Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean?

I loved this book. I read it while feeling pretty poorly and still laughed aloud at some of the stories.

This is Fran Hill's lighthearted memoir of a year in the life of an English teacher. Based on true events it is both funny and poignant in turn.

It is written in diary format, divided into terms. Fran and her fellow teachers suffer two Mocksteds and one Ofsted as well as trying to stay in top of lesson planning, marking (with a purple pen - what happened to the red pens of my youth?) and actually teaching.

Fran is also called upon to start a school magazine along with her enthusiastic Journos.

There are hidden depths to this book as Fran's childhood begins to catch up with her present and the ever-present marking threatens to engulf family life entirely. Then there is the daily battle with the Mirror and Bathroom Scales - who can't relate?

I really enjoyed it and can say it was worth the wait to read it. (I read Fran's first book Being Miss about four years ago and have been longing for the second ever since.)

If you're looking for a good read, look no further. I've awarded it a well-deserved 5*.

Oh, there's lots of chocolate, cake and Bailey's in it. So be sure to go on a cupboard rummage before opening it.

A Stranger on the Beach

Once again, I loved Michele Campbell's (third) psychological thriller.

It is written in two narratives: alternating the points of view of characters Caroline Stark and Aidan Callahan. One narrative can be trusted, the other is lies. But which is which?

Caroline is a rich woman with a beautiful showy mansion on the beach. Her husband Jason is successful and well-respected in a good job. They have a daughter in college. Their lives appear perfect.

But then Jason turns up at Caroline's big house-warming party with an attractive younger woman. Everyone, including Caroline, presumes she is his mistress.

Divorce proceedings begin.

Caroline is heartbroken and seeks solace in the arms of handsome young stranger Aidan who is a bartender. But after one night of passion, Caroline becomes convinced that Aidan is stalking her and her family.

Aidan, however, is trying to convince Caroline that it is Jason who is dangerous and that he is simply trying to protect her and her daughter.

Everything comes to a head one night at the beach mansion during a category four storm. Terror in the dark, a knife, gun shots, lots of blood and an arrest for murder.

Another 5* from me. I can't wait to read more from Michele Campbell.

The Reckoning

In The Reckoning, John Grisham returns to Clanton immediately after WWII, so for regular readers of his books it feels like returning home.

Pete Banning is a WWII local hero. He was captured by the Japanese and tortured but escaped and turned guerrilla. Although his family believed him to be dead, they are thrilled when he finally returns home.

But less than a year later, Pete deliberately and cold-bloodedly shoots and kills Clanton's Methodist pastor.

Why? Is the question on everyone's lips. But Pete is refusing to talk.

The book is divided into three parts: the killing, the boneyard, and the betrayal.

In the boneyard, we learn a lot about the Bataan Death March and Japanese cruelty toward their POWs.

This book - to me - feels totally different to John Grisham's other novels. The law is mentioned but it's an earlier time and culture in the late 1940s in rural Mississippi is very different to today. But a large part of the book is focused on the bravery of American and Filipino POWs and guerrillas in the Philippine jungles and Japanese prison camps during WWII.

For me it is easily on a par with his earlier novels such as A Time to Kill or The Chamber in that it's a meaty book with a gripping storyline and issues to be considered. There is no feeling of the writing being a bit rushed as with some of his shorter, later books. This is full of good stuff and I anticipate it giving more each time I read it.

This is an easy 5* to award.

The Children who Lived in a Barn

It was a kind aunt years ago who introduced me to Eleanor Graham's The Children who Lived in a Barn.

When Mr and Mrs Dunnet receive a telegam saying Mrs Dunnet's mother has had a serious accident, they arrange to fly at once to her. Set pre-WWII, they have no qualms about leaving their five children to look after themselves for a few days. Thirteen-year-old Sue is more than capable of caring for her younger brothers and sister.

Only the Dunnets are gone for much longer than a few days. In order to avoid problems with the landlord as well as the village busybodies interfering with them, Sue and her 11-year-old brother Bob along with twins Sambo and Jumbo and 7-year-old Alice take refuge in a local barn.

The children quickly realise that if life in the barn is going to work for them, they must have rules.

Rule Number One is: no begging, borrowing, scrounging or stealing.

Rule Number Two is: eat fair.

On pain of homes, orphanages and adoptions.

This is the fascinating story of how the children work hard to keep their independence while avoiding their enemies the dreaded DV (District Visitor), GP's wife Mrs Legge and the vicarage. But they find unexpected friends and help in the most unlikely of places along the way.

I love this book and was delighted to find a good quality secondhand copy. This is a story I enjoy coming back to over and over. It definitely deserves 5*.

A Week in the Life of Corinth

If you enjoy delving into the culture and times of the Bible, then I can recommend this series published by IVP Academic.

