Rating:
4 Stars

Lots of spoilers below (though I don’t spoil the unexpected plot point in part three).

In a nutshell:
Isabel is forced to share her home with her brother’s girlfriend Eva, and Isabel is not one to share. But events transpire, and plots twist, and lives change.

Best for:
People who appreciate good writing and storytelling and who aren’t deterred by very descriptive sex scenes.

Quote that made me think:
“Isn’t that strange, how that works? You can think something that used to be true but isn’t true anymore but still believe it in your bones.”

Why I chose it:
My partner and I only exchange books for Christmas, and this was one he picked out for me.

Review:
This book is broken down into three parts. The first part is a lot of build up and setting the scene. We learn about Isabel – this is all from her perspective. We learn she and her family left Amsterdam during the war and relocated to this home – Isabel, her mother, and her two brothers. Her mother has died, and her Uncle has left it to her brother Louis, but Louis is letting Isabel live there until he decides to settle down,.

Isabel is unyielding. She is controlling, and severe. She reluctantly goes on dates with a neighbor occasionally, but she has no friends to speak of, is harsh to the maid who keeps up the house, and is judgmental of everyone. Then Louise needs to go away for a month, and asks Isabel to host Eva. Eva appears to be everything Isabel is not – bit whimsical, kind, extroverted. Of course things are going to clash.

But the end of the first part / start of the second part, readers can see where this is going. Spoilers kick in here …

Eva and Isabel find themselves attracted to each other. It’s intriguing and well written (though not surprising at all). There is also quite a lot of sex in this part, and I’ve never been a fan of reading sex scenes. I understand why the author includes them, and I’m not sure how the book could exist with even watered down versions of these sections – it teaches us a lot about who these women both are. But that doesn’t change the fact that I really had to force myself to keep reading, as I wanted to see what would happen next. And to be clear in case it isn’t – I don’t like reading sex scenes between or among any variation of genders. I’m sure I could talk through it in therapy or something but eh, usually it’s not an issue in books I choose for myself.

The thing is I am so glad I kept reading, because part three is extraordinary. I didn’t see it coming, it was so well written, and I just was stunned by it. Without spoiling this part, I will just say that it was such an interesting exploration of trauma, and responsibility, and what we owe to others once we have all of the information.

Would I recommend it to its target audience:
Yes, if you don’t mind a lot of spicy bits in the middle.

Rating:
3 Stars

In a nutshell:
Montreal Inspector Sime (pronounced Sheem) Mackenzie has been tasked with leading a team to investigate a murder that has taken place on a tiny English-speaking island in the heart of French-speaking Canada.

Best for:
Those who enjoy stories that have elements set in current day as well as the distant past (in this case, about 200 years ago).

Worth quoting:
Nothing stuck out to me.

Why I chose it:
So I finally bought a book by Peter May – a famous Scottish crime novelist. And then I realised it was the 4th book in a trilogy (I know – hence why I didn’t know it was part of the series) that I hadn’t yet started. So I immediately put that down, and found this (standalone) audio book at my library.

Review:
When I started reading this book, I didn’t know it took place in two areas: Entry Island and its environs, and Lewis island, the outer Hebrides. I should have known May would work Lewis into the plot, as he is famously from there and writes about there, but I didn’t, so when that kicked off the book, I was confused. It eventually makes sense, but it took awhile for me to get up to speed.

There are two stories here. One is of Sime, who is a bilingual Inspector sent to look into a murder that took place in a tiny island of only English speakers. That part of the story is fairly standard crime fare – who did it, is it who we think, is there a twist, etc. The character of Sime is tortured, again, as we often see. His marriage has fallen apart but he still must work with his wife, he isn’t sleeping, and he’s not doing the best job of investigating this murder (did the wife do it?), partly because he gets a bit sidetracked thinking he has some connection to the wife of the victim.

The second story is the one I found much more interesting – the story of another Sime, who lives on a croft in the island of Lewis in the mid-1800s. His family deals with so much horror, including the potato famine (which I didn’t know had also affected Scotland) and the Highland Clearances, which are a nightmare that I don’t think people in the US are taught much about. We follow Sime as he eventually makes his way to Canada, and again, I didn’t realise so many Canadians would trace their ancestors to Scotland, and then … Nova Scotia. New Scotland. Wooooof.

The main story is fine, standard crime novel fare, but the story set in the 1800s was riveting, and was what saved the book for me.

Would I recommend it to its target audience:
For the target who enjoys historical fiction, yes. For the target who enjoys a modern-day crime mystery, not so much.

