Sample Sunday: House parties, amnesia and murder

Weeks have slipped by and I haven’t taken a look at all my unread books to decide which to keep and which to release to a new home. This week’s Sample Sunday features books whose titles all begin with the letter P.

Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell

This is a comic novel about a group of families in Barsetshire – the imaginary county created by Anthony Trollope but adopted by Thirkell. Most of the action takes place during a weekend party at Pomfret Towers where the elderly Lord and Lady Pomfret want to show off their cousin and heir . It’s meant to introduce him to eligible young ladies but the plans all go awry.

Thirkell is a novelist about whom I’m ambivalent. She’s meant to be very witty and prone to make fun of her characters. But the only book of hers that I’ve read — High Rising — fell flat for me. In fact in my review I said “this will be the only Angela Thirkell I will read”.

The Verdict:  Was I too harsh in my reaction to High Rising? . So many other bloggers have said how much they enjoy Thirkell so maybe it was just the wrong choice for my first expose. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and keep this one for now.

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The Perfect Wife by J P Delaney

I’ve never been a big reader of thrillers but my interest has waned markedly in the last couple of years. The synopsis of this one doesn’t excite me particularly, It’s about a woman who has recovered from a serious accident with no memory of her previous life. As she recovers she begins to question everything she’s being told by her husband. Can she trust him?

The Verdict: Time to let this one fly the nest and find a more appreciative reader

Portraits Of The Dead by John Nicholls

Crime fiction is a genre I often turn to when I need a pause between novels that require a lot of attention. John Nicholls is a Welsh author I’ve yet to read though he is a prolific writer and very popular based on his ratings on Goodreads. This one follows an investigation into a serial killer and is the first in a series featuring the same detective inspector.

The Verdict: I’m keeping this based on the fact Nicholls is a former police officer who became head. of child protection services so I feel I can trust him to be both accurate and sensitive in his handling of plot. An added attraction is that this particular book is set around Cardiff, an area close to me home and which I know well.

Sample Sunday is when I take a look at all the unread books on my shelves and decide which to keep and which to let free. The goal isn’t to shrink the TBR as such, but rather it’s about making sure my shelves have only books I do want to read. What do you think of the decisions I’ve reached? If you’ve read any of these books I’d love to hear from you.