{"id":37316,"date":"2019-12-16T06:30:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-15T17:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=37316"},"modified":"2019-12-16T00:18:29","modified_gmt":"2019-12-15T11:18:29","slug":"and-its-that-time-to-think-about-books-to-give-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2019\/12\/16\/and-its-that-time-to-think-about-books-to-give-read\/","title":{"rendered":"And It’s That Time…To Think About Books To Give & Read!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"And It’s That Time…<\/h3>\n

…that crazy time, I might add, when the phone never stops ringing or texting with end-of-year “things to do”, and there are decorations to be hung, cards to be written, and presents posted and wrapped. Yes, you are indeed quite right, I’ve left everything much too late!!!<\/p>\n

Then again, we all know how that happens: when Life is Life-ing, and books are a-writing, and the end-of-year sneaks up and sandbags you while you’re busy looking the other way. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

However, there are upsides, like Christmas (here) also being when cherries come into all the shops — because it’s summer here, however much that may seem “just wrong” to all m’ Northern Hemisphere peeps. \ud83d\ude42 And I remind myself, as the phone rings again, that life is all about people, and this is a time of year that has come to be all about connecting and\/or re-connecting with family and friends.<\/p>\n

I know, I know: as well<\/em> as being about spending far more money than most of us can afford, along with overeating and overdrinking, aka the season of excess. \ud83d\ude15 Although that is, of course, a choice and the celebration need not be excessive.<\/p>\n

\"\"However, once we get through that hurly-burly rush to the 24th, or whatever day your<\/em> office closes down, and whatever celebrations we all do — or choose not to do — with family and friends, there is usually at least a few days of wonderful quiet time: eating leftovers, putting our feet up, and with a little luck (particularly for all us hopeful authors out there) settling down with a good book. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n

(Absolutely no self-interest here, sirrah: nay, none whatsoever!)<\/p>\n

So-o: Time To Think About Books To Give & Read!<\/h3>\n

Seriously, though, if you love books and literature and want to support their continuance, then in buying books for yourself and giving books as gifts to others, you will be playing a vital part in ensuring this happens.<\/p>\n

I can assure you, too, that buying and giving books unquestionably helps their authors to continue, which is another reason — along with the first, and also Simply Loving Books — why I buy books myself!<\/p>\n

So in case you, like me, are still rushing to get all your gift buying done, or you want to think how to spend your prezzie cards or vouchers, I thought I’d recap the list of books I read and really enjoyed this year (which are not all necessarily written in this year, though most are close to it.)<\/p>\n

Since some of the authors are friends of mine, which is how I got advance copies of their books, I’ll mark their works with an asterisk.* But I’m also linking to my posts on each book, so you can get an idea of why it spun my wheels. (The links are embedded in the reference following each quote.)<\/p>\n

And Here They Are: M’ “Reads Of 2019” (in order read):<\/h3>\n

\"\"The Bloody Chamber<\/strong><\/em> by Angela Carter<\/h4>\n

“<\/em>The Bloody Chamber\u00a0is a retelling of traditional folk and fairytales with a particular focus on more contemporary settings\u2014although some I would also describe as \u2018timeless\u2019 or \u2018time-slippish\u2019\u2014as well as famously empowering the heroines and generally giving the stories a more female-centric slant.”<\/em> — H Lowe, 10 June 1019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

More worthy than readable? you may ask. Let me assure you that these tales are worthy of your attention.<\/p>\n

\"\"My Mother an<\/em><\/strong>d The Hungarians<\/em><\/strong> by Frankie McMillan*<\/h4>\n

I loved this collection of linked flash fiction by Frankie McMillan, which was longlisted for NZ’s Ockham Prize for Literature and garnered Frankie invitations to literary events about the globe.<\/p>\n