Rating:
2.5 Stars – a solid ‘fine.’

In a nutshell:
Investigative journalist Scott Carney explores the various ways humans sell bodies and body parts.

Best for:
Those interested in the ethics of these issues and who aren’t squeamish.

Lines(s) that stuck with me:
N/A

Why I chose it:
The audio book selection from my local library is ROUGH. Virtually none of the books on my TBR list are available, so I started scrolling non fiction and this seemed interesting. Also … medical things fascinate me, as does ethics.

Review:
How can you ethically procure a non-renewable resource? Or a resource that requires someone to literally give of their own flesh? And what about when that resource is needed to save a life? What if that resource isn’t actually needed, but people really want it?

Carney’s book explores a variety of scenarios where human anatomy is procured in ways that may be unethical, questioning both the black (or ‘red’) market approach as well as the legal routes for securing these resources. He looks at getting bodies and bones for anatomy studies, blood for surgery, eggs for surrogacy, kidneys for transplant, volunteer for drug trials, and even babies for adoption.

One critique that I think holds for this book is that in nearly every example (save, if I recall correctly, blood donation, which I’ll get to below), Carney really only explores the red markets of other countries, usually India, though sometimes China as well. For example, he (rightfully, I believe) explores the unethical nature of so many international adoptions, including situations where parents didn’t actually think they were relinquishing their children – and where US adoptive parents refuse to return those children. But he doesn’t explore the ethics of US domestic adoption. In fact, I think there is a real missed opportunity here to explore the actions of those who provide something that no one actually needs – a baby. This also goes for the section on egg harvesting and surrogacy.

Most of what else Carney explores one could argue is a necessity – blood for a surgery, or a kidney to stop needing dialysis, or, at a higher level, stem cells for research purposes. And the question becomes: if someone needs it, is it right that another person should be prevented from providing it if they are remunerated? And what is the cost of that to the seller/donor, and to society? How much is your kidney worth, and if you are possibly not able to feed your children, how low a price might someone offer?

I found the chapter on blood donation especially fascinating. A little over a decade ago I served on the junior board of the non-profit who manages blood collection (not the American Red Cross) in the city I used to live in. I also used to donate blood regularly (the UK makes you wait much longer between donations, so I can’t donate as regularly here) and platelets on occasion. I was shocked (not that shocked) to learn that in the 60s, corporations managed and paid for blood donations and then sold the blood to hospitals. When non-profits got involved, these corporations actually filed claims of an anti-trust nature, saying these non-profits seeking volunteers were preventing them from making profits, and for awhile US government agreed, fining these non-profits daily. Fucking WILD. Also, there was a whole thing where prisoners in Alabama were ‘donating’ blood, and that blood wasn’t screened, and was sold to Canada, leading to a lot of issues.

Carney argues that one of the best things we could do is require that all human body parts and resources have a name associated with their donation. Every pint of blood, every organ donation, every body. While some argue that privacy is the ethical choice, Carney argues that having a name will reduce the likelihood that someone is coerced to give their flesh and bone. While it wasn’t providing my name, as a blood donor they trialed a project where I would get a text when the blood I was donated was used, which was pretty cool, and probably an incentive for others to keep donating when they had the chance.

There’s much more in the book – the above are just the areas that really stood out to me. And as I said, there seems to be a real issue around the countries that Carney chose to focus on – India and China cannot be the only places participating in unethical human organ / blood / tissue procurement, and it feels weird that (as best as I can recall) Carney doesn’t really even pay lip service to the issues taking place in any of the other 200+ countries in the world.

Would I recommend it to its target audience:
Sure, but probably as an audio book as you could get the washing done at the same time., and with the caveat that there might be some bias in what the author has chosen to highlight.

Rating:
5 Stars

In a nutshell:
Palestinian poet and journalist El-Kurd shares his perspective on life in Palestine under colonial occupation.

Best for:
Anyone who cares about justice, freedom, and morality.

Worth quoting:
I underlined so much of this book, I’d basically be reproducing it here. But some passages that really stuck with me are:

“The standard, across industries, is to dehumanize the Palestinian.”

“We must not wait for Haaretz or the New York Times to arrive at the miraculous epiphanies we have long called common truths. We should purge their prestige in our minds, the prestige that renders a Times acknowledgment of an eyewitness account more valuable than the account itself.”

“Submission to the colonial logic that vilifies the violence of the oppressed and turns a blind eye to the oppressor’s violence became the price of admission.”

Why I chose it:
I wanted to learn more about the Palestinian experience.

