What’s on your bookshelf: February

Thistles and Kiwis

February is a short month, and was even shorter in terms of reading days due to the cataract operation on my right eye at the tail end of January. Luckily, I had borrowed a David Rosenfeldt crime novel audiobook Flop Dead Gorgeous, from the library to listen to as a break from podcasts which was perfect, and as my eye recovered and my reading sight adjusted enough to read ‘big print on my phone’, I thoroughly enjoyed Ann Cleeves early Vera book Silent Voices which was just the sort of book I needed at the time.

I had managed to read Elizabeth Strout’s latest Tell Me Everything before the op which I loved. It brings together characters from her previous books into a warm and wonderful read. Town lawyer, Bob Burgess, is involved in a murder investigation of a man accused of killing his mother. He has a long-standing friendship with writer Lucy Barton (who regular readers know of old), who he introduces to Olive Kitteridge (another Strout regular), now living in a retirement community. Stories are shared, issues resolved and friendships made. Highly recommended.

Before the op, I had started to read Valerie Perrin’s Fresh Water for Flowers, which no doubt some of you have read. It tells the tale of a woman who finds herself as the caretaker of a cemetery in a small French town, who has had a difficult life from childhood, an unpleasant husband, and lost her daughter in a tragic accident. The story weaves her past and her present, with a strong cast of characters throughout. I really struggled to get into this book, and having a break in the middle to enjoy a couple of crime novels, I found it hard to finish. Maybe this was just me as it seems to be a well loved book.

In contrast, Alan Carter’s Marlborough Man was hard to put down, and helped me through sofa time with a hurt ankle (dear readers, I fell, but more of that on Monday). This is the tale of an English policeman who relocates to the South Island of New Zealand after he is ‘on the list’ of a criminal gang back in the UK. Set in and around Marlborough (hence the title) this is one of those gripping thrillers that grabs you from page one, with murder, mayhem and mystery.

In stark contrast, I also read two gentle Japanese fantastical books. First up was Sanaka Hiiragi’s The Lantern of Lost Memories, which is about…well…a photographer’s studio you pass through after you die, and a photograph from each year of your life is made into a lantern. As each person passes through, we hear about their lives, and they are given the opportunity to go back to one time and place and re-take one particular picture. This is a delightful book for a rainy Sunday afternoon (not that we have had any of those for a while…).

In The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa we meet a young man who is living in his grandfather’s bookshop and not attending school, a girl with whom he forms a friendship, and a talking cat. The cat leads our humans through labyrinths to meet people who are destroying books, and through careful conversations, the books are saved. This is maybe not a very good summary, as you really need to read it to grasp what it is about, but this was another delightful read. Our book club theme for our next meeting is about books with books in the title or on the cover so this might do for this (though I have two more in my TBR pile).

So to non-fiction, and first up, Cecelia Blomdahl’s wonderful coffee table book Life on Svalbard, full of wonderful photographs from her life with her partner and dog on the island. If you follow her adventures on YouTube you will be familiar with her life there, and if not, I suggest you head over there and experience the polar night, learn why one needs to carry a gun living there, and meet her dog Grim.

Finally, I stumbled upon another chef’s memoir, this time Australian Annie Smithers Kitchen Sentimental, about her life and growth as a chef, interspersed with recipes. If you like this sort of thing, then do pick it up, as it is a good account of the struggles faced by those in the industry.

And so to the voting….

