"The Good People" by Hannah Kent

I’ll try to upload a proper review soon. I’ve hardly had any time to read novels this year (I think I’ve read about 3 compared to my usual 30+) but this was a good one by a young South Aussie in my fav genre - historical fiction. Not quite as good as her awesome first novel from her PhD “burial rites” but still very interesting and dark. I’ve been fascinated in faerie lore since I was about 7 years old (or younger - it was the day of Hayley’s comet sighting in Sydney in the 1980s) when I first saw (and was later given) a treasured book “faeries” by Brian Froud & Alan Lee by a family friend -Sandy.

My score: 7.5/10

"Brooklyn" by Colm Toibin

I bought this book second-hand in New York in December at the Housing Works Bookshop & Cafe. I asked the staff if they could recommend some novels set in New York that were better than "Catcher in the Rye" which I had not enjoyed at all. One of the books they recommended to me was "Brooklyn" by Colm Toibin - apparently it is also being made into a movie coming out soon, so I thought I would read it now before I go to see the film at the cinema.

Started reading: 8th February 2016
Finished: 22nd February 2016
My score: 7/10

"The second prison" by Ronan Bennett

This book kind of reminded me of the films "Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" and "Veronica Guerin". Pretty dark, no-hope criminal gang members in Northern Ireland caught in cycles of crime and prison sentences and revenge against the English and each other. Unlike "Lock Stock" it was not really humerous, but this book is well written and thought-provoking. It also has themes of love and betrayal throughout it, and questions about life and what is important in it.

Started reading: 23/03/2015
Finished: 07/04/2015
My score: 7/10