Drawing on Maggie O’Farrell’s long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare’s most enigmatic play, HAMNET is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child.
Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.
Award-winning author Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.
If I could give this 6 stars I would!! I found myself completely captivated by this story of family, of love, of grief and I lost count of how many tears I shed throughout!
This is the story of the man behind the plays. And it features his family – his wife, Agnes and their 3 children, Susanna, and the twins Hamnet and Judith. And each character has such a stunning tale to share that it’s hard to pick the one I enjoyed the most.
In Agnes, the mother, there’s her story of how she met her husband, the hard upbringing she had especially when she lost her mother, and her devotion to using medicinal herbs. Something that marks her out as different to others, and something her daughter Susanna finds embarrassing and resents her ‘abilities’.
And then there’s the bond between twins with Hamnet and Judith which was breathtakingly explored. When his sister takes to her bed extremely unwell, Hamnet is beside himself in what to do. His mother is out tending her herbs, his father is in London, and all he wants to do is find someone to make his sister better. He is truly pained by watching his sister suffer so much and is driven to extreme lengths to try and get her some help.
The story flits backwards and forwards in time to particularly memorable moments in all their lives and then those moments that are extremely devastating and gutwrenching. The descriptions of grief showed as a mother loses her child and the days, weeks, months afterwards were brilliantly portrayed and caused me to shed the most tears as you suffered those emotions with her.
I simply adored this book from the first page to the last. The ambience of the times is brought to life so beautifully, each character is well developed for you to connect with and it was a haunting, emotional and staggeringly brilliant read! A must read!!
★★★★★★
My thanks to Georgina at Midas PR for the review copy in return for a fair and honest review.
Monday is here once more! That means MUSIC! Hosted by Drew over at The Tattooed Book Geek, it’s a weekly chance to share some tunes!|
I’m in need of songs that make me smile and want to dance, and this is one of my faves for doing that! Five and Let’s Dance….
Jiggy jump to the beat And keep bouncing Thirty seconds and counting Hot one, this choice critical Situation is difficult My caliber won’t allow me to rhyme on a level where you people can hear me See me, guess I know you want to be me In the meantime bounce to the beat see
Music is my life Cause my life is music The beat of the drum in your heart
Let’s dance Like you mean it, can’t you feel it, don’t you know Let’s dance Cause you need it, better believe it, here we go Let’s dance Give your all when we’re coming together on the floor Let’s dance You know that you’ve got what I like
Check it down Dropping verbal bombs on the beat Hoping that you people think this sound is unique Ccause I like to party You like to party Come on everybody got to get it started I got something to get you jumpin’ When I kick a freaky rhyme I get the dance floor thumpin’ Just step back and take time to check When I rock up on the mic you people never forget So check it out.
‘So original, so beautifully done, and sinister and savage. I didn’t want it to end’ Chris Whitaker, author of Tall Oaks
When you’re confronted with a wolf, you have to think like a wolf…
Franck and Lise, a French couple in the film industry, rent a cottage in the quiet hills of the French Lot to get away from the stresses of modern life.
In this remote corner of the world, there is no phone signal. A mysterious dog emerges, looking for a new master. Ghosts of a dark past run wild in these hills, where a German lion tamer took refuge in the First World War…
Franck and Lise are confronted with nature at its most brutal. And they are about to discover that man and beast have more in common than they think.
This was a quietly unsettling story which worked so well over the dual timelines in which it is set. And if you think living in isolation in the hills of France would be a pleasant, relaxing experience, then think again!!
Set in 1917 and 2017, we follow stories that are very different in their context, but very similar in their outcome! Elements of fear are mixed with the reality of day to day life and it was an exhilarating mix as the two worlds mirrored each other with the noises of the animals in the hills echoing around.
In 2017, Lise and Franck rent a cabin high up in the hills. She’s recovering from illness and wants away from the stresses and strains of modern living. Franck is not so keen and the whole idea of being without a phone signal terrifies him! She immediately settles into the life of peace and tranquility, whereas it just sets Franck off on high alert – afraid of every noise he hears, or movement he sees. The only peace he finds is when he goes to a nearby village to be amongst people for supplies and a coffee, and to catch up on his phone messages as he’s stressed by work issues.
