These will be the most unusual and uncomfortable Christmas holidays ever, as an estranged couple stuck in the same house non-stop for 2 weeks, making an effort to be civil for the sake of the children. I suspect I may spend quite a bit of it hidden away in a corner and reading, to avoid too much discussion and conflict, but there is the unavoidable ‘going through the rubbish in the loft’ moment, deciding on who gets what. (Luckily, there won’t be much crying over books, as they are 99% mine).
So here is the reading that I am going to use to maintain my sanity through this tricky period. Not sure how much time there will be reviewing though.
Physical copies:
Steph Broadribb: Deep Down Dead – have just started it and can confirm it really is as confident, sassy and American as others have reported!
Eva Dolan: Watch Her Disappear – fast becoming one of my favourite new authors
Marc Elsberg: Black Out – Austrian thriller writer I met in Lyon, this is his first book to be translated into English
Kate Hamer: The Doll Funeral – I was impressed by Kate’s writing skills in her debut novel and have high expectations of this second one – she does a child’s viewpoint so well!
Saleem Haddad: Guapa – a strong new voice from the Arabic world, unafraid to tackle such contentious issues as revolution and repression, Arab Spring, homosexuality and drag queens
Kati Hiekkapelto: The Exiled – I’ve been waiting for a while now to catch up with Anna Fekete and her flawed but determined approach to policing
Luca Veste: Then She Was Gone – a missing baby and a missing politician – what on earth could they have in common? Liverpool and social issues, what’s not to like?
On the e-reader:
Lauren Beukes: Moxyland – I was so blown away by Lauren Beukes’ writing that I’ve been saving her earlier books to savour but now it’s time I savoured her debut set in an alternative high-tech South Africa where apartheid is still alive and well (and evil)
William Nicholson: Adventures in Modern Marriage – irresistibly drawn to books depicting the difficulty of midlife relationships. As in ‘so much better to read fictional accounts of it rather than live through it.’
Viet Thanh Nguen: The Refugees – the dreams, aspirations, challenges and reality of immigration, the curse of living between cultures
Ian Rankin: Rather Be the Devil – the 21st Rebus novel (I know, I can’t quite believe it either!) – a reliable author I can always turn to when times are tough and I need distracting
OK, maybe I am over-optimistic about how much I can read, as I am also planning some trips to London with the boys, and we’ll also be celebrating my older son’s birthday. But that should keep me out of mischief…
