This Month I Read ...

This is the second month in which I am joining with Muttering Mummy to share the books I have been reading over the last 4 weeks. If you follow the link to her page ( after you've read my post obviously!!! Don't go yet...) you will see reviews of what she's been reading and also links to the reviews of other bloggers too. What's not to like??

So, my first book this month was The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer.

This is a book that reminded me very much of The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight and I read it because I had read Muttering Mummy's review last month. It follows the life of Matthew Homes, a young man whom, we gradually realise, is suffering from schizophrenia. The author manages to convey the disjointed and disturbed thought processes of the schizophrenic without allowing the storyline to become disjointed or confusing.

It is not a book that I can say I loved reading as it is so desperately sad to witness the hopelessness of family breakdown and grief, but it is well written and, in my opinion, well worth reading.

Written in the first person by the character of Matthew it becomes clear, gradually, that he is an unreliable narrator. The reader slowly realises that Matthew's truth is not necessarily "the truth". An air of melancholy is all pervasive as the reader witnesses the effect of mental illness and loss on an entire family. 

This is an interesting book which has left me, I hope, with a greater understanding of mental illness, but not a book that has left me with a great sense of happiness or satisfaction.

7/10

My next read was Love! Laugh! Panic! Life with my Mother by Rosemary Mild

I was given this book to review and I'm afraid to say I didn't like it at all. It is the memoir of Rosemary Mild and her mother. It is a series of anecdotes strung together in a rather disjointed way which might have been amusing if related in person, but on the printed page just didn't work. I couldn't wait for it to be over, sadly.

2/10

The next book I read was A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. This was a book that I read for my Book Group and, to be honest, I really didn't know what to expect.

Published in 1934 A Handful of Dust follows the fortunes of a group of London Socialites, particularly Tony and Brenda Last. From the very beginning though I loved this book. It was like a combination of PG Wodehouse and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I found it easy to read and absolutely compelling in its portrayal of society at the time. Without giving anything away the ending gave me shivers with its twist. I will remember this book for a long time and would thoroughly recommend it! Excellent!!

10/10

I am currently reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell and am about halfway through so I won't review it until next month!

If you would like to join in with this linky then do have a look at Muttering Mummy's blog. She sets up the linky at the end of each month and quite a few people join in. Its an interesting way of reading reviews and getting ideas of books to try.

I hope you will join in and if you have read any of the books above, do let me know what you thought of them!

This Month I Read ...

I have found a lovely Linky, started by Muttering Mummy, which simply involves sharing the books you have read in the past month. I am reading a lot at the moment, although looking at my April list I realise that Wolf Hall took up most of my reading time!! Any way, I am linking up to the project and if you fancy joining in, then that would be fab! I think its a great way to find new books to read...

The first book for my April list is Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall

I read this because I had seen Hilary Mantel on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year, where she was having her portrait painted. She seemed a fascinating woman and I was intrigued enough to buy Wolf Hall, the first in her trilogy of Booker Award winning novels.

This book follows the rise of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's advisor, a man who has the look of a murderer and the mind of a Borgia. We first meet Cromwell as a boy, son of a blacksmith, living in squalor in London and beaten by his alcoholic father.Through his own innate intelligence and determination he rises to become one of the most powerful men in Henry's court.

This was a very hard book to get into. At 30% on my kindle I was losing the will to live, but I persevered because, despite the feeling of walking through fog, I could see glimpses of wonderful writing, wonderful story-telling. The book is extremely hard to follow in places with Mantel flashing back and forth and making it very hard to know who is speaking, who she is describing.

However, by 50% I was hooked and couldn't put it down. I found myself googling Holbein's portrait of Cromwell just to see the physical form of the man in the novel.

I found the portrayal of Henry, Anne Boleyn and the Royal Court fascinating and will definitely be reading the next two books. I would say though that it is very frustrating initially and I can understand why many people give up the ghost!

8/10

My next read was ... Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach

This was a book I read for my Book Group. It follows the story of a gullible, lonely young woman who is inveigled into assuming the identity of another woman online so that the second woman can kill herself and disappear without any of her family or friends realising.

It was an easy read, but somewhat ridiculous and I have to say that I warmed to none of the characters involved. It was one of those books which drives me nuts at the end.... where the author appears to think "Right... I've reached my word  total, I can stop now" and simply ties everything up as quickly as possible.

Not my favourite read.

6/10

I have just finished reading ... The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

This is the story of  Yun Ling as told by her as an old woman. It is set in Malaya where Ling was imprisoned by the Japanese. Although traumatised by her experiences the book follows her time after the war when she becomes apprentice to Aritomo, former gardener to the Emperor of Japan.

The book is multi-layered, a thing of beauty, with stunning prose and wonderful imagery. Reading it is like taking part in a ritual that leaves one calm and fulfilled. I recommend this book, having loved every minute reading it. 

