Katheryn Thompson's Blog, page 3
January 1, 2023
December Wrap Up
December was a busy month for me, so I only read 6 books. But I caught up with the backlist of a few favourite authors, got hold of some new releases that I was excited about, and my book of the month was Africa Is Not a Country by Dipo Faloyin.
The first book I read in December was the sequel to the brilliant The Rabbit Factor: The Moose Paradox, written by Antti Tuomainen and translated by David Hackston.
The Moose Paradox is the second book to feature Henri, the Swedish actuary who inherited his brother’s adventure park and the problems that went with it. But just as Henri is starting to settle into his new life, someone turns up who changes everything. Henri is a delightful protagonist, and I loved the way The Moose Paradox continues the story of Henri and his adventure park, while creating an entirely new set of obstacles and adversaries. It can be read as a standalone, but you would be depriving yourself of the kind of offbeat humour you can’t get anywhere else.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Craving a seasonal read, I turned to The Chalet next, the only book by Catherine Cooper I hadn't read before.
The Chalet is set in a luxury ski resort in the French Alps. As the story alternates between characters and timelines, revealing a fatal skiing accident during a past blizzard much like the one being experienced in the present, it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide. I can’t resist a page-turning thriller set in a luxury location, and peopled with untrustworthy characters. I loved the way each twist made me think differently about what was happening. I devoured this book in one sitting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this I read the latest book from one of my favourite authors: Suicide Thursday by Will Carver.
Suicide Thursday moves between characters and timelines, to tell the story of Mike’s suicide: the events that lead up to it, and the effect it has on his friends. It questions why Mike killed himself, whether his friends did enough to help, and whether their version of events can be trusted. This is a darkly humorous book, which deals with some important issues in a way that forces the reader to confront them. The characterisation is brilliant, and the way Will Carver writes about writing feels close to showing off. An imaginative and page-turning read that gets under your skin.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was the brilliantly-titled Africa Is Not A Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa, by Dipo Faloyin.
Africa Is Not a Country sets out the history of how Africa’s countries were created, and shows the impact this is continuing to have on the way these countries are developing. Faloyin writes with clarity, wit, and passion about how Africa is presented in charity campaigns (a must-read during the season of Do They Know It’s Christmas) and Hollywood, and about museum repatriation. He also writes about the specific political climates in specific African countries, drawing connections and highlighting differences. One of those books you want to press into the hands of everyone you meet.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
December was the month that I finally read By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart, which had been on my to-read shelf for too long.
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept is a beautiful, lyrical book about an all-consuming love. Some of the language might be a bit much, but there is a plot behind the poetry, and I particularly loved how this story is set in a very real world, of war and morality laws. A book to lose yourself in, short enough to be read in one sitting but with writing you will want to savour.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in December was The Anomaly, written by Hervé Le Tellier and translated by Adriana Hunter, which came highly recommended.
The Anomaly starts with each chapter focusing on a different character. The story builds up in this way, with events starting to happen that made me want to find out what was going on. Then comes an explanation (of sorts), followed by a working-out of the speculative mystery at the heart of the book. This is a book of parts, which meant it didn’t completely hold my attention throughout. But it’s not like anything else I’ve read, and while the writing isn’t entirely to my taste, there was a lot about The Anomaly that I enjoyed.
⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in December?
The first book I read in December was the sequel to the brilliant The Rabbit Factor: The Moose Paradox, written by Antti Tuomainen and translated by David Hackston.
The Moose Paradox is the second book to feature Henri, the Swedish actuary who inherited his brother’s adventure park and the problems that went with it. But just as Henri is starting to settle into his new life, someone turns up who changes everything. Henri is a delightful protagonist, and I loved the way The Moose Paradox continues the story of Henri and his adventure park, while creating an entirely new set of obstacles and adversaries. It can be read as a standalone, but you would be depriving yourself of the kind of offbeat humour you can’t get anywhere else.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Craving a seasonal read, I turned to The Chalet next, the only book by Catherine Cooper I hadn't read before.
The Chalet is set in a luxury ski resort in the French Alps. As the story alternates between characters and timelines, revealing a fatal skiing accident during a past blizzard much like the one being experienced in the present, it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide. I can’t resist a page-turning thriller set in a luxury location, and peopled with untrustworthy characters. I loved the way each twist made me think differently about what was happening. I devoured this book in one sitting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this I read the latest book from one of my favourite authors: Suicide Thursday by Will Carver.
Suicide Thursday moves between characters and timelines, to tell the story of Mike’s suicide: the events that lead up to it, and the effect it has on his friends. It questions why Mike killed himself, whether his friends did enough to help, and whether their version of events can be trusted. This is a darkly humorous book, which deals with some important issues in a way that forces the reader to confront them. The characterisation is brilliant, and the way Will Carver writes about writing feels close to showing off. An imaginative and page-turning read that gets under your skin.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was the brilliantly-titled Africa Is Not A Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa, by Dipo Faloyin.
Africa Is Not a Country sets out the history of how Africa’s countries were created, and shows the impact this is continuing to have on the way these countries are developing. Faloyin writes with clarity, wit, and passion about how Africa is presented in charity campaigns (a must-read during the season of Do They Know It’s Christmas) and Hollywood, and about museum repatriation. He also writes about the specific political climates in specific African countries, drawing connections and highlighting differences. One of those books you want to press into the hands of everyone you meet.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
December was the month that I finally read By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart, which had been on my to-read shelf for too long.
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept is a beautiful, lyrical book about an all-consuming love. Some of the language might be a bit much, but there is a plot behind the poetry, and I particularly loved how this story is set in a very real world, of war and morality laws. A book to lose yourself in, short enough to be read in one sitting but with writing you will want to savour.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in December was The Anomaly, written by Hervé Le Tellier and translated by Adriana Hunter, which came highly recommended.
The Anomaly starts with each chapter focusing on a different character. The story builds up in this way, with events starting to happen that made me want to find out what was going on. Then comes an explanation (of sorts), followed by a working-out of the speculative mystery at the heart of the book. This is a book of parts, which meant it didn’t completely hold my attention throughout. But it’s not like anything else I’ve read, and while the writing isn’t entirely to my taste, there was a lot about The Anomaly that I enjoyed.
⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in December?
December 1, 2022
November Wrap Up
I read 10 brilliant books in November: 1 5⭐ (which means I loved it), 6 4⭐ (which means I liked it), and 3 3⭐ (which means it didn't quite work for me).
The first book I read in November was Wahala by Nikki May, which I'd heard great things about. Also, who could resist that cover?
Wahala is a deliciously twisted tale of three mixed-race women living in London, whose lives are changed forever when a fourth woman joins their circle of friends. I devoured this book in one sitting. Its high-stakes drama, page-turning plot, and heart-rending writing were exactly what I was in the mood for. And I loved the way Nikki May writes about race, body image, and the gap between your life and your dreams.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, Waterstones' Debut Fiction Prize winner for 2022.
The Rabbit Hutch is a strange book, which tells snippets of stories from various characters, most of whom live in “The Rabbit Hutch”, a housing complex in the dying industrial town of Vacca Vale, Indiana. I liked the setting, especially the way Tess Gunty writes about the town, and I liked the concept of setting a book in a housing complex. But I wasn’t fully convinced by how the different characters’ stories fit together, or by all the stories’ resolutions. I also found the writing style a little tiresome at times.
⭐⭐⭐
Craving a seasonal read, I turned to Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson.
Hex Appeal is a charming supernatural romance, about a coven of witches living in an English village. When Josh moves to the village, looking for a fresh start, he finds himself drawn to Essie, and so into a world of magic, chaos, and danger. The romance storyline ticks all the right boxes, while the supernatural storyline gives it a welcome twist. Hex Appeal fell a little short of being a five-star read for me, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Since I enjoyed The Chateau by Catherine Cooper so much, I decided to pick up her latest book, The Cruise.
The Cruise is a page-turning thriller, packed with dubious characters, and set aboard a luxury cruise ship whose staff start going missing. The story shifts between multiple timelines and characters’ perspectives, to reveal several gasp-worthy twists. You might have to suspend your disbelief a little, but the plot never gets too complicated, and the characters keep it all feeling real.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I felt a little conflicted about reading a Christmas book in November, but I couldn't resist the newly-published Snowed In for Christmas by Sarah Morgan.
Snowed in for Christmas is pure festive fantasy. When Lucy turns up at a prospective client’s house, with a pitch her company desperately needs to win, a case of mistaken identity coupled with terrible weather means she ends up stuck in the middle of a family Christmas, and more than a few family conflicts. This feel-good romance is filled with delightfully implausible, yet comfortably predictable, twists. I loved the set-up, and the pay-off didn’t disappoint.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was the brilliantly-titled How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent.
How To Kill Men and Get Away With It is the deliciously dark comedy its title promises. Kitty Collins is a rich influencer living in London, who accidentally kills a man in self-defence, and finds that she has a taste for it. I love the way Katy Brent writes about violence against women, and I always enjoy reading about luxury lifestyles.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Looking for another seasonal read, I turned to one I'd seen people talking about on Instagram: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston.
The Dead Romantics is a supernatural romance that pulls on your heartstrings. Florence Day is a ghostwriter for a famous romance novelist, struggling to meet her deadline after having her heart broken. The last thing she needs is a family crisis to summon her home, and the ghost of her new editor to show up on her doorstep. There's a lot to like about this one, but I found it a little slow, and a little sad, and I wasn't convinced by the way everything was explained and resolved.
⭐⭐⭐
After so many light reads, I decided to give my first Ernest Hemingway a try, and I picked A Farewell to Arms mainly because I love these little editions (especially for travelling with).
A Farewell to Arms is the story of an American lieutenant, serving in the ambulance corps of the Italian Army during WWI. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the story more than the writing style (when I expected it to be the other way around). The story is interesting, as it is told from a slightly unusual perspective, and it deals with wartime experiences beyond those you usually read about. But between the overly descriptive writing and the episodic structure, I found this book easy to put down. I liked the characterisation a lot though.
⭐⭐⭐
Will Carver is an auto-read author for me, but I am a book behind, starting The Daves Next Door on the day Suicide Thursday was published.
The Daves Next Door alternates between a cast of characters whose stories eventually overlap, and culminate in a terror attack on London. Will Carver’s writing is dark but playful, and he poses some very powerful questions as he tells this story of infinite possibilities. This was almost a five-star read for me. I found the first half dragged a little, but the ending blew me away (pun intended). Will Carver’s books are unlike anything else I’ve read, and I will definitely be reading Suicide Thursday.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in November was Daisy Darker, the latest book from Alice Feeney, which I had been looking forward to for a while.
Daisy Darker's family gather at Seaglass, a house that gets cut off when the tide comes in, to celebrate Nana's eightieth birthday. As the tide comes in, the secrets come out, and the bodies start to pile up. I can't resist a story about a dysfunctional family, or a murder mystery set in an isolated location, and Alice Feeney's writing is as engaging as her plots. Four stars rather than five, because I didn't love the way the story relies on flashbacks, and I think I would have preferred the big twist (as much as I loved it) halfway through, rather than at the end.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in November?
The first book I read in November was Wahala by Nikki May, which I'd heard great things about. Also, who could resist that cover?
