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I have not had a particularly good blogging month – I seem to be saying that every month this year. I keep promising myself that I will write more reviews and then failing to do so. Blogging aside, I have enjoyed this month of reading. I don’t seem to be increasing the amount I read, but I’m really not bothered about that any more. I read some thoroughly immersive and compelling books this month.So, I would like to try and give a little flavour of all those books I have failed to review below.
It was only last month that I read the third Richard Osman book. My virtual WI bok group had chosen to read The Last Devil to Die (2023) by Richard Osman, his fourth in the successful Thursday Murder Club series, so I found myself returning to these characters sooner than I might otherwise have done. It was the only book I read on Kindle this month too. This novel continues several of the threads from the previous books, including the relationships of the two police officers and the story of Elizabeth’s husband Stephen – who is suffering some form of dementia. This is definitely the best book of the four – written with real warmth, it is surprisingly poignant, with a clear sense of everyone getting older, things changing and moving on. I believe Osman is taking a break from this series to concentrate on a new series, and this does seem to be a good place to leave everyone.
I heard about the novel Twice Lost (1960) by Phyllis Paul on another blog – and immediately bought a copy. Phyllis Paul is an English novelist who seems largely forgotten now despite having published a number of works between 1933 and 1967. Twice Lost is a slow burn, not a particularly quick read, I have seen it likened to The Turn of the Screw and Picnic at Hanging Rock, well I haven’t read the second of those, and I don’t really think it’s as dark as The Turn of the Screw. A child, Vivian Lambert disappears after a tennis party on a lovely summer day in an English village. Teengaer, Christine Grey is the last person to see Vivian, and is haunted by her disappearance for years after. Then, someone claiming to be the grown up Vivian appears and the mystery only deepens. Phyllis Paul makes the child Vivian unsympathetic, and the relationships between all the other characters are strange and dysfunctional. It’s a strange, unsettling novel, with a stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere.
Following on from that, Clothes-Pegs (1939) by Susan Scarlett reissued by Dean Street Press was a much lighter read. Annabel takes a job at a high end dressmaker’s in the sewing room, but is unexpectedly promoted to the role of ‘mannequin’ showing off the fine clothes to wealthy customers. Poor Annabel has to endure the cattiness of her fellow models, and when she catches the eye of Lord David de Bett she also unleashes the fury of the Honourable Octavia Glaye who has her own eye on David. A sweet comfort read, that reminded me a lot of Susan Scarlett’s Babbacombe’s – there’s a familiarity in the set up – but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
As I wanted to start the Comyns biography on my birthday, and I had finished Clothes-Pegs the afternoon before, I had to find something short for bedtime. On the Pottlecombe Cornice by (1908) Howard Sturgis fitted the bill. A tiny hardback novella from Michael Walmer. It’s really just a short story. Major Hankisson has retired to a little fishing village where a lovely new stretch of white road goes across the brow of the hill. Here is where the Major chooses to go walking, every day he sees a beautiful older woman, with whom he doesn’t speak, but enjoys seeing each day. He decides to find out what he can about her.
Long anticipated, and bought for me by Liz for my birthday Barbara Comyns – Savage Innocence (2024) by Avril Horner is the only book read in May that I have also reviewed, so I won’t repeat myself here. It was easily my book of the month.
With The Realms of Gold (1975) by Margaret Drabble I continued my Drabble reading. Another brilliant read, a complex, intelligently written immersive novel, quite a slow read, but one I loved spending time with. Frances Wingate is a successful archeologist, divorced with children, she has recently separated from her married lover Karel – despite knowing she loves him. The novel opens as Frances is abroad to deliver a lecture at a conference. Later she travels to an African country for a similar event. She ruminates on her time with Karel – willing him to come back to her. Meanwhile we get a glimpse of some of her unknown relatives in the East Midlands. Naturally all the strands come together in a novel about family, civilisations, rituals and landscape. I think this is the longest of the Drabble novels I have read so far and It’s a shame that this novel remains out of print. I’m considering reading some of her short stories in June.
One of the books I bought recently was calling to me from the tbr; Life Among the Savages (1953) by Shirley Jackson is a memoir of family life. It is quite simply a delight. The memoir opens as Shirley and her husband and their two eldest children move to an old house in Vermont. Jackson’s account is very funny, as she manages misbehaving children, domestic mayhem and a rather oblivious husband. Her children (two more will be born) are imaginative and quite exhausting just to read about. There are imaginary friends, two cats and a dog to add into the equation – it’s glorious. Happily there is a sequel called Raising Demons, which I have also now ordered.
