The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman is a novel set in Sunderland during the cholera outbreak in the mid-nineteenth century. It’s a compelling tale, and a novelty to find a book set in my home city.
Tag: challenge
2015 Reading Challenge – A book set in a different country
The Diamond Chariot by Boris Akunin is the tenth in the Erast Fandorin series, which I’ve been enjoying this year. This book is set in both Russia and Japan – two countries for the price of one.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book based entirely on its cover
The cover of Mr Sparks by Danny Weston caught my eye as I walked into the library. It seems to be a children’s book, but it’s entertaining and slightly creepy nonetheless – the titular Mr Sparks is a ventriloquist’s dummy with a voice – and a mind – of its own.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
I really wasn’t sure what book to pick for this, as I read all the books I was supposed to when I was at school. Therefore, I did a bit of Googling to find out other books that some people read at school, and came across Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. I liked it – it was a very powerful story.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book with bad reviews
I wasn’t sure what to choose for this one, but then I came across an online review of R.I.P. by Nigel Williams. Who wouldn’t be tempted to read a book described as “a crime novel so incompetent it might have been written by a child”? However, I rather enjoyed this – a cosy, funny crime novel with a twist – it’s narrated by the murder victim.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book more than 100 years old
Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. first published in 1830, is the story that begins with the famous line “It was a dark and stormy night”. To be fair, I think it’s rather a good beginning, though the book itself is a bit long-winded.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book based on or turned into a TV show
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri is the first in a series of very popular Italian novels that have become the TV hit Inspector Montalbano. I love the TV shows and based on this novel, they are enjoyably true to the books.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book at the bottom of your to-read list
A Strange Eventful History: The Dramatic Lives of Ellen Terry, Henry Irving and Their Remarkable Families by Michael Holroyd was only at the bottom of my to-read list because of its size. I’m glad I read it though – it’s a fascinating insight into the Terry-Irving partnership as well as their individual lives and their families. Definitely recommended for all theatre lovers.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book with a love triangle
Heartburn by Nora Ephron is funny and sharp – definitely worth a read.
2015 Reading Challenge – A book with magic
Granny Yaga by Vitali Vitaliev is so much fun – it mingles Russian folklore, Soviet satire and the history of London into a novel that should entertain adults and children alike. I really hope there is a sequel!