Review:
Starting 2026 with a book that will stay with me for years It challenged me, forced me to confront my biases, and I’m still wondering about parts that I at least initially felt were ‘too much.’ Do I disagree because of my values, or because of what people I (used to) respect have said? Can I agree with most but still hold space for the places I think may go too far?

I began reading this book while on holiday in Greece, and as I looked out over the Mediterranean Sea, I kept thinking that the same body of water could carry me over to Gaza. I hope this book is read in the future as a way to learn about how things used to be, perhaps by people who can’t imagine that there was ever a time where the Palestinian people had to live under occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

Author El-Kurd was only in his mid-20s when he wrote this book, and I was floored when I learned that, because he speaks with so much heft and wisdom. Obviously people in their 20s can have deeply moving and insightful things to share, but something about everything El-Kurd has experienced and witnessed made me think he was closer to 40. But upon reflection, obviously he is young. In a society where we’ve seen small children carrying the remains of their murdered sibling in a bag, it makes sense that people who are barely old enough to rent a car in the US have been forced to grow up extraordinarily quickly.

El-Kurd does not shy away from the hard conversations; he dives right into the things that Western media and supporters of the occupying force in Palestine say and do in an attempt to divert attention from the horrors the Israeli government has committed and is committing against the Palestinian people. Moreover, he does it with a writing style that would be a joy to read, were the subject not so horrifying.

For example, he takes on things people use to justify the genocide – for example, the use of human shields: “But why accept the premise of the question in the first place? Even if the human shield allegations were true, why submit to a logic that argues it is acceptable to kill those classified as civilians if, hypothetically, ‘terrorists’ hid behind them. If, say, a robber took your mother hostage and hid behind her, would the police officer on the scene be absolved of all responsibility if he decided to kill your mother to neutralize the robber?”

He also looks at the concerns people raise when people speak of a free Palestine (he has a chapter called ‘do you want to throw Israelis into the sea’) claiming it is a call to murder Israelis. Which I suppose is an understandable surface level reaction, because the Israeli government acts as though the only way for the Israeli people to be free is to kill and/or displace all Palestinians. But that isn’t how Palestinians think. El-Kurd sums it up quite well: “Those asking, What happens to the settlers? have not once thought about the fate of the six million Palestinian refugees agonizing in exile … such distracting questions feed the discursive loop that prioritizes the settlers’ theoretical future over our material present that is already marked with extermination.” People spend so much time making assumptions about Palestinians, and in doing so ignore that the very real thing they claim to fear for the occupiers is ALREADY HAPPENING to the Palestinian people.

He repeatedly hammers home the fact that Palestinians should not have to be ‘perfect’ to be seen as human, and that so many of the issues that people raise to justify this genocide (not that genocide could ever be justified) do not and should not matter. Palestinians — including this author — have literally had their homes taken from them by Americans and others. It’s such a horrific thing that has been normalized, and that El-Kurd addresses: “We have seen a nation punished for another nation’s genocide. And we have seen God employed as a real estate agent, bestowing Jerusalem houses to Brooklynites.”

Not that the book should be boiled down to a main point, but if I were to do so, for me, I think it is this: Palestinians do not owe us perfection. The are people, and that should be enough for us to care that they are living under apartheid and genocide now.

Would I recommend it to its target audience:
Absolutely. I think everyone should read this.

Three Stars

Best for:
Folks in the middle stages of life who are interested in a sort of Midlife 101.

In a nutshell:
BBC Sport presenter and host of The Midpoint podcast puts some of what she’s learned through hosting her podcast into a book.

Worth quoting:
Take stock of what you want to change so you can repot yourself, be it professionally or personally.

Why I chose it:
I am, you know, not young, and will take any tips I can get.

Review:
The book is a compilation of things Logan has learned from famous guests on her podcast, and while it is a coherent read, and I love the way it is organised, some of the suggestions rubbed me the wrong way, as did the assumption that everyone has children. I know, if it’s not for me then move along, but considering around 20% of women over 45 don’t have children, that’s kind of a huge population to just disregard.

The book is divided into three sections – one that deals with mental health, one with physical health, and one with the other aspects of our lives. I felt I could skim some parts; for example, the chapter on fitness was mostly about convincing people to work out, and I do not need to be told that. Same with the chapter on alcohol – I have about one drink every quarter so again, not a big issue for me. Sections on parenting and divorce also didn’t apply. But I do understand why they are included – those can be huge issues for people in their 40s and 50s.

