What I Read This Year

Here be the list of all that I got through this year:

The Boy from the Snow - Maria Johnson

As Kingfishers Catch Fire - Eugene Peterson

Follow me Back - Nicci Cloke

Shoot Your Shot - Vernon Brundage Jr

Ronaldo: The Phantom Carrot Snatcher - Maxine Sylvester 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris

Racing Through the Dark - David Millar

Rob Roy - Walter Scott

A Journey of Three Degrees - A L Kent

A Life’s Ambition - Alexandre Dumas

Mortom - Erik Therme

The Journal of Madame Giovanni - Alexandre Dumas

The Prince of Thieves - Alexandre Dumas

The Neapolitan Lovers - Alexandre Dumas

A Dark Night’s Work - Elizabeth Gaskell

Extinction of All Children - L J Epps

Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France - Geoffrey Wheatcroft

Dewey - Vicky Myron

The French Revolution and what went Wrong - Stephen Clarke

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Broken Sky - L A Weatherly

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

A Stranger in the House - Shari Lapena

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 

The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

Defiance - Jason Krumbine

Related by Blood - Holly Sheidenberger 

Darkness Follows - L A Weatherly

Everyday Church - Tim Chester & Steve Timmis

The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill - James Charlesworth

Zeal Without Burnout - Christopher Ash

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry

The Shadow Doctor - Adrian Plass

Lock Every Door - Riley Sager

Who on Earth is the Holy Spirit - Tim Chester & Christopher de la Hayden

1984 - George Orwell

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Night - Elie Wiesel

Sofa Spotlight - Night, Elie Wiesel

It isn’t a Christmassy book to be finishing on but as it was the shortest day over the weekend it kind of fits. As well as that, it finishes off a year of reading that has unintentionally involved many books on the Holocaust or concentration camps. So what’s one more.

I’m not sure you can rate books like this against each other, but because of its length I would probably be inclined to recommend this one over the others. It is also readable and poignant beyond what words can describe.

The writer of the book shares his experiences of his time at Auschwitz. His arrival there is towards the end of the war and on his arrival prisoners are shocked that the new inmates have allowed themselves to be brought there. They had known, or at least heard rumours of what was happening to the Jews so why had they not already fled to safety. Wiesel describes his experiences of the concentration camp and also his struggle to reconcile what was happening to him and others with the God that he had been brought up to know. 

Like I say it’s not a long read, but it is certainly a powerful one that provides much food for thought. 

Sofa Spotlight - The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I don’t know about you but sometimes there are books out there that you know you should read but somehow you never get around to it. For me this was one of those books. And given how short a book it is there was no excuse at all! Short as it might be, there is some serious power in its pages.

The story follows a crashed pilot who has landed in the desert. There he meets the little prince who is visiting Earth from another planet. He tells the pilot his story, about the planet he is from and the other planets he has visited on his journey. From each part of his journey come lessons that can be drawn from the threads of the lessons that the little prince is also learning. 

I loved this book. It was over far too soon and I was so sorry to see the little prince go. He has been one of the hardest characters to say goodbye to when a book is finished. So if you’ve never read this, take an afternoon over Christmas and open it up and enjoy it. I’m certain that you won’t regret it. Although the question I’m left with right now is, how did I never hear of this book when I was a child? 

Sofa Spotlight - 1984, George Orwell

I’ve heard so much about this book and it being an important book that I thought it was about time to read it. It was a much easier read than I thought - I was under the impression that it would take a lot of getting my head round it. But I soon found myself wrapped up in the story.

What I found the most interesting was how this seems to be the forerunner of all the dystopian YA books I’ve been reading. The year is 1984, which in the book is in the future, and the world has been transformed and the part that we are dealing with is run by Big Brother. Our main character, Winston, is feeling rebellious about the thought police and  is trying to find a way to rebel further.

The scary thing about this book is how realistic it is. The technology that is imagined isn’t far away from some of what we have today. And the actions of the government resonate with some of the dictatorships that arose in the last century. So yes I would agree that this is an important book and worth a read. It fit in well with my reading of Solzhenitsyn too.

Sofa Spotlight - Who on Earth is the Holy Spirit - Tim Chester & Christopher de la Hayden

This is a short not too intense book that manages to cover quite a big topic. If you’ve read any of the books in this series you will know how clearly the subject is explained and how objectively different points of view are described. And it goes for this book on the Holy Spirit too.

As I say it’s not a long book, but each chapter covers a different aspect of this tricky subject. Early on in the book it is rightly pointed out that there are many ways of talking about the Spirit and how the Spirt works. Untangling what they all mean can be difficult but this book sets out to do just that and makes clear what the Bible does say about the Spirit.

