@lesleypeeblesbrown
Books and Books
Nov 05 2019 - Dec 26 2022
@lesleypeeblesbrown
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Nov 05 2019
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 08 2019

Our heroine gets herself embroiled an another improbable situation, but the underlying story of cults, patriarchy and control is chilling and realistic. \240The story is well told and compelling.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 10 2019

Classic Grisham, gloriously improbable but worrying plausible at the same time. \240The sums of money being casually tossed around and the naked greed of the characters is disturbing. \240A good read nonetheless.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 13 2019

Set in Edinburgh, focussing on the smart areas and the wealthy and entitled. \240Heavy supernatural undertones and ritual murders - although in the end the stirring could b taken either way. \240The demons are real and separate, or they are within. \240Interesting, imaginative, a bit clunky in places and a few loose ends. \240Entertaining, with way too many bodies.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 15 2019

Second in the series, and equally twisted and funny. \240Very entertaining and gloriously contorted. \240Very apposite word, as a ‘contortion’ is central to the plot. \240Great fun.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 20 2019

The latest in the series. \240Plenty of dragons and fae, bad guys and convoluted plots on alternate worlds. \240Great fun!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 25 2019

As ever, a really, really good read. \240Plenty of action, and a first-hand commentary about life in the US right now. \240V. I. Warshawski as a brilliant character, her integrity leading her into all sorts of trouble as she exposes corporate scams and defends the underdog. \240Good language and an educated and well-researched background. \240Brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 26 2019

Becky is a brilliant writer. \240Imaginative, thoughtful writing, a great story. \240Love it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 04 2019

Sadly, this one didn’t work for me. \240The idea was good - interspersing the reading of ‘classic’ or ‘difficult’ books with life and other stories. I felt it became cumbersome and contrived; I didn’t finish.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 07 2019

Oh, yes, this is good! \240Funny, convoluted and very dark. \240Very close to the bone...

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 13 2019

Elizabeth Hunter never fails to delight. \240Love her classy vampires and her imagination.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 14 2019

Brilliant storytelling. \240I listened to the audiobook version, and was transported to another world. \240Dark and compelling, the story starts about 6 years after the events in the Dark Materials trilogy. \240It ends suddenly, leaving the listener hanging - and searching for the publication date of the next book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 15 2019

Cosy whodunnit set in 1930s depression era Boston. \240Suitably cosy, but rather depressing, focussing as it does on the position of women in society at that time. \240Depressing, because of how much has not changed in the past 80 years.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 24 2019

Thought provoking and well argued. \240A discussion about how our way of eating has changed in the light of the excess available to us now; how obesity is the new norm and how society’s attitudes have not kept pace with these changes. \240Several generations now have grown up without the social mores of how, what, and when to eat.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 26 2019

A bike ride through France, totally dictated by restaurant reservations. \240An interesting ride, but I really got exhausted by all the rushing around.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 27 2019

Jodi never fails... Bannockburn this time, and a suitable cliffhanger in respect of Mr Markham...

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 30 2019

This appears to be the last one in the series, and I haven’t read any of the others. \240It stood alone, though, and I enjoyed the characters. \240The descriptions of Whitley Bay in its heyday of the 1920s were fascinating, as were the depictions of society at that time.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 07 2020

When you need a fix of beautiful writing and language, Margery Allingham is the best. \240A series of short stories, perfectly crafted.

“He was one of those placid businessmen who appear to have been knitted rather loosely out of woolly good nature...”

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 10 2020

I had to go back to the previous book to get my brain back into gear for the start of this one - this is the third in the series. \240

Boyd has an unusual style - almost ‘cosy’. \240His stories are compelling, and run along so smoothly; there never seems to be any delays or setbacks, no problems with the boss when bending the rules. \240The helicopter is never more than minutes away, neither is the armed response team; the pathologist is always available to do the post-mortem immediately, and the budget can always be stretched to accommodate telephone record searches and suchlike.

But they’re enjoyable. \240Unlike the hard-bitten, gritty reality of some crime novels, these seem to offer a picture of how things could be in an ideal world.

This one is about a stable boy apparently kicked to death by a racehorse, and takes us into the world of racing; of betting and laying, of horseshoes and saddles. \240There is the occasional loose end, but otherwise an enjoyable read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 12 2020

I just finished the last one, and moved straight on to this one.

The same style as the previous three, but this time we get to learn some more about Nick Dixon’s background. \240Set this time in one of Taunton’s public schools. \240And a good read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 14 2020

Pretty compulsive, this series. \240A contract killing ... organised crime... and the reality of the fairly recent issues about diabetics’ prescriptions being changed from animal insulin to ‘human’. \240Oh, and the politics of a by-election.