And back in 1917, it’s a newcomer to the hills that unsettles the locals, especially with the start of the War hitting them hard, and this unknown strange German in the hills, with his lions and tigers – can they trust him? Is it safer for them with him around? For their peace of mind they share an uneasy truce with him, and life carries on but there’s lots of fear around and they seek comfort in faith. They have so many questions about this Lion tamer in the hills – why is he there? how is he feeding his animals? – but the mayor seems to be on his side so they settle into trying their best to ignore him and getting on with their lives, but with strange things happening it’s not long before nerves are on edge. And when he gets close to one of the villagers you wonder how that will change the dynamics of the lives they’re all living.
With work pressure building for Franck, Lise seems totally at ease amongst nature and I enjoyed seeing how they both reacted to the environment they were living in. The story seemed to switch to a darker theme with Franck and his battle with his mind, and the introduction of a wild dog that shows up on their doorstep that seems to have a connection with Franck. The silence used to be deafening for Franck, but the more time he spends in his surroundings it seems to give him clarity about a few things going on his life and he knows he needs to act on that.
I enjoyed the unpredictability of the story and a few of the threads took me by surprise which was really clever and it appealed to my twisted mind in showing how irrational our minds can make us at times of stress and fear. The remote setting was perfect and added to the uneasy feeling that you get as a reader as you watch events unfold. An enjoyable and dark read!
An absolute delight to be taking part in the Blog Tour today to share my thoughts on LEMON DRIZZLE MONDAYS AT THE LITTLE DUCK POND CAFE by ROSIE GREEN. My thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for putting the tour together and letting me be part of it all!
Lemon Drizzle Mondays at the Little Duck Pond Café
Molly Hooper has a secret. It haunts her dreams and casts a dark shadow over life with her gorgeous three-year-old daughter, Eva. Arriving in Sunnybrook has given her a glimpse of sunshine. The Little Duck Pond Cafe crew seem so welcoming and there’s even the chance of a new job. Baking delicious cakes has always taken Molly to a happy place, so the job – at the glorious Brambleberry Manor Cafe – might just be perfect for her. It would mean she and little Eva could finally put down some roots at last. But is Sunnybrook the sanctuary Molly is searching for? Or will the past come back to haunt her, wherever she hides?
Rosie has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then, they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all – unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love. Rosie’s series of novellas is centred around life in a village cafe. The latest, ‘A Winter Wedding at the Little Duck Pond Cafe’, is out now.
Rosie has also written a full-length, standalone book, ‘Snowflakes over Moondance Cottage’, out now.
I have adored this series from the start and this latest installment – #9! – didn’t disappoint!! Having so much time following the characters in Sunnybrook, this book was another welcome trip back to catch up with all the latest goings on and to hear the story of another inhabitant!
Molly gets her chance to share her story in Lemon Drizzle Mondays, and it’s another cracking story of friendship, overcoming problems and the power of kindness! Molly and her daughter, Eva – just the cutest little girl! – are having landlord issues and finding life a little tougher than normal. Starting a new job she doesn’t get off to the greatest starts when crossing paths with Matt, the local bookbinder, and she just wonders if her bad luck is going to continue! Her new job at Brambledown Manor Cafe starts off slowly, and they need to find ways to get new customers through the door. And that’s where kindness comes into action! It’s a novel way of attracting new people through the door and shows the power of community – and the power of offering cake as a reward!!
Once again, we get to reconnect with characters from previous Little Duck Pond Cafe installments, and it just feels like coming home again catching up with them all! Knowing what Molly has been through in the past, it really makes you feel for her and just want the best for her and little Eva.
It was just wonderful to escape into this world with this wonderful community and I’m already counting down the days until the next installment!! Highly recommended!!
This is a joyful, uplifting book for those of us who sometimes wake up and feel we’re not good enough. Spoiler alert: we are!
Meet Greta.
She’s funny.
She’s flawed.
She’s hiding so much behind her big smile she’s forgotten who she is.
But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is…being you.
Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn’t matter when you can laugh at yourself, right? Until Greta realises she’s the only one not laughing. And deep down, she’s not sure if she’ll ever laugh again.
But with her world feeling like it’s falling down around her, Greta is about to discover she’s stronger than she feels. And that sometimes the best moments in life come when it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped…
I adore Greta!! She is me! She is you! That woman who is smiley on the outside, pretending life is sweet and making fun of herself, but full of crippling doubts on the inside and wishing the pain would just go away. And what the author has done brilliantly in this book is use that connection to us always beating ourselves up that we’re not good enough, and we get what we deserve… when that’s not the case. We are worthy and we need to be true to ourselves to find that happy place we all deserve to live in.
