There were a couple of stand-outs in July - one of them quite unexpected. I say ‘unexpected’ because I had in my head it was about something completely different so therefore I was pleasantly surprised. Just goes to show, you can’t rely on your own preconceptions. 🤓
Right, let’s jump in:
First up were two of the Veronica Speedwell mysteries - A Dangerous Collaboration and A Murderous Relation - I’m still enjoying these, though my library doesn’t yet have the more recent releases.
This serves as a segue into the next book…
Those books, and discovering that the author Judith Flanders (whose novel A Murder of Magpies baffled me in June) had written several books on the Victorian era, prompted me to look one of them up. The Victorian House takes us through a discussion/description of Victorian society through the lens of the middle-class household — “from childbirth to deathbed”. With a section devoted to each room of the house, everything from decor to social etiquette and the way each room reflected the occupants of the household, it was equal parts horrifying and fascinating. Such a complex society and one which I know I’ve been guilty of romanticizing. This was an excellent antidote to that as there was nothing terribly romantic about day to day life, I can assure you. I suspect it was only the very rich who lived in tolerable comfort and convenience. I’m still, however, in a bit of a swoon over the exquisite manners and decorum. So very civilized, if not a bit repressive.😉 . This is a great read if you want an interesting and very accessible book on the Victorian era…it has a wonderful narrative voice and much of the research was taken from journals and letters so it has a great conversational feel to it. I especially enjoyed the occasional snarky footnotes.
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
Is it possible to read a Barbara Kingsolver book and not come away having learned something? And when I say ‘learned something’, I mean having your worldview completely altered. I think not.
This is the story of a Baptist missionary family in the Belgian Congo in the late 1950s, as told by the wife and four daughters of a slightly unhinged Baptist minister. It really can’t be encapsulated in a blurb - the depth and scope, from the micro (the experiences of the women) to the macro (Africa as a continent and the Congo as a place and time in history) - I was left awestruck, enraged and pensive - with every possible emotion in between.
Much the same way Demon Copperhead shone an unfavourable light on the treatment of the people of Appalachia, this is one more black mark on the U.S government and the capitalist agenda. The hints of prophecy are also there (the origins of pandemic-inducing viruses) as well as a discussion at the end of how Africa, a continent not meant for large-scale habitation, manages to limit the human population. It’s an interesting, thought ethically complex, theory - and a suitably critical one of colonialism and its wider effects on entire ecosystems — though not likely to be a popular one, see: colonialism and the capitalist agenda.
Anyway, it’s an excellent read. Highly recommend.
Homecoming - Kate Morton
An enjoyable, if not slightly depressing at times, read. It’s the story of a young woman returning to her childhood home in Australia after her grandmother falls ill. A family secret is uncovered and we’re split between two timelines as the truth behind the tragic death of a woman and her children is explored. Lots of twist and sidetracks and although I guessed at a crucial element, I had no idea of the how/why. It was very cleverly done.
What I found really interesting was the idea of ‘stories and their tellers’ - and how the truth can so easily be manipulated and perspectives adjusted accordingly. That added a whole new layer of nuance that was very intriguing.
Bonus marks for the Australian setting, family drama and an old country house with a generations-long mystery.
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt
This was the book that I thought was about something else. I thought it was a non-fiction book about octopuses and while I don’t have anything against octopuses, I wasn’t all that interested in them either. No longer! I’m now a big fan.
Anyway, it’s a novel, with an octopus as one of the main characters. He’s actually my favourite character in the whole book. And what a delightful book! It’s the story of a widow and the aging Great Pacific Octopus, name Marcellus, that she befriends while working at the aquarium where he lives. It’s so beautiful in its examination of aging and family and relationships, on loneliness and feeling other. Very sensitive and also very affirming.
There was a happy ending, though not without its sadness; there was some redemption, but not everything — so it felt real. Thoroughly captivating and I would highly recommend it.
And that was July in books!
I also have to add an honourable mention for a tv show which is filling my creative well and just overall delighting me — The Umbrella Academy. I started watching it in July and am now enjoying the fourth and final season as it comes out on Netflix. It’s a teensy bit violent for my usual taste (though nothing that a quick look-away can’t fix) but the humour, the dysfunction, the time travel…*chef’s kiss* — I am 100% Team Klaus. It’s shows like this that make me marvel at the human capacity for creativity - it’s just the most amazing thing!
What about you? What are you reading? Do you have a favourite from the summer so far?
I’m always up for recommendations so feel free to drop one in the comments.
Until next time…happy reading!!
~m. xo
These look terrific. My list just got longer!