Thebookish

Every day counts

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33 Place Brugmann (no spoilers)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free advance copy of 33 Place Brugmann. The opportunity to read this book is exactly why I joined Netgalley. I wanted to be able to discover new authors that I would not come across in my local bookshop.

I will buy this book when it is published in hardcover. I was so engrossed that I stayed up far later than I should have in order to finish it in one night.

The author tells the story of the various inhabitants of 33 Place Brugmann. It covers just before the start of World War 2 up to the middle of World War 2. The story is centred on the Raphael Family and Charlotte Sauvin. The story switches between the perspective of several neighbours.

What kept me reading was the careful characterisation, effective plotting and scene setting. I wanted to know what happened to each of the characters. I also savoured the beautiful scene setting over the course of the book. It reminded me of Ann Patchett circa the Magician’s Assistant.

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Random reader Ramblings.

Reading a good book invigorates me. There is something special about reading a good book for the first time when you don't know how the story will develop.

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Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane Riley, Published August 21

First off thanks so much to the publisher for the free advance copy in return for an impartial review.

I love Netgalley because it means I discover new authors to follow and books to buy. I am stoked this is the start of a series for which the second book will come out in 2026.

I won't give any spoilers because this isn't coming out until August 21.

Mary-Jane Riley's story line had me interested and wanting to know more about the characters and their motivations. The main character, Beattie Cavendish is someone I want to know a lot more about. I rooted for Richard Corrigan and her.

The world-building and how the characters spoke felt real. I wanted this book to be even longer because the story was gripping and the characters interested me.

In short if you liked the Rachel Savernake series by Martin Edwards, I really think you'll enjoy this book.

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A new Eddie Giral book on 15 August is something I look out for. I enjoy how Chris Lloyd writes about France during les années noires.

He makes you interested in all his characters and what happens to them. I also think the audiobook narrator for this series is great. He perfectly conveys the world-weariness of Eddie Giral. Chris Lloyd is in my crime pantheon of favourite writers with Michael Russell, Harald Gilbers, Philip Kerr, CJ Sansom, Christopher Fowler and others.

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Why choose me as a reviewer on NetGalley?

I’m someone who enjoys reading and will be a passionate advocate for a book she enjoys. I’m someone who is capable of learning from past experience. My feedback rate isn’t 100% because I was too keen to be accepted for books when I started. I only apply for books these days one request at a time.

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Who is Vera Kelly? (Netgalley Review)

I was provided with a free copy of the book thanks to the publisher through Netflix in exchange for a fair and impartial review.

TLDR: I’d buy/borrow more books by this author, she is great at world-building. She writes a spy story that feels real. I finished the book wanting to know more about the main character and any further adventures she has.

This is a compelling read that really gathers pace as you move into the last half of the book. The first half of the book isn’t bad at all. I enjoyed the cuts between  her past and her present to see how she became the person that she is. I appreciated that there is more to being a spy than the Bond movies suggest. I liked the other characters and the story was so good in the second half that I couldn’t sleep until I had finished it.

I’m so glad to know that this is just the first book in a series. Rosalie Knecht is a an author I’d definitely look out for.

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Last Seen by Lucy Clarke *Netgalley review*

I was provided with a copy of this book in return for a fair and impartial review.

I’d give this book 4 stars and will look out for more by this author as she is deft at writing a suspense thriller. I enjoyed how she shifts between each character to give you insights about them and leaving out details to build mystery. I spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading this book.

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The Testaments (Audiobook) by Margaret Atwood (Non-spoilers)

I think this book is a worthy sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale. I would have liked it perhaps broken into two so that the ending could have been more developed. That said, it deserves an A.

Having Ann Dowd read the chapters for Aunt Lydia was a masterstroke. I was fascinated learning about how she became an Aunt. I appreciate the insight into her thinking process. Bryce Dallas Howard as witness 369a and Mae Whitman as witness 369b were equally good. It was interesting to read about their very different childhoods and learn more about how they were both sheltered but for different reasons.

I hope Margaret Attwood might consider a third book in this series.

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