Suggestions for the book token gifts you received
The holiday season officially ends this weekend with Nollaig na mBan (which was Little Christmas when I was a nipper, but Irish wasn’t trendy back then!). The long dark nights still linger, however, and the telly’s still execrably woejous, so stick with the books. Here’s a mixed bag of suggestions for that book token gift that’s burning a hole in your pocket.
A Woman of Courage, Rita Bradshaw, Pan, €11.99
Recent lockdowns put the spotlight on domestic violence and there are solutions for women these days, but not so much in Sunderland in 1890. Young Josie Gray marries the man of her dreams on her 16th birthday but soon discovers he’s the man of her nightmares. She flees with her baby, but her violent husband has money and influence and is determined to track her down. Gripping historical fiction.
Under the Tamarind Tree, Nigar Alam, Bedford Square, €21
A novel of the personal and the political, this debut begins in the 1960s in the thick of the India-Pakistan war and follows the lives of four friends, three of them Indian refugees in Karachi, as they stumble over issues of race, class and gender in a fast-developing city. Alam’s evocation of place in this novel is almost a character in itself, transporting the reader to the heat of Pakistan and its exotic beauty, but never losing sight of her characters’ sense of displacement. Heartbreaking and compelling.
No Reserve, Felix Francis, Zaffre, €17.50
Another Dick Francis thriller written by his son, who’s been remarkably successful at it, this story involves the sale of a yearling in Newmarket, where the stakes are high (the animals are as yet an unknown quantity) and the money spent here is truly eye-watering. A young auctioneer has just made the sale of a lifetime but discovers the following morning that the yearling he sold is dead. He’s compelled to investigate, but there is much skullduggery afoot and it’s looking like he’s about to end up in the same state as the poor horse. Racy stuff, what?
The Guernsey Girls, Mary Wood, Pan, €11.99
It’s almost Christmas of 1936 and Guernsey maid Annie is travelling home to Bethnal Green for the holidays. A local girl of means and status, Olivia, is also travelling to London from her Guernsey home and Annie is charged with her care for the train journey. There’s an accident and Annie’s heroics will later guarantee her a position as Olivia’s full-time companion, earning a much higher salary. Despite their class difference, the young women become firm friends, but the ominous thrum of Hitler’s war can already be heard in the distance. A cosy fireside read.
Family Meal, Bryan Washington, Atlantic, €16.99
After the death of the love of his life, Cam leaves LA and returns to Houston, Texas, where he was brought up, and where his best childhood friend, TJ, still lives. Cam has changed; his bereavement has robbed him of purpose, he’s in full self-destruct mode and is haunted constantly by the ghost of his lover Kai. Told from the perspective of its three central characters, Cam, TJ and the dead Kai, this book explores themes primarily of race, but also family, food, gay issues, lasting friendship and – in Cam’s case - the slim possibility of find some kind of lasting peace within himself.
Everything is Not Enough, Lolá Ákínmádé Akerström, Head of Zeus, €22.99
Another novel about race, this story involves three black women in Sweden, one a fashion model and trophy wife, another a successful designer and the third a makeup artist who, in the past, was a victim of sex trafficking. These women have risen to the heights in their respective professions, but the secrets of their individual pasts threaten to destroy each of them. A novel about black identity in a white society, about secrets and lies and the ties that bind, it moves along at a cracking pace to a point where these three women’s lives collide, and they must acknowledge where they’ve come from to get a clear picture of where they’re going.
The Cat Who Solved Three Murders, LT Shearer, Macmillan, €16.99
The second novel in the Conrad the Cat detective series is another cosy fireside read, as Conrad’s owner Lulu travels to Oxford in her narrowboat to celebrate an old friend’s birthday party. Things don’t go to plan, however, as Lulu arrives shortly after a burglary and murder in the opulent home of her friend. As a retired detective, Lulu can help with the police investigation, but it’s Conrad the talking cat who notices vital clues the humans miss! Don’t knock it, this book is funny and well written and if you’re a fan of Richard Osman, it’s right up your street.
The Porcelain Maker, Sarah Freethy, Simon and Schuster, €17.99
Fans of Heather Morris will love this novel, based on a true story. Max, an architect, and Bettina, an artist, meet and fall in love in 1925 Berlin. Max is a Jew, however, and Hitler is on the rise in Germany. At the height of Nazism, Max is arrested and sent to Dachau. His talent for making porcelain figurines, pieces that Hitler has a soft spot for, is the only reason he’s still alive by the time Bettina finally tracks him down and is intent on freeing him. Fast forward to the present, and Bettina’s daughter Clara is on a journey to find her roots. What she discovers is life changing. With themes of betrayal and bravery, art and enduring love, and a secret that can never be told, it’s a compelling story, beautifully rendered.
Footnotes
Readers need exercise too, and getting fit in the new year doesn’t have to cost money. Many local parks around the country have solid gym equipment in situ, and properly managed weekly parkruns. To find out what’s happening near you, costing exactly nothing, check out getirelandactive.ie or your county council website.
If 2024 is the year for finishing your writing project, there’s plenty of help out there. Decent creative writing courses are ongoing in places like The Irish Writers Centre, Big Smoke Writing Factory, Writers Ink Online Writing Group, The Stinging Fly and Creative Writing Ink. Lots of the workshops are online; check websites for details. And take it from someone who receives many self-published books – you need professional assistance, no matter what class of an outright genius you might happen to be.