I am a person of extremes and happy about it.

But balance in all things is the key to contentment, so as well as spending a lot of money in book shops I spend a little money (and get a lot for it) in the book departments of charity shops.

The three novels below are charity shop finds and cost approximately £1 each. What I would normally do is start with a secondhand bargain then forever more buy the same author full price when they have written their way into my heart.

Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn. I wouldn’t normally read anything with a journalist as the lead character, I have issues with some of their (fictional?) ethics but I picked this one up to see whether I should be watching the Netflix series of the same name. It is very well written even though it deals with unpleasant, toxic people living in a disfunctional town. By the end I was as weary as the lead character but I had seen a different side to small town life. This book is recommended but I will be donating my copy back to the charity shop.

Darkness & Light – John Harvey. I have read John Harvey before and enjoyed them, so this felt like a safe bet and it was. Although this deals with crime and family trauma (a few years removed, the actual trauma was in a previous book) it is a British drama so no car chases or gun fights. This is not extraordinary but also not dull. It is a recommended, easy, non-thinky read.

The Rules of Seeing – Joe Heap. I picked this up on a complete whim and was rewarded for it. The characters are well written and appealing but the entirely predictable bit of drama towards the end was unnecessary in my opinion. It didn’t ruin the book but it also didn’t add anything. I am recommending this and I will probably be keeping an eye out for the next offering from this author.