Fatale by Jean-Patrick Manchette

A short read but a book with so much to unpack. Follows Aimée a killer and master manipulator who arrives in a new town and integrates into the local upper classes and plays them off each other resulting in a deadly showdown of blackmail and revenge.

I enjoyed the book and the plot moved a long nicely, the first half was great at setting the scene but then the book just came to a crescendo too quickly. It would have been nice to flesh out some of the backstory of the locals and of Aimée too. Everything just happened too fast once the shit hit the fan regarding the corruption and poisonings. This book would have benefited from an extra 50 pages.

A good noir novel though, and I am curious if there are any adaptations of it.

My Malaise

I started the year very happy and optimistic especially when it comes to my reading and it started quite strongly with some very enjoyable reads and new experiences like manga and the saucy type of manga but in recent weeks my reading has slumped.

For many weeks I have literally read a page a day to maintain my Kindle reading streak but over the past ten days of so I have now gone about 5 or 6 days without opening my Kindle. I just feel a malaise and slump and can’t seem to pull myself out of it.

My last reading was finishing Last Testament in Bologna by Tom Benjamin and I haven’t picked up my Kindle since then. This is highly unusual for me, my reading streak was about 150 consecutive days and over 400 weeks in a row. Its very rare I had a missed day unless something cropped up or a server glitch.

I think personal life has contributed to it, as I am currently grieving still for a shock family bereavement in April. It really affected me and though I never saw the person as much as I used to, since his passing I cannot stop thinking about him and how his act and loss has destroyed and forever changed my family and its future. Reading, games are my forms of escapism and they offer little to no comfort for me currently, especially if there are scenes of abuse and self harm.

I am not depressed or anything, just wanted to write my thoughts and feelings and get it off my chest for myself. It is very cathartic to write it out and it helps. Only I probably will read this so its fine.

Last Testament In Bologna by Tom Benjamin

I originally started this book when it first came out in 2023 but other books (I guess The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore) sidetracked me and I noticed a new book in the series came out recently and it reminded me to revisit this one. It is a series I enjoy an English ex-pat (always ex-pats if they are British, yet Immigrants if they are foreign to us lol) working for the family investigative business in Italy.

This installment focuses on an old feud and the world of fast cars and Formula 1, there is quite a lot going on with several threads and it all comes together quite nicely in the end. I am curious where the series goes next, and how it tackles the patriarchs health and the ever changing family structure like new members and the father/daughter dynamics.

Listening to parts on the audiobook I did notice the narrators voice seemed to change dramatically towards the end of the book. I assume it is the same narrator but he didn’t half sound different.

Japan in 100 Words: From Anime to Zen by Ornella Civardi

A fun and enjoyable read explaining many elements of Japanese culture from A to Z. Lots of interesting popular concepts explained from folklore, pop culture and the arts of Japan. I think it is a book that would encourage further studies.

Being a collector of Fountain pens the section on Maki-e and Urushi interested me as an owner of Japanese pens made from those crafts.

The book is beautifully illustrated.