Catherine Raynes: Round up of her top books from the year

Still have a gift or two to pick up? Catherine has a round-up of her top books from the year...

Fiction

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

Frankie by Graham Norton

Southern Man by Greg Iles

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Non-Fiction

The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks AB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
You're with Saturday Mornings. I'm Francesca with you until mid
day and joining me now as Catherine Rains.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Good morning, Catherine, Good morning, Francesca.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Good to have you with us. Now, you've got a
wonderful list of some of your would would these be
your sort of favorite picks from the year?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Yeah, I think so. There's certainly books that have stayed
with me that I've thought about over time, So I
think that's always a sign of a good book.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, perfect perfect timing, because of course there's a few
people out there probably still doing a little bit of
last minute shopping or think that today is a perfectly
good day to start their Christmas shopping. So it's going
together a few little ideas. Or if you're looking for
a book of course to take away over the holidays,
you've got some good suggestions for us. Should we start
with your fiction picks?

Speaker 3 (00:55):
So first up is The Waiting by Michael Connolly. And
when I'm also going to write as many books as
Michael Connolly has done, and he still keeps it fresh,
and he continues the Bosh series, and and this Renee
Ballad is in charge of a cold case unit and
Bosh's retired, but of course he occasionally helps out. And
now his daughter Maddie is involved in volunteering at the unit.
In the unit, and Connie is able to weave all

(01:18):
sorts of things into the narrative and distinct storylines and
develop and flesh out the characters, and he does it
in such an interesting way that it keeps you really
engrossed in the series. And then we have intermesio Sally
Rooney for something really different, and her writing is just superb,
the way she writes her dialogue and her characters and
the interaction between two people and the subtle nuances and

(01:40):
the emotional ties between them and that human interaction. And
the story is about brothers and it brings in themes
of mentality and belief and wants and desires and these
complicated lives. But it's really beautifully told.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
And Graham Norton had a new book out.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
He does This is Frankie, And in this you take
a trip with an older Frankie. She looks back on
the significant events in her life and she's sharing her
story with her Cara Damien, and it sets in dem
starts in the nineteen sixties in New York and London,
and you kind of laugh along and cry and you
just don't really forget the remarkable story of Frankie and
the Intrigue, and it's just the story's wonderfully told. Now.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I know that a lot of people have had this
on their sort of best of all favorite books of
the year list, greg Old's Southern Man.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, the story has everything in his style at his history,
and it's set where America itself is teetering on the
brink of anarchy, and you find yourself very drawn into
the story. And it weaves together today's political climate and
Civil War era slavery issues, and it is in an
uncomfortable read, but it's a political and historical thriller that

(02:46):
shines a light on corruption and race relationships and family
relationships and past and present. And it's a doorstop of
a book. But I couldn't put it down. I was
completely engrossed in the story and his writing.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
And finally Catherine a new series from an author who
was one of my favorite guests of the Summa Session
this year, Richard Osmond. He was just charming. I loved
meeting him and.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
He is charming, and he's an expert at those k
cozy crime novels. And in this se piltrays two characters,
Steve and Amy Wheeler, and their relationship with each other
and their interactions, and it almost makes me wish that
I was in the story with them, apart from the
fact that they're dealing with a dead body, a bag
of money, and a killer. But he also tackles some
serious topics like grief and loneliness and all along with

(03:30):
his trademark humor, and it leaves you with a very
heartwarming and charming story. And I don't think anyone does
it better than Richard osmam No.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
He does it beautifully. And that book was called We
Solve the Murders. I'm really impressed with your nonfiction list too.
There's a few on here that I've got in my
pile to read over the holidays.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
So first up is Framed Jim mccosby and John Grisham,
and this is about suffering and corruption and faith and
perseverance and hopefully at the end of it, redemption. And
it's the account of very real stories faced by some
innocent Americans who've been wrongfully committed in most of these
people are still in jail from it, and it is

(04:09):
compelling and it makes you stop and think and look
at that corruption and the racism and the misconduct and
the flawed silent science and the dodgy testimony. And it's
told in alternative stories by best selling author John Grisham
and a guy called John Jim McCluskey who has worked
for forty five years to free innocent people in jail,
and it is harrowing, and yeah, it really makes you

(04:33):
you think and take a step back at maybe how
you can judge people too quickly at times. And yeah,
one of those things that sticks with you for a while.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
I think I've got a bit confused there with David McCloskey,
who was the former CIA agent turned author. This is
not him, No, Jim mca Jim okay, cop, What else
have you got on your list?

Speaker 3 (04:50):
So I've got The Siege by Ben McIntyre, And this
takes you back to nineteen eighty when sixth Gunment take
twenty six hostages in the Iranian Embassy in London, an
event that echoes across decades, and he's drawn on into
views and never be seen files and he constructs the
six days from numerous perspectives, the terrorists have forced into

(05:13):
a situation, and the essays to life, and the professional
men doing their job to try and end the siege.
And then really interestingly, police constable a guy called Trevor Locke,
and he was a very ordinary man and he responds
to this terrifying situation, and he was an amazing leader
with unbelievable carriage and a very high stakes operation. And

(05:35):
it almost reads like a narrative thriller, and sometimes you
have to remind yourself that this is real evidence.

Speaker 2 (05:42):
And we've also gone from here to the great unknown.
Of course this was this Lisa Marie Presley did she
begin writing this memory and it was finished for her?
Is that how this went?

Speaker 3 (05:52):
Yes, she did, and she recorded I understand lots of
her memories on tape, so there was lots of lots
of things to refer back to. And Riley Keo is
her daughter, and this is told him both their voices,
both Lisa Marie and her daughters, and it's fascinating and sad,
and it talks about addiction and relationships, the great times

(06:13):
in their lives and some very awful moments. And Ryley
already shows her mum as a deeply flawed individual, but
you know, in a world where she's the daughter of
course of Elvis Presley, so everybody has these expectations around her.
And I was engrossed and fascinated by the story. And
I think Riley does her mother some real justice in
the way that she talks about her. And yeah, it

(06:34):
was it was yet painful to read, but a very
interesting story.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
On the same Oh, an amazing list. Fabulous suggestions there
for Christmas and the holiday's cares broone, do you get
a break? Do you get to put the books down
or does the reading just carry on?

Speaker 3 (06:49):
To be honest, the reading just carries on because it's
big part of my life and I enjoy it, so right, yeah,
I'm going to read it up, to be honest. There's
going to be some pretty light beach reading in there
at times, as well, I think. So yeah, Laks and
enjoy the.

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Summer, have a lovely summer, and thank you so much
for your contribution to the show, and look forward to
next year.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
Thanks Francesca, Merry Christmas, and to you too.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
That was Katherine Rainsley with the list. Now we will
try and get that list up on our website News
talks eb dot co dot in z if you just
want to cover off because there was quite a list
of books there, so we will get that list up
on the website for you. If you just think, gosh,
what was that third book that Catherine spoke about? It
is sixteen to twelve. We've got some new music for
you coming up next.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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