Bumper Reading Catch-Up

Good books within.

Firstly, tedious apologies about not doing any recommendations or recaps yet this year. Life and deadlines abound. But I’ve had a lovely few months of reading to kick off the year, with a pleasingly varied array of books in there, including the first two reads from a new (but inevitably very long-term project) of reading all the official Fantasy Masterworks books. The only one I’d previously read was Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees which I loved. I’ll likely do some separate posts on that as I work through it thinking about what is included and all of that. And in fact one of the books I read for that actually is probably my favourite book of the year so far (not a flawless book but one that’s stayed with me in a way few books have).

Because this is a bumper edition covering four months of reading, I’ve divided it up into sections so you can find the sort of thing you like to read (aside from Women’s Prize reading as there’ll be as separate post about that later on so I’ve taken those out for now). So there’s contemporary adult fiction first, then modern classics/classics, and children’s and YA at the bottom (with a graphic novel tucked in between).

A fair few of these books were reading prep for my podcast, Bookwandering, where I speak to another writer about their most beloved children’s or YA book. Guests include Max Porter, Gabrielle Zevin, Katherine Rundell and Nikita Gill, and you can find all the episodes on Spotify or on Apple podcasts here.

Contemporary Adult Fiction

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong & Real Americans by Rachel Khong
I read both of Rachel Khong’s novel as she was a guest on Bookwandering. Rachel chose Half Magic by Edward Eager (more on that below) and was so interesting to chat to. I really enjoyed both her novels, Real Americans in particular. It follows three generations of a Chinese-American family and is about how we decide who to be, how the decisions of our parents and grandparents affect that - and it’s also about love and genetics and pleasingly, has a tiny seed of magic in it (Rachel talks very eloquently about wrangling with a magical element in a literary fiction novel on the pod). It’s really well done - very engaging but also very stylishly written. While I am really enjoying the Women’s Prize lists so far so I can’t moan too much, I would have loved to see Real Americans on there.

“So much of my life I have let slip by, because I have not attended to it. All this while, instead of seeking more time, I could have been paying attention.”

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
I saw this pop up on some favourites-of-2024 lists from people whose taste in books I’m interested in and so bought a copy but it wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately. It is a taste thing though, I think the writing is very good and the subject interesting, but the style and tone wasn’t for me. It’s about an obsessive, wealthy Palestinian woman working as a teacher in New York who becomes fixated on the idea of a coin she accidentally swallowed impacting her body and life in a fundamental way. The writing is very sparse and sharp, and I tend to prefer a more luxurious sort of style, and while it’s unfashionable to say so, my preference isn’t for unlikeable narrators (sue me!!). I also found it to be provocative in quite an obvious way, and essentially it’s just not my jam. I’d say that if you enjoy books like The Pisces or The First Bad Man then you might enjoy (although stay tuned for my Women’s Prize post to see me absolutely adore All Fours by Miranda July - plot twist!).

She’s Always Hungry by Eliza Clark
And actually, having said that, on paper Eliza Clark’s books wouldn’t be ones I’d pick up and yet!! I’ve loved all of her books! A little disclosure: Eliza and I are long term Internet pals and I actually initially only bought Boy Parts to support as I thought it would be too dark/distressing for me. But I read Boy Parts and Penance when Eliza came on the pod and they’re just very good!! She’s a great writer!! She’s Always Hungry comes with a million trigger warnings, and yet even though at times I was sort of repulsed, I was also delighted. There were only two that really turned my stomach but the stories are so wild and weird and funny that you can’t help but have a great time. To illustrate my point, I think my favourite story might be The King which comes with trigger warnings for graphic violence and cannibalism. I’m a reader who likes whimsy and magic and beauty! I actively avoid graphic violence! And yet I loved it - it’s so clever and funny and absurd. I also usually actively avoid sexual violence in fiction and yet The Problem Solver was short and sharp and caustic and I loved it (the sexual violence is not on page although is the key topic of the story). Do take the trigger warnings seriously, as there is some heavy stuff in there, but I’d recommend giving it a go even if it’s not your usual sort of thing.

Classics

Little, Big by John Crowley
I just adored this book and I truly haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it. I genuinely considered immediately starting it again and I’m sure I’ll reread it at several points in my life. I find it quite hard to know what to say about it with any brevity, I would love to read it many more times and really write about it properly. So for now, to help you decide if you’d enjoy, here’s what I’ll say:

• It’s a very odd book in tone and content that very rarely did what I was expecting.

• Although much of the content is dark and odd and sad, the writing is highly whimsical in tone and meandering in style, so beware - if you like sparse, sharp, short books for this is not that.