Greta comes from a ‘thin’ family – that’s how she sees it as a woman of a fuller figure, and she seems to react well to the digs and ‘banter’ but beneath the smiles she’s hurting and she’s playing a dangerous game with her health. It’s only when things go too far that her family find out the severity of the situation and she’s forced to face up to how her life is spiralling out of control.
The saving grace in her life is her namesake, Dr Greta Gayle, a hugely successful American lifestyle guru, who she is obsessed with due to them sharing the same name. It’s the only thing they have in common, but she always seems to find inspiration from the Dr and her Instagram posts when she needs guidance.
While in rehab she is stripped away from her crutches in life, and that makes things begin to fall into place for her. Why has she been so afraid to be herself? What is she hiding from? It’s often at our lowest points that life becomes a little clearer and she is forced to make changes in her way of thinking thanks to a therapist and the others she meets while in there. She sees she’s not alone in feeling a failure, or useless, or out of place and that makes her feel a little more connected.
What follows is a trip to America with her beloved Uncle, and both of them find out a lot about themselves while over there and facing up to their pasts. He has lived his life with regrets too so thinks this is the perfect opportunity for both of them to live a little, and I loved their bond and how much they meant to one another. And I loved the nods to The Wizard of Oz throughout!! Read the book and you’ll find out more!
It’s so much easier to say ‘be yourself’ than actually go through with it, and this book perfectly demonstrates that struggle we all go through of trying to fit in, losing sight of who we are and the reliance of outside influences to get us through the day. In Greta, there’s a character who is funny, pretty, smart but yet she can only see her size, and following her on her often painful journey was uplifting, emotional and a delight to be part of! Highly recommended!!
Hello lovely bookish folk! How are we doing?! All ok i hope! Very scary and surreal times we’re living in, so I hope we’re all doing as we’re told and STAYING AT HOME and WASHING YOUR HANDS!! I’ve been extremely thankful for the sunshine this week as it has meant that I’ve been able to escape out into the garden – a great place to go and forget what is going on in the world!
So how is your reading going?! I’ve been using books to escape and so my afternoons have been spent reading in the sunshine when I can – so good for the soul! So I’ve managed to finish 6 books this week which has been fabulous! I’ve been very restrained on the book buying front with no new purchases arriving, BUT there’s always Netgalley and that may have lured me back to add 3 newbies to my shelf!
From the brothels and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham, as she seeks justice for a murdered woman whom London society would rather forget . . .
Lucia’s fingers found her own. She gazed at Caro as if from a distance. Her lips parted, her words a whisper: ‘He knows.’
London, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly-paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker, Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.
But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro’s own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous than she can know . . .
TO SLEEP IN A SEA OF STARS by CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
out September 2020
A brand new space opera on an epic scale from the New York Times bestselling author of a beloved YA fantasy series.
It was supposed to be a routine research mission on an uncolonized planet. But when xenobiologist Kira Navárez finds an alien relic beneath the surface of the world, the outcome transforms her forever and will alter the course of human history.
Her journey to discover the truth about the alien civilization will thrust her into the wonders and nightmares of first contact, epic space battles for the fate of humankind, and the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
MISS BENSON’S BEETLE by RACHEL JOYCE
out June 2020
It is 1950. In a devastating moment of clarity, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist.
Enid Pretty, in her unlikely pink travel suit, is not the companion Margery had in mind. And yet together they will be drawn into an adventure that will exceed every expectation. They will risk everything, break all the rules, and at the top of a red mountain, discover their best selves.
This is a story that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries
The Garden Jungle is a wonderful introduction to the hundreds of small creatures with whom we live cheek-by-jowl and of the myriad ways that we can encourage them to thrive.
The Garden Jungle is about the wildlife that lives right under our noses, in our gardens and parks, between the gaps in the pavement, and in the soil beneath our feet. Wherever you are right now, the chances are that there are worms, woodlice, centipedes, flies, silverfish, wasps, beetles, mice, shrews and much, much more, quietly living within just a few paces of you.
Dave Goulson gives us an insight into the fascinating and sometimes weird lives of these creatures, taking us burrowing into the compost heap, digging under the lawn and diving into the garden pond. He explains how our lives and ultimately the fate of humankind are inextricably intertwined with that of earwigs, bees, lacewings and hoverflies, unappreciated heroes of the natural world.