Still strangely’cosy’ - or almost as if it were written for a younger audience. \240But I’ll continue reading the series. \240Escapism is good...

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 16 2020

Great descriptions. \240Centred on the case of a group of Falkland veterans and their case against the government for compensation for mesothelioma. \240Caving, rather a lot of bodies, but still a compelling tale.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 18 2020

OK, binge reading. \240This one is about police corruption, gangland murders, and serial killers. \240A cracking read, even if there are too many bodies.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 19 2020

Child kidnapping, canal history and a convoluted plot, as ever. \240The poetic justice and unlikelihood of the events throughout stops the stories from being too dark. \240Going to run out of these books soon!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 22 2020

OK, we’ve reached the end, and have to wait until May for the next book. \240

This one is a follow-on from the last, as the serial killer from the last book is hunted down. \240Well researched. This time centred on the building of the 2nd Severn crossing and Hinckley C nuclear power station. \240The story fairly rushes along, with satisfactory conclusions in many directions.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 24 2020

Classic Stabenow. \240Took a while to dredge the memory to identify the characters of the series, but they are larger than life, as ever. \240Brilliant language, eclectic references and funny enough to lighten the story of immigration, child abuse and drug-running. \240Plenty of poetic justice - Dana is not above having a particularly nasty criminal eaten by a grizzly.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 27 2020

A deeply satisfying collection. \240I’m sure I must have read some of these before, but this didn’t stop me from sinking right back in there. \240There’s also excerpts from the first book of each of three series - Kate, Liam and Star - which I loved. \240In all of the stories, the bad guys get their come-uppance; very often without the involvement of formal law-enforcement. \240Rough justice? \240Poetic Justice? \240Whatever, entirely satisfying.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 31 2020

Phew. \240One of those books where you’re not sure if you really want to carry on reading... there are some pretty nasty characters. \240But I got hooked and drawn in, and couldn’t put it down. \240But I’ll need a rest before I try another of her books.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 01 2020

Listened to the audiobook. \240Dead horse being flogged, sadly. \240I got thoroughly fed up with this one, and gave up partway through.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 03 2020

Bond by Horowitz. \240Brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 04 2020

O-kaaaay. \240Far too many people not talking - or listening to each other. \240A lot of unnecessary angst - but that seems to be the way of things today. \240I almost abandoned it a couple of times. \240

The portrayal of Victorian society is chilling - the poverty and filth, the chasms between the classes, the keeping up of appearances at all - all - costs. \240The premise of the book is interesting - that troublesome memories can be removed and securely bound within a book. \240The idea wasn’t developed very far, sadly, and was really lost beneath the angst. \240But it did eventually hold me until the end.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 06 2020

Modelled on a young Rebus, I guess - Arden Street even makes an appearance. \240That said, I did enjoy it a lot, recognising the locations and figuring out the location of the fictional Leith Walk police station. \240A likeable, idealistic protagonist, satisfactory conclusion. \240Too many bodies, but that seems to go with the turf.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 08 2020

East Lothian as you’ve never seen it - a whole imaginary town on top of the Garleton Hills, spreading from Garleton Castle to Barnes Castle. \240Great fun! \240DI Bain is getting steadily more unpleasant and desperate. \240Satisfactory conclusion of the case, but not DI Barnes. \240Yet. \240Maybe the next book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 12 2020

Imaginary distillery near Drem in East Lothian. \240Body in a barrel... \240this series is developing well.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 13 2020

Or, Dyed in the Wool. \240Football hooligans and male pride.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 16 2020

In the buried closes of the Old Town of Edinburgh. \240A dark and messy tale.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 18 2020

Christmas and New Year, a fine cast of ne’er do wells, and a very interesting plot. \240Binge reading!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 22 2020

OK, still a good read - but maybe I should move on to something else for a while!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 13 2020

Elizabeth Hunter is always good value, and this is no exception. \240A fun read, lighter than many of her other series, but still very enjoyable.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 23 2020

Plenty of reading in this, and utterly fascinating. \240Reiterated many of the points made by Bee Wilson in ‘How We Eat Now’. \240A fascinating journey through cooking methods, and his own experiments with them - and some recipes at the end. \240Very good.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 27 2020

Listened to this as an audiobook from the library - and it is a first-class romp. \240Totally in the style of Ian Fleming, and the reader (David Oyelowo) is brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 29 2020

Started listening to the audiobook of Sweet and Deadly, but abandoned it - I really couldn’t cope with the zeitgeist of the Deep South, even in supposedly light fiction.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 01 2020

This was an actual paper book, picked up from the library at the Lanterne Rouge in Gifford. \240A wide ranging book, lots of great stories about cycling in all its forms.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 03 2020

