A couple of weeks ago I blogged about my suggestions for reading this summer.Well, I though I’d share with you what my reading plans are. For me, ‘summer’ means August, when the kids are off school, so that’s when we take our main family holiday. Now that my kids are a little older and don’t need to be watched or played with every waking moment, there really is some downtime during holidays, so I expect to get through all four of the above. I’ll let you know how I get on!
The Glorious Heresies has been on my must-read list for a while, since it was nominated for (and, of course, subsequently won) the Baileys’ Women’s Prize for Fiction earlier this year. The reviews I have read remind me of Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy (OMG, had to just look it up – The Commitments film came out in 1991!!!) So, I’m looking forward to something very Irish and very gritty while I’m hanging out in Dublin next week!
The Little Red Chairs will be very Irish, but probably somewhat less gritty. I’ve not read much Edna O’Brien, a gap in my knowledge I think. The novel is about the impact a travelling faith-healer from Eastern Europe has on a small west-coast Irish community. Joseph O’Connor (author of The Star of the Sea, one of my favourite books ever) is quoted on the cover, describing it as ‘Extraordinary’, which is good enough for me.
The House of Hidden Mothers came up in one of those ‘Amazon recommends…’ emails. I don’t normally give in to such blatant marketing, but I do love Meera Syal, such a versatile talent. Its subject matter ticks all my boxes – motherhood, women, families and everyday domestic life which is never as ordinary as it seems at first. I’m sure I will enjoy it. This one for the long ‘plane journey I think.
Finally, All the Light We Cannot See…and I cannot for the life of me think why I chose this! I really liked the cover? I’ve read a few books set during the Second World War recently, and this one, like the ones I really enjoyed, seems to be about people on opposite sides who find each other through their common humanity. Plus, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015, so that’s as good an endorsement as any.
So, if you like the sound of any of these, look out for my reviews on them in the coming weeks. I’m off to Ireland then America with the family. Whatever you and yours are doing, have a good summer and happy reading!
Julia's books 