promise of an overlap of reality and fantasy. For me, though, it didn’t deliver on the promise. Ultimately, the encroachment of fantasy on reality turned out to be quite pedestrian, albeit in a light fantasy/sci-fi context. The reveal that happens about three quarters of the way through the book is underwhelming and, while it had philosophical consequences, I didn’t find them engaging.

The style of the writing in many places got in the way of the story-telling: use of language was unnecessarily elaborate in places, and the brief explanations of the meanings (and mythical background) of some of the supporting characters and spirits was unnecessary and jarring. Overall I was left with the impression that the author was showing off with use of language and myth, which I found a little alienating rather than impressive.

The plot was split across two worlds - the reality and the fantasy - although very little actually happened in either world. There seemed little purpose to much of the plot, with rarely any conflict or jeopardy. The main protagonist had some interesting characteristics - notably the deliberate distancing from friends and colleagues. These characteristics supported her willingness to engage wholeheartedly in the fantasy world, but ultimately they were under-explored and unresolved, and I found her difficult to relate to.

An interesting concept, but the book was not for me.

Thank you #NetGalley and Fairlight Books for the free review copy of #RedDustWhiteSnow in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

NetGalley Review

"Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" by James Nestor

I was hoping for much more science-based, actionable information in this book. Use of the word ‘science’ in the title is misleading if you’re hoping for that. The author was part of a scientific study, and he shares his experience with that, but that’s where any notion of the scientific method ends.

Certainly a large take-away from this book is “breath through your nose” (albeit with only anecdotal support), but I already do, so that was of passing interest only to me. The rest of the book was superficial and anecdotal stories of a variety of breathing techniques and exercises - which, while interesting, lack the depth and background to be life-changing. Perhaps this is unsurprising, given the author is a journalist rather than a medical practitioner.

Overall, a disappointment.

My rating: ★★☆☆☆

"Pundamentalist: 1,000 jokes you (probably) haven't heard before" by Gary Delaney

I laughed out loud a lot reading this. But then, Gary Delaney writes exactly the kinds of jokes I enjoy the most. Loved it.

My rating: ★★★★★

"Starter Villain" by John Scalzi

This is a lightweight romp with a well paced plot, some interesting ideas, and some good (if not great) characters. The premise that the main character, Charlie, gets sucked into a world of high concept (and quite polite) villainy after the death of his uncle is an excellent set-up for this fish-out-of-water tale.

Charlie is new to the world of villainy, but he has some moments of clarity as he navigates through the potential pitfalls, aided by a small cast of supporting characters. I particularly liked his closest “colleague”, Matilda Morrison - whose pithy and slightly aloof take on a lot of the activity is a nice contrast to some of the more stylised thugs in Charlie’s new circle of acquaintances. If you’re looking for depth and emotion in the characters, then you won’t really find it here - but that’s not what this book is about. The plot unfolds nicely, and comes to a conclusion with all of the loose-ends tied up in ways that you wouldn’t necessarily expect - but I personally would have liked a slightly different outcome.

For me, the talking cats and dolphins were a nice addition (I particularly enjoyed the dolphins) - but other reviewers have mixed opinions about this.

Overall, this was a page-turner for me, with the plot and the enjoyable set-up pulling me forwards through the story.

Thank you #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the free review copy of #StarterVillain in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating: ★★★★☆

NetGalley Review