2021 Time to reconnect with books

 Look we all know 2020 was not a great year and for me that carried into 2021 with a couple of months in and out of hospital. Still I found time to read and escape the dreariness of the world.  So here is quick recap of the year so far. 

One Day I'll Remember This: Diaries 1987–1995 by Helen Garner

Once again Helen Garner has allowed us the opportunity to see the world through her eyes. There are several themes that run through the entries this includes Garner musing on her success or failure as a mother, her relationships, writing process and friendships. Throughout the writing Garner exposes her fallibility and strength.

The diaries provide an insight into the personal and writing life of a great Australian writer.

Hardcover, 320 pages, Published November 3rd 2020 by Text Publishing

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Noemí Taboada at the bequest of her father travels to visit her recently married cousin, Catalina at a remote mansion called High Place. Upon arriving Noemi finds that things are amiss on many fronts and tries to unravel just what is happening. Slowly Noemi becomes aware of the danger that surrounds her and those close to her.

The novel really rests on how much you can connect to Noemi as the protagonist. Noemi is feisty, determined and ever so willing to push all the boundaries. There are plenty of clues dropped through the early stages of the novel that establishes the ending.

There has been a great deal of hype around this novel and has done well in the awards categories. I found the book a slow burn with the last 100 or so pages finally bringing it all together. 

Hardcover, 301 pages Published June 30th 2020 by Del Rey

Miss Marple and Mystery: Over 50 Stories by Agatha Christie

A collection of over 50 short stories with a good smattering of Miss Marple. The collection is released in chronological order and you can see the development of Christie's short story writing skills.

It takes a while to come to the Miss Marple stories, I think it was some 20 plus stories before she makes an appearance. I was expecting more of those stories than the others but it is still an enjoyable read.

Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1) by Kim Harrison

This is the first in an urban fantasy series by Kim Harrison and centres on the adventures and exploits of Rachel Morgan. Morgan decides she has had enough of her Government job and branches out into establishing her own bounty hunter business. Only trouble is that Ivy Tamwood, one of the Government's best in the business decides to quit and join Morgan. That results in Morgan's previous boss putting a price on her head and the only way out for Morgan is to unravel a major crime and clear her debt. That all depends on Morgan being able to survive.

Harrison has a track history in writing engaging urban fantasy with a twist. She creates alternate worlds that are believable and characters that flawed and imperfect. As a establishment novel this does not fail as though there is no resolution, Harrison teases with the threads of what is to come.

If you want a books series to escape into, you really should consider The Hollows. For more on Harrison check out her website. 

Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1) by Kate Atkinson 

A series of unsolved mysteries somehow connect when Brodie begins to investigate.

I hadn't come across this series before and was pleasantly surprised. The way the narrative is constructed is quite different and certainly makes you wonder about where the story is heading. As the pages turn it becomes more apparent and a little obvious some of the outcomes. The characters are all well crafted and are not perfect.

I can see why the series is very popular.

The Order (Gabriel Allon #20) by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon is tricked by his wife into finally taking a holiday and they venture to Venice where they can lose themselves. Yet the death of the Pope in suspicious circumstances drags Allon away from his break and into a dangerous game where the next Pope maybe elected by a secret society with ulterior motives.

Even though I have not read any of the Allon series before this seemed familiar. The internal machinations of a secret organisation attempting to subvert the direction of the Catholic Church, a secret document that indicates that the history of Jesus is false and an attempt by several players to possess the document. Allon as a character was way too perfect for me. He is the perfect husband, perfect father, a world renown art restorer, an expert assassin, a highly revered espionage agent and a high ranking well respected Government official. It just was too much this perfect character.

It is great escapism and a great page turner