Wahala is a deliciously twisted tale of three mixed-race women living in London, whose lives are changed forever when a fourth woman joins their circle of friends. I devoured this book in one sitting. Its high-stakes drama, page-turning plot, and heart-rending writing were exactly what I was in the mood for. And I loved the way Nikki May writes about race, body image, and the gap between your life and your dreams.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty, Waterstones' Debut Fiction Prize winner for 2022.
The Rabbit Hutch is a strange book, which tells snippets of stories from various characters, most of whom live in “The Rabbit Hutch”, a housing complex in the dying industrial town of Vacca Vale, Indiana. I liked the setting, especially the way Tess Gunty writes about the town, and I liked the concept of setting a book in a housing complex. But I wasn’t fully convinced by how the different characters’ stories fit together, or by all the stories’ resolutions. I also found the writing style a little tiresome at times.
⭐⭐⭐
Craving a seasonal read, I turned to Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson.
Hex Appeal is a charming supernatural romance, about a coven of witches living in an English village. When Josh moves to the village, looking for a fresh start, he finds himself drawn to Essie, and so into a world of magic, chaos, and danger. The romance storyline ticks all the right boxes, while the supernatural storyline gives it a welcome twist. Hex Appeal fell a little short of being a five-star read for me, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Since I enjoyed The Chateau by Catherine Cooper so much, I decided to pick up her latest book, The Cruise.
The Cruise is a page-turning thriller, packed with dubious characters, and set aboard a luxury cruise ship whose staff start going missing. The story shifts between multiple timelines and characters’ perspectives, to reveal several gasp-worthy twists. You might have to suspend your disbelief a little, but the plot never gets too complicated, and the characters keep it all feeling real.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I felt a little conflicted about reading a Christmas book in November, but I couldn't resist the newly-published Snowed In for Christmas by Sarah Morgan.
Snowed in for Christmas is pure festive fantasy. When Lucy turns up at a prospective client’s house, with a pitch her company desperately needs to win, a case of mistaken identity coupled with terrible weather means she ends up stuck in the middle of a family Christmas, and more than a few family conflicts. This feel-good romance is filled with delightfully implausible, yet comfortably predictable, twists. I loved the set-up, and the pay-off didn’t disappoint.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was the brilliantly-titled How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent.
How To Kill Men and Get Away With It is the deliciously dark comedy its title promises. Kitty Collins is a rich influencer living in London, who accidentally kills a man in self-defence, and finds that she has a taste for it. I love the way Katy Brent writes about violence against women, and I always enjoy reading about luxury lifestyles.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Looking for another seasonal read, I turned to one I'd seen people talking about on Instagram: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston.
The Dead Romantics is a supernatural romance that pulls on your heartstrings. Florence Day is a ghostwriter for a famous romance novelist, struggling to meet her deadline after having her heart broken. The last thing she needs is a family crisis to summon her home, and the ghost of her new editor to show up on her doorstep. There's a lot to like about this one, but I found it a little slow, and a little sad, and I wasn't convinced by the way everything was explained and resolved.
⭐⭐⭐
After so many light reads, I decided to give my first Ernest Hemingway a try, and I picked A Farewell to Arms mainly because I love these little editions (especially for travelling with).
A Farewell to Arms is the story of an American lieutenant, serving in the ambulance corps of the Italian Army during WWI. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the story more than the writing style (when I expected it to be the other way around). The story is interesting, as it is told from a slightly unusual perspective, and it deals with wartime experiences beyond those you usually read about. But between the overly descriptive writing and the episodic structure, I found this book easy to put down. I liked the characterisation a lot though.
⭐⭐⭐
Will Carver is an auto-read author for me, but I am a book behind, starting The Daves Next Door on the day Suicide Thursday was published.
The Daves Next Door alternates between a cast of characters whose stories eventually overlap, and culminate in a terror attack on London. Will Carver’s writing is dark but playful, and he poses some very powerful questions as he tells this story of infinite possibilities. This was almost a five-star read for me. I found the first half dragged a little, but the ending blew me away (pun intended). Will Carver’s books are unlike anything else I’ve read, and I will definitely be reading Suicide Thursday.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in November was Daisy Darker, the latest book from Alice Feeney, which I had been looking forward to for a while.
Daisy Darker's family gather at Seaglass, a house that gets cut off when the tide comes in, to celebrate Nana's eightieth birthday. As the tide comes in, the secrets come out, and the bodies start to pile up. I can't resist a story about a dysfunctional family, or a murder mystery set in an isolated location, and Alice Feeney's writing is as engaging as her plots. Four stars rather than five, because I didn't love the way the story relies on flashbacks, and I think I would have preferred the big twist (as much as I loved it) halfway through, rather than at the end.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in November?
November 1, 2022
October in Books
I read 12 books in October, and my book of the month is Isaac and the Egg. Read on to find out what else I read, and what I thought...
The first book I read in October was The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce, whose debut Blood Orange I loved.
The Lies You Told is a page-turning thriller, which was very nearly a five-star read for me. After her marriage falls apart, Sadie Roper moves back to London with her daughter Robin, and has to contend with bad memories as well as new struggles. I really enjoyed the storyline that follows the court case Sadie is working on, and I loved the storyline that focuses on Robin's new school, which is a hot bed of rivalry between students and parents alike. But, I wasn’t fully convinced by the way all the storylines were resolved (especially the one involving Sadie’s marriage).
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was the much-hyped Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer.
Isaac and the Egg is a charming story, about a man who has hit rock bottom. It’s brilliantly surprising in places, comfortingly predictable in others, and utterly page-turning from start to finish. I personally found it a very moving story, which deals with its dark themes with a lightness that means it never becomes too taxing. A book that lives up to its hype.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I continued to #beatthebacklog with The Women of Troy by Pat Barker, the sequel to The Silence of the Girls.
The Women of Troy starts with the wooden horse and the fall of Troy, and ends with the Greek army finally setting off home. I love the way Barker brings a fresh perspective to a familiar story, and I am endlessly impressed by how she evokes an ancient world, while telling a story with contemporary relevance. There is something comforting about this series, despite the horrors they deal with, which keeps me wanting to turn the pages.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Despite the controversy (over whether Rickman wanted his diaries published), I couldn't resist the newly-published Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman.
The fact that “We do not know whether Alan would like to have seen his diaries published” (as the editor acknowledges) makes the harshness and vulnerability of some of Rickman's comments a little uncomfortable to read, especially because it isn't at all clear what has been edited, or why. However, I found Rickman's diaries (which cover 1993 to 2015, with some extracts from 1974 to 1982) a really interesting and enlightening read. I'm left with an urge to (re)watch so much of Rickman's (and others') work, and to make more of an effort to visit the theatre!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh, whose standalone thriller I Let You Go I really enjoyed.
The Last Party is the first book in a new series featuring DC Ffion Morgan, from North Wales Police. When the owner of a luxury resort, which runs the border between England and Wales, is killed on New Year’s Eve, everyone seems to be a suspect. I really enjoyed this twisty murder mystery, which somehow never becomes too implausible or convoluted. I fell in love with the delightfully flawed DC Morgan, and loved the way Mackintosh writes about some really important and topical issues.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I continued to work my way through the Bond series, in October, with Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming.
Diamonds are Forever is Bond’s fourth outing, and it sees 007 infiltrate a diamond smuggling ring, and take on American gangsters. I’m really enjoying this series, which portrays a more human Bond than the films do. I like that the books follow on from one another, and I enjoy seeing where the film adaptations borrow from, and differ to, the books. I love Fleming's attention to detail, although his casual racism and sexism have so far stopped these books from being five-star reads for me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Black History Month seemed like an appropriate time to finally take You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston off my to-read shelf.
You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays is a hefty collection of essays, written over more than three decades, and so is bound to contain some essays that appeal to the reader more than others. I found it a fascinating read, and was impressed by the work the editors (Henry Louis Gates Jr. and M. Genevieve West) had put into it. Although I was surprised by how conservative Hurston's politics are, I enjoyed how assertive and forthright her writing is, and I especially loved Hurston’s trial reporting, with which this essay collection ends.
⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, which I'd heard great things about.
Our Wives Under the Sea moves between the past and the present, to tell the story of Leah's long-delayed return from a deep-sea mission that went terribly wrong. I found this one a very slow read, as the author spends a lot of time on fairly mundane content that I didn't think advanced the story in any meaningful way. I liked what the story was trying to do, in the main plot, but it all felt a little familiar to me, and I was ultimately disappointed with the book's resolution.
⭐⭐⭐
After this, I picked up Earthlings, written by Sayaka Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.
Earthlings is a strange and brilliant book, which treads the line between fantasy and realism, and I loved how its story (and especially its ending) can be interpreted in several ways. This is a book about surviving abuse, defying conventions, and choosing your own path in life. I really enjoyed the way it coupled a strong plot line with an exploration of ideas, and I also enjoyed the contemporary Japanese setting. Convenience Store Woman is definitely going on my to-read list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wanting to read more non-fiction, I picked up Roaring Girls: The Forgotten Feminists of British History by Holly Kyte next.
Roaring Girls is the latest book I've read that tells the stories of remarkable women from history who deserve to be better known. What I particularly liked about Roaring Girls was the amount of space it devotes to each of the eight women featured, so that we get to hear the full stories of their lives and legacies. I also particularly liked the sharp and engaging style of writing. There are always going to be generalisations in this kind of book, which will irk anyone who knows better, but I think Roaring Girls achieves a good balance between depth and breadth.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My library reservation for the Booker-longlisted Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley finally came in, so that was my next read.
Nightcrawling is a gritty, page-turning book that doesn’t make for easy reading. When their rent is increased, 17-year-old Kiara turns to sex work, beginning a downward spiral which she is unable to find her way out of. The author’s note acknowledges the real-life influence on this story, and there is no doubting the importance of the issues Leila Mottley writes about. This is a book whose writing and plot grabbed me from the first page, and didn’t let go. A book worth spending your time on, if perhaps not quite polished enough to make five stars (for this reader).
⭐⭐⭐⭐
At the end of October, I squeezed in one last (slim) book: the seasonally appropriately titled Ghost Wall, my first read from Sarah Moss.
Ghost Wall tells the story of an exercise in experiential archaeology, as an amateur historian takes his wife and teenage daughter to join a small group of university students and their professor, in trying to reenact Iron Age life. This is a slim but impactful book, which deals with themes of domestic abuse and sexism. I would have liked a little more from the Northumberland setting and the book's climax, but I really enjoyed the conceit of this one, and I would definitely like to read more from Sarah Moss.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in October?
The first book I read in October was The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce, whose debut Blood Orange I loved.
The Lies You Told is a page-turning thriller, which was very nearly a five-star read for me. After her marriage falls apart, Sadie Roper moves back to London with her daughter Robin, and has to contend with bad memories as well as new struggles. I really enjoyed the storyline that follows the court case Sadie is working on, and I loved the storyline that focuses on Robin's new school, which is a hot bed of rivalry between students and parents alike. But, I wasn’t fully convinced by the way all the storylines were resolved (especially the one involving Sadie’s marriage).
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was the much-hyped Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer.
