Reading Roundup for October 2022

 

Autumn is well and truly here in the UK. As I write, the leaves are swirling through the air with the grace of a ballerina. It is pretty to watch from the warmth and cosiness of my office.

I was excited to complete my Good Reads annual challenge this week. I have read 94 books this year and I still have time to fit in a few more before the end of the year. Are you taking part in the Good Reads challenge? I would love to hear how you are getting along.

I have read some great books this month and with no further ado here they are.

Books I Have Read

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - This was my book group choice for this month. It met with varied opinions but I loved it and it was my favourite book this month. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Maids of Biddenden by G. D. Harper - I have read this as part of an upcoming blog tour which will take place in a couple of weeks so keep your eyes open for my review.

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz - The second in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. Very enjoyable and I have already obtained a copy of the next in the series.

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths - The latest in the Ruth Galloway series. I adore this series and I am eagerly anticipating the next one to be published.

A Midlife Baby by Cary J. Hansson - The second part of a trilogy and my review will be up very soon.

Stolen Summers by Anne Goodwin - This missed being my favourite book of the month by a whisker and you can read my review by clicking here. It is a prequel to the author's previous book, Matilda Windsor is Coming Home. It is a beautiful book and if you would like to read my review of it then please click here.

The Unexpected Return of Josephine Cox by Claire Graddige - The first in a very enjoyable series and I am planning on reading the second one soon.

Mr. Peacock's Possession's by Lydia Syson - I enjoyed this very much. My review will be up soon.

The Reaper's Quota by Sarah McKnight - I liked this amusing take on the Grim Reaper. Worth reading.

Books I Did Not Finish

Journey to the End of the Millennium by A. B. Yehoshua - I read about a third of this book and was enjoying it but I had other books which had reading deadlines so had to prioritise those. When I went back to this book I realised I needed to start from the beginning again which I will do at some point.

Books I am Partway Through

Oil and Dust by Jamie Fairleigh

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn

(header photo courtesy of Urak Demir/Unsplash)

Desert Island Books with Carolyn Clarke

 

Hello and welcome back to Desert Island Books. I am thrilled to have Carolyn Clarke joining us this month.

Carolyn's recently released debut novel, And Then There's Margaret, is a wonderfully entertaining and relatable book. You can read my review of this fabulous book by clicking here.

Carolyn is the founder and curator of https://henlitcentral.com/, a blog focused on ‘life and lit’ for women over 40. And Then There’s Margaret is her first novel. She has been an ESL teacher for over sixteen years and has co-authored several articles and resources with Cambridge University Press, MacMillan Education and her award-winning blog ESL Made Easy. 

So, Carolyn, how do you think you would get on if you were stranded on a desert island?

Stranded on a desert island might be fun if I had the necessities for survival and other items to keep me sane while breaking free from the matrix of modern society. Some of those items would be a bunch of books I haven’t read yet but want to read, and books I loved and would want to read again.

For starters, I’d like to read some of the movies/series I’ve enjoyed on screen featuring older protagonists struggling with real life challenges. I’m a fan of comedies but lately I’ve become a bigger fan of dramedies – books that have the perfect balance of drama and comedy. And I’m not talking light reads about living in a big city with a terrible boss and a wandering lover. I’m way past that and have gladly moved on. I want to read about issues that reflect my reality. Not the happily ever after. So, meaningless jobs, failing marriages, MIA kids and ageing parents all with characters that are flawed, genuine and most importantly, relatable, and real. For those on screen dramedies turned to books, here are a few I’d want to take with me.

French Exit by Patrick deWitt

While the movie wasn’t exactly a hit with movie goers and critics, I did enjoy the stellar performances of Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges. Although a little silly at times, this black comedy packed a punch examining what it’s like to fear the end of something and to resist the act of moving on. It was a surreal comedy and I look forward to reading the book.

The Land of Steady Habits by Ted Thompson

I enjoyed this slow-paced movie about a recently retired middle-aged man who after years of doing everything right, finds himself still reaching for a slice of happiness in his life. He leaves his wife, moves into a condo, and then waits for it to come. But it doesn’t. It was a funny, relatable, and bittersweet movie, full of complicated characters struggling between the choices of freedom and obligation. I look forward to this read and want to compare the movie to Ted Thompson’s “suburb” debut novel.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Oh, did I LOVE this limited series that followed the stern and undeniably depressed yet witty character, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher who loathes life it seems and the changes going on around her, including the people in her town.

This HBO miniseries starring Frances McDormand and Richard Jenkins is a must see if you like family dramas that focus on the human condition. Told beautifully, I can’t wait to read the book. And even more exciting is Elizabeth Strout’s follow up book, Olive, Again that came out in 2019. Can I take that too? 

You certainly can Carolyn.

I like funny laugh out loud reads so for those books/memoirs/essays by celebrity authors I’ve read and loved, here are a few that would surely keep me entertained.

Sicker in the Head by Judd Apatow

I read his first book, Sick in the Head and promised myself I’d read the next one. I enjoy reading the conversations of some of the funniest in the comedy world! Judd Apatow is an amazing writer and producer to boot – I’ve watched ALL of his movies with sheer delight – Knocked Up, This is 40, The 40-Year-Old Virgin…the list goes on. 

While hammocking away on a deserted beach, I want to laugh out loud and learn more about this ever changing, and not to mention, challenging landscape for the world of comedians – it can’t be easy in this day and age. Ahem.

