October reading

The Light Between Oceans

I saw this recommended by a Twitter friend. Good lord, it’s devastating. You kind of know it will be when you pick it up and read the blurb – this is never going to end well for someone involved, you just need to pick who you care about the most. In summary, a lighthouse keeper and his wife suffer traumatic miscarriages and, when a boat washes up on shore near the lighthouse containing a dead man and a baby, they make a decision that will change lives. Beautifully written and emotionally wrenching, I had trouble putting this down to go to work, pick E up from school and so on.

The Reader on the 6.27

This was my holiday reading and a light quirky tale of a Frenchman who works in a book pulping processor. Every day he saves some pages from ‘the machine’ – the pulper takes on a life of its own in this story – and reads them out loud on his morning commute. One day he finds a diary of a young woman and starts to read that instead. This is a fun read, very French, and with a charm and sense of humour.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing

I often stay away from the Booker Prize shortlist but was tempted by this. It’s an epic tale of communist China, about family and music, and is beautifully written. I think it’s clear why it was shortlisted, but I did find it difficult to keep track of who is who. It’s a basic complaint but did affect my reading.

Even Dogs in the Wild

I asked for the new Rebus for Christmas and then realised I’d not read the last one yet. Rectified. I forget how easily I slip into Rankin’s writing, how funny and acerbic John Rebus is, and how unique his relationships are.