A phenomenal book; brilliant social history, fine characters and a robust tale woven around a Singer sewing machine just like mine. \240Perhaps the fact there were so many points of personal contact was what made it so real and exceptional.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 06 2020

Library audiobook - enjoyed it very much. The reader picks up Forsyth’s tone and pace very well. \240Classic spy stuff, right up to date with both time period and technology. \240A cracking tale, well told.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 10 2020

The usual fun and nonsense with Hamish McBeth - variation on a house party mystery this time. \240Audiobook.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 12 2020

Another audiobook. \240I have this through Audible, and have listened to it before - but Amelia Peabody is such a joyous creation, she’s perfect for the current crazy times.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 14 2020

Another one from my audiobook collection. \240Pure, glorious escapism.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 21 2020

No. \240I listened to this one in Audible, and found it dull, repetitive and full of stereotypes. \240I suspect it was meant to be humorous, but it missed the mark completely. \240Totally unlovable protagonist.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 21 2020

Library audiobook. \240Great fun.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 23 2020

Classic Jodi Taylor. \240Plenty of twists and paradoxes, funny, horrific, deep, plenty of poetic justice. \240Brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 27 2020

A great read - nothing too deep or challenging, just a bit of grownup fantasy where the bad guys get their comeuppance.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 07 2020

Dipping in and out of lots of books; this was suitably undemanding.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 11 2020

In the same vein as the last - this one on audiobook from the library.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 13 2020

Audiobook while quilting. \240Satisfactorily gentle listen while quilting. \240The whole series is in the same vein, and I love it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 15 2020
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May 17 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 19 2020

Fun, if a bit lacking in poetic justice at times. \240Great social history of the 1920s

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 23 2020

I’ve been listening to this series of books whilst sewing, and have enjoyed them. \240For me, the plots are secondary to the social history of the 1960s, which is portrayed rather well throughout. \240Interesting philosophical reflections, too.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 29 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 31 2020

Having tried a number of different books that just haven’t hit the mark, I went back to this series - and it’s no less brilliant now. \240Transported to another world.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 03 2020

This book stayed with me for a long time. \240Sally herself reads the audiobook, and I recommend it. \240A happy, \240loving, sad and compassionate book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 05 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 08 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 10 2020

I can’t say more than that review on the cover. \240Excellent.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 12 2020
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Jun 15 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 18 2020

Chris Paling is an engaging storyteller, and his tales of his life in a provincial library are funny and compassionate.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 19 2020

Mary Russell is a glorious creation. \240This is the latest in another favourite series of mine. \240Sherlock Holmes is a very strong character, but Mary Russell is absolutely a match for him. \240The social history evoked by these books is excellent.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 22 2020

A very funny audiobook. \240And you can only feel hope in the fact that some of the characters described are very recent indeed.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 26 2020

Brilliantly evocative writing. \240Love James Runcie’s writing.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 04 2020

The latest in this long series. \240Her characters are brilliantly drawn - you feel them and for them. \240They stay with you for a long time.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 05 2020

Some cosy historical light relief. \240Set in Whitby, the author evokes the town and the period clearly. \240Loved it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 07 2020

I listened to the audiobook version, which had the added impact of being read by the author. \240Initially I was a little frustrated by some of the self-inflicted disasters, but the book grows with its protagonists, and takes you along. \240A brave, moving and affirming story

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 09 2020

Classic Gladwell, and a great read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 12 2020

I read these somewhere back in the mists of time - so long ago that at times I began to doubt that this was the case. \240With time, age and experience comes a whole different understanding, and a fuller realisation of what a brilliant mind Douglas Adams had. \240The one that lodged with me this time, which slid past me last time, was the “Someone Else’s Problem” field.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 14 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 17 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 20 2020

Transported back to another world. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 25 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 01 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 05 2020

Beware of Fuckwits and Loonies! \240Audiobook read by Tom. \240Funny, profound. \240Loved it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 10 2020

I listened to this in audiobook form from the library. \240Although there’s several bits that don’t lend themselves to this format (tables of information, for example), the story told here is fascinating and moving - a window on another time.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 15 2020

OK, judge me if you will. \240This is ‘women’s paranormal fiction’. \240I’ve read just about everything that Elizabeth Hunter has written, and without fail her books are well written, with good language and cracking stories.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 20 2020

Ahh. \240The Skelfs. \240Set in the Edinburgh you thought you knew. \240Very dark and very funny.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 22 2020

Some very fine journalism here. Recommended.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 28 2020

Interesting and different journey, beautifully read by the author. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 31 2020

