book reviews

Having slightly surprised myself by turning out to not mind public libraries after all, I’ve been enjoying finding a new author or two. So far, if Amazon star ratings are to be believed, I’m excellent at judging a book by its cover, as all the ones I’ve brought home and read, I’ve loved (I brought home more than I managed to read the first couple of times – knitting and work and Pocket Frogs distracted me!)

A particular favourite was Amenable Women by Mavis Cheek. The premise of this is a newly widowed woman who becomes entranced by the mystery surrounding the historical perception of Anne of Cleves. The book explores her own path through the complexities of grief and relief at being her own woman again alongside the relationship she develops with a historical figure she feels kinship with. It is cleverly done, whimsical yet believable and a gentle chuckle at village life and the absurdities of marriages that go a little, but not terribly, wrong. As a book it really spoke to me and if you enjoy something with a gentle pace, I highly recommend it.

On the back of enjoying Amenable Women, I borrowed Yesterday’s Houses and was equally pleased with the choice. Again it focuses on one woman, who finds herself carried along in a series of unsatisfactory and absurd relationships which she is too passive to prevent. The book explores her gradual and rather pitfall strewn path to independence through education and maturity, set against the characters of the houses she lives in along the way.

One of the things I’m loving about having an older daughter is that we are beginning to both enjoy similar books. She reads things now I’m happy to try and I’m hoping it won’t be long till she reads up to me. She’s also about to begin guest blogging on here and so we thought we’d do a string of reviews, as well as revisiting a reading target for the year. When I was pregnant, I set myself a 100 books I a year target; I didn’t manage it and probably won’t this year either, but I’d like to read 50 and hopefully she’ll be joining me with a similar target.

I’ve a terrible temptation to stick with familiar authors and, when anxious, even familiar books and I’m hoping to branch out this year, particularly as I think my birthday present may be going to encourage this 😆 I love lots of authors, Freya North, Victoria Clayton, Jane Green, Philippa Gregory, Elizabeth Chadwick being just a few and happily read my way through lots of The Big Read a few years back (hmmmm… that could do with putting into WordPress!) I’d be more than pleased to get some author recommendations 🙂