Hello reading friends,
Welcome to Book Chat, a newsletter for readers and eaters. It’s great to have you here.
About this newsletter
The purpose of this newsletter is to help you find your next great read. It can be surprisingly difficult to find just the right book, despite the large number of books published each year. My goal is you help you narrow down your choices and make choosing easier.
Just so you know, I only recommend books I have actually read (and finished!) and that are also available from my local library. Hopefully this means you will be able to get your hands on them as well.
What I’ve been reading
A friend asked me what I thought of Demon Copperhead and I realised I hadn’t said anything about it here, even though we had a great discussion at our book club meeting in October.
I was a bit hesitant to comment because I prefer talking about books you might not know about, and this one is very well-known because it won the Pulitzer Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction. But when I returned my copy to the library, the librarian asked me what I thought so I thought, so here goes…
Barbara Kingsolver is a great writer (kind of a pre-requisite for the Pulitzer) so I’m not about to comment on the quality of the writing, but here are a few things that might interest you:
The book is set in Virginia and focuses on the life of Damon Fields, also known as Demon Copperhead because of his red hair. It’s a retelling of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens and closely follows the structure, but you don’t need to have read the original work to enjoy this book. (Only one person at book club had read David Copperfield, and it wasn’t me).
Kingsolver got the idea for writing the book when she visited Bleak House whilst on tour in England. She said she had a visit from the spirit of Dickens who suggested she write from the perspective of the boy because “no-one ever doubts the child”. There’s a lovely moment in the book when Demon is studying Dickens at school and comments that he’s enjoying David Copperfield because, as he says, “it could have been written about me”.
The book focusses on the the opioid epidemic raging in Appalachia and addresses the fact that the people there have long endured exploitation and condescension. Kingsolver said that every person she spoke to when she was researching the book became addicted as a result of a doctor’s prescription. This was horrifying to me.
Another interesting aspect of the book is Demon finding out more about his Melungeon heritage. Melungeons are descended from a mix of both European, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and Africans and frequently have green eyes and red hair. This aspect of the book is fascinating.
Despite the grim premise, this is a book about resilience and perseverance and I’m glad I read it.
What I’ve been listening to
When I’m not reading books, I like to listen to podcasts about books. I especially like author interviews and book recommendation podcasts, although I often get frustrated with these as many of the books they mention aren’t available at my library. This results in a very long TBR list which I need revisit on a constant basis.
If you’re interested in how I choose my next read, this short article describes my process.
One podcast I listen to regularly is produced by Waterstones in the UK. I enjoyed this interview with Nina Stibbe, author of One Day I Shall Astonish the World (which I loved) and Reasons to be Cheerful (which I have yet to read).
What I’ve been eating
Here’s a super-easy recipe for flatbread.
Mix together equal quantities of SR flour and plain greek style yoghurt. I use a cup of each.
Knead lightly and cut into 4 portions. Roll out and fry in a very small amount of oil, just enough to grease the pan lightly.
Cook until puffy and then flip over and brown the other side. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt if desired. Enjoy!
Book Club
Our next book club will be on January 19 in Australia (January 18 in the US). We meet at 10.30am Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time. If you would like to attend our online meeting, please press reply to this newsletter and I will add you to the list. (No obligation, no cost).
We are reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
Well that’s all for this edition.
Keep well and make some time for yourself,
Marg xxx
ps - Do you have a reading friend? Why not share this newsletter?
I have two books on hold at the library, one is for our chat and the other is The Thursday Murder Club (book 1). Meantime I just started Ann Patchett's 'This is the Story of a Happy Marriage.'
I love reading all your recommendations.
Another great update on reading and eating. Great description of Demon Copperhead.