Books: October to December 2022

I accomplished a good amount of reading during the last quarter of 2022. It started well on my holiday in Cornwall and just continued from there. I loved the fact that the holiday cottage had a book swap shelf so I managed to swap a couple of the books that I finished whilst I was there.

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

A stranger lands in New York in the mid 1700s and claims he is good for an obscene amount of money, proof of which will be on the next boat. He is subsequently robbed and embarks on an adventure in tracking down the thief. I loved the tone of the book but it didn’t really live up to its promises.

The Farm by Tom Rob Smith

Not my usual choice of book but this was a holiday cottage swap and I finished it in just a couple of days. Daniel’s mother very suddenly arrives from rural Sweden adamant that he shouldn’t trust his father and that he has been involved in something really terrible. However, his mother seems dangerously mentally unwell and he doesn’t know whether to believe his mother or his father, so sets about trying to uncover the truth.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

One of my favourite reads of the year. About Elle and Jonas who met as teenagers when their families holidayed near each other, and how their relationship is now, with partners and children of their own.  

An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel

This is the first novel I have read by Hilary Mantel and was not one of her historical ones, nor overly long. I did find it that it felt a bit dated but nevertheless really enjoyed it. It follows a handful of girls who are "lucky enough" to be at university, and how they feel they have to do so well - so much better than the boys. The ridiculous pressure that they put on themselves results in eating disorders and promiscuity.

Walking on Glass by Iain Banks

I have enjoyed a couple of Iain Banks previous books, but I really didn't take to this one, and I don't know why I persevered to the bitter end. I can't even begin to define it.

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

The true story of Helen's training of a hawk at the time where she is mourning the loss of her father and how the journey of working with the hawk helps with her grieving process.

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder by Linda Stratmann

This was a fascinating insight into poisonings, which were originally mainly carried out by women (usually either aggrieved servants wishing to bump off their horrible masters or wives wanting to be rid of their husbands) but how it then became something that men also did, usually for financial gain.

The Story of O by Pauline Reage

Seriously do not know how to explain how I feel about this one. It is shocking, but to me not shocking in a sexual way but in how utterly degrading and misogynistic this is. 

Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce

And what a sweet novel to end the year with. After a misfortune at work, Miss Benson decides to travel in search of an elusive beetle that her deceased father showed her once in an illustrated guide. She ends up with a haphazard assistant who is escaping a harrowing past of their own. Two such different people who become reliant on each other.

Happy reading!

Love Mrs Jones x