Going away....

Mr W and I are going away for a few days on Saturday, not quite a week, and as we've had such lovely weather all of this week, I am anticipating 6 days of torrential rain holed up in a holiday cottage. Obviously, I have packed lots of books (in fact I've added to the stack since I took this picture but didn't have time to re-take them - late additions include the recently Virago published The lifeboat and a second hand Rebecca Shaw paperback to reread along with Patrick Gale's Notes on an exhibition after hearing him speak on Friday night).

I'm particularly excited about the new Sue Townsend as I always enjoy her books; another extravagance is the new Marina Lewyca, Various pets dead and alive. I've packed The saffron eaters, because it is set in Cornwall, the Laura Ingalls Wilder autobiography because I didn't get around to reading it in Tenerife, and the new Helen Dunmore for the same reason. I've got a new Susan Scarlett out in February called Ten Way Street (thanks to Greyladies again) and a reread of The lost art of keeping secrets by Eva Rice. Mr W will enjoy Chrissie Wellington's autobiography and I hope to be inspired by it too - for those of you don't know, she is the world champion Ironman Triathlete, and has held the title several times. I'm particularly inspired by her because like me she struggled with various mental health issues in her twenties - and look what she has achieved!!

Plenty to keep me occupied and there's a couple of magazines in the book bag too, and a cute cross stitch to have a go at.

I'll be taking a (well deserved I hope) post Orange longlist break, and be back with some Easter baking around Easter weekend. For lent will be over and I can be let loose on the kitchen again, although I'm definitely going to cut down on the cake excesses of 2011 and early 2012.

Orange 2012: Round-up

I'm still waiting for my copy of The night circus to arrive, but I've read the other 19 longlisted titles and as we're off for a little break (more on that later), it seems like a good time to round up my reading. I was hoping that The night circus would arrive in time, but it was not to be!

So firstly, here is the list of the 19 books that I have read, with links to my thoughts on them, ranked in order of how much I liked them.

Island of wings
State of wonder
Painter of silence
Gillespie and I
There but for the
Foreign Bodies
The sealed letter
Translation of the bones
The forgotten waltz
The flying man
Song of Achilles
On the floor
Grief of others
The submission
The pink hotel
Tides of war
Lord of Misrule
The Blue Book

And then this is the 5 that I think will make the shortlist, not sure about the 6th, maybe it will be the elusive Night Circus?
The Blue Book
Gillespie and I
There but for the
The forgotten waltz
State of wonder

I have to admit that I have been a bit disappointed by the Orange longlist this year, there have been less enjoyable books that the last couple of years. I wondered whether it is because I have been in a bit of a reading lull, but no, over the last couple of weeks I have encountered some fantastic books which would have fitted the criteria. So if you don't read Island of wings, then please read The roundabout man, The snow child or The lifeboat (I have yet to read the last but am very excited about it as the reports I have been given are very promising). I've been given more recommendations of books which people hoped would make the list and didn't to pursue too over the next couple of weeks.

Orange 2012: The blue book (A.L. Kennedy)

I approached The blue book with no little trepidation, as I thought it was probably among the most literary of the orange longlist. I have not read any books by Kennedy previously, but know of her as a very post-modern writer which is something that I am a little bit wary of (having never quite grasped post-modernism when forced to study it as part of a historical methods course in my final year at university (I decided to teach myself how to answer questions on the feminist approach instead, much to my tutor's horror) (he obviously was involved in the writing of the paper as post modernism came up, but feminism didn't despite the fact that the latter was a huge topic and had been in every past paper for ten years) (I digress.)

The book is set on a cruise ship. Elizabeth Barber is on a journey from London to New York with her boyfriend. It seems she is actually fleeing the UK where she has been a fake medium

So that's the story on the surface. So far, straightforward. But it's postmodern as I said. So, the story is told through a number of different styles of narrations and the blurb itself says "What's more, is the book itself - a fiction which may not always be lying - deceiving the reader?" This made me worry a bit about the book because I am only really capable of reading a straightforward sorry.

