November 28, 2025 · 1:57 pm

Columbus Day – Craig Alanson

Columbus Day – Craig Alanson

I was looking for something to listen to on my husband’s audible account (it was in alphabetical order) and I decided to give this one a go. Science fiction is not my usual choice, but I do, occassionally read it. I didn’t realise this was book 1 though.

Here’s the blurb …

We were fighting on the wrong side, of a war we couldn’t win. And that was the good news. 

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. 

When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar, wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria, to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn’t even be fighting the Ruhar, they aren’t our enemy, our allies are. 

I’d better start at the beginning….

This was quite long – 17 hours, and a lot happened and a lot had to be described. There is a lot of galaxy and world building going on (all done very well). But, as for any story, it really comes down to the characters. Skippy, the beer can AI, was my favourite and I loved how Joe and Skippy played off each other. It was a very immersive experience and I can imagine it as a film or television series.

A review

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November 24, 2025 · 2:43 pm

The Christmas Book Shop – Jenny Coglan

The Christmas Bookshop – Jenny Colgan

I read Audition on my Boox and when I finished it I couldn’t be bothered getting up and finding a paper book, so I looked for what else I had on my Boox, and this one was the first thing I saw.

Here’s the blurb …

Laid off from her department store job, Carmen has perilously little cash and few options. The prospect of spending Christmas with her perfect sister Sofia, in Sofia’s perfect house with her perfect children and her perfectly ordered yuppie life does not appeal.

Frankly, Sofia doesn’t exactly want her prickly sister Carmen there either. But Sofia has yet another baby on the way, a mother desperate to see her daughters get along, and a client who needs help revitalizing his shabby old bookshop. So Carmen moves in and takes the job.

Thrown rather suddenly into the inner workings of Mr. McCredie’s ancient bookshop on the picturesque streets of historic Edinburgh, Carmen is intrigued despite herself. The store is dusty and disorganized but undeniably charming. Can she breathe some new life into it in time for Christmas shopping? What will happen when a famous and charismatic author takes a sudden interest in the bookshop–and Carmen? And will the Christmas spirit be enough to help heal her fractured family?

This was lovely. I particularly enjoyed all of the Edinburgh references – I want to visit that bookshop. This was a cozy romance. No terrible people, a bit of character growth, and some witty dialogue and situations.

A review.

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November 22, 2025 · 4:56 pm

Down Cemetery Road – Mick Herron

Down Cemetery Road – Mick Herron

I have been making my way through Mick Herron’s Slow Horses series and when I saw the adaptation of this on Apple, I decided to give it a go.

Here’s the blurb …

CWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron’s debut novel introduces Sarah Tucker, whose search for a missing child unravels a murderous conspiracy.

 When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a young girl disappears in the aftermath, Sarah Tucker—a young married woman, bored and unhappy with domestic life—becomes obsessed with finding her. Accustomed to dull chores in a childless household and hosting her husband’s wearisome business clients for dinner, Sarah suddenly finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew, as her investigation reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead. What begins in a peaceful neighborhood reaches its climax on a remote, unwelcoming Scottish island as the search puts Sarah in league with a man who finds himself being hunted down by murderous official forces.

I didn’t realise this was his debut novel – it is certainly very good, with all of his trademarks. Self-serving spooks, witty dialogue and no character is safe (there is no plot armour).

It’s twisty and turny and there was one very unexpected event (no spoilers). I am looking forward to watching the adaptation now.

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November 19, 2025 · 2:02 pm

The Distance Between Dreams – Emily Paull

The Distance Between Dreams – Emily Paull

My local library (Evelyn H Parker) was having an Author talk and craft event. Ms Paull was one of the authors. So, in preparation, I read this novel.

I do like a novel set in W.A.

Here’s the blurb …

Sarah Willis longs to free herself from the expectations of a privileged upbringing, while Winston Keller can’ t afford the luxury of a dream. Despite their differences, the pair are drawn together in a whirlwind romance that defies the boundaries of class. But when a dark family secret pulls the young lovers apart, and WWII plunges the world into chaos, it seems impossible they will ever find their way back to each other &– or even hold onto the dream of what might have been

It is clear that a lot of research went into this novel. I learnt quite a few things. For example, I didn’t know that there was rationing (here in W.A) during World War Two. Or that there were so many war brides (not to mention the ones who got duped).