One of my all-time favourite series of books. \240What is it? \240Real history, laugh-out-loud-on-the-bus humour, time travel, gritty reality, poetic justice. \240Pure escapism with a brilliant cast of characters.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 02 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 04 2020
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Sep 06 2020
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Sep 08 2020
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Sep 09 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 10 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 11 2020

Charlie Connelly is great value, and this is an entertaining and informative book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 12 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 14 2020

This is a fabulous book, and far deeper than its title might suggest. \240Alisa made a pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago de Compostela and Finisterre, carrying with her sins entrusted to her by friends and strangers. \240The audiobook is read by Alisa herself. \240Brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 16 2020
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Sep 18 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 22 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 23 2020

When I finished listening to ‘Sinning Across Spain’, I immediately went to see what else Alisa had written - and found this. \240In audio, read by Alisa and Tony. \240A wonderful, honest and compassionate correspondence.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 25 2020
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Sep 27 2020
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Sep 28 2020
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Sep 30 2020
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Oct 01 2020
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Oct 02 2020
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Oct 03 2020
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Oct 04 2020
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Oct 05 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 05 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 07 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 08 2020
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 09 2020

The whole series is a joy.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 10 2020

Gloriously funny.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 11 2020

Gentle and thoughtful observations on life and the countryside. \240Read by the author. \240A touch of calm in crazy times.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 13 2020

A spin-off from the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series. \240Equally brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 14 2020

I started to listen to this one because I’d enjoyed ‘Cold’. \240But this one reads like a Boys’ Own adventure, with uncomfortably close Colonial politics thrown in. \240I abandoned it on audio - I may try reading the Kindle version.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 20 2020

I bought this one on publication date, paying the full first-day price 😳. \240Even more brilliant. \240Laugh-‘til-you-cry funny, great characters, gritty interludes, but plenty of come-uppance for the baddies.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 23 2020

I enjoyed this one - a great classic, with beautiful writing and language. \240Transported back to simpler times.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 24 2020

Audiobook from the library. I’ve read this series before, and absolutely love it. \240Mary Russell is a tour de force - a brilliantly drawn character. \240The language is delicious, and the research is thorough. \240Recommended.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 29 2020

Comfortable escapism. \240Love it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 02 2020

An excellent audiobook, great follow-up to the last, beautifully read. \240The Hound of the Baskervilles referenced and followed up with new stories and plot. \240Great characters.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 06 2020

Very, very funny.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 08 2020

I’d certainly heard some of these stories from the family and from others. \240But wow. \240Alec is younger than me - not by much - but our early worlds could not be more different. \240Utterly fascinating.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 12 2020

This is a long, and deeply moving book. \240As ever, beautiful language, fantastic social history and fine characters. \240Jenny Sterlin reads faultlessly, and her characterisation is first class.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 17 2020

Utterly fascinating, disturbing - one hell of an achievement, and one hell of a book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 18 2020

What an phenomenal book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 24 2020

Brilliant audiobook, based in India, 1924 - with links to Kipling and ‘Kim’. \240Glorious.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 29 2020

Another very fine audiobook, mostly San Francisco, 1924. \240Uncovering the circumstances of the deaths of Mary Russell’s family in 1914, linking back to the 1906 earthquake and fires. \240Very satisfying.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 05 2020

Another great read from Laurie King set in England in 1926, just ahead of the General Strike. \240Impeccable research, fascinating detail, plenty of action.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 07 2020

Excellent, as ever.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 08 2020

With the best of intentions I started this - but found it incredibly hard going. \240It’s referenced heavily in ‘The Game’ by Laurie R. King, and I would have loved to get the background. \240But at this time, no. \240I don’t have enough focus to follow Kipling’s writing style - so very much of its time.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 10 2020

Another rather wonderful collection of short stories. \240Mary Russell is a triumph.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 13 2020

‘Hell yes’. \240I’ve started, and I will continue, but it will be in small doses if I’m not to become furiously incoherent. \240It takes me from the feminist dreams and actions of my school and university days to the tragedy of has and hasn’t happened since.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 14 2020

I’ve read this before, a sequel to ‘Touchstone’. \240Excellent writing, clever, but dark. \240This time, I bailed. \240A factor of the current situation of the world, I think.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 15 2020

The absolutely brilliantly funny writing of Jodi Taylor.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 17 2020

So much fun, and a great, comforting read. \240Unchallenging, but right now, that’s exactly what I need. \240Loved it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 20 2020

A lovely, peaceful re-read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 26 2020

A Christmas tradition. \240It didn’t disappoint!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 29 2020

A phenomenal book. \240At a time when I’ve been finding it hard to settle into a book, this one hauled me in.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 31 2020

Another very fine audiobook to accompany the slow construction of new upholstery on the wee Parker Knoll.

