My last few months of reading had some definite ups and downs. My reading usually slows during the winter, and this was no different. December it was nearly nonexistant, and January was not much better. I have, however, picked things back up in February, and I’m hoping that will carry through into the Spring! Here’s what I’ve read over the winter, and what I thought of them in brief.
December 2023
I told you so! This was it for December. Coasting was free to me on Audible Plus, and it reminded me of The Salt Path in concept (if not motivation), a book I thoroughly enjoyed. This one wasn’t as good, but it did offer some different perspectives, and the valuable message that young women can do pretty much anything. Technically I didn’t finish Knitting Pearls until January 1st, but I read most of it in December, and Coasting would look quite sad all by itself, so I’m putting it here. It was another of Ann Hood’s knitting anthologies that includes different experiences with and thoughts on the craft. Very enjoyable.
January
This was an interesting reading month for me, because I read one book about superheroes (Hench) and one fantasy book (Legends & Lattes), neither of which are genres I normally gravitate towards. I didn’t plan for reading those in the same month, and didn’t notice until writing this that I had! It was a good reading month though. Hench had much more depth than I expected, and I enjoyed the twists on typical genre in it. Bookworm was balm to my book-loving soul. It’s all about the childhood books that shaped Lucy Mangan’s reading life, and there is overlap with the ones that shaped my own. Legends & Lattes was just a lovely, warm, cosy read that I adored.
February
The Knitting Circle was good, but not really my usual thing. I liked the exploration of female friendship and how a group of women who are very different on the outside, but who find that when they begin to share their lives with one another, they have much more in common than they might have thought. Meredith, Alone was just a slam dunk for me. I adored Meredith, I loved the messages in this book (that it’s possible to be alone and actually be mostly okay, that trauma looks different for everyone, and that sometimes the best approach to someone who is doing things that make no sense to you is to try and meet them where they are) and I loved her humour and warmth. The story drew me along effortlessly and by the end of the book I didn’t want it to be over. It’s by far my favourite of this style of books that I’ve read. Raceless was shocking in its subject matter. The story of a woman whose family lied to her about her parentage and race for her entire childhood, this book is nearly impossible to believe. And yet it happened, and the harm of this lie is documented by Georgina Lawton as she begins to uncover the truth. The Air Raid Book Club was a lovely story about found family, perseverance, inner strength and resilience. Set during the Second World War, it’s the story of a small community who come together during air raids over books. A wonderful read with great characters you can’t help but love.
I adore Miriam Margolyes, even though I find her very hard to pin down! She is best known for her role as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, but she has an accomplished career that spans film, stage and audiobooks. Known for being irreverent, a bit bawdy and having absolutely zero filter between what she thinks and what she says, I love her frankness and lack of pulled punches. She shares a lot in this book, with no thought as to whether she really should or not. Which I very much enjoyed. She’s hilarious and very entertaining. My Oxford Year was another romance book – though I hadn’t really noticed that when I picked it up. It was okay – entertaining and not a terrible story – but I didn’t really love it. I found the characters a bit annoying, the decisions are frustratingly drawn out, and I didn’t really like the obvious confusion created for drama and the over-the-top characters that show up. Fine if you’re looking for romance, but not one I’ll be going back to. Happily Ever After etc. was a re-read for me. I love it every time I pick it up because it’s just so real but also captures what real love looks like to me. The Skylarks’ War is a kids’ book like the ones I read as a child that stuck with me. It’s got great characters who have to face challenges and neglect, and their mettle is tested as they grow up just as WWI hits. It’s emotional, hard to put down, and left me feeling like I knew these characters.
Another romance I didn’t realize was a romance was The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright. Honestly I saw the books on the cover, saw it was about lost letters and was sold. Books aren’t that much of a theme, and the letters are there but not what I imagined. They aren’t a mystery that needs to be solved so much as a crutch for the plot that supports the main character. I liked the friendships and the new best friend, but I didn’t really like the main character all that much. By the time we got to some questionable romantic choices she made I pretty much just read on to find out what was going to happen. Not terrible, but hit on a couple of my personal pet peeve tropes, so not a favourite. Remarkably Bright Creatures, on the other hand, was fantastic. I adored the characters and their development in this book. And even though I guessed a lot of the plot progression, I still enjoyed the journey to get there. And the octopus… just such a brilliant character. I want more of him! I watched The Night Agent a while ago, and figured the book would be a satisfying thriller. It was. Very similar to the TV show, but entertaining and a quick read. The Midnight Library was one I picked up after listening to the discussion about it on The Graham Norton Book Club. I wanted to love it, but it had a few things that I found a bit difficult to overcome. Still glad I gave it a try though.
Snapdragon is a graphic novel that deals with so many different themes and ideas that every few pages brought a new twist or revelation. Beautiful and full of reality and love. Tom Felton’s memoir was kind of just a whim. I’d kept meaning to pick it up and forgetting, then I saw it available from the library and gave it a shot. I didn’t know much about Felton. I’d heard that contrary to his character in the Harry Potter films, he’s actually a really nice guy. This book gave me a chance to see that for myself – and also to appreciate his insightful retrospection on his career and life so far. Definitely worth a read if you’re a fan.
That’s it for my winter reading! I may have gotten a little carried away in February! Ah well, it made up for the pitiful two months of non-reading that preceded it!