The characters are well-written, particularly the bitchy Florence. Winston and his mother, Elsie, were delightful. Robert Willis might be a bit too stark a villain, but otherwise this was an interesting and enjoyable novel to read.

A review.

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November 18, 2025 · 2:48 pm

Audition – Katie Kitamura

Audition – Katie Kitamura

Last year I read all of the Booker prize short listed novels and my plan was to try to do that again this year. However, I only read one (The Land in Winter) before the winner was announced (Flesh). I saw the short films the Booker prize people made for each of the short listed novels, and this one appealed to me.

Here’s the blurb …

One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilising Möbius strip of a novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love.
 

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, young – young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately.

I don’t want to spoil this for anyone, so I am just going to write that it is a novel in two parts, and the second part upends everything you thought you knew from part one.

There is a single narrator – a middle aged woman – whose name we don’t know. There is no exposition. She doesn’t give us information like who is Tomas? (her husband it turns out). There is a fabulous sense of place – it felt like a witty New York movie. And I enjoyed all of her musings on the craft of acting.

It is mysterious and open-ended.

A review.

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November 16, 2025 · 5:44 pm

The Lion Women of Tehran (Final Thoughts)- Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

So I have finished all of my summaries.

This was the book chosen by my Wednesday (but we meet on a Monday) book club.

Here’s the blurb …

An “evocative read and a powerful portrait of friendship, feminism, and political activism” (People) set against three transformative decades in Tehran, Iran—from nationally bestselling author Marjan Kamali.

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

I have spent a lot of time with this novel. I read each chapter twice and wrote summaries. For me this novel was about friendship, feminism, loyalty, and betrayal. The structure of the novel is very good. Different time periods and different points of view. This creates perspective – you see the same events in a different light. I think it could have been a bit tighter, a few less scenes in every time period. However, it should be widely read to bring the plight of the Iranian people to a bigger audience (and not just see them as part of the ‘axis of evil’). And also to appreciate how the British and Americans interfered in the government of the country to suit their national interests (that’s a problem that has come home to roost).

I know very little about Iran. I enjoyed all of the descriptions of Iranian culture. And how, with the Shah, women had some rights and were encouraged to be educated. It seemed to be quite a secular society. And now, I think they must be some of the most oppressed women in the world. It is very disheartening.

A review.

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November 15, 2025 · 2:55 pm

The Lion Women of Tehran (Chapters 43, 44, 45 and 46)

The Lion Women of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

Chapter 43 Bahar June 1982

Bahar goes to the after prom party at Madison’s. She is still wearing her frock and brings a present for Madison’s mother.

She drinks too much, thinks about Iran, her mum and dad, and vomits.

There is a few funny bits about looking up words in the dictionary “daisy dukes”

Chapter 44 June 1982

Bahar is rushed to hospital – Madison called the ambulance – she has alcohol poisoning.

While sitting by her bedside, Ellie tells Homa it was her fault. Homa had already guessed. She told Ellie they wanted the name of the translator (i.e. Ellie), but she never gave it to them.

Homa is not going to let anyone take away her spirit.

Chapter 45 July 1982

Bahar is fine. She spends a few days in hospital recovering.

Ellie and Homa go to the cinema to expel H0ma’s fear of the cinema – they see E. T.

On Homa’s last day, she gives Ellie the pink notebook in which she has written her mother’s recipes. She encourages Ellie to open a cafe/restaurant serving Persian food.

Homa is going to try to come back. She wants to be with Bahar and Bahar wants to be with her, but Iran is not the place for Bahar. She’s angry about the state of her country.

Chapter 46 2022 September (Last Chapter)

Ellie has a cafe. I don’t think they’re living in New York anymore.

Bahar is married with and 18 year old daughter. They are celebrating her 18th birthday.

In Iran, Mahsa Amini was beaten by the morality police and later died in jail. People (men and women) are protesting in the street.

