This week sees a coupe of books finished and taken from my TBR pile!
Jessie Burton’s The Muse grew on me as I reached the final sections and anticipated some of the revelations. I did find her language to be beautiful and sensual but her more contemplative moments a little awkward. I was, though, sad to leave the worlds of Odelle and Quick, and Teresa and Olive, and was left wanting more which is always a good sign! Edmund Reede felt underused and his adventures with Quick between 1936 and 1967 would be great to know!
In the void that finishing this book has left, I have picked up the threads of my life of crime again with Tana French’s Faithful Place and Graeme Macrae Burnett’s The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau – both a slightly more literary crime novel than the usual. I am a little concerned about Faithful Place which is from the perspective of Frank Mackay of the Dublin Murder Squad. He has been an imposing and domineering and somewhat dark presence in most of the other books in the series, albeit as a secondary or minor character – sometimes little more than a cameo – and I’m not sure that hearing his voice in this novel gels with the impression he has given elsewhere. But I have faith in Tana French’s ability to come up with the goods.
I was also tasked with an additional job at work today: to read and review Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell’s The Sleeper and the Spindle… and it is just sublime! If you only read one new book this year, read this one! Now! Stop reading my meandering drivel and read this book! Do it now!
I have also been exploring NetGalley and have a couple of ARCs from them queued up to read by September including Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss, The Cult on Fog Island by Mariette Lindstein and The Day of the Accident by Nuala Ellwood.
I have also – literally today – sent off a request for an ARC of Lethal White by J. K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith, the fourth Cormoran Strike novel, due out on 18th September. No idea what will come of that, but I am an eternal optimist and – as my granny used to say – if you don’t ask, you don’t get! And I’m hoping Robin gets saved from her really bad marriage!
The Book Lovers' Sanctuary 
Got a bit fed up of the Robert Galbraith series, but might pick it back up again… J K Rowling is such a great writer, beyond Harry Potter, and I do want to like them…
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I’m not a huge fan: find her writing for adults a little self-conscious…. But the plotting is good and they’re enjoyable enough!
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I can see that for sure. You’re right, it was the plotting I liked too. I thought Cormoran was a good character as well
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