Review: Whose Body?

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable detective romp that has exactly all of the things you would expect from a murder mystery that has a Lord as the sleuth - a dimwit detective, a dastardly villain, and plenty of "what ohs" and "Yes, sirs" (from the ever-present butlers). There are moments, however, of uncomfortable reading with the odd bit of antisemitism banded about is if it's not remotely problematic. But, as always, you do have to judge a book by the time it was written (1920s) and the antisemitism is more about stereotypes than anything hateful.

What I was surprised by was how well-rounded Lord Wimsy is - he's described as having "nervous problems" because of WWI and these are described with sympathy. I was particularly impressed by a speech he gives in which he recognises that what is a "jolly jape" to him (i.e. finding the murderer) will have a dramatic effect on people's lives (i.e. someone will be convicted and hanged).

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Review: The Power

The Power by Naomi Alderman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An absolutely brilliant book.

I was put off reading The Power because I thought it'd be about women - having suddenly developed the power to give off electric shocks - going on murderous rampage against men. But, having read so many good things about it, I decided to give it an go; and I'm really glad I did.

It's not about women going on a murderous rampage at all. It's literally about power and what happens when people traditionally without power suddenly get power over those who have traditionally held it. There is a multitude of terrible things that happen to men in the book after they become the "weaker sex" and it's sickening because you realise these things are happening right now to women all over the world. Things that are allowed to happen because men are taught to believe that they must be powerful, strong, and dominant and women are taught to believe that they must be powerless, weak, and passive. OK, so it's not as clear cut as that but, in subtle ways, that's exactly what culture historically would have us think.

For me, this is a must read. If you aren't a feminist (whether you're male or female) before reading this book, you will certainly be afterwards.

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Review: Visitation

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A beautifully written tale of a house and its occupants, ranging from start of the 20th Century (I think) to the reunification of Germany. All of the stories of the occupants are poignant, particularly those relating to Jewish residents during WW2 (one is actually quite devastating).

To be honest, though, I am not really a fan of this style book in which individual stories are linked by a common thread (ie the house). So while I objectively would say it's a very good novel, I didn't particularly enjoy reading it.

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Review: Peggy and Me

Peggy and Me by Miranda Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Feel quite mean giving this book three stars.

It's a bit waffly and not the best written thing in the world, but Hart doesn't pretend it's anything other than a sweet (often genuinely touching) book about how falling in love with her dog Peggy helped her to find hope again. And, in fairness, she warns you pretty early on that it's not going to be a literary masterpiece.

I think that this is probably the perfect stock filler book. It's not going to tax anyone's brain too much and probably won't make it anyone's best book of the year list, but it's endearing. There are so many books out there looking at all the horrible things in life, it's comforting to read something that focuses on the more positive things.

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Review: The Break

The Break by Marian Keyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another reliably good read from Keyes. What she does so well - a lot better than some of her more critically acclaimed contemporaries - is to write believable characters. Hugh's decision, for example, to "take a break" from his marriage and his family responsibilities does seem, on the surface, a ridiculuous thing for him to do. And it is (and is portrayed as such), but Keyes gives him enough depth of character to show he is a troubled man rather than just a feckless one.

It's a pity there isn't an acclaimed literary prize for consistently decent story telling (maybe there is and I just haven't heard of it). If there was, Keyes would win hands down.

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Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was at first a little put off reading this book because I realised that a cheesy 90s horror film* I watched years ago - The Haunting - was based on this book.

Thankfully, I quickly realised that the book is nothing like the film; it is far more disturbing. One passage was so spine chilling that I felt grateful that my flatmate was at home and I wasn't alone in the flat. If you live by yourself in an old house, perhaps don't read this book...

* = Semi re-watching it on YouTube as I write this; it's absolutely dreadful but Catherine Zeta Jones hamming it up like there's no tomorrow is pretty entertaining.




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Review: Anxiety for Beginners: A Personal Investigation

Anxiety for Beginners: A Personal Investigation by Eleanor Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book doesn't offer any firm answers about anxiety (for either its causes or its treatments), but it does provide insight into what it's like to live with anxiety. As I do have anxiety, I found this very refreshing. Sometimes, you just want to read something by someone who understands what it's like to have consistently fretful thoughts.

As a result, knowing that Morgan has been there and bought the proverbial T-shirt, I'm much more willing to try some of things she suggests (and it is only suggestions) than perhaps I would be if a psychologist had suggested them. Yes a psychologist probably would be better informed about anxiety but, unless they had it themselves, they perhaps wouldn't "get it" in quite the same way that Morgan does.

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