September Reading

September was a good reading month. Technically, I've read ten books, but two of those books I'll class as half books because technically I had about 30 pages to read and they were finished in the next month. So, I'll be giving my quick review of Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason and leaving my review of Whistler, which I finished this morning, until next month. Thankfully, nothing was too disappointing this month. Anyway, here we go. 

1) Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason - Paper - 3.5 Stars

I loved Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss when it came out a few years ago, so I was hoping to feel the same about this. But I didn't. 

The blurb from the Harper Collins website describes the book as such:

"Sophie Pattison is such a lovely person. Warm, kind, amazingly positive. She works as a freelance sound technician for literary festivals. She is a massive reader and was recently forced to move house. She is bracingly lonely.* So much so, the absence of others feels like a physical weight, if that makes sense. But then Sophie discovers an author through work and comes to adore her. Her books, interviews and podcasts, her wisdom and brilliance, her beautiful words. It's like solace and company. It's almost like love. And Sophie would love to meet her, although she never will, obviously. The author would never come to her festival. She's too famous for that. Too brilliant, too beautiful. And in a way, thank goodness, because that would change everything. Sophie's entire life.

But ... what if she did?"

I didn't connect with this until later in the book. It was nearly a did not finish, but I wanted to find out about "The Author" and what happened there, and ultimately, I'm glad I stuck around, but, this was all a bit name-droppy and niche. If, like me, you do go to a lot if literary events and author talks, or ever have volunteered at a literary festival, you'll get it. Many won't. It started out a bit pretentious, but it did get better. 

2) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - Audio - 3.75 Stars

This is not my favourite Austen - I'm a lover of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. This one is okay - but not my favourite. You do have to like the plucky Fanny Price, who is sent off to live with her better off cousins, giving her access to a better education, manners and the hoi-polloi, and Austen's biting wit is all through this. But it doesn't have the emotional clout of some of her other books. I also feel sorry for the fact that all a women perceived to be good for is getting married. You can also see that she's going to end up with the lovely Edmund, her cousin... the second half was better than the first.

Frances Barber's narration was sound. No other notes. 

3) Lost Lambs by Madelaine Cash - Paper - 3.75 Stars

This one held out a lot of promise but let me down a little at the end. A book about dysfunctional families and communities and the characters that live in them. Part family drama, part light thriller this first novel by Madelaine Cash truly is laugh-out-loud funny in places, and the voice is superb. It really appealed to my warped, dark sense of humour. 

The Penguin website describes it as such:

"For the three Flynn daughters, it’s been disastrous since their parents opened up their marriage. Abigail, the eldest, is dating an ex-soldier several years her senior nicknamed ‘War Crimes Wes’. Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist. And the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to a wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone – or something – is monitoring the town’s citizens.

Casting a shadow across their lives is Paul Alabaster, a nefarious local billionaire. Rumours of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with Alabaster’s machinations sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy – one that may just, finally, bring them closer together."

This is a romp. I loved the fact that the family, though deeply ga-ga, were all there for each other. It's not perfect, but there are some very great things about it as well. The errant g - which I will say nothing more about, is one of those stylistic choices which will have you scratching your head. 

I'd love to find somebody to discuss this with. It's not perfect, but it is cool. 

4) The Peacock Emporium by Jo Jo Moyes - Audio - 4 Stars

"In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self, will she finally reckon with the past--and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along."

I like Jo Jo Moyes' writing, and really enjoy her historical fiction, because yes, the sixties are now classed as historical fiction. I also remember liking her Ship of Brides - that was really well done. 

As audiobooks go, this was good car fodder. Once you get a handle of the large gaggle of characters and the split timelines, it really comes together. You feel for Suzanna, the first daughter of an upper class family, stuck in a loveless marriage and the situation she's put in. You do love Alejandro and the collection of characters that commune in the shop. 

Is this the best book in the world - no, but its still a good read that slots nicely between heavier are more literary reads. A good Mum book, if you get my drift. 

5) Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell - Paper - 5 Stars

This was a standout audiobook for me last year, and it was a standout read again this year. This was our September reads for book group. It was just as good the second time around. 

"On a bright spring afternoon in Dublin, Ciara Fay makes a split-second decision that will change her life. Grabbing an armful of clothes from the washing line, Ciara straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. Head spinning, all she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe.

