July saw heatwaves and the grass court tennis season. One encouraged my reading, the other placed obstacles! But I've enjoyed a month of books that I had no expectations of bar one, perhaps.
Let's start with the bar one - Richard Osman's We Solve Murders. This was a departure from the Thursday Murder Club format but the style was very similar. Cosy crime and entertaining. A new set of Osman characters and the stage is set for another series.
Next was a book that was lent to me by a dear friend dealing with bereavement. The Ones We Wait For by Michael V Ivanov which is a fictional exploration of how it might be to pass over and enter heaven. I can see what a comfort it might be to those struggling with the loss of a loved one.
I continue to ensure that my month includes one library book at the very least. I passionately believe in libraries and I know that if we don't use them we will lose them. I heard this author, Aisling Rawle, talking on JazzFM's Summer Book Club programme about her book The Compound. It piqued my interest and I sought the book out. It's a dystopian story that first reminded me of the Big Brother reality show. I saw on the cover endorsement that someone had described it as 'Love Island meets Lord of the Flies". I've never watched Love Island I'm proud to say!! But I have read Lord of the Flies, I'm proud to say! 😉 I found it to be a compelling book, full of satire and with much to say about reality TV and consumerism.
Next some non fiction by an author I had previously seen as a fiction writer of some substance. Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry. So I wasn't sure what to expect, but...wow. This book is so powerful and moving, with such elegance and dignity.It explores grief and the observation of death in a loved individual and how it affects our understanding of our lives and mortality. I cried.
Wreck by Catherine Newman was wonderful. So funny, there were occasions when I laughed out loud. But for all its wit, it is a serious book. An exploration of family dynamics and what anxiety can do. It looks at an ordinary family who navigate the often extraordinary ups and downs of everyday life. Things that can happen to all of us, illness, ageing etc.
Next was a proof I received from a Penguin book community when their normal reward system failed, and they didn’t want people to miss out. Emma Nanami Strenner’s My Other Heart. A debut novel and what a debut! Two Asian American women searching for their identities and a perceptive exploration of family, friendship, culture, social class. I couldn’t put it down.
I’m always intrigued by why one book is deemed to be better than others. Reading is such a subjective process. I often wonder how the judges of these award committees arrive at their decisions. And so it interests me to read those books that have been awarded these prestigious prizes. And it was curiosity that led me to The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Epistolary novels have always fascinated me ever since I read Jean Webster’s Daddy Long Legs. The Correspondent won the Women’s Prize for fiction this year, and I can see why. It’s masterfully and cleverly constructed. Probably my favorite epistolary novel since We Need to Talk about Kevin.
And finally The Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee. This is another proof from Penguin that I’ve just got around to reading. I’ve not read any of this writer’s work before but I know he’s won awards in the past. This was a fast paced crime/ history story I guess. From what I understand it features a crime, solving duo, Wyndham and Bannerjee who featured in some previous stories. There’s obviously some history between them, but it doesn’t impact on the enjoyment of this tale. I enjoyed the dynamic between them. Two very different people with different personalities in from different cultures. It captured the spirit of an age beautifully. Definitely not cosy crime, though!
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