August Reads

 

August was a good reading-month with eight books from a variety of genres and in two different languages. What's more, there wasn't a bad story among these titles.

MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE (Irish Village Mystery #1) by Carlene O'Connor (3.5*)

After her parents’ untimely death in a car accident, Siobhan O’Sullivan is trying to keep the family’s bistro afloat and her siblings under control when a man is found sitting in the bistro with pink scissors protruding from his chest. When her brother is accused of the murder, Siobhan decides to investigate. I liked the book well enough but didn’t love it. For starters, it could have done with an extra round of editing. It also read like a book written specifically for the American market. The Irishness of the characters and the language they use felt like a parody.

A RECIPE FOR MURDER by G.S. Revel Burroughs (5*)

A clever, well-written, and captivating mystery. I enjoyed the book from start to finish and found it difficult to put my Kindle down.

A SUNLIT WEAPON (Maisie Dobbs #17) by Jacqueline Winspear (4.5*)

Much more than ‘just’ a mystery as what starts out as a local investigation into somebody taking potshots at spitfires and shooting at least one out of the sky meets international intrigue involving Eleanor Roosevelt. As always, I thoroughly enjoyed this Maisie Dobbs story.

ONE BAD APPLE by Jo Jakeman (4.5*)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing is smooth, and the story captured my attention from the start. The characters in this book were recognisable as were the interactions between them. At times reading the book was a little like watching a car crash in slow motion as slowly but steadily relationships and reputations unravel. All of it kept me captivated from the opening paragraphs until the surprising and unconventional ending.

A FRONT-PAGE MURDER (Poppy Danby Investigates #1) by Fiona Veitch Smith (4*)

Previously published under the title The Jazz Files. While this is more a crime caper than a mystery and I did roll my eyes on quite a few occasions while reading A Front Page Murder, I had a hard time putting this book down. This story is pure entertainment for anybody who enjoys their mysteries with a generous helping of shenanigans. And while I think I prefer the Miss Clara Vale mysteries by this author, I’m pretty sure I’ll return to Poppy Denby’s adventures before too long.

FRIENDS OF DOROTHY by Sandi Toksvig (5+*)

I adored this book. It’s almost certainly going to be (one of) my favourite book(s) this year and goes straight to my ‘extra-special’ list. There is so much to love on these pages. Quirky and charming characters, lively dialogue, and not a boring moment, make this a memorable read. Friends of Dorothy is a delightful book! So much so that I want to live in Grimaldi Square, be part of that world, and become one of Dorothy’s friends.

WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart (4*)

A story about four teenagers told by one of them, Cadence, as she tries to remember what happened two years previously. As the title of the book indicates, we’re dealing with an unreliable narrator; one who isn’t telling the (whole) truth, even to herself because her memory fails her. When the truth eventually emerges it comes as a huge shock, both to Cadence and to the reader. The writing was a bit flowery and over-descriptive to my liking at times but, given that the story is written from a teenager’s perspective and that teenagers are prone to exaggerating, I guess it fits the story.

GA JE ER OVER SCHRIJVEN? (ARE YOU GOING TO WRITE ABOUT IT?) by Herman Koch (4.5*)

A memoir/autobiography inspired by the author’s diagnosis with terminal prostate cancer but about so much more than just the disease and how he deals with it. I recognised a lot in what he wrote and not just in the passages about cancer but also in those about his parents, grief, and writing to name but a few.

Four of these titles have release dates in September and longer reviews can be found by clicking on the titles.:

A Recipe for Murder - September 9

One Bad Apple - September 19: 

A Front-Page Murder - September 24: 

Friends of Dorothy - September 26: 

 

Friends of Dorothy by Sandi Toksvig

320 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Group UK / Virago

Release Date: September 26, 2024

 

Blurb

After much searching, the happily married young couple, Amber and Stevie think they have found the perfect spot in Grimaldi Square. Despite the rundown pub across the way, the overgrown garden and a decidedly nosy neighbour, number 4 is the house of their dreams. Stevie, a woman who has never left anything to chance, has planned everything so nothing can spoil their happiness. But ... upstairs in their new home, seated on an old red sofa is the woman they bought the place from - eighty-year-old foul-mouthed, straight-talking, wise-cracking Dorothy - who has decided that she's not going anywhere. It turns out that Dorothy will be only the first in a line of life-changing surprises.

Friends of Dorothy is a touching, funny novel about a family that is not biological, but logical; a story close to Sandi Toksvig's heart.

 

Review

The last thing anybody moving into their new house expects to find is the former owner still in situ. But that’s exactly what happens to Stevie and Amber when they take possession of number 4 Grimaldi Square. Dorothy Franklin sits comfortably on a red sofa in one of the bedrooms with a suitcase by her side and she has no intention of leaving. Despite Stevie and Amber’s best efforts, there’s no getting through to Dorothy who appears to be staying for a reason she isn’t willing to disclose.

Life with Dorothy turns out to be anything but boring. From a demolished internal wall, via delicious meals, to heart-stopping rides through London, Dorothy keeps the two young women on their toes. She also introduces them to the neighbourhood and the pub across the road that has seen better times and is called The Price of Onions. Without being sure how it happens and while they’re busy trying to come up with a solution for Dorothy that doesn’t involve her living with them, Stevie and Amber find their new life taking shape and their circle of friends growing.

This is mostly a lighthearted, at times laugh-out-loud story. However, it isn’t without its deeper and darker moments. It is also a commentary on parenting, the housing market, the way society deals with our elderly, and LGBTQ+ issues, for starters. It is fair to say that while I found myself crying on numerous occasions while reading this book, most, but not all, of those tears were triggered by laughter. Overall though I would call this a feel-good read. While the book itself states that it isn’t a fairytale, the story does come with perfect happy endings for all the characters who deserve them.

I adored this book. It’s almost certainly going to be (one of) my favourite book(s) this year and goes straight to my ‘extra-special’ list. There is so much to love on these pages. Quirky and charming characters, lively dialogue, and not a boring moment, make this a memorable read. While the stories are different, the atmosphere of this book, the diversity of the characters, and the idea of logical rather than biological families reminded me of the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin. Considering how much I loved those tales the comparison is a compliment.

Finally, I’m pretty sure Sandi Toksvig referenced herself in her book when she wrote:

 “That lesbian on the telly – what shername – she has kids.”

And yes, this was one of many times when I laughed out loud.

Long review short: Friends of Dorothy is a delightful book! So much so that I want to live in Grimaldi Square, be part of that world, and become one of Dorothy’s friends.