Review: MR NOBODY, Catherine Steadman

•     Publisher: Simon & Schuster
•     ISBN: 9781471192265
•     Publication Date: 20/01/2020

Synopsis (publisher)

When a man is found on a Norfolk beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him; to international medical experts who are baffled by him; to the national press who call him Mr Nobody; everyone wants answers.

Who is this man? And what happened to him? Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she's been waiting for and this case could make her name known across the world.

But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same small town in Norfolk fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then. But now something – or someone – is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes. Has she walked into danger?

My Take

Dr. Emma Lewis gets a phone call from a psychiatrist in USA whom she looks up to, asking her to take over a case in Norfolk, of a man found on a beach with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

By the time she meets him, the hospital where Mr Nobody is have given him the name Matthew. But while he does seem to have amnesia and possible fugue, Emma accidentally discovers that he knows a little too much about herself.

And Emma has her own reasons why she hasn't been to Norfolk for 14 years, a past that has led to her and her family changing their names.

A really good read, but there was a spot about halfway through where I thought the author must have made significant changes to the direction of the plot.

My rating: 4.5

I've already read
4.2, SOMETHING IN THE WATER

Review: NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, Liane Moriarty

• Originally published: 18 September 2018
• Source: Libby e-book App, through my local library

Synopsis

The retreat at health and wellness resort Tranquillum House promises total transformation. Nine stressed city dwellers are keen to drop their literal and mental baggage, and absorb the meditative ambience while enjoying their hot stone massages.

Watching over them is the resort's director, a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies.

These nine perfect strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.

With her wit, compassion and uncanny understanding of human behaviour, Liane Moriarty explores the depth of connection that can be formed when people are thrown together in... unconventional circumstances.

My take

My first Libby book - I read it on my android phone (the screen is a bit small) and my iPad (the screen is a bit big. Borrowing and returning were painless, and the app "synced" on the two devices. But you are at the mercy of the battery life of your devices and my iPad is not good. I may have to buy a smaller one just for ebooks, but then I can get the books free as against buying them for my Kindle.

Nine strangers embark on a retreat at Tranquillam House, in the Australian countryside, about 2 hours from Sydney.

In the first half of the book we learn why the various individuals are there and what they hope to get out of the 10 day retreat. We learn also about the people who are running the business.
All seems to be going well until we learn that Masha, who is the CEO of the retreat has been lacing their smoothies with LSD and ecstasy and then it appears that she is just a little mad and even dangerous.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read
4.6, THE HUSBAND'S SECRET
4.8, BIG LITTLE LIES
4.5, TRULY, MADLY GUILTY

Review: THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, Heather Morris

• Originally published in Australia by 2018
• ISBN 978-0-06-279715-5
• 262 pages

Synopsis (Good Reads)

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for more than two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

My Take

A departure from my usual fare of Crime Fiction (although crimes have definitely been committed)
A book I bought in LA at the airport when my electronic devices were running low in battery life.
It was billed in the book store as #1 and I had had it recommended in the last year by several people.

It was a very compelling read, an opportunity to read at first hand an inside story about the events of the Holocaust.
Lale Sokolov spent 3 years of his life as a prisoner in Auschwitz/Birkenau tattooing numbers on the arms of new inmates, taking the opportunity to undertake some black market trading exchanging jewels for food and helping keep fellow prisoners alive. Some saw Lale as a collaborator and occasionally reported his activities. Several times he nearly lost his life.

My guess is that there are some too who would see Lale as a lower level war criminal, but his experiences were harrowing.

My rating: 4.5

About the author
A native of New Zealand now resident in Australia, working in a large public hospital in Melbourne. For several years I studied and wrote screenplays, one of which was optioned by an academy award winning Screenwriter in the U.S. In 2003, I was introduced to an elderly gentleman "who might just have a story worth telling". The day I met Lale Sokolov changed my life, as our friendship grew and he embarked on a journey of self scrutiny, entrusting the inner most details of his life during the Holocaust. I originally wrote Lale's story as a screenplay - which ranked high in international competitions - before reshaping it into my debut novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. 

Books read in March 2020

Just a list of what I read March 9-30
Reviews may follow later- I aim to add to this list and link to any reviews.

• 4.5, MR NOBODY, Catherine Steadman
  - I had already read SOMETHING IN THE WATER (4.2)
• 4.3, CHICKENFEED, Minette Walters
• 4.5, THEIR LITTLE SECRET, Mark Billingham
• 4.5, THE WIFE AND THE WIDOW, Christian White
• 4.6, THE LONG CALL, Ann Cleeves
• 4.5, GONE BY MIDNIGHT, Candice Fox
• 4.4, THE AU PAIR, Emma Rous
• 4.4, A MATTER OF MOTIVE, Margot Kinberg 
• 4.8, BLOOD RIVER, Tony Cavanaugh 
• 4.5, NINE PERFECT STRANGERS, Liane Moriarty
• 4.5, THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, Heather Morris
• 4.2, DARKNESS FOR LIGHT. Emma Viskic 

Self-isolation

Things are largely shut down here in Tampa.
W arrived safely on Tuesday but have been nowhere since..
Schools are closed as are pleasure parks, people are stockpiling supplies, and are generally staying home. Travel is restricted.

Amazing that this has really brought the world as we know it to a stand still.

I’ve done a lot of reading and playing scrabble games on my iPad.

In theory we get on a plane and fly home in 2 weeks, and then enter a period of self-isolation for two weeks.

Gone Travellin'

Once again off to Tampa for 3 weeks, so postings on this blog may be erratic, even non-existent.

Don't worry, I am well supplied with books both on paper and on Kindle, so reading will continue apace, but I may not have time to record on my blog.

I'll give you a list and some ratings when I get back.

What I read in February 2020

Pick of the Month Feb 2020

A good month actually, with some great Australian crime fiction for you

My Pick of the Month is THE VAN APFEL GIRLS ARE GONE by Felicity McLean

1. 4.5, THE RECKONING, Jane Casey
2. 4.4, THE LIES WE TOLD, Camilla Way  
3. 4.8, THE VAN APFEL GIRLS ARE GONE, Felicity McLean - Australian 
4. 4.5, DEAD MAN SWITCH, Tara Moss - Australian 
5. 4.7, THE DAUGHTERS OF CAIN, Colin Dexter - audio book #11
6. 4.5, A GRAVE FOR TWO, Anne Holt - translated 
7. 4.5, THE ACCUSATION, Wendy James - Australian 
8. 4.5, THE LOST GIRLS, Jennifer Spence - Australian 

See what others have chosen this month