What struck me most about this book is how comforting it is. Learning about the Holy Spirit isn’t meant to be frightening or confusing and from reading this book I was reminded of how much God loves and cares for us and wants to develop a relationship with us. I would highly recommend this book as a starting place for getting clear on what the Bible has to say about the Holy Spirit and how those passages have been interpreted differently by various viewpoints. What is great is that despite these differences there is stable common ground.

Sofa Spotlight - Lock Every Door, Riley Sager

This was nominated for the goodreads thriller of the year award and I was very sad to see that it didn’t win! If you were with me at any point when I was reading this you would know that I loved it, couldn’t stop reading it nor would I shut up about what I thought was coming next.

The idea is that a luxury apartment building, The Bartholomew, needs apartment sitters to keep an eye on the empty apartments. Qualifications for this job seem to be that you have no family or friends who would come looking for you. They don’t say that outright but you get the vibe. Enter the main character who has come to sit one of the apartments.

At first I thought I’d picked up a ghost story but it’s much much better than that. The Bartholomew is full of secrets and odd characters. One of whom is an author who wrote a book set in The Bartholomew.

Like I said, when I read this I couldn’t put it down. Nor could I stop trying to guess what would happen. I nearly got it right but I was close enough to the truth to be both satisfied with my efforts and how the book ended. If you read any book this year it should be this one.

Sofa Spotlight - The Shadow Doctor, Adrian Plass

Not a long read but a very interesting one. The basic premise is that the main character, Jack, has lost both parents and his grandmother, who he was particularly close to. She has left him a letter explaining how she met someone called Doc who became a good friend to her in her final months. She wants Jack to contact him as she thinks the Doc will be able to help him. 

Jack does so and as readers we quickly become aquatinted with the Shadow Doctor, who is kind of a like a super hero whose super power is counselling! And Jack soon finds himself acting as side kick. 

There’s a few themes in this book but probably the overall one is of Christians being themselves as created by God, and being hurt by programmes and cultures that try to fit people into one or occasionally several boxes. The shadow Doctor is working to undo some of this hurt and free people to follow Jesus. 

Overall I enjoyed this book but there were a few themes that were left undeveloped and I would have liked to have seen more. But I feel that leaving these things open ended may have been the point. 

Sofa Spotlight - The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry

This is a very real contender for my favourite book of the year. It’s set in Victorian England and is full of atmosphere and mystery. There are so many things that I love about this book but I’ll try to capture just a few.

The story follows Cora Seaborne who has just lost her husband. Turns out he wasn’t that nice a chap and she’s still very young so she’s in a much better position. There are two potential love interests in the book and I found it hard to decide who I was rooting for! But what I loved about this book is how normal the characters are. All of them are flawed in their own way and that makes them human and very believable. Not one of them is set up as the perfect protagonist. Which makes the ending perfect, because if it had ended any other way it wouldn’t have worked or felt authentic.

A range of themes are covered, evolution as a new, developing theory, the role of women in society and social housing/poverty. It could feel like there’s a lot going on but each thread pulls together to weave into the main story which is Cora’s search for the Essex Serpent which plagues the village of Aldwinter. This is the part that is suitably creepy and the mystery and melodrama is fantastic.

It’s the kind of book that you should read on a cold December night with a mug of hot chocolate!

Sofa Spotlight - Zeal Without Burnout, Christopher Ash

Zeal without Burnout is a very short book, primarily written for pastors and church leaders to help them avoid and deal with burnout and mental exhaustion in the course of their ministry. It’s a very practical book, looking at both the causes of stress and the Biblical principles of being human and the limits that that puts on us. 

Not being in church leadership this book wasn’t strictly relevant but I found it to be an illuminating read. Firstly I was shocked, but also not shocked, to discover that this book was needed, and needed by so many in leadership. It reminded me of how easy it can be to forget how much pressure our church leaders can be under. Secondly the Biblical principles that Christopher Ash goes through are relevant to all of us. We are only human, and not God, and there are limits to what we can do. 

There is real depth to this book as Christopher Ash talks about his own experience and also draws on the stories of others who have gone through breakdowns. I would highly recommend this book, it’s not a long book at all, and it gives insight to those on the outside looking in, but also compassion and help to those in leadership. 

Ronaldo the Flying Reindeer

Earlier this year I reviewed Maxine Sylvester’s book Ronaldo: The Phantom Carrot Snatcher. If you remember my review you will remember how much I enjoyed it. It’s not my intention to give a full review now, that will come later, but I was so excited about the release of The Vixen of Pederson that I wanted to let you know that it was available.

What I love about Maxine Sylvester’s books are the way that they combine fun, gripping storylines and life messages so beautifully. And this is now exception to that. My worry about books that have life messages woven into them is that they can be trite and give and awkward interjection to the flow of the narrative. Which I think is what I love about this whole series, not only are the stories good in themselves but the characters are relatable and so the messages that are conveyed come across naturally.

