Salt by Catrin Kean

                                       

 

I’m recommending this month Salt by Catrin Kean. This starts off in Cardiff in the late 1800s. The story is based on Catrin’s great- grandparents who married in 1878. This was a mixed-race marriage.

Ellen goes to sea with Samuel and they lead a pleasant romantic life as they make their way across the world.  However, when they return to Wales they encounter prejudice.

It’s quite a topical read.

It is beautifully written and the language reads like poetry.

There are big gaps between paragraphs and this feels odd at first but this layout actually enhances the rhythm of the words.

Interestingly I read this book because I know Catrin. She also made it easy for me to buy it by providing a link. Soon I’ll be blogging about how I buy books and how we might examine our book-buying habits when we market our own work.

Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

I do keep buying books.

The one I’m recommending this month I bought at one of a series of talks organised by the Portico Library in Manchester,  Rewriting the North.

Makumbi is Ugandan and has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Lancaster.  

It appealed for two reasons:

1. Much of it relates to Manchester and I live in Greater Manchester.  
2. I’m a fan of short stories anyway. These I find excellently crafted and nicely unpredictable.

To boot, this is a gorgeous hardback.

Sadly I have no more shelf room for it so I’ll be depositing it at the Book Nest in the Millgate Centre in Bury in the next few days.   

Click on image to view on Amazon.