What are you reading (1) ...?

By Gillian Hamer

Writers are first and foremost readers. Some of the best books I've read (The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell and All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr) to name but two have come to me through suggestions or reviews from other readers whose opinions I value. And both examples would most certainly have passed me by without this as they do not come into my usual choice of books or genre.

In the hope of discovering a few more masterpieces, this is the first in our regular feature where we'd like to share our current reads with you - and ask for your latest hot reads in exchange. Please join in the discussion and let's spread the word about some of the great books out there - whether classics or latest finds.

OCTOBER - What are you reading?


LIZA PERRAT

Drawing Lessons by Patricia Sands


Headline: The author of the Love in Provence series returns to the South of France with a poignant portrait of a woman who must learn how to create a new life for herself…

Quote: … life on a manade, a traditional ranch where black Camargue bulls were raised … men, the gardians, on the back of wild white horses, riding through the surf and herding the bulls, evoked romantic images of a way of life that was quickly disappearing…

GILLIAN HAMER

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Headline: A 19th century tale of passion, injustice, hypocrisy, betrayal, seduction and murder.

Quote: ... Tess Durbeyfield, the daughter of a poor farm labourer, learns she may be descended from the ancient family of d'Urbeville. In her search for respectability her fortunes fluctuate wildly, and the story assumes the proportions of a Greek tragedy.

It explores Tess's relationships with two very different men, her struggle against the social morals of the rural Victorian world which she inhabits and the hypocrisy of the age.

Once you get used to the language, this book will fill your soul and touch every emotion.


JILL MARSH

We Are The End by Gonzalo C. Garcia

Headline: It’s an ARC from Galley Beggar Press. I always get excited when they publish a new book, because their writers never disappoint. This looks to be another winner.

Quote: ... Set in Santiago, Chile, Tomás is stuck. His girlfriend dumped him with the cryptic line, “I didn’t know I could do better. And now I know”. He can’t sleep and even if he could he hasn’t fixed the bed up in his new flat. He can’t come up with any ideas for his job as a video game narrative designer, he drinks coffee through a straw and the staff at Domino’s Pizza call him by his first name. Not only that but the Serge Gainsbourg vinyl album is stuck on the same track. It’s dry and lonely and funny and has a meandering internal voice which is oddly hypnotic and you just know you’re going to miss it when it’s over.

CATRIONA TROTH

When We Speak of Nothing by Olumide Popoola, published by Cassava Republic.

Headline: Two friends so close they are like twins. One who never stops talking. The other who never stops running. In the summer before their eighteenth birthdays, their lives pull them in different directions. Karl flies to Nigeria in search of a father he never knew existed. Abu stays behind, in a London about to explode into riots.
Quote: ... This is a coming-of-age tale that explores friendship and trust, sexuality and gender. It touches, too, on the long legacy of slavery and colonialism to be found in both London and Nigeria. The voice is unusual, almost as if you’re overhearing a story one friend is telling another, and they’re not going to wait for you to catch up or fill in the gaps.
The sort of book that opens a window in your mind and lets in a breath of fresh air.