Dipping in and out

My reading has become a little disorganised of late for three main reasons: a lot of my non fiction reservations arrived in one go at the library, I've been doing some more reading & reviewing for various projects and I've lost my fiction mojo.

This all means that I've not had a lot to say about my reading lately, however thanks to a trip to the theatre I've realised that I do have a book theme to talk about!

A little while ago we went to the Chichester Festival Theatre and saw Shadowlands, the play about C.S. Lewis' friendship with, and subsequent marriage to,  Joy Gresham and then her unexpected illness and death.  The play itself was magnificent, and the cast uniformly good. It was incredibly moving by the end, but shot through with humour meaning that it all felt very natural.

Between booking our tickets and seeing the play I had also read a new novel Becoming Mrs Lewis by Patti Callahan thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins.  This told the more or less the same story as Shadowlands but from Joy's perspective, it of course is also fiction inspired by fact and I very much enjoyed seeing the dual perspective.  For a full rounding out of the story I am now waiting for Lewis' own version of the story Surprised by Joy to arrive at the library.

In the meantime I am reading Inklings, the biography of the writing group that Lewis started, along with Tolkien, in the late 1930s.  I've always been a fan of C.S. Lewis' work and still own the Chronicles of Narnia book set that I was given for Christmas when I was 7 or 8, but I only read Tolkien as an adult, and to be honest his tales never captivated me in the same way.

However reading Inklings I think that I would have preferred to be in Tolkien's company more than Lewis - like me they greatly enjoyed being out in the countryside walking. Lewis was a serious walker - far more about the distance covered and the conversations had while walking whereas Tolkien much preferred a walk with plenty of time to look at nature and the views rather than covering the miles!
It is all a moot point however as women were not included in either the meetings of the Inklings or on the walks!

I definitely recommend Shadowlands and if you like novels imagining real people then Becoming Mrs Lewis is a good read.

A book that packs a punch despite being 'Little'

Little by Edward Carey

A micro review for a 'Little' book.
I received a copy of this book in proof form and it arrived in my hands with no blurb or information and I had no idea what I was starting.

It turns out that this is a book about the woman who became Madame Tussaud, it is fiction but uses the biographical information out there to make a truthful yet gripping read.

While I knew Madame Tussaud was a real person I'd never thought to learn more about her but in this book Carey really made her sing from every page.

I have to confess to skim reading some of the descriptions of how she learnt her trade - what can I say, I'm squeamish! It was the skill with which Carey evoked Europe of the late 1700s and early 1800s that won me over in addition to the wonderful  the little sketches which added loads to the reading experience for me.

Once more Belgravia Books have produced a little gem, and like Salt Creek last year I really hope that this gains great word of mouth interest and ends up on loads of 'best of 2018' lists in a few months time.

Although I was provided with a free copy of this book I wasn't expected to write a review for the title - I just found it so quirky that I had to share my thoughts.