The nutrition chapter bummed me out – a lot of discussion around things that don’t have a lot of science to back them up, like intermittent fasting and ‘detox’ foods. Also a discussion about tips for quick weight-loss. Just … felt like a lot of instagram and tiktok-style guidance. I did find the section on hormones to be helpful, even though I have read other books that discuss that topic.

Overall I’d say this is a fine book to skim and pull ideas from that one might want to look into.

Four Stars

Best for:
Fans of lighthearted mysteries.

In a nutshell:
It is 1920, and Lady Eleanor Swift has just inherited an estate, left to her by her deceased uncle. On her first night in town, she witnesses a murder, but no one believes her. Except the butler…

Worth quoting:
“I’m not really one for running to the first uniform around … Give a man a badge and an official title and he thinks he’s the sole decider of right and wrong.

Why I chose it:
As part of a gift card I received from my friend, she said I needed to purchase this.

Review:
How fun! I started reading this in the afternoon on Christmas, and finished it in the afternoon on Boxing Day. And I am delighted to learn there are like 20 books in the series. Author Bright is clearly prolific.

This book employs something I’m not usually a fan of – there are essentially a lot of scenes cut so that the reader doesn’t have all of the information. But in this book, it worked for me. Sometimes our narrator Lady Swift will find herself in a predicament at the end of one chapter, and wake up in bed at the start of the next. We generally find out what has happened pretty quickly, so I suppose on that front there is perhaps more exposition than one might enjoy. But as I said, I think it fit well into the book.

I appreciate that the main character is an interesting woman – she’s well-traveled, and can definitely hold her own. She needs to learn how to live in this new town — and new world, really — but she relies on other underestimating a society woman. In this instance, nearly every man she shares he story with (she witnessed a murder from afar) dismisses her outright. It is infuriating, and while she does at times show her frustration, she also refuses to accept no for an answer, going to great lengths to prove that she saw what she saw, and to try to sort out who was killed and who did the killing.

I also appreciate that the supporting characters are introduced and treated by the author with respect – I hope to learn more about them in the later books.

Two Stars

Best for:
Fans of the actress who don’t mind a lot of unnecessary name dropping.

In a nutshell:
Actor Rebel Wilson shares her story, from her upbringing in Australia, through her time as an actress and welcoming her first child.

Worth quoting:
N/A

Why I chose it:
I do love the Pitch Perfect films, and I love a good memoir read by the author. I’ve hesitated reading it because I don’t know much about Wilson, and I kind of wish I’d trusted that instinct.

Review:
First off – the good. Wilson shares the story of fighting the Australia tabloid press and winning her defamation suit against them. That is a super bold move, and I remember the stories themselves, saying Wilson was basically a liar, so good on her for proving them wrong and showing that actions have consequences.

What I took away from reading this book is that Wilson is probably a kind human, which we need more of in this world, but that I would be exhausted spending time with her (if her actual persona is similar to what was shared in the book). She shares a lot of stories that involve famous people, but the people she chooses to highlight – Ellen Degeneres, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt, James Corden, Matt Lucas – none of them are individuals who I’d want to praise in print forever. Yes, this book came out a couple of years ago, but information about the actions of most of these folks has been out there for years.

She also chooses to share all the free and fancy shit she’s gotten over the years, which could serve as an ‘oh my gosh how absurd is it that rich famous people get this stuff’ but instead comes across more as oblivious. And this is a minor complaint, but she uses brand names / restaurant names when its not necessary. She’s always talking about her ‘G Wagon’ instead of just saying she got in her car. It just rubs me the wrong way.

She doesn’t shy away from bringing up some controversial things – because I have the UK version of the book, large parts of the section where she has accused Sacha Baron Cohen of some despicable things things was literally bleeped out, though I read up on it and good for her for raising the issue – but she leaves out one controversy that I recall pretty clearly. When she was cast as the romantic lead in a rom com, she kept saying she was the first heavy actress in that role, even though Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy, and others have been in a few rom coms as the lead. It strikes me as odd that she left that whole thing out, as it would have shown that she too can make errors.

That said, she obviously had to work hard in her life to build a career, and was fairly old (by Hollywood standards) before she had her success in Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect. She talks a lot about her size, and I think she probably did a lot of Gwyneth Paltrow-style b.s. ‘wellness’ stuff, and I found those parts hard to listen to because it felt like she was trying to justify her weight loss when I don’t think she owes that to herself or anyone else.

Three Stars

Best for:
Those who enjoy a little bit of wry humor with their cozy mystery.

In a nutshell:
Inspector Grasby has been sent to a village to help investigate some thefts, but while there, at least one body is discovered.

