Audiobook Review: Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

October 31, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Opening sentence: “Mrs Ariadne Oliver had gone with a friend, with whom she was staying, Judith Butler, to help with the preparation of a children’s party, which was to take place that same evening.” I was drawn to this particular book in Agatha’s vast catalogue for two reasons. The first: timing (there’s nothing like a […]

Does the length of a book put you off reading it?

October 3, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

I randomly came across this interesting little site called ReadingLength.com. It uses 300 words per minute as an average reading speed to calculate how long it will take you to read a book. This interested me as, I have to admit, sometimes if I pick up a book and it’s a hefty tome, I do […]

Review: Through the Wall by Caroline Corcoran

September 25, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Opening sentence: “I sit, listening to the drip, drip, drip from a shower that only runs for a short time to prevent me from trying to drown myself in it.” I mean it literally when I say I COULD NOT put Through the Wall down. This sophisticated thriller is Caroline Corcoran’s debut and made me want […]

The Importance of the Opening Sentence.

August 27, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

It has the power to decide if a book is read or not. By me anyway… You may have noticed that for each book I review, I record the opening sentence. When I read it back, months, even years later, sometimes the opening line is all it takes to evoke the whole feel of the […]

Review: What Happens Now? by Sophia Money-Coutts

August 19, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Opening sentence: “I wasn’t sure I had enough wee for the stick.” What Happens Now? by Sophia Money-Coutts is – wait. Before I talk any further about the book, I know what you’re thinking: ‘Is that the author’s real name? Surely not?’ I know because I had that exact thought, but it turns out, yes, it is […]

Review: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

August 6, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Opening sentence: “Whenever I woke up, night or day, I’d shuffle through the bright marble foyer of my building and go up the block and around the corner where there was a bodega that never closed.” Like your books deadpan, witty and satirical in tone? Then you’ll love My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Our […]

Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

July 27, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Opening sentence: “The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as ‘The Styles Case’ has now somewhat subsided.’ The Mysterious Affair at Styles has its place in literature history as not only the first Hercule Poirot story, but as the first novel ever published by Agatha Christie. Set in 1917, […]