Are there many novels that celebrate and champion persistence? Do all cops in novels ignore authority and tackle the weight of bureaucracy through ignorance? Early reviews pointed me to a challenge.
Inspector Imanishi Investigates by Seichō Matsumoto is a post-World War II novel originally penned in 1989. The lead protagonist, unsurprisingly, is Inspector Imanishi. He is a world apart from the rebellious bulldozing Harry Bosch found in Michael Connelly’s novel series. Instead, Imanishi is methodical, modest, and clinically human in his approach. He persists without need of a lightbulb moment or an act of genius. At every turn Inspector Imanishi displays empathy. He listens. He feels the victims’ lives. He endures whilst remaining ethical and responsible. The fog of guilt lurks. Grief and shame wallow. The good Inspector appears to put himself in others’ shoes.
What happens when guilt becomes unbearable? Drawing on a contrast of a post-war reshaping metropolitan Tokyo and that of rural provincial Japan, this book uses geography, culture, and traditional etiquette to deliver the truth. Themes of memory and recollection, urban alienation, interconnectedness, societal and historical tensions. The slow movement of justice’s machine underlines the need for structure and hierarchy but appears to comment on a lack of urgency. What secrets live between city lights and village shadows? Can you bury a crime in a country still healing?
How well can you really hide from who you were? The plot features new names, misdirection, reinvented pasts to escape guilt, shame, and consequences shows disguise as social-cultural adaptation. In an ambiguous world, the detective is a constant: deeply moral. Rarely does a slow-burn of a book stand out, yet from the opening chapter to the conclusion, I was hooked. The jigsaw was essentially a lesson in the importance of detail. Like a cold-poured Guinness, “Good things come to those who…. wait.” The novel’s ending seemed more reflective than triumphant yet left me wanting more. Was reluctant justice enough? Does empathy make the best detective?
Matsumoto’s Inspector Imanishi Investigates is a novel celebrating persistence and realism. It is the antidote to flashy books filled with spectacle and glamour. The notes of fading traditional values give hints at a nation’s people suffering an identity crisis – or at least instability causing a social flux. I found myself pondering, how much of our world’s remembered reality was misremembered? Can patience solve what brilliance cannot? Is closure enough when lives have already been lost?
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Kristen Perrin’s How to Solve Your Own Murder: Review + Light Up Lancaster
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is a page-turner with a unique premise that sets it apart from other mystery novels. At first, the genre and title didn’t attract me. Once I’d opened the cover, the protagonist’s posthumous investigation is intriguing, and Perrin’s plot is full of clever twists and turns. The novel’s fast-paced and suspenseful narrative keeps readers engaged from start to finish. Perrin’s innovative approach to the mystery genre makes this book a highly enjoyable and memorable read.
At times, I thought the book to be both gripping and inventive take on the classic murder mystery. However, I felt torn between changing a chosen book to read. At first, the story centres around the protagonist who, after her own untimely death, must piece together the clues to uncover her killer. It sounds cheesy and forced. Perrin’s writing is key to why I continued. The delivery is sharp and witty, with a plot that keeps readers guessing until the very end. That being said, it doesn’t leave too many imagined options.
The novel’s unique premise and well-developed characters make it a standout in the genre. Fans of mysteries and thrillers will appreciate the clever twists and the protagonist’s relentless pursuit of the truth. as it offers a fresh and intriguing spin on the traditional mystery narrative, Kristen Perrin‘s well crafted work stands out as a must-read for mystery enthusiasts looking for something different. A thought-provoking and compelling mystery told through the themes of identity, justice, and the afterlife. May contain deeper philosophical undertones.
If a soundtrack is needed for any future televised or silver screen production, then look no further than Rebekah Okpoti‘s haunting score for the Light Up Lancaster event installation in Lancaster Priory. Amongst the visuals by artists Jonathan Hogg and Nick Rawcliffe, a tone of menacing organ music filled the vast Lancaster Priory. The acoustics seemingly fit multiple genres of entertainment, and I reckon Kristen Perrin’s work deserves a soundtrack.
The Lancaster Priory’s Director of Music, Rebekah Okpoti, took inspiration from William Herschel, playing a tune overlaying an almost eye-lije triangle screen sinisterly reflecting kaleidoscopic journeys. The other town light installations varied in shape, sizes, and subtletkaleidoscopicy, much like the words of Kristin Perrin.
Amy Helen Bell’s Under Cover of Darkness: Review
The cover stood out. It had to read. I could not resist dipping beneath the cover of Under Cover of Darkness.
Amy Helen Bell’s Under Cover of Darkness slings the reader deep into wartime Britain. Loaded with intimate and authentic historical detail, the author’s power of research ploughs meticulously through an era of conflict plagued by rationing and air raids. Central to the storyline are compellingly genuine characters beating with a heartbeat of transformation, through loss and adaptability.
