Miss Emily by Nuala O'Connor ****

I'm a long- standing fan of Emily Dickinson, and this biographical novel revealed some more information about her. The chapters alternate with the story told first by Miss Ada, the young maid who has just come from Ireland, and Miss Emily herself. The plot was a little thin, but the novel was basically character- driven, so I accepted that and enjoyed the read. And I learned more about Emily, one of the most fascinating poets, as much for her life-style as anything.

Why did Emily wear only white? 

" ..white has long been of importance to me...It strikes me that if I am pure in dress,my mind may empty itself of all concerns, and that will make it easier for me to write...This decision - to wear white-sings poetry to me: it will speak of obedience to words, my dedication...From now on, I shall be candle-white.Dove-, bread-, swan-, shroud-,ice-,extra-ordinary white. I shall be blanched, bleached, and bloodless to look at; my very whiteness will be my mark. But inside of course, I will roar and soar and flash with color."

Emily on words, and dashes, which are so characteristic of her poetry:

" When my heart or my head hurts, when my body betrays me in sickness, I have words to play with. But, more than play,, they own me. I am their servant, and I serve willingly, with as much grace as I can muster. I have so little power over them, in truth. Words- all words- chill and scorch me.

"each dash I create is a weight, a pause, a question. I select them with care. The exclamation point is juvenile, while the dash is much more promising- a mature Mark. Each dash interrupts, emphasizes, connects and pushes apart the words around it. The dash is a waiting beat- dah-dah-dah.

" my lexicon bulges, but my picks from it are slender: I favorited the blunt and the simple. I prefer one syllable to two....with words I question, I complain, I code. " page 39

The Piano Maker by Kurt Palka *****

A short but powerful novel set mainly in a small French town in the Annapolis Velley, but also in France, and northern Alberta. Hélène Giroux is a piano builder, as well as an accomplished pianist, who suddenly appears in this small town, where the cathedral houses the very piano that her family had built for many years back in France. It is obvious from the beginning that Hélène is trying to put her past behind her, and the author very skillfully gives us readers little bits of information about her past. The story moves back and forth from one time and location to another, as it builds in tension, yet we know all the time that Hélène is a good person. 

It took me only two days to read this, and never once did my interest weaken. SO nice to read a book (by a man no less) that only says what is absolutely necessary and does it expertly and movingly.

Could be a Book Club nomination for another year!

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith ****

This is the second Cormoran Strike novel, this time centred around the world,of novelists, and Strike is hired to find the husband of his client, who has been missing for two weeks. strike finds his bodyA badly torturned and body parts missing, then sets out to protect his client from murder charges. 

His relationship with Robin, his secretary- assistant detective, is just as intriguing as ever, as Robin's fiancé, the hapless Michael, hates Strike just because.

Now looking ahead to the third novel, A Career of Evil, which has just come out.

Broken Harbour by Tana French ****

Another mystery! I read Faithful Place by Tana French last year in Florida, and enjoyed it. Picked  this one up at I the GoodwillStore for 6$. The Book Club's theme for March is Irish Women Writers, and since French is Irish, that was another reason to read it.

Well- written, logically and clearly presented, I can say she's a good writer, but whether she's quintessentially Irish in her writing, I can't say. 

The setting is one of those suburban housing developments that went wrong, so most of the homes are empty. Detective Scorcher Kennedy and his partner, Richie, are assigned to a case where a family of four in this subdivision  has been violently attacked; only the mother, Jenny Spain has survived.

It doesn't take long to supposedly find the murderer, but there's something very odd about the situation- the author has evidently thought this through in detail. The twists and turns are quite interesting, especially the long - some 10 pages at least- confession of the murderer.

I think I can rank French near the top of my preferred mystery writers. So there's Elizabeth George, Louise Penny, Peter Robinson, and I'm about to start Robert  Galbraith's The Silkworm.

A Banquet of Consequences ( Inspector Lynley No. 19) by Elizabeth George ****

My first read of 2016, I read it all and I enjoyed it!  Now it was a little long, but it was good to have Barbara back in full form, leopard print high- tops and all. Inspector Lynley seems to have fallen in love with the veterinarian, Daidre ( I don't know to pronounce her name), and she finally seems willing to commit to him as well. But the villainous Caroline Goldacre is a work of art by Elizabeth George- talk about a manipulative mother, nasty bitch of a wife, fawning employee- she leapt right off the page.

I didn't even finish # 18, it was so long and unwieldy, so I did hesitate downloading it, but since George  has been a favourite mystery writer for over twenty years, I had to give her a chance. I'm glad I did!

TOP BOOKS OF 2015- 42 books completed this year.

I had some difficulties compiling this list, because I didn't read as many wonderful books. A lot of that probably is because of my concentration on Mike's illness, but as much as I wanted a book I could just fall into, I couldn't seem to find one when I needed it. I started many books, and some I even got more than halfway through before sighing and putting them away. However, I still enjoy making this list, even though I would rather have to pick from a greater number of excellent books!

1. Girl On The Train  by Paula Hawkins

2. Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel

3. Faithful Place by Tana French

4. Travelling To Infinity by Jane Hawkings

5. The Love Story of Miss Queenie Hennessey by Rachel Joyce

6. The Purchase by Linda Spalding

7. And The Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier

8. Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf

9. Dearie: The Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz

10. Three related books by Jane Gardam: Old Filth, The Man In The Wooden Hat, Last Friends.

Wish in' and Hopin'. By Wally Lamb

A re- read for me to celebrate the Christmas season. I wrote about this book in December 2011.