Books: April to June 2023

How about this as a reading nook? This is the top of the South Light on Lundy

My Spring reading:

Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy

This is not the genre of book I would usually pick up, but it was written by a childhood friend of mine, so I couldn't resist. And I can say that I actually really loved it. The characters were well drawn and there were some really warm moments for a book whose plot centres around the murder of a drag queen. I was kept guessing until the end.

If you enjoy this kind of read, she also has a sequel to this one: Death in the Dark.

Finding Hildasay: How one man walked the UK’s coastline and found hope and happiness by Christian Lewis

Give me a book about walking, and I will want to be there with them. In some respects Chris' start to his quest to walk the UK coastline was similar to that of Raynor & Moth Winn in the Salt Path - both in dire straits and homeless. His story is really inspiring and his feat is amazing - it took him nearly six years to complete.

There were some very heart-warming tales of the kindness of strangers, and for me, one of the most interesting parts was how he spent lockdown. Read to find out!

Forgive Me by Susan Lewis

When Claudia and her family start a new life in a different part of the country to escape her abusive husband, they are careful to protect their new identities. As they start to settle in, she can't help but feel her husband is tracking her down. An interesting premise that centres around restorative justice. 

The Colony by Anna Magee

Do you ever choose a book because it reflects the place you are or are going? This book was set on an island exactly the same size as Lundy, which is where I was when I started it. However, this is set on an Irish island whose inhabitants have family that have lived there for centuries and who primarily speak in an Irish dialect.

Two visitors arrive for the summer: one an artist who wants to capture the authenticity of the island, another a linguist who wants to preserve the language. They inadvertently become a catalyst for the inhabitants exploring what they themselves want from the outside world - rather than what is imposed upon them.

Tastes Like War by Grace M Cho

This was part of a library big read and is Grace's memories of being with her troubled Korean mother and the food she cooked. I thought it was a good snapshot of social history but then I read an account on Goodreads written by her brother saying that a good portion of this wasn't true. 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I listened to this one on Audible and Carey Mulligan makes a great narrator. I really enjoyed this, but really felt it laboured the point and could have been shorter. You enter the Midnight Library just before you are about to die in order to try out the lives that you could have lived.

Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers

This was a real treasure to read. Something about it reminds me a little of Sarah Waters. In the 1950s, Jean, a newspaper journalist uncovers a story about a woman who is claiming to have had a virgin birth. In order to do a thorough investigation she befriends and falls in love with the family. They give her new meaning and an escape from her dreary life working or looking after her mother. 

It's really difficult to write more without giving away the plot, but it is well worth a read.

Love

Mrs Jones x