Long overdue

Oops.

I really didn’t intend to leave it so long into 2019 before posting, I have been reading somethings but real life has got in the way quite a bit and I have been too tired for much sustained reading. I’ve also not been able to talk about the books as they aren’t published for quite some time and are under some embargoes.

Life first, after a few stressful (!) months I can now say that I do still have a job going forward into the year, I’m not at all sure how it is going to pan out, or to be frank exactly what it is, but hopefully it will be okay and that I can continue to recover. The whole application/interview process was another reminder of just how different my brain is still.

However time to rally about books!

The first book is called The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg (translated by Alice Menzies). It is billed as the debut book from the Swedish author and a book that has been “a word of mouth & blog sensation” in Sweden. I’d have to agree and wish that it had received more of a fanfare over here.
It tells the life story of 96 year old Doris through the names in her (red) address book. Her life was fascinating and is gripping to read, but what struck me the most about this was how positive Lundberg’s portrayal of an elderly woman was - Doris is tech savvy, she doesn’t need people to work her computer, she Skype and browses the internet with aplomb. She is also well aware of where she is in the life cycle and completely natural in her ageing.

I’m not ashamed to say that the book moved me to tears several times through the story, and it was a great book to start 2019. Badger your library to get a copy of this book ASAP, or treat yourself.

The next book is due to be published in a couple of weeks but again I urge you to reserve/order a copy...
If Only I Could Tell You by Hannah Beckerman is about how secrets within a family can tear it apart. So far so common but in some ways this book reminded me of a thriller as clues to the secret are dripped into the plot and caused me to speculate (wrongly) on a fair few of them. I had a few questions left at the end, but I do always think that if you are left wanting more from the characters then the book has been a success as the characters are ‘real’ to the reader.

This was another tearjerker for me, and I’m glad I wasn’t still reading it on the train as I don’t think I could have suppressed the emotion even being in public!