The Book Post - July

What's been on my bookshelf...

Read of the Month

Geneva, by Richard Armitage

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has started to show the same tell-tale signs of Alzheimer's disease as her father: memory loss, even blackouts. So she is reluctant to accept the invitation to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference - until her husband Daniel, also a neuroscientist, persuades her that the publicity storm will be worth it. The technology being unveiled at this conference could revolutionise medicine forever. More than that, it could save Sarah's life.

In Geneva, the couple are feted as stars - at least, Sarah is. But behind the five-star luxury, investors are circling, controversial blogger Terri Landau is all over the story, and Sarah's symptoms are getting worse. As events begin to spiral out of control, Sarah can't be sure who to trust - including herself.

Oh my goodness, this one had me on the edge of my seat. I listened to it on Audible performed by Richard Armitage and Nicola Walker and was absolutely transfixed. Do yourself a favour.

The Rest

Same Time Next Week, by Milly Johnson

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.

Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week?

Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…

A Milly Johnson book is always a treat and always keeps me up way too late reading when I know the alarm is due to go off at sparrow’s fart. This one was no different, and in any other month, it would have been my read of the month.

Retribution, by Sarah Barrie

Ace hacker, ex-prostitute, Jack Daniels drinker and part-time vigilante Lexi Winter is now working with the police, with a new enemy in her sights and an old foe on her mind.

Most probationary constables would baulk at chasing a drug dealer into a train tunnel in the dead of night - not Lexi. But when she emerges, injured but alive, to face the wrath of her boss it's clear that while Lexi may now be in uniform, she has as much trouble with authority as ever. Just to prove it, Lexi is quietly using her hacking skills to investigate a notorious drug-dealing Sydney crime family with links to her old prey, the paedophile Damon Vaughn. As her colleague Detective Sergeant Finn Carson investigates a death on a Sydney building site that leads him to the picturesque Wondabyne train station on the Hawkesbury River, Inspector Rachael Langley oversees an enquiry that is becoming ever more complex as multiple lines of investigation seem to interweave. What they don't know is that Lexi is the only one who can unravel them - if only she'll toe the line.

Mum had this one out on loan from the library when I was in Sydney. I would have read it then, except that because I’d brought my Kindle with me, I’d left my reading glasses at home. How old does that make me sound? Anyways, I immediately reserved it from my library - and am so glad I did.

Set in the Central Coast just north of Sydney, this is the second book in the Lexi Winter series. I’ve already reserved no. 3 and 4.

A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy, by Anne Cleeves

For Dorothea Cassidy Thursdays were special. Every week she would look forward to the one day she could call her own, and would plan to visit people she wanted to see as a welcome respite from the routine duties that being a vicar's wife entailed. But one Thursday in June was to be more special than any other. It was the day that Dorothea Cassidy was strangled.

As the small town of Otterbridge prepares for its summer carnival, Inspector Stephen Ramsay begins a painstaking reconstruction of Dorothea's last hours. He soon discovers that she had taken on a number of deserving cases – a sick and lonely old woman, a disturbed adolescent, a compulsive gambler, a single mother with a violent boyfriend and a child in care – and even her close family have their secrets to hide. All these people are haunted, in one way or another, by Dorothea's goodness. But which of them could have possibly wanted her dead?

It is not until a second body is discovered that Ramsay starts to understand how Dorothea lived – and why she died. With the carnival festivities in full swing and dusk falling in Otterbridge, Ramsay's murder investigation reaches its chilling climax.

To Barbara from Thistles and Kiwis, thanks for recommending this one to me…

17 Years Later, by J.P. Pomare

The violent slaughter of the Primrose family while they slept shocked the nation.

The family's young live-in chef, Bill Kareama, was swiftly charged with murder and brought to justice. But the brutal crime scarred the idyllic town of Cambridge forever.

Seventeen years later, true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott tracks down prison psychologist TK Phillips. Once a fierce campaigner for an appeal, TK now lives a quiet life with Bill's case firmly in his past.

As Sloane lures a reluctant TK back into the fight, evidence emerges that casts new light on the Primroses - and who might have wanted them dead.

While the list of suspects grows, Bill's innocence is still far from assured. What will it cost Sloane and TK to uncover the truth?

Again, this was one Barbara recommended in last month’s post. And this, dear reader, is why I read the entries in this link-up with my library app open beside me.

No Life For A Lady, by Hannah Dolby

At 28, Violet's father is beginning to fear she will never marry. But every suitor he puts forward, she finds an increasingly creative way of rebuffing.

Because Violet is a woman who knows her own mind and her mind is on her mother, who went missing 10 years earlier, vanishing from Hastings Pier without a trace.

Looking for the missing is not a suitable pastime for a lady. But when Violet hires a seaside detective to help, she sets off an unexpected chain of events that will throw her life into chaos.

Can Violet solve the mystery of Lily Hamilton's vanishing? Or will trying cost her more than she can afford to lose?