I saw the series advertised on Twitter and put it straight on my wish list. This is the first book of the Week in the Life series I've read and I wasn't disappointed. I've ordered another already!

Based on historical facts, this is a novella set in the Corinth of the apostle Paul.

Learning history via a story appeals to me as I don't tend to take in dry facts but learn through imagination.

The storyline is simple and interspersed with useful and interesting information about the time, place and culture.

The main character is freedman Nicanor who works for his former owner, Erastos. This important man is running for city treasurer, as mentioned in Paul's letter to the Romans (chapter 16) as well as elsewhere in the New Testament.

The book is well written and clearly laid out. The interposed facts entitled 'A Closer Look' are easily found and can be taken alone or alongside the story. Likewise, the story can read by itself.

I found it both interesting and useful and am happy to award it 5*.

Devices and Desires

This is my favourite PD James' book to date.

There is a mass murderer on the loose in Norfolk, nicknamed 'The Whistler' because of his eerie whistling as he strangles his victims and stuffs their mouths with their hair.

Local police are stumped and East Anglian women are not safe to be out alone at night.

We are introduced to an intriguing set of very different characters living in a remote corner of this rural county. The nuclear power station overshadows everything and casts its own atmosphere through the story.

Adam Dalgliesh is on leave from the Met police and, while not actively involved in the case, does play his part.

All sorts of secrets are unearthed within this quiet community as the police hunt for the murderer. But then one night it becomes chillingly apparent that there is more than one killer on the loose....

I found it hard to put this book down and loved the different threads of characters' lives and secrets running through it. I'm happy to award it 5*.

It Started with a Tweet

I borrowed this from my local library a couple of months ago; I was looking for something I'd not read before and was attracted by the title. I enjoyed it so much that when I spotted it in a bookshop recently, I squeaked with excitement and bought it.

Each chapter is headed with, 'Time since last Internet usage:  '.  Initially the time is in seconds but as the book goes on this changes.

It opens with social media addict Daisy on a hen do. She comes across as fun, overworked and shallow, living her busy London life through her social media accounts. Until she accidentally sends a very personal and inappropriate tweet from her work Twitter account. She gets the retweets and likes she's been craving... along with a deluge of unwanted attention and the prompt termination of her employment in a social media marketing agency.

At this point her older sister swoops in and carries her off to North Yorkshire for a social media detox which involves tossing both their mobile phones down a well.

During her detox, Daisy rediscovers the satisfaction of being present, of living life here and now rather than through her phone. She realises she doesn't have to tweet and Instagram every single mundane moment of her day: who cares what she's eating for breakfast?

This is a funny book with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Though lighthearted it's not frivolous: it makes the reader re-evaluate how we use social media and how easy it is to get addicted to our smartphones.

It's a brilliant read and I'm happy to award it 5*.

Inspire Bible

In late September, I read a tweet by Mary DeMuth saying that one of the best spiritual disciplines she has found is to read her Bible cover to cover every three months.

The tweet appeared at just the right time for me. I have read my Bible cover to cover in a year many times since the age of thirteen as well as enjoying mooching through passages in a more contemplative fashion.

But for the last couple of years since struggling with my mental health, I've found reading my Bible difficult to nigh on impossible at times. Some days all I could manage was part of a verse, other days nothing at all.

When I saw Mary's tweet, it lit me up inside and I decided to give it a go. Not necessarily in three months as that seemed a really tall order but maybe four months and I resolved not to be legalistic about it. If I had a bad day or bad week with my mental health, I wouldn't beat myself up about not reading my Bible.

I chose my NLT journaling Bible which is an easy translation to read as well as having inspiring pictures and verses to colour in.

On 1st October, I began. And I loved it. Reading big chunks at a time helped me keep track of the different characters (especially who was on what side during King David's time), as well as helping me see the bigger picture again.

God is absolutely fair and cruel, wicked people will pay in the end. Selfish rulers who are mainly interested in power and money are nothing new. Some people have always rewritten the past to suit themselves. Suffering is part of life. But God is in control. Jesus has overcome the world. One day He will come back and put everything to right - there will be justice and peace.

Granted the timing was right for me as I couldn't have coped with this challenge earlier in the year, but my mental health really benefited from this and I'm so glad I did it. It was so good to remind myself who God is and what He's like.

I've restarted from Genesis 1 today and am excited to get back into this fascinating, awesome, life-giving book.

5* is a no-brainer!

She was the Quiet One

Another fabulous thriller from Michele Campbell. This was one of those books where I got immersed in its world and its characters seemed real. I wanted justice to be done and didn't want the murderer to get away with it.

The lives of twins Rose and Bel and teacher couple Heath and Sarah become entwined when the girls arrive at Odell, an exclusive boarding school.

Rose is the quiet twin who abides by the rules and gets frustrated and angry with her sister who is - shall we say - rather less law-abiding.

