Lisa Jewell: The Family remains, pubdate: July 21, 22, large format paperback 9781529125801, Century Penguin House UK

This is my first Lisa Jewell title, I took the Netgalley ( thank you Century)  e-copy with me on holiday which made for a perfect summer read. I now understand why Jewell has so many fans, she really knows how to spin a yarn and although "The Family Remains"is a prequel to The Family, it is a perfect stand alone. 

When a bag containing bones is washed up along a river, the case lands on DCI Owusu's desk.  It soon becomes clear that the bones are female, date back  25 years and are tied to a mansion which has a  mysterious history with possible abuse within the family who lived there and has just been sold to a new owner. Enter siblings Henry, Lucy and Libby ...  I will not go into details as it would spoil the plot.  Jewell does a great job in building up suspense and has several story lines running which she ties together perfectly in the end.  She did a great job in keeping me interested and hooked to the last page... 

 Charlotte Wood: The weekend, 9780593191989, paperback, Riverhead Books, Penguin Random House USA

"The Weekend" by Charlotte Wood has been sitting on my book pile for some time but boy,  am i glad i finally read it ! It is one of these books that will stay with me for some time.

Wood's story is set in Australia centering around three women in their 70ties, who have come  together to clear out the beach house of their deceased friend Sylvie where they have  spent many christmas days together. What unfolds during the course of this christmas weekend  is a story so brutally honestly, poignant and touching, it really affected me. Wood' novel leaves no doubt that female friendships over 40 years comes with some collateral damage, as do all relationships,  and how that fragile equilibrium can be destroyed any time. I loved Wood's writing and her clear cut, unsentimental look at long term female friendship and relationships.  But it is also a book full of love, tenderness and compassion. 

 Garry Disher: Consolation, Viper/Serpents Tail, 9781788168175, paperback

I am a big fan of Garry Disher's "rural noir" writing as one critic called it, perfected in the character of Constable Hirschhausen. 

Hirsch was reposted to the Australian outback town Tiverton when he would not be part of a dirty cop operation in Adelaide. In this third Hirsch novel the creepiness behind ordinary peoples lives is again so brilliantly observed whether it is a farmer going on a rampage, someone  stealing womens underwear from a clothline, Hirsch being stalked, child neglect or missing money from elderly citizens bank accounts. 

Disher's plots are always a slow built up which somehow makes the characters and more often than not their weirdness too  stand out that much more. And there is always a murder as a result  in this gloomy God forsaken place  which he so fabulously portraits.

 Five stars from me and damn, now have to wait a while for  Hirsch 4! 

 Tara M. Stringfellow: Memphis, 9780593446775, large Format paperback ,The Dial Press, PRH USA

I had such a great reading time with "Memphis", a debut by Tara Stringfellow which reminded me in many ways of Gloria Naylor's " The Women of Brewster Place" which i absolutely loved as this too is the story of strong women, how three generations of the women in a black family hold everything together. 

Stringfellow's fine prose  gives  the novel a destinct poetic voice as she switches between time lines and the individual women's voices revealing the love, tragedy and feistiness which seems to be synonym to each of the North women's lives:   Hazel, the grandmother, her daughters Miriam and August by different fathers and Miriams daughters Joan and Mya;  they all grew on me as I was transported into their life story but spirited August was my absolute favorite, really loved being in the company of these fabulous Southern women which was really uplifting. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, 9781398515697, paperback, Simon & Schuster UK

Downloaded Taylor Henkins Reid's " The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" on holiday, i wanted a light entertaining beach read and the story line promised that, its a unique one,  with two strong female main characters,  touching the same sex angle which is important to the plot.

It kept me well entertained the first half of the book but then, at least for me,  it became repetitive,  predictable and pushed too many cliche buttons towards the last quarter for my taste.. I know it did well in the bestseller charts and i am sure it has its fans who loved it  but it just didn't do it for me in the end. Tastes vary, it is cleverly done and the Hollywood angle is certainly fun.