Book Chat Issue #60

Flat out reading

Hello reading friends!

A big welcome to new subscribers. It’s lovely to have you onboard. If you’d like to say hi, just hit reply. I’d love to know where in the world you live and what you enjoy reading. If you’d like to know more about me, read this.

What I’ve been reading

I hurt my back last week, so I’ve been lying flat on the bed for a few days. This gave me lots of time for reading, and I managed to get through two great reads.

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent has one of the best openings I’ve ever read.

‘Put me out with the bins,’ he said, regularly.

‘When I die, put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead so I won’t know any different. You’ll be crying your eyes out,’ and he would laugh and I’d laugh too because we both knew that I wouldn’t be crying my eyes out. I never cry.

When the time came, on Wednesday 29 November 2017, I followed his instructions. He was small and frail and eighty-two years old by then, so it was easy to get him into one large garden waste bag’.

Absolutely intriguing, don’t you think?

I found it difficult to put down and was (almost) glad to have an excuse to keep reading.

When Sally disposes of her father’s remains, the act draws outrage from her neighbours, the media, and the police, thrusting her into the spotlight. A reclusive 44 year-old, Sally has always known she was adopted, but her father’s death brings to light a murky and mysterious past. The book is darkly funny in places, but also sad and disturbing. This is a twisty book with strong characters and great writing.

The second book was recommended by an 80 year-old thriller aficionado I met while travelling in New Zealand.

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton was slightly more formulaic, but entertaining and sharply written. It’s a psychological thriller about Maggie Rose, a notorious defence attorney and writer, who receives a letter from a prisoner pleading for her to review his case. He’s in prison for three murders which he claims not to have committed and whilst Maggie initially resists, she is eventually drawn into his story. There are lots of twists and turns in this book, enough to keep you turning pages well into the night, but the characters don’t tug at your heartstrings like Sally Diamond does.

Two gripping psychological thrillers

What I’ve been eating

This morning I decided I was heartily sick of tea and toast, so I made myself a smoothie. I had some ripe bananas to use up and I was heading to the pool for a swim, so I didn’t want anything too heavy. When I was a child my mother used to make us egg flips (a raw egg mixed with milk, vanilla, and sugar, and shaken ’til frothy) but these days it seems that people avoid eating raw eggs. I’m not sure why, but I imagine there is a valid food safety reason.

I still drink the occasional egg flip and haven’t died yet, but this morning I blitzed together some milk, a small banana, a handful of rolled oats, some plain yoghurt and some cinnamon. You could add a touch of maple syrup if you have a sweet tooth. It was nice! I might try one with blueberries tomorrow.

What I’ve been listening to

My friend Debbie sent me a link to this fascinating interview with copy editor Benjamin Dreyer, from Random House. If you have an interest in words (and I’m assuming you do), you should take a listen. Dreyer speaks eloquently about rules and non-rules, and how to tighten up your prose. He also provides a very clear explanation of how (and when) to use the Oxford comma, something that puzzles many people.

Book club news

I’ve been trying to choose the perfect book for our next book club and it suddenly occurred to me that we could vote! Let’s be democratic. I have narrowed it down to three, so let me know your preference. The poll will be open for a week.

That’s all for this edition.

Keep well and happy reading!

Marg xxx