It’s nearly Christmas and I can’t think of a better way to get into the Christmas spirit than by reading the books in this series.

Sofa Spotlight - The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill: A Novel, James Charkesworth

I took a day to read this, which afterwards I regretted a little bit because it left me feeling sad. But in hindsight I don’t think stretching out the reading process would have helped that. But that’s not to say I don’t think this isn’t a good book or that I regret reading it because it is very well written and seriously intriguing.

The story is about a man who made his money as a US fast food and oil tycoon, but as much as he was successful in business he wasn’t successful with relationships and left a trail of broken people, in the form of his children, behind him. Now middle aged the four of them, scattered to different parts of the country and very different lines and heading in their father’s direction for a confrontation.

It’s all about how each of the four children have ended up where they are, and follows the thread of destruction that leads back to their father. It’s a fascinating read, but maybe not a comfortable one. I couldn’t put it down but nor could I find a character that I was rooting for. And that to me was the one downside to the book. Having said that, I think the book would have lost some of its power if it had had a likeable protagonist, so although I missed liking a character it’s not something I would change. For me it really was a window into another world and that is why I would recommend it.

Sofa Spotlight - Everyday Church, Tim Chester & Steve Timmis

This isn’t a new book, in fact when I went to check when it had been written I was shocked to discover that it’s not far off being ten years old. But its age doesn’t mean that it has lost any of its relevance. In fact if anything it has probably become more relevant. The message it is speaking is one of how the church can reach out to our generation with the message of Jesus as a community.

The book starts with facts and figures that paint a dark picture of where we are as a church in terms of numbers in pews. But this isn’t designed to be depressing (though it is a little discouraging) but to state the fact that the world in which we live is different to the world in which our grandparents went to church.

What I loved about this book was the way they used 1Peter to illustrate and explain what it is like to live as a Christian on the margins of society. It described how communities look different on the margins rather than at the centre of society. Implications for evangelism are also described and make for an interesting read as it turns typical methods which I grew up in their head.

So yes well worth a read and I’m glad I found it lurking on my bookshelf.

Sofa Spotlight - Darkness Follows, L A Weatherly

The sequel to Broken Sky and although I found the start a little tricky I would say it’s equally as good and intriguing. And full marks because I did not see the ending coming!!!

I had a little trouble with the start because it deals with concentration camps and given that I was reading this soon after having read Gulag Archipelago and The Diary of a Young Girl I found it a bit hard to take. That’s not to say that it wasn’t well written, it was, and very believable. It just wasn’t great timing because I was still processing the horrendous true stories I had read.

But the whole story didn’t just involve concentration camps so it’s all good. In this book the characters of Amity, Collie and Ingo are developed further and Collie is the interesting party in all this because you’re not certain about any of his motives. My favourite character so far is Ingo and if I’m rooting for anyone it’s him. He seems to be the most honest of the bunch. Just hoping a plot twist doesn’t take him out.

If you enjoyed Broken Sky then you need to read this. Because otherwise, how will you know what happens next?! It’s a great series for fans of the YA dystopian novel.

Sofa Spotlight - Related by Blood, Holly Sheidenberger

As a heads up I received a free copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

Formality aside and on with the show. You know a book is good when you don’t want it to end and when it does end you sincerely hope that the author is planning a sequel. It was so with this book. The plot follows the son of a senator who is also hoping for a high profile political career.

The book begins as Harris (the aforementioned senator’s son with political career hopes) is on a date with his college girlfriend. Things take a nasty turn when he hits a little girl and then drives off with Cleo (the girlfriend) as a witness. Their relationship is ended as part of a cover up by Harris’ dad which leaves Harris completely in the clear. Apart from Cleo isn’t completely out of the picture.

Cleo’s narration slowly reveals how much of an unreliable narrator she is. Appealing if you’re a fan of books like The Girl on the Train or A Stranger in the House. Her story comes in fifteen years after the accident and the story follows her reconnecting with Harris and her hopes of becoming his wife.

I loved reading this. It’s not a full novel but comes in parts that you can keep up with on Kindle Unlimited as they come out. It’s punchy and you will fly through reading this. Sheidenberger doesn’t let the narrative slow down the pace of the storyline so you get all the drama at the speed that you will want. I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn in and I am now completely hooked on this series.

If a psychological thriller is your cup of tea then I recommend that this be your next read. My only criticism is that it just wasn’t quite long enough, which is no bad thing if it leaves you wanting more.

Sofa Spotlight - Defiance, Jason Krumbine

I think this might be my first dip into sci-fi (well maybe other than the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Universe). It wasn’t as full of action as I supposed. I was kind of expecting it to be heavy on fights and tension. But the plot of the story is considerably more nuanced than that.