Making a total of 122 books for this calendar year.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 05 2021

Audiobook. \240Another excellent tale!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 06 2021

Who knew you needed a licence to go trawling in the mud of the Thames? \240Fascinating.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 07 2021

Tremendous fun, as always. \240Reading this at the same time as listening to the next in the series definitely encourages concentration!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 08 2021

Evocative, as always, of another time. \240Very fine writing and storytelling.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 10 2021

Hooked back in to this series - a mix of audiobooks and Kindle, and not necessarily in the right order. \240Rather alarmed at how little I remember of the plots!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 12 2021

Just brilliant.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 16 2021

An audiobook, and fascinating. \240I’d been somewhat aware of the effects of social media on the mental health of some people; this book gives some terrifying stories. \240Depression, anxiety - an honest and compassionate book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 18 2021

I found this a bit difficult to follow at times - more to do with the historical background discussions, which are convoluted indeed. \240I enjoyed it anyway, and may just go back and read it again...

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 25 2021

And Stephen King’s readings are a joy. \240There were several false starts for a few days, when I couldn’t find anything in the audiobook catalogues of the library to suit my mood. \240This is a classic.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 28 2021

Always good, non-pc wicked humour. \240Audiobook.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 29 2021

Laurie is a master storyteller indeed. \240Here, Japan I all her unfamiliar complexity.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 01 2021

Tremendous fun, as ever. \240I listened to the audiobook; Jenny Sterlin is a masterful reader.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 02 2021

Fun to revisit this series. \240I love the depiction of Alaska life. \240Some gritty stuff interspersed with some almost slapstick comic moments.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 05 2021

Well-researched depictions of the inter-war years. \240As always, Mary Russell is a joy.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 06 2021

A continuation of this series - I literally finished the first and turned the page to the second. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 07 2021

Audiobook. \240Started and abandoned. \240Not my book at all.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 08 2021

Stephen Fry’s audiobook version. \240He’s a great reader, bringing the old tale to life.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 09 2021

Fun whodunnit.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 10 2021

I had to take a breather part way through as things got too intense. \240Several storylines going on at the same time, so you have to concentrate!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 11 2021

Brilliant blogposts from Dana’s time at sea with the US Coastguard. \240A fascinating read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 12 2021

Audiobook. \240Laurie’s characters and books are a joy.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 16 2021

Still an excellent read. \240Dana can keep me up late reading her stories... \240read before, but still brilliant and funny.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 21 2021

Just published, so not a re-read. \240As brilliant and as funny as ever, painting some wonderful pictures of life in Alaska.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 28 2021

A very promising, 30-hour audiobook. \240But I have abandoned it at around 15 hours. \240The piling of stress on the characters at that point becomes nothing short of a farce. \240And I get so, so fed up of self-inflicted angst. \240I guess the author is doing her job in engaging the reader, but it’s just too much for this empath.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 02 2021

A classic that I have never read. \240I have begun, and can relate to so much of the writing. \240As yet unfinished, as it needs digestion time. \240I may return to it soon.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 05 2021

Another of those books that one should read. \240But perhaps not in the midst of a pandemic. \240I know his forecasts and foresight are sharp and well researched, but there is only so much one can take in alongside our daily chaos. \240Unfinished.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 07 2021

This is more like it. \240Beautiful, magical story and writing that transports the reader to another time and place.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 10 2021

Tried this one again. \240Still not doing it for me.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 12 2021

Many podcast during this time, as my brain couldn’t find anything to settle to.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 17 2021

At last! \240A book that I really enjoyed. \240Sue is a wonderful writer, and her stories exude the compassion that was so evident in her last book. \240Fascinating and very informative.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 20 2021

This was a brilliant audiobook. \240Read by Chris himself, it documents the crisis that is the British prison system - from the inside. \240Recommended.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 27 2021

Some brilliant light relief, as ever. \240Carwyn and Brigid take on a case of kidnapped and trafficked children in California.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 28 2021

I’ve been listening to this while creating my latest quilt - the one for Laura and Euan. \240

Read by David himself, it’s an utterly fascinating - if harrowing and sobering - account of his time as a volunteer surgeon in various war zones. \240Deeply personal and compassionate, horrifying and inspiring. \240David also tells of the charitable foundation he and his wife, Ellie, have set up to help train surgeons, both here and abroad, to work in conflict zones. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 31 2021

I wouldn’t say the heroine is a patch on Amelia Peabody - but a fun and gentle read in the ‘golden age’ style.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 05 2021

So long since I’ve read Agatha Christie. \240I couldn’t say if I’ve read this one before - but it sets the perfect tone for the current moment. \240Entertaining!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 13 2021

A classic. \240I’ve read it before - more than once - but still good entertainment.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 15 2021