Inner conflicts hug danger like a hand grasping the wrong end of a knife-blade knowing that to let go would be disastrous. Turning over pages, a narrative of sacrifice, duty, and moral dilemmas emerge to test even the most devout in their resistance of desire and maintenance of responsibility. Are choices always clear?
Through a fusion of pacing, timing, and psychological tension, Amy Helen Bell’s world builds an edgy psychological tension. During our privileged era, the shifting roles of women during World War II created new opportunities for women. Bell capture’s a spirit and revolution in her story, exposing the complexity of newness and challenges faced by women, at that seismic time. For feminists and history buffs alike, this novel delves into the mean streets of London during a backdrop of fear and uncertainty.
This deeply human story sensitively connects the fragility of romance during conflict and the jeopardy of life’s end point seeming ever nearer. Nods to the psychological toll with trauma, resilience, and grief evident throughout the chapters. Ethical dilemmas integrate the human capacity for good and evil, without sounding preachy. That sense of resilience underlines community and togetherness offering hope amongst the doom and gloom.
Through skill and crafting, Bell’s writing style elevates the story beyond just another war story and showcases depth and range of storytelling through suspenseful character-driven narratives.
Hannah Pick-Goslar’s My Friend Anne Frank: Review
“Of the 120,000 Jews who lived in the Netherlands before the war, only 5,000 of us returned from either the camps or hiding.” – Hannah Pick-Goslar
Through reading My Friend Anne Frank, by Anne Frank’s reallife friend, Hannah Pick-Goslar, the text offered a unique perspective on Anne Frank’s legacy through the lens of their friendship. A slickly rich delivery in the form of memoir, loaded with heartfelt reflections that compliment Anne’s diary.
“I often feel Anne’s presence with me because I go around speaking about her very often.” – Hannah Pick-Goslar
Pick-Goslar uses her narrative as inspiration, layered in poignant heartbreak. The power of memory certainly ensures and in a world saturated by antisemitism and division, a fuller understanding of lost lives like Anne Frank, and the impact of absence wouldn’t go amiss. Touching anecdotes impart a close bond, evocative of a time of innocence swept up by severe tragedy. The deeper understanding of humanity lost in historical events crawls from the pages.
“I try to be compassionate, but I’m not sure it’s the result of war.” – Hannah Pick-Goslar
Several of my reading peers experienced the tales carried through Hannah Pick-Goslar’s My Friend Anne Frank. Upon feeding back to our book group, tears formed, and voices trembled. A more engaging and enlightened view of Anne Frank‘s legacy beyond her diary surely could not be found. Resilience and impact through shared memories that offer expansion to Anne Frank’s Het Achterhuis (republished later as The Diary of Anne Frank).
The author, Hannah Pick-Goslar, was one of several Verlorener Zug (“lost train”) passengers liberated by the Red Army. A broken railway bridge impeded the progress of the train to Theresienstadt ghetto for extermination. The luck led to survival. That survival allowed a story to live on.
“I approached the fence, but I could see through new gaps in the straw that the tents on the other side had been cleared out. Anne, Margot, Mrs van Pels, everyone was gone. Vanished. It was if they were never there.” – Hannah Pick-Goslar 12/11/1928 – 28/10/2022
James Naughtie’s The Spy Across the Water: Review
Head of Zeus publishers release The Spy Across the Water by James Naughtie caught my eye through its cover. Between the covers unfurls an intricate web of intrigue via a fascinating yarn of espionage and loyalty. The backdrop of a familiar Cold War sees our protagonist’s pathways into a dangerous game of intelligence and counterintelligence. Trust is a rare commodity. However, through Naughtie’s evocative and gripping writing, tension rises and falls, maintaining a grip on the reader whilst bringing to life a Cold War era uncertainty.
Fans of Mitch Rapp (Vince Flynn), Jack Reacher (Lee Child), and James Bond (Ian Fleming) will find the characters make it a compelling read that will resonate with fans of spy fiction. Naughtie’s pace of plot plods along through intellectually stimulating layers of authentic tension and historical accuracy. This book, with lead Will Flemyng, is a must-read for anyone who enjoys sophisticated spy stories that challenge the mind and keep the reader engaged from start to finish.
James Naughtie is a BBC special correspondent deeply knowledgeable in democracy and respected throughout his field, except for on X (Twitter) because nobody is respected there. Not even the dead.
Now, it’s time to find the previous books in the series… The Madness of July and Paris Spring shall follow, even though they’re prequels to the book I’ve just read.
Katie Flynn’s A Mother’s Secret: Review
Katie Flynn’s A Mother’s Secret is a heartwarming tale that delves deep into the themes of love, resilience, and family bonds. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the novel follows the life of a young mother struggling to protect her family and safeguard her secrets. Flynn’s evocative writing and well-drawn characters make for a compelling read that is both touching and inspiring. This book is a testament to the enduring strength of maternal love and the sacrifices made during challenging times.
