Big Sky by Kate Atkinson Review

Blurb: Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village in North Yorkshire, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son Nathan and ageing Labrador Dido, both at the discretion of his former partner Julia. It’s a picturesque setting, but there’s something darker lurking behind the scenes. Jackson’s current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, seems straightforward, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network-and back into the path of someone from his past. Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking new novel, both sharply funny and achingly sad, by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.

It’s a slow burn to start with but I don’t mind that, I like getting to know the characters and starting to see where the connections are but I was always aware that something bigger was coming.

“It was funny how so many men were defined by their downfall. Women hardly ever. They didn’t fall down. They stood up.”

One of Kate Atkinson’s strengths is her characters and making them feel real, no matter how often they appear, every character is detailed and has life in them.

“His life had been a litany of disasters. What if he was already on his ninth life? The last go round. Perhaps he should be more cautious.”

Jackson’s sarcasm and pessimistic view of the world is the main reason I connect so well to his character. I also really connected with Reggie and Ronnie the two detectives that were assigned to investigate potential leads in an old case. They’re witty and determined and some of their quotes just spoke to me.

“Reggie sometimes wondered if a day would ever go by when she wasn’t disappointed in people.” – such a mood

Everything is cleverly wound together and as usual Jackson finds himself in the middle trying to put all the pieces together. I enjoyed all the references to the older books in the series but you don’t have to have read them to get into this book.

“Reggie was twenty-six, but she didn’t think that she had ever been the right age.”

I really enjoyed this book, I love a good mystery and trying to work things out for myself! I will always love everything that Kate Atkinson writes, she is brilliant no matter what the genre.

Autumn Reading List

This is a little bit late, but I completely forgot to do this at the beginning of September! I love autumn, especially this time when it’s still a bit sunny but there’s a chill in the air and the trees change to the most beautiful colours. Here’s what I’ll be reading this autumn:

The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz – September

I’ve already finished this but like all the other books in the Millennium series, I loved it. My full review is here.

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett – September

We’re back with the witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. They’re missing a third member of their coven and they follow one of the young women in their town who they think has potential. But she has run away to Ankh-Morpork to become an opera singer. Another brilliant and witty addition to the Discworld series.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – September onwards

This is a massive book, but I’m determined, I have no idea how long it will take me but I don’t want to rush then get confused! It’s a classic novel, set in Russia. I’m only a little way in but I can follow it so far which is great.

For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt – September/October

A married couple face a threat to their children and instead of letting the police deal with it, they take matters into their own hands. Natalie would do anything to protect her family but can they get away with their crime? I’m pretty excited about this!

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan – October

A heartbroken man, Anthony, spends his life collecting lost objects, hoping to one day reunite them with their owners, but he dies before completing his task. He leaves his house to his assistant Laura who is recently divorced and incredibly lonely. But she finds solace in Anthony’s lost things and getting them back to the people that miss them. It sounds like such a beautiful book already.

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson – October

It’s been nine years since the last Jackson Brodie novel, Jackson is still a private investigator and he’s living in a quiet seaside village with his dog and occasionally his teenage son. But as always things take a turn for the worse and Jackson comes across a sinister network that leads back to old mysteries. I love all of Kate Atkinson’s books and I’m sure this won’t be an exception.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett – November

We’re back in Ankh-Morpork with the City Watch. There’s been some suspicious murders in the city, it’s strange because the Assassins Guild isn’t responsible, there appears to be no motive and a strange clay has been found near the crime scenes. I really enjoy the Watch stories, they’re so chaotic!

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski – November

The first Witcher book! I love the tv series so I’m very excited to read all of Geralt’s adventures. This is a group of short stories following Geralt as he fights monsters and discovers that maybe not all monstrous looking things are evil.

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye – November

This is a Gothic retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane Steele sees a lot of similarities between herlsef and her favourite character Jane Eyre. She too has a horrible aunt and schoolmaster, they call her wicked and she believes it’s true. When she flees she leaves her tormentors dead behind her. A classic turned into a revenge story, yes!

Top Five Tuesday – A-Z Authors

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This month’s topics are A-Z authors, this week it’s the first five A-E which wasn’t too difficult but I have a feeling it will be tougher as we go down the alphabet!

