THE PRICE OF ATONEMENT by Mae Clair @MaeClair1 #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Ghostly mystery and secrets in 19th Century California

The Price of Atonement is Book #1 of the Harbor Pointe series of 8 books, each one written by a different author.  Isn't that a great idea?

'The Harbor Pointe Inn has loomed on California's cliffs for generations of Hawthornes. For some, it's been a blessing. For others, a curse. Travel through two centuries of stories to discover the old inn's secrets.'

This is a delightfully atmospheric story about the mysterious Leviticus and his employee Wyatt, who turn up at Harbour Pointe one dark October night in 1887.  Leviticus is haunted by his own personal tragedy, and now spends his time searching out tormented spirits unwilling or unable to move from this world to the next.

The lighthouse and inn hold tragic history within their walls; once a thriving establishment of hope and the prospect of good fortune, the inn now receives few visitors, and Leviticus and Wyatt are soon to discover why.  The Hawthorne family has many skeletons in the cupboard, and every one of them is increasingly disturbed by the presence that wanders alone on the 'Widow's Walk', up at the top of the lighthouse.

I liked Leviticus, and found that his own story was just as interesting as the one he investigated.  This is such a well-written novella, fitting perfectly into the shorter format, and I enjoyed it very much.  Good unpredictable plot.  Now I must decide which one I would like to read next!

My Top Ten Books of 2023

 

Never an easy task and I'm short on time ... here are those I have selected as my top 10 ten of the 40-ish books I read in 2023.  In no particular order but an extra special mention for the last four, to which I gave my rare 5 Gold Stars rating :)

~ 🕮🕮🕮 ~

To read my review of any of these ten, please click the title.  All come highly recommended!

Buried in the Past by Anna Legat

WWII Historical, Poland

You can take the Girl from the Prairie by Darlene Foster

Memoir, rural Canada, 1950s and 60s.  Short essays.

I, Richard Plantagenet: Tante le Desiree by J P Reedman

Historical, England 15th Century

A Moonlit Path of Madness by Catherine McCarthy

Welsh folklore, early 20th Century, supernatural

The Fortune Keeper by Deborah Swift

Historical, 17th Century Venice

A Matter of Faith by Judith Arnopp

Historical, early16th Century England

Servant of Death by Gemma Lawrence

Historical, early 16th Century England

We The Living by Ayn Rand

Historical, early 20th Century Russia

My Lady Spy by Gemma Lawrence

Historical, early 16th Century England

Planet of the Head-Breakers by Zeb Haradon

Post Apocalyptic, Sci-fi, Dystopian, set in a future US.

A few other good ones from this year - review can be found by putting the title into the 'search' facility.

Now, back to the TBR list....

Happy New Year's Reading!

BURIED IN THE PAST by Anna Legat @LegatWriter

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've enjoyed others by this author so thought I'd try this one!

In a Nutshell: A novel about the Polish partisans of WWII, and a mystery surrounding an unmarked grave, waiting to be solved fifty years later. 

This is a terrific book that taught me much I didn't know about Poland eighty years ago - I didn't realise that, during World War II, Russia was considered as much an enemy as Nazi Germany, or why.  I read the second half of the book in one afternoon; I was utterly gripped.  

The main timeline of the story concerns Edek and Szymon, two young lads wanting to join the partisans (or Home Army).  Now and again, we move forward a few decades and meet Dorota, who is fascinated by and determined to solve the mysteries surrounding her family ... and the identity of a body in an unmarked grave.

The mystery side of the story was well thought out and provided a completely unexpected outcome, but I found the chapters set during the war the most compelling.  It is so hard for us to comprehend the hardship people endured in their daily lives less than a century ago, and what they were prepared to suffer for the sake of their country, what they would risk to help their friends; this novel really brought home the terror of Nazi occupation, and the bravery of the persecuted people of that time and place.  The Warsaw uprising, the stealing of munitions from the local German garrison, a thrilling escape from one of the cattle trucks heading to Auschwitz, the annihilation of whole villages, the murder of so many innocents.

