And finally, TODAY, the weather has broken and gone lovely and cool and autumnal! Yes, it’s going to go back up next week, but for now, bliss!
I started a wee Substack newsletter, and would be delighted if you subscribed – it’s all my book reviews, plus other links and bits and bobs and life happenings sort of things. Here ’tis: https://substack.com/@stubbornsunshine
And now, on to the reviews!
One of the Family by Mark Edwards was an audiobook listen for me about Patrick taking a trip to the Scottish Highlands to meet his (super duper rich) girlfriend’s family, only to discover a tangle of familial resentment, rage, weirdness, a doppelgänger, and a death (or two). This was a quick, fun listen – maybe not groundbreaking with unlikable characters and unlikely situations – but the pace and setting moved things right along and I had a good time listening!
Once in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-Kia is a romance novel blending magical realism, our chronically online “perfect” lives, a boy, and a New York City setting. Laia Grace is filming her incredibly perfect, unattainable “perfect day in my life” video for social media when something goes horribly wrong, and she is stuck in a perpetual loop, a la Groundhog Day… with a guy who seems to be stuck in the timeline with her. I thought this started out with promise, but as the story progressed, I found the romance lacking, the plot weirding, and my interest just… stopped. I had high hopes, but just wasn’t for me.
Switzy by Emma Cline rocked me back with how clever, heartbreaking, and immersive it is. David Hastings was a brilliant businessman, but now is suffering from dementia and has made the decision to travel to Switzerland to legally end his life with dignity (hence, “Switzy”). We follow David as he travels to see his daughter in London, meet an old school friend in France, and make his final preparations for the end, all while we – the reader – are watching him decompensate in real time. This is messy, heartbreaking, makes you feel uneasy, the prose and structure is so unique, and while this is a difficult read, it’s definitely a worthwhile one. Wowza.
Swan Song by Charles Spencer was one I knew I had to read (my British heritage, Mum’s love of Diana, my love of all things royal and historical) even though I knew it would be, well, sad. I found Spencer to be a great writer who delves into the genealogy and family history and their growing up in alternating chapters to learning of Diana’s death and his preparation for her funeral. It’s clear just how nmuch he loved, valued and wanted to protect Diana. There are, I’m sure, lots of sensational criticisms of the book, but I personally found this very moving and more than just “skin deep” or a cash in. Mum would have loved it…
How to Be Hopeful by Caitlin Moran was exactly the right book at the right moment for me! Moran (my age) decides to change her ways from anxiety and doomscrolling and our nightmare of a news cycle to… well, hope. You travel along with her as she makes changes like ditching the news, rewilding her garden, embracing winter, getting a dog, all the things. She’s quirky, funny, honest, joyful, and made me feel, truly, hopeful for the first time in an age that we can make little changes and truly impact our day to day. This relatable, inspiring and wryly inspiring tome gets two thumbs up from me!
The Many Private Lives of Missy Cooke by Jane Green was an audiobook listen for me, and it kept me fairly engaged throughout. Missy is the daughter of tech captain of industry Marty Cooke (a thinly veiled Steve Jobs it appeared to me!), trying to fight her nepo baby reputation while navigating a relationship, her position at her father’s company, her mother, and more. When Marty falls ill, Missy becomes the interim CEO and takes on all the pressure associated with it, including a backstabbing colleague, a childhood crush back in the picture, and jet setting around the world in service of her job. I enjoyed the settings (French Riviera, India, Switzerland!), the fast pace, the soap opera-ness of it all, but ultimately, this feels like a story I enjoyed in the moment, but will scarce remember in a week.
Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham was, in short, an absolute delight. 🙂This memoir is truly what’s on the tin – the daily chronicles of Katie working in the bookshop her mother owns in a seaside town in the UK over the course of one year. It’s quirky, funny, warm, redolent with books and bookish people, endless cups of tea, the struggles of a small business and just… oh, just a warm, bookish hug. This is the perfect book to just pick up and put down, even if only reading a few pages as a time. I was utterly charmed, and absolutely loved it and recommend it if you’re a bookish person like me. 🙂
