I actually enjoyed keeping my reading log last year, so have decided to continue keeping it going. I found it interesting to see what I'd been reading, and helpful to reflect a little on what I'd enjoyed or not. I might also try noting down the new books I buy each month - having a public record of this might just help to restrict my impulse purchases slightly!
She and her Cat by Makoto Shinkai and Naruto Nagakawa
This is another of my forays into Japanese literature - as almost always featuring cats! These short stories tell of four separate women's encounters with cats, the impact they have on one another's lives, and the way they intertwine. Told from the cats' perspectives, they look at our human concerns in a different light. A lovely book.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
I borrowed this from the library ready for some long car journeys as DH had rather enjoyed the start of We Solve Murders a few months earlier. I already knew how much I enjoyed it first time around, and can safely say it was just as good second time through. Great fun, touching and humorous.
Murder! by Narwhal! by Alex T Smith
This caught my eye in a pile of books carefully designed to appeal to impulse shoppers with a weakness for pretty books, sitting as it was right by the till. I have absolutely no regrets! It's an older child/young adult book, but is well written and thoroughly enjoyable. It follows the rules of good whodunnits - with hindsight all the clues are there, but the who and why weren't too glaringly obvious too early.
Grimacres is a dark and dour stately house, which lives up to its name. When the family assemble to celebrate the birthday of Edna's grandfather it becomes clear that many of them are hiding secrets, and all is not well. When he is found dead on the evening of his birthday, 11-year-old wannabe detective Edna decides to investigate, ably helped by her tortoise, Charles Darwin.
Strongly recommended for any fans of Robin Stevens' Murder Most Unladylike series.
Kids Run the Show by Delphine De Vigan
This was a very thought-provoking read with my book club, about the impact of 'mom influencer' culture on their children and families. Mélanie is a 'momfluencer', sharing the ins and outs of her life and her children with her Instagram followers and a YouTube channel. When her six-year-old daughter goes missing, the police are called in to investigate the disappearance. Is the perfect family's perfect life all it appears, or are there secrets threatening its security?
This was gripping, and made me think about my own views on the use of children in social media and the monetisation of family life. The final section addresses the long-term impact on the children brought up in this kind of spotlight; although the transition felt rather jarring, the predicted future is bleak.
In some ways it's quite a clumsy, almost preachy or didactic book, clearly extolling the facts and figures around children featured on Insta and YouTube channels. But given the real-life data which lies behind some of the tale, maybe that's not a bad thing, and we need to be confronted with the possible impacts and outcomes of our own viewing choices.
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild [audiobook] I decided to try returning to an old favourite for my bedtime listening, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This classic tale of three adopted children finding their way in the worlds of theatre and dance never grows old for me. Pauline, Petrova and Posy are all orphaned children adopted by Great Uncle Matthew in his travels and brought back to London to be raised by his niece, Sylvia and her former Nanny.
While he is off exploring the world, money is tight at home and Sylvia has to find ways to educate the children and make ends meet. Through taking in boarders, the girls are sent to the nearby dance and stage school, and make a vow to get their name into the history books.
This is a beautifully told story of determination to support one another when the going gets tough - and oh boy does it get tough - and of dreaming dreams, and finding one's own place in the world.
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrick Backman
This seemed like a rather odd book, far removed from Backman's usual style. It's a novella rather than a full length novel, about death and the chance to give someone else life. Definitely one to listen to again or, ideally, read -
but it's very difficult to get hold of the swedish hard copy!
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Six astronauts on the ISS, orbiting our planet 16 times in a day. Set on the day one of them receives the news of her mother's death, this isn't just the stories of six individuals and reflections on the lives that have brought them to where they are, but is also a much bigger story than that for all that it's the shortest book I've read in a long time! Not exactly cheering, but optimistic nonetheless. Not something I'd usually pick, but recommended by a book club member.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
I quite enjoyed this but really didn't like the main audiobook narrator! It was helpful to have the audiobook available, but I'm
glad I started and finished it with the hardcopy. The books tells the story of Sam and Sadie, who form their friendship as young teens playing video games. After a period of estrangement, they reconnect as college students and start creating games together. Their working relationship is as tumultuous as their friendship, and they have to face difficulties and hard decisions over the years.
The ending wasn't what I expected, but I ended up feeling pretty satisfied with things over all.
January purchases
Kids Run the Show
Orbital
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