When I first started out on this project, I rather naively thought I was being original. Of course I wasn’t and it has since become apparent that not only have others done the same thing, but they have also gone on to write books from the experience. So this month I’ve looked at a couple of those books. The first, Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill, was the result of the author’s decision not to buy books for a year but to read from her existing library. Many of the books she read turned out to be books I have already enjoyed, but I was also able to compile a long list to add to my ‘to read soon’ pile. I was bewildered by a throwaway comment disparaging Khaled Hosseni (author of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and And The Mountains Echoed) but on the whole her choice of books and her commentary on them and on her life as a reader worked well for me. So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson (similar theme of focusing on a year of reading) was less interesting to me because as an American her book experiences were very different from mine. But I enjoyed her writing style and the way in which she wove comments about her life into her discussion of books and authors. I have yet to read The Year of Reading Dangerously: How Fifty Great Books Saved my Life by Andy Miller but it is definitely on my list.
I don’t know whether Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote counts as a short novel or a long story. Either way it seems to me to be a brilliantly crafted piece of writing, with no words wasted, and perfectly located in time and place. My copy has the added benefit of including three short stories. There is an obvious connection between this and my next read To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. The two authors were childhood friends and in fact Lee bases Dill, one of the characters in her book, on Capote. I’ve read To Kill a Mocking Bird before (who of my generation hasn’t?) but was very happy to have the opportunity to re-read when it came up as a book group choice this month. One of my top ten of all time books, it’s a beautifully written portrayal of life in the southern USA during the 1930s depression, told from the point of view of the unforgettable 8 year old Scout, and focusing on a court case in which a white lawyer (Scout’s father Atticus) defends a black man charged with rape. It is of course the 50th anniversary of the book’s publication this year and there is a new edition available for anyone who can’t get hold of one of the original copies. The only other book ever published by this author Go Set A Watchman is about to be released. One more for my list.
My next book – Daughter by Jane Shemilt – was a good read and a fast-paced one. Having once started it, I found it hard to put down. Both a family story and a crime novel, it is narrated by a GP working full time in a pressured job, while trying to be a good mother to her three teenage children, a good wife and at the same time keep her own identity and free up time to indulge her love of painting. It seems inevitable from the beginning that something will go wrong and of course it does. But this is not a predictable story; there are several twists and turns in the plot and I was kept guessing until the end.
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion has been on my pile for some time, having been recommended by my daughters. Another good read. Again I didn’t want to put it down, and I found myself willing the narrator (an undiagnosed Asperger’s sufferer) on to success in his endeavours. It’s funny, insightful and interesting. And yet it left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. I’m not quite sure why, but I think perhaps it’s because the view of autism it portrays is over-simplistic and too generalised. Still well worth reading though, and if you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-time by Mark Haddon, I think you will enjoy this too. There is also a follow-up entitled The Rosie Effect.
© Frances Colville
had arrived at the top of my pile. In fact the book is more about family life and relationships than about travelling, but is none the worse for that. It tells the story of his journey around France in a Passat, which smells strongly of French cheese, with his wife and two young children and is by turns funny, poignant and insightful. A good follow-up to his earlier book Are We Nearly There Yet? – surely a question that every parent has heard far too often.
a thriller set in the immediate aftermath of the First World War, and the first part of a trilogy. I always enjoy his books and I think I’ve read most, if not all, of them. I’d be hard put to it though to distinguish one from the other in retrospect, and I’m fairly sure I’ll have to re-read this one in a year’s time before moving on to the second in the series. But I’d still rate it as an interesting and well-put-together book. And if you haven’t discovered Robert Goddard before, this is a good place to start.
has left me feeling confused. It’s most certainly a very original and well written debut novel, but I find myself at the end with a vague suspicion that it doesn’t work quite as well as it should. I wonder whether others have the same reservations as I do, and whether this dystopian tale of a totalitarian bee-hive really works on levels other than a fairy tale. But highly recommended if you want something different. Good books are supposed to leave you wondering, aren’t they?
. Another debut novel, this is a fascinating mix of history (17th century Amsterdam), intrigue and a coming of age story. A real page-turner. I couldn’t put it down. But yet again I was left feeling dissatisfied. I don’t think all the questions posed were fully answered, and I don’t think the plot quite held together. But perhaps I read it too quickly and missed vital information. I’d better go back for another look. I’ll enjoy doing that!
and no hesitation at all in recommending it. Yet again a debut novel, this one taps into a situation with which more and more of us are becoming familiar – how living with dementia feels, or how you cope with having a relative with dementia. The central character Maud is totally believable and the struggles she faces daily are sympathetically portrayed. And there is an intriguing storyline in here too. Ultimately, despite what you might expect, this is an uplifting and positive book. I loved it.
is a cookery book with a difference. It’s the inspirational story of how one young woman changed her way of eating to enable her to cope with massive health issues, devising a gluten and dairy free plant based diet. It’s a fascinating read from beginning to end – and the recipes I’ve tried so far work well too.
is a deeply romantic and escapist read. It is well-researched and is a book which gives hours of enjoyment.
is a brilliant all-round book which is easy to read and is based on hard evidence and the latest research. It offers a fresh perspective and practical tools. It is a brilliant parenting book which is easy to digest. A good, pragmatic and fun read.
is an escapist, interesting and different read. Engaging and enjoyable. This is the 
is compelling and unforgettable. There are some comparisons with TV serial killer Dexter in this book of a ‘normal’ and likeable serial killer. The book is good and is engaging enough to be read in one sitting. Different and well-written.
(published Simon and Schuster UK 2013). It should have been a good read (interesting storyline about an English nurse working for the resistance in Crete during WW2) but there were some irritating anomalies and frequent failures to capitalise on opportunities for dramatic tension. I was left feeling dissatisfied, though I did learn some fascinating facts about Crete and WW2.
(published Sceptre 2013) and keenly anticipated reading it. But I wasn’t completely convinced by her portrayal of the main character and I found the plot unrealistic in places. However, it is well written; her use of language appealed to me, as did the pace of the book, and there are some excellent descriptive passages. I think I will try another of her books. One more to add to my list.
(published Fourth Estate 2002). This was in fact a re-read for me, but I relished the opportunity to have a fresh look at a book which has long been on my Top Ten List. It’s based on the true story of a Derbyshire village coping with an outbreak of plague in the seventeenth century and is one of those books which is almost unbearable to read, and yet equally you can hardly bear to put it down.
(published Fourth Estate 2014) and I wasn’t disappointed. Each individual story is a compelling read and all are powerful, harrowing, disturbing and haunting. In fact they made me question why I read. Is it for pleasure and relaxation? To learn? To be challenged? Or to appreciate the skill of the writer? In the case of this book, I think it is the latter two. And that is a tribute to Hilary Mantel who is a supremely good writer.
(published Pan Books 2014) Who doesn’t love Mary Berry and the Bake Off programmes? I’m a big fan, and this lighthearted tale of a harassed mother teaching herself with Mary Berry’s help to bake appealed to me. In fact I could have done with a bit more of the baking and a bit less of the rest of the story. It isn’t a book that will stick in my mind for years to come, but it is an enjoyable and relaxing read and I definitely recommend it if that’s the sort of book you’re looking for.