A: Kate Atkinson

Kate has written lots of different books ranging from crime to historical fiction. But her characters are always well written and likeable. I discovered her when I read When Will There Be Good News? which is part of her Jackson Brodie series, Jackson is a police officer turned private investigator. I was really into crime novels at the time but my favourites are probably Life after Life and A God in Ruins which are set during WWII and follow the Todd family through their lives. Kate Atkinson is one of my authors that I always look out for and can happily re-read her books forever!

B: Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite classics, probably because of the gothic theme. I had to study it at college but I still love the book, that’s how good it is! The characters are so dramatic and the story so strange, it has a dark and eerie feel that appeals to me.

C: Suzanne Collins

I still haven’t quite forgiven Suzanne for the end of Mockingjay but I’m still grateful for the messed up world of Panem she created and all the characters I love within it. One of my favourite things about The Hunger Games is that it points to so many damaging things in our own society like our obsession with reality television no matter how damaging it might be to the people in it.

D: Emma Donoghue

I have only read one of Emma’s books but I know I need to read more because she is a brilliant author. Room was so clever and terrifying. The way it was written felt so real. Like the reader was also trapped in one small room with no possible escape. But I love how the characters never lost hope and had their sweet routines.

E: Joy Ellis

I have only ever listened to Joy Ellis’ books but they are some of my favourite audiobooks. The books I’ve heard are from her DI Jackman and DS Evans series, it’s set in Wales, I love the pace of the books, they’re never rushed and when the detectives solve their cases it always makes sense. The characters all fit well together and you feel like you’re part of the police team. Also Richard Armitage narrates the audiobooks so you can’t go wrong there!

End of the Decade – My Favourite Books from the Past Ten Years!

It is so strange to think we are at the end of the 2010s, it’s been a pretty dodgy decade in many respects but I have read some fantastic books! Most of the books weren’t published in the last 10 years but it’s when I discovered them.

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

The fullness and complexity of these books and the characters has kept me coming back to it, I’ve read the first three books a few times already. The more you read it the more in depth you see the story. I am so happy I’ve found ASOIAF, even if it does make me cry a lot!

2. Dominion by C.J Sansom

The book is set in the 1950s in Britain except the Nazis have taken over, we never fought them. It is one of the most terrifying and genius books I’ve ever read. It felt so real, I was so distressed! Our main character works for the government and is unhappy with the changes taking place so he joins the freedom movement lead by Winston Churchill. He feeds them important files but then he gets involved with protecting a Jewish scientist who has been locked in an asylum. If the Nazis find out where he is, the world is doomed. I strongly recommend this book, it’s incredible.

3. The Millennium series by Stieg Larsson and David Lagercrantz

This series is so brilliant and dark, it’s terrifying at moments but it always comes back to the characters and how genius they are. Lisbeth who has had to fight her whole life against truly evil people who are still out to get her and Mikael who thrives on exposing conspiracies, which has got him into trouble a few times.

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zukos

Just genius, narrated by Death as he tells us about his run-ins with Liesel as she discovers her love of reading. Her foster father teaches her to read, soon she is stealing books from Nazi book burnings. Liesel lives in Germany during WWII and her world is made more dangerous when her foster family hide a Jewish man in their cellar. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read, I’d never read a book that centred around the innocent German people during WWII before and this was written superbly.

5. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

These books have so many important themes about corruption and controlling governments and its such a chilling premise, children fighting to the death for the entertainment of the elite. As a reader it made me have a good look at our own media and how toxic it can be. Aside from that the characters are real and flawed and I love them.

6. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

This book is one of my favourites ever! It’s like my dream book with past lives/WWII but it’s better than anything I could have imagined. We follow Ursula through her life from birth to her many different deaths. In each life different choices are made. It’s such a magical book and so different from everything I had read from Kate Atkinson before, I’m so glad I found it!

7. The Long Earth series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Sci-fi heaven, one day on Earth, hundreds of children disappeared at once, they moved to a parallel world with a devise that had gone viral on the internet. Soon adults realised what was happening and humanity was changed forever. Humanity spread out into the connected worlds where we made new homes for ourselves. In my favourite book of the series, scientists found a way to reach Mars and found its own string of parallels.