Isaac and the Egg is a charming story, about a man who has hit rock bottom. It’s brilliantly surprising in places, comfortingly predictable in others, and utterly page-turning from start to finish. I personally found it a very moving story, which deals with its dark themes with a lightness that means it never becomes too taxing. A book that lives up to its hype.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I continued to #beatthebacklog with The Women of Troy by Pat Barker, the sequel to The Silence of the Girls.
The Women of Troy starts with the wooden horse and the fall of Troy, and ends with the Greek army finally setting off home. I love the way Barker brings a fresh perspective to a familiar story, and I am endlessly impressed by how she evokes an ancient world, while telling a story with contemporary relevance. There is something comforting about this series, despite the horrors they deal with, which keeps me wanting to turn the pages.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Despite the controversy (over whether Rickman wanted his diaries published), I couldn't resist the newly-published Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman.
The fact that “We do not know whether Alan would like to have seen his diaries published” (as the editor acknowledges) makes the harshness and vulnerability of some of Rickman's comments a little uncomfortable to read, especially because it isn't at all clear what has been edited, or why. However, I found Rickman's diaries (which cover 1993 to 2015, with some extracts from 1974 to 1982) a really interesting and enlightening read. I'm left with an urge to (re)watch so much of Rickman's (and others') work, and to make more of an effort to visit the theatre!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh, whose standalone thriller I Let You Go I really enjoyed.
The Last Party is the first book in a new series featuring DC Ffion Morgan, from North Wales Police. When the owner of a luxury resort, which runs the border between England and Wales, is killed on New Year’s Eve, everyone seems to be a suspect. I really enjoyed this twisty murder mystery, which somehow never becomes too implausible or convoluted. I fell in love with the delightfully flawed DC Morgan, and loved the way Mackintosh writes about some really important and topical issues.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I continued to work my way through the Bond series, in October, with Diamonds Are Forever by Ian Fleming.
Diamonds are Forever is Bond’s fourth outing, and it sees 007 infiltrate a diamond smuggling ring, and take on American gangsters. I’m really enjoying this series, which portrays a more human Bond than the films do. I like that the books follow on from one another, and I enjoy seeing where the film adaptations borrow from, and differ to, the books. I love Fleming's attention to detail, although his casual racism and sexism have so far stopped these books from being five-star reads for me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Black History Month seemed like an appropriate time to finally take You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston off my to-read shelf.
You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays is a hefty collection of essays, written over more than three decades, and so is bound to contain some essays that appeal to the reader more than others. I found it a fascinating read, and was impressed by the work the editors (Henry Louis Gates Jr. and M. Genevieve West) had put into it. Although I was surprised by how conservative Hurston's politics are, I enjoyed how assertive and forthright her writing is, and I especially loved Hurston’s trial reporting, with which this essay collection ends.
⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, which I'd heard great things about.
Our Wives Under the Sea moves between the past and the present, to tell the story of Leah's long-delayed return from a deep-sea mission that went terribly wrong. I found this one a very slow read, as the author spends a lot of time on fairly mundane content that I didn't think advanced the story in any meaningful way. I liked what the story was trying to do, in the main plot, but it all felt a little familiar to me, and I was ultimately disappointed with the book's resolution.
⭐⭐⭐
After this, I picked up Earthlings, written by Sayaka Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.
Earthlings is a strange and brilliant book, which treads the line between fantasy and realism, and I loved how its story (and especially its ending) can be interpreted in several ways. This is a book about surviving abuse, defying conventions, and choosing your own path in life. I really enjoyed the way it coupled a strong plot line with an exploration of ideas, and I also enjoyed the contemporary Japanese setting. Convenience Store Woman is definitely going on my to-read list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wanting to read more non-fiction, I picked up Roaring Girls: The Forgotten Feminists of British History by Holly Kyte next.
Roaring Girls is the latest book I've read that tells the stories of remarkable women from history who deserve to be better known. What I particularly liked about Roaring Girls was the amount of space it devotes to each of the eight women featured, so that we get to hear the full stories of their lives and legacies. I also particularly liked the sharp and engaging style of writing. There are always going to be generalisations in this kind of book, which will irk anyone who knows better, but I think Roaring Girls achieves a good balance between depth and breadth.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My library reservation for the Booker-longlisted Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley finally came in, so that was my next read.
Nightcrawling is a gritty, page-turning book that doesn’t make for easy reading. When their rent is increased, 17-year-old Kiara turns to sex work, beginning a downward spiral which she is unable to find her way out of. The author’s note acknowledges the real-life influence on this story, and there is no doubting the importance of the issues Leila Mottley writes about. This is a book whose writing and plot grabbed me from the first page, and didn’t let go. A book worth spending your time on, if perhaps not quite polished enough to make five stars (for this reader).
⭐⭐⭐⭐
At the end of October, I squeezed in one last (slim) book: the seasonally appropriately titled Ghost Wall, my first read from Sarah Moss.
Ghost Wall tells the story of an exercise in experiential archaeology, as an amateur historian takes his wife and teenage daughter to join a small group of university students and their professor, in trying to reenact Iron Age life. This is a slim but impactful book, which deals with themes of domestic abuse and sexism. I would have liked a little more from the Northumberland setting and the book's climax, but I really enjoyed the conceit of this one, and I would definitely like to read more from Sarah Moss.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in October?
October 12, 2022
Booker Prize Longlist
13 books were longlisted for this year's Booker Prize for Fiction, 6 of which have made the shortlist. I've read 11 of the 13, since I’m still waiting for my library reservation on Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley to come in, and I’ve decided not to bother with Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout (mainly because it's part of a series which I haven't read).
Here's my 2022 Booker longlist ranking (as it currently stands):
1. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (shortlisted)
The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia does an impressive job of rendering comprehensible the fantastic world it creates, and the history of Sri Lanka's civil war that it describes. Amidst all the chaos of the afterlife, where Maali Almeida finds himself, is a wonderfully simple conceit: once you die, you have seven days to enter The Light, or you’re stuck in the In Between forever. This one blew me away.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Trust by Hernan Diaz
Trust is a metaliterary book that tells the story of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. It started out as an interesting and engaging read, but soon became something much cleverer. I loved seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and I loved the way the writing style changed to suit each narrator. I didn’t want to put this one down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. The Trees by Percival Everett (shortlisted)
The Trees is a hard-hitting murder mystery set against the backdrop of historical and present-day racism in America. But don't expect a neat resolution. The Trees is a real page-turner, which leaves a lot of the possibilities it raises in the air. I definitely want to read more from this brilliantly unpredictable author.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. The Colony by Audrey Magee
The Colony is the story of an Irish island, whose inhabitants’ routines are disturbed when two tourists come to stay for the summer, interspersed with snippets of stories from the contemporaneous Irish troubles. I loved the sense of place and attention to detail, as Audrey Magee explores the theme of colonisation with humour and subtlety. Another one I didn't want to put down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (shortlisted)
Treacle Walker is my first book by Alan Garner, but from what I've read about him, people familiar with his work won't be surprised that this novella reads like a fairytale. When a convalescent boy encounters an enigmatic traveller, the way he sees and experiences the world begins to change. I really enjoyed this one, even when I didn't fully understand it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
After Sappho is a speculative, lyrical novel, which follows a network of women across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries as they fight for the right to live and love as they please. I loved the writing style, and the push and pull between the past and the future. I found the episodic structure and sheer number of characters a little difficult to maintain interest in, but I can see why it would be a five-star read for others.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Case Study is another metaliterary one. This novel is presented as a collection of notebooks given to the author, written by a young woman who visited an infamous psychiatrist in 1960s London, and interwoven with the author’s biography of the psychiatrist’s life. I always enjoy books which pretend to be about real life, and I found Case Study almost impossible to put down. I would have liked a little more resolution to the ending, though.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
Booth is a nineteenth-century family saga. It alternates its focus between the children of celebrated Shakespearean actor Junius Brutus Booth, one of whom is John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. I found this one a really engaging read, but I'm not quite sure what the point of it all was.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo (shortlisted)
Glory is the story of tyranny and revolution in a fictional land, which belongs to a recognisably real world. NoViolet Bulawayo is an impressive writer, and she has created a frighteningly relevant book, that strikes the perfect balance between the specific and the general. However, I struggled at times with Glory, and never really understood what the characters being animals added to the story.
⭐⭐⭐
10. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (shortlisted)
Small Things Like These is the only book I had already read when the longlist was announced. It's a novella set during the Christmas of 1958, in a small Irish town with a secret. I liked the sense of time and place, but I personally found this story a little slow and a little short.
⭐⭐⭐
11. Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies tells the story of Lia's struggle with breast cancer. It is a deliberately poetic book, which includes some typographical variations, and is narrated partly by Lia's cancer cells. I found it an interesting and unusual read, but it unfortunately never really grabbed or held my attention. As a result, I struggled to get to the end.
⭐⭐⭐
Have you read any of the nominated books?
Here's my 2022 Booker longlist ranking (as it currently stands):
1. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (shortlisted)
The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia does an impressive job of rendering comprehensible the fantastic world it creates, and the history of Sri Lanka's civil war that it describes. Amidst all the chaos of the afterlife, where Maali Almeida finds himself, is a wonderfully simple conceit: once you die, you have seven days to enter The Light, or you’re stuck in the In Between forever. This one blew me away.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Trust by Hernan Diaz
Trust is a metaliterary book that tells the story of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. It started out as an interesting and engaging read, but soon became something much cleverer. I loved seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and I loved the way the writing style changed to suit each narrator. I didn’t want to put this one down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. The Trees by Percival Everett (shortlisted)
The Trees is a hard-hitting murder mystery set against the backdrop of historical and present-day racism in America. But don't expect a neat resolution. The Trees is a real page-turner, which leaves a lot of the possibilities it raises in the air. I definitely want to read more from this brilliantly unpredictable author.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. The Colony by Audrey Magee
The Colony is the story of an Irish island, whose inhabitants’ routines are disturbed when two tourists come to stay for the summer, interspersed with snippets of stories from the contemporaneous Irish troubles. I loved the sense of place and attention to detail, as Audrey Magee explores the theme of colonisation with humour and subtlety. Another one I didn't want to put down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Treacle Walker by Alan Garner (shortlisted)
Treacle Walker is my first book by Alan Garner, but from what I've read about him, people familiar with his work won't be surprised that this novella reads like a fairytale. When a convalescent boy encounters an enigmatic traveller, the way he sees and experiences the world begins to change. I really enjoyed this one, even when I didn't fully understand it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
After Sappho is a speculative, lyrical novel, which follows a network of women across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries as they fight for the right to live and love as they please. I loved the writing style, and the push and pull between the past and the future. I found the episodic structure and sheer number of characters a little difficult to maintain interest in, but I can see why it would be a five-star read for others.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Case Study is another metaliterary one. This novel is presented as a collection of notebooks given to the author, written by a young woman who visited an infamous psychiatrist in 1960s London, and interwoven with the author’s biography of the psychiatrist’s life. I always enjoy books which pretend to be about real life, and I found Case Study almost impossible to put down. I would have liked a little more resolution to the ending, though.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
Booth is a nineteenth-century family saga. It alternates its focus between the children of celebrated Shakespearean actor Junius Brutus Booth, one of whom is John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. I found this one a really engaging read, but I'm not quite sure what the point of it all was.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo (shortlisted)
Glory is the story of tyranny and revolution in a fictional land, which belongs to a recognisably real world. NoViolet Bulawayo is an impressive writer, and she has created a frighteningly relevant book, that strikes the perfect balance between the specific and the general. However, I struggled at times with Glory, and never really understood what the characters being animals added to the story.