  • Elizabeth Strout Tell Me Everything 5 autumns
  • Valerie Perrin Fresh Water for Flowers 3 gravestones
  • Ann Cleeves Silent Voices 4 hotels
  • Sanaka Hiiragi The Lantern of Lost Memories 4 photographs
  • Annie Smithers Kitchen Sentimental 4 recipes
  • Sosuke Natsukawa The Cat Who Saved Books 4 books
  • Cecilia Blomdahl Life on Svalbard 5 polar bears
  • Alan Carter Marlborough Man 5 criminals

Entered in the what’s on your bookshelf challenge is hosted by fellow bloggers Deb, Sue, Donna and Jo. The idea is to share what you’re reading, what you’ve enjoyed lately and share – why they resonated with you, how they made you feel, who are your favourite authors and what you recommend.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

29 Comments

  1. Totally loved this post! Shall definitely look for some of your favourites . . . the Natsukawa book will be first methinks! I managed to have both of my ‘squishy’ (ophthalmic surgeon’s parlance!) cataracts ‘done’ during the last few months . . . no reading of the phone as yet and 16-18 on the computer because of macular degeneration as well . . . but improving 🙂 ! . . . ‘Kitchen Sentimental’ also draws . . . AM into that kind of thing . . . best for the weekend …

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    1. Thanks! I find since the op I have to wear glasses for reading – especially the computer. Another 2 weeks until I can go to the optician for new reading glasses, though the ‘readers’ I have just now work well enough.

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  2. Hi, Barbara – Despite your eye surgery and an unfortunate ankle injury (ouch!), you still managed to immerse yourself in such a varied and fascinating selection of books. Tell Me Everything sounds like a must-read for Strout fans, and The Lantern of Lost Memories intrigues me—what a beautifully imaginative premise. I admire how you balance crime, literary fiction, and gentle, whimsical reads so seamlessly. Wishing you a smooth recovery and happy reading ahead!

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    1. The ankle injury means rest so reading is ideal! Agree the Tell Me Everything – a definite must for Strout fans. I am not a ‘fantasy’ reader by choice but these little Japanese and Korean books are such a delight.

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  5. Glad you’re recovering well after the cataract surgery, and you’ve managed an impressive amount of reading despite that! The two Japanese novels look so interesting – seems like there are quite a few stories featuring cats by Japanese authors that have become popular over the past few years. Happy Reading!

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  7. You fell? Oh, no! Glad you had the comfort of books to get you through it. Those Japanese books sound utterly delightful. The Japanese sure do love cats. The island book also sounds good. Will check out the link.

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  8. Thank you very much for mentioning all these books. We only read and enjoyed the Natsukawa book. We read this month “Death in the Arctic” and “Fatal Crossing” by Tom Hindle. These are two crime novels that are easy to read and a bit like Agatha Christie’s writing. A book I really liked was “The Border” by the Norwegian author Erika Fatland. It’s a well-researched travel book along the border of Russia. I learned a lot about history and politics, especially of the Asian countries bordering Russia. And last not least, I reread a poetical highlight “Joseph and his brothers” by Thomas Mann. I read in German (it’s my mother tongue) and for me it’s best what you can read in the German language. I love the ironic style, the sophisticated metaphors and he used the authorial narrative perspective.
    Wishing you a wonderful weekend
    Klausbernd 🙂

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    1. I will look out for Tom Hindle. It makes such a difference to read a book in its original language – all those special nuances and phrases that can be essential to the writing. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a good weekend.

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  10. The Elizabeth Strout is on my list but I’m waiting for it to come out in pbk. The two Japanese titles sound intriguing. The last book I read was How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley. The title just drew me in somehow 😏. Light fluff and quite humorous which was exactly what I needed at the time. Sorry about the ankle – hope it is healing. I can empathise because I’m quite good at falling, unfortunately!

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  13. So glad to hear about your healing eyesight and so helpful your ankle is a quick heal! Thank you for sharing all these books! I’ve added The Lantern of Lost Memories and The Cat Who Saved Books to my TBR 🙂 Hope you’re enjoying a restful weekend!

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  14. Hi Barbara, I do hope you’re feeling a bit better now, so much happening to you!! These books all sound fabulous. isn’t it funny how we can read a book and say I’ needed to read that right now? I don’t know why but I wasn’t able to get into the Elizabeth Strout books at all – but I’m glad you enjoy them! Flop Dead Gorgeous sounds like a good one and I always enjoy Ann Cleeves too. Thanks for joining us for #WOYBS, you’re a star member!!

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