February Books

These are my favourite reads from February:

Megan Chance - A Splendid Ruin

When May's mother dies in the early years of the twentieth century, she's taken in by her rich San Francisco relatives. May's mother worked hard bringing her up on her own as an unmarried mother. The luxury of the relatives May has never known before is overwhelming. She allows her cousin Daisy to buy her a new wardrobe and introduce her to society, even though it feels uncomfortable at times. But there's something sinister behind all the glitter of society. May can't decide who's on her side - her cousin, her aunt who spends most of the time in a laudanum-induced stupor, or the young men she meets. When her world descends into chaos, she has to rely on her own resilience and strive to regain her own sense of worth, and reach out to those who really can be trusted. A good read.

Becky Chambers - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

When Rosemary joins the crew of a spaceship that specialises in tunnelling wormholes between star systems, it's a culture shock for her. She's from the Earth colony on Mars, but now she finds herself far from home with a group of beings from diverse species. But she's trying to escape her past life, and going on this dangerous and remote assignment seems to be her only chance of a new start. Highly imaginative, the author has created a universe populated with fascinating sentient beings, all with their own cultures, personalities and beliefs. This book was totally engrossing. Although quite long, the different stories and sub-plots unfold seamlessly, ensnaring the reader's attention. The end of the novel came all too soon for me (although everything reached a satisfactory conclusion) - I suspect I'll be tempted to go on to the next one in the series, to enjoy the further adventures of the crew.

​Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go

Kathy, Ruth, Tommy and their friends grew up at Hailsham, a children's home in the English countryside. Now aged thirty one, Kathy looks back on her time there. The reason why they lived at Hailsham became clear to the children as they coped with adolescence, and interacted with the staff. Now this group of children are adults following their appointed purpose. They are still trying to make sense of their lives and relationships, and understand what was so special about Hailsham that made it different to other homes for children like them. An intricate and at times disturbing book, this science fiction story is written with depth, pulling the reader in as we follow Kathy and her friends. It makes us question, what if something like this really could happen, and what is the morality of the situation?

January Books

 

These are my choice books from my January reading:

Kitty Johnson - Five Winters

Veterinary nurse Beth has been in love with her foster brother Mark since they were teenagers. But she's never let on about it, not wanting to spoil the amazing relationship she has with his family, who took her in when she was orphaned. Now she's in her thirties, and Mark has married the beautiful, perfect Grace. Beth stays close to Rosie, Mark's sister, and supports her too through the ups and downs of her relationships. Beth decides it's time to move on and find her fulfilment elsewhere. Over five winters the story unfolds, as she searches for happiness, and her priorities begin to change. Warm, funny, heartbreaking and emotional, this is a brilliant read for the coldest months of the year. 

​Raynor Winn - The Salt Path

This non-fiction book is totally engrossing. The author tells the story of how she and her husband, Moth, end up homeless in their fifties, losing their farm and savings following a bad investment. To make matters worse, Moth has just been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease. Somehow they seem to be falling through all the cracks in the system. Determined not to give up, they embark on a seemingly crazy venture. Spending the last of their money on cheap, lightweight camping gear, they set off to walk the famous Salt Path around the Cornish coast. At times heart-wrenching and shocking, this book is full of vivid descriptions as the two experience hardship, physical trauma and discrimination, as well as the glories and healing power of the natural world, and unexpected kindness of strangers. A moving account, evocatively told.  

Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing

Having read mixed reviews about this book, I hesitated to begin reading. But I wasn't disappointed. I found the setting fascinatingly unfamiliar, the characters far from my world, and the mystery thread satisfying and gripping my attention. Kya grows up in the coastal swamp area of North Carolina, daughter of a man who carries demons from his past, and a woman originally from a genteel background. At the age of six, her mother walks out without a backward glance. Eventually Kya's totally alone, but she grows and learns from the swamp ecology and all of the creatures that inhabit it. But when she's grown up, a local young man is found dead, with no obvious clues to whether it was suicide or murder. Local suspicion falls on Kya, her unconventional lifestyle arousing distrust. As we follow her from childhood to adulthood, and the mystery unfolds, there's beautiful vivid depiction of the landscape and the animals, beautifully poetic language which isn't dull or over-contrived.