I seem to have succombed to some sort of seasonal bug and have been confined to the sofa since being sent home from work yesterday. I feel achy and exhausted but otherwise well enough to be quite bored, and have at least had the chance to do quite a lot of reading. I'm expecting a number of books in the post (no, I haven't been breaking my bookban - they are a pre-order aid for before the ban, and a couple from publishers as well as a few remaining Christmas presents), so I hope they arrive later to cheer me up.
Here's some of the things I've been reading:
Waiting (Ha Jin). This has been on my TBR for ages since I picked it up for £1 in a charity shop, and was absolutely fascinating. Set in post-revolutionary China it tells the story of a love affair between a doctor and nurse at the hospital, complicated by the fact that the doctor is already married and his wife refuses to give him a divorce.
Winter Term at Malory Towers (Pamela Cox). Pamela Cox has written a whole 6-book-series sequel to Enid Blyton's Malory Tower's series, following the fortunes of Felicity, Enid's Blyton's heroine Darrell's younger sister when she arrives at the school, and I was intrigued to see what they were like. They're not quite Blyton, lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on, and are a bit more dense, but still a very enjoyable easy read.
Solace of the road (Siobhan Dowd). This book was published posthumously to great acclaim and has just been shortlisted for the Costa book awards. It is a teen novel and absolutely gripping. It follows the story of Holly, who is brought up in a care home and eventually fostered, who runs away to try to find her mother, and herself. Using the name of Solace the book describes her journey. This was a wonderful book.
Today I want to read some of A very great profession by Nicola Beaumann as I am hoping to go to hear her speak next Monday evening. I also have an interesting autobiography called The locust and the bird and another Cox Malory Towers book..
Apologies for the lack of a picture, that requires a little bit more effort and energy than I have to spare at the moment.
The exciting news which I wanted to highlight today is Virago's publication of The group today, which I have written about over on my other blog. I do really recommend this book, hence flagging it up here too!
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Oh no Verity, I do hope you get better soon. It's that time of year isnt it? I really want to read Waiting and next time I see a cheap copy I shall grab it then and there as am in no ban territory now, though oddly I havent bought a single book yet! Get well soon!
ReplyDeleteoh, I loved Waiting. How wonderful to have a chance to hear Nicola do a speech. Looking forward to reading all about it. I do hope you get better soon!
ReplyDeletePoor Verity! I hope you feel better soon...at least you have some lovely books to keep you occupied.
ReplyDeleteHope that you feel better soon Verity, sounds like you have some good books to keep you company though!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, so not on the upswing by the sounds of things then. Here's hoping that your mail delivery brings some joy!
ReplyDeleteYou had me laughing at work last night reading your comments in the Books Quarterly...and believe me, I needed it! We had an evening of 'full moon' type customers.
Thanks everyone. I'm feeling much better than I did first thing, so should be back in business tomorrow :)
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better Verity. If it helps, I'd love to be on the sofa reading!
ReplyDeleteAs nice as a day on the sofa surrounded by books can be, I really hope you're feeling better today!
ReplyDeleteNot 100% but back at work...
ReplyDeleteUhhh.... don't like the idea of Malory Towers sequels. I adored Darrell as a child, and when she wrote the pantomime in Upper Fourth, I really wanted to be her, and do something like that. 'Course it never happened.
ReplyDeleteI've been wary of Blyton sequels ever since I read a couple of the Naughtiest Girl ones, as well as the Famous Five ones. They actually made me shudder!
Hope you get well soon.
Anothercookie - I wanted to have Darrell's life too! The sequels are ok, and make a change from rereading the originals, but I know it will be good to revisit the old ones now. The famous five sequels were horrible, and the Naughtiest Girl ones were quite disappointing, but at least they were written by Anne Digby who already does school stories!
ReplyDeleteI'm searching for other reviews of Waiting by Ha Jin (I'm writing mine now) and I found this post of yours. Have you written or are you going to write a review on it? I loved the book a lot, but looks like not many people do!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there's sequels for Malory Towers series. I loved those as a kid! I wanted to have Darrell's life too. Who doesn't? ;)
Hello Mee - I'm afraid I didn't review it and probably won't - I don't have time to review everything I read, or I wouldn't get to read everything I wanted to! I look forward to seeing your review in due course - do stop by again.
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