10/10

I would love to hear your views on the books I have reviewed and if you would like to link up then do click on the link below where you will find other contributors. Do leave a comment please if you have time!!!

This Month I Read ... Muttering Mummy

Book Club - where women laugh.

I have had a busy week ... There is so much going on right now that I am not writing about on here, just in case I get into trouble! Don't want to be a naughty girl now, do I? But in amongst the hard work and stress I have had some moments this week when the sun has shone through and I have bathed in the warmth of friendship and laughter.

Tuesday night I hosted Book Club round at my house and I don't think I have laughed so much or so hard for ages. Our Book Club is not one that prides itself on high fallutin' intellectualism I'm afraid. In the words of one of our husbands we " gossip, bitch and laugh for 2 1/2 hours and then talk about the book we've chosen for about 10 minutes". This may seem harsh, but its true.

The book this week was Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson. Now, I really enjoyed this book and I may write a review one of these days, but the main part of the evening was the friendship we shared. You know the sort of thing? 7 women around a kitchen table, eating bits and bobs - cheese, olives, crisps, pistachios, wine ... and talking about their lives, their frustrations ... their husbands.

There are things you can talk about with girlfriends you've known for ages that make you feel like you are more than friends ... sisters. That might sound a bit namby pamby, but its true. When you have shared ups and downs, laughter and tears together its so wonderful to be able to open up and chat about your week.

It made me feel so normal. In a week where I have been made to feel like I was losing my mind in certain quarters this was an affirmation of my normalcy. If these warm, sane, intelligent women actually like me and can sit round my kitchen table talking about love, life, school, sex, drugs and rock n roll ( well, maybe not the last 2 ...) and laugh until we cry - then I must be ok.

Oh ... and our next book? Fifty Shades of Grey - an erotic novel, Lordy, Lordy!! Now that will be a good night!!!

Book Crossing - an ecologically friendly way to read!

I have just joined a book crossing site. I have heard of these things, but never before indulged.You register and then 'release' books around the world with a label in and see how far they travel, where they travel, who reads them and so on....

In turn you can 'hunt' books and read them then release them back into the 'wild' !! This is all a bit of friendly fun and an ecologically friendly way of sharing books. I certainly have a shelf full of books which I intermittently take to the Charity shop. I keep my best and favourites, but there are always a few that I would be very happy to share with the book crossing community - and don't worry, they're not rubbish!!

Have you indulged in Book Crossing? Do you want to join the Book Crossing site? Let me know what you think...

Reading for pleasure - who wouldn't do it??

I have been sitting outside in the sunshine, reading Dombey and Son and taking notes.There is nothing nicer at the end of a day at work than to be at home with no pressing chores and be able to settle down to read. There is a friend of mine who never seems to read.We started our book club and she came along as a social member - not by design, but because she never got round to reading anything.

She always seem to think it quite funny that she never read, but, after a while, it began to slightly irritate me. The rest of us led busy lives too, but we managed to find the time, usually just before bed, to read. I wondered at how awful it must be, not to read. I suppose that what you don't do, you don't miss. Reading has never been a chore for me - more an absolute pleasure.I would be mortified to admit to people that I never read.I think some people see it as some sort of badge of honour .... an achievement...I certainly don't see it as that. If, for some reason, I did not read, I certainly would not admit to it...

I am not saying that you have to huddle in a darkened room with only a reading light and a copy of Solzhenitsyn for company. But whatever is your chosen pleasure - whether it be Dickens or Danielle Steele, Bronte or Grisham - reading is a pleasure. It is an escape from the everyday world, an escape into a world where one can experience other lives, other emotions. For me it is relaxation and therapy...

I would imagine that most of you who enjoy blogs and blogging enjoy reading too... What do you read? Who do you read? I would love to know...

Book Club and walking to work.

I am just about to go to my Book Club.There are ten of us who meet at alternating houses with our books and diaries tucked under one arm and a bottle of vino tucked under the other.We discuss the books ( one per 4-6 weeks) for about 20 minutes and then spend the rest of the evening eating, drinking and gossiping.I don't know about you, but that sounds like a good evening to me!

Tonight I am very lucky that my lovely neighbour is babysitting for me. I have rushed back from work, hurriedly downed a plate of turkey curry, defrosted rapidly, left over from Christmas, rushed to band practise with my son and then made my way home.The kids are showering as I type and I will leave soon.

The book tonight is "The Go Between". I have completely forgotten who wrote it, but I enjoyed it.It was a pre First World War story of love in the Summer months as witnessed by a young boy staying as a guest in a country house.It was an easy read with no great drama or thrills, but the period it evoked was dreamy. I would love to spend my Summer in a house in the country, riding and playing tennis!!

I am tired from my day at work, but looking forward to time with my friends. I have walked back and forth to work twice this week and have thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. I think I will do it more often.It only takes 25 minutes, even in the snow and if I did it each day it would mean walking 15 miles a week. That's got to be good for the old muffin belly hasn't it??