Some tame gazelle by Barbara Pym

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Genre - Fiction


Belinda & Harriet Bede are sisters living in an English village in the 1950s. They’re happily unmarried, although Harriet has an admirer, Count Bianco, who proposes marriage at regular intervals. Belinda has been in love with Archdeacon Hoccleve since their University days but he married the very capable Agatha instead. This is a story of gentle irony & humour as village life brings challenges such as the church fete & what to give the local seamstress for lunch when she comes to make up the new curtains. When Archbishop Theodore Grote arrives for a visit from his African diocese, Belinda finds herself the object of attentions that she suspects Agatha might envy.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

The monster in the box by Ruth Rendell

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Genre - Mystery


Inspector Reg Wexford is startled to see a face from the past, a man who he believes has committed at least two murders, but who he never expected to see again. This is the catalyst that takes Wexford back to his early days in the police force, when he was convinced that Eric Targo had murdered young mother, Elsie Carroll. He had no evidence & was too junior to influence the murder investigation, but he knew Targo was guilty, & Targo knew that Wexford knew. So, a strange game developed where Targo would walk his dog past Wexford’s house or stare up at the windows of the police station. Then, he would disappear for years before unexpectedly turning up again. As Wexford tells the story to his deputy, Mike Burden, the evidence becomes more compelling, especially when another murder occurs close to Wexford’s home. The Wexford series has been one of the best police procedurals for over 40 years & this is another great installment. It’s not one of the best, but interesting to see Wexford as a young man, starting his career & meeting his wife, Dora.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

The pattern in the carpet by Margaret Drabble

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Genre - Non Fiction


The subtitle of this book is “A personal history with jigsaws”. Drabble reminisces about her childhood visits to her Auntie Phyl, who lived in a B&B on the Great North Road, the main route from London to Scotland. Assembling jigsaws became one of the pleasures of these childhood holidays & they continue to enjoy it on many later visits until Phyl’s death. Drabble intended to write a history of the jigsaw puzzle & she has done this, but the picture she draws of her childhood in the 40s & 50s & Phyl’s life as a schoolteacher & later helping her parents run the B&B is the most interesting part of the book. Jigsaws began as dissected maps that could be assembled as an aid to teaching children geography. It wasn’t until the 20th century that they became a pastime that everyone could afford. Drabble’s research into the history of art, mosaics & children’s toys is fascinating but the heart of the book is her relationship with Phyl & her memories of a happy childhood.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross

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I really enjoyed this book ... as a matter of fact, I found it hard to put down! The main character, Karen, is someone I instantly empathized with as the reader and throughout the story I felt how torn and courageous she was dealing with the "death" of her husband. The thing I liked most was that there was something I can take away from the fictional story to empower my own life (that's what makes a book especially good in my opinion). The story reinforced my belief that we are never really powerless, and we always have choices. Furthermore, we chose the life we live and the challenges our lives give us prove just how strong we are. These are lessons all of us, particularly divorcees, need to be reminded of often! I can't wait to begin my next book!


---- Reviewed by Linda, Guest

The Fault Tree by Louise Ure

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Genre - Mystery

A gutsy blind female motor mechanic is hit by a car on her way home from work. Several murders later, she is more battered and bruised and her friend is nearly killed. The police do not recognize her "blind " skills at first, until they realize she is telling the truth and someone is out to kill her also. A great read. Unputdownable!


---- Reviewed by Carol, Guest

Forbidden fruit by Kerry Greenwood

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Genre - Mystery


The latest Corinna Chapman mystery is set at the beginning of a hot summer in Melbourne. Corinna hates summer, hates Christmas & just wants December to be over so she can close her bakery & have a month’s holiday. Her lover, Daniel, has been hired to find two runaway teenagers, Manny & Brigid. Brigid’s parents, members of a strange religious group, locked her away when they discovered she was pregnant. Manny helps her escape & they’re now on the run, with the baby due any day. There are lots of echoes of the Christmas story in this fast-paced book – the race to the hospital with Brigid riding on a donkey called Serena is especially funny - & Greenwood uses traditional carols & Christmas music to great effect. As always in this series, the luscious descriptions of food & drink & the lives of the people & cats living in the Insula building are almost more important than the plot. This series is a treat for the senses, full of humour & a real feeling of life lived to the full.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

The last office by Geoffrey Moorhouse

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Genre - Non Fiction


This is the story of the monks of Durham Priory & their fate when Henry VIII split with Rome over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon & created the Church of England. The Dissolution of the Monasteries was a complete break with religious life as it had been lived for hundreds of years. Henry & his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, were eager to get their hands on the riches of the Church & to have complete control on the religious life of the nation. Small monasteries & nunneries were broken up & the monks & nuns pensioned off or sent to other houses. Gradually it was time for the larger priories such as Durham to be transformed from Catholic communities into Anglican cathedrals with priests rather than monks. Moorhouse describes the life of the Priory before the Dissolution & how the Bishop of Durham & the Prior guided the monks in their care towards an accommodation with the new order.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

Jane Austen ruined my life by Beth Pattillo

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Genre - Fiction


I’m not a fan of the many Austen sequels, prequels & other novels cashing in on the popularity of one of my favourite authors. This novel is an exception as it uses Austen’s life & work in an intriguing way. Emma Grant is an American academic. Her life is falling apart. Her husband has been unfaithful & she’s lost her job due to an unfounded allegation of plagiarism. Emma has been contacted by Mrs Parrot, a mysterious woman who hints that she has access to over a thousand unpublished letters by Jane Austen. Emma sees publishing the letters as a way of regaining her academic reputation. So, she goes to England to meet Mrs Parrot. Emma is sent on a series of journeys to places associated with Jane – Bath, Lyme, Winchester - & must pass tests at each place to be allowed to read more of the letters & discover more about the secret at the heart of Austen’s life. Emma also meets up with Adam, an old friend who is also in London doing research. Is his interest in Emma altruistic or is he chasing the same prize? The plot has a few holes in it, but Emma is an engaging character & a tour of Jane Austen’s England is always a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters