The book I've been banging on about to anyone who will listen this year is In Memoriam, Alice Winn - I'm not going to lie, it's about WWI and the trenches, it's incredibly sad and it had me sobbing in parts, but the characters are wonderful, the writing is beautiful, it has a hugely romantic story at its heart, and for a first time novel it is incredibly light of touch and confident.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman. I only picked it up because it was set in my favourite holiday place and assumed it was ‘just’ an airport read. How wrong I was. Sensational
All the colours of the dark by Chris Whittaker. I don’t know why it’s not plastered everywhere but it’s a brilliant and clever and gorgeous book. It also blows my mind that a guy from Hertfordshire is writing books about small town America!
Ohh this is on my list as I loved his first one - We Begin at the End? We End at the Beginning? Something like that anyway - absolutely fantastic, and I went to see him at a lit fest event: it blew my mind too, hearing him talk about how he'd literally only been the the US once, very briefly, before he wrote the book - how can anyone write with that level of detail and authenticity about a place that they have never even visited? Crazy good.
I think that if a book is bad, you will only like it if you ‘relate’ - there is a lot of literature like that at the moment, written to appease a mad identity-discourse where the function of anything is that it makes you feel ‘seen’. IMO the best literature lets you see others in ways that are moving and true, even if you can’t relate. So - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Poisonwood Bible, Sacred Country, To Kill a Mockingbird, In Cold Blood - all great works of literature in which I personally can’t ‘relate’ to anyone, but where I see others more clearly. I think literature is in general not in a great place right now.
I just finished All Fours too and ....whoa!!! At first I found the edgy point of view uncomfortably relatable in the sense that it was like...ooh that's not a great thought, I can't believe that's printed but actually I might have thought that before too. Does that make me terrible? But then... it just went on such a tangent and became so far fetched. I agree with another comment about not relating to spending $20k on a motel room. I thought giving up on New York was hugely unrelatable too... perhaps the first clue of crazy should have been considering the drive. But by the last quarter of the book I couldn't put it down... even though I didn't like a lot of the outcomes, I was hooked. Do I recommend it? Very carefully - under the premise that it is confronting and gritty. I think some of the themes or points could have been made/ written in a better way.
I loved Lionness by Emily Perkins - that's a good read.
I'm currently reading The Blue Sisters by Coco Mellers and really enjoying that. I liked her first book, too.
I just finished All Fours, right after We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Perkins and Lioness by Emily Perkins and I'm probably done with midlife women going rogue for a while. I did like All Fours more by the end - she tied it all up really well and gently delivered me out of her chaos which was a relief. The three books I have truly loved this year are Sidelines by Karen Viggers, which is a very relateable drama about junior football and parental pressure, Marzahn, Mon Amor by Katja Oskamp which is about a writer who retrains as a chiropodist in Berlin, and Demon Copperhead.
I **listened** to Miranda July herself read the audiobook of All Fours. I was on holiday on a beach and kept falling asleep (blame a glass of chilled rosé). Holy cow: I’d jolt awake unsure of what I’d heard or possibly dreamt. I too gave up three quarters in. I was most bothered by the $20k spend on the motel room. Not at all relatable.
I have never read a book that really relates to me. I love some books by John Irving especially A Prayer for Owen Meany. But stupidly I'd love to write a book which I know some girls of my age went through as Convent School 70's girls. No hope, no support, no one to give them a leg up. Their struggle in the world of work, relationships and especially not having a penny at the end of the month to pay their rent. That's what I'd like to read.
Just finished reading Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy. Loved, loved, loved it. It’s wildly acclaimed and seems to have won awards everywhere this year. The protagonist is an unforgettable heroine, whose fierce love for her young son clashes with the seismic change to her own identity. So relatable, even though it was 33 years ago for me.
I loved it too, even though my experience of motherhood was completely different. I could still see exactly why she felt the way she did. Deserved every award.
Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter
The book I've been banging on about to anyone who will listen this year is In Memoriam, Alice Winn - I'm not going to lie, it's about WWI and the trenches, it's incredibly sad and it had me sobbing in parts, but the characters are wonderful, the writing is beautiful, it has a hugely romantic story at its heart, and for a first time novel it is incredibly light of touch and confident.
Someone else here reminded me of Mary Lawson - a Town called Solace is fabulous.
Try John Boyne's new quartet of novellas. The first two parts are out and both are brilliant. Water and Earth.
