Books: January and February 2021

My reading year went off with a bang firstly because I decided to prioritise my reading over social media scrolling and secondly because the year started with Covid nursing (for my husband and eldest son) and then Covid convalescence for myself. 

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Women develop an electrifying power which they can awaken in each other. The story follows a handful of women as they use and abuse this power. I really liked the premise but somehow it didn’t live up to expectation.

A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

I feel a kinship to Tracy Chevalier as she often writes about the things I like (I loved her book about quilts). This one is based around Violet, a spinster who wants to forge a different life for herself in the 1930s and achieves this by stumbling across a brodery group (needlepoint) at Winchester cathedral. The life she discovers around the cathedral has far reaching consequences for her future.

As Violet’s sewing skill increases, her horizons and experiences also increase.

Pied Piper by Neville Shute

He may be a little out of fashion, but I generally feel that Neville Shute does not disappoint. This tale is one of Howard who takes a fishing trip to France in 1940 and attempts to return with a motley collection of children that he encounters on the way. A truly delightful and endearing story of human compassion.

Gillespie & I by Jane Harris

A great read. Harriet Baxter becomes inveigled with the lives of the artistic Gillespie family via some seemingly coincidental encounters. The plot takes a more macabre turn when their eldest daughter begins to act in a strange demonic fashion, from drawing crude pictures to a suspected poisoning. And then when a far more sinister event takes place, it is unclear who is telling the truth, and it is anyone’s guess if anyone knows the truth behind Harriet.

The Pioppi Diet by Dr Aseem Malotra and Donal O’Neill

I have an abject fascination with nutrition and health. This book promotes the way of life of the Pioppi people from rural Italy who were studied, found to be really healthy and living to a ripe old age. It looks at the science behind why they think the residents of Pioppi live so well. It’s not just about eating well and moving, it’s also about managing stress, experiencing nature and fasting from their more rural ways of living. 

The Secret Barrister

This is one of those books that I was really looking forward to read but although it was interesting (it really highlights the flaws of the criminal justice system in the UK), it just didn't have enough case details to help make the points that he was making come alive.

Love Mrs Jones x