Kathy Hamilton The weather turned glorious in May and this meant that I spent a lot of time outside! You’ve got to seize the day when you live in Belfast, as you can never be sure when grey skies and rain will return. So when it comes to what I’ve been reading lately, it can be summed up by “books that fit in my bag on the way to the park!” Let’s take a look.
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
“The soldier returns from the front to the three women who love him. His wife, Kitty, with her cold, moonlight beauty, and his devoted cousin Jenny wait in their exquisite home on the crest of the Harrow-weald. Margaret Allington, his first and long-forgotten love, is nearby in the dreary suburb of Wealdstone. But the soldier is shell-shocked and can only remember the Margaret he loved fifteen years before, when he was a young man and she an inn-keeper’s daughter. The women have a choice – to leave him where he wishes to be, or to ‘cure’ him. It is Margaret who reveals a love so great that she can make the final sacrifice”
First up in What I’ve Been Reading Lately is a winner. I was unexpected moved by this book; it’s relatively short, but surprisingly lyrical and beautifully written. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West is a moving tribute to the sacrifices we all make in order to live a “normal” life. Told from the perspective of Jenny, the Soldier’s cousin, this book delves into the way people can have totally opposing perspectives on life and be blissfully unaware. Jenny and Kitty believe they have created the perfect life for Chris, and yet when he returns from the Front they realise that he neither remembers nor appreciates any of these things.
The way that Rebecca West uses description of the countryside is beautiful. It almost becomes a character in this book. It suffuses every page with a rosy-tinted nostalgia for the kind of England you imagine existed just beyond the horizon of the present. Chris’ past is a permanent summer picnic, his present is a jarring and dark care-worn one. And the ending? Well…I found myself thinking about its implications for days after I finished.
You do You by Sarah Knight
“Being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet instead of leaning in to who we are, we fight it, listening too closely to what society tells us. You Do You helps you shake off those expectations, say f**k perfect, start looking out for number one and keep on with your badass self. From career and finances to relationships and family, lifestyle and health, Sarah Knight rips up the rulebook. Writing about her mistakes and embarrassments in her own personal quest to ‘do me’ – because nobody gets everything right all day, every day – Sarah Knight shows why you can and should f**k up and teaches you to let yourself off the hook, bounce back and keep standing tall.”
Self styled anti-guru Sarah Knight is the author of our next book on What I’ve Been Reading Lately. This was a funny, irreverent delve into a subject that is often a personal struggle for me. I found myself laughing at loud as her no nonsense style and quirky writing. I appreciated the shake on the shoulders, because if you’re not being yourself…it’s only you who is suffering. Right? This is a great book to read if you’ve ever found yourself worrying over what other people think. Or worse, not doing things because you don’t want to rock the boat.
You do You by Sarah Knight is the third book in her collection and sometimes I think you can tell. She references her first book a lot and sometimes I got annoyed with this. It works as a stand alone, but takes a heavy dose of inspiration from her previous work. If you’ve read these, then maybe these references would serve as useful reminders. However, personally this took a toll on a the overall impact for me. But otherwise, I really useful and funny book.
Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
“Rejected by the incomparable Miss Milborne for his unsteadiness of character, wild Lord Sheringham is bent on avenging Fate and coming into his fortune. In a fit of petulance he declares he will marry the first woman he meets on the road to London. But the very first woman he should see is Hero Wantage, the young and charmingly unsophisticated chit, who has loved him since childhood”
Ah, this is a special book for me. Long time readers of The Female Scriblerian will be familiar with my love of Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer. It’s by far my most re-read book. There’s just something about it. It’s like a hug in book form, and as I was in need of one recently I decided it was time to have another read of Friday’s Child. Georgette Heyer is the queen of sweeping, funny regency romances. A lot of books claim to be “just like” or “better than” her but really, nothing come close.
I think I love this book because it’s less focussed on the traditional romance, and more about coming of age. By throwing two woefully unprepared characters together and getting them married within the first few pages Georgette Heyer almost winks at you and says, “right, lets just have fun shall we?” This book has a host of hilarious supporting characters, that I love almost as much as Hero and Sherry. But ultimately, for me, this book always comes back to the sweet and nurturing relationship that develops between the protagonists. If you feel like reading a book that will make you laugh, and smile and just be happy. This one’s for you!
And so we come to the end of another edition of What I’ve Been Reading Lately!
I really enjoyed the books in this months What I’ve Been Reading Lately. Perhaps it was being able to take a blanket and sit in my local park and read them. Or maybe it was that they’re all excellent books in their own way. Either way, getting the chance to record them here reminds me why I love making these posts so much. So, now I’m intrigued! Tell me what books you’ve been reading lately?
