~The Ocean At The End Of The Lane Neil Gaiman The beautiful, magical story of a seven year old (unnamed) boy who, unable to process the traumatic events of an adult world, turns all he sees into a kingdom of monsters and hunger birds, of worms coming out of his foot, little girls who might be eleven years old or a billion and a body of water which might be an ocean or a pond. It’s a lyrical and haunting embodiment of childhood fears and the struggle to comprehend the cruelties of a child’s landscape, fraught with loneliness and insecurities. In the end, seeking sanctuary in the imagination is the safest place to be. At least that was my take on it. I have a feeling that how you interpret this short novel might be dependent on what you bring to it.
~The Earth Hums In B Flat Mari Strachan Twelve year old Gwenni Morgan lives in a small town in 1950’s North Wales where she flies in her sleep at night and can see the whole earth and hear it humming. When a man in the village goes missing, Gwenni decides to turn detective and in the midst of piecing together one mystery, unwittingly turns up another much closer to home. What ensues is a slow unravelling of dark adult secrets uncovered by the inquisitive imagination of a child with an amusing perspective on the world. It’s beautifully written in that lyrical and melodic way of the Welsh accent itself and while it’s a haunting look at family and community with a darkness at its core, the touches of ethereal dreaminess add just enough whimsy to prevent it from becoming heavy.
~Sunshine And Sweet Peas In Nightingale Square Heidi Swain A broken marriage leads Kate to buy a house outside of London in an attempt to hole up and lick her wounds for a while. She lands in Nightingale Square, a small community where she hopes to be left alone for a while — except the Square turns out to have some rather formidable (but lovable) neighbors who refuse to let her hide out. When a developer threatens to buy the Victorian Mansion on the square, Kate is forced to spring into action. And as luck should have it, a rather mysterious (and rather handsome, ’cause, duh) stranger also appears on the scene. A cute and quirky, ultra comfy read with lots of snappy banter, which in the beginning I found myself looking forward to reading. Unfortunately it suffers from two things which pop up all too frequently: it’s about 100 pages too long and while the set up is entertaining, the play out feels long and falls flat. If you’re a fan of Jenny Colgan’s books I daresay this one’ll go down a treat.
~The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Mark Haddon Fifteen year old Christopher Boone, who hates to be touched and despises the color yellow, is a self proclaimed mathematician with a very prosaic take on the world. When he wakes one morning to find his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, dead on the lawn and speared with a pitch fork, he is initially blamed and arrested. When a teacher suggests he write about the incident he decides to emulate one of his favorite characters, Sherlock Holmes, and solve the mystery of the killer and write a book about it. But in the process of doing so, he stumbles upon another much more personal mystery which leads him to take a very eventful train ride all by himself. The book isn’t about either mystery really. It’s about Christopher’s view of the world from where he stands and how the world responds to him. It turns out that when you remove all sentiment and emotion from life’s happenings, what you’re left with is pure logic and rationale, which is not only extremely enlightening but also very entertaining for the reader. This is beautifully written, warm and endearing and might just inspire you to look at life a little differently.
~And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan In A Poker Game David Forrest Albert has inherited an island off the coast of the Scilly Isles — an island which on closer inspection bares more of a resemblance to a very large rock which he is disappointed to discover when he has a boat take him to survey his new kingdom. Much to his astonishment, he also discovers a young naked woman sunning herself like a seal. Moments later a Russian spy ship grounds itself right in front of them. Madcap mayhem ensues. The Russians decide to buy half the island which prompts the Americans to buy the other half and suddenly troops from both sides are living together side by side, forging an hilarious decidedly non Cold War camaraderie which manages to include an assortment of shenanigans. It’s theatre of the absurd, deliciously entertaining and very, very funny.
~The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Mary Ann Shaffer Annie Barrows This one has been around the block a few times but it’s a fun book and well worth mentioning. It’s written via back and forth letters between residents of the isle of Guernsey and a journalist based in London. Guernsey had the rather dubious honor of being the only bit of Britain to be occupied by the Germans during WWII. It was a brutal five years for all of them and the Potato Peel Society was made up of a group who got together to have a secret pork dinner only to have to come up with a good excuse after getting caught breaking curfew. It’s warm, witty and charming despite the fact that it’s about the perils of war. It’s also a movie on Netflix starring Lily James. Well worth the watch for some light entertainment.
~The Wisteria Society of Dangerous Scoundrels India Holton Ok, so full disclosure–I haven’t actually read this book all the way through. I’ve read enough to know that it’s well written ( it gets great reviews) but I just couldn’t bring myself to read another whimsical/historical/romance novel. Cecelia Bassingwaite gives the outward appearance of being a strait-laced member of Victorian Society. Turns out she’s something of a pirate with a penchant for flying around in her house (as in her house flies!), stealing treasure and getting into fights with the other ladies of the Wisteria Society. They’re not big on men but are awfully fond of revenge and despite having strict social codes they seem to create a lot of mayhem within their world. It’s a creative and amusing premise and what I read was breezily written with lots of pithy banter. This could be a wickedly fun and escapist read or an inane descent into silliness — depending on your current need or mood.
~The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie Alan Bradley This book kicks off the currently ten book cosy mystery series starring the delightfully precocious eleven-year-old, Flavia de Luce. She lives during the 1950’s with her father and two sisters at Buckshaw, their crumbling estate just outside the village of Bishop’s Lacey. Her mother died when she was a baby, her father is absent- minded and her sisters are supremely happy to pretend she doesn’t exist, which gives Flavia plenty of time to indulge in her passion for poisons and putrefaction — and with a lab inherited from an uncle, she is able to indulge in a variety of experiments, most of which have a habit of getting her into trouble. But when a dead bird shows up on the doorstep with a postage stamp pinned to its beak and, shortly after, a man is found dead in the cucumber patch, it would appear that our unflappable heroine has finally found something to put all of her skills to excellent use — solving a murder. With an unerring affinity for mischief and a deliciously wicked sense of humor, Flavia is able to cheekily talk her way into all the nooks and crannies of the village that the local constabulary just can’t go. With cleverly constructed mysteries, tongue-in-cheek humor and such a light and jaunty air, this series provides all you need for some good light-hearted reading. Bonus points for fabulous titles and fun covers.