⭐⭐⭐
10. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (shortlisted)
Small Things Like These is the only book I had already read when the longlist was announced. It's a novella set during the Christmas of 1958, in a small Irish town with a secret. I liked the sense of time and place, but I personally found this story a little slow and a little short.
⭐⭐⭐
11. Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies tells the story of Lia's struggle with breast cancer. It is a deliberately poetic book, which includes some typographical variations, and is narrated partly by Lia's cancer cells. I found it an interesting and unusual read, but it unfortunately never really grabbed or held my attention. As a result, I struggled to get to the end.
⭐⭐⭐
Have you read any of the nominated books?
October 1, 2022
September in Books
I don't think I've ever read so many 5-star books in one month before. I read 10 books in September, 6 of which I gave 5 stars to! I got my hands on the latest J.D. Robb, finally read this year's Women's Prize for Fiction winner, continued to work my way through the Booker longlist, and decided to try an author I felt a little intimidated by.
The first book I read in September was The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, appropriately my seventh read from the Booker longlist.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia does an impressive job of rendering comprehensible the fantastic world it creates, and the history of Sri Lanka's civil war that it describes. Amidst all the chaos of the afterlife, where Maali Almeida finds himself, is a wonderfully simple conceit: once you die, you have seven days to enter The Light, or you’re stuck in the In Between forever. The world Karunatilaka has created is mind-blowing, and I thoroughly enjoyed this story - past mystery, part history, part myth. I really loved this one.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was another one that has made the Booker shortlist: Treacle Walker by Alan Garner.
Treacle Walker is my first book by Alan Garner, but from what I've read about him, people familiar with his work won't be surprised that this novella reads like a fairytale. When a convalescent boy encounters an enigmatic traveller, the way he sees and experiences the world begins to change. I really enjoyed this one, but I found it to be one of those books where you're not exactly sure what is going on.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz, about which I'd heard great things.
After Sappho is a speculative, lyrical novel, which follows a network of women across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries as they fight for the right to live and love as they please. I loved the writing style, and the way this novel pushed and pulled between an idealised past and a future to hope for. I found the fragmentary structure and sheer number of characters meant this book didn't always hold my interest as I would have liked, but I can see why it would be a five-star read for others.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this came Trust by Hernan Diaz, another one I'd seen only positive reviews for.
I prefer to start books knowing little about them, and that worked really well for this book. Trust started out as an interesting and engaging read, but soon became something much cleverer. I loved seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. I also loved the writing style, and the way it changed to suit each narrator. Hernan Diaz does a fantastic job of evoking the people, places, and times he writes about. I didn’t want to put this one down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
While I was waiting for my library reservations to come in, I read Heaven by Mieko Kawakami (translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd), which was shortlisted for this year's International Booker Prize.
I found Heaven highly readable; a slim book, written in simple prose, and strangely compelling despite the uncomfortable subject matter. But I can’t really say that I enjoyed it. Heaven focuses on two victims of school bullying, and explores some interesting ideas about why this is happening to them. I didn't personally find all of the arguments very convincing, however, and the characters' philosophical musings on the subject made it even harder for me to connect to them.
⭐⭐⭐
I continued to work my way through my to-read pile, with this year's winner for the Women's Prize for Fiction: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.
Mostly narrated by the book itself, The Book of Form and Emptiness tells the story of Benny and Annabelle Oh, in the aftermath of the death of Benny’s father. This is an ambitious and quite lengthy book, which is interested in a lot of different ideas. While I always wanted to keep reading, it wasn't a book I couldn't put down. I loved the writing style though, and I appreciated that the focus on Benny's perspective meant things never got too complicated.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wanting a slightly easier read, I picked up Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce next.
Blood Orange is a page-turning read, which follows the life and work of a criminal barrister who is leading her first murder case. This book deals with so many different topics, without making the plot overly complicated. I loved that we get to see all the different types of cases Alison handles. I loved the sense of menace which slowly builds through the book. And I loved the way Harriet Tyce writes about important and topical issues, always adding to, and never detracting from, the plot. I can’t believe this is a debut novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Some of my library reservations finally arrived, so I was able to get my hands on the newly-published Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb.
Desperation in Death follows the usual formula of J.D. Robb’s series, starting with a murder and then showing us Eve (and her team) solve it, with snippets from the villains/victims woven through, and a climax that’s followed by a brief wrapping up. I can’t resist these books, which offer the comfort of the familiar alongside the suspense of the unknown. I read Desperation in Death in one evening, and I’m sure it won’t disappoint fans of this series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I returned to the Booker shortlist next, with Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo.
Glory is the story of tyranny and revolution in a fictional land, which belongs to a recognisably real world. I liked the way Bulawayo strikes a balance between the real and the fictional, the specific and the general. I also liked the way she is able to write about horrors without overwhelming the reader. However, I found parts of Glory a bit of a drag, and I don't really see what the characters being animals adds to the story. This is an interesting book, which feels incredibly relevant right now, but I struggled with parts of it.
⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in September was Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann, an author I had been wanting to try for a while.
Buddenbrooks is an epic family saga, chronicling the decline of a nineteenth-century German merchant family over the course of four generations. This is an intimidatingly long book, but I was hooked from the first page. Mann does such an impressive job of bringing to life not just all of the different characters, but the whole time and place. I loved the attention to detail, the way Mann identifies each character so that you never lose track of who’s who, and how realistic the characters, and their lives, felt.
What did you read in September?
The first book I read in September was The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, appropriately my seventh read from the Booker longlist.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia does an impressive job of rendering comprehensible the fantastic world it creates, and the history of Sri Lanka's civil war that it describes. Amidst all the chaos of the afterlife, where Maali Almeida finds himself, is a wonderfully simple conceit: once you die, you have seven days to enter The Light, or you’re stuck in the In Between forever. The world Karunatilaka has created is mind-blowing, and I thoroughly enjoyed this story - past mystery, part history, part myth. I really loved this one.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was another one that has made the Booker shortlist: Treacle Walker by Alan Garner.
Treacle Walker is my first book by Alan Garner, but from what I've read about him, people familiar with his work won't be surprised that this novella reads like a fairytale. When a convalescent boy encounters an enigmatic traveller, the way he sees and experiences the world begins to change. I really enjoyed this one, but I found it to be one of those books where you're not exactly sure what is going on.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz, about which I'd heard great things.
After Sappho is a speculative, lyrical novel, which follows a network of women across the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries as they fight for the right to live and love as they please. I loved the writing style, and the way this novel pushed and pulled between an idealised past and a future to hope for. I found the fragmentary structure and sheer number of characters meant this book didn't always hold my interest as I would have liked, but I can see why it would be a five-star read for others.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this came Trust by Hernan Diaz, another one I'd seen only positive reviews for.
I prefer to start books knowing little about them, and that worked really well for this book. Trust started out as an interesting and engaging read, but soon became something much cleverer. I loved seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. I also loved the writing style, and the way it changed to suit each narrator. Hernan Diaz does a fantastic job of evoking the people, places, and times he writes about. I didn’t want to put this one down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
While I was waiting for my library reservations to come in, I read Heaven by Mieko Kawakami (translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd), which was shortlisted for this year's International Booker Prize.
I found Heaven highly readable; a slim book, written in simple prose, and strangely compelling despite the uncomfortable subject matter. But I can’t really say that I enjoyed it. Heaven focuses on two victims of school bullying, and explores some interesting ideas about why this is happening to them. I didn't personally find all of the arguments very convincing, however, and the characters' philosophical musings on the subject made it even harder for me to connect to them.
⭐⭐⭐
I continued to work my way through my to-read pile, with this year's winner for the Women's Prize for Fiction: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.
Mostly narrated by the book itself, The Book of Form and Emptiness tells the story of Benny and Annabelle Oh, in the aftermath of the death of Benny’s father. This is an ambitious and quite lengthy book, which is interested in a lot of different ideas. While I always wanted to keep reading, it wasn't a book I couldn't put down. I loved the writing style though, and I appreciated that the focus on Benny's perspective meant things never got too complicated.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wanting a slightly easier read, I picked up Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce next.
Blood Orange is a page-turning read, which follows the life and work of a criminal barrister who is leading her first murder case. This book deals with so many different topics, without making the plot overly complicated. I loved that we get to see all the different types of cases Alison handles. I loved the sense of menace which slowly builds through the book. And I loved the way Harriet Tyce writes about important and topical issues, always adding to, and never detracting from, the plot. I can’t believe this is a debut novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Some of my library reservations finally arrived, so I was able to get my hands on the newly-published Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb.
Desperation in Death follows the usual formula of J.D. Robb’s series, starting with a murder and then showing us Eve (and her team) solve it, with snippets from the villains/victims woven through, and a climax that’s followed by a brief wrapping up. I can’t resist these books, which offer the comfort of the familiar alongside the suspense of the unknown. I read Desperation in Death in one evening, and I’m sure it won’t disappoint fans of this series.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I returned to the Booker shortlist next, with Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo.
Glory is the story of tyranny and revolution in a fictional land, which belongs to a recognisably real world. I liked the way Bulawayo strikes a balance between the real and the fictional, the specific and the general. I also liked the way she is able to write about horrors without overwhelming the reader. However, I found parts of Glory a bit of a drag, and I don't really see what the characters being animals adds to the story. This is an interesting book, which feels incredibly relevant right now, but I struggled with parts of it.
⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in September was Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family by Thomas Mann, an author I had been wanting to try for a while.
Buddenbrooks is an epic family saga, chronicling the decline of a nineteenth-century German merchant family over the course of four generations. This is an intimidatingly long book, but I was hooked from the first page. Mann does such an impressive job of bringing to life not just all of the different characters, but the whole time and place. I loved the attention to detail, the way Mann identifies each character so that you never lose track of who’s who, and how realistic the characters, and their lives, felt.
What did you read in September?
August 31, 2022
August in Books
I read 10 books in August, although one was an omnibus, so does that count as 11? This year's longlist for the Booker Prize for Fiction was announced at the end of July, and I've managed to get almost halfway through. I also finally caught up with one of my favourite series, just ahead of the next book's release in September.
The first book I read in August was Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, shortlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction and seemingly beloved by everyone I follow on Twitter!
Great Circle tells the story of Marian Graves, a young woman who grows up, in 1920s Montana, determined to become a pilot. More than half a century later, Hadley Baxter is playing Marian in a film about her life and eventual disappearance. I liked the structure of this book, which alternates between the past and the present day, so that we get to learn about both Marian and Hadley. I liked how real the story felt, and I liked the way we see how Marian's life gets interpreted in the future. The main downside for me was the length of the book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Dirk Gently Omnibus, which consists of the first two books featuring the private detective Dirk Gently, by Douglas Adams.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul are science-fiction/fantasy stories which feature the private detective Dirk Gently. The stories were a little hard to follow at times, as they set up several (reasonably complicated) plots before explaining how they fit together, so four stars rather than five from me. But I really enjoyed this book, and found it as brilliant, absurd, and laugh-out-loud funny as I've come to expect from Douglas Adams.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year.