It was meant to be an escape. But with dwindling savings, no job, and her family across the sea, Ciara finds herself adrift, facing a broken housing system and the voice of her own demons. As summer passes and winter closes in, she must navigate raising her children in a hotel room, searching for a new home and dealing with her husband Ryan's relentless campaign to get her to come back.

Because leaving is one thing, but staying away is another."

This is a quick read, but oh, so effective. This reads like a thriller, but displays the plight of those fleeing domestic violence with a clarity like no other. 

This is essential reading.

Also, if you get a chance, listen to it on audiobook. Louisa Harland's narration is impeccable. 

6) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Audiobook - 5 Stars

I've read this six or seven times. I noted that Russell Tovey was reading this for Audible. He's fantastic and I delved into Wilde's little book of a Faustian promise and a magical picture locked in an attic again.

No notes - it's still superb. 

On a side note, the one-woman play of the book is coming back to Melbourne next year. If you didn't make it the first-time round, DO IT. Nikki Sheilds is fantastic, as is this interpretation of the book.

7) The Things That Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud - Paper - 4 stars

The Readings website describes the plot like this:

"The staff of St Margaret's Primary School are hanging by a thread. There's serious litigation pending, the school is due for registration, and a powerful parent named Janet Bellevue has a lot to say about everything. As teachers they're trying to remain professional, as people they're fast unravelling.

There's Tyson, first year out of uni and nervous as hell, Derek the Assistant Principal who's dropped the ball on administration, Bev from the office who's confronting a serious diagnosis, and Sally-Ann who's desperate for a child of her own.

Thank goodness for kids like Lionel Merrick. Lionel is the student who steals your heart and makes the whole teaching gig worthwhile: he's cheerful, likeable and helpful - and devoted to his little sister Lacey. But Lionel has a secret of his own. As his future slides from vulnerable to dangerous, will someone from St Margaret's realise before it's too late?

As secrets threaten to be exposed and working demands increase, each staff member begins to lose sight of the things that matter most."

This was enjoyable - and shone a light on school communities and life in a country town. The characters are relatable. If you've got kids in school, or if you're a teacher, you will understand. I really liked the relationships shown in this. It's not a hard read and comes recommended. 

8) Frankie by Graham Norton - Audio - 4 Stars

Who knew Graham Norton from the telly was such a good writer? This small novel about a woman from a small town out of Cork making her way in the world is very enjoyable. 

The Readings website describes the plot as such:

"Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage - after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now in her eighties, she finds it easier to forget the life that came before.

Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her London flat to keep an eye on her as she recovers from a fall. A memory is sparked, and the past crackles into life as Damian listens to the story Frankie has kept stored away all these years.

From post-war Ireland to the dazzling art scene of 1960s New York, Frankie shares a world in which friendships and chance encounters collide. A place where life blazes with an intensity that can't last but will perhaps live on in other ways and in other people."

This was a wonderful listen - made even better by Graham Norton narrating the book. It's very enjoyable. 

 9) Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson - Audio - 4 Stars

Kate Atkinson is fast becoming a favourite author of mine, and this, her latest book is wonderful. This historical novel with a backbone of a mystery keeps you on your toes. It also looks at some of the barking mad history that is the 1951 Festival of Britain. Immaculately research and wonderfully written, if you like your historical novels on unusual topics, this should fit the bill. I also love the pathos she gives her character. Harry Flynn is a marvel - seriously. 

10) Sipsworth by Simon van Booy - Audio - 4 stars

This charming small book is about a woman, a mouse and the power of community.

Goodreads provides the following information:

"Over the course of a single week, a woman who is ready to die discovers an unexpected reason to live.

Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the English village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss.

Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship.

Sipsworth is a reminder that there can be second chances. No matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes the world has plans of its own. Simon Van Booy’s lyrical storytelling is a delight even as it will fill your heart."

This is only 220 pages long (or five hours of audio book listening). It's a charming, heartfelt novel that looks at aging, dying, memory and building community. It's got some lovely messages in and a touch of British bonkers-ness that I love so much. This is great for a quick read. Sure, it's a little twee, but if you can suspend judgement, it's worth it. 

As I finished Ann Patchett's Whistler this morning, that will be reviewed with my October books. 

Today's Song: