Spilling the Beans | Clarissa Dickson Wright

Clarissa of "Two Fat Ladies" fame has written a very good and entertaining autobiography. This is an insightful look into the devastating effects of alcoholism through many generations of her family and her own downward spiral into this disease as well as the climb out of it to recovery.

She grew up in a privileged English family but in perpetual fear of her father and his physical abuse of her and her mother. The youngest of the children, she has a lot to bear and feels very responsible for supporting her mother.
Clarissa studied law and was a successful barrister, lived the high life and seems to know anyone who is anyone in London! Alcohol took hold and finally destroyed her physically, mentally and professionally. Eventually as a form of recovery she worked part time in a bookshop specializing in cook books and her foodie career was born (unbeknownst to her). One thing lead to another and eventually, once she was running her own bookshop in Scotland, she was approached to star in the "TFL" series. Things seem to snowball. Clarissa became a passionate advocate for the farmers of the land and in educating people on fresh, locally grown produce.
A very readable and funny book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Vaclav & Lena | Haley Tanner

I hadn't heard of this title nor of the author of this novel but I picked it up and gave it a go. Am so pleased I did, as it is a gem of a book. It takes a bit to fall into the rhythm of the language, but as the story unfolds it's an easier read.
Set in Brooklyn, among Russian immigrants, this is the story of two children Vaclav and Lena. Both on the margins of their school communities, they meet as young children and have an instant bond and friendship.
Vaclav is passionate about becoming a magician and  having Lena as his lovely assistant.
Lena is a quiet and withdrawn child, we get glimpses of her home life. Firstly with an old woman who is not her grandmother but is her carer, and later with an Aunt, who mostly leaves her to fend for herself. Lena is home with Vaclav every day unless at school. His mother looks out for her and feels a little responsible for Lena.
When Lena is nine, Social Services take her away. No one hears from her until she is 17, when she calls Vaclav and the full story of her childhood comes out. All the narrate threads lead to the climax and end of the book. It's a beautiful, tortured story and I loved every minute. Well worth reading and I hope Tanner writes her second novel soon.

Let the dead lie | Malla Nunn

This the second novel by Nunn, and having enjoyed her first one i eagerly awaited it. The main protagonist is Emmanuel Cooper, a mixed-race detective in Durban. We get a bit of background from the many references to the first novel, A beautiful Place to Die. This is what spoiled it for me. I think a more careful edit would have made the text flow, taking out the repetitive back-story references and constant reminder he's on a deadline and why.
 I think the first novel is much better, the story is crisper and the ending sews things up. The second novel left me hanging and a bit tired! What was the point of that whole story, I asked myself.

Nunn is a new author so i hope she has a go at a third novel, and gets some better editors on board.