If you're cleverer than me and want reading that will challenge you, then read this. If you're stupid like me, and like reading to relax into, then don't. Also, if like me you find the colour blue depressing, I wouldn't pick it up, the book itself is VERY blue with blue edgings to the page which match the unwrappered hardback. It's certainly striking.

Orange 2012: State of Wonder (Ann Patchett)

I must have read Ann Patchett's previous Orange prizewinner Bel Canto several years ago. And I was impressed. The story was unsettling, but it was gripping and well written, and I think the same is almost exactly true of State of Wonder. Whilst not my absolute favourite of the 18 Orange longlisters I've read so far, I'll reserve that for Island of Wings, State of Wonder is the one that I think most likely to win the Orange prize. (Still have The Blue Book, Tides of War and The night circus to go...)

It tells the story of the researcher Dr Swenson. She is in the Brazilian Jungle undertaking research into a potentially life-changing drug, funded by a drugs company. But she shrouds her research in mystery and fails to provide updates on how the research is progressing, so a man from the company, Anders Eckman is sent to investigate. This departure is followed a few months later by an abrupt letter from Swenson announcing that he is dead and buried in the Jungle. His widow is devastated and desperate to know what happened, so another colleague, Marina is sent off to see if she can find out the details, and is also persuaded to speak to Swenson about her progress.

Aside from the plot, it's a fascinating read with insight into the tribes in the jungle and their interactions with Swenson and outsiders. It's difficult to think of a world like this still existing in the twentieth century.

I was sucked into the story and desperately turning the pages to find out what happened, but at the same time I didn't want to read it too fast as I was enjoying the descriptions of a world of which I knew very little - jungles, medical reseach... I did not expect the ending at all, but it pleased me in some ways and showed also that the pace of the book did not let up right until the end.

Orange 2012: Tides of War (Stella Tillyard)

I remember a great deal of publicity when Tides of war came out last year, the book itself didn't really interest me as it is a historical novel, but I've gritted my teeth and got on with it as it is on the Orange longlist.

It's a tale of two halves essentially, we learn about Harriet's life at home in Regency England interspersed with her husband James' life in Spanish fighting in the peninsular war. It's obviously well researched as there is enough detail to give one a good sense of life back then, always very much more important in a historical novel where the reader isn't necessarily au fait with the circumstances.

Whilst I enjoyed reading about Harriet's life in London, attending lectures at the Royal Instution and developing a fascination with chemistry, making friends and so on, and found her to be a likeable character, I was disinterested in the battle scenes and descriptions of the war.

If you like historical fiction, then do pick this up, I am sure that it is an excellent example of the genre. It is just that I don't.

Weekend interlude

So the last 24 hours have been both sociable and literary. Well, sort of.

Last night I scrambled home from work to go and listen to Patrick Gale talk about his latest book at The Woodstock Bookshop with my friend Elizabeth. I've enjoyed many of his novels in the past, and the new one, A perfectly good man, sounds like something that I will enjoy too from the extracts that he read from it, not least because it is a sort of sequel apparently to my favourite of his books, Notes on an exhibition. I didn't buy the book last night, partly because I've already treated myself to a couple of new hardbacks recently, but also because I want to reread Notes on an exhibition first which I read 4 years ago now, and because it's set in the Penzance area which I'll be visiting for the first time in September (normally we go to North Cornwall). Hopefully by then it'll be out in paperback!

This beautiful morning today, after some chores at home, and a mini run (oh, how out of condition I am having not tried running for two months now), I donned Spring Clothes and went up to London Town on the bus to have a joint pre-birthday celebration with Claire of Paperback Reader (we have birthdays within 4 days of each other). We met at the Notting Hill Books and Comics exchange where I was able to offload an awful lot of books and get some new ones in return. I was quite restrained actually and only bought as many books as I could comfortably carry, even with some more from Claire. Claire only bought ONE book! Gone are our days of two years ago when the shop would be lucky if they had any stock left. We wandered down the Portabello Road to go to the Oxfam bookshop where I struck lucky again before having our first frappacino/iced lattes in a handy Starbucks. We had appointments for pedicures at the new Coco Nail Bar (recommended by Rachel) and Claire now has electric blue toes while mine are electric pink. Very indulgent!