By the Sea is a beautiful story, with extraordinary depth behind the everyday details. When Selah Omar arrives in Gatwick Airport as a refugee from Zanzibar, he eventually finds himself placed in an English seaside town, where he reconnects with Latif Mahmud, a man from his past, whose memories of that past occasionally differ widely from his own. By the Sea is a slow, ponderous read, but beautifully written. I will definitely be picking up another book from Gurnah soon. Any suggestions?
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this, I moved onto this year's Booker Prize longlist, starting with The Trees by Percival Everett, an author I'd wanted to read for a while.
The first thing that struck me when I started reading The Trees was how easy it was to read. The chapters are blissfully short, the writing is direct, and the main characters are highly entertaining. The Trees is a real page-turner, not least because you want to get to the bottom of the mystery at its heart. But don't expect a neat resolution. This hard-hitting murder mystery, set against a backdrop of historical and present-day racism in America, leaves a lot of the possibilities it raises in the air, and I found myself feeling less sure of what was possible as I got further into this brilliant book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick from the Booker longlist was Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet, which came highly recommended.
Case Study is presented as a collection of notebooks given to the author, written by a young woman who visited a certain, infamous psychiatrist in 1960s London, and interwoven with the author’s biography of the psychiatrist’s life. I always enjoy books which pretend to be about real life, and I certainly enjoyed this one. I found Case Study almost impossible to put down. I was hooked from the first page and remained so until the very end. I particularly liked the slow-burning tension, the clarity of the writing, and the realism of the everyday details.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Colony by Audrey Magee, which I went into knowing nothing about it.
The Colony is the story of Irish island, whose inhabitants’ routines are disturbed when two tourists come to stay for the summer, interspersed with snippets of stories from the contemporaneous Irish troubles. Once I started reading The Colony, I didn’t want to put it down. I found myself invested in the lives of its characters, even the ones I didn’t particularly like. Audrey Magee explores the theme of colonisation with humour and subtlety, and I particularly enjoyed the sense of place, and the attention to detail.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer is one I almost read before, after it won the Desmond Elliott Prize (for debut novelists).
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies tells the story of Lia's struggle with breast cancer. It not only alternates its focus between the main characters (Lia, and her daughter, husband, and mother) and Lia's past and present, but there is also a strand of the book narrated by Lia's cancer cells. I found the book's deliberate attempts at poetry a little pretentious but never too off-putting, and struggled more with the focus on cancer. I found this one an interesting and unusual read, but it unfortunately never really grabbed or held my attention.
⭐⭐⭐
I followed this with Booth by Karen Joy Fowler.
Booth tells the story of the Booth family, alternating its focus between the children of celebrated Shakespearean actor, Junius Brutus Booth, one of whom is John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. Interspersed with this story are brief sections of historical context. I found this nineteenth-century family saga a really engaging read, despite its length, but I'm not quite sure what point it was trying to make. Booth raised some interesting ideas and questions, but I just don't think that it achieved its full potential.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I took a break from the Booker longlist, over the bank holiday weekend, and read The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston).
The Man Who Died opens with Jaakko receiving what are supposed to be routine results from his doctor, but actually reveal that he has been poisoned. So he determines to find out who has poisoned him, a task made more difficult by the discovery that his wife is having an affair, and the arrival of a new - and dangerous - business rival. A quirky, page-turning mystery, filled with memorable characters and witty observations. Antti Tuomainen is definitely a new favourite author.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I ended the month with Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb, the 54th book in a series I can't resist.
As with the rest of this series, which centres on a homicide lieutenant in a future New York, this book can be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed as part of a series. Fans of the series will recognise the characters, storylines, and basic formula, although Abandoned in Death does something a little different, alternating not only between the cops and the victim(s), but also between the past, where the mystery of the killer’s motivation is slowly unravelled. I’d been missing the characters of this series, and it was good to get back to them.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in August?
The first book I read in August was Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, shortlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction and seemingly beloved by everyone I follow on Twitter!
Great Circle tells the story of Marian Graves, a young woman who grows up, in 1920s Montana, determined to become a pilot. More than half a century later, Hadley Baxter is playing Marian in a film about her life and eventual disappearance. I liked the structure of this book, which alternates between the past and the present day, so that we get to learn about both Marian and Hadley. I liked how real the story felt, and I liked the way we see how Marian's life gets interpreted in the future. The main downside for me was the length of the book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Dirk Gently Omnibus, which consists of the first two books featuring the private detective Dirk Gently, by Douglas Adams.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul are science-fiction/fantasy stories which feature the private detective Dirk Gently. The stories were a little hard to follow at times, as they set up several (reasonably complicated) plots before explaining how they fit together, so four stars rather than five from me. But I really enjoyed this book, and found it as brilliant, absurd, and laugh-out-loud funny as I've come to expect from Douglas Adams.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year.
By the Sea is a beautiful story, with extraordinary depth behind the everyday details. When Selah Omar arrives in Gatwick Airport as a refugee from Zanzibar, he eventually finds himself placed in an English seaside town, where he reconnects with Latif Mahmud, a man from his past, whose memories of that past occasionally differ widely from his own. By the Sea is a slow, ponderous read, but beautifully written. I will definitely be picking up another book from Gurnah soon. Any suggestions?
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this, I moved onto this year's Booker Prize longlist, starting with The Trees by Percival Everett, an author I'd wanted to read for a while.
The first thing that struck me when I started reading The Trees was how easy it was to read. The chapters are blissfully short, the writing is direct, and the main characters are highly entertaining. The Trees is a real page-turner, not least because you want to get to the bottom of the mystery at its heart. But don't expect a neat resolution. This hard-hitting murder mystery, set against a backdrop of historical and present-day racism in America, leaves a lot of the possibilities it raises in the air, and I found myself feeling less sure of what was possible as I got further into this brilliant book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick from the Booker longlist was Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet, which came highly recommended.
Case Study is presented as a collection of notebooks given to the author, written by a young woman who visited a certain, infamous psychiatrist in 1960s London, and interwoven with the author’s biography of the psychiatrist’s life. I always enjoy books which pretend to be about real life, and I certainly enjoyed this one. I found Case Study almost impossible to put down. I was hooked from the first page and remained so until the very end. I particularly liked the slow-burning tension, the clarity of the writing, and the realism of the everyday details.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Colony by Audrey Magee, which I went into knowing nothing about it.
The Colony is the story of Irish island, whose inhabitants’ routines are disturbed when two tourists come to stay for the summer, interspersed with snippets of stories from the contemporaneous Irish troubles. Once I started reading The Colony, I didn’t want to put it down. I found myself invested in the lives of its characters, even the ones I didn’t particularly like. Audrey Magee explores the theme of colonisation with humour and subtlety, and I particularly enjoyed the sense of place, and the attention to detail.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer is one I almost read before, after it won the Desmond Elliott Prize (for debut novelists).
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies tells the story of Lia's struggle with breast cancer. It not only alternates its focus between the main characters (Lia, and her daughter, husband, and mother) and Lia's past and present, but there is also a strand of the book narrated by Lia's cancer cells. I found the book's deliberate attempts at poetry a little pretentious but never too off-putting, and struggled more with the focus on cancer. I found this one an interesting and unusual read, but it unfortunately never really grabbed or held my attention.
⭐⭐⭐
I followed this with Booth by Karen Joy Fowler.
Booth tells the story of the Booth family, alternating its focus between the children of celebrated Shakespearean actor, Junius Brutus Booth, one of whom is John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. Interspersed with this story are brief sections of historical context. I found this nineteenth-century family saga a really engaging read, despite its length, but I'm not quite sure what point it was trying to make. Booth raised some interesting ideas and questions, but I just don't think that it achieved its full potential.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I took a break from the Booker longlist, over the bank holiday weekend, and read The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston).
The Man Who Died opens with Jaakko receiving what are supposed to be routine results from his doctor, but actually reveal that he has been poisoned. So he determines to find out who has poisoned him, a task made more difficult by the discovery that his wife is having an affair, and the arrival of a new - and dangerous - business rival. A quirky, page-turning mystery, filled with memorable characters and witty observations. Antti Tuomainen is definitely a new favourite author.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I ended the month with Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb, the 54th book in a series I can't resist.
As with the rest of this series, which centres on a homicide lieutenant in a future New York, this book can be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed as part of a series. Fans of the series will recognise the characters, storylines, and basic formula, although Abandoned in Death does something a little different, alternating not only between the cops and the victim(s), but also between the past, where the mystery of the killer’s motivation is slowly unravelled. I’d been missing the characters of this series, and it was good to get back to them.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in August?
August 1, 2022
July in Books
I read 12 books in July. My favourite was This One Sky Day, but I also loved Hamnet and The Thursday Murder Club. All three came highly recommended, so you all clearly have good taste!
My first read in July was This One Sky Day, which was longlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
I really loved This One Sky Day, which never outstayed its welcome despite its (slightly off-putting) length. I really loved the conceit at the heart of this fantasy (that people have magical abilities, or cors), and I loved how simple yet imaginative the world-building was. I loved the character-building, the way Leone Ross incorporated real-life ideas and myths into the story, and the clarity of her writing throughout. So don't be put off if, like me, you're not generally a fantasy reader! This is a book I can highly recommend.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, which I picked up on a whim, after reading about it in Plain Bad Heroines.
I didn’t realise, but this edition actually contains four short stories, the first and longest of which is Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I love Truman Capote’s writing (in all of these stories, and in the only other book of his I have read, In Cold Blood), which feels deceptively simple. There is just something about the way he writes that made me want to keep reading, and I particularly like the economy of his writing. I enjoyed all of these stories, and I particularly liked the sense of place in them. I'm glad to have ticked another 'classic' off the list, and I would welcome any more Truman Capote recommendations.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was another Women's Prize nominee, this one from the shortlist: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.
The Island of Missing Trees is a lovely story, and the 'Reader's Note' at the end testifies to the time and care Elif Shafak has devoted to researching her topic. This is the first book I have read from Shafak, and I was impressed with how assured, yet playful, her writing was. I particularly liked the way she wrote about Cyprus, and its war-torn history, in a way which was detailed and specific, yet clear and engaging. The Island of Missing Trees was a book I liked rather than loved, but I think I might have to catch up with Shafak's backlist.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this came Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming, the second in his 007 series.
I really enjoyed Live and Let Die. It was interesting to see the differences between the film and the book, and I especially enjoyed seeing where other Bond films had borrowed from this book. I really like Ian Fleming's Bond, and, as in Casino Royale, I was pleasantly surprised by how human he felt. I found this book more believable, and therefore more intense, than the film adaptation. Between Fleming's talent for writing about place and his cinematic language, I can see why these books make such good films. Although I didn't personally find the racism and misogyny too off-putting, they did stop Live and Let Die being a five-star read for me. I am definitely adding Moonraker to my to-read list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The next book I read in July was one from the backlog: Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor.