8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This book is about Esther Greenwood’s struggle with mental health, Esther has moved to New York to try and be a journalist but soon finds herself breaking down. It is so powerful and such an important book, I’m very glad I read it.

9. The Power by Naomi Alderman

Just epic! Through some strange evolution young girls suddenly gain the power to channel electricity through their hands. They can shock others, hurt them and kill them. They can also release the gift in older women. A shift is happening, no longer are men more powerful. The book follows different young women and one young man on their journeys through this fascinating time. But is life better under woman’s rule or are all humans inherently corrupt?

10. The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

I love this book so much! I read it this summer and fell in love with it. It’s a story about time and how precious stories are. How houses can hold memories forever but not always in a bad way, Birchwood Manor is a place of safety and comfort.

There we are, bring on the 2020s and all the books they will bring!

Top Five Tuesday – Alphabet

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. The end of the alphabet! I couldn’t find any books for X and Z so I’ve added different ones. I’ve really enjoyed this month’s prompts, it’s been a good challenge.

U – The Underground Railroad by Colby Whitehead

This book is an important read, tough but important. It’s set in America when slavery was still happening. We meet Cora, a young slave whose own mother escaped years ago and now Cora wants to try too. The book is superbly written, it’s tense and just heartbreaking to think about what all those people went through.

V – The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory

I’ve mentioned a lot of Philippa Gregory books this month and this might be my favourite. It’s set during Elizabeth I’s reign about her relationship with Robert Dudley and her struggles as a new queen. As much as I love Elizabeth’s fierce independence, it does make me sad that she didn’t get to be with the man she loved despite being the most powerful woman in the country.

V – A Vision of Fire by Gillian Anderson

This is in my TBR list, Gillian is one of my favourite humans so of course anything she does, I’m there! It’s a sci-fi novel, Caitlin, a child psychologist is called to attend Maanik, the daughter of India’s ambassador to the UN. There was an attempt on Maanik’s father’s life and she is having violent visions and fits. But it’s not just Maanik, all around the world young people are experiencing the same thing. I can’t wait to read it!

W – Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Another book set in Tudor times what are the chances?! This one is set during Henry VIII’s reign, he still hasn’t produced a male heir and now wants to divorce Katherine to marry Anne Boleyn. Thomas Cromwell helps him do it while the Pope and most of Europe appose the plans. I really enjoyed seeing this from Crowell’s point of view, in the second book I really start to dislike him though!

W – When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

This was the first book I read by Kate Atkinson, the first chapter is so shocking, it draws you straight into the mystery and drama. Jackson Brodie is once again caught up in a shocking event, he seems to attract trouble. This is definitely my favourite of the whole series.

Y – You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke

This is also on my TBR list, it’s a psychological thriller and it looks so good. Nothing feels right since Elle rented out her house, it’s colder and she feels as if someone is watching her. Or could she be imagining it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Auto-Buy Authors

I do have a collection of authors that I have to read everything they’ve ever written!

1. George R.R. Martin

This man though….he’s honestly a genius. I’ve read all of A Song of Ice and Fire and the first part of Fire and Blood which is about the Targaryen kings and queens. I’ve got Nightflyers waiting on my bookshelf which is a completely different genre from ASOIAF. It’s set in space in the future and I’m really looking forward to reading it.

2. Kate Morton

All of her books are stand alone but they all have a similar style. Set in different times but centred around the same place, usually an old house. The characters are so well written and I always form a strong connection to them. I love Kate’s descriptions of the houses and the different time periods feel real. I’m reading the Clockmaker’s Daughter at the moment which goes from 1862-2017 and lots in between but every time we switch there’s a different feel to the chapter, I don’t know how she does it. I’m always eagerly awaiting her next book!

3. Kate Atkinson

I first discovered Kate Atkinson when I read When Will There Be Good News? which is part of her Jackson Brodie series, he’s a private detective but the books aren’t so much focused on the crimes in them, more about the characters and how they’re affected. I read the rest of the series and when Life After Life came out I was bowled over with the incredible writing and depth of this book, it’s so beautiful and covers the theory of parallel worlds but not in a super sci-fi way. I recently read Transcription which was again historical fiction and I loved it.