“Frankie McMillan has a \u2018voice\u2019 that I\u2019ve always found particularly distinctive. In the spirit of Emily Dickinson, she has a slantwise take on the world and people in it, a take that picks out the curious and downright strange, oddities and absurdities\u2014to the extent that I always think of her work as subversive: not so much in a political sense but in terms of received wisdoms and traditional ways of looking at the world.” — <\/em>H Lowe, 8 July 2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

And if your can’t find\u00a0My Mother and The Hungarians,\u00a0<\/em>Frankie’s The Father Of Octopus Wrestling<\/em><\/strong> (yes, it is<\/em> as intriguing as the title!) was published just a little earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"Milkman<\/em><\/strong> by Anna Burns<\/h4>\n

Milkman<\/em> won the Booker Prize in 2018, which may be all that needs to be said, but I managed a few more words. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

“If pressed, though, I would say that this book is about a society under pressure (The Troubles in Northern Ireland) and how that pressure pervades and distorts every aspect of individual, family, and community life…[and also about]…personal survival and maintaining the bonds of personal relationship and community in the face of the extreme conditions. …\u00a0I think\u00a0Milkman\u00a0is a terrific, though challenging, read and I really recommend it.” — <\/em>H Lowe, 15 July 2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The Gossamer Mage<\/em> by Julie Czerneda*<\/h4>\n

The Gossamer Mage<\/em> marks a new Fantasy series for Julie. Here’s what I thought:<\/p>\n

“The world, the magic, the mystery, not to mention a cast of very real characters\u00a0 \u2014 distinctive and original, THE GOSSAMER MAGE wove a spell that kept me reading well past \u2018lights-out.\u2019 “<\/em> — H Lowe, 29 July 2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Book Of Colours<\/em> by Robyn Cadwallader<\/h4>\n

“Dear readers, this is a beautiful book and I really enjoyed reading it…Most of all I like the way the art of illumination is almost a character in itself, and how the intersection between the art and the individuals informs the book.” — H Lowe,\u00a0 12 August 2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Where Oblivion Lives<\/em>\u00a0(Los Nefilim Series) by Teresa Frohock*<\/h4>\n

I discussed this book on the Supernatural Underground blog:<\/p>\n

\"\"“If challenged to come up with a single adjective to describe Diago and Miquel, the word would be “fidelity.” They are faithful to each other, to Rafael, and to their values, even where those values cut across some of Los Nefilim’s traditional loyalties and behaviors.<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
.<\/span><\/div>\n
So if you like historical fiction and supernatural\/paranormal fantasy, noir thrillers, dark fantasy and\/or horror, together with lovers whose fidelity and commitment fuel an endless love, then I think you’ll find a lot to like in\u00a0<\/em>Where Oblivion Lives…“<\/em> — H Lowe, 1 October 2019<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

\"\"The Bastard Brigade<\/em> by Sam Kean<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Bastard Brigade<\/em> is non-fiction and covers:\u00a0\u201cThe True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged The Nazi Atomic Bomb.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

[This is a] …“very readable and accessible book, generally historically accurate but with the focus on storytelling and personalities, rather than heavy duty science\u2014although there\u2019s enough science there to ensure the reader understands the scientific achievements (and failures) and also the stakes.”<\/em>\u00a0 — H Lowe, 7 October 2019<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

I’m going to mention two more books, because I’ve just finished reading them and they’re both terrific, but you’ll have to bide a wee to find out why I think so:<\/p>\n

Deeplight<\/em> by Frances Hardinge<\/span><\/p>\n

Once Upon A River<\/em> by Diane Setterfield<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Happy reading, dear readers—may these stories or others carry you on their tide: through the festive season and into the new year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And It’s That Time… …that crazy time, I might add, when the phone never stops ringing or texting with end-of-year “things to do”, and there are decorations to be hung, cards to be written, and presents posted and wrapped. Yes, you are indeed quite right, I’ve left everything much too late!!! Then again, we all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,10,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-funstuff","category-general","category-recommended-reading"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37316"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37342,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37316\/revisions\/37342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}