Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)

Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility

A story of love (fraternal and romantic), infatuation, duplicity and the chase of money. An excellent read although it's hardly written for the working classes given the assumptions as to what money is needed to survive. But I guess that's the context of the story. On the surface the story is simple but there's a lot more underneath. You can't judge a book by it's cover or the meaning of a story by just what's written on the page. Which is one of the themes of the book as to what is said leads to assumptions that are not correct if you don't think about the unsaid. If that's a bit cryptic read the book and all will be revealed, or not.

Say Nothing (Patrick Radden Keefe)

Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

A dark true story set in the Irish Troubles of the 70s and 80s. The basis is the story of a single mother of ten who was abducted by the IRA and her children's subsequent appalling lives intertwined with the story of a republican woman who bombed London, abducted informers people in Belfast and spent a long time in prison where she was force fed whilst on hunger strike. There is a lot of other descriptions of people involved in the conflict including the political climate. I won't go into the detail but it is very worthwhile reading. Frightening. And not over. On the day I finished the book the Sinn Féin deputy leader in Belfast (Michelle O'Neill) put a wreath on the cenotaph on Remembrance Day... unsurprisingly many Irish republicans were appalled as this was celebrating British soldiers who carried out their own atrocities and torture of republicans and Catholics... a banner was put on the Sinn Féin Belfast office with Traitors written in dripping blood red letters. Not over by a long chalk.

Take What You Need (Idra Novey)

Idra Novey

Take What You Need 

Fairly readable but to be honest I couldn't feel any affinity for any of the characters and gave up about a third of the way through. I just didn't look forward to reading the next chapter. As I did a couple of books ago. I rarely give up books so maybe I'm getting a little fussy in my old age. Debbie liked it though so don't take my view as gospel.

The Cyclist Who Went Out in the Cold (Tim Moore)

Tim Moore

The Cyclist Who Went Out in the Cold: Adventures Along the Iron Curtain

A story of extreme adventure but from the start I was thinking why do this to yourself except to write a book about how you should have planned the trip better. I just found it pointless to be honest and his descriptions of extreme cold for days on end made me wonder how he didn't end up with frost bite. His descriptions of the places and people he meets risk stereotyping to a degree that I felt insulting. His descriptions of individuals are often very harsh and in the context of stereotyping bordering on xenophobic. I'm sure (I hope) that this was all in the interest of amusing anecdotes but it grated so much that by the time he got down to Germany I had to give up on the book.

Long Island (Colm Tóibín)

Colm Tóibín
Long Island

A very readable and enjoyable novel although there is (for me at least) a constant feeling that something very radical will occur. About relationships spanning the Atlantic from the east coast of USA to the east coast of Ireland. No spoilers so you'll have to read for yourselves!