So the story is about a star ship captain who is being interviewed by a pair of investigators who are asking questions about an event that our main character has been caught up in. The narrative flits between the past and the present day interview/investigation and the story is gradually built up layer by layer. Which essentially involves a new unidentified species and some buried secrets.

I always find it difficult to enter into completely different worlds because new worlds have the potential to have a blank canvas for aesthetics, culture, language and rules. What must be hard as a writer of fantasy/sci-fi would be creating a world which is both innovative and interesting but also accessible to the reader.

For me I think this struck a good balance. I didn’t feel like I didn’t know what was going on but there was enough of a new world revealed to me that gave my imagination the right amount of freedom and guidance to explore to its heart’s content. The nature plot enables the reader to explore this new universe with the characters. Which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was also exited to discover that this was the first of a trilogy. So this won’t be my only adventure in this world. And it didn’t put me off sci-fi which was a bit of a worry. I’m still up for trying another and I will be getting hold of the next two books in this series very soon!

Sofa Spotlight - The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

This, as the name suggests, is the diary of a girl called Anne Frank who lived during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War. It’s unlikely that you haven’t heard of it but just in case, Anne Frank is a teenage Jewish girl and her family have emigrated to the Netherlands from Germany to escape the Nazi regime there. But when the Netherlands are invaded the Frank family along with some other Jews go into hiding in what was known as the Secret Annexe. Sadly Anne Frank and her family and fellow hiding Jews are discovered, probably betrayed, and Anne Frank doesn’t survive the concentration camp that she is sent to. 

The reason I picked it up this year was because it was one of those books that I tried to read as a child and failed. It’s been so long since those attempts that I didn’t have any memory of what I was reading so it all came to me as new. Having now finished it, it has gone on my list of books that should be read by everyone. It’s important, just as Gulag Archipelago is important, but maybe in a different way. This is just one story but there must be thousands of others like it and they must be told and not forgotten. And if Anne Frank’s father had not survived this story too may have been forgotten.

I was really struck by how an ordinary life can be so quickly turned upside down. The start of her diary describes ordinary teenage stuff, school, friends, boys etc. But then it all comes to a sudden end and her existence is restricted to her hiding place and the kindness of others. You get a real feel for the tedious nature of their concealment but also their fear of discovery. And even though she gets used to this existence that too comes to a sudden halt when they are discovered. 

I would more than recommend this book if you haven’t read it before. And have tissues on hand because the story is real and it is heartbreaking. Also to say it’s written by a teenage girl it’s remarkably well written, what books might Anne Frank have written had she survived?

Sofa Spotlight - The Gulag Archipelago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Gulag Archipelago is a collection of all the evidence that Solzhenitsyn could collate to show what was happening in the gulags of Russia. And that actually is an understatement because Solzhenitsyn himself explains in the book how it would not be possible to collect all the stories.

So the first thing to comment on is that this book is massive. It is a huge testament to the lives that were stolen away to the gulags and at the same time it isn’t big enough. Because that’s the second thing to comment on. The material in this book is of the kind to change or at least open minds. It’s challenging, particularly when it comes to its critique of communism as a political ideology. But the biggest challenge is facing up to how man can treat man so abominably. Because the things done to the people in this book make the humans sub human. The treatment that they endured is unimaginable and the wonder is that any survived. 

Which is what makes this book so important. Not only does it shine a spotlight on a dark period of time but it also draws out the stories of human survival. Solzhenitsyn tells of the mental states that a person had to go to in order to keep going. 

The impact on me was to make me grateful. Grateful that I have never experienced any of those horrors or had anyone close to me experience them. It made me re evaluate what is important. 

I would say this is a must read. There are abridged versions out there if the size is off putting. And the material is sobering to say the least - hence why I needed my Pride and Prejudice fix. But it is possibly one of the most important books I’ve read and I don’t regret a minute of the time and effort that I put into reading it. 

Sofa Spotlight - Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

There’s not a massive amount to say about this that hasn’t been said already so rather than rehash what’s already been said I’ll just give you a reminder of why reading this is was a good idea for me and why it would be a good idea for you to read it too. 

I’ve read Pride and Prejudice before but when I was still at school and possibly once since then. I wanted to read it again because I wanted a bit of light relief after reading some heavy Russian literature. (More about that next week but look out for my review of Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago). Pride and Prejudice seemed like the perfect remedy to counter the seriousness I had just absorbed. 

Rereading it was a great experience. I loved it. But the rereading experience made me realise how much I had been relying on the BBCs adaptation for my Pride and Prejudice. What I thought was part of the story turned out not to be in the book, which led me thinking about what Jane Austen would make of the adaptations of her book. As one thought led to another I decided that a complete re read of all Jane Austen’s books was required, including Sanditon, which I’ve not read before but thanks to Andrew Davis’ adaptation I feel the need to become acquainted with the book. 

