What Is Maisie Dobbs About?

‘Gadsby’ is a community handbook of a novel that reads like a stunt. For the story is very simple indeed: John Gadsby rallies the citizens, sets up clubs to further civic ends, and sees public spirit and behavior transformed accordingly. But to read this short novel is to take on the greatest challenge of all for the one letter that Gadsby does not use is ‘e’. This book is a short read and can be interesting to read as part of a word game night. Other authors could do a similar book written under strange constraints and it could be a fun detour from normal novels. I recommend reading it to see how long it takes you to start noticing the missing letter (to me the most common vowel of all, e).

A scene in ‘The Dot’ that I return to again and again is when Vashti’s teacher hangs up her ‘just a dot’ work of art in a gold frame. Why that scene is so powerful for me is it shows us that even the smallest thing about us can be lauded in such a way as to launch us on a journey. It shows us how we frequently diminish to nothing our efforts in the hope that someone will tell us that we are good enough. The book makes clear that creativity is a strength that everyone possesses and that it is a muscle that everyone can develop. Vashti goes from a slumped, angry child to a proud child who owns her work. And that is the core of the book.

The love story: The only human connection in a story full of weirdness. It gets read in completely different ways. Some people think it’s beautiful. It’s a necessary human connection in the story. Others find it forced and amateur. It’s clearly there for the purpose of human connection. I find it sweet, for the most part. Their growing relationship is key to the plot, and is the vehicle for the biggest change in Eleanor’s life. Leo has a deep understanding of the whole ecosystem of the street, magical and botanical, and so is able to pass on his knowledge to Eleanor, to help her to understand what she’s dealing with. But more than that, their growing trust of each other is a model of the sort of vulnerability and honesty that the street as an entity has, until now, forbidden. Their relationship is quiet, and slow-burning, but ultimately feels earned. There is real connection between the two of them, as they share in their respective curiosities, and their desire to know and understand things, as opposed to just running from them. The story uses their partnership to explore the themes of collaboration and the solitary life, and how they relate to one another. It is a vital emotional thread, and makes the high-concept plot feel warm and real, and the personal stakes that much more personal.

This is a movie that I saw years ago and it still really resonates with me. So much quiet desperation in it. And while I’ve assumed it was a period piece with a purely fictional story, it’s actually not based on any one person. Which is kind of amazing because it makes the writing even better – they created a totally realistic character from scratch. Which is the mark of really great storytelling – it creates a person so real that you can completely lose yourself in the narrative and forget that you’re even reading a story at all. Glenn Close and the writers did an amazing job with this.

'The Mallen Streak' by Vicki Cookson – a classic gothic novel where a family slowly but surely loses control of themselves as their famous legend threatens to consume them. The famous white streak of hair runs like a time bomb through the generations of this family, and it’s the root of so much pain and misunderstanding. But each generation also has their own unique struggles and voice, from the youngest hard-drinking son to the disenchanted, elderly matriarch, as well as the inevitably tragic love story of a working class man and a member of the upper-class family. The physical trait of the streak of hair is used as a metaphor for the inherited psychological trauma suffered by each Mallen. It’s a cracking read, spoiler free, that will have you reading it by the light of a fire on a rainy day.

'_TWIST OF FATE_': A slow-burner which ends up having a very powerful emotional payoff. A retired ballet dancer and a taxi driver are brought together by a blizzard. The ex-ballerina, Irina, is fleeing from her husband and the cabbie, Malik, is still trying to come to terms with the death of his son in a hit-and-run accident some years previously. The twist comes when, after getting stranded in a snow-drift, the two are brought together for an overnighter in the cab. It is an excellent book that does not judge or glorify either of the two main characters. Rather, it describes how an unexpected tragedy can change a person in ways that they would not expect. I especially loved the scene where Irina finally ‘still can’ dance – dancing barefoot in the snow. Malik, the taxi driver, watches her in a mix of amazement and sorrow. That’s all I can say about this scene – it’s unforgettable. The ending is excellent too – two broken people finally acknowledge the other person’s pain. I cried, but it was so good.

