Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein.

A book that moves from Klein's 'relationship' with her online doppelganger, the OtherNaomi (Wolf), to a general look at the shadow self and othering in media and the wider world. An interesting and important book.

Could be used for P (politics genre), N, K.

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver.

Creepiness abounds in this book set in the Suffolk marshes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Ticks all the Gothic boxes - ancient mansion, unbending and obsessive father, wilting foreign mother, determined girl, strange legends, something stirring in the undergrowth...The use of the fens was one of the book's strengths, very atmospheric. I also liked the historic religious texts which inspired some of the action. A bit MR James but with a tough female MC.

Could be used for M, P.

Antwerp by Michael Pye.

I read this for research, but it was such an entertaining book. Such a modern city in its sixteenth century heyday.

Could be used for A, M, P, E and N.

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Another gothic book! Young adult, but not too young, as three of the characters try to find out about the afterlife. It doesn't go well.

Could be used for M, S, and P.

How to be a Tudor by Ruth Goodman.

I enjoyed the author's recreation of past lives on the television, and this book is made most interesting by the fact that she has actually brewed Tudor ale, slept in a Tudor bed, experimented with sixteenth century hygiene (more than you would expect).

Can be used for N

The Stirrings: A Memoir in Northern Time by Catherine Taylor.

A memoir of growing up in Sheffield and university life in Cardiff set against the background of national events. Beautifully written and involving, though the misogyny encountered is disheartening.

Can be used for C, T, N, M

The Misbegotten

A little bit Gothic again, but mainly the underbelly of Jane Austen's world. I did guess at the mystery, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this.

Can be used for K, M, T

It Ends At Midnight by Harriet Tyce.

Started off well, but the twist became obvious very early on. While the relationship between two of the characters was believable when they were teenagers, the idea that it would have persisted in the same way was vaguely ludicrous, particularly given the position held by the MC. There was a plot development half way through that needed a book to itself, not a rush job at the end.

Despite the many glowing reviews inside the cover, this was a disappointment.

Can be used, though, for I, T, M, C, P

Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books

A great book for bookworms everywhere. The author seems to spend even more time reading than I do, which is a feat. A very good memoir, with book recommendations.

Can be used for C, M , L, N,

How to Be a Renaissance Woman: The Untold History of Beauty & Female Creativity

Said to be a history of cosmetics but also a look at women writers an artists. Fascinating details about cosmetics, and their use in power relationships. Also the chemistry involved in creating some of them.

Can be used for N or A

Isabelle in the Afternoon

It started well. I enjoyed the evocation of 1970s Paris as it appeared to a young tourist, and his relationship with the enigmatic title character. If it had been left there as a short story or novella, fair enough.

But it went on and on and on, as we learnt how the wonderful man had to cope with so many disruptive women in his life. There's a lot I could say to him, but perhaps just, 'your wife being mentally ill is not an excuse for an affair' and 'don't order a drink while you're lunching with a reformed alcoholic'. He also seemed to be attracted to woman who splurged the author's philosophies in huge chunks of dialogue. Apparently it is meant to be an erotic novel, but I get more excitement peeling the potatoes.

Can be used for I, K, C, A

Us Three

An enjoyable, easy but involving read.

Can be used for U and C

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

A beautifully evocative book. Not quite sure the framing device totally worked, but the writing and plot carried the book along.

Can be used for: T, E , A, L

Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine and Myth in a Man-Made World BY Elinor Cleghorn.

Worried about reading over-exciting your ovaries? This is the book for you. Seriously, a book which makes you angry rather than amused - the misdiagnosis of women, dismissal of their symptoms etc,. still going on today.

Can be used for: U, C, N, E, S, M

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

I enjoyed this much more than expected. Moved from whimsy to spookiness very well, and I grew fond of the charactes.

Can be used for: E, A

Laura by Vera Caspary

Quite often, watching old films, there's a title saying 'adapted from the book by X, X being someone you've never heard about. This is one of those books. I can remember seeing the film noir ages ago.
The book is a good noir thriller that I think compares well with Raymond Chandler.

Can be used for: L, T, C

Crook Manifesto: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

A sequel to Harlem Shuffle. Took me a little while to get in to, but then it was a good read. Really it's three interlinked short stories, of which the second was the best.

Can be used for: C, M, A, L, N