27 Kane and Abel Jeffrey Archer
It kind of has, and hasn’t, stood the test of time. The huge blockbusting sagas of the 1980s seemed magnificent back in the day and I remember loving both this and the sequel. But then I was 17. The story itself stands the test of time I think. The writing though is just too “and then he did X, and she did Y, something really momentous happened and then they did Z” It almost reads as if it was written specifically to be adapted into a TV mini series (probably starring Bobby from Dallas) It was a nice easy-going not taxing read. Not sure I’ll reread the sequels anytime soon.
28 Put On By Cunning Ruth Rendell
The 11th Wexford. Something about flutes and identity. Wexford and Dora go to America which didn’t help. Disappointing ultimately. Possibly my least favourite RR/Wexford.
29 Toast. Nigel Slater
Well. Erm.
I'll start by saying: I’m a fully paid up member of the Nigel fanclub and a rereader of The Christmas Chronicles. I'm someone who Nigel once replied to on Instagram and my fangirl heart beat hard and fast….yet I’m also someone who read his Eating for England book years ago and thought what an arrogant, impatient, unpleasant twat he came across as and I'm someone who can’t watch him on TV because that slightly wanky arrogance comes through with his waxed bits of cheese “just waiting to be turned into a luscious soup”. I also remember when Toast was on telly thinking how unaware do you have to be to think your memoirs are worthy of a screenplay when you’re a chef. Or, as he likes to put it, a writer who cooks, or a cook who writes, can’t remember which.
So, my relationship with Nigel is fraught. But never more so than with Toast. I’d completely missed the brief I realised very quickly as the “a child’s hunger” strapline and his endless mentioning in other books about walking barefoot in the snow 49 miles to get to school etc had me under the impression he was a bit poor. And that he’d been abused by his evil stepmother after his saintly mother died. And that he was an only child. None of these turn out to be true. They have domestic staff, they are clearly wealthy. He has brothers.
He was clearly a difficult child. Very close relationship to his mother. Utterly foul to his stepmother. I’d say any “abuse” came pretty much from Nigel himself to his father's second wife tbf and felt very sorry for her. His snobbishness at the fact that his father had married the charlady shines through.
Then there’s the sex. And coming across perverts with their dicks out. A lot. Certainly far more often than I imagine the average child does. And Nigel seems to take great pleasure in telling us all about it. And having perverts try and get him involved with their dicks. Quite bizarre really. And I’m no prude. The dick anecdotes just made him sound like a 13 year old crashing bore, and a bit of a one himself.
Reading the reviews on Goodreads, I see I’m not alone in this. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. Someone (publisher? Editor? Counsellor?) has done a job on Nigel. In his recent books, and on TV and his blogs and articles, he is the consummate nice guy. His earlier writing belies that and makes you thankful you’ve never been the victim of his ire when you’re too slow counting your change at the checkout. Ultimately I think Toast doesn't know what Nigel wants it to be (at that stage in his writing career) The food bits were nice. The dicks I could do without.
30 When God was a rabbit Sarah Winman
Frankly, after Nigel and his pervs and dicks I could have done without more pretentious codswallop. Children, coming of age, fantasy friends ,real friends with big problems, more dicks being whacked out at inopportune moments in front of an inopportune audience. Didn’t care what happened to any of them half way through, and confess to skim-reading the last bit. In competition with The Brighton Mermaids for stinker of my year.
31 Never Mind the Quantocks Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie on hills and hiking. Was hiking in Austria at the time so fit the bill perfectly.
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Slow Horses Mick Herron
Late to every party, but this was GOOD. Exciting, witty, scary, thrilling, interesting, clever. Spooks with a twist for the 21st century.
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Cold Earth Ann Cleeves (Shetland 7)
Police procedural. Shetland. Whiny Jimmy Perez and women who want him while he only wants dead Thingy. I’m a bit bored of Jimmy now tbf and am not sorry the series is drawing to a close. They’re getting a bit predictable. From the beginning you’re paying close attention to the person in the family who is peripheral and making up the numbers because it’s going to be them what did for the vic. Always. They’re fairly well written, and AC writes the nature bits better than the crime and human interaction bits. This is going to make me sound awful as well- I don’t think she writes young people very well.
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He said she said Erin Kelly
Decent enough premise crime/thriller etc. Liked the Eclipse bits. Drip of a heroine and utter arse of a hero. Kept waiting (for probably 100 pages more than was necessary- one for the JK “is there an editor in the house?” pile) for the twist in the tale but it never came. I’ll probably read others if they come up as 99p Kindles.