Winter holiday reading

Oh dear - this is a long overdue post.  I have been reading this year but I haven't written much about the fiction I've been enjoying.  Quite the oversight.

So here are a few suggestions for your holiday reading.

 Mr Ali has retired.  And he needs something to do so opens a marriage bureau that arranges marriages for rich Indians.  The book is set in India, but is very similar in many ways to the 'Ladies' No.1 Detective agency'.  Lovely, easy read.

This is just one of those lovely books to read.  Harold Fry has recently retired (there are similarities to the book above!) and finds himself struggling with a difficult relationship with his wife.  He receives a letter from an old work colleague, Queenie, who is dying of cancer but at the other end of the country (England).  Harold writes her a letter but instead of posting the letter in the box, he keeps walking.  And he decides that he is going to walk to Queenie, believing that if he keeps walking he can keep her alive.  As he walks he reflects on his life, his relationship with his wife and son, and his regrets.  

 Pandora adores her little brother, jazz musician Edison.  Married to Fletcher and living with his two teenage kids, she looks forward to her funny and energetic brother's visit.  However, when she goes to the airport to pick him up, she no longer recognises him.  He is not just a little overweight, he is morbidly obese.  I always find Lionel Shriver's work interesting.  In many ways it feels a little like a reflection on the issue of obesity, with the support of a narrative to keep it moving along.  I enjoyed this book, although the book does have a twist that is sadly in no way as good as 'We Need to talk about Kevin'.  But still worth the read.

I was very excited about this book because I have wanted someone to write a book about school parental playground politics for as long as I've been a mum!  In many ways this is just a version of 'Mean Girls' for school mums. It tells the story of five different women and how they deal with the relationships that they have developed through their school.  It's not the best book ever written but if you are in the thick of the school mum stage, you might enjoy the distraction! 
HAPPY READING!



Comments

Anonymous said…
I just downloaded the unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry after reading about it on your blog.
It was the most remarkable book, I loved it, thanks for recommending it!

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