Blogger-Inspired Wishlist is a
feature where I post recent additions to my wish list, which had been inspired
by reviews from my fellow bloggers. It includes some synopsis, as well as some
excerpts of the review which have intrigued me, complete with a link to the
blogger's original post.A memoir, two crime fictions, two
love stories, one historical fiction, and one reflective novel. That's what
I've compiled this time, thanks to reviews/post of these amazing book bloggers:
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
Synopsis:Shot through with the indulgent
pleasures of life among New York’s one-percenters, Pineapple
Street is an addictive, escapist novel that sparkles with wit. Full of
recognizable, lovable—if fallible—characters, it’s about the peculiar
unknowability of someone else’s family, the miles between the haves and
have-nots, and the insanity of first love—all wrapped in a deliciously funny,
sharply observed debut of family, love, and class.
From Liz's review:"
It’s often very funny,
skewering family pretensions, and there’s a hilarious note near the end where a
house basically takes its own revenge, but also there’s quite a lot about how
difficult it is to be super-rich and not know whether people are going to take
advantage of you, explaining why the super-rich only hang out together.
It’s also competently written and
plotted and nicely structured; we don’t realise until a long way through the
book the import of the person centred in the Prelude, for instance, and there
are some plot doublings and echoes that come to light as we progress which are
very nicely done. And there is a lot of humour in it."
A Summer Surprise at the Little
Blue Boathouse by Christie Barlow
Synopsis:When Bea Fernsby discovers her
fiancé’s eyes have been wandering, she calls off the wedding and hits the road.
The village of Heartcross in the Scottish Highlands is about as far away from
home as she can get, and when she stumbles into the ideal summer job at The
Little Blue Boathouse and meets gorgeous vacationer Nolan Hemingway, things
finally start looking up.
Now, as an old mystery surfaces
and Bea and Nolan band together to find out what happened to his late
grandfather’s one true love, fate throws Bea some unexpected curveballs…and
promising opportunities.
From Liz's review:
"I loved the details of
running the boathouse which we find out as Bea learns the ropes, and there’s a
super theme about keeping people safe. Not to mention there’s a light aircraft
towing a proposal that offers a tantalising glimpse of the next novel to come …
Long may Barlow keep producing these delightful novels!"
When in French by Lauren Collins
Synopsis:When in French is a
laugh-out-loud funny and surprising memoir about the lengths we go to for love,
as well as an exploration across culture and history into how we learn
languages—and what they say about who we are. Collins grapples with the
complexities of the French language, enduring excruciating role-playing games
with her classmates at a Swiss language school and accidentally telling her
mother-in-law that she’s given birth to a coffee machine. In learning French,
Collins must wrestle with the very nature of French identity and society—which,
it turns out, is a far cry from life back home in North Carolina. Plumbing the
mysterious depths of humanity’s many forms of language, Collins describes with
great style and wicked humor the frustrations, embarrassments, surprises, and,
finally, joys of learning—and living in—French.
Police at the Funeral by Margery
Allingham
Synopsis:The imperious Great Aunt Caroline
Faraday runs her old Cambridge residence like a Victorian fiefdom, unconcerned
with the fact that it's 1931. Furniture and meals are heavy and elaborate, both
motorcars and morning tea are forbidden on account of vulgarity. The Faraday
children--now well into middle age--chafe at the restrictions, but with no
money of their own, they respond primarily by quarreling amongst themselves.
The illustrious Faraday family endless squabbling is tedious, but the tense
tranquility is punctured when Nephew Andrew vanished without trace one Sunday
morning after church, only to be found dead in a secluded stream.
Albert Campion must untangle a web
of family resentments, little does he expect to be greeted by a band of
eccentric relatives all at daggers with each other. He must unravel a
chillingly ingenious plot, strewn with red herrings to get to the real secret of
the Faradays.
From Simon's review:
"It’s a very satisfying
solution, with enough clues along the way that we don’t feel cheated. I loved
the set up with the horrendous family. I don’t remember finding
Allingham’s writing so enjoyably funny and dramatic before, so this was a
goody."
The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag
Synopsis:In the Altai Mountains of northern
Mongolia, the nomadic Tuvan people’s ancient way of life is colliding with the
pervasive influence of modernity. The first and only member of the Tuvans to
use written language to tell stories, Galsan Tschinag chronicles their
traditions in this fascinating, bittersweet novel.
From Marian's review:"
As with so many great novels
from around the world, it was the universality of the themes that really
grabbed me. In fact, much of the book reminded me of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s
Little House series—she, too, was writing autobiographical fiction from a
child’s perspective, and both authors lived hard lives compared to our
modern-day circumstances.
Loss features in both stories, as
well as farming practices and hardships. it carried a sincere gentleness that I
did enjoy, and the uniqueness of the setting makes it very worthwhile. There is
beauty, joy, and sorrow here, but no romanticism."
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip
Williams
Synopsis:It is 1914, and as the war draws
the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running. Two
of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrowboat in
Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press. The Bookbinder of
Jericho is a story about knowledge--who creates it, who can access it, and what
truths get lost in the process.
From Brona's review:"
Through Peggy’s eyes we see
the hardwork, effort and pride that went into making these lovely editions. She
loves books and words and grabs any chance to read a line, a paragraph or a
page. For most of the girls though it is just a job. For Peggy it is a chance
to gather knowledge, soak up new ideas and glimpse another world. One where a
poor, working class girl can not only get an education but attend the women’s
college, Somerville, just across the road from the bindery. The Bookbinder of
Jericho has a lot more to offer lovers of well-researched historical fiction
than a ‘town and gown’ story. There’s the war of course, and the story of the
nurses and female ambulance drivers. The Bookbinder of Jericho is a rich,
satisfying story full of memorable characters and fascinating historical
details."
Murder on Black Swan Lane Andrea
Penrose
Synopsis:In Regency London, an
unconventional scientist and a fearless female artist form an unlikely alliance
to expose unspeakable evil . . .
The Earl of Wrexford possesses a
brilliant scientific mind, but boredom and pride lead him to reckless behavior.
He does not suffer fools gladly. So when pompous, pious Reverend Josiah
Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, Wrexford unsheathes his
rapier-sharp wit and strikes back. As their war of words escalates, London’s
most popular satirical cartoonist, A.J. Quill, skewers them both. But then the
clergyman is found slain in a church—his face burned by chemicals, his throat
slashed ear to ear—and Wrexford finds himself the chief suspect.
From Rachel's review:"
The whole book is thoroughly
enjoyable, especially if you enjoy lots of Regency slang and fashion and other
period-correct details, plus a dastardly plot to untangle, but without delving
into sordidity. Although there are some ugly murders, and some violence toward
children, the book does not devolve into grisly, preferring to remain grimy but
not gruesome."
Have you own/read these books? Can you guess which book I've instantly bought after this? ;)
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