The Garden Jungle is at times an immensely serious book, exploring the environmental harm inadvertently done by gardeners who buy intensively reared plants in disposable plastic pots, sprayed with pesticides and grown in peat cut from the ground. Goulson argues that gardens could become places where we can reconnect with nature and rediscover where food comes from. With just a few small changes, our gardens could become a vast network of tiny nature reserves, where humans and wildlife can thrive together in harmony rather than conflict.
For anyone who has a garden, and cares about our planet, this book is essential reading.
This is a book that will make you look at your garden differently! It doesn’t only focus on how it looks, but the goings on underneath the soil and the insects and wildlife that visits your little part of the earth daily, and as a keen gardener and fan of wildlife, I’m even more eager now to do more bit and take time out to notice the little things – and leave things a little more ‘wild’ to help do my bit!
This is a really relevant book for the times we are living in – and no more than now, with many people staying home due to the ‘lockdown’ and spending more time in their garden than they normally do! The only downside for me is that the people who need to read this the most are the ones who won’t pick this up as it’s not full of glossy photos, or quick fixes for a ‘low maintenance’ garden – the kind of people who revel in the throwaway society we find ourselves in, who want everything to be easy to look after and to keep all the creepy crawlies out! This books shows just how important all the wildlife is to the make-up of the garden, and doesn’t preach at you but explains things brilliantly and shows just how simple it can be to get the balance in the garden just right.
There are nods to using peat free compost, the benefits of being outdoors, the importance of allotments and growing your own, along with many other subjects such as the variety of animals that use our gardens daily, that shows that we can all do ‘our bit’ in a little way to help this planet of ours.
I really loved seeing a list of favourite plants he uses to attract different forms of wildlife, along with instructions on how to make your own wormery which has got me tempted to give it a go! I’ve learnt so much from this book and found it to be so informative and interesting, from a man who is clearly passionate about the subject he writes out! Highly recommended!
Delighted to be able to share a guest post today from the lovely VICTORIA CORNWALL on publication day for DANIEL’S DAUGHTER! Go buy your copy now!! Links below!
Victoria Cornwall chats Cornish history and her new historical novel, Daniel’s Daughter
In each of the novels in my Cornish Tales series, I have tried to bring alive something of Cornwall, whether it is its smuggling history, the class divide on the grand estates, ancient traditions, myths and legends, or characters with the Cornish pragmatic sense of humour and wit. As a backdrop to each tale, I have used Cornwall’s unique landscape, whether it’s formed from nature’s beauty or its industrial past. In Daniel’s Daughter clay mining forms the backdrop to the events that play out and the hurdles the characters face as they strive for happiness.
Why clay I hear you ask? I must admit, clay would not inspire me to pick up an historical romance, so why should it for any other reader? Let me try to explain why I used this part of Cornwall’s history as a backdrop …
As a child growing up in Cornwall, I gave little thought to why one of our local cinemas was called White River. I also did not fully appreciate the history behind the triangular white hills and artificially bright turquoise lakes which I could see from my car window when I travelled to the south coast. They are all linked to the production of clay. It was only when I became an adult I discovered the significant role Cornwall played in the china clay industry … so significant that the clay produced was nicknamed ‘White Gold’. The industry expanded at an alarming rate and employed vast numbers of people. It would take a certain type of man to keep his business competitive in the cut-throat world that emerged. It would take a man like Talek Danning, the troubled hero in Daniel’s Daughter. However Talek’s world is a very different world to the one Grace Kellow, the heroine, grew up in, which is the untamed, natural beauty of Bodmin Moor. When Grace discovers the terrible family secret, she flees her home and finds herself in Talek’s world which is so alien to her. Each landscape reflects the main characters’ traits, one industrious, serious and cut-throat, the other wild, beautiful and open. These two opposite characters are brought together, and the story of their time together begins to unfold …
Today mid Cornwall is very different. Time has moved on and many of those peaks of clay spoil, nicknamed the Cornish Alps, have been camouflaged by re-sculpting and the growth of vegetation to attempt to blend the manmade hills into the landscape. However, if you look carefully you can still see them reaching for the sky, now silent witnesses to Cornwall’s industrial past.