If anyone wants to read what has become a 'book' on my substack please feel free, I would love that! Its under 'The unravelling of Milan Monroe' :)
I LOVED 'Big Swiss', I read it in June on holiday in 4 days and I loved every second. The main character was so relatable and Sabine? I LOVED HER!
Sandwich by Catherine Newman. I only picked it up because it was set in my favourite holiday place and assumed it was ‘just’ an airport read. How wrong I was. Sensational
Great read
my favorite read of the year
Omg yes about All Fours I just felt like I was missing the point the whole time.
Current recs The Rachel Incident and We are all birds of Uganda.
Also loving this comments section for all the book thoughts
a wonderful resource hive mind xx
All the colours of the dark by Chris Whittaker. I don’t know why it’s not plastered everywhere but it’s a brilliant and clever and gorgeous book. It also blows my mind that a guy from Hertfordshire is writing books about small town America!
Ohh this is on my list as I loved his first one - We Begin at the End? We End at the Beginning? Something like that anyway - absolutely fantastic, and I went to see him at a lit fest event: it blew my mind too, hearing him talk about how he'd literally only been the the US once, very briefly, before he wrote the book - how can anyone write with that level of detail and authenticity about a place that they have never even visited? Crazy good.
I listened to this on audio - so good. I had no idea the author was a Brit!
I think that if a book is bad, you will only like it if you ‘relate’ - there is a lot of literature like that at the moment, written to appease a mad identity-discourse where the function of anything is that it makes you feel ‘seen’. IMO the best literature lets you see others in ways that are moving and true, even if you can’t relate. So - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Poisonwood Bible, Sacred Country, To Kill a Mockingbird, In Cold Blood - all great works of literature in which I personally can’t ‘relate’ to anyone, but where I see others more clearly. I think literature is in general not in a great place right now.
Try anything by Beatriz Williams. Rich, Cape Cod type Americans, all linked but each book stands alone. Fantastic.
I just finished All Fours too and ....whoa!!! At first I found the edgy point of view uncomfortably relatable in the sense that it was like...ooh that's not a great thought, I can't believe that's printed but actually I might have thought that before too. Does that make me terrible? But then... it just went on such a tangent and became so far fetched. I agree with another comment about not relating to spending $20k on a motel room. I thought giving up on New York was hugely unrelatable too... perhaps the first clue of crazy should have been considering the drive. But by the last quarter of the book I couldn't put it down... even though I didn't like a lot of the outcomes, I was hooked. Do I recommend it? Very carefully - under the premise that it is confronting and gritty. I think some of the themes or points could have been made/ written in a better way.
I loved Lionness by Emily Perkins - that's a good read.
I'm currently reading The Blue Sisters by Coco Mellers and really enjoying that. I liked her first book, too.
I just finished All Fours, right after We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Perkins and Lioness by Emily Perkins and I'm probably done with midlife women going rogue for a while. I did like All Fours more by the end - she tied it all up really well and gently delivered me out of her chaos which was a relief. The three books I have truly loved this year are Sidelines by Karen Viggers, which is a very relateable drama about junior football and parental pressure, Marzahn, Mon Amor by Katja Oskamp which is about a writer who retrains as a chiropodist in Berlin, and Demon Copperhead.
I **listened** to Miranda July herself read the audiobook of All Fours. I was on holiday on a beach and kept falling asleep (blame a glass of chilled rosé). Holy cow: I’d jolt awake unsure of what I’d heard or possibly dreamt. I too gave up three quarters in. I was most bothered by the $20k spend on the motel room. Not at all relatable.
I have never read a book that really relates to me. I love some books by John Irving especially A Prayer for Owen Meany. But stupidly I'd love to write a book which I know some girls of my age went through as Convent School 70's girls. No hope, no support, no one to give them a leg up. Their struggle in the world of work, relationships and especially not having a penny at the end of the month to pay their rent. That's what I'd like to read.
I absolutely adored A Prayer for Owen Meany but didn’t love any of John Irving’s other books, I didn’t not like them but they just weren’t as good.
Just finished reading Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy. Loved, loved, loved it. It’s wildly acclaimed and seems to have won awards everywhere this year. The protagonist is an unforgettable heroine, whose fierce love for her young son clashes with the seismic change to her own identity. So relatable, even though it was 33 years ago for me.
Claire was in discussion at Cheltenham Book Festival - I liked her so much I’ve bought the book
I loved it too, even though my experience of motherhood was completely different. I could still see exactly why she felt the way she did. Deserved every award.
The audiobook of this one was brilliant