Lean Fall Stand opens with an expedition to Antarctica that has gone wrong. I absolutely loved this section, and found the sudden shift to the second section difficult to get into. Although I liked the way McGregor writes about stroke patients' rehabilitation, I was a little disappointed that the book didn't end up being about the Antarctic. I was impressed with how McGregor represents language (although I found some of the longer passages a little tiresome), and I liked the subtleties in McGregor's characterisation. Lean Fall Stand is the first book I have read by Jon McGregor, but I doubt it will be my last.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Honjin Murders, a 'classic' Japanese locked-room mystery, by Seishi Yokomizo (translated by Louise Heal Kawai).
I enjoyed The Honjin Murders, and I appreciated that it was short and captivating enough that I read it in one sitting. However, I found the style of narration a little slow, since the conceit is that the story is told some time after the event, and the narrator often talks the reader through the telling of the story. I also found the explanation a little complicated. But I always enjoy a story about a dysfunctional family, and I liked the characterisation throughout The Honjin Murders. I won’t be rushing to read the rest of the series, but I am intrigued by its detective…
⭐⭐⭐
I picked up a new release next: Ghost Lover, a collection of short stories by Lisa Taddeo.
The stories in Ghost Lover felt familiar to me. I feel like I've read other books written in a similar style and exploring similar themes, including Taddeo's previous Animal. The wildness, even brutality, of these short stories should have made them feel unique, but I think they will end up being (for me) quite forgettable. I enjoyed these stories to an extent, but they ultimately left me feeling a little flat. Ghost Lover didn't quite work for me, and I found myself put-off by some of the language, which felt unnecessarily offensive.
⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was the much-hyped The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
The Thursday Murder Club is a classic ‘cosy crime’ novel: a light-hearted, absurdly unrealistic, and very funny mystery. I love the concept of this book, which is set in a luxury retirement village, and I never got tired of the comedy this led to. The main characters are interesting, and while the ending is perhaps a little spun-out, I did enjoy the way it kept you guessing until the very end. The whole situation is of course absurdly unrealistic, but that’s all part of the fun, and I enjoyed the everyday touches of realism. The Thursday Murder Club didn’t grip me from the first page, but by the end I couldn’t put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I finally read Hamnet, the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction winner, by Maggie O'Farrell in July.
I wasn't sure Hamnet would work for me, but it really did. Maggie O'Farrell's skill as a writer is evident, as she constructs a story that manages to be tense and utterly heart-rending, despite the outcome already being known. This is obviously a work of fiction, and needs to be read as such, but I think Hamnet does a superb job of capturing the time and place of its story. I don't believe in reading too much of an artist's life into their work, and I thought Hamnet did a great job of creating an interesting story in its own right, which has been inspired by, and is interested in, Shakespeare ... right up until the ending.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (translated by Anton Hur), which was shortlisted for this year's International Booker Prize.
What a strange book. I didn’t know what to expect from Cursed Bunny, and the first story took me by surprise with its blunt language and fantasy imagery. These short stories range in tone from the contemporary to the fairytale, but they all share a penchant for darkness. You never quite know where the story is going to go next, but the writing always feels confident and controlled. I didn’t love all the stories in Cursed Bunny equally, but I did enjoy them all, and I was repeatedly struck by their creativity and ingenuity. An author to watch.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras: Lost Stories of the Amazing Women of the North by Kate Fox, my first read from the Harper North imprint.
What made Where There's Muck, There's Bra's, for me, was the author’s voice. Kate Fox has made this book personal and funny, and I really enjoyed reading it. I really liked the way this book was laid out, giving the reader little bits of information about lots of different women, and grouping women together in interesting and logical ways. The only downside is that Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras isn’t as rigorously researched as I would have liked, leaving the reader a little unsure as to the accuracy of everything the book claims.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
On the final day of July, I managed to squeeze in one last book: the follow-up to Live and Let Die, Moonraker by Ian Fleming.
I'm really enjoying this series, with their grittier, more human Bond than the films usually depict. The writing is utterly absorbing, and I find myself thinking about the stories long after reading them. I'm also enjoying seeing the similarities (and the many differences!) to the films. If it wasn't for the sexism that I just can't quite fully get past, Moonraker would be a five-star read for me. Diamonds are Forever next!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My first read in July was This One Sky Day, which was longlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
I really loved This One Sky Day, which never outstayed its welcome despite its (slightly off-putting) length. I really loved the conceit at the heart of this fantasy (that people have magical abilities, or cors), and I loved how simple yet imaginative the world-building was. I loved the character-building, the way Leone Ross incorporated real-life ideas and myths into the story, and the clarity of her writing throughout. So don't be put off if, like me, you're not generally a fantasy reader! This is a book I can highly recommend.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, which I picked up on a whim, after reading about it in Plain Bad Heroines.
I didn’t realise, but this edition actually contains four short stories, the first and longest of which is Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I love Truman Capote’s writing (in all of these stories, and in the only other book of his I have read, In Cold Blood), which feels deceptively simple. There is just something about the way he writes that made me want to keep reading, and I particularly like the economy of his writing. I enjoyed all of these stories, and I particularly liked the sense of place in them. I'm glad to have ticked another 'classic' off the list, and I would welcome any more Truman Capote recommendations.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was another Women's Prize nominee, this one from the shortlist: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.
The Island of Missing Trees is a lovely story, and the 'Reader's Note' at the end testifies to the time and care Elif Shafak has devoted to researching her topic. This is the first book I have read from Shafak, and I was impressed with how assured, yet playful, her writing was. I particularly liked the way she wrote about Cyprus, and its war-torn history, in a way which was detailed and specific, yet clear and engaging. The Island of Missing Trees was a book I liked rather than loved, but I think I might have to catch up with Shafak's backlist.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
After this came Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming, the second in his 007 series.
I really enjoyed Live and Let Die. It was interesting to see the differences between the film and the book, and I especially enjoyed seeing where other Bond films had borrowed from this book. I really like Ian Fleming's Bond, and, as in Casino Royale, I was pleasantly surprised by how human he felt. I found this book more believable, and therefore more intense, than the film adaptation. Between Fleming's talent for writing about place and his cinematic language, I can see why these books make such good films. Although I didn't personally find the racism and misogyny too off-putting, they did stop Live and Let Die being a five-star read for me. I am definitely adding Moonraker to my to-read list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The next book I read in July was one from the backlog: Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor.
Lean Fall Stand opens with an expedition to Antarctica that has gone wrong. I absolutely loved this section, and found the sudden shift to the second section difficult to get into. Although I liked the way McGregor writes about stroke patients' rehabilitation, I was a little disappointed that the book didn't end up being about the Antarctic. I was impressed with how McGregor represents language (although I found some of the longer passages a little tiresome), and I liked the subtleties in McGregor's characterisation. Lean Fall Stand is the first book I have read by Jon McGregor, but I doubt it will be my last.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was The Honjin Murders, a 'classic' Japanese locked-room mystery, by Seishi Yokomizo (translated by Louise Heal Kawai).
I enjoyed The Honjin Murders, and I appreciated that it was short and captivating enough that I read it in one sitting. However, I found the style of narration a little slow, since the conceit is that the story is told some time after the event, and the narrator often talks the reader through the telling of the story. I also found the explanation a little complicated. But I always enjoy a story about a dysfunctional family, and I liked the characterisation throughout The Honjin Murders. I won’t be rushing to read the rest of the series, but I am intrigued by its detective…
⭐⭐⭐
I picked up a new release next: Ghost Lover, a collection of short stories by Lisa Taddeo.
The stories in Ghost Lover felt familiar to me. I feel like I've read other books written in a similar style and exploring similar themes, including Taddeo's previous Animal. The wildness, even brutality, of these short stories should have made them feel unique, but I think they will end up being (for me) quite forgettable. I enjoyed these stories to an extent, but they ultimately left me feeling a little flat. Ghost Lover didn't quite work for me, and I found myself put-off by some of the language, which felt unnecessarily offensive.
⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was the much-hyped The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
The Thursday Murder Club is a classic ‘cosy crime’ novel: a light-hearted, absurdly unrealistic, and very funny mystery. I love the concept of this book, which is set in a luxury retirement village, and I never got tired of the comedy this led to. The main characters are interesting, and while the ending is perhaps a little spun-out, I did enjoy the way it kept you guessing until the very end. The whole situation is of course absurdly unrealistic, but that’s all part of the fun, and I enjoyed the everyday touches of realism. The Thursday Murder Club didn’t grip me from the first page, but by the end I couldn’t put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I finally read Hamnet, the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction winner, by Maggie O'Farrell in July.
I wasn't sure Hamnet would work for me, but it really did. Maggie O'Farrell's skill as a writer is evident, as she constructs a story that manages to be tense and utterly heart-rending, despite the outcome already being known. This is obviously a work of fiction, and needs to be read as such, but I think Hamnet does a superb job of capturing the time and place of its story. I don't believe in reading too much of an artist's life into their work, and I thought Hamnet did a great job of creating an interesting story in its own right, which has been inspired by, and is interested in, Shakespeare ... right up until the ending.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (translated by Anton Hur), which was shortlisted for this year's International Booker Prize.
What a strange book. I didn’t know what to expect from Cursed Bunny, and the first story took me by surprise with its blunt language and fantasy imagery. These short stories range in tone from the contemporary to the fairytale, but they all share a penchant for darkness. You never quite know where the story is going to go next, but the writing always feels confident and controlled. I didn’t love all the stories in Cursed Bunny equally, but I did enjoy them all, and I was repeatedly struck by their creativity and ingenuity. An author to watch.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras: Lost Stories of the Amazing Women of the North by Kate Fox, my first read from the Harper North imprint.
What made Where There's Muck, There's Bra's, for me, was the author’s voice. Kate Fox has made this book personal and funny, and I really enjoyed reading it. I really liked the way this book was laid out, giving the reader little bits of information about lots of different women, and grouping women together in interesting and logical ways. The only downside is that Where There’s Muck, There’s Bras isn’t as rigorously researched as I would have liked, leaving the reader a little unsure as to the accuracy of everything the book claims.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
On the final day of July, I managed to squeeze in one last book: the follow-up to Live and Let Die, Moonraker by Ian Fleming.
I'm really enjoying this series, with their grittier, more human Bond than the films usually depict. The writing is utterly absorbing, and I find myself thinking about the stories long after reading them. I'm also enjoying seeing the similarities (and the many differences!) to the films. If it wasn't for the sexism that I just can't quite fully get past, Moonraker would be a five-star read for me. Diamonds are Forever next!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
July 1, 2022
June in Books
I read 11 books in June, and I'm pretty pleased with my choices! Read on to discover what they were...
In my ongoing quest to read more classics, the first book I read in June was The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
The Maltese Falcon was an utterly absorbing read, in its page-turning twists and its cinematic writing. Although I can never fully get past the way it talks about women, I have a soft spot for the hard-boiled detective genre, and this one didn’t disappoint. The merits of The Maltese Falcon don’t just lie in its ‘classic’ status; I loved the way this mystery unravelled, and I loved the character of Sam Spade. This is a book that I didn’t want to put down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up was The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, which was shortlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
The Sentence was almost a five-star read for me. I was hooked from the first page, by the beautiful writing style and the unusual story. I wasn't expecting the story to be so contemporary, and I'm not sure it always worked; The Sentence covers a lot of ground without quite, for me, bringing everything together. But I'm not at all surprised that it made the Women's Prize shortlist. Definitely a book for book lovers.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller was my next read, which made the longlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction.
