January reading (2019)

You'll be pleased to hear that  our water supply is reinstated and all toilets are flushed. The rest of the week passed quickly and uneventful. The weather for once is beautiful and the sun is warming my shoulders as I type. I used to write monthly book posts but last year, I was a bit inconsistent, partly because my book posts attract few comments, partly because it takes a little effort to remember all those books. After a bit of soul-searching I decided that the book posts are important for me, and if anyone else takes pleasure in my mediocre book reviews, that is an added bonus. I keep track of what I read on Goodreads (come and find me there). I have in the past re-read books only to find them vaguely familiar!

I 'll start today with my favourite book last year. It was Circe by Madeline Miller. I simply loved the tale of this Greek nymph told by herself. I know it is fictional, as are of course the Greek Myths but in my mind, I am much happier with Circe's more feminist version of herself. Madeline Miller's writing is superb and I have since also read The Song of Achilles and Galatea. The latter is a short story. I loved them both. There seems to be a bit of a trend for Greek myths rewritten, they have popped up on my Goodreads feed.  I am not sure if I want to read them all, I don't want to spoil the Madeline Miller experience. Have you read any of the recent modern takes of the old myths? Let me know what you think.

Other books I enjoyed recently:

The colour of Bee Larkham's murder by Sarah J Harris.  I have a vague feeling that I have mentioned this in a previous blog post. Anyway, I loved this book, which is told by Jasper, a 13 year old with autism, profound face blindness and synesthesia (he sees sounds in colours). I imagine his world very colourful and confusing at once. The story is a murder mystery. The deceased is Bee Larkham, whom I felt was thoroughly unpleasant and manipulative (but she did not deserve die). I was fascinated by Jasper's world and his view of the world, a wonderful insight into the mind of a person who is so utterly different from mine, it is almost unimaginable.

The astonishing colour of after by Emily Pan was a pleasure to read. It is the story of Leigh Chan Sanders who is trying to make sense of her mother's suicide. Leigh is absolutely certain that her mother has turned into a bird and over the course of the story, she is trying to find the bird and reconnect with her mother. She learns a lot about her mother's own story and the tragic events that led to the breakdown of her relationship with her Taiwanese parents. It is not a desperately sad book despite the sombre subject and I am sure you'll enjoy it, too.

These books I didn't enjoy so much:

I finished the Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre in a short time. It is not going to make it into my top ten list, of that I am sure but it was a pleasant enough read. In this book, Helena, author of popular romance novels is faced with a terminal diagnosis of cancer and begins writing a soul cleansing book about her own and very tragic life. She is very prickly, stubborn, unpleasant at times but also very vulnerable and gradually, as the manuscript grows with the help of a ghostwriter, Helena becomes more and more human and likeable. You can read the blurb here. I am not so good summarising books that do not resonate with me.

Nine perfect strangers by Liane Moriarty was my book group read. I found it boring and predictable and I wasn't particularly drawn to any of the people thrown together by their common desire to find peace in a remote retreat hotel. You can read the blurb here here. The books is described as a page turner, and it is in the sense that I turned the pages quickly to get to the end. I previously read The husbands secret, which I didn't enjoy much either. I like to care for characters in a book and in both these books, I couldn't have cared less. The book group discussion was disappointing, too (it barely happened).

I read one non-fiction book in January, Shapeshifters: a journey through the changing human body by Gavin Francis. I love popular medical writing and this book was a gem. Gavin Francis is a gifted storyteller and the stories he tells in this book are worthwhile listening to. There are stories about birth, puberty and death, about laughter, sleeping and experiencing psychosis or undergoing gender transition. If you like non-fiction now and then, this might be a book for you. I also enjoyed one of Gavin Francis' previous books: Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence, and Emperor Penguins, in which he relates a ten months experience as an Antarctic base doctor. 

I am looking forward to my next read: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. What are you reading? 

Thanks for visiting. 

Christina xx