Some books that I've enjoyed recently

In this hot weather I'm finding that reading is one of the few activities that I can do comfortably! I've read some really good books lately, so I'm sharing some of them here. I've made a big change to the way that I record my reading - I'm no longer using Goodreads. I wrote about it here - Why I've fallen out of love with Goodreads - and I've started using a physical book tracker and journal. It's working really well for me, and I'll be sharing how I use it at some point, it's really helping me to remember the books that I've read!

A Single Thread - Tracy Chevalier. 

I picked this book up in a charity shop as I remembered enjoying other books by the author (Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Lady and the Unicorn). I really liked it because covers several themes that I found interesting. It's a historical novel with a single timeline, set after WW1 and following Violet, a 'surplus woman' who lost her fiancé and brother during the war and is now expected to remain unmarried and live at home with her mother. Instead she manages to break away and assert her independence.

There were some really interesting topics in the story. My favourite - Violet discovers an embroidery society in Winchester Cathedral, a group of women who are creating kneelers, cushions and other items under the guidance of Lousia Pesel. This is based on a true story, and I enjoyed looking up examples of the actual kneelers and finding out more about the embroidery. For example the use of the fylfot symbol which is a variant of the swastika and also serves as a foreshadowing for the looming WW2.

Violet also befriends a bell ringer, and I enjoyed learning about the different ways that bells are run in churches and cathedrals around the country. It has inspired me to go along to our village church one evening when they are doing their practice ringing!

Photo credit Tanya Barrow via Unsplash

The Housekeeper's Tale - Tessa Boase

I was inspired to buy this non-fiction book after I attended a lecture given by Tessa Boase at a local Arts Society. The lecture was actually on a completely different topic (London's Lost Department Stores) but I spotted that she had also written this book and I'm so glad that I bought it.  

I've always been fascinated by old country houses and how they are run, and very different housekeepers feature prominently in my two favourite books - Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. 

This book takes a close look at five housekeepers, from 1832 until 1971, along with an epilogue from a woman who does a similar job today. It's meticulously researched and I was left in awe - some of these women left very few traces behind them and the author has collated these tiny snippets from a variety of sources and fleshed them out into really interesting and very readable stories. 

Photo credit Silas Köhler via Unsplash

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

I wanted to read this after I loved Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I knew that Demon Copperhead was a modern re-telling of the story, but I didn't realise quite how closely it follows the original - down to names of characters, locations and events. I enjoy reading long books from time to time, and this one did take me several weeks. I didn't find it particularly difficult to read - there is just so much of it!

Although I probably read them in the wrong order, having read Demon Copperhead did help me to follow the plot, and I enjoyed spotting the references. The book was originally published in serialised form so each chapter is quite self-contained and can be read in a single sitting. There are also plenty of places online that you can read a chapter summary just to make sure you are following!

I'm not sure that I would rush to read any more Dickens, as although I enjoy the classics there are other authors that I prefer. But I'm really glad I made the effort to read this one. 

Book Lovers - Emily Henry

This was a quick palate cleanser after my weeks of Dickens! I borrowed it from a friend and quickly realised that I'd read it before, but I knew I had enjoyed it so I read it again! It's an easy romance, slow burn, and a little bit spicy. It's an attempt to subvert the small town romance trope and it works really well, with a satisfying ending that feels realistic.