Down to the Sea in Ships, Horatio Clare

I adored this. The critic reviews on the back cover describe the book as 'lyrical' 'heartfelt' 'warm and captivating' and it is. Clare strikes a perfect balance between telling the stories of the people he meets, the contemporary shipping business and the seas as he experiences them; the history of wrecks, oceans and ports he is travelling through; and conveying some of the poetry and feeling of all these things.

I can't recommend Down to the Sea in Ships enough, Clare is insightful, chatty and compelling. He gives a sense of the loneliness and romanticism of the sea as well as the dangers, and archaicness of the trade. The men he meets are portrayed beautifully, you get a sense of the personalities and quirks of each of them and it is interspersed with writing that is almost poetry. The cover is spectacular and it is the same inside.

Next I am reading Sketcher by Roland Watson-Grant, it's a proof copy I picked up when I was working at Waterstones, pretty old by now!

Apologies, Madame Bovary (& Mr Flaubert)

I have given up on Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. It is very slow moving and the characters all seemed very 2D, as if they were sketches not filled in properly. By halfway through not a lot had happened, I didn't mind what happened to any of the characters and couldn't face wading through the second half.

I have swapped to Down to the Sea in Ships by Horatio Clare. So far it is brilliant.

Country Lore and Legends, Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson

I found this, along with five of it's brothers, in a charity shop a week or so ago. They are part of the Penguin English Journeys collection and are beautifully designed. As ever this copy is slightly worse for wear, having been carried round in my bag for a while.

It is certainly interesting to know where stories like King Arthur or legends of witches came from and how they have changed both from place to place and over time. There are some well known stories and some which were new to me; like tales of Gogmagog and Shuck. There are also some very strange stories which are pretty consistent; apparently a few old houses have or had a human skull kept on plain view, which is said to keep the house from harm. Apparently the skull is always of someone who had a strong connection to the house who was wronged or never wanted to leave their home.

I did enjoy Country Lore and Legends, but it turned out to be more describing legends and how they have changed and warped over the years, than actually telling the stories. I would have enjoyed it much more if Simpson and Westwood told a version of the legend first, then described the alterations and different beliefs associated with it later. That said, this text comprises of extracts of Simpson and Westwood's The Lore of the Land, so perhaps it is meant to be a little taster, after which you can buy the more comprehensive version. 

Now reading Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

The Book of My Lives, Aleksandar Hemon

The Book of My Lives is a collection of autobiographical pieces of journalism, first published here and there over a few years. They have been collected in chronological order and so make up a kind of autobiography, the 'chapters' are concise and punchy as a result.

Hemon grew up in Sarajevo before moving to the USA in 1992, escaping the war by accident almost. The stories are quite philosophical, or have philosophical interludes and cover Sarajevo, Canada, Chicago, family, displacement, home, chess, football and dogs. Whilst reading I had one of those rare moments when you read a sentence and it resonates in a way which freezes everything. Words for something you didn't realise you had no words for. He is a brilliant, thought provoking author, and this is his non-fiction. In the foreword he states that he writes fiction because he can't not, but needs to be cajoled into writing non-fiction; I have high hopes for his fiction.

It is difficult to describe just what Hemon's writing is like - it feels a little like poetry where a few words can pull with them a wave of feeling or atmosphere, but it is much more precise and cutting than that. Take as an example the dedication;

FOR ISABEL,
forever breathing on my chest

Isabel is the subject of the last chapter in the book; The Aquarium. It is unexpected and feels like being punched, then it feels like drowning. Hemon writes of the illness and death of his baby daughter. It is phenomenal that he can write in a way so stripped of sentimentality but full of the pain and blurred clarity. There are thoughtful interludes, as with all of the chapters, making you think the reason Hemon writes is to make sense of things, to order them in his own mind. The Aquarium is the most moving and raw piece of writing I have read.

I'm reading Country Lore and Legends by Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson next, it's a small, beautiful book and part of Penguin's English Journeys series.

The Grass is Singing, Doris Lessing

This book begins with a murder, then skips backwards and tells of the events leading up to it. The Grass is Singing is set the '40s and deals with the racial tension in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which was then a British colony. There are a few stories within stories and it's a complex look at prejudices, but also at how our lives and personalities shape our fate. Our protagonist is Mary, who is extremely difficult to sum up. The whole novel is difficult to describe as it's so complex and nuanced, it really thrives on that and is original.

It is sad, and dark, but not exactly depressing. It is atmospheric, descriptions of mental states and sapping heat are evocative and feel real. Lessing really makes you empathise with her characters, none of them are clear cut and none are grotesques. I enjoyed it, definitely worth a read.

I had got halfway through Karl Ove Knausgaard's My Struggle, before I began The Grass is Singing, but then I left it on a plane! Along with my Jemima Puddleduck bookmark, which was worse than losing the book. This time I've started Aleksandar Hemon's The Book of my Lives, which is intelligent and engaging so far. If I manage to hold onto it i'll let you know what I think in a few weeks.

Last Orders, Graham Swift

I really liked this, it is unassuming and isn't dramatic, even though the subject matter means you're half expecting some big revelation. Last Orders is about a group of men who go to Margate to carry out their friend Jack's last wish of having his ashes scattered into the sea from Margate pier. The friends don't really understand why he wants to be scattered there (or at all) but do it anyway. Along the way we learn about Jack and the group of friends.

I feel the lack of a big revelation or drama is the novel's strength though. It describes ordinary lives, parts of which are quite remarkable though they are generally quite drab. It's written in very distinctive voices, you get a sense of personalities through actions and other character's opinions, not descriptions.
Perhaps because of this there is a feeling always of something beneath the surface - like interacting with people in reality, not everything is explained.

It's a little still, and not uplifting, but I really enjoyed it and it's no worse for not being glittery. Next I'm reading the controversial A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgaard

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce

This is a really readable, lovely novel. It got a lot of attention while I was working in Waterstones, I wasn't blown away by The Unlikely Pilgrimage... but I did enjoy it and it has some beautiful moments.

We follow Harold Fry, a retiree as he walks from one end of the country to the other in the hope of saving a friend. It is a very touching story and describes the therapeutic nature of walking. As Harold walks he remembers, and starts to make sense of his life and the things he regrets. The walk takes Harold out of himself and allows him and his family the space to look back.

My only criticism of this book was that it was a little twee, however it did remind me of one of the reasons why I love to read. The Unlikely Pilgrimage.. really has a sense of putting you in someone else's shoes and understanding a different sort of life. It deserves a read. 

Next is Last Orders by Graham Swift.