Another classic. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 17 2021

Another glorious romp around the timeline, convoluted plot, new and eminently dislikeable characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and real and learned history. \240Love these books!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 20 2021

Like all her other books, utterly delightful. \240A million miles away from the standard wars of regular SF.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 24 2021

Fascinating, honest and ultimately terrifyingly sad. \240Richard is a man that simply wants to do his best and tell the truth. \240However, he discovers how much ‘the truth’ is flexible, a matter of opinion or the will of the strongest legal team. \240

What it ultimately does to him is tragic - PTSD, a GMC investigation and thoughts of suicide. \240A tough read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 26 2021

A modern detective’s investigation of Richard III. \240A 1951 classic.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 05 2021

Absolutely classic reading. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 12 2021

It’s a good listen, but I think it would be better in the ‘printed’ form so much fascinating information!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 24 2021

I’ve known about this book for some time, but it took a ‘high cholesterol’ blood test to send me off to do some research on the subject. \240This is a sobering and fascinating book. \240I finished it about an hour ago, and I think I’ll go right back and read it again. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 31 2021

Classic, in the style of the Golden Age. \240Loved it, and bought the next one.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 04 2021

Catherine wrote o lovely series, The Lindford Chronicles, about life around an Anglican cathedral. \240This is an unintended follow up, where we see how the characters have been weathering the storm of Covid. \240Honestly delightful.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 06 2021

Lived up to the promise of the first book in the series. \240Gentle entertainment for troubled times.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 10 2021

Great fun, as ever!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 14 2021

I’m struggling along with this one. \240It’s utterly fascinating, and takes concentration and application - both of which are somewhat lacking right now. \240I promise to return to it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 18 2021

Unlike some of the others I’ve been reading set in the 1920s, this author was there and the social mores are unfiltered. \240A rollicking read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 22 2021

Wilson was a spy himself, and after he died it was discovered that he had four wives - at the same time. \240This book is a fun romp.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 03 2021

After an unpromising start, it did get better - as one reviewer put it, a mix of Christie, Wodehouse, Downton Abbey and a dog of distinction.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 05 2021

A suitable audiobook for crafting. \240Fascinating feeling the zeitgeist of the 1920s as written at the time, rather than through the tunnel of history.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 08 2021

I started this, but found it puerile, like tabloid reportage. \240Abandoned in disgust.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 10 2021

Another audiobook, and again, fascinating to feel the mores of the time.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 11 2021

I should really know by now that many things that popular rave reviews just don’t come up to the mark. \240Abandoned.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 13 2021

Finally! \240I loved this book. \240I loved the way Anna took me along on her journey through New Zealand. \240I was sad at how much I couldn’t recall from my time there in 2004, but some good memories did appear. \240The best sort of adventure book - a gem.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 15 2021

And David’s book. \240It’s a very fine piece of writing and the main character is compelling. \240The story has an underlying tension that both keeps you reading and at the same time that tension builds unbearably, so I had to lay it down. \240Interesting to study my own reaction to George; by turns furious and sad, frustrated, unsettled, shocked. \240The description of George’s transformation from stargazer to voyeur is uncomfortable; it has echoes of the stories of men who become ensnared in internet pornography or grooming.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 17 2021

Quite different from Anna McNuff, but another great story of a fine journey.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 19 2021

I really enjoyed this one - the location and background are very well drawn, the characters too. \240A good story. \240And I moved straight onto the next one, which is a measure of a fine book.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 22 2021

The next in the series, and it did not disappoint. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jul 31 2021

As good as the rest - really evokes the spirit of the location.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 01 2021

A prequel - and a great, cosy story.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 07 2021

I was rather hesitant about starting this one. \240I used to inhale these accounts, but having my own adventures and stories has made me less keen. \240However, I loved this one. \240Chris’ style of riding and adventuring is so different from my own - crazy, self-inflicted stress in many places - but I loved this book, and bought the next one immediately I finished it.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 12 2021

As good as part one.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 15 2021

As good as parts one and two.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 17 2021

This reads like a first novel, but once you accept that, it’s quite a funny romp. Nothing very challenging!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 19 2021

A re-read of the audiobook - and a delight.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 20 2021

I’d just bought the latest in this series, and realised that I could remember very little of the first two books. \240So - I went back to re-read. \240I’m glad I did; this one has a quite different feel. \240And I was right - I could remember very little. \240But second time around, a jolly good read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 24 2021

Continuing the re-read of this one before moving on to the new book. \240Thoroughly worthwhile, and much more satisfying than the first time around.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 27 2021

And the latest one. \240What an imagination! \240A fun and twisty tale.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Aug 31 2021

Elizabeth Hunter never fails. \240Some real history, brilliant characters, and the vampires are as classy as always.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 02 2021

Interesting stuff. \240I’m fascinated by how Alastair has set out to make a living out of adventuring, and his honesty about the difficulties he has encountered. \240I love his writing, and his podcasts.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 03 2021

I couldn’t wait any longer, and downloaded the audiobook. \240A tale of wartime that is sometimes difficult to hear; love, hate, honour, duty are all there, along with the reality of damaged men and the collateral damage to the children.