I just finished reading ‘Hunt Me, Darling’ over a weekend and I am totally hooked by this book! The novel is at its core a romantic cat-and-mouse game, well wrapped up in a thriller’s skin. The main hunter is a very cold, very precise professional who has been trained to hunt down, capture or kill his targets. His current mark is unusual in that he or she is not at all what he or she seems to be. The hunter’s contract is straight forward enough: follow, corner and complete his mission. But the longer he is around his current mark the more he finds himself torn between his duty and his desire for this enigmatic person. For me, this novel was a chase structured in three acts: (1) the hunt, where the two leads engage in high-stakes surveillance, racing across rooftops, tailing each other through dark, deserted streets and hidden alleyways; (2) the unraveling, as the Hunter learns to see the Target in a new light, with all their complicated secrets and pain, and the two of them work to uncover the truth of the Hunter’s elusive contract and the mysterious mastermind or organization behind it all; and (3) the violent confrontation in which both characters are forced to make choices about their allegiances, with huge consequences for both of them. I love the chemistry and tension between the characters, both morally ambiguous in their own ways. The hunter is not a simple anti-hero. There is much that has driven them to this point in their life and you get a glimpse into their past which explains their current way of life but does not excuse it. The target is equally complex and clever. They have a principle to their nature but are in no way perfect. They have their own flaws and can sometimes be uncomfortably cuddly, sometimes puncturing the hunter’s armor with a single comment or action that takes you by surprise. Dialogue is fabulous, full of humor, sarcasm and emotion, and the internal monologues are truthful without being overly mawkish. I was surprised by a few twist and turns, and there were a couple of moments of moral ambiguity that had me thinking about my heroes and the choices that they made throughout the book. It deals with some dark themes: violence, trauma, and manipulation, but it’s also got a lot of heart and that’s what makes it work so well. The pace is fast and fun, and I loved how the main characters’ story developed in lovely, quiet moments of introspection where the two could sort out their trust of each other and grapple with the possibility of a brand new start. While there are scenes of action, I never once felt I was being spoon-fed or told what to feel, which was really terrific. All in all, a really great read, and I can see why this would be a really popular and highly-recommended enemies-to-lovers novel, especially of the sort of thriller-with-heart type that fans of yours might enjoy.

'Forever My Girl' is a country song in book form. While the novel does explore singer Liam Page’s life as a famous man, his growth and the way he comes back from his mistakes are more important. We adore spunky Josie, and her arguments with Liam are just as engaging as their sweet moments together. And the subplot of the young boy in the story is pure brilliance. It amplifies the consequences of Liam’s actions, making this a sweet, sexy and soulful read that will have you turning pages to find out what happens next.

I just finished reading the series Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud. It is a fantastic, spooky but also very witty series about a group of young ghost hunters in a world that is dominated by all sorts of deadly spirits. The main character of the first book, The Screaming Staircase, is Lucy Carlyle, a very talented new psychic in a very small agency of ghost hunters. The agency is run by the very charming Anthony Lockwood and his friend George Cubbins, who is also very book-smart. The three of them make a great team because they are all underdogs: no adults, no big company behind them. They have to rely on their wits, rapiers, and salt bombs to fight the ghosts. In the world of Lockwood & Co. ghosts are called ‘Visitors’ and they only appear at night. Only children can sense the ghosts. Therefore it is teenagers that have to go out to fight the ghosts to save the adults who are unaware of the dangers that lurk around every corner. The first book starts with a great case: the three of them have to investigate a very haunted house with a very special staircase that starts to scream by itself. The cases in the books are all mostly standalone but there is also a bigger mystery throughout the series about Anthony Lockwood’s past and a large conspiracy that is behind the sudden increase of spirits in the world. The books are very witty, lots of great dialog, but they also are very suspenseful and scary at times. I even jumped a few times while reading the books. But the books also are very emotional and you get to read a lot about Lucy’s relationship with the two boys but also about her own ghosts (both physical and psychological). All in all it is a great series of mysteries that has a lot of heart and is perfect for people who like to read books that have a lot of existential dread in them. I read the whole series in a week and the finale was so great that I am still unsure whether I am satisfied with the way the series ended or if I want to read more about these characters. If you like mysteries with a lot of heart and a lot of spookiness then this is the series for you.

I just finished reading ‘Death at Morning House’ – a superb mystery novel that hooked me from the start. It’s set in and around Morning House, a large and rather eerie house with a dark history, owned by the very wealthy and rather unpopular Mr. Holloway of the Holloway family. When he is found dead in rather strange circumstances, young and recently appointed detective Clara Reeves is sent for. And from the very first chapter, I was hooked. As Clara delves deeper into the mystery of the death of the patriarch of the Holloway family, she realises that nothing is as it seems. The house itself seems to be a character in the story and it has hidden passages and secret rooms, creaking floorboards and more than a few dark secrets. And as for the Holloway family, well it seems that each and every one of them is hiding secrets of their own. But are these secrets human or is Morning House really haunted by the spirits of the past? Throughout the novel Reeves uncovers the web of deceit, long-standing grudges and twisted relationships that exist within the Holloway family. The way in which the author creates claustrophobia as a raging storm hits is incredible. Reeves is left to deal with the family trapped inside the crumbling mansion and it makes for tense reading as Reeves makes mistakes along the way and we are led down many a red herring. In the end the author delivers a satisfying solution but it leaves you with the feeling that Morning House still holds many secrets and the author has done a great job of delivering a gothic style mystery that will appeal to fans of the style. A great read.