Highly recommended!

LONDON TALES by Tim Walker @timwalker1666 #RBRT

 3 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Short stories set in London, from the Romans to the future.

The mood of these stories varies a lot, from the early historical ones that are centred around actual historical events, to the more imaginative of the modern pieces.  At least half of the stories are set from the 20th Century onwards.

My favourite was the second story, about Wat Tyler and the Peasants' Revolt of the 14th Century, and I also liked the one set in 1666 to a ferocious backdrop of the Great Fire of London, about a gentleman being sought for his part in the murder of King Charles I, now that the Royalists were back in power.  These were both atmospheric and well researched, as was the first one about the Roman soldier; taught me a few interesting facts!

I was less keen on the stories from 1966 onwards; they didn't evoke the spirit of the times for me so much as I'd hoped.  Also, some of the dialogue seemed a tad unlikely, particularly in the story about two forty-somethings on a bender around 2015 (I think), where the dialogue's main purpose appeared to be as a vehicle to convey the author's research.  I would describe some of them as vignettes rather than stories.

I did like the future story, set in 2050.  It's always fun to read other people's ideas about how the years will pan out!

THE DISPOSABLE SOMA by Zeb Haradon @ZebHaradon

 4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: One of my favourite authors, so I always get his books as they come out.

In a Nutshell: Bonkers but clever look at US politics in the 22nd century.

I haven't got a clue how to review this book, which is unlike anything else I have ever read, aside from other books by this author, but this is the most off-the-wall yet.  I highlighted a lot of passages that made me laugh or that I thought were a particularly clever observation of human nature, or send-up of the current political climate/culture of the 21st century and where it could eventually head, but when I came to look at them they didn't feel like anything that might help me with a review.  This made me think that I highlighted them for want of anyone to say 'ha ha, this is funny (or pertinent, or whatever)' to.

It's around 2163, and it seems that society has deteriorated and become way more bizarre by today's standards, at the same time as being perfectly believable.  It centres around election time - here is an extract from the blurb: 

'...an upstart party called the Empathy Party blames all the world's ills on sociopaths. An assassination leaves the Empathy Party's candidacy wide open and a clown car of candidates vies for the nomination. One, hotel heir and failed comedian Jim Liu, stands out from the others when he chooses a genetically modified, super-intelligent, opium-addicted parrot as his running mate.'

I'll admit that the idea of a genetically modified parrot as a running mate didn't quite work for me at first, even when considering its origin, i.e., Zeb Haradon's head, but it started to gel as the story continued, especially when coming from the viewpoint of the parrots, who see themselves as a marginalised sector of society, and are looking to Jim to help them fight for their rights.  Betty is a hilarious character.  

'It's quite a gamble.  But come to think of it, Dan Quayle was vice president, so I guess Betty Parrot isn't such a stretch.'

'You really trust her with a wing on the button?'

One of my favourite elements of this book is the concept of the last uncontacted people on earth, the primitive Centolese from Centos Island, who are unaware that their world has been turned into a reality show.

'Initially, it was an entertainment event financed by The Centolese Network, but as more and more Americans emulate the Centolese way of life and have come to identify as Centolese-Americans...'  Row of laughing face emojis here!  The historic timeline of Centos Island is extremely funny and clever.

I also like the idea of bubble technology - think of Dr Who's Tardis, much bigger on the inside than the outside.  Those financing Jim Liu's campaign are the innovators of the bubbles, which will revolutionise farming, housing, land tax and much more.  And I liked the faux 'spirituality' of those getting off their faces at ayahuasca ceremonies; in this hedonistic tomorrow where religious doctrine and morality as we know them have ceased to exist, anything goes.  Though I daresay the inner workings of political campaigns are no different now, give or take the odd parrot and 172-year-old candidate.

The ending was perfect.  I'll just hand this back to Kindle Unlimited, and download the next, in its place, to read before too long :)