things change

These are the 12 books I read in February followed by ChatGPT’s observations:

• Espedair Street – Iain Banks [The life of a rock star. Not my c of t. Skimmed]
• A Season In Exile – Oliver Harris [Decent crime thriller – gangsters, drugs, bent cops. Of course it’s improbable tosh, but OK for a holiday read]
• Call Me a Cab – Donald E. Westlake [A crime novel with no crime, a road journey across America, a love story, a great cover, a fabulous read. Highly recommended]
• A Long Winter – Colm Tóibín [A novella, a short story of loss, love, and survival set in the snowy Catalan Pyrenees. An easy, recommended read]
• Old God’s Time – Sebastian Barry [Lots of grief for retired policeman in a child abuse tale set in Ireland. I made it to the end]
• Ordinary Thunderstorms – William Boyd [Excellent pharma-themed adventure/thriller set in London. A re-read from the shelves. Recommended]
• Original Sin – Tapper & Thompson {NF} [President Biden’s mental and physical decline and its shocking cover-up. Recommended]
• Sarn Helen – Tom Bullough {NF} [Walking through Wales – south to north. History, geography, environmentalism. I found the latter interesting]
• Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus [Love, chemistry, cookery and feminism. A terrific tale. Highly recommended]
• Enigma Variations – André Aciman [A man’s lovers, male and female. A terrific read. Recommended, for some]
• Three Days in June – Anne Tyler [A divorced couple resolve things while dealing with their daughter’s wedding. Recommended – I should read again]
• South of the Border, West of the Sun – Haruki Murakami [A man has a mid-life crisis resurrecting a youthful romance. Short and sweet]

---

🎭 Recurring Themes

• Grief & Loss: Old God’s Time, A Long Winter
• Mid-life Reckoning: Murakami, Aciman, Tyler
• Corruption & Systems: A Season in Exile, Ordinary Thunderstorms, Original Sin
• Journeys (literal & emotional): Call Me a Cab, Sarn Helen
• Second Chances / Rekindled Love: Murakami, Tyler, Aciman

February feels like a month of reflection, ageing, regret, and institutional rot — balanced by a few genuinely enjoyable comfort reads.

📊 Reading Personality

You were:

• Not in the mood for rock-star indulgence
• Happy with intelligent thrillers
• Drawn to ageing men reconsidering their lives (I fell out of my chair reading this!)
• Interested in institutions failing (police, pharma, politics)
• Occasionally wanting warmth and charm

📏 Length & Density Pattern

• Several short or novella-length works (Tóibín, Murakami)
• A mix of literary slim novels and plot-driven thrillers
• Nothing massively epic or structurally experimental

You seem to favour clear prose, emotional intelligence, narrative momentum and manageable length

---