Review: The Obsession by Nora Roberts

The Obsession by Nora Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am staggered by Nora Roberts's ability as a writer. She can take the ingredients which make her genre, all commonplace and expected by readers, and turn them into a cracking good story and a corking good read. She doesn't write badly either.

In the Obsession we have the hurting heroine, the 'tough guy but not a jock' hero, a lovable dog, Big city girl falling in love with the Real America as in the sweet little home town in the country, good old home town folk who are kindly and caring, and the villain gets his comeuppance. These all the ingredients many Americans want to believe in and and want to read about. Nora Roberts stirs 'em up and comes up with a page turning story and an HEA ending without nauseating or infuriating this particular, very picky, 'wouldn't read Nora Roberts unless I had to' reader. Impressive.

I wish I had half her story telling skills, eye for detail and the ability to make a fairy story so realistic. Next time I'm down with 'flu or need a comfort read I shan't ignore the many Nora Roberts on the library book shelves. They are a cheering read even if they are fairy tales.



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Review, 'An Asronaut's Guide to Life On Earth'

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Now this is a book I would like every aspiring youngster to read. Kids who want to be the tops and never mind youngsters, all adults should read this book. It's a great advert for co-operation, for planning, organising and thinking ahead, and gives excellent reasons why striving to be number one and better than everyone else, and making sure they know it, is not the way to succeed.

Chris Hadfield is a laconic Canadian, the astronaut who sent back from the space station all those lovely Youtube videos of life in space and the beautiful photographs of earth and space. He writes about his journey to become an astronaut and how all those bromides we hear are not a good idea. You should sweat the small stuff or disaster will happen. You should plan and organise and practise, practise, practise. You should co-operate and work with your colleagues/people around you because your life, and theirs, depend on each one's knowledge, and care.

Well, obviously that has to be done in space, people will say. Yes, but what about our planet which needs us to be as careful and caring as astronauts need to be. it's already in a critical state.

Yes, there are some really valuable lessons to learn from this book and it's a well written, fascinating read by a clear sighted, clear thinking, caring human being. We need to do a Gideom's Bible trick and get this book into every place and reach as many people as possible. After all isn't planet earth just a large space station floating in space?





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The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home

The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh full marks, Mr Douglas-Home! A crime series which is new, original even, and on the literary side of the genre. It's a satisfying read and avoids many of the clichés common to crime novels. It's another crime series from Scotland which adds considerably to the mana of the Scottish crime genre.

Cal McGill is a PhD student in his late twenties. His doctorate is oceanography, specifically making a computer programme which will track the flotsam and jetsam of the North Atlantic. This fits nicely with his environmental, mildly eco-terrorist points of view. He can track oil slicks and fishing nets full of dolphins for environmental groups. He is interested in the feet in trainers which keep washing up on the beaches around Scotland.

The local police force is supposed to be solving this problem. Inspector Ryan is in charge and his detective constable is Helen Jamieson. He is a big bully, she is a shy, overweight intellectual. And we readers cheer at the end when she outwits him. The missing feet problem rapidly becomes something very nasty and it needs Cal's skills to sort it all out.

There's a moving subplot around Cal's grandfather and past family history but the book is beautifully knitted together so the subplot helps make for a very satisfying read. It also sets readers up with an understanding of Cal, as Helen's thoughts help readers see her as a rounded personality.
Good for readers waiting for the next book in the series.

You don't need to be a crime fan to enjoy this unusual book and it is well worth a read.





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Review 'Memory' by Margaret Mahy

Memory by Margaret Mahy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


'Memory' is a great Mahy novel. Typically she tells a good story, makes the reader laugh and cry and leaves the reader with plenty to think about. The problems she examines in 'Memory' are ones teenagers might well be dealing with, and as she helps her hero through his problem she also shows the reader how to cope and hope.