Bel falls in with the noxious privileged rich kids straightaway which leads her directly into one nasty prank after another.

Heath and Sarah are their dorm parents, with Heath caring for Bel who is struggling to come to terms with their mother's recent death. Sarah takes on Rose and encourages her to keep an eye on her troubled twin, though this leads to nothing but trouble for Rose.

Heath and Sarah appear to have a perfect loving marriage with two adorable young children and a dog. Heath is ambitious and has his eyes fixed on becoming headmaster. Sarah longs for Heath to believe in himself and succeed. But ugly rumours going around the school could scupper their happy life and future dreams.

As per usual, this book kept me guessing:  initially, who was going to be the murder victim? And then, who's the murderer? First I thought it this character, then that. Lots of tension. Right at the end, there was an unexpected twist I didn't see coming.

If this was made into a television drama or film, there'd be lots of dramatic music, build-up and psychological tension. A real nail-biting plot.

Michele Campbell has become one of my favourite authors, alongside John Grisham and Lee Child. I'm delighted to award this book 5*.

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas

I loved Adam Kay's first book This is Going to Hurt and found it literally laugh out loud funny so I couldn't wait to get my hands on his second book.

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas is also full of funny stories. There were lots of delightful accounts of the eye-watering things people do to themselves before ending up in A&E; guaranteed to make you wince.

Adam Kay explains medical terms as he goes along so that neither the jargon nor the explanation get in the way of the story.

I absolutely loved his first book but in this book it felt like he'd really found his feet and was comfortable to be a little more vulnerable. As though he was sharing more of himself. I liked that. There is one particular, quite harrowing, reminder that doctors are very human and often have to face horrendous things in order to save their patients.

For me, there is a certain amount of nostalgia in reading Adam Kay's books. I worked as an NHS medical secretary for more than a decade and enjoyed being part of the team. It felt an honour when junior doctors took a few minutes to relax in my office and share their triumphs and woes and stresses.

The NHS is extremely demanding and it was usual for many medical secretaries, like the junior doctors and nurses, to put in a tonne of extra hours every week in order to keep things ticking over. We ENT secretaries frequently worked bank holidays and Saturdays, and 10-12 hour days were the norm. While I wouldn't want to go back to such a heavy workload, I have very fond memories of my time in the NHS and am thankful to Adam Kay for reminding me of the 'good old days'.

I've given this book 5*.

It's Always the Husband

I don't think I've ever read a girlie whodunnit/psychological thriller before but, having discovered It's Always the Husband I'm keen to find more in this genre. Particularly if they are written by Michele Campbell.

The book follows the lives of three university/college students: Aubrey, Jenny and Kate.

Aubrey comes from a poor family and feels she always has to work extra-hard to succeed. She is thrilled to be accepted by Jenny and Kate, both of whom have a higher social standing than her. Aubrey idolises Kate, who introduces her to partying with alcohol and drugs.

Jenny is well-off, sensible and ambitious. She is jealous of Aubrey's relationship with Kate; Jenny is always the one to come to Aubrey's rescue when the partying goes awry. Yet Aubrey clings to Kate being her very best friend and seems to take Jenny for granted.

Kate is the spoiled, rich, party girl who feels unloved and unwanted by her father and stepmother(s). She appears fun-loving and reckless but has a deeper, darker side to her.

The storyline kept me gripped. I tried to guess the victim and the murderer from the first page but completely failed on both counts. There are lots of twists and turns. I found it hard to put this book down.

I'm very happy to award it 5*.

Red Cabbage Blue

I was avidly waiting for this third book in the Dr Mike Lewis series written by Annie Try - and I wasn't disappointed. I loved it and think it may be my favourite of the series.

Adelle is a fascinating young woman who, out of a fun challenge in her teens, will now only eat blue food, wear blue clothes and dyes her hair blue. She even wears blue make-up.

Her latest in a series of psychologists is Mike, but he is different. He sees Adelle the person rather than Adelle the client. I particularly enjoyed him politely shutting her somewhat controlling mother out of the room at their very first session. One way to win over the client!

I found it interesting to be a 'fly on the wall' in their therapy sessions. As Adelle gained in confidence with Mike, the reader learns more about her, why she has made the decisions she's made and how things hidden in her past have helped shape the person she is today.

There are twists and turns in the plot that kept me hooked. Just when I thought 'aha, I've got it', there was another twist I hadn't foreseen.

Intertwined with Adelle's story is Mike's personal life. I found myself muttering at the book as I was reading, desperately wanting him and his wife to make a go of it after a period of separation.

Red Cabbage Blue is a book where the reader can't help but care about the characters, wanting things to work out, looking for a happy - or at least a positive - ending. I have to say it kept me hooked up until the very last page.

I loved this book and unreservedly give it a 5* rating.