S.A.Cosby: My Darkest Prayer, Headline 9781472299109, paperback 

Nathan Waymaker is a character in this Southern noir crime novel that I immediately took to and S.A. Cosby a new crime writer I seem late in discovering. 

Living in his cousins funeral home working as an undertaker, Nathan also has a former life as a sheriff' deputy and marine to show for, qualifications for a job as an investigator which come in handy when asked by parishoners to look into the sudden death of their minister which his old police mates are keen to sweep under the rug. Enter the daughter of the minister, a porn actress, Nathan readily  "befriends" to overcome her non existing grief.

I loved the character of this maladjusted investigator/undertaker and S.A. Cosby's terrific writing. Just downloaded "Razorblade Tears" and look forward to more of his writing ....

" Fourteen Days" a collaborative novel by Margaret Atwood and  other writers, 9781784745455, Vintage/ Penguin Random House, February 2024

Thanks to a netgalley,   I was able to read this unusual, terrific,  collaborative novel,  written during lockdown of the pandemic by a whole cast of well known authors such as Celeste Ng, John Grisham, Tess Gerritsen, Erica Jong, Dave Eggers, Sylvia Day, Tommy Orange , Margaret Atwood to name just a few. 

 The story lends itself perfectly to the project: set in New York during the pandemic,  the tenants of a run down building gather each evening for fourteen days on the roof top, equipped with booze and other provisions, taking turns in telling each other stories, viewing each other suspiciously. . No one knows whether the stories are real or made up by the narrator. The chief protagonist is the super of the building, a young woman who finds notes left by her predecessor about the peculiarities of aĺl the tenants, inclusive imaginative names and apartment numbers. The book reminded me a little of a kinkier version of 1001 nights, it is great fun to read, not at all bleak even if some stories are on the darker side. 

The epilogue provides the names of the authors who has written which chapter. 

 Jedidiah Jenkins : Mother, Nature, 9780593137260, Convergent, PRH USA

Jed Jenkins previous book, "To shake the sleeping self" , his account of a bike trip from Oregon to the tip of South America, was one of my favourite books during the lockdown.  When recounting his bike adventures, he also admitts to inner battles of being gay, denying himself sexuality and being raised by a very Southern Baptist mother who believes his gayness is a sin.  

In "Mother, Nature" , Jed embarkes on a 5000 mile road trip with his mother Barbara who had walked this stretch from New Orleans to Portland Oregon with his father Peter in the 1970ties.  I remember reading about it in National Geographic, so it was interesting to hear the stories behind this unbelievable walk and getting an update. 

 Jed shares their very open, provoking and honest conversations during this trip,  their disagreements and differences in faith but also their unshakable love and fun which makes this book so very touching and special.  Food for thought for anyone who sometimes tears their hair out when having open confrontations and disagreements with their parents or loved ones,  no matter how old you are..

 Sarah Winman: Still Life, 9780008283391, Paperback, Forth Estate, 

This little gem of a book gave me much solace and comfort during an upheaval, a move from a beloved home, during packing and unpacking. When bone tired, reading a few pages before falling asleep or waking up during the night not being able to go back to sleep, this novel always brought me peace and a warm glow. Sounds kitschy perhaps but Winman's quality writing prevented that from happening even if the story was sometimes sugar coated.

In "Still Life" Sarah Winman creates a chosen tribe of people, a family, all a little "special" and excentric but with absolute commitment and love for each other. Be it Margret and Evelyn, art historians and lesbians, who are having lunch in war torn Tuscany 1944 when a chance encounter with Ulysses Temper, a young British soldier, changes all their lives forever.  Switching between London East End, Florence,  Tuscan hills and villages  with life unfolding into the 1970ties for each of these characters, Ulysses's group of friends , I always felt like returning to a family as one would like to have it when I switching on my E reader.  Reminded me a little of Arminstead Maupins San Francisco tribe which I absolutely adored.  A great read for me during a chaotic time.