Beautiful and compassionate writing that clearly evokes life in England during 1941 when the threat of Nazi invasion was real and ever present.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 06 2021

Easy reading fun.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 15 2021

A bit too simplistic for me; tabloid journalism.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 17 2021
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 20 2021

Ahhh. \240I started this one, but I am finding the subject matter (First World War) very tough. \240The writing is as beautiful as you would expect, but I’ve laid it aside for a while.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 24 2021

Great fun, as always, but I’ll need to read the written book rather than listen to the audio. \240Too much detail, too fast for passive audio!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Sep 28 2021

This series is promising much. \240Loads of fun and time travel.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 04 2021

Reasonably gentle reading, with some real places and events as background to the story. \240I enjoyed it, but was a bit irritated in places by the use of wrong words - editing could be better. \240Otherwise, it certainly held my attention.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 10 2021

This one was well reviewed, and I was looking forward to a good new series. \240But - no. \240I abandoned it about halfway through. \240Too dark and nasty.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 18 2021

An absolute joy, as always. \240Much tittering and laughter. \240I will need to go back and read the previous two books again; these books rocket along at such a pace that I miss stuff - and I’ve forgotten other stuff. \240Jodi is a funny, very clever lady.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 23 2021
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Oct 30 2021
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 06 2021

Yes, I did mean to put this here. \240I read it at speed when it was published, realised I’d forgotten much of what happened in the earlier books and went back and read the whole lot again. \240A very worthy exercise. \240Poor Chris had to put up with the laughing-out-loud for days.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 10 2021

We met Chris and Ties in Florida. \240It was brilliant to read their stories and to be transported back to our own as another winter in Scotland looms.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 13 2021

Another excellent story with plenty of come-uppance for the bad guys. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 20 2021

Another re-read of one of my favourite series. \240Just wonderful.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 23 2021
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Nov 27 2021
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 05 2021

As always, a brilliant read with many gems missed or forgotten from previous readings. \240The series is the book equivalent of comfort food.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 10 2021

What a fantastic book! \240A grown-up fairytale, fantasy, fable. \240Utterly brilliant. \240I know I skimmed bits in the heat of the plot, so I shall have to go back and re-read. \240I loved it 😍

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 13 2021

This is a beautiful book. \240Ponderings about winter, rest, time.

One of the best things I took away from it was the Druid calendar - the eight-fold wheel of the year. \240As always, I’d been watching with sorrow and bemusement the performance that is Christmas; the once a year, be all and end all of UK life. \240The ritual seems to have become a religion in itself. \240Having no family, and usually being on the road at this time, we’ve detached ourselves from the whole proceeding. \240Katherine’s observation is that we could be a lot easier on ourselves if there were a number of smaller celebrations throughout the year, breaking it up into six-week sections. \240I really love this idea, and as Covid continues to play havoc with our usual travelling rituals, I’ve started to think and dream in these smaller chunks. \240It’s keeping me grounded amidst the craziness.

I commend it to you.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 15 2021

The next book by Alix Harrow after The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

Incorporating so many fables, fairytales and nursery rhymes, witchcraft, feminism and patriarchy, misogyny and sisterhood, it reads like a blacker version of some of the Grimms’ darkest tales.

That said, it is fascinating and utterly compelling. \240On a few occasions, I thought I wanted to stop and abandon the book. \240After a suitable pause for reflection and digestion, I continued and finished.

It’s an epic work, and a bit like Type 2 fun - something that’s much more fun after the event. \240Snippets and stories come back to you, and it will certainly bear re-reading.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 18 2021

I remember reading Angus MacVicar’s memoir, Salt in My Porridge, while I was at University. \240I hadn’t come across the name in years. \240I gave this book a go, but I found it pretty hard going. MacVicar’s style is florid and wordy, and there are rather a lot of characters that I found difficult to pin down. \240In the end, I lost the plot amid the excessively detailed descriptions and complicated metaphors. \240Sadly, abandoned.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 25 2021

The Christmas short story from Jodi Taylor. \240Tremendous fun and imagination, as always.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Dec 29 2021

Finished one Christmas story and moved on to this classic - last read about 40 years ago. \240Classic indeed.