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

I’ve read Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy, and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened books and want to read her latest one, Broken. Her deliciously funny outlook on life and her eccentric memories of childhood are real and raw – told with sarcasm, and at times, inappropriate humour. She’s one of the funniest writers I’ve read. I’d want Jenny Lawson with me so I can find humour in the loneliness and fear of being stranded on an island without my phone and all the other wonderful and convenient gadgets in my life​.

Anything by Mindy Kaling

It’s hard to choose but anything by Mindy Kaling would bring me great joy and comfort. Besides binge watching The Mindy Project and yes, I must admit, Netflix’s teen dramedy, Never Have I Ever (in which she produced and I’m sure mostly wrote), I’ve read 3 of her 5 short and fun essays and let me tell you, the things she says and how she writes them always makes me laugh out loud. I’d want to bring her along – she’s extremely witty, engaging, and real!

Her books sound excellent but you can only have one. Perhaps, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns) would be a good one.

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron was wickedly witty. I read Heartburn but never had a chance to read this one. Here’s a review…

“A candid, hilarious look at women of a certain age and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.”

Need I say more?

The Odyssey by Lara Williams

The vibrant colour of this book’s cover caught my attention on Goodread’s 2022 Most Anticipated Book.

While I haven’t had a chance to dig too deep into the plot summary, the reviews say it all – “slyly humorous” and “utterly sharp and brilliant.” I read somewhere this book falls in the same vein as Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends and Sayaka Murata’s very quirky yet intelligent novel Convenience Store Woman. Both of whom I’m great fans of.

Thank you so much for joining us Carolyn. You have some excellent choices there, many of which are new to me.

Carolyn can be found at:

Twitter: @CarolynRClarke                       

Facebook: @CarolynClarkeAuthor

Instagram: @carolynclarkeauthor

https://henlitcentral.com/

And Then There’s Margaret by Carolyn Clarke (Black Rose Writing) is available from Amazon and all good book retailers.

If you are an author who would like to take part and choose which eight books you would take to a desert island, please email me at: leftontheshelf1@gmail.com or you can find me on Twitter at: @leftontheshelf1

Desert Island Books with Victoria Goldman

Hello and welcome back to Desert Island Books on the blog. I am thrilled to have Victoria Goldman joining us this month.

Victoria's recently released debut novel, The Redeemer, has received rave reviews. You can read my review of this fabulous book by clicking here. 

Victoria is a freelance journalist, editor and proofreader. She was given an honourable mention for The Redeemer in the Capital Crime/DHH Literary Agency New Voices Award 2019.

So, Victoria, how do you think you would get on if you were stranded on a desert island?

I think I’d be OK initially, as I’m used to working on my own from home – and I’d love to live by the sea or ocean (as long as it’s not too stormy). I’m fairly practical so I reckon I’d work out how to build a shelter and whatever else needs to be done. But … I’m not sure I’d survive without internet access for very long, and I would miss interactions with other people (especially my friends and family) after a while too!

Destinations of a Lifetime by National Geographic

If I’m stuck on a desert island with nowhere to go, this doesn’t mean I still can’t travel in my head. And it sounds like this book would do the job. A different destination each night and then I can start again. I love the natural world and enjoy looking at photos of different places. During the first lockdown in 2020, I watched several online webcams around the world, especially those in zoos, as a way of escaping the house (virtually).

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

I’d like to say this is a book that I’ve read hundreds of times, but it’s been sitting on my Kindle for years and I’ve never read it, despite really wanting to. It’s 944 pages so would certainly keep me occupied. I’d need the paper version though. (And now I need to find it on my Kindle and start reading it!)

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

This is a book that makes me smile and makes me think. It’s a book about love and loss, and about the passing of time. One of my favourites that I could read again and again.

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

This psychological thriller is a masterclass in plotting, characterisation, setting and suspense. Though it may be a little disturbing to read if I’m alone on this desert island!

How To Be Brave by Louise Beech

This is one of the books I recommend the most. It’s about courage, hope and survival – and I’d need plenty of that if I’m stranded on a desert island. One reason this book is special to me is that it reminds me of a book I started writing around 10 years ago but never finished, loosely based on the story of my great uncle who died in a submarine attack at Salerno in Italy in 1943. Louise’s book is beautifully written and tugs at the heartstrings.

Billy Summers by Stephen King

A few years ago, I decided I would re-read all of the Stephen King books, as these were my favourite books in my teenage years, but I didn’t find the time. I now think I’d like to read something I’ve not read before, and, if I’m stuck on my own, also something that isn’t too creepy. Billy Summers is 400+ pages, so meaty enough to last a while. 

Papillon by Henri Charriere

Here’s another book I read as a teenager. This would be a reminder that life could be worse, as Henri Charrière was locked away in a brutal penal colony for 13 years. It should hopefully make me feel better if I’m stranded on a desert island (as long as it’s a safe one).

The Dandelion Years by Erica James

I tend to read dark fiction – horror, crime fiction and thrillers. But I suspect that I’ll appreciate a feel-good read. When I read and reviewed The Dandelion Years in 2015, I wrote: ‘What an amazing heart-wrenching story and beautifully written book. Over the last few days, I have cried at, laughed through and shared the memories of Saskia and her family.’ After reading this book, I visited Bletchley Park, where one thread is set. So this book carries memories of family outings too.

Thank you, Victoria, for sharing your choices. You have chosen a good range of books - something for every mood.

If you are an author and would be interested in taking part, then please get in touch by emailing me at leftontheshelf1@gmail.com.