Wulf's Book Reviews

Man kann auch in die Höhe fallen von Joachim Meyerhoff Meine Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen Aus dem Scheitern erwächst Größe – Ein literarischer Höhenflug voller Herz und Verstand! Joachim Meyerhoff hat sehr viel erlebt und darüber schreibt er in seiner Reihe “ Alle Toten fliegen hoch ”, die — mit Ausnahme seiner “ Hamster im hinteren Stromgebiet ” — für mich zu den Höhepunkten deutschsprachiger Literatur gehört. In den “Hamstern” schrieb er über seinen Schlaganfall; im vorliegenden Band nun verarbeitet er in gewohnter und doch immer wieder begeisternder Art seinen Rückzug von Berlin aufs Land zu seiner 86-jährigen Mutter. Eigentlich gekommen, um mit ihr auch über ein wirklich übles Geschehnis zu sprechen, kommt Meyerhoff erst ganz am Ende des Buches dazu. Vorher erfahren wir von seinen Versuchen, zu sich selbst zurückzufinden, zum Schreiben zurückzukehren und, nicht zuletzt, viel über seine bemerkenswerte Mutter. Mit viel Humor, von subtil bis grotesk, schreibt er sich fre...

The Sign of the Devil by Óscar de Muriel My rating: 5 of 5 stars Redemption Through Fire: A Triumphant Farewell I’m currently reading books from the depths of my Kobo - things that haven’t been on my radar for a long time or which I was afraid to read. “ The Sign of the Devil ” by Óscar de Muriel was one from the latter category. The previous two instalments simply stank: bland stories, bad writing, character regressions instead of development — it was Murphy’s Law materialised as a book. And yet, I needed closure — “all will be revealed”, de Muriel promised for this final novel in his Frey and McGray series. To my immense surprise, not only did he keep his promise, but he actually wrote a fast-paced, interesting, suspenseful, yes, even thrilling swan song for both his eponymous protagonists and even some side characters. First among the latter is, of course, Ms. Amy “Pansy” McGray (nothing will be revealed here , though!). Like the phoenix from the ashes, de Muriel ri...

On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass My rating: 1 of 5 stars Big drama, little substance, no suspense. Seraphina Nova Glass' “ On a Quiet Street ” was, frankly, not for me. I gave it a genuine attempt, making it to 33%, but ultimately, I had to DNF. The novel starts with a mix of intrigue and melodrama, but it quickly veers into territory that felt clichéd and overly contrived – more akin to a soap opera than a compelling thriller. The premise had potential: a gated community told about through multiple points of view, revolving around Paige and her devastation over the hit-and-run death of her son, Caleb. Yet, rather than diving deep into authentic, layered characters or gripping tension, the book becomes bogged down by outlandish twists and unconvincing developments. For instance, Paige’s emotional descent pivots to her seduction of Finn – her best friend Cora’s husband – in a toilet at a ball no less. That moment was more cringe-worthy than dramatic. Meanwhile...

Because of You by Samantha Brinn My rating: 4 of 5 stars I came to reading this by way of alleviating my fear of being let-down by my next read because the previous one had been so perfect . A good plan (thanks, Berengaria, for looking this up and letting me know!) — till it met with the reality of this novel, “ Because of You ”, Samantha Brinn's debut novel and the first instalment of her “ Laws of You ” series. “Because” features some of the same strength the second novel has: No third-act breakup, a very nice, kind, and even somewhat cosy friends-to-lovers story with Hallie, another strong and independent lawyer, at its centre. Her love interest is her life-long best friend Ben who comes across as a very likeable, decent, and down-to-earth man. Their path to each other is, just as Brinn mentions in her acknowledgements, “ a warm hug of a story ” and I read for long stretches under a soft, warm blanket in extremely comfortable armchairs. There was some non-relati...

When I'm with You by Samantha Brinn My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read my first romance novel at the tender age of 43. I had realised I couldn’t claim to read anything till I had tried romance at least once. It was fun, light, spicy, and provided a nice diversion. Since then, I’ve read a lot of the “big names” in romance and enjoyed a good lot of them. Along on my Goodreads feed comes “ When I'm With You ” with a mediocre cover by Samantha Brinn — a name that was completely unfamiliar to me. On a whim, I decided to make it my next read, since I was looking for a pleasant diversion. What I got was a novel that actually plays in a completely different league than pretty much any other romance I’ve read so far. From page one to the very last one, I was captivated: Both Julie (30), a sharp-tongued, quick-witted, strong, fierce, meticulous lawyer, and Asher (31), a football quarterback (don’t worry, I don’t know what that means and still don’t care) have their respective i...

Lückenbüßer: Kluftinger ermittelt von Volker Klüpfel Meine Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen Endlich wieder ein Kluftinger, den man gern liest! Die letzten beiden Kluftinger-Krimis fand ich nicht gut; der letzte, “ Affenhitze ”, war eine vollkommene Klamauk-Katastrophe mit Kluftinger als widerlichem, mobbendem alten weissen Mann. Danach sollte Schluss mit Kluftinger und seinen beiden aus der Zeit gefallenen Autoren für mich sein. Dann kam “ Druckfrisch ” mit Denis Scheck , der Regional-Krimis - oft zurecht - üblicherweise gar nicht mag, und ausgerechnet Scheck fand diesen neuen Band “Tierisch gut”. Und auch in diesem Fall hat er Recht: “ Lückenbüßer ” präsentiert uns einen Kluftinger, der, mittlerweile Interims-Polizeipräsident, plötzlich wieder denkt , seine Kolleg_innen (meist) anständig behandelt und von dem ich mich nicht mehr von Ekel erfüllt abwenden muss. In der kurzzeitig etwas zu sehr raumgreifenden Nebengeschichte treten Kluftinger und Langhammer bei den Lokalwahlen...

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida My rating: 2 of 5 stars “ We'll Prescribe You a Cat ” by Syou Ishida is a peculiar attempt at blending magical realism and episodic storytelling, but one that ultimately veers off course. While on the surface it shares superficial similarities with “ The Travelling Cat Chronicles ”, the comparison hardly holds due to the stark differences in execution and tone. Unfortunately, “We’ll Prescribe You a Cat” leans heavily into clichés, offering overdoses of preachy content and saccharine lessons that come across as formulaic and forced. The novel presents a range of short vignettes, promising to deliver moments of heartfelt connection between humans and their feline counterparts. However, the episodic nature makes each chapter feel disconnected and shallow. Rather than a cohesive story, the book presents a series of almost obligatory moral lessons, which feel more esoteric than engaging. The subtlety I hoped for is utterly missin...

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars “ The Grand Sophy ” by Georgette Heyer delivered exactly what I expected: a sparkling, if somewhat dated, Regency romance. At times, it felt stuffy and blustery, especially in the dialogue, where I found myself struggling with the verbosity of certain characters. » Really, Horace, I must say that I think that most unjust of you, for how could he help it? It is so mortifying for him! And, what is more, excessively unfortunate, because I don’t doubt that had he been able to attach Cecilia… But no one can deny that nothing could be more ill-timed than Charlbury’s mumps! « This type of rambling speech made the beginning of the book feel quite slow for me. The social dynamics and constant talk of marriages seemed quaint and twee—typical of early 20th-century historical fiction, yet it grated on me initially. However, as the story progressed and Sophy’s vivacious nature took centre stage, the novel became utterly irresi...