I had to dig deep into the archives to find my last recent reads post which was in June 2021! Can you believe? I can’t recall when or why I lost my reading mojo, I’m just pleased I found it again because there really is nothing as good as curling up with a good book.
I’ve been reading heaps on my kindle because it’s easy to carry around and take travelling and having a light, makes it so much easier to read late at or in the middle of the night (thanks for nothing, menopause) without disturbing David.
That said, I miss the comfort that holding a ‘real’ book brings and the soothing act of turning pages. Luckily, I have an amazing local library and it’s free to reserve books. Life is good.
So without further ado, here’s what I’ve been reading. If you have any reading recommendations, let me know in the comments and tell me do you prefer reading real books or on reading on your kindle?
One Day – David Nicholls
First I watched the Netflix series, then I read the book. I loved the story on the screen as much as I did on the page. This funny, smart, endearing story is a will they, won’t they love story spanning the same day, every year for two decades. The story starts in the late 80s at university graduation and traces the unlikely romance between Emma Morely and Dexter Mayhew.
Nicholls’ writing is sharp, engaging and at times cringingly honest, it’s as much a love story as it is a story of it’s time, he captures not just the experiences of the main protagonists as he captures the experiences of a generation and yes, I’m biased because it is my generation. Plus he gets bonus points for setting part of the story in Walthamstow, my old stomping ground – I told you I was biased!
Reading this story is like riding an emotional rollercoaster with feelings of hope, excitement, regret, nostalgia and heartbreak. What a ride!
All the Broken Places – John Boyne
Sometimes a sequel just can’t deliver the goods as well as it’s predecessor but this isn’t the case with All The Broken Places. This book is a sequel to his 2006 novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and you don’t necessarily need to read the first book to appreciate this one (but it’s definitely a bonus.)
Boyne says this “is a novel about guilt, complicity, and grief, a book that sets out to examine how culpable a young person might be, and whether such a person can never cleanse themselves of the crimes committed by the people she loved.”
91 year old Greta is reflecting on her life and still dealing with the shame and guilt that she has carried since she was a child – her father was a nazi and a commandant of a concentration camp. Boyne writes a very complex character in Gretel and does an amazing job of challenging the reader to like or dislike her.
However, when a neighbour’s child enters her life, Greta finds herself once again a witness to the suffering of innocents. She can’t change the past, of course, but can she make a difference now?
John Boyne is a master storyteller and his writing is so engaging that you feel like you are right there with the characters. I could not put this down.
What Does It Feel Like – Sophie Kinsella
I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella for as long as I can remember so I got very excited when I heard she had released a new novella. I wasn’t quite as excited when I realised that this was her most autobiographical work to date where a successful novelist faces a devastating cancer diagnosis.
I devoured this in one sitting. It’s heartbreaking and life affirming all at the same time and although my cancer diagnoses and prognosis were very different, I could totally relate.
I laughed, I cried – this story warmed my heart and broke it all at the same time. This is more than a story about cancer though, it’s about love, hope and resilience and a very important reminder to appreciate the little things and live in the moment. This is an absolute gem (just make sure you have some tissues at the ready.)
James Blunt – Loosely Based on a True Story
I am not going to lie, I spent most of this book googling the goings on to see which stories were true and which stories were not. Billed as a book that’s “based on true events but not a biography” for a short person, James Blunt can certainly tell some tall stories!
Whether or not you like his music, James Blunt is sharp, witty and as funny as he is self deprecating. I’d describe James Blunt’s writing style as ‘sans filter with a tongue firmly in his cheek.’ At times, these stories are contradictory, borderline offensive yet always told with his trademark dry humour and in a genuine manner.
Of course I questioned whether most of the stories were true but I came to the conclusion that they were written by James Blunt so they probably were. This was a humorous, insightful and eye opening read – what a riot!
The Guncle – Stephen Rowley
This heartfelt, feel good story is cheesy but cute. Patrick is a retired soap star with a broken heart living a quiet and very private life in Palm Springs. However when his best friend (who also happens to be his sister-in-law) passes away from cancer and his widowed brother heads straight to rehab, GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) is called upon to take care of his young niece and nephew.
The problem is Patrick knows nothing about looking after children, let alone ones that have lost their mother and whose dad has gone AWOL. How can he help the children deal with their grief when he doesn’t even know how to deal with his own?
Grief is not an easy topic to write about but Rowley nails it in this book with heart and (adult) humour. He shows how easy it is to lose yourself in grief but how surrounded by good people who love you, you can you move forward and make new relationships and memories. It’s funny, feel good and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.
