The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

 

Sara Nisha Adams does indeed recommend to us a reading list through a character that died before the story began.

And on that reading list are books we all ought to read.  I’m pleased to say that I have read all but two of them and those two are now on my list of books to be read.

We get to know Mukesh Patel and local librarian, Aleisha, really well. Both of them have some sadness in their lives. The reading list brings comfort to them as it also does to some other minor characters.       

The mystery of where the list came from keeps us intrigued.

Adams’ The Reading List is sure to enchant you if you enjoy reading – which you probably do if you are reading this!

This year it Will be Different by Maeve Binchy

 

This is a superb collection of short stories, all set around Christmas time.

I first came across Maeve Binchy when I bought a very tatty copy of her Light a Penny Candle from a second-hand bookshop in Spain. It made a good holiday read.  Thereafter, I’ve been willing to buy her books in hardback as soon as they come out.

As I read this time I tried to work out why her writing is so effective. Her characters are very believable.  She gives us a strong sense of time and place. The stories are plausible and help us to make sense of life.

This Year It Will Be Different is an engaging collection of stories which can be read at any time, not just at Christmas.    

  

 

Igloo by Jennifer Burkinshaw

This is a gentle romance at the same time as being a gentle coming of age story.

Niv does not like skiing nor does she want to go to university. Her passion is for working with wood.  Then along comes Jean-Louis with his one set of problems mainly to do with his dysfunctional mother. Can Niv survive her poor GCSE results? Can her relationship with Jean-Louis continue? Will she regain her mother’s trust and affection? All of this set against a backdrop of snow, mountains and two igloos.

There is pace and tension a plenty in Jennifer Burkinshaw’s Igloo.     

 

The Olive Tree by Carol Drinkwater

 

This month I’m recommending The Olive Tree: A Personal Journey Through Mediterranean Olive Groves by Carol Drinkwater     

This is an account of Carol Drinkwater’s journey to find out more about the olive tree, including its history.

I have to admire Drinkwater. Not only is she still in touch with her acting career, she is a prolific writer and an olive farmer as well. And she makes many journeys alone as a woman, including visiting Algeria, which is very difficult to negotiate.

This account gives you pause for thought. The olive tree can make deserts fertile but because of the way it is farmed, in order to produce the plumpest olives, it can drain water resources in areas where water tends to be scarce anyway. Drinkwater hates using pesticides but there is little else to do against a fly that can get in and destroy a whole crop. One solution is the introduction of another fly that preys on the first one but that isn’t interested in the crop.  Fine, but that means introducing a new being into the ecological environment and may cause an imbalance.                

The text is engaging and reads more like a novel than a documentary. My inner critic that never shuts up spotted the odd awkward phrase here and there and bizarrely opening speech marks are absent in random places. You are forewarned so you can ignore that irritation. The text remains enjoyable.

Feisty Carol Drinkwater brings us an honest, fascinating and critical account in The Olive Tree. 

Shifting Horizons by Sheena Billett

 

This month I’m recommending Shifting Horizons: Stories of lives lived and journeys taken by Sheena Billett

I can hand on heart say that this is the best book I’ve read in the month of December. What a joy that this is a book written by one of my writing friends. Yes several of the stories in this volume have appeared in CaféLit and Sheena also has work on Secret Attic where I’m also published. So, it’s rather obvious that Sheena writes the type of story I like to read and hope to write.  

As I read I tried to define what it is about them that I like. I’ve concluded:

·         They all have a convincing voice.

·         They make you think.

·         The language is simple but not dull.

·         There are solid story arcs though they are also subtle.

·         The ending is often upbeat.

·         There is some room for the reader to decide what is actually happening.

·         They are not clichéd

So Sheena Billett’s Shifting Horizons, highly recommended.