The Hollow by Agatha Christie

 
Good points:
I love Christie - everyone could have committed the murder and I simply don't know until the detective (in this case) Poirot reveals it.

This is a typlical Agatha Christie - setting large country house, servants etc.

Bad points:
Poirot looks weak in the book - he takes him nearly to the end to figure out who the murder is.
Some of the early chapters a bit rambling

Sidney Chambers and The Perils of the Night (The Grantchester Mysteries) by James Runcie

 

The second in the series which I enjoyed a little less than the first.

 Good points:

There is not a lot of action and not a lot of clues to solve these mysteries, yet still the stories manage to be engaging.

The stories are very warmly humorous, with lots of interesting digressions into maths, physics, music and cricket.

Bad points:

There was a lot more religious content this time

The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden Jonas Jonasson

 

Good points:

This had me laughing out loud - it is delightful, quirky with plot twists, and   hilarious, absurd moments

It clearly weaves historical facts around central characters.

Bad points:

At points it felt like it dragged a little, but then I read on and loved it again

I haven't read his first novel which some reviewers view as superior so I look forward to reading that! 

Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death (The Grantchester Mysteries) by James Runcie

 

I came across the book whilst reading about the ITV adaptation currently being filmed in Cambridge. This the first in a promised series of six novels starting in 1953, the year of the Queen’s Coronation, and closing in 1981, the year of the wedding of Charles and Diana.

Good points:
Sidney’s charming character and the marvellous cast of characters around him - think Agatha Christie style.
 I loved the setting of the book and seeing little details like the names of the local pubs and roads that I know well.

Negative points:
It's actually a collection of mini-mysteries rather than a one mystery novel.
It lacked humour - it could have done with one eccentric character.
 The author tries to squeeze too many historical issues in his short stories which can leave them a little cluttered.
 

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

 

I loved this debut book based on the last public execution in Iceland. 

Good points:

Beautifully written and exactingly researched

The details of life in rural 19th century 

Melancholy, atmospheric and haunting 

A book that leaves you thinking even when it has been finished. 

I really really loved this book and read it in two days - I couldn't put it down!

 

 

Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain

 

Quiet is a book about being an introvert in a culture which rewards extravert’s. 

Good points:

As a book reading nerd this book makes me feel better about staying in and not going out.

I enjoyed Cain's adventures to  "life coaching" conventions.

I liked her relating her theories to real life stories and psychological studies - half way between a science book and a self-help book. 

Bad points:

Some of the arguments aren't backed up by the studies she cites.

All of the case studies she writes about are about business professionals.

Harvest by Jim Crace

 

I enjoyed this read. It is about the desire for belonging. It was a longlist nominee for the Man Booker prize

Good points:

Wonderful descriptions, often dream-like

It has a timelessness, it is very hard to place although clearly a piece of historical fiction

I enjoyed all the references to the land

Bad points:

The end itself was an anti climax.