Hobbits & Heroes: July Reading

A varied month full of bangers! My thoughts and whether I’d recommend you buy or borrow it below! (I was contemplating a sort of buy/borrow/burn metric a la kiss/marry/kill but then I felt a bit weird about even metaphorical burning even though kiss and marry work nicely with borrow and buy - but perhaps I’m overthinking it given that I rarely read stuff I hate.)

can you tell which ones were audio books?

The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

I read/listened to The Odyssey earlier this year and wanted to complete the set although I did them the wrong way round (and would recommend doing them the right way round for several reasons). I say read/listened to as with The Odyssey I did a mix of listening to the audiobook read by Claire Danes and reading and listening while reading along. As I’m waiting for the paperback of Wilson’s Iliad translation so my books match I just listened to this one. It’s read by Audra McDonald who does a gorgeous job, and as these epic poems were written to be listened to, I’d recommend it. Having said all of that, I did prefer the Odyssey, despite my intense dislike of Odysseus, as the story is more propulsive and varied and magical whereas there’s (obviously) a lot of war in this one. And like, less of the famous bits than you want/expect (we join the narrative with the Greek army already encamped, Helen already in Troy, and we leave it before the horse although he has a cameo in my above photo). Wilson even says in her introduction that part of the challenge was translating the constant descriptions of death and violence without it getting repetitive. Also Achilles is up there with Odysseus in terms of making me angry. I haven’t read Song of Achilles yet (I know, I know) so I have no other version of him to soften what a sociopathic ass he is. Men would rather drag the corpse of the killer of their lover around a city nine times than go to therapy etc etc. And obviously no one comes to the Iliad for feminism (it’s why you can’t turn your head in a bookshop without crashing into a feminist retelling) but it’s pretty wretched at times - Hector’s wife begs him to stop the war so that she won’t be taken as a slave and their children killed and he is all yeah babe, that will be a very bad time for you but I’ve got to go be a hero so people know I’m a real man. And then when Hera goes to seduce her husband Zeus and he essentially negs her by telling her about all the other women he has impregnated. Gender is a construct but this is a really male book.

Should you buy/borrow it? As with The Odyssey I’m glad that I read/listened to it but more as part of a greater understanding of literature and poetry than through sheer enjoyment.

The Shadow Cabinet and Queen B by Juno Dawson

We had Juno at July’s LUSH Book Club for a truly lovely event about the newly released prequel novella Queen B. I had read and really enjoyed Her Majesty’s Royal Coven last year (you can listen to Juno on my podcast talking about Point Horror here) but hadn’t read the sequel yet. These books are just a really good time, they’re so readable and pacy and fun. The prequel imagines Anne Boleyn as a bisexual witch and leader of a Tudor coven and you know, that will either appeal to you or not. I’m an Anne fangirl after studying early modern history at university and I had a great time with it.

Should you buy/borrow it? If you enjoy modern, irreverent fantasy then absolutely yes. And although Queen B can be read as a standalone, I would recommend starting with Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

The Hobbit and The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien

As is much recorded, I love Tolkien. I come back to the Lord of the Rings again and again and especially when I’m gearing up to draft my own fantasy books to remind me what I love about the genre. I haven’t actually reread The Hobbit in a while though, and forgot how funny and charming it is, despite the slightly awkward ending. And the lack of women really doesn’t bother me I’m afraid - not to pivot too aggressively into politics but more and more I find I am less fussed about getting mad about the lack of lady dwarves in the Hobbit or whether Baby It’s Cold Outside is problematic or not and more interested in tearing down the oppressive structures that keep us all trapped in arguments about whether there should be any lady dwarves in the Hobbit! Anyway. I listened to both of these on audio read brilliantly by Andy Serkis who does a great job of summoning the vibe of the actors we associate with these characters now without doing full on impressions. Having said all of that, I wish Tolkien’s go-to monster wasn’t giant spiders.

Should you buy/borrow it? Obviously yes.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (which is out of print in the UK!)

