It’s been a while since I shared my recent reads, but with my recent travels, I have managed to get a lot of reading done.
Here’s what I’ve been reading in the last couple of months:
The First Witch of Boston - Andrea Catalano. This was an Amazon first reads option and if you enjoy historical fiction, this is a good one. It is based on the real-life story of Margaret Jones, the first woman to be found guilty of witchcraft in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Margaret and Thomas arrive in the colony from England, keen to start a new life, and while there are hints of a past that they are fleeing, we don’t learn much about it until later. Unfortunately, in this Puritan community, even the slightest word or deed can be misread. Margaret, who is not one to suffer fools gladly and who does not shy from speaking her mind, is soon regarded with suspicion. Catalano does a wonderful job of weaving together past secrets and religious hysteria, creating a fabulous strong female character in Margaret, and showing the tragedy that can fall upon an outspoken woman. Highly recommended.
The Glass Room: A Vera Stanhope Mystery - Ann Cleeves. I am a huge fan of the Vera television series, starring Brenda Blethyn and based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. So when I found a stack of the books at my parents’ house, I had to read at least one. I love the character of Vera, standoffish and not overly fond of people, but with an eagle eye for watching them and a determination to get to the bottom of any crime. The Northumberland landscape is also just as much of a character in its own right. If you enjoy Vera and you haven’t already checked out Cleeves’ other books, you might like the Shetland television series and books featuring Detective Jimmy Perez.
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver. This massive hardback had been on my to-read pile since it first came out. Every time I thought about opening it, I had doubts. First, (I’ll admit it), because of the size. This is not a quick read. Second, because so many people kept telling me what a hard read it was and how utterly depressing they found it. Did I really need to read something like that when I already deal with depression on a daily basis? The answer is a definite yes! This is based on Dickens’ David Copperfield but based in Appalachia. While I have read many of his works, that is one that I have never read so I went in fairly blind. I remember one of the first times I drove to Eastern Kentucky back in the early 2000s and noticed that every strip mall had a pain clinic with people lined up to get their prescriptions. It’s impossible to live here and not be aware of the blight caused by drugs, poverty, environmental damage, and so many other factors. Kingsolver does a magnificent job of portraying the harshness of poverty in Appalachia. Is it tragic in places? Absolutely. And violent. But it is also funny at times, hopeful at others. Don’t be put off by the size. Just read it.
Fog and Fury - Rachel Howzell Hall. Who doesn’t love a good mystery? This is as good as they come as we follow a former LAPD cop who has moved to a seemingly perfect coastal town. At first, her new career as a private investigator seems to be a far cry from the grit of the LA streets. Tracing down a lost dog is hardly searching for a hardened criminal. But, as with any good mystery, nothing is as it seems, including her boyfriend. I was unfamiliar with Rachel Howzell Hall’s work but you can be sure after reading this, that I’ll be reading more.
Found in a Bookshop - Stephanie Butland. I really wasn’t sure whether to continue with this one at first. Set during the COVID pandemic, it revolves around a bookshop in York with a series of interwoven tales. The one thing that links them all is an interest in books. In the end, it was oddly charming and compelling, showing the reader how books can be more than just a way of passing the time; they can be healing.
As Long As You’re Mine - Nekesa Afia. It’s disappointing when a really gripping story seems to fizzle out at the end, but that’s what happened for me with this one. It’s set in 1930s Hollywood and, as a historical film buff, I loved this tale of a young actress working her way up the ladder while wondering if she is losing herself along the way. Unfortunately, it ended much too abruptly and in an oddly emotionless way. You may not feel the same.
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper - Hallie Rubenhold. Time for some nonfiction. While I was in London this summer, I took a Jack the Ripper tour. Don’t waste your money - on the tour that is. A self-proclaimed Ripperologist led a walk about the streets of Whitechapel spouting a story so outlandish that any decent historian could rip holes in it within minutes. Sadly though, the tourists were eating up his claims that the Ripper was linked to the IRA, the Royals, and lobotomies! Worse still was the way he talked about the women, and the way those murdered by Jack the Ripper are always talked about - as poor, inconsequential prostitutes who are good purely for the gruesome images by which they are remembered. Honestly, I still feel icky thinking about that tour.
Author Hallie Rubenhold set out to do what no one has done before. Instead of focusing on who the killer might have been, she delves deep into the lives of the five purported victims. She reveals that at least three of them were not sex workers. One may not have even been a Ripper victim. All five, however, were women with hopes and dreams, love and loss. They all faced tragedy and abandonment in their lives, but because they stepped out of the bounds of traditional Victorian womanhood, they were painted with the same brush, and cast out of society.
To call The Five compelling is an understatement. It is frustrating to read, providing a real insight into the expectations placed on women during this era, and the complicated ways in which life often failed to cooperate with those social expectations. More importantly, Rubenhold brings each of these women to life in ways that they deserve to be remembered - as mothers, wives, daughters, as women. Skip the tacky tours and read this instead.
So what am I reading now?
I’ve got three books on the go at the moment, including a biography of Jean Gabin, a novel that is the basis of a forthcoming movie, and advice for making the most of the time we have. Reviews will be posted as I finish them.
And, of course, if you want something else to read, pick up a copy of Secret Lexington.