On 24 February 2022, Russian armed forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The pretended reasons of the murderous dictator and war criminal Putin are alleged “numerous crimes committed against the civilian population, including citizens of the Russian Federation”, the demilitarisation and “denazification” of Ukraine, and NATO’s eastward expansion. None of this ...
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett My rating: 1 of 5 stars We all know them: Those relatives at family reunions who insist on telling “terrific jokes” that make us cringe. If you don’t, let me put you into the right mood: »When asked if they would have sex with Bill Clinton, 86% of women in D.C. said, “Not again.”« Or this one: »3 men are stranded in a boat with 4 ...
Detective Kubu Investigates 2 by Michael Stanley My rating: 2 of 5 stars This was supposed to be another “filler” till I found my “next big read” and it all started well enough. “Shoot to Kill” is an interesting short story featuring Kubu investigating the death of an informant among poachers. It had exactly the right “Kubu vibes” and was a quick and pleasant read. Had all the short stories been this good, the collection...
One Night on the Island by Josie Silver My rating: 2 of 5 stars I just wanted a nice little romance to reset my brain. What I got was a weird mix of hippie crap (self-coupling my arse), commitment issues (Susie, Cleo, the kids, Mack; all suffer, none win). Cleo, a writer for “Women Today”, writes a column about finding what she calls her “flamingo”, meaning her “soul mate”, “forever love”, you name it. In an act of defia...
Foxes for Christmas by Ben Aaronovitch My rating: 4 of 5 stars Truly just a “moment” but a nice, kind and amusing one. View all my reviews Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam...
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid My rating: 4 of 5 stars Oh, well, another difficult review to write… I really did like this book and while writing this very sentence I’m still unsure what my final verdict will be. Evelyn Hugo, fictional Hollywood icon, is – to me – an immensely likeable person: Starting her career in the 1950s she works her way up to become a legend. That alone would already have...
Favours by Benedict Jacka My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a short story told from Sonder’s perspective, primarily featuring him and Caldera. Alex is only mentioned in passing.Nevertheless, this short story definitely makes you feel right at home back in the Verus universe. I never really liked either Sonder or Caldera and both their behaviours here just firmly cement this antipathy. Sonder is opportunistic and primarily worries about ...
The Maid by Nita Prose My rating: 1 of 5 stars From whatever point of view: This is a disgrace of a book. Let’s look at the story itself first: Molly, usually referred to and sometimes self-referring as “Molly the Maid” (as if that’s all she is), works as a maid in the Regency Grand Hotel.One day, when she’s cleaning a suite she finds the body of Mr. Black, a rich “power magnate”, who stays at the hotel with his second wif...
Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage by Heather Havrilesky My rating: 5 of 5 stars »Forever is two immortal elves, sipping pink champagne by a burbling stream, then exploring the wild, gorgeous woods around them in everlasting harmony. Forever is set in New Zealand, not New Jersey.« It was around Christmas when I came across Heather Havrilesky’s essay “Marriage Requires Amnesia” (which is an adaptation from this book) i...
Breathe Your Last by Lisa Regan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Josie Quinn No. 10. A swimming champion drowns, a firefighter sets his house on fire, some ordinary people try their hand at flying… It soon becomes clear that these are not just cases of truly bad judgement but that a half-crazed serial killer is on the loose in Denton. Sounds good? It is – for what it is. If you like Josie Quinn, you’ll enjoy this instalment. If you don...