I really enjoyed The Paper Palace, a page-turning read about a dysfunctional family and their summers on the cape. I particularly enjoyed the characterisation, and was impressed by how well the book’s structure (something which often lets down a good story, for me) worked. This book does, however, feature storylines of sexual abuse, which always leave me a little uncomfortable, especially in a page-turning read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last of my Jubilee bank holiday reading was Omeros by Derek Walcott, which had been on my to-read list for too long.
I found Omeros a difficult read, but, the more I read, the more sense it made to me. I have no doubt that there is a lot I missed - this is definitely a poem that would reward close reading - but I'm a firm believer in not having to understand everything you read. There is so much going on in this poem to think about, and the language is absolutely stunning. I am so glad that I have finally read this one, and I have no doubt that I'll return to it one day.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Timecode of a Face by Ruth Ozeki, who has won this year's Women's Prize for Fiction with The Book of Form and Emptiness (which is on my to-read list).
Timecode of a Face has a brilliant premise, as Ozeki challenges herself to spend three hours gazing into her own reflection. This book alternates between timecoded observations and thoughts from during the three hours, and personal essays inspired by the experiment. This book, short enough to be read in one sitting, has a really tight focus, which I think the best essay collections should have. And this is one of the best essay collections I have read. It is incredibly well written.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was The Martian by Andy Weir, which I'd been meaning to read ever since I saw (and enjoyed) the film.
The Martian is a real page-turner, which I was eager to get back to as soon as I'd put it down. The plot is essentially a litany of problems for the characters (mainly the protagonist) to solve, and I loved it. Some of the scientific details washed over me a little, but they didn't feel out of place in the story. I love the way the book shifts perspectives, and I really enjoyed the balance of humour and emotion. I knew how this book ended, but I still found myself invested in the story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I picked Howards End by E.M. Forster as my next classic read, partly because I also wanted to watch the film adaptation.
I found Howards End an unusual book. The narrator is external to the story, but has quite a dominant voice, which I found a little distracting. It took me a while to get into the story, and although I did eventually, I continued to be a little put off by the writing style. I also found the characters quite odd, and often felt like, despite having been told so much about them, I didn’t really know them.
⭐⭐⭐
After this came another classic with a film adaptation I wanted to watch: Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith.
It pains me to only give three stars to Strangers on a Train, but as much as I love the premise, I found the story a little slow. The tension should have been high for most of the book, but I found it a little lacking, especially in the ending. It also turned out to be one of those books where I get frustrated with the actions of the protagonist, which didn’t always make sense to me.
⭐⭐⭐
Up next was an author I'd been meaning to read for too long: Jean Rhys and Wide Sargasso Sea.
As a lover of Jane Eyre, I love that Rhys took it upon herself to tell the story of the first Mrs Rochester, and Wide Sargasso Sea does a fantastic job of playing with the idea that every story has two sides. I particularly loved the sense of place in this book, especially because it’s something that I associate with the gothic genre. Definitely a book I can see myself revisiting, and definitely an author I’d like to read more from.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Despite my disappointment with Howards End, I turned to another book by E.M. Forster next: Maurice.
I really enjoyed Maurice, and was repeatedly struck by the way E.M. Forster expressed certain moments and concepts. I found it a much more engaging read than Howards End, perhaps partly on account of the directness of its protagonist. I also enjoyed reading the author's terminal note, which only served to increase the impact the book had on me. In the terminal note, Forster expressed his opinion that Maurice is of its time, and although that is true in a literal sense, I think the story has a timelessness to it, like all the best novels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I followed this one with another read appropriate for Pride Month: Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth.
Plain Bad Heroines is one of those books which plays which form and genre, and tells a story within a story (within a story). The layered stories are all incredibly interesting, as well as being funny and clever, and just the right amount of creepy. I loved the cinematic writing style, which helped this brilliantly imaginative story to completely absorb me. This book is on the long side, but the more I read, the better it got.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In my ongoing quest to read more classics, the first book I read in June was The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
The Maltese Falcon was an utterly absorbing read, in its page-turning twists and its cinematic writing. Although I can never fully get past the way it talks about women, I have a soft spot for the hard-boiled detective genre, and this one didn’t disappoint. The merits of The Maltese Falcon don’t just lie in its ‘classic’ status; I loved the way this mystery unravelled, and I loved the character of Sam Spade. This is a book that I didn’t want to put down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up was The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, which was shortlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
The Sentence was almost a five-star read for me. I was hooked from the first page, by the beautiful writing style and the unusual story. I wasn't expecting the story to be so contemporary, and I'm not sure it always worked; The Sentence covers a lot of ground without quite, for me, bringing everything together. But I'm not at all surprised that it made the Women's Prize shortlist. Definitely a book for book lovers.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller was my next read, which made the longlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction.
I really enjoyed The Paper Palace, a page-turning read about a dysfunctional family and their summers on the cape. I particularly enjoyed the characterisation, and was impressed by how well the book’s structure (something which often lets down a good story, for me) worked. This book does, however, feature storylines of sexual abuse, which always leave me a little uncomfortable, especially in a page-turning read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last of my Jubilee bank holiday reading was Omeros by Derek Walcott, which had been on my to-read list for too long.
I found Omeros a difficult read, but, the more I read, the more sense it made to me. I have no doubt that there is a lot I missed - this is definitely a poem that would reward close reading - but I'm a firm believer in not having to understand everything you read. There is so much going on in this poem to think about, and the language is absolutely stunning. I am so glad that I have finally read this one, and I have no doubt that I'll return to it one day.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Timecode of a Face by Ruth Ozeki, who has won this year's Women's Prize for Fiction with The Book of Form and Emptiness (which is on my to-read list).
Timecode of a Face has a brilliant premise, as Ozeki challenges herself to spend three hours gazing into her own reflection. This book alternates between timecoded observations and thoughts from during the three hours, and personal essays inspired by the experiment. This book, short enough to be read in one sitting, has a really tight focus, which I think the best essay collections should have. And this is one of the best essay collections I have read. It is incredibly well written.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next pick was The Martian by Andy Weir, which I'd been meaning to read ever since I saw (and enjoyed) the film.
The Martian is a real page-turner, which I was eager to get back to as soon as I'd put it down. The plot is essentially a litany of problems for the characters (mainly the protagonist) to solve, and I loved it. Some of the scientific details washed over me a little, but they didn't feel out of place in the story. I love the way the book shifts perspectives, and I really enjoyed the balance of humour and emotion. I knew how this book ended, but I still found myself invested in the story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I picked Howards End by E.M. Forster as my next classic read, partly because I also wanted to watch the film adaptation.
I found Howards End an unusual book. The narrator is external to the story, but has quite a dominant voice, which I found a little distracting. It took me a while to get into the story, and although I did eventually, I continued to be a little put off by the writing style. I also found the characters quite odd, and often felt like, despite having been told so much about them, I didn’t really know them.
⭐⭐⭐
After this came another classic with a film adaptation I wanted to watch: Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith.
It pains me to only give three stars to Strangers on a Train, but as much as I love the premise, I found the story a little slow. The tension should have been high for most of the book, but I found it a little lacking, especially in the ending. It also turned out to be one of those books where I get frustrated with the actions of the protagonist, which didn’t always make sense to me.
⭐⭐⭐
Up next was an author I'd been meaning to read for too long: Jean Rhys and Wide Sargasso Sea.
As a lover of Jane Eyre, I love that Rhys took it upon herself to tell the story of the first Mrs Rochester, and Wide Sargasso Sea does a fantastic job of playing with the idea that every story has two sides. I particularly loved the sense of place in this book, especially because it’s something that I associate with the gothic genre. Definitely a book I can see myself revisiting, and definitely an author I’d like to read more from.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Despite my disappointment with Howards End, I turned to another book by E.M. Forster next: Maurice.
I really enjoyed Maurice, and was repeatedly struck by the way E.M. Forster expressed certain moments and concepts. I found it a much more engaging read than Howards End, perhaps partly on account of the directness of its protagonist. I also enjoyed reading the author's terminal note, which only served to increase the impact the book had on me. In the terminal note, Forster expressed his opinion that Maurice is of its time, and although that is true in a literal sense, I think the story has a timelessness to it, like all the best novels.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I followed this one with another read appropriate for Pride Month: Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth.
Plain Bad Heroines is one of those books which plays which form and genre, and tells a story within a story (within a story). The layered stories are all incredibly interesting, as well as being funny and clever, and just the right amount of creepy. I loved the cinematic writing style, which helped this brilliantly imaginative story to completely absorb me. This book is on the long side, but the more I read, the better it got.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 1, 2022
May in Books
I read 10 books in May: three 5⭐ reads, six 4⭐ reads, and one 3⭐ read, so a pretty good month! I indulged in two rereads, but I enjoyed them too much to have any regrets, and everything else was a good mix of new releases and books which had been on my to-read list for too long. I'd recommend everything on this list, but my personal favourite was Piranesi, which won last year's Women's Prize for Fiction (and I can see why).
The first book I read in May was the timely Reputation by Sarah Vaughan.
Like Little Disasters, the book which introduced me to Sarah Vaughan, Reputation is a compulsively readable thriller that has something to say as well as a story to tell. This is a real page-turner that also deals with some incredibly pertinent issues. Sarah Vaughan keeps the tension high throughout, but resists stringing the reader along too much, and keeps the reader guessing without resorting to improbable twists. Fans of legal thrillers will relish the courtroom scenes. Anatomy of a Scandal is going straight on my TBR list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next was one from the backlog, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which won last year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
Piranesi is such a refreshing read, different from anything else I’ve read, but without being difficult to follow. It’s an incredibly engaging story, set in a delightful location and peppered with questions about the reliability of our narrator. I really loved this story and the way it was written, and, having been put off Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by its length, I was pleased to discover that Piranesi is just the right number of pages. Highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, which was left over on my TBR from last year.
The language and brevity of Open Water meant reading it felt almost akin to reading a collection of poetry. I loved the way Caleb Azumah Nelson tells the love story at the heart of this book, a story that felt familiar told in a way that felt fresh. The book's experimental language didn't always work for me, but Open Water was too short a read for me to grow tired of it. This is a really powerful story, that feels like nothing I have read before, and I really loved the 'open water' metaphor which lends the book its title. I'm excited to see what Azumah Nelson writes next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Despite my ever-growing TBR, I decided to indulge in a reread of Normal People by Sally Rooney.
Normal People was every bit as good as I'd remembered. It's a fresh and interesting love story/coming-of-age story that's compulsively readable. I particularly love the class divisions that become unavoidable when the protagonists go to university, and Connell's realisation that money lets you see so much more of the world. I also love the way this story is told, jumping forward in little leaps.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up was The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex, a book which I'd only heard good things about.
