Let’s have some book chat
Books I’ve just finished, just started, and what’s next
It’s Wednesday. It’s March. The sun is shining in Barnsley, which has made me very happy. What would make it better? Some book chat, of course.
I thought I’d share what I’ve just finished in fiction and nonfiction, what I’m reading now, and what’s next. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations.
Just finished
Fiction
Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth
Sharp humour, set in the 1990s and present day, with a Thelma and Louise-style adventure featuring two forty-something women in a campervan. Funny, but with dark themes. Just my thing.
Here’s the blurb.
It’s the 1990s. Sarah is obsessed with sex, getting drunk on Malibu, and her teacher, Mr Keaveney.
Fast forward: Sarah is 41, the last of the party girls. But the mad nights out are losing their shine. Craving adventure, she sets off with her sister Juliette on a whisky-fuelled campervan trip across Scotland. They know the dark corners of each other’s history—and it’s time to dig up some demons, kicking and screaming. Because the things that once defined us shouldn’t define us forever…should they?
Nonfiction
Between the Covers: Jilly Cooper on Sex, Socialising and Survival
I bought this book in the lovely Waterstones in Liverpool when I was over there for work last month. It’s a collection from Jilly’s days as a newspaper columnist that cover everything to do with sex, socialising and survival—from marriage, friendship and the minutiae of family life, to the tedium of going to visit people for the weekend, the stress of dinner parties and the descent into middle age. As you would expect from Jilly, it’s a fun read.
Just started
The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
I’ve been watching The Walsh Sisters on BBC One, which I enjoyed but had lots of thoughts about that I don’t want to go into here, mainly because I don’t have time. What I will say is that books are always better, aren’t they?
I love how Marian finds the humour in everything, even the real low points. She embraces difficult topics, but in such a funny way that it’s always a delight to read her novels.
Anyway, what I realised while watching The Walsh Sisters is that I’ve read all the Walsh sister books except Helen’s story, The Mystery of Mercy Close. So, that’s what I’ve just started. At 582 pages, it’s a chunky read, and I’m only a few pages in. I’m travelling for work tomorrow, so I hope to get stuck into it then. Here’s the blurb.
The Mystery of Mercy Close is the story of courageous, vulnerable and wasp-tongued private investigator Helen Walsh. When a missing-persons case draws her into the dark, glamourous world of her dodgy ex, Jay Parker, Helen finds she’s seeing more of him and less of Artie Devlin, her sexy detective boyfriend. Caught between smart, stable Artie and chaotic, up-for-anything Jay—two different, equally enticing men—and plagued by her own black doubts, Helen finds she’s beginning to believe in something. But is it fear, or is it love?
What’s next?
Fiction
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
This got my attention because a review said it was the ‘very best of traditional literary fiction.’ Another said, ‘It turns midlife doubt into a poignant, deeply observed reckoning.’ Another, ‘a compelling depiction of life at a crossroads.’
Sounds good, yes? Here’s the blurb.
When Tom’s wife had an affair, he resolved to leave her once their children had grown up. Twelve years later, after driving his daughter to university, he remembers his pact and keeps driving to visit friends, family and an old girlfriend.
But he also has secrets of his own—trouble at work and health issues—and sometimes running away is the hardest thing to do.
Nonfiction
Love Me! by Marianne Power
This will be funny. I know this because I love Marianne’s Substack.
The question she asks in Love Me! is, ‘Can you be happy without a partnership at the centre of your life?’
Here’s the blurb.
Even now, society sets the gold standard for successful living as a marriage and kids. As Marianne Power turns forty, she can’t help but wonder whether being single really is the life she wants for herself. So she sets off on a journey to explore what other versions of a ‘full life’ can look like.
From Skype sex to the sisterhood, from polyamory to sologamy, her quest takes her to some hilarious, wild and emotional places. Along the way, Marianne might just discover the freedom to envision the life she wants, and find the courage to choose it.
Have you read any of them? Any recommendations. Comment below if you have the app or just hit reply.
I’m Liz Champion, a writer from Yorkshire who always loves a bit of book chat. I will happily talk about books all day, every day. My niece calls me a ‘book nerd’.