Having said that another book that I read alongside Pride and Prejudice was Jane Austen in Hollywood. It’s a selection of essays that takes a look at different aspects of the adaptations that have been made over the years and was very illuminating. So yes, it goes without saying that I would recommend Pride and Prejudice. But I would also recommend Jane Austen in Hollywood as well. Both are readable and entertaining in their own ways.

Sofa Spotlight - A Stranger in the House, Shari Lapena

This has a great opening. It starts off with Karen Krupp being whisked into hospital after being in a high speed car crash where she collided with a lamp post. And she gets amnesia, so she cannot explain why she was driving so fast in the first place or why she was in that particular part of town.

Her husband Tom is trying to make sense of it all and has his world turned even more upside down when it turns out a body of a man who has been shot was found near to where Karen crashed her car.

And then there is the neighbour Brigid who lives across the road. She pushes her way into the story and tries to sniff out what is happening. 

What I quickly figured out is that no one is as they seem and that sometimes is best to stop guessing and just let the story happen. Which is just as well because I didn’t guess the ending! 

It has a similar feel to The Girl on the Train with its tension, mystery and unreliable narrator. So if that’s right up your street you should be reading this book. 

I really liked it - it kept me guessing right until the end and there was no convenient ending. It felt real and also plausible, which is sometimes hard to find at the end of some books.

Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Sofa Spotlight - To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

First of all I can’t believe that it’s taken me so long to get around to reading this. I’m sad because it means I’ve only read it once and all good books should be read at least twice. Needless to say that this won’t be my only visit to this book! 

So my sadness aside I hope that if you’ve read To Kill and Mockingbird and loved it as much as I have that you can forgive my ridiculous delay in reading this. But also if you’ve not read it I hope that I can convince you to make sure it’s the very next book that you read. 

The story is about Scout and her brother Jem as they grow up in a small town in 1930s Alabama. Through Scout’s eyes you see all that takes place - including the main event - the trial of a black mans for the rape of a white woman. It is Scout’s father, Atticus, who is the  defending Tom Robinson, and what the reader understands though what Scout sees and hears is how Atticus is defending him because he believes him to be innocent and that his defending a black man doesn’t sit well with many of the white community. We see these things as readers but Scout doesn’t understand or see them which I think is what gives this book much of its charm. Like I say this is one of the best books I’ve ever read and Harper Lee has this character/reader perception done to perfection.

There’s loads of characters that you feel you come to know through this story, and many of them you come to love too. But not only is this book well written it is also an important book. And it’s message is one that we would do well to listen to. Things may have changed since the 1930s but some things haven’t. I doubt there will be a time when the majority don’t put pressure on people who stand up to do the right thing. There will always be those who try to stop them making a difference. But I hope that there will also always be those who do stand up for what is right and make every effort to change the world for the better. 

I think this is a must read book, and there are many many reviews out there that discuss it in much more detail, but I just wanted to say that if you read one book before the end of the year make it this one. 

Sofa Spotlight - Broken Sky, L. A. Weatherly

So on the theme of dystopian YA books this is the first in another series. But unlike The Hunger Games I haven’t read the whole series yet (just started the third book). I’d never heard of this series until someone bought me the first one as a present and I’m a bit sad that this series nearly passed me by. (That sane person after buying the first one is now being coerced into lending my the following two books!)

The premise is slightly different to other books I’ve read in this genre, in that, rather than being set in the future, we are given an alternative past to explore. Set in the 1940s in an alternative United States there’s some really interesting aspects of this series that aren’t present in the futuristic ones.

Of course it wouldn’t be a YA dystopian novel without a love triangle and although not overtly present in this first book you can see the shape of one taking place.

The book follows the fortunes of Amity Vancour who is a peace fighter. Peace fighters take part in plane fights that decide disputes between countries - rather than them going to war. The idea being it keeps the world peaceful and doesn’t result in unnecessary bloodshed. 

America as we know is split into three countries and the country next door to Amity’s is run by President Gunnison who is obsessed with astrology and what he calls Harmony. He uses both to root out people who would cause problem and they are know as Discordants. Like any good dictator he’s out to control as much land and as many people as he can. Which is where he collides with Amity.  

This is a brilliant book and seems to be a great start to a riveting series. I’m looking forward to finishing it off and bringing some more reviews.

Sofa Spotlight - The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

So it’s been a while since this came out and also since I’ve read it, but rumour has it that Suzanne Collins is writing a prequel. Therefore I decided it was about time to reread the series in preparation for the new book. If you’ve never read this series then I’m not sure where you’ve been or how you’ve managed to miss it. (Unless, of course, YA is not your think, in which case all is forgiven.)

My first read of these was in 2011/2012 and I devoured them very quickly. The film got me into them but I actually didn’t enjoy the film the first time round. The book was much much better and when I rewatched the film I enjoyed it all the more.