The concept for The Lamplighters is brilliant, and I like the way the author plays around with different ideas for what might have happened, never entirely closing any of them down. But the execution didn’t quite work for me. Considering this isn’t a very long book, I could feel the author dragging out the story. And, considering the potential in this story for atmosphere and suspense, I found the telling of it a little flat.
⭐⭐⭐
In search of something a little more mysterious, I picked up The Premonitions Bureau: A True Story by Sam Knight.
I really loved Sam Knight's style of writing, and I think The Premonitions Bureau does an excellent job of toeing the line between fact and fiction. This fascinating novel almost feels like a fictional story pretending to be a book based on a true story. What could be more fitting for a book about the supernatural, and about a history almost too bizarre to be believed? The Premonitions Bureau is one of the most unusual books I have read, and I absolutely loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston) came next, as a promising accompaniment to a sunny weekend.
The Rabbit Factor is a memorable and page-turning read - part mystery, part thriller, part something else entirely - perfect for anyone looking for something a little different. I loved the adventure park setting, and the quirky cast of characters. I also loved the style of writing, which had me hooked from the start, and made me feel as if I was experiencing the story for myself. I definitely need to read more books from Orenda!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was The Khan by Saima Mir, another Jhalak Prize nominee, and Waterstones' thriller of the month.
The Khan came close to being a five-star read for me. I really liked the writing style, detailed without becoming verbose, holding something back without dragging out the story, and I loved the cultural and religious details of the characters' world. This is an immersive story, and I particularly liked how visceral the protagonist's anger is by the end. Saima Mir has created a fantastic protagonist, and I love how she treads the line between tradition and progression.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was another reread, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
It turns out that (re)watching and then (re)reading Murder on the Orient Express is the perfect way to spend a Friday evening. I loved revisiting this novel with the characters from the film still so clearly in my mind.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in May was How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, a title I simply couldn't resist.
This book lives up to its title. How to Kill Your Family is a funny, interesting, and page-turning read. The premise is brilliant, and while I can’t say I liked the protagonist, I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say for herself. I loved all the little details embedded in the story, although I found the ending a little disappointing. Recommended for anyone looking for a book they can’t put down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in May? And what do you think of the books I chose?
The first book I read in May was the timely Reputation by Sarah Vaughan.
Like Little Disasters, the book which introduced me to Sarah Vaughan, Reputation is a compulsively readable thriller that has something to say as well as a story to tell. This is a real page-turner that also deals with some incredibly pertinent issues. Sarah Vaughan keeps the tension high throughout, but resists stringing the reader along too much, and keeps the reader guessing without resorting to improbable twists. Fans of legal thrillers will relish the courtroom scenes. Anatomy of a Scandal is going straight on my TBR list.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next was one from the backlog, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which won last year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
Piranesi is such a refreshing read, different from anything else I’ve read, but without being difficult to follow. It’s an incredibly engaging story, set in a delightful location and peppered with questions about the reliability of our narrator. I really loved this story and the way it was written, and, having been put off Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by its length, I was pleased to discover that Piranesi is just the right number of pages. Highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, which was left over on my TBR from last year.
The language and brevity of Open Water meant reading it felt almost akin to reading a collection of poetry. I loved the way Caleb Azumah Nelson tells the love story at the heart of this book, a story that felt familiar told in a way that felt fresh. The book's experimental language didn't always work for me, but Open Water was too short a read for me to grow tired of it. This is a really powerful story, that feels like nothing I have read before, and I really loved the 'open water' metaphor which lends the book its title. I'm excited to see what Azumah Nelson writes next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Despite my ever-growing TBR, I decided to indulge in a reread of Normal People by Sally Rooney.
Normal People was every bit as good as I'd remembered. It's a fresh and interesting love story/coming-of-age story that's compulsively readable. I particularly love the class divisions that become unavoidable when the protagonists go to university, and Connell's realisation that money lets you see so much more of the world. I also love the way this story is told, jumping forward in little leaps.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up was The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex, a book which I'd only heard good things about.
The concept for The Lamplighters is brilliant, and I like the way the author plays around with different ideas for what might have happened, never entirely closing any of them down. But the execution didn’t quite work for me. Considering this isn’t a very long book, I could feel the author dragging out the story. And, considering the potential in this story for atmosphere and suspense, I found the telling of it a little flat.
⭐⭐⭐
In search of something a little more mysterious, I picked up The Premonitions Bureau: A True Story by Sam Knight.
I really loved Sam Knight's style of writing, and I think The Premonitions Bureau does an excellent job of toeing the line between fact and fiction. This fascinating novel almost feels like a fictional story pretending to be a book based on a true story. What could be more fitting for a book about the supernatural, and about a history almost too bizarre to be believed? The Premonitions Bureau is one of the most unusual books I have read, and I absolutely loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen (translated by David Hackston) came next, as a promising accompaniment to a sunny weekend.
The Rabbit Factor is a memorable and page-turning read - part mystery, part thriller, part something else entirely - perfect for anyone looking for something a little different. I loved the adventure park setting, and the quirky cast of characters. I also loved the style of writing, which had me hooked from the start, and made me feel as if I was experiencing the story for myself. I definitely need to read more books from Orenda!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My next read was The Khan by Saima Mir, another Jhalak Prize nominee, and Waterstones' thriller of the month.
The Khan came close to being a five-star read for me. I really liked the writing style, detailed without becoming verbose, holding something back without dragging out the story, and I loved the cultural and religious details of the characters' world. This is an immersive story, and I particularly liked how visceral the protagonist's anger is by the end. Saima Mir has created a fantastic protagonist, and I love how she treads the line between tradition and progression.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was another reread, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.
It turns out that (re)watching and then (re)reading Murder on the Orient Express is the perfect way to spend a Friday evening. I loved revisiting this novel with the characters from the film still so clearly in my mind.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last book I read in May was How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, a title I simply couldn't resist.
This book lives up to its title. How to Kill Your Family is a funny, interesting, and page-turning read. The premise is brilliant, and while I can’t say I liked the protagonist, I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say for herself. I loved all the little details embedded in the story, although I found the ending a little disappointing. Recommended for anyone looking for a book they can’t put down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
What did you read in May? And what do you think of the books I chose?
May 1, 2022
April in Books
The first book I read in April was Salt Lick by Lulu Allison, which has been nominated for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction.
Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I generally find this kind of near-future, dystopian fiction pretty overdone, and usually quite depressing, and Salt Lick was no exception. I felt like very little happened in this book, and the overly expressive writing style dragged the story out for far too long. By the time I reached the end, I just wanted it to be over.
⭐⭐
Up next was another Women's Prize for Fiction nominee, The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini.
I read The Bread the Devil Knead in one sitting, reading past my usual bedtime, and if that isn't the sign of a good book then I don't know what is. Lisa Allen-Agostini tells her protagonist's story of daily life and past trauma with candour and sensitivity, but this book takes the reader to some dark places so it won't be for everyone. I loved the way she evokes the book's Trinidad and Tobago setting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which I read next, was shortlisted for this year's Rathbones Folio Prize, and had been on my TBR list for too long.
Small Things Like These is a very short read, although I like where the story ends. I liked the sense of time and place which Small Things Like These evokes, but not much happens in this story, a point which is emphasised by a rather heavy-handed writing style. Perhaps I would have liked this one more as part of a collection.
⭐⭐⭐
After this novella came a collection of poetry, A Blood Condition by Kayo Chingonyi, which has been longlisted for this year's Jhalak Prize.
A Blood Condition is the kind of poetry collection that makes you wonder why you don't read more poetry. This is such a wonderfully connected collection, in which you can admire the curation of the whole as well as the composition of individual poems. I loved the rhythm of Kayo Chingonyi's writing, which made reading A Blood Condition such an pleasurable experience. An impressive, moving, and highly readable collection.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Keeping the House by Tice Cin, which has made the Jhalak Prize shortlist.
Keeping the House offers the reader a visceral slice of life, but it’s a tough read which jumps between characters, places, and timelines. I enjoyed the snatches of poetry, and the way Tice Cin wrote about violence so as not to linger on unnecessary details. I just wish there had been a clearer message or arc, to bring a little more cohesion to this ambitious story.
⭐⭐⭐
The only thing better than a long train journey is a long book, so when I had a few days away in April, for a family wedding, I read The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn.
Since Zadie Smith's introduction, to this collection of all five novels in the Patrick Melrose series, is a far better review than I could ever hope to write, I will simply say that I have found a new favourite. The TV adaptation, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is also well worth a watch.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The final book I read in April was Good Intentions by Kasim Ali.
Good Intentions was such an easy read, based around a simple concept that grabbed my attention from the very start, and made me want to keep reading until the end. I really enjoyed the way Kasim Ali uses such a simple plot to explore so many interesting and complex ideas, in a judgement-free way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I generally find this kind of near-future, dystopian fiction pretty overdone, and usually quite depressing, and Salt Lick was no exception. I felt like very little happened in this book, and the overly expressive writing style dragged the story out for far too long. By the time I reached the end, I just wanted it to be over.
⭐⭐
Up next was another Women's Prize for Fiction nominee, The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini.
I read The Bread the Devil Knead in one sitting, reading past my usual bedtime, and if that isn't the sign of a good book then I don't know what is. Lisa Allen-Agostini tells her protagonist's story of daily life and past trauma with candour and sensitivity, but this book takes the reader to some dark places so it won't be for everyone. I loved the way she evokes the book's Trinidad and Tobago setting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which I read next, was shortlisted for this year's Rathbones Folio Prize, and had been on my TBR list for too long.
Small Things Like These is a very short read, although I like where the story ends. I liked the sense of time and place which Small Things Like These evokes, but not much happens in this story, a point which is emphasised by a rather heavy-handed writing style. Perhaps I would have liked this one more as part of a collection.
⭐⭐⭐
After this novella came a collection of poetry, A Blood Condition by Kayo Chingonyi, which has been longlisted for this year's Jhalak Prize.
A Blood Condition is the kind of poetry collection that makes you wonder why you don't read more poetry. This is such a wonderfully connected collection, in which you can admire the curation of the whole as well as the composition of individual poems. I loved the rhythm of Kayo Chingonyi's writing, which made reading A Blood Condition such an pleasurable experience. An impressive, moving, and highly readable collection.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Up next was Keeping the House by Tice Cin, which has made the Jhalak Prize shortlist.
Keeping the House offers the reader a visceral slice of life, but it’s a tough read which jumps between characters, places, and timelines. I enjoyed the snatches of poetry, and the way Tice Cin wrote about violence so as not to linger on unnecessary details. I just wish there had been a clearer message or arc, to bring a little more cohesion to this ambitious story.
⭐⭐⭐
The only thing better than a long train journey is a long book, so when I had a few days away in April, for a family wedding, I read The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn.
Since Zadie Smith's introduction, to this collection of all five novels in the Patrick Melrose series, is a far better review than I could ever hope to write, I will simply say that I have found a new favourite. The TV adaptation, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, is also well worth a watch.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The final book I read in April was Good Intentions by Kasim Ali.
Good Intentions was such an easy read, based around a simple concept that grabbed my attention from the very start, and made me want to keep reading until the end. I really enjoyed the way Kasim Ali uses such a simple plot to explore so many interesting and complex ideas, in a judgement-free way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