So what books have I collected?
Mostly Viragos. Novel on yellow paper, Mr Fortune's Maggot and Our spoons came from Woolworths are books that I have already read but did not have my own copy, although I do not seem yet to have blogged about Spoons for my Virago blog. The others aren't hugely appealing - I've struggled through Christina Stead before so I hope that The people with the dogs is interesting. I've read another Eliot Bliss before which I don't remember much about so not sure what my expectations are for This luminous Isle. I didn't realise that Olive Schreiner had another VMC besides Story of an African farm so I had to pick up From man to man.

The only other book I bought was Margaret Powell's London season. My post about Margaret Powell is one of the most popular on this blog actually, I haven't read this book, it seems to be about debutantes, and is in very poor condition (with an annoying sticker on the front that won't come off) but it was only 50p!

The bottom three books are from Claire. She gave me a copy of Island of Wings after reading that I'd enjoyed it a lot but had only had a library copy. I feel like I am the last person to read The hunger games so Claire has kindly lent that to me even if I'm not sure if it's to my taste I think I will give it a go. And I am desperate to read The lifeboat, a new Virago modern book all about Grace Darling. Think I will save that for my holiday by the sea a week today!

Bus trip home and detour via Waitrose for a ready meal. Mr W is doing a 200 mile cycle ride today, he left home at 5.45 and anticipates being home around 11pm. Contemplating putting the clocks forward now and going to bed early but still some more chores to be done...yawn...

Orange 2012: Painter of silence (Georgina Harding)

So, I haven't posted any pictures of the book covers from the Orange List mainly because I'm being lazy and getting on with reading and making sure that the reviews go up, but I will post the cover of Painter of silence because I love it. Befitting a book about a painter I suppose is the need to have a nice cover and I like the sense of atmosphere and period it evokes.

I found Painter of silence an extremely lyrical read which I enjoyed. It's a story told in two strands. In the 1950s a frail man is found in a state of collapse outside the hospital in Iasi, in Romania. There is nothing to identify him, and he does not communicate, after a few days one of the nurses realises that he is mute. Safta, one of the nurses recognises the patient, and although she does not want this to be known amongst the rest of the nursing staff she makes an effort to bring in drawing materials to try to communicate with him via sketching and to try to help him remember shared childhood memories. Interleaved with these events is the story of the patient, Augustin's childhood. He was the son of a cook at the house where Safta grew up. Safta's mother benevolently tried to provide him with education but with no hearing it was difficult for him to communicate and he preferred to draw rather than learn to read or write. Safta grew up, fell in love, and moved away whilst Augustin stayed behind during the Second World War. And the book continues with the filling in of the gaps in their stories when the only way that they can communicate is through pictures.

It reminded me a little in style of other books about artists and art, I would suggest that if you enjoyed for example The quickening maze by Adam Foulds then you would also like to read this. For me it went a little bit off the boil the more I read, I continued to enjoy the style of writing but felt less interested in how it worked out.

Orange 2012: Island of wings (Karin Altenberg)

I got a bit confused about Island of Wings as I was picking up a number of reservations at the library, a mix of Orange titles and non Orange titles and I thought that this was a non Orange title. I gulped it down in a great enjoyable rush and then spent the next day emailing everyone to tell them that whatever Orange books they read, they should read this one because it wasn't on the longlist but should have been. Oops. Given that my experience of Orange this year seems to mainly have been an unremitting ploughing through of titles (and I'm not done yet, there are still some big names to come), I'm happy to have read an Orange book by accident as a "light" in between other Orange longlist titles.

I say "light", but the plot and characters of Island of Wings do not exactly make for light reading. Compelling and unputdownable are more accurate adjectives.