The story is set in a dystopian future where America has been split into 14 regions - 13 districts and then the city of Panem. Each year each district (apart from 13 which has been destroyed after a rebellion) has to give two children between the ages of 12 and 18 to serve as tributes and fight to the death in the Hunger Games. The winner is then crowned as victor and gets to live a nicer life than their fellow struggling peeps in their district.

Fairly brutal!

The focus is on District 12 and Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Malark. Katniss draws attention to herself the moment she steps forward to volunteer as tribute for her sister Prim. And as Peeta is also selected as tribute the two find themselves thrown together and their relationship is complicated further by him announcing that he has feeling for Katniss. But Katniss clearly hasn’t given him a second thought. And then you have to throw into the mix that as readers the book has started by giving us the impression that Gale has a thing for Katniss. Awkward. Especially as Gale gets to watch the blossoming romance on TV.

So there’s a fair bit of drama going on there.

There’s a lot of dystopian novels out there but for me The Hunger Games has to be one of the best. It might be nostalgia, because it was one of the first that I read but I really do think that the level of tension and amount of twists it’s done almost to perfection.

If you’ve not yet read it, get on and read it.

Sofa Spotlight - The French Revolution and what went Wrong, Stephen Clarke

My first experience of Stephen Clarke was when I read 1000 Years of Annoying the French. I loved it and it ranks as one of my favourite books of all time. So of course when I heard that this book was coming out I pre ordered it straight away! No hanging about for me.

The French Revolution has been one of those things that I’ve always wondered about. I first encountered it when I read A Tale of Two Cities, and as how and why the revolution was happening wasn’t all that relevant to the story I finished the book none the wiser as to how France had found itself in that position. It was always something I meant to research but never got around to. So when I saw this I was very excited. And the great thing about Stephen Clarke is the humour. His way of writing history is anything but dry. Hence why I love 1000 Years of Annoying the French.

There’s so much I could say about this book because I learnt so much from it. In fact I was annoying my colleagues at work by telling them each day what I had learnt the night before! But I think what shocked or surprised me the most was how much misinformation I had picked up over time.

I had no idea what Louis XVI was like but I figured that if the French people hated him so much as to guillotine him then he must have been bad. I had also wondered why if things were so bad he hadn’t fled the country! So having all this stuff explained to me was very illuminating.

The other surprise was how relevant the events of the French Revolution are today. Clarke talks a lot about the fake news that was being circulated at the time, which was something I had rather naively thought was a modern thing brought about because of the rise of technology and social media. But on further thought it made sense - propaganda has always been a big thing and I don’t think there can have been many if any periods of history where it’s been easy to get to the heart of the truth.

And I think that’s rather sad and worrying. What I also find worrying is how quickly we forget the things of the past. History can come across as boring and there are historians who have written it in a dull way so I can understand why it’s not always appealing. But if we forget what’s gone before how can we avoid making the same mistakes again?

All that to say I think you should read this book. Clarke’s writing style is hilarious and you never feel like you’ve just read a giant of a book when you’re finished (this book is not short). So yes it comes highly recommended as does 1000 Years of Annoying the French. Because they both make understanding history actually possible!

Sofa Spotlight - Dewey, Vicky Myron

So I am very late to the party with this one, but its better late than never. Dewey is the story of a kitten who was pushed into the book return box at a local library and abandoned. He was adopted by the library staff and the people of the town and took up residence in the library itself.

It’s a really heart-warming story that if you’ve not yet read you should do. I found myself very quickly absorbed, and in need of tissues at the end. It might be because this weekend marks the end of the first year since our two rescue cats moved in. They too have taken up residence and despite my reluctance found their way to my heart (although I still don’t appreciate having to clean up after them)

As much as Dewey is the story of a cat it is a story that has wider implications on how we view life and one another. What I liked is that Myron was clear on how the effect that Dewey had is not an effect that can be achieved by just any cat, it has to be the right cat with the right temperament. Which is fair – I can’t imagine of either of mine putting up with being amongst so many people all the time.

If you haven’t read it you should, it’s easy to get into and there was only a couple of chapters that I found hard going. If you have read it, what did you think?

Sofa Spotlight - Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France, Geoffrey Wheatcroft

As we are between Le Tour and La Vuelta I thought this would be a good time to review this one. I was very excited to read it - having read a few cycling books now and being a big fan of Le Tour. At first I was surprised at how hard going it was, but I thought it would just take a little while to get into it. Truth be told I never really got into it.

And I don’t really know why. It had everything that it should. History and cycling. My two loves. But it wasn’t to be. Somehow I just found it hard going. Maybe there just wasn’t the space in this book to give me the depth of history I wanted. I did learn plenty though and I came away know much more about the sport and the development of Le Tour.

