September Wrap up

It seems to be that I average about 7 books a month, this month its 9, but does it matter?  I loathe it when reading becomes a race, a competition. I don't set myself any kind of reading goals. I'm here to enjoy the pursuit and pen a review or two when a publisher has entrusted their books to me, which isn't so often these days but so be it. I'm old and the impression I get from social media is that young is beautiful. Enough.

First up this month was Listen by Michel Faber. (A review is on its way....) Yes, it is Michel Faber of The Crimson Petal and the White fame but hold fire before you hyperventilate with excitement because this is a non fiction book. It's ostensibly about music but it's more to do with the hows and the whys of listening to music. It is very much his personal view and I would warn Spandau Ballet fans that the book might not please them. 😉

A library book next, and the winner of the Waterstone's debut novel prize, Ferdia Lennon's Glorious Exploits. I feel quite smug here because the library didn't have a copy. I thought they should! So they invited me to complete a form making a case for why they should purchase the book for the library. I did. And so did they! It meant that I was the first person to read this library book and for no good reason that pleased me greatly. It's a poignant, bittersweet tale of Syracuse and Euripides and the power of stories. Lampo and Gelon somehow had me thinking Rosencrantz anad Guildenstern, Waiting for Godot with their lopsided friendship. 

After a couple of more intense reads I lightened things up with the latest offering from Ann Cleeves, The Dark Wives. It's a Vera Stanhope mystery and if you've read others in the series you know exactly what to expect and this is no disappointment. My introduction to Vera was via the TV series and when I read I see and hear Brenda Blethyn. It's an example of how sometimes the TV adaptation is the catalyst for a rewarding reading experience. I think I've read all of the Vera books. I've got several of the Shetland series  on my TBR shelf.

I found this book on the 'New Arrivals' shelf in the library when I returned the Ferdia Lennon! Emma Donoghue's Learned by Heart. I've read many of Ms. Donoghue's books but I knew nothing of this. It is a fictional imagining of Anne Lister's (Gentleman Jack) boarding school days and her relationship with Eliza Raine. Absorbing story in the hands of a master story teller. 

The next two books I read were sent to me by Quercus Books. Two novellas by Simon Mason - reviews to follow, I know I've got behind....😞 I loved Mason's previous Wilkins novels, two detectives within the same surname but polar opposites. These little novellas feature The Finder who is a specialist in locating missing persons from cold cases. They may be novellas but they pass as much punch as full length novels. Completely absorbing, quite complex, yet easy to read. 

I don't often do this but I treated myself to a preorder, signed copy of this next book. I prefer my books to be signed face to face somehow but with this author I'll make an exception since the chances of actually meeting her in person is as remote as me winning the Booker Prize! 🤣 The wonderful Elizabeth Strout and Tell Me Everything. I love her style. And I love the fictional world she's created and the character of Lucy Barton. Here Lucy pals up with - Olive Kitteridge! Other characters return and their own narratives intertwine with each other. It's masterful. 

I enjoy reading short stories. I enjoy knowing that I can read a complete story within a shorter space of time. Most of the short story collections I read these days are from the incredible Fly on the Wall Press, a one woman show founded in 2018 by Isabelle Kenyon. She has the knack of selecting authors who have created  unnerving and off kilter fictional landscapes that can range from futuristic dystopian to ethereal fairy tale narratives. This latest collection is Victoria Richard's Sylvia Plath Watches Us Sleep. Stories about grief and dysfunction that are unsettling yet addictive. 

The Edge of Solitude - Katie Hale

 

Against the backdrop of a physical landscape with ice and cold Katie Hale creates a stunning exploration of people who court their desires with flawed ethics and make choices that seem at times almost feral instincts rather than reasoned choices. 

It's a chilling dystopia depicting a future where climate catastrophe is imminent. And Ivy Cunningham, now in her seventies, an environmentalist who has fallen out of favour is recruited for a trip to Antarctica by a millionaire who wants to save the planet . 

The trip becomes a metaphor, in a Heart of Darkness kind of way, for Ivy as she hopes to salvage her reputation and reconnect with her seemingly estranged son.

Parallel to story of the journey to the Antarctic is the story of Ivy's life and relationship with Bree. Poignantly, we learn of how ambition and love can conspire to test the foundations of an intimate rapport. But there is also something of the eco thriller to as Ivy investigates both her fellow passengers and their intentions. 

With a beautifully constructed narrative that is as unsettling as the katabatic storm that engulfs the ship, aptly called The Lone Star, Hale allows us to accompany Ivy on her journey as she fortifies herself with guilt and alcohol. I found it hard to warm to her, in fact I don't think I really engaged with any of the characters except Bree! But that may be intentional. 

It's a cerebral book, there is some action but I feel the author's intent is to get us to think. And from my own perspective she's certainly succeeded in that! With the climate crisis much to the forefront of our news these days, it’s a very pertinent book.

Thanks to Canongate Books for a gifted copy.

The Taylor Swift Activity Book - Nathan Joyce

 

I am not a bona fide Swiftie. At least not yet. I remember buying the Fearless CD for my niece and burning myself a copy. I listened to it and found the countryish twang pleasant and some of the lyrics clever. But it didn’t have me impatient for her next album. Over the years I became familiar with some of her songs like Blank Space, Shake it Off.  But it is only recently that I have begun to listen more intently. That is due in part to several people whose opinions I respect who have lavished praise on her. And the Eras Tour phenomenen that has impacted in the media in recent weeks. (My current favourite song is August from the Folklore album.) And so I was quite interested to receive this activity book. On first reading it seemed that the author was a true, if recent, Swiftie and was possibly indulging his obsession and getting a publication deal to boot! Then I did some research and found that this same writer has produced similar activity books on David Attenborough, Dolly Parton -  two on Dolly - Elton John and Michelle Obama! So his credibility diminished a bit. But I figure and hope that he is producing these books because he truly does admire the subjects. What he does do is understand the nature of fandom and how consuming it can be for devotees.

I think the book is aimed at a relatively young audience, certainly with some of the activities that involve colouring and designing, spot the difference, join the dots etc.  There are some quizzes and word games too. For those not fluent in Swift lore there are facts, quotes  and information a plenty so you leave the book feeling better informed than when you began. And I guess for the experienced Swifties it might satisfy the withdrawal symptoms of the Eras tour being over and fill a gap till the next album maybe. It's fun and could wile away an hour or two. It is unofficial, though, and not endorsed by Taylor Swift, although I’m sure she would think it fun, and there are only drawings, no photos. 

A fact I uncovered, which isn’t in this book I don’t think, is that Taylor Swift is the third cousin, six times removed, of Emily Dickinson. I feel pleased about that and it endears her to me more. I am Enchanted.

My thanks to HQ stories for a gifted copy.