Worth quoting:
(Shows the style of humor in the book) “Let me tell you, being assailed at gunpoint is by no means my favourite way to spend time.”

Why I chose it:
I got sucked in by the display at Waterstones.

Review:
This was a fairly fun read. Not my favorite mystery, but it definitely kept me guessing.

Grasby narrates the story from his perspective, though we are told in the beginning that this has been pieced together based on journals his distant cousin has discovered. And it is clearly set up to be the first in a series, as Grasby hints at other stories to tell ‘at another time.’

Grasby is a bit of a screw up, though he hints that he did some brave things during his time as a soldier in WWII. This book is set seven years after the war, and while I found it interesting how often the war was referenced, it eventually does make sense. The town is full of interesting characters, as you’d expect. When Grasby arrives to investigate thefts (a bit of a punishment for messing up a case in his larger city office), it becomes clear that something else is going on. Some of the townsfolk are quite helpful, others are standoffish and rude.

About partway through the book we learn there’s another level to what is going on in the town, but like Grasby, we aren’t entirely sure what should be believed and who should be trusted. As is always the case with a good mystery, eh?

I’ll probably read the follow-up book (I bought that one too), but maybe not until next Christmas.

Four Stars

Best for:
Those interested in a compelling history of pyramid schemes and their evolution into multi-level marketing schemes.

In a nutshell:
Author Read provides the history of pyramid schemes and the modern turn to MLMs, framed on the backdrop of a Mary Kay consultant named Monique.

Worth quoting:
“We are taken care of as consumers, not as human beings.”

Why I chose it:
I find MLMs disgusting and fascinating.

Review:
What an great read. Author Read took a topic that is definitely intriguing, but managed to make even the discussions around regulation compelling.

Throughout the book, Read begins each section with an update on Monique. Monique is a former service woman who is struggling, and decides that becoming a seller of Mary Kay cosmetics is the way to go. She’d be her own boss, and apparently make boatloads of money. Spoiler: She end up spending over $75,000 of her own money over eight years, bringing in only about $5,000 in that time. So, not great.

Read doesn’t just examine Mary Kay (though she does manage to infiltrate their annual convention, so we get some first-hand insider information on them); she looks at the root of pyramid schemes and how they have preyed upon people – most often women – who are looking to make money without the schedule that shift or full-time work brings. Think mothers, or people who perhaps have a regular job but it doesn’t pay nearly enough because capitalism sucks.

She follows multiple companies, including Amway, which sort of started it all. And wouldn’t you know – one of the wost families in the world is behind it. The DeVos family! You are probably familiar with Betsy, who married into the family and started the destruction of the US Department of Education. Her brother is Erik Prince, who started the mercenary company Blackwater. Just a horrifying group of human being who have preyed on society for generations in order to make as much money as possible while controlling as many people as possible.

So much of this book had be yelling ‘what the fuck’ – but nothing more than when the author shared the connection between the backers of MLMs and Project 2025, the manifesto currently destroying what remains of the US government and economy. But the leaders of these ‘companies’ just don’t care – they get money, while millions of people get stuck in trying to sell products no one wants, buying more and more to move up the line. While the government has repeatedly shied away from calling these MLMs pyramid schemes, Read shows that they basically are, and they are not helping anyone but the smallest fraction at the very very top.

Four Stars

Best for:
Those looking for a straightforward mystery that holds a few twists.

In a nutshell:
Officer Birch is working on the Endeavor when a man dies, and another man – a detective from London – insists on investigating the death. Is it murder? An accident?

Worth quoting:
N/A

Why I chose it:
Had finish the author’s catalog as I’ve so enjoyed his other books.

Review:
Unlike the other three books Hindle has written that I have read, this book is told solely from the perspective of one character – Birch, an officer on a passenger ship heading from England to New York. But like the other books, the list of suspects is small. Not tiny – it is a ship of 2,000 people – but if there is a killer on board, they aren’t going anywhere until they dock in a few days’ time.

After an older man is found dead at the base of a staircase, Temple – a detective from London – insists on investigating it, and Birch is assigned to follow him. Temple is not pleased by this, and Birch himself is hesitant. Birch has experienced his own loss, and is struggling with it. But Birch agrees, and the rest of the book plays out while he Temple chase down clues and witnesses.

There is enough to keep the reader guessing, and the main twist is one I might have sort of seen coming, but not in the way it played out. And it was surprising enough that I audibly gasped. So that’s always fun in a mystery.

I’m sad though – that’s the last of his books (for now). But his next release comes out in January!