“I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library “- Jane Austen
The rhythm of my days has books woven throughout them. Reading is part of my routine, it happens organically and gives a constant pattern to the day. Whatever I am doing and wherever I am, books are with me. They are a continual source of comfort, joy and pleasure. I spend lots of time thinking about books, books I’m reading and the books I want to read.
There is a reassurance found between the pages of a book which it can sometimes be hard to find elsewhere. When the news is bleak and even tomorrow feels uncertain book are there. Books and stories are the companions through life’s undulations. There are those authors and genres I gravitate to because they are just what I need in a particular season of time. I have a collection of authors whose books I know I can always pick up and be transported to just where I need to be.
Looking back on the books I have read over the previous year is always a pleasant task and one I like to take my time over. I enjoy this time of becoming reacquainted with old friends and revisiting favourite places I had forgotten. As I remind myself of the books I have read, I am often reminded where I read them. Ann Tyler joined me in a field in West Sussex while celebrating our wedding anniversary, Nora Ephron travelled with me to France and Mary Stewart sat with me in my garden during sweltering summer days.
It is always so hard to narrow down my reading to a top 10. Books are my friends, and just like friends I don’t want anyone to feel left out. Almost all the books I have read this year deserve a mention, because almost every book I’ve read has brought me something new or interesting or funny or comforting or sad or challenging. Each has added something to my reading life.
The 10 books listed here are the ones I remember most fondly. These are the ones I found myself lost in, turning over just one more page, and thinking about long after I had closed them for the last time
Fiction
Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout
I am already cheating because although these are two books I have grouped them together. They are two such perfectly formed novels that I couldn’t bear to separate them. My adoration for Elizabeth Strout’s writing has grown considerably this year as I have worked my way through her novels. It is however Olive Kitteridge in all her short tempered awkwardness with her big heart who has has stolen mine. In each novel the story of Olive is woven through the lives of others. Each chapter gives the story to a single character. Sometimes Olive features as little more than a well placed sentence, in other chapters she is the whole chapter. This is such a brilliant way of writing and I couldn’t love these books or Olive any more
Longbourn by Jo Baker
I’m always drawn to anything remotely linked to Pride and Prejudice. In Longbourne, a deviation from the traditional Pride and Prejudice, we are told the story from the perspective of ‘below stairs’. There is just as much intrigue, romance and heartbreak as above. I loved the domestic detail in this book and the exploration of the reality of how it really was being in service to the Bennett family. What became very clear was how entirely dependent the ‘gentry’ were upon their staff to run their homes and their lives. This marries very well with P&P and uses it as a basis for a highly satisfying spin off.
My favourite quote from this book:
“If Elizabeth Bennett had to wash her own petticoats, she would be more careful not to tramp through muddy fields”
Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
This is a book I read via my postal book group and my mum who happens to be in the same postal book group. Aduni is 14 when she is sold to be married to a much older man. She is his 3rd wife and hated and abused by his other wives. She manages to escape only to be enslaved by ‘Big Madam’ who also subjects her to constant verbal and physical abuse. But Aduni has a voice, she is clever and brave and through her belief in kindness, education and herself, manages to survive
This wasn’t always an easy read partly because of the dialect in which it is written, but also because the content was at times brutal and hard to witness, even on the page. The fact I could not put it down however speaks to the skill with which it was written.
French Braid by Anne Tyler
I have never read anything by Ann Tyler I did not adore, and I have read most of her novels. A new novel from Ann Tyler is a precious gift and one I always save for just the right reading moment. This is a family story which begins on a holiday in 1959 and ends during the covid summer of 2020. As many of her novels are, it is set in Baltimore and addresses the nuances of human character and relationships. Mercy the protagonist gradually moves out of the family home she shares with her husband without her family even realising. Despite the brevity of the book, Tyler manages to cover a lot of ground with each family member getting a share of the narrative.
Another novel made hugely enjoyable by Ann Tyler’s concise writing style, perfectly descriptive sentences and her accurate understanding and observations of family dynamics.
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
This is a YA (young adult) story and one I would not necessarily have picked up had it not been recommended so highly. With many nods towards The Great Gatsby (another favourite novel), A Sky Painted Gold is set in Cornwall on an island clearly representative of St Michaels Mount. It is the coming of age story of Lou who longs to be a writer. She forms relationships with the dazzling bright young things who occupy Cardew House on the island. It is a glamorous story of parties and extravagance but it is also a story of family and friendship and loyalty. I also love it when a house is also a character in a book and this one definitely is.
Non Fiction
Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent
This was the second book I read in 2022 and the first of a number of memoirs. This is a lovely tale of intergenerational friendship through the vehicle of food. Edward and Isabel met at a time when they were both grieving the loss of a partner. Isabel was going through a divorce and Edward’s wife had recently died. 90 something year old Edward cooked delicious meals for Isabel each week. Through his generosity and hospitality a friendship develops and through these shared meals they gradually both heal. This is set against the backdrop of Manhattan with jazz providing a musical accompaniment. Delicous.
The Last Act of Love by Cathy Rentzenbrink
I have raved about this book far and wide and cannot recommend it highly enough. Cathy Rentzenbrink is a writer I admire, but this book had sat on my TBR pile for a some time before I was brave enough to pick it up. When I did, I raced through it in 24 hours. An incredibly sad, moving and powerful memoir. Cathy’s beloved brother Matty suffers a devastating accident which leaves him alive but completely changed and requiring 24 hour care. What follows is 8 years of living in the dreadful hinterland of grief until finally the family were forced to make an unbearable decision. The story is told with warmth and love and complete honesty. I cried throughout this and have thought about it often since. A must for anyone involved in any kind of caring profession.
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Another wonderful memoir I found it hard to put down. When Ray and Moth are forced to leave their home and business they feel they have no option but to buy a tent and start walking. Despite Moth’s illness, subsequent unbearable pain and their very meagre income they make their way around the South West coastal path on foot. This is a story of resilience, picking yourself up and keeping going when it seems almost everything is against you. A beautiful memoir brought to life by the glorious nature writing and depth of reflection.
Many Different Kinds of Love – A Story of Life, Death and the NHS by Michael Rosen
The author and poet Michael Rosen spent 47 days in intensive care after contracting Covid during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. Whilst he was sedated and ventilated the team caring for him wrote him letters telling him how he was doing and how they were caring for him. From this and with his own patchy memory, Rosen has put together a beautiful collection of poems letters and recollections of his experience of covid and the long road to recovery. I was very moved by his reflections and found myself transported back to my own experiences of nursing during that frightening time.
Write it All Down by Cathy Rentzenbrink
I was hesitant to include another book by the same author but when I remember how much I have referred to this one and read and re-read passages I couldn’t leave it out. It also has a prominent position on my desk and is filled with notes and squiggles and highlighted passages. This is Cathy’s ever practical and insightful guide to writing memoir. She is generous in her suggestions and her encouragement oozes from the pages. She helps you find the joy of writing and talks about the solace that can be found from just getting it out and onto the page. If you have even the vaguest interest in writing I think this book will inspire you to write more.
