I can’t believe it is the third Friday in May. Somehow in my mind I had it for next week, but no, it is today. I didn’t read quite as much as I did in April, as I have been more out and about. I also only read two detective novels! I know…hard to believe.
Anyway, first up, one of the two detective novels, Garry Disher’s 2013 book Bitter Wash Road. It is the story of a recent demoted policeman (the book explains why and that is a great side story) who is sent to run a one man police station outside of Adelaide. He uncovers not just a crime, but the local police corruption. A great read and I found an old review of it in The Guardian too.
Next up, and a complete change of pace, The Spare Room by Helen Garner. Helen invites her friend Nicola who is dying of cancer, and refusing, perhaps because she is in denial, conventional treatments. The book ends with the inevitable, beautifully done. This is a book about friendship and dealing with the realities of life. Highly recommended and there is another old review from The Guardian here.
It was back to murder and mayhem with Kerry Watts, the second in the Fraser Brodie series set on the Isle of Harris, Dead and Gone. Lord Edward Devlin has been murdered, at the age of 80. A second body is uncovered, the result of a past crime. Why are these remains on the Devlin Estate, and are the two deaths somehow connected? The side story sees Brodie deal with the recent cancer diagnosis of his brother who is in prison. This was another great story that moved along quickly with an unexpected turn at the end.
Next up the book I chose for the online book club I am part of, the theme of which was a flower in the title. I borrowed from Libby Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, a book that has been hugely popular. While I mostly enjoyed the different style of writing in the form of collected conversations and interviews, which give differing views of the same scenario, it did get a little boring towards the end. The characters are all awful, the story predictable, and I was left wondering why it was so popular.
Finally two excellent books to end with. First up Susan Choi’s Flashlight, a family saga full of sadness, tragedy and the unexpected things that happen in life. There are several stories here – a daughter, a son, a mother, a father – that all come together in a heart-wrenching manner. A review in The Guardian (again) states “Flashlight delivers a comparable jolt – a truth-rattling rupture. We feel it building with a cruel inevitability, and when it arrives, it shifts the novel’s moral (and political) terrain” and I agree.
Another favourite that may well end up in my books of the year list is The Daffodil Days by Helen Bain. This is a fictional account of the last few months of the life of the poet Sylvia Plath, told in reverse and through the eyes of people who interact with her such as a young shop assistant, her GP, a radio presenter, and what they notice about her as well as vignettes of their lives. I loved this book. It was so well written, well researched and almost poetic in its descriptions.
- Garry Disher Bitter Wash Road 4 corrupt policemen
- Helen Garner The Spare Room 4 friends
- Kerry Watts Dead and Gone 4.5 murders
- Taylor Jenkins Reid Daisy Jones and the Six 3 soft rock bands of the 1970s
- Susan Choi Flashlight 4.5 photographs
- Helen Bain The Daffodil Days 5 books of poetry
The featured image at the top of the post is a community library outside the building we were staying in in Copenhagen. The other photos are of an English language bookshop in Stockholm, with Karl.
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis
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