Well it was only a matter of time before I re-read Who was Changed and Who was Dead (1954) by Barbara Comyns. I re-read Our Spoons Came from Woolworths last year – and I had promised I would re-read the rest of Comyn’s novels. Reading that wonderful biography has just spurred me on. It is a famously strange and macabre novel, the river floods, ducks swim through the drawing room, then villagers go mad, some of them dying rather gruesomely. It is also rather brilliant. Surely a novel that could only have been written by Barbara Comyns.
So that’s it. I am contemplating a couple of book group reads at the moment. My feminist book group will be reading Spare Room by Helen Garner – I read it years ago, but a re-read will be required, so will be buying a new copy. My virtual WI book group is going to be reading The Sealwoman’s Gift by Sally Magnusson, which I can’t quite decide whether I want to read or not, so I haven’t bought that yet either. I have decided I will probably read a collection of Margaret Drabble’s short stories in June, and I have also decided to read the books I have now rather than keep reading chronologically and buying new ones. Having decided that it’s quite likely I won’t stick to it. Everything else will be decided by my mood.
What have you been reading in May? and what are you looking forward to next?
I reread Spare Room when it was reissued a few years ago and thought it stood up to a second reading very well. Lots to talk about.
Yes, hopefully Spare Room will give us lots to talk about, I know I was originally impressed by it.
What a stack of good books! I read my first “Susan Scarlett” this month–“sweet comfort read” is a good word the author’s work. I’m sure I’d like Clothes-Pegs, too.
Yes, an enjoyable month. Clothes-Pegs was a lovely easy read.
It’s lovely to read about your May reading Ali. I’m glad you’ve had a good birthday month of books. I can identify with your reading the Comyn’s biography leading to your wanting to revisit all her books. I am currently enjoying Sally Phipps – Molly Keane – A Life and I’m already collecting Molly Keane books as follow up reads. The Rising Tide, by Keane was one of my favourite May reads too.
Other highlights in my May reading pile were The Berlin Shadow by Jonathan Lichtenstein – a moving account of the author retracing his father’s journey on the Kindertransport in 1938 together with his elderly father, A Bite of the Apple by Lennie Goodings, all about Virago Press (I’m sure you will have read that – it led me to several other titles to add to my ‘want to read list), and a collection of short stories Moss Witch and other stories by Sara Maitland.
I am looking forward to the treats in my June pile. This includes:
William’s Wife – Gertrude Trevelyan
Gentleman Overboard Herbert Clyde Lewis
A London Scene – Virginia Woolf and
Note from the Henhouse – Elspeth Barker
Wishing you a happy month of June reading. Thanks for sharing some of your thoughts on books on your blog.
I haven’t read that Molly Keane biography yet, no idea why, I love her books. A Bite of the Apple is wonderful, it made my best of the year list the year I read it. I hope you enjoy William’s Wife and Gentleman Overboard, both excellent. I have a copy of Notes from the Henhouse but keep forgetting about it.
That sounds like a good reading month Ali, I haven’t read any of them; Jackson, Comyns and Drabble are the names I particularly take away from your lovely review!
Well those three you particularly like the sound of come highly recommended by me. Glad you like the sound of them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Shirley Jackson, Ali, as I’ve got a copy in my TBR bookcase – the TBRs have got their own dedicated bookcase now! That’s a good plan to go back to Comyns’ fiction after reading Avril Horner’s biography. I did something similar in May, albeit with a previously unread Comyns to fill in one of my gaps.
Of the others in your pile, the Drabble sounds really good. I wish Canongate would reissue a few more of these books, especially as she’s still with us!
I think you will enjoy the Shirley Jackson. Very different to her novels, which I must read more of, delightfully witty. Yes, I loved that Drabble, I may yet try and write about it fully.
That looks like a good month of reading to me, Ali, even if you haven’t managed to blog about it all. The main thing with reading is of course enjoyment! I’m glad to hear how good the Comyns biog is, as I have a copy lurking now! As for Who Was Changed… that was my first of her books and I think it’s marvellous. My May was a really good one, with some outstanding reads (and a particularly great re-read!) As for June, I’m not planning a huge amount, but I’m being pulled in a lot of reading directions!
