Spring Reads 2021
We may be emerging from lockdown and the outside world may beckon, but I’ll always find time to read. There have been a couple of standout books this spring, and a few meh books too. I’ve even given up on a couple. After all, life’s too short to persevere with a book you’re not enjoying so if it doesn’t pass the 20% test, it’s removed from my library. Although it doesn’t mean I won’t go back to them at a later date!
Outlawed – Anna North
Definitely my top recommendation from this batch; if you loved JoJo Moyes “Giver of Stars” then make sure you give this one a whirl. When she fails to produce a child within the first six months of marriage, Ada is sent away by her mother, knowing that to remain at home means being hanged for witchcraft. Determined to find out why some women are infertile, Ada ends up as part of the notorious Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, taking part in an audacious heist and making bombs out of horse manure. It’s a riveting reimagined Wild West story, with beautiful descriptions of the frontier landscape
Beartown – Fredrik Backman
I loved this book about a small Swedish town, where hockey is EVERYTHING. Hockey is the heart and soul of Beartown, and the players are revered. So much so that they are able to get away with anything. Almost anything. Backman’s novel explores whether a blind eye can be turned when a terrible, violent act is committed by one of your own. You don’t have to understand or even like hockey to be totally absorbed by the descriptions and the characters. The cast list is quite extensive, yet Backman paints a vivid picture of each character, and how their lives are affected by this town and it’s passion – or obsession – for hockey. A true 5* book, and I look forward to reading the follow-up “Us Against You” soon.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It – Elle Cosimano
It’s a farfetched but fun tale of mistaken identity as struggling writer and single mother Finlay is mistaken for a contract killer. Finlay and her sidekick are highly entertaining as they attempt to become criminal masterminds and end up getting entangled with the Russian mob. Suspend your belief, enjoy the dark-yet-whimsical plot and settle in to the new “cosy mystery” genre.
You, Me & The Sea – Elizabeth Haynes
Usually a crime fiction writer, Elizabeth Haynes has departed from her usual oeuvre with this love story set on a fictional remote windswept island. It’s the kind of story that whisks you out of your humdrum existence and transports you elsewhere, with evocative descriptions of a landscape of eternal sea and sky. It explores themes of grief, depression and identity, interspersed with moments of drama, solitude and feral desire. It’s a satisfying and captivating tale, with just enough suspense and mystery to prevent this being just another romance.
The Beauty Of Your Face – Sahar Mustafah
This debut novel by Sahar Mustafah explores the complexities of life in America as the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, culminating in a tragic attack by an alt-right radical. Afaf spends much of the novel searching for her true identity, trying to fit in as an American before embracing religion and her culture. Her family struggle to come to terms with her older sister’s disappearance, her mother’s mental health issues and her father’s infidelity. It’s a well-crafted story, bringing together multiple complex themes and developing Afaf beautifully as a character from a confused child to a loving wife and mother.
Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights – Helen Lewis
In a similar vein to A History of the World With the Women Put Back In, this book looks at the names that we may not have heard of in the continuing fight for female freedom and equality. Rich in detail, each chapter looks at a different aspect of life, from love, sex and divorce to work, education and sport. These trailblazing women are complex, complicated and surprisingly. not always continuing champions of women’s rights. Marie Stopes, founder of the first birth control clinic, was staunchly anti-abortion and a supporter of eugenics. Erin Pizzey, founder of women’s shelter Refuge, is anti-feminist and supports the men’s right movement. A truly fascinating read.
Last Night – Mhairi McFarlane
I admit to being a little snobbish about the whole “boy meets girl under difficult circumstances but eventually they fall in love” genre. Yet I quite enjoyed this romance based around grief and loss. These sound like heavy topics but McFarlane tells this story with a balanced amount of levity – there are plenty of moments when the mood is lifted with the kind of inappropriate comments you’re never quite sure it’s the right time for after a death. On the whole, the book is about friendship, missed chances and about moving on.
The Last Story of Mina Lee – Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Can we ever really know who our mothers are, before we came into their lives? This is the story of Margot, trying to unravel the true story of her mother’s untimely death. And it is the story of Mina, a young Korean widow, newly arrived in Los Angeles, trying to adjust to an American lifestyle. This interwoven mother daughter narrative is a little heavy at times and the Mina story is more interesting. It’s a book that tries to deal with a multitude of subjects but somehow falls short of creating a gripping story.
Space Hopper – Helen Fisher
Another story about the strong pull of the maternal bond. Helen Fisher’s debut tells the tale of a woman who discovers a way of travelling through time to visit her mother, who died when she was a child. She faces an internal battle as she has to make a choice: build a relationship with her mother in the past, or maintain the relationship with her husband, daughters and friends in the current time. What would you do? With time-travel possible thanks to a discarded Space Hopper box, it’s a story that requires some suspension of belief.
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
This coming-of-age memoir tells the story of an unconventional upbringing and unconditional love for dysfunctional parents. The story starts with Jeannette recognising her mother, rooting through bins in a Manhattan street. The embarrassment, and the shame. Yet as the story of Jeannette’s childhood unfurls we see that these are choices that her parents have made. Her father is a dreamer and an alcoholic. Her mother is his enabler, glorifying him despite his abuse. Some of the early memories seem a little too vivid and descriptive to be true, but it’s an entertaining and intriguing read.
The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
I’ve read a few Liane Moriarty books now, but for me The Husband’s Secret has been one of the weakest. The premise is based on how one small action can impact on multiple lives, and this novel tells the story of three women who become linked by the titular secret. Except I feel that one character Tess has very little impact on the tale; taking her out of the book altogether would make it pleasingly shorter and wouldn’t change the storyline at all. If you want to read a Moriarty book then definitely read Big Little Lies or Nine Perfect Strangers, but give this one a miss.
Open Water – Caleb Azuman Nelson
I wanted to love this book. After all, so many had raved about it. And it is true that this is rhythmic and lyrical prose, unusually told in second person. And it is also true that this is an insight into race and masculinity, of two young black artists, struggling to be acknowledged and understood. However, I struggled to identify with our unnamed protagonists. I read a lot of books from a diverse range of writers but I felt as if I were excluded from the abundance of cultural references. It’s a brief book, less than 150 pages long, which is probably why I persevered to the end. Beautifully written, but didn’t work for me.
Currently Reading
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
The Man Of My Dreams – Curtis Sittenfeld
The Wild Silence – Raynor Winn
Want to know what else I’ve read recently?