4. Nicci French

Nicci French is actually a husband and wife duo! Their books are crime/psychological thrillers and some of them are super scary. I can’t stand scary films but these are different they’re full of suspense. The Frieda Klein series is really good, Frieda is a psychologist who consults with the police and seems to attract trouble. I’ve still got two books left to read from that series and then I’m going to tackle all the ones I haven’t yet read.

5. Laura Andersen

I’ve read her first trilogy The Boleyn Trilogy which is written as if Anne Boleyn had given birth to a son, she survived Henry and her son and daughter are heirs to England. It’s great historical fiction with a twist, the new characters who are friends of the Prince and Princess are Minuette and Dominic all four of them are true friends and have to try and navigate court life together. I’ve started the second trilogy which is set twenty years after the first, I can’t wait to read the rest. I really like Andersen’s style and choice of genre!

6. Lucinda Riley

I am loving her series of The Seven Sisters, every book tells the story of one of the D’Apliese sisters on the journey to discover where they were born. They also flashback to characters in history of each place, so far we’ve discovered Brazil and Norway! I really enjoy reading about the sister’s dynamics, I only have two sisters but they still reminded me of us a little bit! I’m really excited to read the rest of the series.

7. Ian McEwan

I read Atonement for the first time years ago and fell in love with it, since then I’ve read Sweet Tooth which is set in England during the Cold War, Solar and The Children Act. I love how all his novels are completely different, I’ve got all of his older ones on my TBR list and the newest one about robots!

8. Katherine Webb

Webb’s style is similar to Kate Morton, based in the past with ties to the present. The Legacy was the first book I read by Katherine Webb and I was completely hooked. Her others look just as intriguing, The Unseen is next on my list, it’s set in the early 1900s in a small village in England, when two strangers show up and change the town forever.

9. Stephen Fry

I’ve been reading Stephen’s books about Greek Mythology, the way he ties them all together is so clever. Mythos was great, I used to love learning about the many Greek Gods and Goddesses at school but I had forgotten how funny they were. I’ve started Heroes and there’s a third book still to come!

10. J K Rowling

Although we haven’t had anything from Rowling for a while and despite the epic disappointment the was Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which wasn’t written by Rowling), I would probably still read anything she writes. After Harry Potter we had the Casual Vacancy about a small town, it’s residents and their complicated relationships and biases, I really enjoyed the book, I might re-read it soon.

So there they are, who are your must buy authors?

Top Five Tuesday – Alphabet

A new Top Five Tuesday, the prompts are created by Bionic Book Worm. This week it’s the second part of the alphabet! I’ve tried to go for books that I don’t usually talk about.

F – A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

This is definitely a book I’ve never spoke about (not)! I couldn’t resist having at least one ASOIAF book in the month. Westeros is in absolute tatters by this book and Kings Landing is about to get hit by a group of militant religious fanatics, great. This book has the first POV chapters for Cersei and Brienne which is probably why it’s my favourite because they are the best!

G – A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson

This book is the follow up to Life After Life, it follows Ursula’s younger brother Teddy as he joins the RAF in WWII and his life after the war. He becomes a husband and father but he struggles with all the changes in the decades that follow the war. It’s really poignant and heartbreaking.

H – The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help is set in Mississippi, USA, 1962. The story follows Minny and Aibileen as they go through their lives as maids until Skeeter approaches them about the maid who used to look after her, she can’t find her. Skeeter decides to use her privilege to tell the women’s stories. This time in US history makes me shudder, I cannot understand how they could treat other people the way they did just because of the colour of their skin. And people still have that backwards view now, it madness. The book shows us what it was like for the women of colour in that time and how they kept going.

I – The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson

I read this book forever ago, it’s about Dolphin, Star and their mother Marigold. Marigold has loads of tattoos, bright hair and a quick temper. Star is the eldest and worries what her Mum will do next.

J – Jingo by Terry Pratchett

This is on my TBR list, I just read the blurb, it sounds amazing. It’s about war over land that people consider their own and bearing arms in defence of their ‘own’ land. I can’t wait to read Pratchett make a fool of humanity once again!

