Reviewing novels, short stories, plays and non fiction.
I’m sure most people have heard of Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy, and the controversy about it. I thought of reviewing the book at the time (which I borrowed via my local Borrowbox library app). However I rarely write negative reviews. And from the language I read she had used, I was fairly sure a review would have to be negative.
I was correct.
Continue reading “Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me – Review”
Here are the top ten most popular reviews on Copper Lantern – it was definitely a Poirot year.
In Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie, yet another of Poirot’s holidays is disrupted by murder, mystery, intrigue, jealousy and romance. This classic murder mystery detective story is set aboard a the Karnak steamer, exploring the darkness and beauty of the River Nile.
Human Is, by Philip K Dick, is one of my favourite short stories. I re-read it recently as part of the Electric Dreams anthology, with prefaces by the writers who adapted various short stories for TV. It examines McCarthy style witch hunts, authoritarian states and what it means to be human.
A memoir of the past, retelling Eileen’s last week in a freezing, miserable Massachusetts town, in the 1960s. It also functions as a rich and disturbing character study.
A coming of age novel following a nameless 18 year old Korean American woman working in a pizza place. Her life changes when a struggling stay at home mother called Jenny calls in to her work, looking for a pizza with pickles…
How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger charts the adventures of eccentric geologist Faith Wigglesworth, as she heads to London after an indiscretion, to find a werewolf husband.
In Agatha Christie’s first published mystery, and the first Hercule Poirot novel, a brisk older woman, Mrs Inglethorp, has been murdered in Essex. Hastings has been invalided out of the army and decides to visit his old friend, John Cavendish, her stepson, at their country estate.
Blackfish City, by Sam J. Miller, tells of a flooded future world, where a mysterious woman arrives in the floating Arctic city of Qaanaaq. Accompanied by an orca and a polar bear, she is one of the elusive and hunted few who have nano-bonded with animals. Her arrival shakes a city already struggling under the weight of corruption, organised crime, and a mysterious disease called the breaks…
Evil Under the Sun is another Poirot novel, published in 1941. Poirot attempts a pleasant summer holiday in Devon, and once again encounters love, lust and evil at a classic seaside resort hotel.
One day, an 72 year old widow named Vesta Gul is taking her daily walk in the forest with her dog, Charlie. And comes across a chilling note, weighed down with smooth black stones. It says “Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body”.
The Big Four by Agatha Christie is a Poirot with a spy twist. Poirot finds himself plunged into a world of international intrigue and even encounters the mysterious Countess Vera Rossakoff. A tale of mystery, intrigue, explosions and lost love.
“I had the firm conviction that, if I went about looking for adventure, adventure would meet me halfway.” The Man in the Brown Suit, Agatha Christie
Welcome to Read Christie 2022: the official reading challenge!
The official Agatha Christie website are exploring stories of travel and adventure in 2022. Their first official book choice is The Man in the Brown Suit. They plan to host online book clubs, as well as sharing trivia, quotes and quizzes. You can participate using #ReadChristie2022 on Instagram or Twitter to join in.
Download the Challenge here:
I’ve seen this going round the blogs and thought I’d do an adapted version for book lovers. I’m anxious right now, and I imagine a lot of you are too. So I’ve focused on comforting or cathartic books and interactive fiction recommends to help people relax and unwind.
COPPER LANTERN BOOK REVIEWS 