This is the story of the minister Neil Mackensie and his new wife Lizzie who arrive on the Isle of St Kilda with the aim of saving the lives of its pagan inhabitants. It is the remotest part of the British Isles, a harsh environment where the majority of the population live in hovels, little partly underground dwellings lacking furniture, and absolutely reeking. Neil and Lizzie are somewhat distanced from this inhabiting a more civilised manse, but still find themselves affected by the environment. One affliction of the area is a 60% infant mortality rate; Lizzie loses her first children too.

Whilst Neil is focussed on the conversion of his neighbours and redeeming their ignorant minds, Lizzie learns to accept their lifestyles and embrace the community. But as he becomes increasingly authoritative, he turns this attitude on his marriage too, and the book is as much a portrayal of a marriage as it is of a community.

The description of the island is really vivid and although I have never visited that part of the world I had a very clear picture in my imagination of what it looked like. I'm a lazy reader and it can take a lot to provoke pictures in my head, but this book was able to achieve that.

It's a bit reminiscent of The poisonwood bible, it's years since I read that book, but similar themes crop up and I remember being equally enthralled by it.

I did not realise until I reached the end and read the afterword by the author that this was based on real people and real events. The dreadful loss of so many babies on the island to "eight day" death was probably caused by tetanus, rife where the bodies of dead animals were ploughed back into the ground and high standards of cleanliness in the implements used to cut the umbilical cord were lacking.

This is the Orange title that I have been most gripped by in the last fortnight. Seek it out, and be glad that it is on the Orange longlist or it might not have come to your attention. I'm not convinced it will make the shortlist, but oh, I hope that it does. If not, take my advice and read it.

Orange 2012: Song of Achilles (Madeleine Miller)

Song of Achilles was one of the Orange titles that I was dreading having to read most. The world of classical mythology is something that I have glimmers of knowledge about, but reading stories based on this world is something that doesn't really appeal. I'm not a great fan of historical fiction unless it's a period that I know reasonably well (i.e. twentieth century Britain), I think because I struggle to envisage the setting properly. But to my suprise, I coped with the setting of Song of Achilles and even found myself enjoying the book.

Set in Greece and following the epic Trojan War, it tells the story of two young boys as they grow into young men and go into battle together. Patroclus is an awkward young prince "I was not fast, I was not strong, I could not sing", a disappointment to his father, a king and "son of kings", and unlikely to follow in his father's footsteps. At the age of ten he is exiled to the court of King Peleus, where he meets Achilles, who seems to be everything that he is not. To Patroclus' surprise, Achilles befriends him - it seems that despite having everything going for him, he is lonely.

After the kidnap of Helen from Sparta, the Trojan War develops and Achilles is the one to lead the men of Greece in their battles and Patroclus has to follow.

If you like novels based on Greek mythology then you should certainly pick this one up. If you don't, or are undecided, I think it's still worth giving this one a go. Even if you don't know the story, that's not necessary to get something out of this novel that manages to evoke the period even for those with little knowledge of it.

Orange 2012: Foreign Bodies (Cynthia Ozick)

This is what I read the Orange longlist for. Discovering an excellent piece of writing that I would not have picked up otherwise. Foreign bodies by Cynthia Ozick is just that, well written, interesting characters, fascinating setting, good story.

Set in Paris in the mid 1950s, we follow the American Bea Nightingale as she's sent by her brother to try to sort out his son, her nephew. Having visited the city on a school trip he has been seduced by the atmosphere and an older woman and then failed to return home. Apparently this is a riff around the plot of Henry James' The ambassadors where an American teacher goes to Paris to retrieve a pupil, but I haven't read that book so it's difficult to comment. There are other strands of story to follow too - Bea's ex husband and the influence that he still has on her life, not least by having left a large grand piano in her tiny flat.

I loved the era and the sense of atmosphere that Ozick created with an old fashioned style of writing, I've not visited Paris but this is the sort of book that makes you want to hop on a Eurostar and go there for a visit. I wonder if there are any museums that would give one a sense of life in Paris at this time?

Oh, and this book should definitely feature on your reading list if Paris in July happens again this year