May & June Reads 2022
I’ve somehow managed to squeeze in another 12 books since my last update, Spring Reads 2022. I thought I’d get through more during our Greek getaway, but it turns out that taking a giant hardback in the form of Cloud Cuckoo Land provided me with all the reading I needed! How about you – are you a book reader on your holidays? Here’s my May & June Reads 2022.
Want some more book suggestions? Here are my recommendations from my Winter Reads 2021-2022 and my Autumn Reads 2021!
The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak
This is the second book I’ve read recently by British-Turkish author Elif Shafak, although it’s the first time I’ve ever read a book where one of the POV characters is a fig tree! This dual narrative novel is set in 1970s Cyprus, and in modern day London. In Cyprus, a young couple – Kostas, a Greek Christian and Defne, a Turkish Muslim – keep their relationship secret, meeting under the shadow of a fig tree. Decades later, Kostas and his daughter Ada are trying to heal from Defne’s death. I personally preferred Shafak’s “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World” to this one but its an interesting read with beautiful explorations of the conflict keeping the young lovers apart.
Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro has a tendency to drop a reader right into a world with no further context, drip-feeding hints but without any clear explanation. Klara and the Sun is no different. It’s set in a strange futuristic world, where children’s companionship can be bought, from incredibly realistic but ultimately artificial friends. The story explores love, loyalty, grief and humanity through the eyes of the highly observant Klara. Sadly, I don’t quite understand the gush of love for Ishiguro’s books, and find the vagueness a little frustrating at times (as with “Never Let Me Go”).
To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara
Yep, I went there. Despite being emotionally scarred by “A Little Life” I picked up Yanagihara’s latest 700+ page offering. This one is a little more intellectually rather than emotionally challenging. It consists of a triptych of reimagined New York stories, spanning three centuries, all featuring protagonists of the same name yet unconnected. In the first, a rich but fragile young man resists betrothal to a respectable suitor, drawn instead to a penniless music teacher. In the second, set amidst the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man hides his troubled childhood from his older, privileged partner. The final third tells the story of an authoritarian dystopian America ravaged by endless pandemics, from the viewpoints of a scientist and his granddaughter. I was absorbed in each story, however there is some frustration as the narratives remain unresolved.
A Terrible Kindness – Jo Browning Wroe
It’s brave for any novel to begin with a backdrop of an appalling tragedy. Particularly one involving the death of children. Browning Wroe describes with some tenderness the grim task faced by volunteers as they tended to the bodies of those tragically killed in Aberfan in 1966. William Lavery, a newly qualified embalmer, is dispatched to help out, and his work that night helps him to face his own past. It’s a story of family, friendship, compassion and forgiveness; well-researched and well-written. It’s little surprise to find out that Browning Wroe grew up in a Birmingham crematorium, such is her understanding of grief and rituals around the dead.
Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is the second TJR book that I’ve read and loved (the first being “Daisy Jones and The Six”). This story centres around the Riva siblings, children of music legend and serial womaniser Mick Riva. The main narrative takes place on one eventful night, the annual party thrown by eldest daughter Nina. A cast of characters come and go, but it is the relationship between Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit which is the heart of the tale. TJR has the ability to transport readers to sun-drenched 80s Malibu, and create characters that you can almost believe are real.
The Nickel Boys – Colston Whitehead
In the Nickel Academy, black boys are physically, emotionally and sexually abused, and sometime they just disappear. The book follows the story of Elwood Curtis, unfairly arrested whilst travelling to enrol in college, and incarcerated in reform school. Elwood is smart, hopeful and ambitious, believing that fairness and justice will prevail. It doesn’t take long before he’s disabused of these notions. Elwood’s friendship with cynical survivor Turner is his salvation. I enjoyed “The Underground Railroad” but this book is truly a masterpiece. The author doesn’t focus on gruesome, harrowing detail, but instead produces an incredibly simple, well-written story with a conclusion that I never saw coming. It’s easy to see how Whitehead has won two Pulitzer Prizes in a row.
Found – Erin Kinsley
This is one of those run-of-the-mill police procedurals featuring the disappearance and reappearance of a missing child. Evan holds the key to unlocking the secrets of their capture, but is too traumatised to help. Yet there is a strong family story woven around this, particularly regarding Evan’s relationship with his grandfather, and how they heal each other. I could do without the glimpses into the private lives of the investigating detectives but on the whole it’s a easy read despite the subject matter. The story was all too familiar, and reminded me why I’m not personally a particular fan of this genre.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne
This is an epic read which made me laugh and cry in equal measures. We follow the life of Cyril, adopted son of the distinctly chilly Averys, and hopelessly in love with his best friend Julian. Hiding his homosexuality only leads to more trouble, until he finally finds the love of his life and a purpose in providing comfort to others. Tragedy, heartbreak and then wonderfully touching moments all tumble over each other as Boyne takes us to Dublin and Amsterdam and New York, following Cyril’s every move spanning seventy years. The witty storytelling and powerful emotions will remain with me for a long time. My favourite read of May & June 2022 by far.
American Wife – Curtis Sittenfeld
This 600+ page book could have benefited from being 100 pages shorter, as the journey towards Alice Blackwell becoming First Lady is infinitely more interesting than when she gets there. Billed as fiction, it’s blindingly obvious that Alice is a thinly disguised Laura Bush. None of the characters are particularly likeable, although there are some interesting explorations of topics such as abortion rights and the futility of the Iraq War.
In Every Mirror She’s Black – Lola Akinmade Akerstrom
This debut novel tells the stories of Kemi, Brittany-Rae and Muna and explores different perspectives of life as a black women. Kemi’s high-flying career finds her working in Sweden, in a marketing company keen to improve their diversity statistic. Flight attendant Brittany-Rae finds Scandinavian rich boy Jonny Von Lundin difficult to resist, despite his social quirks and tendency towards unhealthy obsession. And Muna is beginning life in a new country after fleeing wartorn Somalia. Largely situated in a white-dominated Stockholm, the book touches on racism, tokenism, classism and fetishization. On the whole, the characters aren’t particularly likable, and make some questionable choices which made it difficult for me to engage fully.
The Weekend – Charlotte Wood
Three senior ladies – and an ailing dog – are tasked with cleaning out the beach house of their dearly departed friend Sylvia. Each has their own secrets, and their relationships with each other ebb and flow as they face their past and their futures. It’s very character-driven rather than story-driven, illuminating the fears, regrets and sadness of ageing, whilst exploring the importance of friendship. It’s Australian beach setting brings “Big Little Lies” to mind (the book, not the Big Sur-based TV series), with wonderfully evocative descriptions.
Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Dooer
My holiday read was hefty enough to weigh down my beach towel as a 640 page hardback. Which significantly increased my luggage weight. Doerr’s story has five main protagonists, based over multiple timelines, including 15th century Constantinople and a futuristic space station. Each character is linked by the same Ancient Greek tale, “Cloud Cuckoo Land”, and this story has a great impact on each of their lives. Also in common is the fact that they have all suffered loss, and seek solace in a library of some sort. It was a little difficult at times to keep track of the different storylines, but Doerr has followed up the Pulitzer Prize wining “All The Light We Cannot See” with another gem.
Currently Reading
Pure – Andrew Miller
Reminders of Him – Colleen Hoover
Magpie – Elizabeth Day
Next Up
Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart
There was just one DNF in May & June 2022; I really couldn’t get into The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller despite it being highly recommended. Pick of the bunch was definitely The Heart’s Invisible Furies, closely followed by To Paradise and Malibu Rising. What have you been reading recently? You can keep up with my reading lists by connecting with me on Goodreads.
