october-november 2022 books…

Walking Back Home (Ricky Ross): I bought this book after Ross’s recent concert at St George’s (he’s my mate, don’t you know!). It was the second solo concert of his I’d been to (just his voice, his songs, his stories and the piano)(“when I grow up I’m going to be Ricky Ross”!). Although I like Deacon Blue’s music – they’ve now been going for some 35 years – it’s the solo/piano stuff that most appeals to me. Having said this, the book prompted me check out some old videos on YouTube and they were a good reminder of the group’s talent. This book is a memoir of his family, his early upbringing in Christian Brethren Church, his brief career in teaching and, of course, his life in music and some of the notable people he met and who have influenced his life. I very much enjoyed the book; full of humour, pathos and stories. He’s a good man!
After The Apocalypse (Chris Goan): This is a book of poetry by my good friend Chris. Actually, it’s much more than a book of poems – it’s a book about protest against what we were becoming; about the time when everything stopped during lockdown; and about searching for hope. It’s a book about Chris’s journey before, during and after the pandemic… and, again and again, I felt he was describing MY journey and MY thoughts. It’s a journey that many of us have shared over recent years. Chris and I have shared zoom conversations; collaborated on books together; and participated in a memorable art exhibition together… but never actually met face-to-face!! One day, one day! The beautiful illustrations are by Si Smith (another wonderful friend who Chris and I have both worked with in the past) are simply perfect. I absolutely loved this book and I absolutely KNOW that it’ll be something I’ll be regularly referring to on my journey through life. Inspiring, challenging, thought-provoking and hopeful.
Wilful Behaviour (Donna Leon): I bought this from the NT second-hand bookshop (apparently, it’s the 11^th of her Commissario Brunetti series). As ever, it has a clever and compelling story (one of Brunetti’s wife’s students visits him asking if it was possible for a pardon to be issued for a crime committed by her grandfather many years ago) and, as in the previous books, Brunetti’s lovely family features prominently. Another very enjoyable read (if murders can ever be classed as ‘enjoyable’!) but it contained a little too much ‘padding’ in the middle section for my liking. But, hey, I’m a great Brunetti fan… so I coped!
Angelica’s Smile (Andrea Camilleri): Yet another Montalbano mystery (the 11^th I’ve read to date!) to take my mind off the seedy world of UK politics… It’s an intriguing tale of the Sicilian elite being targeted in a series of perfectly executed burglaries. Montalbano reluctantly takes on the case(s) but has his head turned by one of the victims – a captivating beautiful young woman named Angelica (hence the book’s title). As ever, the story is funny and entertaining (as well as being perplexing) with Montalbano mixing work with plenty of high class food; whisky; beautiful women; spending time of his veranda watching the sea; an avoidance of paperwork; a distain for his political bosses/commissioners; and trying to manage his devoted police colleagues (especially trying to understand/interpret the nonsensical messages from Catarella, who deals with incoming phone calls and visitors at the police station). Enjoyable, easy reading.
The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver): This is our Storysmith bookgroup’s latest book (the ‘theme’ was to select a ‘long’ book for November/December to take us into the New Year – my copy is 614 pages) but, perhaps rather ridiculously, I finished it six weeks early! I first read the book 7 years ago and recall commenting at the time that it was one of the best books I’d EVER read… and, frankly, I don’t think I’ve changed my mind second time around (although I was surprised by how much of the detail I’d forgotten)! The story is told (over the course of 3 decades) by the wife and four daughters of a fierce Baptist minister who takes his family and mission to the Belgium Congo in 1959. It’s beautifully-written and the characters are all drawn wonderfully well. Although it’s a work of fiction, the historical figures and events described within it are genuine and I found it utterly compelling. I’ll avoid the key details (no *spoilers*!), but the painful backdrop to the story is the greed of the western world for the natural resources of an African country; the desperate political power struggles – again influenced, at that time, by the United States and others (shipments of weapons to opposition parties/violation of peace agreements etc). A simply brilliant book and I very much enjoyed re-reading it.