It’s been an amazing reading month. So many great books which have really drawn me in. Here they are :-
T M Logan- The Catch- This is a really good psychological thriller. Ed meet’s his daughter’s latest boyfriend and his instincts tell him that Ryan is bad news. Then his daughter announces that they are getting married and Ed knows he has to uncover Ryan’s secrets and fast. A real page turner. Found a random piece of paper on the coffee table with this book’s title scrawled on it.. I’d seen it on TV and made a note of the book. Well, well!
Margareta Magnusson- Dostadning-the gentle art of Swedish death cleaning. When my step mother died my Dad did nothing with her possessions other than fill in her last tax return. My step brother, our spouses and I had to do the whole house. Mostly I did it, Barry was good at burning papers and Mr E rescued tools etc to bring home with us.. Mr E’s way of moving house was to bring everything he could persuade the removal men to squeeze into the van and put in the double garage. This is not fair on the people who will eventually have to clear out the stuff. And for the last 22 months I have been death clearing my Dad’s, my Mum’s ( fair do to my brother he made almost too good a fist of dealing with Mum’s possessions for which I am eternally grateful) and Mr E’s possessions. I am also determined not to leave a stuff legacy of my belongings to my sons. Hence my aim this year to Divest myself of stuff. It’s not easy as I have angst over it in my posts. I borrowed this book for help and ideas. Turns out I have worked out for myself everything she has beautifully written about. The main thing I am taking away from it , is the need to keep going, gradually letting go of more and more things. Photos and letters will be the last to go.. But all those electronic components, wires and things I have no idea what they are can go. And clothes.. Just because something doesn’t have holes or rips in it doesn’t mean I should keep them. Glad I read the book if only to confirm I am on the right track.
Ann Patchett- The Dutch House – I chose this book pretty randomly from the library. I’d heard of the author and the cover caught my attention, plus a house was in the title. I really enjoyed this book. Beautifully written, I could picture some of the areas in New York and some of the plot resonated with my life experience … All of which enhances my likely enjoyment of a novel. Briefly, Danny and his sister live in the Dutch House with their Dad. Their mother is absent and their father rather distant. Then Andrea is introduced to them by the father and everything changes. Over the years they return to sit outside the house and try to make sense of what happened. It’s described as a ” story of family, betrayal, love, responsibility and sacrifice”. I shall be reading more of this author for sure.
Stephanie Butland- Lost for Words- This was a lovely can’t put you down book. Set in a bookshop in York, with scenes in Whitby, and call outs to Ripon, Bridlington, Pickering and Malton – I was home! Not only books but poetry too. And a mystery. I mean what’s not to like ?
Grace McCleen- The Offering- oh this one is also a real page turner. It came recommended by a friend whose taste I trust. From the back cover.. Madeline and her parents move to an island, as her father believes he has been guided by God. Here she revels in the beauty of her surroundings. The family is alternatively euphoric or reeling from disasters. On the eve of her 14th birthday Madeline does something to save her beloved mother. Something so traumatic her mind blocks it out, until a new psychiatrist helps her unlock her memory , but he is on dangerous ground.
Julian Fellows- Belgravia. This from my TBR list. Set in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign , a tale of the going’s on amongst the aristocracy and up and coming trades and business class.The style of writing struck me as a bit odd at first. It felt to me like he was setting in the scene and creating a script for a film, then either I got over myself or the plot gathered pace and I was hooked. Stand by for a story of secrets and scandals, a culture clash between the upper and business classes and a love story or two. Thoroughly enjoyable. I gather it did become a TV drama but that had passed me by.
Esme Young- Behind the Seams- Generally speaking I don’t like autobiographies. Here’s an exception, I loved it. It reads as if you are having a cosy chat to someone about their life. There’s no “look at me I am so great” about it. Esme is best known as a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee. She is also a lecturer, an excellent seamstress, pattern cutter, costume maker and part of a former clothing company Swanky Modes. She starts by describing her childhood and terrific relationship with her siblings, before moving onto her London life in the 60’s with lots of nightlife, parties and gigs. Yes she did sit on a window ledge with David Bowie and has made costumes for films, but name dropping is kept really low key. She sounds great fun, lives life to the full even now when she’s past normal retirement age, and is a real inspiration.
Caitlin Doughty- Smoke gets in your eyes , and other lessons from the Crematorium. The author tells you how it is. Her writing style is entertaining yet spares no punches. She lifts the lid on the funeral business (it is American, and in the UK things are done slightly differently) but raises how she believes Western culture has distanced itself from death. She traces how this has occured, and how different cultures treat their family members in death. If you are squeamish this book won’t be for you. I also warn you that the chapter entitled Demon Babies maybe upsetting. However, it will make you stop and think about your attitude to death, and what you would like for yourself. My belief is that if we avoid talking about death we just make life harder for ourselves and our family.
Rebecca F. Kuang- Yellowface. I am firmly in the loved it camp! The author describes her book thus- “A horror story about loneliness in a fiercely competitive industry”. And from the front cover – Athena is a literary darling but when she dies in a freak accident, her friend June, a wannabe literary star , seizes an opportunity to steal the first draft of Athena’s next novel , make it her own and publishes under her name to great success. But success is not what she thought it would be, as it comes tinged with the fear of being found out and shamed as a thief. I couldn’t put it down and as there’s a large waiting list for a copy I felt totally justified in neglecting little things like cleaning, and just reading it right through.
So that is my rather impressive list of books for July. Have you read any of them, what did you think?
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