Quotes of the Week

This week has been super hot, I’ve tried to sit out in the garden with a book as much as possible! Here are my favourite quotes of the week:

“She was clearly intended to be the pawn in this game. But I am a queen, she thought. Able to move in any direction.” – Juliet Armstrong, Transcription by Kate Atkinson

This quote is so empowering, definitely going to add it to my mantra for when I start spiralling.

“She always left a gathering, no matter how intimate, feeling depleted as if she’d accidentally left behind some vital layers of herself she’d never get back.” – Elodie Winslow, The Clockmakers Daughter

This summed up being an introvert so perfectly. I love having meaningful and deep conversations with people but big groups or dull conversations are like hell, I just feel awkward.

Hope you have a lovely summer weekend!

Transcription by Kate Atkinson Review

Another fantastic novel by Kate Atkinson. I adore everything she writes including this book. It begins in 1980 then flashes back through Juliet Armstrong’s life in WWII and then in 1950. Juliet was recruited to MI5 during the Second World War as a typist, at first she was doing fairly dull office work until she was drafted to a specific mission. An MI5 agent was pretending to be in contact with the Nazis and was running a group of Nazi sympathisers in Britain, they passed all their information to him instead of Germany actually getting hold of it. It’s Juliet’s job to transcribe all the meetings. The sexist attitude towards Juliet in the 40s is hard to read, it was how they treated women at the time but it made me so angry! It got a bit better when we get to the 1950s but not much.

In the 50s Juliet has left the secret service and now works for the BBC producing radio shows for schools. But she starts to get paranoid that she’s being followed, she recives a threatening note. Is her past coming back to haunt her?

The book is a fascinating window into the 40s & 50s in Britain. It’s got none of the usual violence of a spy novel but it does have tension and I felt a strong connection to Juliet. Definitely worth a read.

Top Ten Tuesday – Summer TBR

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic by thatartsyreadergirl is the top books on my Summer TBR list. It’s the summer! Although it really doesn’t feel like it at the moment, the weather is rubbish!

1. Transcription by Kate Atkinson

I’m reading it at the moment and absolutely loving it! We follow Juliet’s story through WWII when she joins MI5 and then through the Cold War.

2. Guards! Guards! By Terry Pratchett

A dragon has taken over Ankh-Morpork, and is burning or eating everything in sight. The City Watch are in disarray and even the Wizards haven’t got a clue what to do. I’m really looking forward to this one, the City Watch are my favourites also dragons!

3. The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton

Kate Morton’s books are always great summer reads. This book is set in the summer of 1862 in London, a group of artists spend the summer in a beautiful manor on the Thames. But by the end of their time there one woman has been shot dead and a family heirloom is missing. In the present day, a young archivist finds drawings of the manor with a photograph of a beautiful woman, will she be able to uncover the truth?

4. The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley

This is the third book in the series and I’m really looking forward to finding out more about Star and her roots. These books are so well written, they really take you on the sisters journeys with them.

5. The House At Riverton by Kate Morton

This will be a re-read and a wonderful pick for the summer. This is Kate Morton’s first book it’s set in the 1920s/30s and it’s been a while since I read it so I’ve forgotten what happ, it’ll be nice to fall back in love with the book.

6. Sunday Morning Coming Down by Nicci French

The seventh Frieda Klein novel this leads straight from the end of Saturday Requiem which ended dramatically with Frieda finding the dead body of a policeman under her floorboards. Frieda is sure her stalker Dean Reeve is behind it but he’s been (supposedly) dead for seven years.

7. Nightflyers by George R.R Martin

I saw this book in a shop a little while ago and I didn’t know George had written any space books, I’m so excited to read it.

8. The Virgin’s Spy by Laura Andersen

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and meeting some of the knew characters. The Tudors are so fascinating, Elizabeth I is on the throne and her daughter has finally been allowed to join the court in London.

9. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

Another re-read, I’ve started reading the Jackson Brodie series again and this is the second book. Jackson is a private investigator and former police officer. This time he’s in Edinburgh and witnesses a brutal attack on a man stuck in a traffic jam.

10. The Day of the Dead by Nicci French

I think this is the last Frieda Klein novel which makes me sad! I didn’t want to read the blurb because it might have spoilers from the seventh book! But I know however they decide to end it it’ll be a brilliant read.

So there are my Summer TBRs, I don’t think I’ll make it through all of them but we’ll see!