Ellie, Bahar & Leily (Bahar’s daughter) see video on social media of the protestors and they see Homa.

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November 12, 2025 · 6:25 am

The Lion Women of Tehran (Chapters 39, 40, 41 and 42) – Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

Chapter 39 January 15th 1982

Bahar has arrived. She’s worried about leaving Homa.

She thinks it is only temporary – this government can’t last long.

She still likes Snoopy

Chapter 40 January 1982

Bahar’s first day of school.

Ellie is worried the other students will be mean to her (it is just after the hostage situation at the US Embassy in Tehran).

Bahar’s English is not very good.

Ellie is worried that she is the one with the evil eye – she now has Homa’s family just like she wanted when she was seven.

Chapter 41 February 1982

Bahar has a friend over from school – Madison. Ellie doesn’t like her.

While cooking a traditional Iranian meal, Ellie mentions learning how to cook it with Homa when they were seven.

Bahar knows all of the stories, Ellie’s shocked – she thought Homa would never mention her. She asks Bahar why she thinks her mother and her haven’t been in contact. Bahar believes it’s because Homa didn’t want Ellie to get into trouble – Homa knew she was being monitored.

Chapter 42 June 1982

Ellie and Bahar argue about a party Madison is hosting,

Homa comes to visit to see Bahar graduate. She calls Ellie ‘my friend’.

Ellie wants to confess, but she also doesn’t want to ruin the day. They visit the New York Public Library, the Piermont Morgan library and eat hotdogs.

Homa talks about the three things that saved her after prison; family, walking and reading.

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November 10, 2025 · 3:28 pm

The Lion Women of Tehran (Chapters 36, 37 and 38) – Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

Part 5

Chapter 36 1977 Ellie

The story has gone backwards in time.

Ellie and Mehrdad have just arrived in New York. Ellie is homesick and lonely. Mehrdad takes her to meet his colleagues and his boss. She feels inappropriately dressed. The boss is impressed by her English and suggests she joins the expat happy hour.

She meets Angela and they become friends. It is Angela who suggests she tries for a job at Bloomingdales.

The two couples spend news year’s eve together and watch Jimmy Carter drink champagne with the Shah. The Iran/US relationship is solid.

But I should have known that some friendships fracture and rupture beyond belief.

Chapter 37 1978 Ellie

Ellie’s mother comes to visit. They have a difficult conversation about Homa, her father and Uncle Massoud over frozen yogurt at Bloomindales.

Her mother tells her the country is in a terrible state and it will only get worse if the fundamentalists take over. They should stay and make a life for themselves in America, which they do.

Chapter 38 December 1981

We’re back to where we started.

Ellie calls Homa. She learns about Abdol’s death and how awful life is in Iran. Ellie is worried that people might be listening to the call.

Homa wants Ellie to host Bahar to get her out of the country. Niloo’s husband is in the foreign office and can organise the paperwork.

Homa is going to stay in Iran and fight for women’s rights.

Ellie and Merhdad agree.

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November 8, 2025 · 3:37 pm

The Lion Women of Tehran (Chapters 33, 34 and 36) – Marjan Kamali

The Lion Women of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

Chapter 33 Homa 1979

January, the Shah leaves Iran.

February, Ayatollah Khomeini returns from exile (14 years).

The Shah’s political prisoners are released – her father is released.

National curfew and martial law are declared. People rise up and revolt.

The military declares neutrality. The old regime is now officially gone. The revolution has succeeded in installing a new hard line government.

Chapter 34 1979 Homa

There is a decree “women can go to offices, but they must be veiled”.

That ‘must’ gets to the women.

The women march for the freedom to choose. Some men intervene violently calling them whores and prostitutes. Other men stand with the women.

Homa is full of rage again – she beats up the man her threatens Bahar.

Chapter 35 1979-1981 Homa

The protests make no difference. Hijab becomes compulsory. The new morality police patrol for any breeches.

Iraq invades.

There is constant bombing.

Homa is active in the feminist movement and she knows she is a target again. She wants to find an escape for Bahar.

People are fleeing Iran. Sousan made it to L.A. – not the colonel, he is executed.

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