“Those of us who have been true readers all our life seldom fully realise the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors. We realise it best when we talk with an unliterary friend. He may be full of goodness and good sense but he inhabits a tiny world. In it, we should be suffocated. The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others. Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough. I will see what others have invented. Even the eyes of all humanity are not enough. I regret that the brutes cannot write books. Very gladly would I learn what face things present to a mouse or a bee; more gladly still would I perceive the olfactory world charged with all the information and emotion it carries for a dog.” C.S. Lewis

Archipelago Monique Roffey. This is my third novel by the Trinidadian writer, Roffey, and though they are all quite different, I have enjoyed each one. In this one, Gavin has lost his home and baby son because of a flood. In despair, he takes his young daughter, Ocean, and their dog, Susie, on a trip in his boat which he hasn’t used in some time. In his younger days, he and a friend had dreams of traveling to the Galapagos and now he decides to make that trip; or go as far as he can. Their journey takes them to many different places where they face challenges and meet other people who encourage them and give them hope. 4 stars

The Wager David Grann. This is the true story of the British vessel, The Wager, which left England in 1740 on a secret mission having to do with their war with Spain. In January 1742, a ramshackle boat landed on the coast of Brazil with thirty emaciated men, telling a tale of being shipwrecked on a desolate island. They were greeted as heroes, but six months later another boat landed on the coast of Chile with three castaways telling a very different tale than the first men. They claimed the first men were mutineers and had left them to die. Who was telling the truth and what really happened to The Wager and its crew? 4 stars

Howard’s End is on the Landing Susan Hill. “It began like this. I went to the shelves on the landing to look for a book I knew was there. It was not. But plenty of others were and among them I noticed at least a dozen I realized I had never read.” So, begins Hill’s year of reading only the books on her shelves, both discovering and re-discovering authors and books. Put together as a group of essays, Hill gives us a glimpse into her reading life and the books she wants to keep and reread. 4 stars

Small Things Like These Claire Keegan. Keegan, an Irish writer, tells the story of Bill Furlong, a coal merchant in 1985. While delivering coal one morning to the local convent, he makes a startling discovery about the treatment of some young women there. Furlong has five daughters and works hard to provide a good life for his family. Should he get involved or mind his own business? I had never heard of the Magdalen Laundries, so I had to do a little research to find out more about the truth of this story. 4 stars

The Searcher Tana French (Cal Hooper #1). Retired detective Cal Hooper moves from Chicago to a small village in Ireland. He buys a run-down cottage he plans to restore and wants to spend his time working on this project, fishing, and walking the mountains. His time as a detective are over. When a young boy begins spying on him and finally comes out to seek his help, he can’t help but begin an investigative search for the boy’s missing brother. All off the record, of course. Tana French is an automatic read for me as her books never disappoint. This one seemed different from her others to me, but what remains the same are a complex plot, interesting characters, and suspense that keeps you turning the pages. I was happy to hear that her new book coming out in 2024 will also feature Cal Hooper. 4 stars

Everyone Here is Lying Shari Lapena (audio—Renee Dorian and Teddy Hamilton). First of all, I loved this title. With some books, it takes more than the half of the book to understand the title (if you ever do), but not with this one. It starts with two people meeting in a motel room who are, of course, married to other people, and escalates from there. When William’s (the good doctor) lover tells him it’s over, he goes home in an ill frame of mind only to find his troublesome nine-year old daughter, Avery, home early from school. He loses his temper with her, leaves, and no one knows what happened to Avery after that. Well, someone knows if only the police can find the truth amidst all the lies and accusations. 5 stars

Apples Never Fall Liane Moriarty. I love Moriarty’s writing—her family relationships and her twisted plot lines. In this one, the Delaney family are a well-known tennis family in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, have recently sold their tennis school and are having a hard time adjusting to retirement. Their four children, though all played tennis and showed promise, are now out of the game and living their own lives. One night a stranger, Savannah, knocks on the door of Stan and Joy. She tells them she fled from her boyfriend and has nowhere to go. Needing a project, Joy immediately takes her in. When Savannah moves in and seems to have no intention of leaving, Stan and Joy’s children are all suspicious and not happy with the arrangement. Later, Joy goes missing and no one knows what happened to Savannah. Where is Joy? Was Stan and Joy’s marriage as strong and happy as it seemed? What really happened on Valentine’s Day?  4 stars

Harbour Street Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope #6). It’s Christmas time and Detective Joe Ashworth and his daughter, Jessie, are on the crowded metro. When they have to stop because of the snow, one lady remains in our seat even after everyone else has gotten off. To Jessie’s horror, she discovers the woman is dead. Because the woman was stabbed, DI Vera Stanhope is called in and soon she and Joe are off to Mardle where Margaret lived to begin their investigation. Nothing is simple or straightforward about this investigation. Margaret had a secret past and Vera is convinced that learning all about her, even things that happened years ago, will reveal the killer. 4 stars

The Matzah Ball Jean Meltzer (audio). Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a rabbi’s daughter with a couple of secrets. One of them is that she loves Christmas and is a successful Christmas romance novelist (using a pen name). When her publisher wants her to write a Hanukkah romance, she panics, not seeing anything magical about Hanukkah. When she hears about a Matzah Ball being planned, she decides to go for inspiration. Unfortunately, there are no tickets left and really, unfortunately, the man in charge of the ball is her summer camp enemy, Jacob Greenberg. Can she convince Jacob to give her a ticket? And is he really the jerk she remembers from when they were twelve? 4 stars

Joy to the World: Daily Readings for Advent. Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Just as the title states, these are readings for advent written by the prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon. In a sermon preached by Spurgeon on December 23, 1855, he stated, “This is the season of the year when, whether we wish it or not, we are compelled to think of the birth of Christ.” He went on to say it was not a religious necessity to celebrate Christmas. “However, I wish there were ten or a dozen Christmas-days in the year” (as an opportunity to preach Christ). In these readings, Spurgeon begins with Genesis 3:15, the first promise of Christ and leads us to Bethlehem to prepare our hearts for His coming. 5 stars

Happy New Year & Happy Reading!