Trespasses by Louise Kennedy: There is a love story in all of this, although I found the affair between Cushla and Michael the least interesting part. It were vivid descriptions of Northern Ireland and the troubles in 1975 that captivated me. Even though I know about the conflict, this book felt deeply personal. Cushla teaches at a Catholic school and gets involved with Davy’s family with the best intentions. But it just goes horribly wrong. The persecution of all these people because their religion is something I cannot fathom. It feels like the Middle Ages all over, but was only 50 years ago. Amazing book!
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni: Sam Hell’s real name is Sam Hill, but since he has a red eyes the name kind of stuck. I was waiting for his extraordinary life, but it was more of a coming of age story with a lot of bullying in the beginning. His deeply religious mother looms prominently in his life, his father plays more of a supporting role. It’s the friendships though, which make this book such a nice read. It’s a powerful message to know that just with a handful of friends you can get through everything in life.
Shogun by James Clavell: What an extraordinary book! After seeing the series I was hooked, and it was so worth it reading this tome. More than 1000 pages is not nothing. I loved the details about the history of Japan and the culture. After traveling there I can say that this book is the perfect preparation for a trip, it explains a lot. The writing was great and after the prologue I was in over my head to find more time to read. Not an easy feat when there was so much else to do. But I used every minute to get back to Shogun. If you like a good story, this one is for you!
Essex Dogs by Dan Jones: Dan Jones has been on my TBR pile forever. That I would read his first fiction book though is quite astonishing. Still, there’s lots of historical background in this book to satisfy my regular nerdiness in regards to history. The Essex Dogs are a small group of men in the large English army invading France in 1346. This is in the early years of 100 year war, still lots more fighting to come in the ensuing years. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of men, nary a female in sight. Okay one, but she is definitely a minor character. What I am taking away from this book though is that war is a dirty business, in every sense. It makes you want to scratch yourself from all the lice crawling through the book.
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