Alrighty, the blurb says this is joyful and hysterical. I would beg to differ. It was, I suppose, mildly amusing, but okay rather than great.

A Deadly Inheritance, by Jane McParkes

Eco -architect Olivia Wells returns from her successful life in New York to the Cornish village of Penbartha intent on fulfilling her god-father’s bequest to expand and oversee a co-working community of eco and creative entrepreneurs in a converted railway building.

Opposition to her endeavours soon surfaces and it becomes clear that not everyone is committed to the cause. Then, the day after an unexpected argument with someone she considered a friend and ally, Olivia finds her murdered body.

The tight-knit Cornish community hampers police investigations and when the forensic evidence places Olivia firmly in the frame, she is persuaded to put her trust in an unlikely accomplice. Using their unique combination of skills, they work together to try to clear her name, but their sleuthing gets them caught up in a dark web of secrets and lies.

Will Olivia be able to find the killer before they make her their next target, or will this inheritance turn out to be the deadliest of all?

Hmmm, another okay read, but I had problems liking the lead, so I’m not yet sure if I’ll go back for no. 2.

Non Fiction

Food Noise, by Dr Jack Mosley

In a world captivated by the promise of GLP-1 drugs - Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and others - one question remains: how do you lose weight well and sustain it for life? How do you drown out all the food noise?

This groundbreaking guide by Dr Jack Mosley builds on the legacy of his father, Michael Mosley, combining expert medical insight with real-life stories and practical advice. Food Noise unravels the pros and cons behind these so-called 'miracle' weight-loss medications to allow you to:

Understand the science: Dr Mosley explains how these drugs work and asks if they are a game-changer or a health hazard.

Transform Your Diet: Learn how to eat well even when your appetite is reduced, with 50 delicious recipes created by Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, along with tailored meal plans.

Sustain the Change: Discover how to maintain your weight loss after stopping the medication and build lasting, healthier habits.

Dr Mosley answers the critical questions no one else is addressing. Are you losing fat or muscle? How can you meet your body's essential needs? And how can you embrace a lifestyle that nourishes both body and mind?

Dr Jack Mosley is the son of the late Dr Michael Mosley, who was researching the impact of the growth of GLPs before his untimely death. Dr Jack is picking up where his father left off.

The book begins with the premise that for some of us, many of us, food noise is a real thing. We don’t eat because we’re hungry, greedy, or lack willpower; there are a myriad of other reasons behind it. If you know it, you know it. If you don’t, please refrain from mentioning it in the comments.

As Mosley explained, while GLPs offer definite advantages, they also have downsides associated with them. As my friend also explained, GLPs have been used for treating diabetics for almost a decade, so there’s plenty of data on their use.

Mosley handled all sides of the debate well. Also in the book are recipes written by his mother from the Fast 800 plan designed to help you get the right amount of nutrition while you’re on the jab and support transition when you come off it. If you’re contemplating going on the jabs, I’d read this book first.

Book Club

The Code of the Woosters, by PG Wodehouse

‘There are moments, Jeeves, when one asks oneself, “Do trousers matter?”’

‘The mood will pass, sir.’

Aunt Dahlia has tasked Bertie with purloining an antique cow creamer from Totleigh Towers. In order to do so, Jeeves hatches a scheme whereby Bertie must charm the droopy and altogether unappealing Madeline and face the wrath of would-be dictator Roderick Spode. Though the prospect fills him with dread, when duty calls, Bertie will answer, for Aunt Dahlia will not be denied.

In a plot that swiftly becomes rife with mishaps, it is Jeeves who must extract his master from trouble. Again.

This is silly and funny and an absolute romp. If you want to hear more of what I (and the rest of the Simply Stunning Classic Book Club thought of it, you’ll need to catch our podcast…

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

When The Awakening was first published in 1899, charges of sordidness and immorality seemed to consign it into obscurity and irreparably damage its author's reputation. But a century after her death, it is widely regarded as Kate Chopin's great achievement. … Chopin shows the transformation of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother, who - with tragic consequences - refuses to be caged by married and domestic life, and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom.

As a couple of our stunning book club members will be jetting off shortly for the northern hemisphere, we've doubled up on book club this month and next, so we've opted for some shorter reads.

What this one lacks in length, it makes up for in depth and is one of those books that stays with after it’s finished.

If you want to hear more of what I (and the rest of the Simply Stunning Classic Book Club thought of it, you’ll need to catch our August podcast…

The Simply Stunning Classic Bookclub Podcast

Yes, we’re a podcast now… Or, rather, we’ve recorded our discussion of The Code of the Woosters so you can listen in. Apologies for any cruddy editing - that’s my fault and I’m sure I’ll get better. Anyways, we’d love you to have a listen. You can find it here.

Your turn…

Deb, Donna, Sue, and I would love you to share what you’ve been reading … you’ll find the link up here.