In the end I put it down to my knowing the race in the last ten years and so it was much more interesting when I got to names I recognised. Having said that, I’m not so sure that is why I didn’t enjoy it, because at the very least the history of the regions of France should have interested me.

Would I recommend it? Maybe not. Unless you are very into cycling and passionate about the Tour de France this probably isn’t the book for you. However, if those are your loves, as they are mine, give it a go and let me know if it’s just me that’s struggling with it.

Me and My Reading Challenge for 2019 Part 2

It occurred to me as I posted last week that my list of books that I am currently reading is not far off being as long as the one that I have read. So below is that list. Again I'm not planning to review all of them but if there is a title that you would like to see me review comment below.

Waverley - Sir Walter Scott
Not far enough in to have a valid opinion on this yet but it seems to be headed in the general direction of a typical Walter Scott adventure. See Ivanhoe and Kenilworth.

Darkness Follows - L. A. Weatherly
The second in this series following Broken Sky and just as good.

As Kingfishers Catch Fire - Eugene H. Peterson
Read it last year but so much in it I'm reading it again.

As Sure as the Dawn - Francine Rivers
The final book in The Mark of the Lion series. Looking forward to seeing how it concludes.

Furious Hours - Casey Cep
About a book that Harper Lee didn't write.

The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill - James Charlesworth
Not read enough to really know what this about yet.

The Pastor - Eugene H. Peterson
It's a book about Eugene Peterson by Eugene Peterson. Interesting to see what influenced him.

Jane Austen - Park Honan
Realised I'd never read a biography about Jane Austen so correcting that error.

Jane Austen in Hollywood  - Linda Troost, Sayre N. Greenfield
See above but these are essays about the films.

The Chemist - Stephenie Meyer
It's certainly not twilight but definitely edge of the seat stuff

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
Loving this so much that I nearly read it in one day. Very close to finishing it and reviewing it properly.

The Key to the Half Worlds - Andrew Chaplin
Only one chapter in but I'm so so intrigued by this.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Second time of reading and I'm going to try not to cry this time.

Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
Should have read before but haven't - correcting that error.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
Came highly recommended and I can see why.

Comeback - Lyn Ashwood, Rachel Rose
A novel about K-Pop - very different but very good.

A History of Ancient Egypt - John Romer
I like History and Egypt and expanding my knowledge.

Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation - Adrian Plass
I needed a laugh.

C. S. Lewis - Alister E McGrath
Realised I'd never read a biography about C. S. Lewis so correcting that error.

It's a ridiculous list I know, but I'm happy.

Me and my Reading Challenge for 2019 Part 1

It's the first Monday in August and I'm a little bit shocked to discover how far through the year we are. Which led me to thinking about how my reading challenge was going. I've never had one for myself before. My housemate and fellow reader EG had a competition a few years ago as to who could read the most and I failed dramatically. Every Christmas we compete to see who can read the most over the holidays but really I don't stand a chance - EG is in a league of her own.

So this year I decided to tackle my very own challenge - to read one book a week, so 52 books in total. And for your delectation and delight I have decided to let you in on where I'm up to with that. A couple of weeks ago I listed what I had read so far this year, but often with this blog what appears on here is a long way behind what I am actually reading. With this list there will be some duplication of the previous list, but as I have a list of books to review as long as my arm there will be some previews of what is coming up later this year. The other thing to mention is that I don't review everything that I read, so if there is a title on this list that you would like to hear my thoughts about comment below and let me know.

Otherwise enjoy:

An Echo in the Darkness - Francine Rivers


Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France - Geoffrey Wheatcroft


The  French Revolution and What Went Wrong - Stephen Clarke


Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide to Living Your Best Life - Vernon Brundage Jr.


Ronaldo: The Phantom Carrot Snatcher - Maxine Sylvester


The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris


A Journey of Three Degrees - A. L. Kent


To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee


The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins


Broken Sky - L. A. Weatherly


Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places - Eugene H. Peterson


The Sicilian Woman's Daughter - Linda Lo Scuro


Mortom - Erik Therme


A Stranger in the House - Shari Lapena


Dewey - Vicki Myron


Eat This Book - Eugene Peterson


Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen


The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn


Defiance - Jason Krumbine


The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank


Extinction of All Children - L. J. Epps


Twilight - Stephenie Meyer


Related by Blood - Holly Sheidenberger


As you can see I've a long way to go and haven't quite managed one a week, but there's plenty of time to catch up. At some point in the future I will give you the list of books I'm reading right now. I've a good ten or so on the go.

Remember comment below if you want my thoughts on any of the titles above.

Sofa Spotlight - Extinction of All Children, L J Epps

Heads up - I was lucky enough to get a free copy of this book in return for an honest and fair review.

So when I picked this up I read the blurb and thought - this sounds really good, yes of course I will read it. Then I saw the title. And if I’m honest if I’d seen the title first I wouldn’t have picked this up. It’s something I had to look past and I’m glad that I did.