Old Sophie West has trouble with her memory now she is developing Alzheimer's. It makes her vulnerable. Jonny might be nineteen but he is having a terrible time with his memories of a particular incident and how other around him coped. He isn't coping, has dropped out, gets drunk. keeps getting into fights. Now he is having to rescue Sophia from her problems. Bonny shared that incident but she has found a way forward. Together they all find a way out of those memories and into making better ones in a lovely muddley and very human way.

It's a lovely read and not just for YA. Adults will enjoy this novel too.



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Review: 'The One-In-A-Million Boy'

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It takes real talent to make a memorable novel from the tale of a very old lady, a boy scout, and the Guinness Book of Records. And it takes real talent to make the reader think about life, death, coping with grief, and one's own place in the universe through this gentle tale, but Monica Wood does it brilliantly.

Ona Vickus, 104, Lithuanian immigrant from the turn of the century, is still spry but needs a little help feeding her wild birds. The local boy scout troop are lined up to do Saturday help and record the life of the person they are helping. Ona's helper is Belle and Quinn's son, the boy in a million, who counts everything in tens and hoards everything in tens and we never really get to meet him except through the effect he has on the other characters. Because of his actions his 'not much there' father finds his place at last, Ona gets to live her last years challenging life not hiding away and his mother finds her feet and lives again.

It's a book I've already reread and will want to reread again. It's a pleasure to find a novel which can take the ordinary, and tell a story about it, and make those ordinary people and their lives have relevance and meaning for everyone.

Do read it.










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Three cheers for the Author earnings team.

Find them here, Indies and rejoice.
http://authorearnings.com/report/may-2016-report/

This  time they:
...went deeper. Instead of just looking at Amazon’s bestseller lists, we had our spider follow links to also-bought recommendations and also through each authors’ full catalog. This resulted in a million-title dataset, our most comprehensive and definitive look yet at author earnings. We were able to tally up precisely how many indie authors, Big Five authors, small/medium press authors, and Amazon-imprint authors are currently making enough from Amazon.com sales to land in a number of “tax brackets”.

And do read the article and check the figures. It seems that Indie author ebook sales are still climbing, and the big five publishers sales are declining.

Could that be the crazy price they set on their ebooks?

What is most cheering is that:

Fewer than 700 Big Five authors and fewer than 500 small-or-medium publisher authors who debuted in the last 10 years are now earning $25,000 a year or more on Amazon — from all of their hardcover, paperback, audio and ebook editions combined. By contrast, over 1,600 indie authors are currently earning that much or more.
The gap becomes even more pronounced when we look at those authors who first debuted in the last five years, or during the “ebook era.” And when we look at just the most recent debuts from each publishing path, only 250 Big Five authors and 200 recent small or medium publisher authors who debuted in the last three years are earning a midlist-or-better income from their Amazon sales.
By contrast, there are over 1,000 indie authors who debuted in the last 3 years who are doing so.
We see the same dichotomy play out in the $50,000/year “tax bracket”, which tallies up authors earning what would be a living wage in most parts of the US:

It might be hard work, Indies, but we are better off as Indies.

Review of 'Down Among the Dead Men'

Down Among the Dead Men by Peter Lovesey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Peter Lovesey has been writing good crime novels for many years, and they are good. He has some seriously prestigious awards for them.

'Down Among the Dead Men' is a British police procedural about one of his popular detectives, Peter Diamond. This time Diamond has to play spy in a neighbouring police force, checking on the claims of wrongful imprisonment and suppression of evidence. He does not want to do this but his commanding officer, Georgina Dallymore, has ordered him to accompany her on the job. Peter is even more reluctant when it seems that an old colleague and friend is the officer under investigation.

There's a nice brisk plot with lots of twists and turns, some interesting characters, and subplots which all tie in neatly at the end. It's a good read, not grim and gritty, but witty and clever. An excellent read for all those who like police procedurals and an excellent book for those who are new to the genre and want to see what a really good writer can do in the genre.



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