March 2019 Wrap up

After Anna - L. Scottoline
Engrossing thriller with surprising end.
Rating:  7,5 out of 10

The never open desert diner - J. Anderson
One of those Americal novels I do not like, full of nonsense and slow.
Rating:  Abandoned

The seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - S. Turton
A Cluedo game turned into a novel. Fascinating!
Rating:  7 out of 10

The subway girls - S. Orman Schnall
A book about women and careers in the 50s and today. Loved it!
Rating:  8 out of 10

Pleasantville - A. Locke
A legal/political thriller. Well thought and written, just a bit heavy in parts.
Rating:  6 out of 10

The fall of Lisa Bellow - S. Perabo
Nothing really happens and I found it well written but dull.
Rating:  5 out of 10

La ballata di Iza - M. Szabo
Triste e magnetico, davvero una scrittura potente.
Rating: 7,5 out of 10

Snap - B. Bauer
Captivating thriller, I was glued to its pages.
Rating:  8 out of 10

The free - W. Vlautin
down to earth, tragic yet full of hope. Great read.
Rating:  7,5 out of 10

1222 - A. Holt
Slow to begin with, but very gripping and well thought afterwards.
Rating:  7 out of 10

February 2019 Wrap up

Not a very good month, as far as my reads are concerned... A lot of disappointments...
But glad to have finished the month with a great crime novel!

The nightingale - K. Hannah

Interesting plot, but writing style not for me.

Rating:  Abandoned

A death in the family - K. O. Knausgaard
A very introspective memoir, gripping at times, slow at others/ Mixed feelings.
Rating:  5 out of 10

Bluebird, Bluebird - A. Locke

God crime novel set in extremist East Texas, Very interesting dynamics. Highly recommend it.
Rating:  7 out of 10

The outsider - A. Camus
Very, very sad. I am really not sure how I feel about this short classic.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

Normal people - S. Rooney
Really sad how problematic youth can be. A book about finding yourself despite everything.
Rating:  8 out of 10

La testa perduta di Damasceno Monteiro - A. Tabucchi
Ambientato ad Oporto dove ero in vacanza. Interessante per come e' scritto e come denuncia i problemi della citta'.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

The innocent wife - A. Lloyd
Terrible, plain, dull, no surprises, tedious.
Rating:  2 out of 10

The house of gold - N. Solomons
Too descriptive and quite tedious for me.
Rating:  Abandoned

The suspect - F. Barton
Great crime novel, really loved it!
Rating:  9 out of 10

January 2019 Wrap up

One of the big pleasures of reading is that you can travel anywhere in the world without actually moving from your sofa! This month my reads have taken me to Croatia, Washington DC, Cote d'Azur (I was actually there in this case!), Birmingham, Rome, Aosta, London.
Where next?!?

(click on the titles to read the full mini review)

The Mystery of the blue train - A. Christie

Always a pleasure to read, however the culprit was quite easy to guess this time. 

Rating:  6,5 out of 10

The first lady - J. Patterson

Good start, but then it becomes all a bit too unrealistic for me.

Rating:  6 out of 10

Becoming - M. Obama
It is an autobiography so difficult to evaluate really, Generally well written, interesting.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

Landline - R. Rowell
Not my cup of tea, for style and plot.
Rating:  Abandoned

Middle England - J. Coe
A master in describing England in the last ten years bringing back the Rotters club.
Rating:  7 out of 10

Apple tree yard - L. Doughty
Not for me, it drags on and on about this affair, I cannot continue...
Rating:  Abandoned

Girl at war - S. Novic
The Bosnian-Croatian war from a girl who survived point of view. Powerful.
Rating:  8 out of 10

La forma del buio - M. Zilahy
Un po' lento e una specie di "brutta copia" dei romanzi di Carrisi.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

The invisible life of Euridice Gusmao - M. Batalha
Very pleasant and witty, a great picture of the female world in Brazil in the 40s.
Rating:  7 out of 10

Rien ne va plus - A. Manzini
Rocco torna alla grande, un bel giallo, un Rocco coraggioso. Bello!
Rating:  8 out of 10

December 2018 Wrap up

Agatha Raisin and the Busy body - M.C. Beaton
Always entertaining our Agatha, never misses to engross me.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

The Angel Tree - L. Riley
An engrossing family saga, I was glued to it!
Rating:  8 out of 10

Bright young dead - J. Fellowes
Slow pace and repetitive, a thumbs down for me.
Rating:  5 out of 10

One day in December - J. Silver
Slow start, but from the second half a very pleasant romantic novel.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

A country Christmas - V. Henry
Abandoned: found it dull and uninteresting.
Rating:  Abandoned

The cosy Christmas chocolate shop - C. Roberts
Abandoned, another dull, unoriginal chick lit.
Rating:  Abandoned

The doctor's wife - E. Bournage
Dark and twisty, intriguing but not very original. Mediocre
Rating:  6 out of 10

Figlie di una nuova era -  C. Korn
Saga con protagoniste centrali tre donne che spazia tra le due guerre ad Amburgo. Piacevole ma non mi ha entusiasmata troppo.
Rating:  6,5 out of 10

Best Reads of 2018 - Le migliori letture del 2018

And here are my best reads of the year: 2 American fiction, 2 British, 1 French, 2 Italians, a super crime fiction and a memoir. Highly recommend them all!

Click on the titles to read the reviews

CATEGORY: Fiction

Only child - R Navin

No and me - D. de Vigan

The love letter - L. Riley

The greatest hits - L. Barnett

Christodora - T. Murphy

The color purple - A. Walker

CATEGORY: Narrativa italiana

Storia della mia ansia - D. Bignardi

Resto qui - M. Balzano

CATEGORY: Crime fiction

Letal white - R. Galbraith

CATEGORY: Memoir

Educated - T. Westover

November 2018 Wrap up

November, month of fireworks nights here in UK!

Some really great novels read this month, an ever green Christie and three big disappointments I had to abandoned. 

(click on the titles for the full mini review)

No and me - D. de Vigan
A touching and profound novel, highly recommend it.
Rating:  8,5 out of 10

Educated - T. Westover
Shocking, insightful, very powerful. a must read
Rating:  8,5 out of 10

Only child - R. Niven
Heartbreaking, very touching, loved it.
Rating:  9 out of 10

The beach hut next door - V. Henry
Great escapism, a fairy tale set in a great seaside place. Enjoyable.
Rating:  7 out of 10

All grown up - J. Attenberg
Not my cup of tea. Abadoned
Rating: Abandoned

They do it with mirrors - A. Christie
Agatha never lets you down! Another great crime story with the cheeky Miss Marple!
Rating:  7,5 out of 10

This is how it always is - L. Frankel
A strong message, a very brave family and child. Extremely interesting, it loses its charm a bit in the last part in my view.
Rating:  7 out of 10

So che un giorno tornerai - L. Bianchini
Ho amato tanti libri di Bianchini, ma questo, insieme a Io che amo solo te, non mi e' piaciuto.
Rating:  5 out of 10

The darkest day - H. Nesser
I couldn't get into the story at all. Abandoned!
Rating:  Abandoned

Winter garden - K. Hannah
Too slow and repetitive for my liking, nothing seems to happen for ages. Abandoned!
Rating:  Abandoned