(Another downside to the title were the looks I got from people when I told them what I was reading!)

The start of the book really does feel like The Hunger Games and I was little worried that what I was reading wasn’t an original idea. And to some extent there is an element that means a dystopian young adult book will have similarities with other dystopian young adult books. But it didn’t remain like that for very long. It has a plot line all of it’s own. If I have one criticism it is that I wanted to see more. I feel it could have been developed more and had more depth. But that’s not to say that it wasn’t good.

So on to the plot. We are in an alternative America or at least part of America that has been divided up into three territories. The peeps at the bottom of the pile - Territory L are no longer able to have children because according to President Esther, the poor aren’t able to look after children properly. This leaves our heroine Emma Whisperer as the last child to be born in her territory. The story joins her as she turns 18 and is invited to make a speech at a party laid on by the president.

It’s at this point that things take a downward spiral for Emma as she has to make a decision about whether to go along with what the president is up to or stand up for what is right. Her decision is the right one, in my mind, but the rest of the book follows the consequences of what she says in her speech. And it makes for an exciting read.

There’s the inevitable love triangle being set up, which suffers from being a concept that’s been over done in the past. That aside though I think it’s a good read that keeps you wanting to find out what will happen next.

My only criticism is that I felt like Epps could have done more. I would love to have found out more about her siblings and the world in which she lives. More detail here would have been great. But maybe I will find that in the next two books which I will definitely be reading!

One to have a look at if YA dystopian novels are your cup of tea.

What I've Read so far this Year

The year is just over half spent and I'm not far behind on my goal to read 52 books this year. This is what I've read so far:

The Boy from the Snow - Maria Johnson

As Kingfisher's Catch Fire - Eugene Peterson

Follow Me Back - Nicci Cloke

Shoot Your Shot - Vernon Brundage Jr

Ronaldo: The Phantom Carrot Snatcher - Maxine Sylvester

The Tatooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris

Racing Through the Dark - David Millar

Rob Roy - Walter Scott

A Journey of Three Degrees - A. L. Kent

A Life's Ambition - Alexandre Dumas

Mortom - Erik Therme

Madame Giovanni's Journal - Alexandre Dumas

The Prince of Thieves - Alexandre Dumas

The Neapolitan Lovers - Alexandre Dumas

A Dark Night's Work - Elizabeth Gaskell

Sofa Spotlight - A Dark Night's Work and Other Stories, Elizabeth Gaskell

I first read this collection of short stories by Elizabeth Gaskell one wet summer a few years ago. What I remember most was how much I enjoyed reading these to the sound of the rain drumming on the ground. So I thought I might try to relive that experience. Sadly I couldn’t recreate the rain but I did enjoy the stories.

A Dark Night’s Work is the main story and tells the tale of a young man who takes on his father’s business as a lawyer. He’s relatively successful and marries well and has a daughter. After a few tragedies he starts to spend beyond his means. All the while plagued by his junior partner Mr Dunster. Poor Dunster is trying to help Mr Wilkins and to save the firm but ends up dead at the hands of Mr Wilkins. The crime has to be covered up and Wilkin’s daughter has found out what happened. The story follows his daughter Eleanor as the weight of the crime weighs heavy on those who know.

My other favourite story from this collection is the Grey Woman. A tale that follows a young woman who gets entangled with bandits, quite by accident. It’s very exciting.

Gentle stories include one about sheep shearing in the Lake District so there really is something in this book for everyone!

So if you have a rainy summer’s day you should find a copy of this book and have a good read.

Sofa Spotlight - The Neapolitan Loves, Alexandre Dumas

This was the third Dumas book that I read over Christmas. I was hoping that unlike the other two this one would have a conclusive ending. It didn’t. And it sounds like an ice cream too!

The difference with this one is that there’s a fair bit more tension in this one - in my mind anyway. As the story goes a young girl marries a man who is a friend of her father’s and old enough to be her father. All is well until a spy is attacked by a band of assassins on her doorstep. She takes him in, hides him and helps him recover. Oh and also falls in love with him.

True to form Dumas brings in some famous characters to play with and this one includes Admiral Nelson. When I read books like this I get very inspired to do research into the politics of the time. As much as my favourite character was the King who gets conned into invading Rome and taking it back from the French I would be interested to know what the relationships between these countries and Austria and Britain was really like.

Anyway the heroine’s husband gets caught up in all the politics and it could be that his involvement in them could pave a way for the lovers to be together. But it’s on a knife edge as it could go completely the other way.

Aside from this there’s a lot of humour and running around delivering and intercepting messages and clock and dagger spy stuff that makes for a good read. And as a lesser known work of Dumas I would recommend it. If you don't mind unresolved endings.