I’m bringing back an old post format from 2016 today, because I find myself reading too many books. I’m in a bit of a slump so I’ve been picking up a bunch of different things and not finishing them. So I’m hoping this’ll be a fun way to sort it out in my mind while being able to talk about some books with you all! Plus, check out what I was reading in #1 and #2! It’s the best kind of throwback.
Small Island by Andrea Levy
Recent events have made me want to pick this one up and I can’t remember if I read it as a kid, but it’s been on my shelves for years and years so it’s about time I revisit it. Small Island is set post-WWII from the point of views of two Jamaican immigrants and two white Brits. It looks at England’s past and it’s wonderful so far. I’m mostly listening to the audiobook read by Andrea Levy as it’s a really wonderful performance.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
I read my first Pat Barker last year and it was one of my favourites of 2019! The Silence of the Girls is the Iliad from the point of view of the queen, Briseis. I’ll admit, I know next to nothing about the Iliad so it’s quite a learning curve. I’m tempted to borrow the audiobook from my library as it’s quite tough to get into.
Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
Every now and again I feel the need to dip into some Middle Grade and the lovely Jemma sent this to me just a couple weeks ago! I’ve been reading this exclusively this morning and I’m loving the Enid Blyton/ Agatha Christie mashup vibes. I wasn’t expecting the mentions of suicide though, and that’s a little jarring!
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
This was a recommendation from the wonderful Linda and I’m already eyeing up the sequel. It’s a fun mix of urban fantasy and speculative fiction- a monster hunter story set on a Native American reservation in the world of a climate apocalypse. I can’t wait for the main character and her new companion to fight some monsters- and maybe fall in love? Fingers crossed.
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
This is the last Austen novel I have to read and I’ve hit a bit of a wall with it because they’re putting on a play and that is a plotline I can’t stand in any novel. I know it doesn’t last forever but I can’t bring myself to force through it at the moment. Maybe once I’ve finished some of these others!
My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Sometimes I just need a bit of Wodehouse. And when I’m struggling to sleep in the midst of a global pandemic, that is his time to shine. These are short stories, half about Jeeves and Wooster and half about the character who was an early version of Wooster. And all are funny, sweet and almost identical in storyline so not hard to follow at all!
What are you reading at the moment? Have you read any of these?
Imogen's Typewriter. 