Interestingly, as I expected, the book’s author is a continuation of her work via her daughter. Katie Flynn’s enduring name lives through her daughter Holly. Holly rips into the work, delivering a glimpse of historical detail, life for the working classes, and the trials and triumphs of Wartime Britain. Katie Flynn, a pen-name of Norwich-born Judith Turner, passed away in 2019, after 82 years of life that threw a catalogue of books our way.
A Mother’s Secret draws tender attention to details, emotional struggles, and a secret with the odd unexpected twist. Love, loss, and redemption are portrayed in both a realistic and evocative way. Lessons about the strength required to confront and overcome past mistakes shine throughout the novel. The plot, however, lacks jeopardy in its delivery. That does no damage, as the focus of a mother’s love stands tall.
Review: Ancestors, Professor Alice Roberts
“And the past belongs to everyone.” – Professor Alice Roberts, Ancestors.
I must confess that this burgundy bestseller of a book sat on my shelf for far too long. Gifted by Mum and Paul, in Christmas 2022, it lay on a shelf devoted to books that I will read. Eventually.
Slowly and surely, like the remains of an ancient body arriving at the tip of an archaeological trowel, the book departed the shelf and found eyes upon it. Dusting down the top, it opened, unfurling mysteries, tales, and fables, alongside cutting edge sciences and graphic use of vocabulary.
Professor Alice Roberts first caught my attention on BBC’s Coast, and since then, a variety of television shows. I have a crush on her intellectual prowess and passion for her chosen field of expertise. I love how a bright spark seeks newness, raw knowledge, and extrapolates ideas, developing within a text or a show, or in the good Professor’s case, as a person.
Exploring neolithic, Iron Age, Bronze Ages, and a whole layer of timeliness, British history, human remains, personalities such as Pitt Rivers, and conflicting progressives explore our Before Common Era. Here, Roberts explains the dangers of assumption and the pitfalls of satisfying a narrative.
Final confession time. I spent time savouring this read over a few weeks, intertwining my reading amongst other books. Overall, essential reading is all about exploring a genre or topic of unfamiliar ideas. I am now neither expert nor amateur, but like an archaeologicalist digging ploughed Wiltshire soil, I have a sound glimpse into the past.
The new book
Opening the cover beyond the title and an author’s name, ignoring the blurb in the rear, smelling the pages, and anticipating what lies within. The smell of books decomposing ever so slowly, losing their cellulose and lignin is known as bibliosmia. A book shed that information to me once. A bibliophile needs to know that. Some folk say books smell and attract us. It could be. I’d have to read about that to understand it.
The peaty, earthy, and slightly musty smell is neither a grotesque or pleasant smell. It is a familiar one. So, today, on my 41st birthday, I open Vince Flynn’s American Assassin. I’m unsure if I have seen the movie by the same name. It’s insignificant. All I know is that I want to read the book and feel the author’s words. My Aunty Christine rehomed this book with me. She recommended it. That was some time ago. Good things come to those who wait?
The nostalgia of feeling a book in your hand has made me ignore my Kobo e-reader, almost immediately after Mum gave it to me years ago. I’ve used it for reading literacy documents and nonfiction. That’s all. The bibliochor fragrance is all too tempting. Tiny dust mites, squashed spiders lost in the pages, and the odd note by a predecessor of a reader make books a fair journey into timelines and places beyond the text. Each book, even the crap ones, packs potential for a new world or inspiration to read more, write better, or seek new nostalgic texts.
Some books are unpardonable and need discarding. Some can not be put down. Some demand full attention, and some will sit silently awaiting the caress of a gentle reader. A few books will get battered and lay tattered. Many will touch hearts, and others may heal, or hug, or wrap amongst the DNA of the eyes upon the pages. Emotions and feelings from junior texts to deeper heavier lexile demands may equally challenge or relax a reader. The duality of opening a book and opening a door to a new story awaits.
Simon & Schuster, the publishers sits on the spine. The New York Times Bestseller awaits. So, prelude, page one… off we go… over to you, Vince Flynn. I’m ready to read.
The 500 & Something-th Post
Munich, Birmingham, and Manchester in a day. Added to that, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Dongguan, and Huizhou in just over a day or so. Beyond that, time in Guangzhou and Meizhou. Miles and Miles of carbon footprint with purpose. I’ll plant some trees, flowers and greenery, and do my bit. I wonder how much SpaceX do for offsetting their explosive test work. Can see Elon Musk in a pinny and holding a trowel. Do those bodies need burying?
