I’ve read some memorable and really enjoyable books in the past year, so I thought I’d share some with you, complete with a mini-library image above. Some I’ve passed on, or taken back to the library, but here’s a quick run through of some I still have to hand. My feeble summaries will in no way do them justice, so I urge you to give them a try if they look like they may tickle your fancy.
I’m lucky enough to have a well stocked local library, so if you have one too, that’s well worth trying out for anything new. My other go-to for second hand books (apart from the usual charity shops) is https://www.worldofbooks.com/ an excellent online source with a huge list of titles, free delivery and a great ethos. It also avoids the dreaded Amazon.
Fiction
Greenvoe – George Mackay Brown: An atmospheric and absorbing fictional account of societal, political and economic change in the fictional village of Greenvoe in the Orkneys.
The Jungle – Upton Sinclair: Set in the meatpacking district of Chicago in the early twentieth century, this is a fact-based fictional account of the horrors of the United States meat industry endured by workers, in particular immigrant families. The impact of the book on publication was so great it led to a swift change in employment and animal welfare reforms by Congress.
The Good People – Hannah Kent: Set in rural Ireland in the first half of the nineteenth century, this book captures the culture of folklore and superstition and their impact on the treatment of a young child with disabilities.
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver: A loose appropriation of the story of David Copperfield, this book is set in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. Covering addiction, poverty and the overwhelming desire of the central character to leave his disadvantaged childhood behind. Very powerful – hard but compelling to read at the same time.
All Among the Barley – Melissa Harrison: A brilliant book set in early twentieth century rural England, it explores societal change and the impact of fascism on the local community. Seen through the eyes of a young local girl whose mental health is a running theme in the background for most of the book. I first discovered Melissa Harrison through her nature podcast “The Stubborn Light of Things”, and loved it. I loved this book too.
Non-Fiction
I Am, I Am, I Am – Maggie O’Farrell: A series of short stories about times in the writer’s life when she has nearly died and / or hit a crisis. Funny in places, but a serious book too. I also read “The Marriage Portrait” (fiction) by the same author recently, and loved it.
Steeple Chasing – Peter Ross: Possibly my favourite non-fiction book of the year. It’s not about horse racing (which bores me stiff) but about churches around the UK (one of my pet subjects). It’s about their history, the communities around them and the people who built them and have made them tick over the centuries. Fascinating and well written with gentle humour.
The Morville Hours – Katherine Swift: This is a lovely account of how a neglected garden in the Shropshire village of Morville, attached to the Dower House of the local Hall, was nurtured into a complex space reflecting the history of the area over the past 500 or so years. Based loosely on the Book of Hours, it follows the cycles of the year and is a meditation on the spiritual, economic and political events which took place in this overlooked, but fascinating, part of the world.
As yet unfinished reading: I have a very annoying habit (to me at least) of reading several books at once. I’m in various stages of reading these three, which all seem good so far: The Flow, by Amy-Jane Beer (who lives in North Yorkshire, so there are lots of familiar haunts in there for anyone from that neck of the woods); Shropshire Hill Country by Vincent Waite (seriously niche this one – a recent charity shop find) and The Wheel of the Year by Rebecca Beattie – all about connecting to the natural cycles of the year, a developing interest of mine.
Happy reading folks!