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  This is a work of fiction that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2021 but the story is based on the life of the author's grandfather who was a North American Indian who stood up to the the government and did his best to protect the rights of his people. As a prize winner, it goes without saying that this is a very accomplished piece of writing, and as with many Pulitzer Prize winners, it not only makes a good read, but teaches the reader something as well.  There can't be anyone out there who isn't aware of the injustices heaped onto the Indian population by the American government over many years, but what really surprised me was the intention to take away their cultural identity as recently as the mid 1950s. The Indian population had once roamed the plains of America with tribes dotted all over the land, but starting from the 1700s more and more land was taken from them until, by the middle of the last century, they were left with tiny patches of farmland where the soil was too...

  There is just too much to chose from in the library so I like to make my life easier by narrowing my selection down to one of two areas.  When I first arrive I look at the new publications on the shelves opposite the doors and then, if I don't find anything there, I move onto the Recommends table right in front.  There are not many weeks when I can't find anything of interest from those selections and it helps to have a little nudge in the right direction. I was attracted to this one as there were three big piles of it on the Recommends table and I assume they were expecting a lot of interest.  Although it is billed as an International Bestseller, I hadn't heard of it but the theme must have something going for it as this one is the first in a series of eleven. The theme is history, and you need to bring to mind the styles of Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones where modern day lives crash into ancient history.  The series is called The Chronicles of St Mary's and...

Whenever I notice a book that has been either short or longlisted for the Booker Prize, I will always give it a go as it is often a way into the type of books that I wouldn't normally pick up.  This falls very neatly into that category and without the mention of the Booker Prize along the top I would probably given it a miss. It's set in the ever expanding metropolis of  São Paulo, and the story takes place in the glass tower blocks populated by the wealthy business classes and also the shanty towns that crop up all around the edges of the city.  The lead character, Ludo, has connections with both sides of the city as he was born into poverty but, not long after he was born, his mother was offered a job as a cook on a farm that belonged to a very wealthy man and that bought a better quality of living for both of them. The wealthy man is Ze Fischer Carnicelli, who avoids getting down to street level by using a helicopter to navigate around the city.  The only time he ...

  Another winner from the books recommended by my local library.  This time it's an historical novel set in the Second World War but this account is set in the Vatican City sitting as a neutral space in the centre of occupied Rome. The book is about the true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and the Rome Escape Line, but as the author is quick to point out, it is largely a work of fiction with its inspiration taken from real events. Nevertheless, it captures the very real dangers involved in trying to get escaped allied prisoners of war back to a place of safety. The Monsignor was Irish by birth, and he's a big man with an interest in boxing so he has the physical strength to carry out one of the most daring missions carried out during the war.  In September 1943 the German forces occupied Rome and the feared member of the Gestapo, Paul Hauptmann, was tasked to put a stop to escaped prisoners using the neutral Vatican City as a means to escaping back to their home countr...

  Before I started reading this book, I noticed a paragraph on the back that mentioned that it was a debut novel, then all the way through I kept thinking: How on earth can anyone write anything this good at the first go? It is a really clever novel that nibbles at the edges of 'cosy crime', but is much darker than most in that genre.  There are no sweet little old ladies putting together clues in between Pilates and dinner, and not everyone in it is necessarily on the side of the police, so that gives it an interesting twist.  It seems that among the upper classes, it is quite possible to be a pillar of society while still being capable of covering ones tracks if anything unsavoury occurs. Edward, who has come from more humble beginnings, has managed to earn himself a private education through scholarships and good fortune, ending with an assisted place at Oxford.  While he was at the university he met Stanza, who was grieving for her recently deceased mother, and q...

  This book came at a good time for me as I needed something that was easy to read and not very complicated after a couple of weeks of personal trauma.  It's a book about friendship and family, and Nina Stibbe has an amusing way with words so that helps make it a pleasant read. Susan and Norma have been friends for years but its an odd sort of relationship where neither seems entirely satisfied with the other.  Norma is an academic woman and they met at university, but Susan dropped out without finishing her course after she found she was pregnant and decided to marry Roy.  Norma was very much against this choice as she felt that Susan was throwing her life away, but they remained in contact despite their disagreements. After she has had the baby, Susan asks Norma to be godmother to her daughter Honey, but Norma refuses as she doesn't want to be bothered with children, and this becomes another bone of contention that Susan can never entirely forget.  At times th...

Those of us who were around in the 1960s may remember the 'Ten Pound Pom' scheme where British citizens could apply to emigrate to Australia for just ten pounds.  There was a lot of take-up for this offer because people were still recovering from the effects of the war, and it seemed like a good way to make a fresh start. In the book, Charlotte and her husband Henry make the trip from their home in Cambridge, but the move isn't really what Charlotte wants, and her misgivings are compounded by the fact that she finds she is pregnant with their second child before they set off.  Henry has Indian heritage and was bought up in a much warmer climate, so the rain and the cold of English winters upset him and he worries that the constant damp is making Charlotte and the children perpetually ill.  He is the one who drives the move and Charlotte only agrees to give herself some breathing space, but before she knows it, everything has been arranged. Having another child brings chal...