Diary of a busy practitioner, somewhere in England
Before I sign off for the rest of August, I thought I would share some recent reads. They are a funny bunch of books, really, but I suppose I wouldn’t want to read the same sort of thing all the time. Actually, that’s not true. I would read Peter Wimsey books all day every day if there were only enough.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
A world famous author has died part way through his last book. Six struggling authors are invited to his private Scottish island to compete to finish the book and get their own deal. This is an easy read, perfect for a holiday, and quite a clever format.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
As you may recall, I have been doing an occasional plod through Rory Gilmore’s reading list for a number of years now. This was my recent choice. It follows four Chinese women and their daughters, and the culture clash between their old lives in China and their new lives in America. It is very well written and interesting, but perhaps it would be better to study rather than read casually as I found I would have enjoyed the book more if I’d had a notepad by my side to keep track of each family. These days, I can only just about keep my eyes open to read and would prefer a book to wash over me. Gilmore Girls is always on in this house, and I caught the reference to the Joy Luck Club in an episode the other day. It was actually a reference to the film, so maybe I should try that.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Not to brag about my top mumming, but I have read this book in advance of Deceptively Angelic Child no.1 studying it next term at school. It is a story about West African warriors and their clans, at a time when white Christian men are arriving, and starting to try to change their way of life. In so far as it is presumably based on some truth, it is incredibly interesting, and its publication was significant in that, beforehand, books about Africans had predominantly been written by Europeans and depicted them as savages. I can’t really say that DALC1 is going to love it. At all.
A Bad Bad Place by Frances Crawford
A 12 year old girl, Janey, finds a murdered woman and gets dragged into the mystery of her death. The book is endearing - particularly the relationship between Janey and her gran. I’m glad I read it, although I felt the ending was a bit rushed. A good, easy holiday read.
The Names by Florence Knapp
In the first chapter of this book, a mother has to decide what to name her baby boy. Does she name him after his violent father, as he has requested, or her own choice, or the name her little girl likes? The book splits into three alternative worlds where the ramifications of the decision play out sliding-doors style. I find the ripple effect of our decisions so interesting - what would change and what would always be the same, whatever we did in life? This is a really lovely book.
The Barbecue at No 9 by Jennie Godfrey
In my last blog of book recommendations I highly recommended The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey. Her next book is set on the day of Live Aid as various neighbours’ lives unravel. I wasn’t so enamoured with this one, but it only took an afternoon to read and that is my favourite way to spend an afternoon, so I can’t complain too much.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
This book is set in 1961 in the Netherlands and follows Isabel, who has remained in the family home following the death of her mother. Her brother’s girlfriend comes to stay, which messes with Isabel’s strict sense of order. I don’t want to say too much about what happens after that, but as well as the fairly raunchy 'main' thing, the plot is clever and insightful, and the whole thing is very touching.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Another from Rory Gilmore’s list. The story is told in a series of letters from the main character, Charlie, to an anonymous recipient. Through his letters he tells us about his navigating of high school. Charlie is socially awkward, to say the least, and finds high school a challenge. As the book goes on we find out the reasons for some of Charlie’s behaviour. It is a gritty read - a welcome relief from a lot of depictions of American high schools in pop culture. Definitely one to pass on to DALC1 when she’s old enough to deal with some of the very adult themes. This is one of a number of books I have read or reread recently where the main character fairly clearly (to me) is neurodivergent and, with all our current knowledge about such things, I’ve seen them through a different hue. I think over the next 10 years we will learn even more and maybe some of the novelty may go out of books about 'oddballs'.
As I said, it is a random assortment but hopefully there might be something here you fancy. Happy Holidays.
Some facts and identities have been altered in the above article
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