I think a lot of books I read are enchanting but not necessarily romantic in the sense of a love story. They are the kind that make you feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside! However, I do love a good romance!
I met up with a friend a few years ago and she handed me a copy of ‘Me Before You’ (2012) by Jojo Moyes and said to me don’t read the blurb on the back, just read it blindly. As tempting as it was to do exactly the opposite I resisted and understood immediately why my friend felt the need to give me that advice.
For all of the reasons above I now feel I shouldn’t give too much away. To be fair, I think most avid readers will know what this book is about but I’m going to play it safe with no spoilers…..It is beautifully written, heartwarming, poignant and magical. It covers some very difficult themes but sensitively and in a way that you are often smiling through your tears. In my case, however, more of a rapid than a river! It is a story that has stuck with me and I know I will remember forever.
‘The Light Between Oceans’ (2012) by M.L. Stedman
“A boat washes up on the shore of a remote lighthouse keeper’s island. It holds a dead man – and a crying baby. The only two islanders, Tom and his wife Izzy, are about to make a devastating decision.
They break the rules and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours.”
I’m not a fan when the pages of books are filled with minutely detailed descriptions which become a distraction from the story. I thought this book captured the scene perfectly with a good balance of just the right amount to let your imagination do the rest. As a lover of the sea, I really related to the melodic narrative of the rhythm of the tide and the importance of the light to warn the ships at nighttime. It is also a fascinating insight into life in a lighthouse and the responsibilities of the lighthouse keeper, as well as the separation from normal societal everyday life, in this case on a tiny island, just one mile square, 100 miles from the mainland. To a large extent they live self sufficiently with a supply boat only delivering once every three months.
This is a haunting and moving story of loss, love, isolation and the consequences of the choices we make. A moral dilemma about right and wrong and how sometimes they look the same. Is wrong always wrong? Doing wrong for the right reason – can you ever justify blurring the lines between the two? You have to ask yourself, is it always that black and white? The emotions of this book run high and sometimes they are conflicting. It is hard not to feel sorry for Isabelle but at times your conscience might push against your compassion for her.
‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ (2019)by Delia Owens
This is one of those books that draws you in completely. My imagination allowed me to really feel Kya’s character and all her emotions. It is so different and creative, a life that’s hard to envision, almost other-worldly. Enchanting, magical and captivating is how I would describe it. It is a story of abandonment, self-reliance, survival, coming of age and mystery. Set in North Carolina’s coastal marshland (sometimes referred to as ‘wetlands’) it is beautifully written and takes you on a journey through the acres of pine forests, estuaries, bogs and swamps and the wildlife unique to the region. Kya paddles through the waterways daily to look for flora and fauna to add to her personal collection. She is in many ways an uncomplicated soul who, through her sadness, finds joy in such simple things. I couldn’t help thinking that if you’ve never had things in your life, you don’t miss them. She had a passion for nature and art that seemed to surpass the need and desire for a materialistic lifestyle. Touching, thought-provoking, inspiring and full of wonderment. Simply stunning.
‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ (2008) by Mary Ann Shaffer
Set in 1946 this charming story is told through a series of letters, notes, and journal entries. This style of writing is called ‘epistolary’. It’s a quirky, funny and endearing book.
Juliet is a writer who exchanges correspondence with one of Guernsey’s residents with whom she has a shared interest in a particular author. She discovers that he belongs to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and inquires about the group’s name.
“Why did a roast-pig dinner have to be kept a secret? How could a pig cause you to begin a literary society? And, most pressing of all, what is a potato peel pie – and why is it included in your name? “
After learning that the society began as a cover for residents breaking curfew during the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II, Juliet then begins to correspond with several other members of the society and decides to go and meet them.
It’s a very interesting insight to life on the island during the war and inspired me to look into it more. The Channel Islands were occupied by the Germans from 30th June 1940 until the end of World War II. Winston Churchill decided that the islands were of little “strategic importance” so the islands were left undefended when the Germans came.
Guernsey was finally liberated on 9th May 1945, five years after the occupation began.
This book combined two of my passions – reading and history – the delights of reading and how the joy of reading can bring people together.
‘Lessons in Chemistry’ (2022) by Bonnie Garmus
I can only describe this book as an absolute delight from start to finish! Despite covering themes of sexual assault, grief, feminism, misogyny and workplace inequality in 1960s America, it is funny, thought-provoking and adorable.
The characters are complex and idiosyncratic and I couldn’t help thinking that nowadays Calvin would have been given a label of some type of neurodiversity!The heroine Elizabeth is a scientist in the 1950s and 1960s trying to prove her value in a male-dominated profession. A female chemist was something rare in the 1960s and she was never taken seriously or given the recognition she deserved. She has been described as “brave, original and completely unafraid” (Cascadia Daily News). Her early family life and relationship with her parents is painful and shaped by tragic and traumatic events. My favourite character is ‘Six-Thirty’, a rescue dog who matches Elizabeth’s intellect and learns 1000 English words, bringing in a fantastical element which is also very funny.
Although occasionally heavy, this is mostly a light-hearted, easy read that brought me great pleasure. Friends who I recommended the book to also thoroughly enjoyed it.
Oh and by the way its publication date was on my birthday! I doubt this interests anyone other than myself….!
“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”– Paul Sweeney (author).
I often have to refer to a dictionary when I don’t know the meaning of a word that comes up when I’m reading. I can’t just gloss over it and move on, I always feel compelled to look it up. Sometimes it’s a word I’ve heard of but haven’t previously understood the context. I’m not ashamed to admit this as you never stop learning and the more you read, the more expansive your vocabulary becomes. As I often say every day is a school day and you’re never too old to learn something new.
“All the words you need are to be found in the dictionary. All you have to do is put them in the right order.” – Emma Darcy (pseudonym of Australian authors Wendy and Frank Brennan).
Hoping for a Happy Ever After 