May has been a lovely reading month for me. Of course, #DDMreadingweek was a particular highlight – and it looks like I will be doing it again next year.
I’ve read nine books during May, and not a bad one among them. So now it’s June – and I am looking forward to summer – with a couple of seaside breaks booked, and maybe a bit more reading time.
I began May reading The Psychology of Time-Travel by Kate Macarenhas for my book group. A book combining women scientists, psychology and time travel. Everyone in our book group loved it.
A Touch of Mistletoe by Barbara Comyns was a pure delight, I have loved everything I have read by her. This book took some tracking down, so I needed it to be brilliant – and it was. There’s darkness here of course, Comyns’ style is such that she shields us from the true misery that lies beneath.
The Breaking Point Stories by Daphne Du Maurier – was my first read for the reading week, for me it was more like ten or twelve days though as I started early and finished late. These eight suspenseful stories cross the boundaries of reality several times, depicting people as they reach their breaking point. The stories take us from Devon, to London to Venice To Hollywood and the Greek mountains. Again, Du Maurier showing us what a wonderfully versatile storyteller she was.
The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier – my second read for DDM week and my second book (perhaps ever, never mind during this month) featuring time travel. It will almost certainly be on my books of the year list – my goodness I loved it. Such wonderfully inventive, compelling storytelling.
Well I just couldn’t get enough, so I then moved on to Mary Anne by Daphne Du Maurier a biographical novel about Mary Anne Clarke; DDM’s great-great grandmother – who was an extraordinary character.
Blitz Writing by Inez Holden comprises a novella; Night Shift and a memoir; It was Different at the Time. Together they provide a portrait of a city under daily bombardment, showing the lives of ordinary working people in factories and hospitals.
Mrs Tim Carries On by D.E Stevenson was a lovely bit of 40s escapism – the second book in the series that started with Mrs Tim of the Regiment. This sequel was published with a view to bringing some light relief to Stevenson’s fans living under wartime strictures – but despite that Stevenson never completely shies away from the realities of wartime life.
Jessie at Dwell in Possibility is again hosting the Persephone readathon (May 31st – June 9th) and I again started early and have somehow finished two very different books already. Emmeline by Judith Rossner was the first of them, a little under 400 pages, I had thought it was bigger and would take longer to read. I absolutely flew through it. Emmeline had been on my tbr for ages – and somehow reviews of it had passed me by, and I didn’t know anything about it. Set in the American Midwest in the 1840s/50s it is not a happy story.
Maman, What are we Called Now? By Jacqueline Mesnil-Amar is the wartime diary of the last days of the German occupation of Paris. It’s extraordinarily poignant, endlessly quotable with so much of it resonating with me – it’s a stark reminder – should we need it, of what can happen when extremism takes hold.
I have a few plans for June – I really want to get to grips with some review books I have been sent – I mentioned that in a recent post. Since then I have ticked two off the list. Late last night I started Death in Captivity a WW2 mystery by Michael Gilbert sent to me by BLCC which I have seen some great reviews for. Then, I will have to read my book group choice (cutting it fine as ever) Transcription by Kate Atkinson, it was my suggestion, and now I am nervous about it. My feminist book group were all quite excited at the prospect of reading it, we all said women spies – yay! Since then I have read a couple of reviews in which the readers concerned were rather underwhelmed. I probably shouldn’t have read the reviews. Oh well, time will tell, perhaps I will love it. I have been itching to read Spring by Ali Smith since I bought at Easter, I may find time this month. The LT ‘reading the 1940s’ project continues, and June is a wildcard month – no particular theme – so as I have lots that could easily fit in, I hope to read at least one book.
What brilliant things did you read in May? As always, I would love to know what you’re planning to read in June.
heavenali 
I’m excited about Transcription too so I hope it proves a good read for your book group and not underwhelming. I’ll also be joining in with the Persephone readathon, I’m looking forward to all the posts over the next week!