Although this part of Cornwall’s history plays a significant role in the tale, Daniel’s Daughter is more about truth … discovering it, facing it, learning from it, accepting it. And it is also about the damage that can be done to trust and loyalty, when telling or hearing the truth becomes a problem.
Although there is still clay mining undertaken in Cornwall, it is now on a lesser scale. Today mid Cornwall is threaded with a network of paths, named the Clay Trails, where walkers, cyclists and horse riders can explore the manmade landscape, which now happily sits alongside the natural one (https://www.claytrails.co.uk/).
So if you ever find yourself in Cornwall, consider walking one of the many Clay Trail routes. I have walked some of them and it could be said that it is where Talek Danning’s character first made himself known to me. Did their characters live happily side by side as the two differing landscapes do today? You will just have to read Daniel’s Daughter to find out.
About the book:
Sometimes the truth is not easy to say and even harder to hear …
Cornwall, 1895
Grace Kellow is a young woman with a strong sense of who she is and where she comes from. As the daughter of a well-respected Cornish dairy owner Daniel Kellow, her existence in the village of Trehale is comfortable and peaceful.
But then handsome Talek Danning comes striding over Hel Tor, and soon after his arrival Grace is hit with a revelation that leaves her questioning her identity and her place in the Trehale community.In her hour of need, Talek and his sister Amelia offer Grace sanctuary but wherever Grace runs, her secret will follow …
About the author:
Victoria Cornwall grew up on a farm in Cornwall and can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. It is this background and heritage which is the inspiration for her Cornish based novels.
Victoria is married and has two grown up children. She likes to read and write historical fiction with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Time for more tunes! And never has music been as important as the times we are now living in. So if you’ve not taken part in Music Monday before – hosted by the fab Drew over at The Tattooed Book Geek – then join in now! We need to find new music, make ourselves smile, and dance round the living room to keep fit!!
So I’ve gone for a very apt song today – back to the 80’s once more as I love that decade! – and it’s DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME by The Police! SOCIAL DISTANCING PEOPLE!!
Young teacher the subject Of schoolgirl fantasy She wants him so badly Knows what she wants to be Inside her there’s no room This girl’s an open page Book marking she’s so close now This girl is half his age
Don’t stand so close to me Her friends are so jealous You know how bad girls get Sometimes it’s not so easy To be the teacher’s pet Temptation, frustration So bad it makes him cry Wet bus stop, she’s waiting His car is warm and dry
Don’t stand so close to me Loose talk in the classroom To hurt they try and try Strong words in the staffroom The accusations fly It’s no use He sees her He starts to shake he starts to cough Just like the old man in That famous book by Nabakov
Hello all. If there’s ever a time when I’m glad to have books to distract me from the world out there, then this is it. I hope everyone is staying safe and finding their own ways to deal with what is going on. I think if you read a book that had this storyline, you wouldn’t believe it……
So on to books! I’ve not been reading so much this week – although weirdly the books I’ve read have had a darker and disease feel to them! – but I’ve made up for it on the book buying front!! 6 new books have made their way into my life thanks to Waterstones vouchers – what better time to treat yourself than now I say!!
Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s new elite schools. Her daughters are exactly like her: beautiful, ambitious, and perfect. A good thing, since the recent mandate that’s swept the country is all about perfection.Now everyone must undergo routine tests for their quotient, Q, and any children who don’t measure up are placed into new government schools. Instead, teachers can focus on the gifted.Elena tells herself it’s not about eugenics, not really, but when one of her daughters scores lower than expected and is taken away, she intentionally fails her own test to go with her.But what Elena discovers is far more terrifying than she ever imagined…
MY PEAR-SHAPED LIFE by CARMEL HARRINGTON
proof received for review.
This is a joyful, uplifting book for those of us who sometimes wake up and feel we’re not good enough. Spoiler alert: we are!
Meet Greta.
She’s funny.
She’s flawed.
She’s hiding so much behind her big smile she’s forgotten who she is.
But Greta is about to discover that the key to being happy is…being you.
Greta Gale has played the part of the funny fat one her entire life, hiding her insecurities behind a big smile. But size doesn’t matter when you can laugh at yourself, right? Until Greta realises she’s the only one not laughing. And deep down, she’s not sure if she’ll ever laugh again.
But with her world feeling like it’s falling down around her, Greta is about to discover she’s stronger than she feels. And that sometimes the best moments in life come when it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped…
And here’s what I’ve been treating myself to – seduced by stunning covers once more!!