Yes, you did have a good month of reading, I saw that in your post. Enjoyment is the key though, of course. I think being led by mood is generally the way to go. That’s why we have so many books to choose from.
I’m very fond of Shirley Jackson’s lighter pieces as well. These were originally monthly or possibly weekly magazine articles and paid good money at the time.
Yes, that makes sense. I had actually wondered if it had originally been something like that.
I’m currently really enjoying ‘Raising Demons’, feeling that it’s not just an accurate reflection of when it was written, but that it’s aged well too. Hadn’t realised there’s an earlier one, I will be on the hunt for ‘Life Among the Savages’!
How funny, that’s a coincidence. Definitely track down Life Among the Savages, I so enjoyed it.
Who Was Changed is on my 20 Books of Summer pile and I’m really looking forward to it!
I look forward to hearing what you think about it Cathy.
It sounds like a comfort reading month. If you don’t read the Sally Magnusson book, will you still take part in the virtual book club? It seems a shame not to. We’ve had book club meetings where nobody had actually finished the book yet, or hadn’t read it at all, and we always managed to find something to talk about.
It was a good month of reading, though most of the books weren’t actually comfort reads, really. The Comyns biography, the Drabble novel, and the Phyllis Paul novel are all quite wordy and with a lot more to them really, but of course, enjoying what you read is always a comfort. I will join the book group anyway as we always talk about books generally and have a chit chat .
Some lovely reads Ali. I really love Who Was Changed…
You’ve reminded me I do want to get to Drabble in June!
I really hope you do get something read by Margaret Drabble, I have so enjoyed getting to know her work
I enjoy your summaries of what you’ve read each month. I’m intrigued by On the Pottlecombe Cornice and Life Among the Savages and will look out for them. I agree with you that the last Osman novel is his best, and I’m curious about his new series. I plan to read another Drabble this month, probably The Pure Gold Baby. I’m also a Helen Garner fan and The Spare Room will be a good one for a book discussion. Grier
I have a copy of The Pure Gold Baby, but that might be one for later in the year. I
A lovely reading month, Ali! I loved Twice Lost, it was wonderfully atmospheric and strange and unsettling as you rightly say. The rest of her books are impossible to find, and I do hope that more will be reissued in the future.
I’m glad I spotted it on your blog, so thank you. You have confirmed what I feared regarding her other novels being impossible to find. It’s sad how many authors sink into obscurity.
I selected and read Sealwoman’s gift for my book group following a recommendation from my sister.
I thought the first section (“Grey”) was a bit clumsy and wondered if I’d continue with it. However, the following two sections (“White” and “Orange”) were better. I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as my sister, but it was interesting to learn about this historical event totally unknown to me.
Good luck if you go for it!
Thank you for that, I can’t say I fancy it much at the moment and I am quite a mood reader, but we’ll see. I have a little time yet.
I was expecting to be blown away: I had a message totally unconnected to any other line of chat, from my sister, solely for the purpose of recommending it to me. Haven’t yet told her I don’t share her enthusiasm.
I might be more interested in a NF book about the event, but the author’s intention was to present the wife’s version of events (imagined), and we all know how women have been written out of history…
I’m glad you enjoyed Clothes-Pegs. I still have a few Scarletts left to read, a nice treat. I enjoyed the Sturgis, in fact I feel I might have passed that to you, but I can’t remember. I defintely don’t seem to still have The Sealwoman’s Gift unfortunately. I did enjoy it, but then it has that Iceland connection.
Yes, I think you did pass the Sturgis to me. Thank you. I don’t think I will read The Sealwoman’s Gift, I really don’t feel like reading it at the moment.
Maybe it would be helpful to reconsider how you personally define a “good blogging month”. This is one of those things I do to myself regularly, too, so feel free to ignore me, lol, but when circumstances change, we can change how we think about them, and sometimes that’s all we CAN change, but this seems like a FABULOUS reading month and you have written about all the books you’ve read (many of which were also fab) and couldn’t even a single post be just FABulous too? I started reading (rereading technically but it’s been decades) Bird-Cage the other night and could hardly put it down; I think I’m in my Drabble rereading era at long last. (Six months later? heheh Oh well.)
Yes, you’re probably quite right about that. I have started to think about blogging differently, so as you say I need to measure a good month differently. I’m so glad you enjoyed A Summer Bird Cage.