Books I read in May

It has been a busy old month. I have been doing some beta reading for a couple of people as a result I have not had a lot of time for reading published books

Hope for the Best (Chronicles of St. Mary’s Book 10)

Jodi Taylor

Another outing for Max the Historian from St Mary’s.

If you have read the earlier books it will all make sense straight away, if you haven’t it will be difficult to pick the story. There are lots of references to other stories, I won’t say earlier because when you are dealing with “events in contemporary time.”

All the regulars are here, Max, Leon, The Time Police and resident bad guy Clive Ronan. A jolly romp in a series that readers of this page will know I really enjoy. If you are new to this delightful, wickedly funny series … start with Book 1, “One Damn Thing After Another.” It will make more sense, not a lot of sense but more!

5 Stars

The Thirty Something Snap

by Alan Helgasson

Howie is heading towards his 40th birthday. He is worried about the way so many of his male friends undergo major lifestyle changes in their thirties, The Snap. He is a failed musician, he is divorced, he now has a good job, a very good job, so the thought of him ‘Snapping’ has him worried.

Then he gets a late night, well, early morning call from his ex-band mate and best friend. Peter is in hospital, Peter has burnt himself and his car is still at the place where the accident happened … A naturist resort. ‘Snap!’

The story is the classic boy discovers he actually likes girl more than just a friendship and loses her …

Has a second chance at fame as a musician …

A surprising and inventive story, even if it stretches your credulity, and ultimately a rewarding little light read. (It is not quite a #naturistfiction story but deals with naturism in a very mature way!)

Four Stars

Recipes for Gingerbread Children

by Michael Beyer

A very clever book. It is easier to describe in terms of ‘Not’

• It is not a children’s book
• It is not an adventure story
• It is not a light and fluffy fairy tale
• It is not a piece of naturist fiction.

But it is all of these things at times as Grandma Gretel weaves her tales for the children that come to her cottage for cookies and stories.

This book is most certainly well written. It delivers moral judgements with all the force of the Brothers Grimm.

Five Stars and the Read of the Month

Myths and Mortals (Numina Book 2)

Charlie N Holmberg

The second book in the three book Myths and Mortals series. Follows on directly from the end of book 1, with the heroine Sandis feeling betrayed by the male lead Rone.

I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first story, it was lacking in pace, with long periods of reflection by Sandis that I found ‘unsatisfactory’.

The action scenes are strong and the story arc is well planned but I felt that it had been padded-out and could have done with a few pages less. On the other hand I plan to read book 3 when it is published.

Four Stars