Yes Transcription is up next, and I still love the idea of women spies. Hope you enjoy your Persephone reading.
I very much enjoyed Transcription and was slightly puzzled by people who said the ending came out of the blue. Read the first few pages with care & it’s all there! Can also thoroughly recommend After the Party for a, shall we say, different take on women in wartime…
Good to hear you enjoyed it. That gives me hope, I know lots of people did. I shall look out for After the Party. Thanks for the recommendation.
My favourite recent reads were Iain Maitland’s terrifying, brilliant, Mr Todd’s Reckoning (and I usually hate that kind of thing), Amanda Cross (Carolyn Heilbrun)’s No Word from Winifred (a re-read from my student days, chosen this time to fit in with #projectnames – I was worried I’d no longer like it, but it was still fabulous), Henry James’ Daisy Miller (read for the same reason, and it was great), and Jim Crumley’s The Nature of Spring, sent to me by Saraband, who know how much I love anything Jim writes – this did not disappoint.
I am another DE Stevenson fan – not sure if I’ve read the one you mention, but I’ve certainly read and enjoyed other Mrs Tim books.
I read My Cousin Rachel for DDM week, and I’m still not sure about it. It definitely gave me a lot to think about, so I suppose that’s the mark of a good novel.
I’m now off to Skye for a week, with no internet or phone signal at the house we are renting. Everyone says ‘how wonderful’ – but to be honest I’m not convinced. Have packed a lot of books!
Sounds like a great reading month for you, several books there I haven’t heard of, I read Daisy Miller many moons ago. Will be looking those up later. Enjoy Skye, I would love to visit one day.
Blitz Wrting is now on my list. Thank you, Ali. I’m not sure I’d have come across it if you hadn’t reviewed it.
Oh excellent, I am glad. Hope you enjoy it.
You convinced me, you dragged me kicking and screaming (very sotto voce and not kicking too hard) to read a Persephone book this coming week. I had read one last month too, but another one is always a delight!
Yes!! ☺️ Reading a Persephone book so often feels like a treat. Hope you enjoy it.
A nice month of reading again Ali! And hasn’t it been lovely to have a half term to indulge in books…. I have as usual very few plans for June apart from to keep on with reading the review books and also whatever takes my fancy! 😀
Good plan, you know what they say? A little bit of what you fancy does you good. 😉 Too many plans are off putting anyway. Enjoy your reading this month.
Happy to hear that DDMreadingweek will most likely be returning next year! I’ve now read all the Du Maurier’s I own, so it looks like I’ll have a good excuse to buy a new one. So glad you enjoyed Emmeline and Maman, What are we Called Now?; they both sound like excellent and timely reads. Are you going to attempt a third Persephone? I really enjoyed Spring and Transcription, although the ending of the latter fell a tiny bit flat for me. Hope you’ll enjoy them both too.
I would love to read another, but after a week off, I’m back at work on Monday so less reading time than the last few days. I have to read my book group book and I am very behind on review books.
A wonderful reading month indeed!
Thank you.
What a good reading month! Have a lovely June of reading, and reading by the sea is such a lovely treat!
Well the sea must wait till July, but I feel I can look forward to it now.
What a great month! I must get on with my Persephone reading – picking short ones, that I can read in a day, of course!
Looking forward to seeing what Persephone you choose.
How lovely that the long and lumbering Emmeline turned out to be such a pageturner. I love it when that happens. So often it appears to go the other way, that a short book you were expecting to breeze though ends up being super poetic or existential and then your bookmark is simply chugging along where you’d expected to be racing. *laughs*
Congrats on a lovely May and a very successful DDM reading event (I’m still reading mine)! In June I’m working through a stack of books that have been on my TBR for too long and also the next in the Mavis Gallant project, Overhead in a Balloon.
Oh yes, I often find that with small books, Anita Brookner is a writer I like very much, for example, but find her a really slow read.