A bit later than everyone else

We work on a different timescale here and long after everyone else has read and raved about The Memory Keepers Daughter, it's the choice of my book group this week.

I find that I am resistant to the Richard and Judy* tide and far from encouraging me to read the titles with that sticker on the front, it actually puts me off. Can I be the only one who has no wish to be a packrat?

*I used the Wikipedia link to R & J because their own site is one of those annoying ones which won't let you go back. Not only that, the "bookclub" page is a sales site. I don't think they need my help in getting more business, do you?

Anyway, I spent much of yesterday engrossed in it and can only say if you haven't, you should.

At home

A day at home and I'm taking a chance to potter around, putting things away, sorting out a pile here and a heap there.

The pile of Christmas books is there on my worktable and I wonder, should I put them away or leave them a while? Which one to start? So many goodies, I think I shall take one at a time and enjoy it before putting it away on a shelf where I'll forget all about it. Once it gets up there with the others, it'll blend into the background, just like my copy of the Vogue Knitting Handbook.

You wouldn't happen to know where I put that, would you? I now have a list of lost things, including my Oyster card, a bank card and my jewellery making tools. I did find the other slipper yesterday though...

Book details on my LibraryThing page, if you're interested.

Couldn't put it down...

I've just finished "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" and found it a compelling read. It's been on my bedside table for a couple of months and somehow it's taken a while to find its way into my hands. From the very first page it drew me in completely and the beautifully told story of a tragic life is well paced and very moving.

There's a review here by Jane Gardam, which sums it up far better than I ever could.

Another good read

I'm a sucker for Margaret Forster's novels and eagerly snap them up as soon as I spot a new title. This one snook up on me though - I hadn't seen it in hardback, still having "Keeping the World Away" on my "to read" pile. I was immediately hooked from the first page, as usual and though it's a slow, thoughtful tale, I found it hard to put down.

The pace of the book is considered, the events few. Written in the first person, Lou's point of view was clearly going to be the most persuasive. I sympathised entirely with her from the start and when, three quarters of the way through the book, she was dealt a cruel hand, I fully expected an altogether different turn of events. But family relationships are not straightforward; shared history and experience - and love - create strong bonds and the eventual outcome was not unexpected (or contrived).

Another satisfying read in a week when distractions have been more than welcome.

Satisfying read

I've had a couple of days to myself here and have read more than usual. As I finished The Concert Pianist, late last night, I thought what a rare book it is - intelligent, sensitive and beautifully written. In view of our recent encounters in the world of a classical pianist and subsequent discussions, I found it particularly thought provoking. A really good read and one to recommend.

However, in this review Ying Chang comments: "This is an admixture of ‘chick lit' with ‘classical music explained for the chattering classes.' In the strap lines with which Mr Williams will be familiar, this is Jilly Cooper meets Alain de Botton. It is a book trying to be three things – a philosophical excursus on the relation between Art and mortality, a psychodrama on the life-path of the artist, and a domestic love story. It only partially succeeds in any of these. "

Well, excuse me if I disagree here. Far too well written to be dismissed as "chick-lit", perhaps the plot is somewhat predictable in places. But "classical music explained for the chattering classes"? In my opinion, Conrad Williams manages to explore the psychological effects of such a demanding artform very well indeed, whilst maintaining an intelligent discussion around the musical works concerned. It would surely be unwise to assume any depth of musical knowledge when writing for a mainstream audience; Ying Chang's review patronises the reader far more than the novel he criticises.