Review: Peggy and Me

Peggy and Me by Miranda Hart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Feel quite mean giving this book three stars.

It's a bit waffly and not the best written thing in the world, but Hart doesn't pretend it's anything other than a sweet (often genuinely touching) book about how falling in love with her dog Peggy helped her to find hope again. And, in fairness, she warns you pretty early on that it's not going to be a literary masterpiece.

I think that this is probably the perfect stock filler book. It's not going to tax anyone's brain too much and probably won't make it anyone's best book of the year list, but it's endearing. There are so many books out there looking at all the horrible things in life, it's comforting to read something that focuses on the more positive things.

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Review: The Break

The Break by Marian Keyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another reliably good read from Keyes. What she does so well - a lot better than some of her more critically acclaimed contemporaries - is to write believable characters. Hugh's decision, for example, to "take a break" from his marriage and his family responsibilities does seem, on the surface, a ridiculuous thing for him to do. And it is (and is portrayed as such), but Keyes gives him enough depth of character to show he is a troubled man rather than just a feckless one.

It's a pity there isn't an acclaimed literary prize for consistently decent story telling (maybe there is and I just haven't heard of it). If there was, Keyes would win hands down.

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Review: The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was at first a little put off reading this book because I realised that a cheesy 90s horror film* I watched years ago - The Haunting - was based on this book.

Thankfully, I quickly realised that the book is nothing like the film; it is far more disturbing. One passage was so spine chilling that I felt grateful that my flatmate was at home and I wasn't alone in the flat. If you live by yourself in an old house, perhaps don't read this book...

* = Semi re-watching it on YouTube as I write this; it's absolutely dreadful but Catherine Zeta Jones hamming it up like there's no tomorrow is pretty entertaining.




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