• It is very much about fairies - its subtitle is The Fairies Parliament. Fairies as in fae creatures of the woods and trees who might help you or may hurt you depending on their whims or plans that have nothing to do with us. They’re not sexy but neither are they innocent and precious.

• It’s a generational saga, following several members of the Drinkwater family. The people and their house are important to the fairies, which means that they live a dreamlike life with its own peculiar joys and challenges.

• The ending made me absolutely weep. And even though some sad things happen, I was crying mainly from the sheer overwhelming power & beauty of the book (this sounds so pretentious but it is nevertheless true) and the way it grows and builds to the most unexpected and beautiful ending that speaks to love and time and, honestly, to the meaning of life itself. I wish I could experience the ending for the first time over and over although I imagine when I go back to it, knowing where it’s going will add a totally different beauty to it.

• I should also flag that at moments it does feel of its time - it was written in 1982 - and there are some uncomfortable scenes (that are largely supposed to be uncomfortable), but are still unsettling or potentially upsetting reading experiences. (If you want more detailed trigger warnings do message me or leave a comment).

The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany
I loved the first half of this and got a little bored in the second half. It was written in 1924, making it one of the oldest titles on the Fantasy Masterworks list (the oldest is Rudyard Kipling’s The Mark of the Beast from 1890). It’s striking to me that the first three books I’ve read from this have all been about the presence of a strange and usually dangerous land of fae whose border is somewhere in our own world but almost impossible for most humans to find. I’m curious to see if this fascination with a fae land close by carries through. It’s clear to see the impact this book has had on writers like Gaiman (ugh) and Susanna Clarke. This is a very gently paced story about a tucked away part of a kingdom who longs for magic and sends their prince to marry the titular King of Elfland’s daughter before realising magic is rather more unpredictable than they wanted. It’s beautifully written with some absolutely gorgeous sentences, and also has the occasional very witty lines too. Unfortunately the second half of the book gets a little repetitive and earnest and there’s more chat about hunting than I had appetite for (and they are sometimes hunting unicorns, which is a bummer). There’s a lot of walking around and looking for things and extended passages about a troll’s perspective on time (which I liked! Just not for that long!). It’s a fascinating and often beautiful read with a meandering, otherwordly style but it’s certainly not a page turner. (I wanted to share some of the lines with you but incredibly annoyingly I put my annotated copy in the charity shop pile by mistake. So if you happen across a copy in north London with a lot of underlinings then please let me know!).

Middlemarch by George Eliot
I have been meaning to read this forever. It is the favourite book of several people whose taste I trust and I’m pleased to report that it was as utterly wonderful as everyone says it is. It always feels a little silly to say that a universally beloved book is very good, because you really didn’t need me to tell you Middlemarch is a masterpiece. And yet here we are. I think it’s probably as close to flawless as books tend to get. It’s essentially the story of one young woman, Dorothea Brooke, who lives in the fictional county of Middlemarch in 1830 and while she is the heroine, we do spend a lot of time getting to know the people who have an impact on her life. Initially when we first moved away from her I was disappointed (and I know my sister had this experience too, so much so that she stopped reading) so I’ll just say to keep going, you do come back to Dorothea, and also you will love the way that Eliot builds the world if you just run with it. It is a slow-paced, long book full of character studies and description but its written with such style and intelligence and wit that I read it quite quickly. I also don’t think I’ve ever been so delighted when a fictional character died - if you’ve read it you will know who I mean, but I won’t spoil things for people who haven’t.

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Another classic I have been meaning to read for years and another one I had a great time with although very different in tone to Middlemarch. They are both very clever, witty books but where Eliot’s is thoughtful and generous to her characters, Thackeray is, excuse my language, a little bitch (complimentary). It’s so snarky and sassy and snide, it reminded me a little bit of A Moveable Feast in the way it captures the ridiculousness, cruelty, and beauty of being human. Becky Sharp occupies a fair amount of cultural capital and so it was fun to actually meet the original, although she’s in the book less than I was expected. And make this the second classic where I was waiting for a certain character to die. It’s gorgeously written, very sharp and funny and observant on humans and I’d really recommend it.

Chess by Stefan Zweig
For a reason that may or may not become clear (it depends on what happens with a certain project) I have been imbibing some chess media. I finally got around to watching The Queen’s Gambit (which I enjoyed) and I read this 1941 novella by Zweig, which is sometimes published as The Royal Game, or Chess Story. He sent it to his publisher only days before his suicide, and it’s a clever, dark and moving story about a man who becomes a chess expert when the only reading material he has while being imprisoned and psychologically tortured by the Nazis is a chess manual. He ends up on a luxury cruise ship years later and the story takes place over an evening on board when this man helps a group of passengers play against a chess grandmaster on board. It’s sparse and melancholy and very, very effective.

Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin
The last classic I read is another one I’ve been meaning to get to for ages because so many people whose taste I like cite this book as a favourite, and it has a relatively new, very lovely W&N Essentials edition that I picked up when it was published. And I’m pleased to report that I agree with everyone saying how gorgeous this is, I truly can’t fault it. I love a book about a wife guy, and here are two. This is the story of best friends, Guido and Vincent, and the two women they fall in love with, Holly and Misty. It’s set primarily in New York in the late 70s, and in many ways it is “just” very insightful, funny, warm character studies of these four people. It is deeply romantic too, although not at all cheesy or twee. All four of the characters are gorgeously flawed, I adored Misty in particular, and the supporting cast of characters are delightfully funny. I really can’t recommend this highly enough, I think it’s a new all time favourite.

Graphic Novels

It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood
I was bought this for Christmas by brother-in-law. I don’t generally encourage people to buy me books as gifts for obvious reasons but he really knows his graphic novels and evidently my taste too as I really enjoyed this. It’s a meta piece of work about Thorogood dealing with her depression as she tries to create the graphic novel that you’re reading so it zooms in and out on layers of reality and creativity and is witty and melancholy and beautifully drawn. I’d really recommend it, although please note that it contains discussions around suicidal thoughts and self harm (and there’s quite a graphic scene in a chicken farm if you are sensitive to animal cruelty).

Children’s & YA

Five and the Forgotten Treasure by Chris Smith
A disclosure to start the children’s section off with as Chris is a very dear friend. But knowing him, I knew he’d do a wonderful job of bringing a fresh new perspective to the Famous Five, and I also know how much it means to him. We’ve had many pints while writing our respective classics-inspired novels talking about Alice and the Famous Five and how to revisit a beloved book. This cleverly uses a mix of a new crew of cousins visiting Kirrin Island with a big chunk of flashback to an unsolved mystery by the original Famous Five. It does such a lovely job of combining the nostalgia and original characters with a fresh-feeling approach and new siblings. Fun fact, I get a mention in the acknowledgments of this book because when Chris told me he was writing it I asked him to promise to do right by Anne, and no spoilers but he has kept his promise!

Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor by Adam Kay and Henry Paker
I read this to chair a gloriously chaotic event at the Haymarket Hotel in Covent Garden at the end of the month. While my tastes will never run to books for any age that have an above average number of fart jokes in them, it was clear from our sold-out, very excited audience how much they enjoyed the book and hearing Adam and Henry talk and answer their questions.

Half Magic by Edward Eager (out of print)
As mentioned above, I read this for Rachel Khong’s pod episode and was delighted by it. I’d never heard of it before - it’s out of print here in the UK, having been much more of a success in the US. And to be fair it does feel very American in its cultural norms and setting. It is in many ways an American E. Nesbit, as Eager was a huge Nesbit fan and openly cited her as his biggest influence which is very, very apparent in the book. This is the first in a series about a group of siblings who discover a magic coin that grants half their wishes, and of course chaos ensues (as you see, very Nesbittian). It’s so charming and funny and warm, and the lessons the children learn are not saccharine or too moralising. If you see a copy in a second hand or charity shop, I’d recommend giving it a read if you enjoy classic children’s fantasy.

Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton and A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
This is Jessie’s debut children’s novel, after several adult novels (including of course The Miniaturist) and two illustrated myth/fairy tale retellings. I really enjoy Jessie’s writing, my favourite of her adult novels is The Muse and I also really loved The Restless Girls, a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (my favourite fairy tale) illustrated by Angela Barrett. Hidden Treasures is a beautifully written historical adventure about London, rivers, friendship, sacrifice and family. It gorgeously captures wartime London and I think how much Jessie enjoyed writing it comes through. One for kids who can appreciate lovely writing and don’t mind a gentler pace. Jessie was also a lovely guest on the pod talking about A Traveller in Time, a timeslip novel that I must admit, while it has a devoted following I think might be a bit of a you-had-to-be-there book ie if you didn’t discover it as a child, the window of magic might be closed. While the writing is lovely, it’s very descriptive and I found it painfully earnest. But I really loved talking about it with Jessie and I enjoy any conversation that ends with ranking Henry VIII’s wives (my order is Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Parr, Katherine Howard, Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour.)