I hadn’t started this Substack the last time I had a podcast episode out so permit me to pitch it to you. Bookwandering is a podcast where I interview other authors about their most beloved children’s book (or YA book or picture book). There are eighteen episodes out so far including Katherine Rundell on Charmed Life, Gabrielle Zevin on A Little Princess, Max Porter on John Burningham’s picture books and Nikita Gill on Peter Pan. I’m moving from doing series that come out every week with big gaps in between to a new episode every month and the next episode is out on Thursday with the brilliant Laura Wood on Ella Enchanted. I’d never read Ella Enchanted before and really enjoyed it, but of course I’d encourage you to listen to the episode for more in depth thoughts!

Should you buy/borrow it? It’s very easy and cheap to find on eBay or equivalent, if you’re after a fun, nostalgic read, or for any tweens in your life.

Under a Dancing Star by Laura Wood

This Substack is at risk of becoming a Laura Wood fan newsletter at the moment as you’ll have heard my rave about her brilliant romcom Under Your Spell the other month. I’ve read a fair amount of her previous books, but I wanted to read this one to prep for our interview because it’s a YA retelling of Much Ado About Nothing (one of my two favourite Shakespeare plays) and I knew we’d be talking about retelling given that Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella riff. Laura writes with such a lightness of touch and wit, and this is a gorgeous romantic teen story that captures the sun-drenched, gorgeously-dressed Kenneth Branagh film version of the story as much as the original play.

Should you buy/borrow it? Yes! Laura Wood is just properly talented, and I’d recommend whichever of her titles appeals most to you from their blurb. (Just to flag that Under Your Spell is adult and has explicit sex as well as various other adult themes, so make sure you’re picking one of her YA or children’s book if you’re buying for younger readers! Adults, you’ll enjoy them all!)

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

I have been meaning to get to this for absolutely ages as one of those books that it feels like anyone writing fantasy should read. People *love* it, not to mention that all three books in the trilogy won the Hugo Award (the only time all the books in a series have won the award or that anyone has won it three years in a row). And I’m very happy to report that I wholeheartedly agree with the rave reviews and have immediately bought the rest of the series. This is fantasy sci-fi but probably leans harder towards sci-fi and it does have that sci-fi thing of needing to just read through unfamiliar language and technology and suchlike at the beginning but it really settles in very quickly (and there’s a glossary). For a genre novel it has a relatively slow pace and quite a bleak read (there are a few distressing moments to do with children). It’s also low key about rocks. None of this is what I usually go for and yet in her hands it is just something very special. It’s a clever, thoughtful and truly immersive read that I really recommend even if you don’t like rocks.

Should you buy/borrow it? If you’re like me, you already have had it on your shelf for years and this is your sign to bump it up the pile!!

It’s Not That Radical by Mikaela Loach

I’ve been meaning to read this for a while since meeting Mikaela at an event - I think she is such an amazing force for good and admire her resilience and organising very much. This is a hope-focused introduced to climate change which is much needed. While it doesn’t shy away from the reality of the situation and how urgent action is, it is full of practical ways to make change and encouragement to be fuelled by the hope of what a different world could look like, rather than fear which can so easily freeze us in panic into doing nothing. Although it gets a little repetitive at times, it does a good job of providing useful evidence, anecdotes and language to start processing a very overwhelming topic. It’s also very clear on how climate change is not an isolated problem, and how capitalist and racist structures in particular factor into understanding it and also how to stop it.

Should you buy/borrow it? It’s definitely an introductory sort of book but I’d really recommend it as a very readable, accessible way to get a good handle on the issues, the causes and crucially the solutions.

Young Hag by Isabel Greenberg

The One Hundred Nights of Hero, Greenberg’s queer retelling of The One Thousand and One Nights is my favourite graphic novel, and one of my all time favourite books and so I always buy any new book by her. I really enjoyed this reimagining of Arthurian myths which puts an irreverent, gently feminist spin on Morgan and Nimue that pulls in goblin markets and changelings as well as grief and identity. Greenberg is such a sharp, witty, moving writer and this is full of her usual insight and charm.

Should you buy/borrow it? Yes, although it doesn’t beat The One Hundred Nights of Hero. Start with Young Hag if you’re into Arthurian myths, start with Glass Town if you love the Brontes and start with One Hundred Nights of Hero for everyone else.

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, I am often 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 are all my own books ie books I bought with my own cash, although as mentioned in the post I was reading Juno Dawson’s books for our LUSH Book Club with her.