Title: The True Deceiver
Author: Tove Jansson
Number of pages: 202
Extract
It was an ordinary dark winter morning, and snow was still falling. No window in the village showed a light. Katri screened the lamp so she wouldn't wake her brother while she made coffee and put the Thermos beside his bed. The room was very cold. The big dog lay by the door and looked at her with his nose between his paws, waiting for her to take him out.
What’s it about?
In the deep winter snows of a Swedish hamlet, a strange young woman fakes a break-in at the house of an elderly artist in order to persuade her that she needs companionship. But what does she hope to gain by doing this? And who ultimately is deceiving whom? In this portrayal of two women encircling each other with truth and lies, nothing can be taken for granted. By the time the snow thaws, both their lives will have changed irrevocably.
What I thought:
If you are looking for a perfect winter’s tale then this is a good bet. This was a marvellous book and I so enjoyed reading it. It has the qualities of a fable in some ways, and the tone seems very light, but there is a dark undertone beneath that. I thought it was a well written story that essentially was about the relationship between an old woman who sees the good in the world and a young woman who sees the bad. The book is set in a very snowy winter and would make a great dark December afternoon read, and I plan to re-read it at a suitable time.
It was a nicely observed story that was very engaging and the pages just flew by. You can probably read this book in less than three hours. When I got to the end, I just had to find someone (anyone!) to tell them how much I had enjoyed the book, and fortunately found a colleague who I often discuss books with. A delightful, and yet dark read.
Get the book:
(which is actually free as a Kindle edition via that link), which can take you to Christmas past, present and future. Or you could try the children’s classic 
(also free as a Kindle edition via that link). Actually a lot of the classic Christmas books are children’s books – which doesn’t mean they are unsuitable for adults though, of course. These include 
, which will mean you may never see your wardrobe in the same way again. Or how about 
, which is not just a film but also a very nice children’s book. Or if, like me, you watched The Box of Delights 
then you might also want to 
. Incidentally, if you loved the Christmassy theme music, it was part of 
. I have owned three copies of that music over the years, including an LP that is damaged because I replayed the theme tune for that programme so many times! You could also go Stateside and read 
or 
. 
. Or you might prefer the less ‘down to earth’ 
from Terry Pratchett.
and Paul Auster’s 
(which I will warn you is a very short book, so you might want to bear that in mind at that price!).
Or David Nicholl’s bittersweet 
or the rather heart breaking 
. This year’s books seem to have covered the emotional spectrum, as these books illustrate.
is also a good bet for a well written book that provides a good sense of place and time. 
is a haunting tale that comes from the author of Cloud Atlas. Or you could go for the prize winning 
, a tale set around a Japanese POW camp.
, which as the title suggests takes the reader through a range of people’s diaries. It is not only a good read in itself, but might well also provide lots of inspiration for other books to read. This might include a book such as 
, which is a rather candid account of about 40 years of his life.
or the moving account of the kidnap of Judith Tebbutt in 
.
, which was written following her cancer diagnosis – made all the more pertinent due to her recent death. If you are looking for something a little lighter then Graham Norton’s 
or Rebecca Front’s 
. Or even Charlotte Green’s 
if you are a fan of the (former) Radio 4 presenter.
or 
(a description that I am sure she would hate!).
. It gives you a brief overview of every country, which should whet your appetite. I have this book and it has inspired me on several occasions. You could also try a book that is closer to home (assuming you reside in the UK), such as 
, which is another book that I own and have got travel ideas from in the past. There are other related books published by the same company as well if you want to discover the back roads of the UK or elsewhere.
. Given its newness, I have not been able to read it, but it is a travel narrative of the 6000 mile journey on the Trans-Siberian railway. If you are looking for something more brief, you could try 
to get a rather heart-warming series of travel tales.
. I have not read this book, but I have read another by the author Pico Iyer about his obsession with 
, which I thought was a great book.
. You can join him on a journey of discovery about his life, his family and the world.
. If TV tie-ins are your thing then there is also a book to accompany David Attenborough’s series 
, which is filled with photos to accompany the commentary on the life of a range of animals. Fascinating.
might be the book for you and will help you to understand some of the foundations of science. Or if you like a bit of humour and a bit of a mental challenge then 
might be the thing. I know Ian Stewart is really good at making maths both accessible and yet challenging, as he taught one of my former university housemates (many years ago). If you have a liking for all things mathematical then 
is also another good maths related book.
or 
can help you to identify and understand what is all around us in the night sky. Of course, there is also much to appreciate about the sky during the daytime as well, so you could try a book such as 
.
about a woman whose cancer cells helped to transform the medical industry. It is a really impressive book that is well worth a read.