And that makes approximately 101 books for this calendar year. \240Re-reads and abandoned books included. \240No apologies offered.😊

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 01 2022

Not up for anything more challenging just now, so re-reading this. \240Again, more than 40 years later. \240Still classic.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 04 2022

Anne Rice died in December; reading friends’ comments on her books, I thought I’d try this one. \240Nope. \240Not my bag.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 08 2022

Quite fascinating to read these observations from a considerable number of studies. \240Terrifying that official advice is still based on many clearly disproven ideas. \240Read as a scientist who has had her own views on diet and processed ‘food’ for a very long time. \240This is a serious book, meticulously researched and referenced, but perfectly accessible.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 14 2022

I love Becky Chambers’ brilliant imagination and science fiction that isn’t about domination and destruction. \240This one is thoughtful and fascinating.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 16 2022

Given that I had to look this up to remind myself what it was about, two weeks after reading it…. Umm.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 18 2022

Ahhh. \240Loved this. \240Ponderings on time, our allocation, how our western civilisation tries to manage it, and suggestions for better ways.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 19 2022

Another excellent whodunnit from Mr. Horowitz. \240Unusual and unexpected.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 20 2022

Always good to re-read. \240Brilliant depiction of life for these archaeologists in 1930s Iraq, which is the background to this tale. \240

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 22 2022

After ‘Murder in Mesopotamia’ here is the real memoir of Christie’s time there. \240Long ago and far away; the past is another country. \240I was transported there.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 26 2022
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 26 2022

I didn’t know that Agatha Christie hash written an adventure story, let alone one with a young female protagonist. \240Classic adventure, of its time, and great fun.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jan 29 2022

This is Sherlock Holmes made real. \240Utterly fascinating what can be discovered from pollen and fungi spores, and it really does read like Sherlock Holmes at times.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 01 2022

A backpacker adventure. \240Without denigrating the effort, I’m fascinated that a book can be got out of 6 weeks on the Gringo Trail. \240It’s so different from the way we travel to make it quite fascinating to read.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 05 2022

A re-listen. \240Enjoyable, and I certainly got much more out of it second time around.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 10 2022

Classic stuff, with proper poetic justice.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 15 2022

Long, clever, convoluted and satisfactory. \240A sequel to Magpie Murders. \240An excellent audiobook.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 18 2022

A bit of light relief. \240I’ve read this before, but couldn’t remember very much about it. \240Jasper Fforde has a phenomenal imagination, and I loved this re-read. \240Global freezing? \240Mass hibernation? \240Glorious.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 26 2022

This is a long read, and I found it quite difficult due to the writing style. \240But fascinating, horrifying, and yet another story of the Big Man in medical research.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Feb 28 2022

A bit of light relief once more after the last heavyweight. \240Beautifully evoking the 1920s - the upper classes, certainly, but fun nonetheless. \240Always good to find the start of a new series 😁

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 06 2022

An interesting listen. \240Fascinated that my garden full of opium poppies ar Seton would have got me into a great deal of trouble in the US…

Some written a while ago, some during the Covid 19 pandemic. \240Not very joined-up in places, but good journalism.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 24 2022

A good, long listen, with a nice evocation of Sherlock Holmes. \240Definitely darker than Doyle, but I enjoyed it a lot. \240Downloaded the next in series, which is always a good tell!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 29 2022

There’s not many authors I buy on publication date, but Jacqueline Winspear is one. \240I love these books. \240This one particularly evokes England during WW2, how ordinary folk adapted as best they could to a horrible time. \240Although very different, I felt distinct parallels to our adaptations to life in the current pandemic.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Mar 30 2022

Listening to this. \240A long, involved and ultimately satisfactory tale. \240Fine imagination!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 09 2022

An utterly fascinating book, reminding us once more how little we actually know about the brain and how it works. \240Honest and compassionate.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 15 2022

Some light reading, but still entertaining with a great feel for another era.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 18 2022
@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 21 2022

Still fun and unchallenging.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Apr 28 2022

This is verging on chicklit… but the women do prevail.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 10 2022

A rather excellent summary of some very longstanding and continuing myths. \240Solid, plenty of sense backed up with good science.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 13 2022

More light relief!

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 18 2022

Still loving this series.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 24 2022

A wonderful book, packed with hard-earned wisdom and compassion.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
May 29 2022

I was hooked. \240Someone else who has taken an alternative path in life, turning away from the capitalist path of the US.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 06 2022

Surprisingly entertaining. \240Lots of real stuff mixed in with a fun, alternative story.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
Jun 11 2022

When the brain refuses to contemplate anything more difficult.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
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Jul 06 2022

Found after following up an obscure sticker in a window in Dorchester.

@lesleypeeblesbrown
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