@PepelePew
I’ve been in a bit of a finishing slump rather than a reading slump – I keep starting books and at one point had about 14 on the go. However, I have finished a few this month.
27 A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride
I have been trying to fill some gaps in Women’s Prize and Booker winners that I haven’t read. This won the Women’s prize in 2014. I listened to it on audio book. It is told in a stream-of-consciousness style, following the unnamed narrator—a young Irish girl—through a turbulent childhood and adolescence marked by trauma, abuse, religious guilt, and the shadow of her brother’s illness. I must admit, this largely went over my head. I am not always great at concentrating on fiction on audiobook and sometimes struggle with a stream-of-consciousness style, so wonder if I should try again with a physical book, it had rave reviews. Interested if anyone has read it and thinks I should try again?
28 In the Shadow of Wolves by Alvydas Šlepikas translated from the Lithuanian by Romas Kinka
Based on real events, this novel follows a group of German children in East Prussia after World War II. As Soviet troops occupied the region, and there was little food for the defeated Germans, the children - who were known as the Wolfs kinder — had to seek shelter and survival in Lithuania or travel into Lithuania to bring food back to their surviving mothers and younger siblings. This was obviously very sad - there was a lot about hunger and the decisions the children had to make – who to approach, how not to lose each other, and the danger the mothers were in from the Red Army - but it was beautifully written/translated and felt cinematic in style. It really made the point that the end of the war was also a very dangerous period for many, which was clear in Daniel Finkelstein’s family memoir which I had read recently. The ending was a bit abrupt as the author had been interviewing a real person on whom one of the main characters was based and she didn’t want to finish the interviews as to what happened after the war and whether she was ever re-united with her family. But overall, it was very good, the characters were very well formed, and you cared what happened to them. It was also a period and region I knew very little about. A bold.
29 The Rajah’s Emerald – Agatha Christie
Short story. Bit forgettable.
30 I Will Find You – Harlan Coben
Twisty thriller about a man imprisoned for the murder of his toddler son who discovers that his son is apparently still alive. I guessed some of the twists but not the last one.
31 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Set in 1980s Glasgow, this Booker Prize-winning novel chronicles the life of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain as he grows up in poverty with his alcoholic mother, Agnes. Despite her descent into addiction, Shuggie remains devoted to her, even as he grapples with his own emerging identity and the harshness of his environment. I loved this – and realised how lucky I was that my own mother was much more functional than I give her credit for. Agnes remains likeable despite her many struggles, although it is heart breaking for her children, and they are very seriously neglected. I part read and part listened to this which worked well as I didn’t lose the story but could hear the Scottish vernacular. Definitely a bold.
32 Girl Unmasked by Emily Katy
The psychological and emotional journey of a young woman confronting mental illness, trauma, and identity. She was diagnosed as autistic at age 16. She clearly struggled a lot, but it was very interesting to understand her experience as an autistic woman, and see how a diagnosis helped her recover/find happiness.
33 Maddy Alone – Pamela Brown
Second in the “Blue Door” series that started with “A Swish of the Curtain”, about a group of children who formed a theatre company. I loved “A Swish of the Curtain” when I was a child. In this, 12-year-old Maddy is upset that she is left at home as the other children are older and have gone off to drama school. Fortunately, there is a film being made in her local town and Maddy unexpectedly becomes a film star. All a bit unlikely but quite sweet. I think I would have liked it when I was 12 – although the hitch-hiking with a friendly lorry driver after she decides to bicycle to London for the film premiere which she wasn’t allowed to attend – was a bit alarming. Fortunately, there were no dangers in this 1950s world except from the awful lady from the Women’s Institute, and Maddy charms everyone anyway.
34 The Lido – Libby Page
Easy read about a community trying to save their local Lido from closure. Kate, a young journalist interviews and then makes friends with 83 year old Rosemary who has used the lido everyday since she was a child. It is fictional but it is based around the part of London where I grew up and there were some nice characters.
35 Only Dull People are Fascinating at Breakfast – Oscar Wilde
Short book of quotes from Oscar Wilde.
36 Notes on Grief – Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
A memoir about the death of her father. I have read this before, and it is very moving.
I still have seven books on the go – three due back at the library tomorrow!