I am away for a few days this week and I am intending to read a lot because there will be little else to divert my attention – except shopping which might mean that I acquire more books than I read ! I have packed my Kindle and have a few print books to read. I like to bring easy to read books when I go away in order to get into the holiday spirit so here are a few I have packed – I’ll let you know when I get back what I thought of them ! There are eight books here but I acknowledge that I won’t get through all of them in four days – I do like to be prepared for anything though.
No drinking, no dancing, no doctors” by Martina Evans is a book I know little about. I cannot remember where I got it from but I suspect it was on the book table at my local Sainsbury’s where I source a lot of my reading (and dispose of a lot of my surplus volumes). It is a novel reflecting on the life of a woman who grew up in a strict Protestant cult, It isn’t very long so it is worth a go.
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin is about a women who emigrates from Ireland to America. I have read his novel “Nora Webster” in the past and really enjoyed it so I picked this one up when I saw it in a charity shop. It is also quite a short book.
The Runner by Peter May is one of his series set in China. I have read some or all of the others so I know what I am getting with this book. They are crime stories with an American woman and Chinese man getting together to solve crimes in China. These books do have a seriously irritating main woman character but they are very enjoyable nonetheless.
Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood is a retelling of “The Tempest”. I know the play well and the author writes very thought provoking books so I am anticipating enjoying this one. It is one in a series of Shakespeare retellings – I have recently read “Macbeth” by Jo Nesbo and have another by Anne Tyler in my to-be-read pile.
Laurie Graham is one of my favourite authors. I enjoy her amusing but thoughtful novels. I am taking with me The Unfortunates which I have not read before. I don’t know much about it but she has never let me down.
Lisa Gardner is another favourite author. I love her crime novels and think they are some of the most gripping around. I am fortunate to have a copy of her latest Never Tell from NetGalley on my Kindle which I am very much looking forward to reading
Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss is the sequel to “Bodies of Light” which I have read. This author writes particularly harrowing books but they are beautifully written and I have read a few others. This pair of books is about a woman who is becoming a doctor in Victorian England. The first book concentrated on her struggle especially against her mother who is a particularly cold and strict Christian. This book seems to be about mental health in Victorian England and contemporary ideas of marriage. I don’t expect it to be at all jolly but I am sure it will be well written.
I was astonished a while ago to discover that I didn’t own and hadn’t read A Place of Execution by Val McDermid. I thought that I had read all her books as she is an author that I very much enjoy. This is a stand alone suspense/crime novel so I can be sure that if any of the other books let me down that this one will be enjoyable.
I wonder how many of these I will get read during my holiday. I also wonder how many new books I will buy – or if I will manage to avoid the charity shops which are so often my downfall. I’ll keep you posted.
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