Every journey needs a purpose, or every journey gives a purpose, dependent on your outlook. Along the roads and flight paths, I’ve come to understand the meaning of it all. Perhaps it is all about succession and passing on as much of your good as possible. Or 42. Give or take, our genes are their to be and exist tomorrow. Investing time and effort in developing a miracle second generation is magical. We’re just a moment in time, so why not give all we can give?!
Humans make mistakes. Humility is normal. Just ask any billionaire businessman and promptly discard their response. People, like mothers who adopt young orphan girls in Meizhou, giving much to support others, are who I want to learn from. I accept judgement from all, but reject all from being my judge.
So, I find myself writing, whilst on a train from Morecambe. In fact, I’m completing words first noted whilst on Munich a few weeks ago. Time has come and given me other distractions like mounting shelves, removing doubt, and wandering to the odd game of football, or five. In fact, today before a carvery lunch, Panda, Blue, and I walked around Heysham village and meandered around Morecambe’s southern flank of town. The 14°C coolness occasionally permeated by glistening rays of sun-shiiiine. Rather than shrivel up and burn as per my pale skin, I opted to walk and feel the delightful comfort of light.
As railway announcements offer routes to Rouse, Carlisle, London, and Manchester, I sit back, legs stretched, almost fastened to a metal bench. In my hands is a paperback copy of Mike Leaver’s Yeti Seeks Mate. The opening new chapters tie you down and pull you in. Everyone loves the excitement of a new chapter. Whilst the author sounds like the words my cleaver, he seems an intricate and clever wordsmith. That tale may be written, but others are just unfolding.
Review: The Big Book…
The Big Book of Literacy Tasks by Nancy Akhaven is targeted for grades K-8. As per the cover, it aims to give teachers 75 activities that are balanced and suitable for students to complete. This reference book is engagingly colourful, well illustrated and concise. It provides instructional plans that can be tailored or differentiated to the need of a teacher.
The book helps teachers to hand off the tasks to the student. It moves very much from, “I” to “You”. The book is well-structured to allow students to be challenged, and reduce teachers from dilly-dallying, which in an era of electronic media and distraction, helps a teacher try to engage a student deeper.
The author Nancy Akhavan, an assistant professor of Educational Leadership draws on her experience and dedication to professional development research to illuminate daily planning. The tasks can be divided into useful everyday skills, weekly practices and a few slightly more complex challenges. They are each applicable to reading circles, workshops or other literacy tasks. The book is loaded with tips, things to look out for and insights to allow English acquisition learners to progress into fully-fledged literacy learners. The author delivers far more than a lengthy book title.
This book offers Guru-like support, with practical advice and encouraging ideas that are easy to drop into the classroom. In a world often flooded by educational text resource, the bright cover with a climbing wall, Akhaven’s guide acted like a beacon for inspiration this week – and shall continue to be picked at until all is imparted and transferred appropriately.
The Big Book of Literacy Tasks by Nancy Akhaven has been published by California’s Corwin Literacy, a sample can be found online here.
The End of Time.
Hello! How do! 你好～
The notion of time need to go. That’s how author Paulo Coelho answered Laura Sheahan for a Beliefnet.com interview. Everything is eternal and there is no time. He said that “time is another of these things that help us go through life”. Professor Stephen Hawking would have been proud. This was the closest I’d got to understanding anything written by the great professor, and it wasn’t through deep science.
Instead the vessel of discovering enlightenment came through a multifaceted faith-crossover text, The Alchemist. Since Qiezi (茄子) gifted me this novel, I’ve had to read it twice. Time on a hospital bed granted me a third visit to the pages. Actually, visiting this book again was like embracing an old friend. A welcome return to the familiar. And like all good friends, there’s always something new to encounter together.
Whoever is the Fatima of my Personal Legend and wherever the pyramids are that I seek, perhaps today in this hospital I’m encountering my own crystal glass shop. The cliche-heavy book is relatable in many senses and my biggest take home is change. We must always adapt and accept that very few things remain constant. If one day you can’t breathe easily, then the next you may improve (or not).
The simplicity of the book, through protagonist Santiago, tells a sweet take about keeping faith and discovering your destiny, despite the challenges set before you. Now Santiago’s visions set him on a journey that teaches more and gives plenty whilst indulging you and I as a reader in the do more, see more, be more mantra of life. If it was a Coldplay song it’d be about opening up your eyes.
The short read delves deep into fate and manifestations with a strong sense that the universe is pushing your path in front of you. Rich in symbolism, folklore and spirituality, Paulo Coelho has made me want to explore every other text he’s written since the Brazilian started publishing in 1974 (in his late twenties). His Portuguese books have spread globally and been aided by translation. Popularity has been earned. Now, which students can I put the Chinese and English editions into their hands? I’ve been gifted these words. It’s time to share this world.
Goodbye. Ta’ra! 再见～
AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC - ACTON28.BLOG 