Book hangover, February 2021

 

O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith (British Library publishing)

Own copy

I've enjoyed all of the books from the British Library Women Writers series that have been published so far - some more than others of course but all of them have been engrossing. This one was something else entirely.

In many ways nothing really happens in the book, we follow about 7 years of Ruan's life at the start of the twentieth century and all the ups and downs that this comes with. Her parents are mismatched and their marriage doesn't last, there are bereavements and full life upheavals but nothing too shocking or unbelievable and the book is told from her viewpoint, although from her adult perspective.

I can't explain why this book has wormed its way under my skin in the manner it has managed but since finishing a week ago I have struggled to read any fiction at all as none of it measures up to the beauty of this book. 

I've been very glad for my WBN challenge as that has kept me reading, admittedly mostly the non fiction titles but it does mean that my mojo hasn't completely vanished. Is it too soon to re-read this one?

Gifting books you'd like to read

I've always been a great believer in the idea that if you are surprising someone with a gift then it should be something you'd like to receive yourself.

After a friend was talking about her reading block at the end of last year, and knowing her quirky tastes, I decided to surprise her with a copy of The Forgotten Authors by Christopher Fowler. When it arrived I had a look through it and instantly wanted to keep it and not pass it on.

Reading slumps are a real pain, that longing to read something but not being able to find a suitable book can drive you mad. Even with my limited reading stamina at present I still find this a problem - if you've got limited ability to read it has to be a good book after all!

This book includes details of 99  authors who were once popular but have slipped from collective memory overtime plus some extra essays about things like translation and pulp fiction.  I consider myself a prolific and knowledgeable reader but I only recognised 16 of the writers included...

The sections that the book is split into are clever and humorous - being a perverse person my favourite was "The Justly Forgotten Authors" - why do they deserve this epithet? My reservation for this book just came in at the library and I am looking forward to the essays and the new authors to discover. I'm sure that my list of books to read is going to grow hugely!