And just like that the ninth month of the year ended and with it my latest collection of books is here. I was on the go-slow last month but I seem to have found my groove again. We're still staying home a lot at the moment - we've ventured out a little more than we have been and it's been nice but I'm not quite ready to let go of our time at home as a family, it has been so valuable to us all.
With September, our routine started to look a lot more normal especially with our son going back to preschool which I'm so not ready for but that does mean I can spend his mornings there with a cup of coffee and a book so not all so bad!
As always, I keep everything I've read on my Books 2020 highlight on my Instagram so if you're looking for any more recommendations - be sure to look there too.
Mr Loverman by Bernadine Evaristo
After falling head over heels with Girl, Woman, Other it was inevitable that this would be next on my list. Mr Loverman is about the life and tribulations of Barrington Jedidiah Walker, an elderly married Caribbean gentleman who decides to get a divorce and live with his lifelong lover Morris. Barry is a very interesting character, set in his ways and rather sexist but as each chapter goes on we discover more about his life, his upbringing and the impact of racism and colonialism as well as the lingering effects of slavery many generations on.
It's a heavy read in parts and all the characters have their problems but you kinda let that slide because it's a fascinating journey right to the very end. It's endearing, big-hearted and Evaristo just has such an incredible way with words.
The Switch by Beth O'Leary
My first bookish love is chick lit so I snapped up The Switch when it went down to 99p on Kindle after reading The Flat Share earlier this year. It tells the story of grandmother and grandaughter Eileen and Leena who switch lives and cities to shake up their lives a little. It's fairly predictable as with any chick-lit but I loved that, Beth O'Leary just has such an amazing way of making you fall for the characters within the first few chapters. The storyline was brilliant - filled with intense emotion and laugh out loud moments with characters that you wanted to hang out with and get to know. Even the side character's personalities were filled with the best detail and fit into the story perfectly. I absolutely adored Arnold. The Switch is the warm hug we all need right now.
Paige Toon is one of my favourite chick lit authors and I think I've almost read all of her books - I've been patiently waiting for The Minute I Saw You to be released in paperback and I finally have it! Paige just as such a way with words and within the first few chapters I am always completely captivated and The Minute I Saw You was no different. The story starts with Hannah, an optician who is house sitting for her uncle - she's been through a lot in her life and doesn't do relationships then Sonny walks into the shop and there's instant chemistry.
Gradually a friendship starts to build and things go from there. The book is full of emotions and it's quite intense but in a good way - it touches on a number of important topics such as mental health, homelessness and more in a really respectful way. It is just such a warm, beautiful, moving and poignant love story.
Paige Toon's voice is electric, passionate and fresh, there isn't a book of hers I don't love.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Ask Again, Yes is a profoundly moving novel about two neighbouring families in a suburban town, the bond between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness - it's quite a book.
The more I think about it, the more I've realised how much I really did adore this book. It follows the lives of two neighbouring families, both husbands are policemen who started out as rookies in the NYPD and then a terrible incident occurs which changes the lives of everyone in both families. The book is told from several view points which really helped my understanding of how the individuals felt and acted over the course of the story. The characters are strong, I didn't love any particular one but I had a soft spot for Francis Gleeson by the end - I think it was the way he handled life.
It's just a beautifully written, well thought out book and I would urge you to read it.
What have you been reading this month?