THE SONG OF THE TREE by CORALIE BICKFORD-SMITH
A lyrical, heart-warming new tale from the award-winning designer and creator of The Fox and the Star
Bird loves to sing in the towering tree at the heart of the jungle. It feels like home. When the season changes she must say goodbye, but she isn’t ready to let go. As she listens to the other animals, Bird learns to sing a new song.
142 OSTRICHES by APRIL DAVILA
Set against the unexpected splendor of an ostrich ranch in the California desert, April Dávila’s beautifully written debut conjures an absorbing and compelling heroine in a story of courage, family and forgiveness.
When Tallulah Jones was thirteen, her grandmother plucked her from the dank Oakland apartment she shared with her unreliable mom and brought her to the family ostrich ranch in the Mojave Desert. After eleven years caring for the curious, graceful birds, Tallulah accepts a job in Montana and prepares to leave home. But when Grandma Helen dies under strange circumstances, Tallulah inherits everything–just days before the birds inexplicably stop laying eggs.
Guarding the secret of the suddenly barren birds, Tallulah endeavors to force through a sale of the ranch, a task that is complicated by the arrival of her extended family. Their designs on the property, and deeply rooted dysfunction, threaten Tallulah’s ambitions and eventually her life. With no options left, Tallulah must pull her head out of the sand and face the fifty-year legacy of a family in turmoil: the reality of her grandmother’s death, her mother’s alcoholism, her uncle’s covetous anger, and the 142 ostriches whose lives are in her hands.
INLANDS by ELIN WILLOWS
A young woman from Stockholm relocates to her boyfriend’s home town, a small village in the far north of Sweden. The relationship has ended by the time she arrives.
Inlands is a story about loss and change and examines the tangible mechanics of everyday life, the mentality of a small community and the relationship between freedom and loneliness.
THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS by ISABEL ALLENDE
As a girl, Clara del Valle can read fortunes, make objects move as if they had lives of their own, and predict the future. Following the mysterious death of her sister, Rosa the Beautiful, Clara is mute for nine years. When she breaks her silence, it is to announce that she will be married soon to the stern and volatile landowner Esteban Trueba.
Set in an unnamed Latin American country over three generations, The House of the Spirits is a magnificent epic of a proud and passionate family, secret loves and violent revolution.
THE DISCOMFORT OF EVENING by MARIEKE LUCAS RIJNEVELD
I thought about being too small for so much, but that no one told you when you were big enough … and I asked God if he please couldn’t take my brother Matthies instead of my rabbit. ‘Amen.’
Jas lives with her devout farming family in the rural Netherlands. One winter’s day, her older brother joins an ice skating trip; resentful at being left alone, she makes a perverse plea to God; he never returns. As grief overwhelms the farm, Jas succumbs to a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies, watching her family disintegrate into a darkness that threatens to derail them all.
A bestselling sensation in the Netherlands by a prize-winning young poet, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s debut novel lays everything bare. It is a world of language unlike any other, which Michele Hutchison’s striking translation captures in all its wild, violent beauty. Studded with unforgettable images – visceral, raw, surreal – The Discomfort of the Evening is a radical reading experience that will leave you changed forever.
APEIROGON by COLUM McCANN
Goldsboro Book of the Month
The National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Let the Great World Spin tells an epic story rooted in the real-life friendship between two men united by loss in this daring, symphonic novel.
Colum McCann’s most ambitious work to date, Apeirogon–named for a shape with a countably infinite number of sides–is a tour de force concerning friendship, love, loss, and belonging.
Bassam Aramin is Palestinian. Rami Elhanan is Israeli. They inhabit a world of conflict that colors every aspect of their daily lives, from the roads they are allowed to drive on to the schools their daughters, Abir and Smadar, each attend, to the checkpoints both physical and emotional that they must negotiate.
Their worlds shift irreparably after ten-year-old old Abir is killed by a rubber bullet and thirteen-year-old Smadar becomes the victim of suicide bombers. When Bassam and Rami learn of one another’s stories, they recognize the loss that connects them and they attempt to use their grief as a weapon for peace.
McCann crafts Apeirogon out of a universe of fictional and non-fictional material. He crosses centuries and continents, stitching time, art, history, nature, and politics together in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful. Musical, cinematic, muscular, delicate, and soaring, Apeirogon is a novel for our times.
Books and Me! 