The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King by Harry Trevaldwyn and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
I haven’t read Twilight since I first read it in a frenzy back when I was at university, off the back of the first film coming out. What a time. I had so much fun going back to the book, which is both somehow better and worse than I was expecting. There’s an undeniable something about it, it’s so readable and engaging despite being batshit in so many ways. And I absolutely loved chatting about it with Harry, who is so very funny on his teenage experiences of being a Twilight superfan and efforts to emulate Edward. Not to have favourites but if you haven’t listened to the pod before, this is a good episode to start with. We also talked about Harry’s debut YA novel which I think deserves a lot more hype. It’s incredibly funny and charming and dare I say, captures a bit of the spirit of Georgia Nicholson in that it really gets the potent awfulness and brilliance of what it’s like to be a teenager.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and Climate is Just the Start by Mikaela Loach
Another series I haven’t gone back to since I first read it is The Hunger Games and it was another one I loved revisiting. Although it was more familiar than Twilight as I’ve watched the film trilogy a few times and it did strike me was how faithful they are as adaptations. The books are uncomplicatedly excellent, I’d really recommend a read if,nat like me, you haven’t picked them up since they first came out or if you never got to them. I have such fond memories of these books as they came out while I was a secondary school librarian, and we even did a Book Club trip to see the first film at the cinema and all the girls put their hair in braids and did the Mockingjay symbol in the cinema. Rereading also spurred me on to finally read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (I thought the book was excellent although I then watched the film and found it a bit disappointing although well cast.) I’m desperate to read Sunrise on the Reaping now but want a paperback to match my set so need to borrow the hardback from a friend or the library before I get spoiled by TikTok (I can’t believe that’s how I’m getting books spoiled these days). This was also for a pod ep, as the brilliant activist Mikaela Loach chose them. We had a great conversation that oscillated between proper fandom chat (we’re both firmly Team Peeta) and activism and revolution and resistance. I first met Mikaela last year when she was a guest at LUSH Book Club about her book It’s Not That Radical and she’s recently released a version for young people called Climate Is Just the Start and I’d really recommend it for anyone buying for readers aged roughly 8-13 who want to learn more about the fight for climate justice from a hope-forward perspective.

Captain of Fates by Katherine Webber and The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce
And the last things I read are also a huuuuuge conflict of interest as Katie is my best friend/mother of my godchildren/neighbour/agent mate/podcast guest - take your pick. Katie writes all sorts of books, but this is the spin-off from her bestselling YA romantasy series Twin Crowns, which she writes with Catherine Doyle. This one is the first of two spin-offs, one written by each of them, and this follows a secondary character in the trilogy, Captain Marino Pegasi. It is full of pirates and mermaids and kissing and magic and is written with such charm - if you love romantasy then I’d heartily recommend this whole series (you can read Captain of Fates without having read the original trilogy). And the books that Katie picked for her episode of the pod (which will be out on Friday 9th May) are also some of my sister’s childhood favourites so I was long overdue reading them. I was expecting to enjoy them and I really did. I can absolutely see why they were beloved of Katie and my sister and I imagine I would have fallen for them too if I hadn’t deemed them my sister’s thing and avoided them. Katie and I talk about this in the pod, but in the more codified understanding of children’s and teen books (which has its benefits too) I think we have lost a little bit of this style of series, that was particularly popular in fantasy, where we grow up with a character and the style of the narrative and the tone of their adventures shifts as they age. The first book in the series feels comparable to modern day middle grade books but they’re firmly YA by the end. I loved that as a child, and wish there was scope in current publishing norms to have more of this (I’m trying to get around it in my current series by doing a time jump between each book but I am introducing a new child character for each).

And so, ten points if you’ve got to the end of this. I hope you’ve picked up some recommendations, nudges to read or reread favourites, or just generally had a decent time. For me the books that are really going to stay with me are Middlemarch, Little Big and Happy All the Time.

Housekeeping!

• The links go to my Bookshop.org page and are affiliate links which means I get a small amount of money if you buy these books or other books via one of my links - thank you if you do buy this way, I appreciate the support!

• As a journalist and author, sometimes I am reading proof copies of books sent for free by publishers. These are not sent with any obligation to read or write about them (indeed most of them are sent unsolicited) and I am never paid to say nice things about them. I’ll always disclose any personal relationships or if I’m reading a book for an event I’m being paid for. This month I was sent free copies of Five and the Forgotten Treasure, Hidden Treasure, Real Americans, Climate Is Just the Start, Captain of Fates, and Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor (the latter for an event I was paid to chair). Real Americans, Goodbye Vitamin, Hidden Treasure, The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King, Climate Is Just the Start and Captain of Fates were to prepare for Rachel, Jessie, Harry, Mikaela & Katie being guests on my podcast. Everything else was bought by me.