Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte

Agnes Grey is predictable but none the less lovely, we follow Agnes as she leaves home for the first time and begins to work as a governess. Bronte obviously wanted to expose the impossible task governesses faced at the time. In both her positions Agnes is expected to keep a tight reign on her charges, without being able to hold any authority over them. Agnes can be very annoying, she is puritanical and thinks a lot of herself when it comes to her morals, though she isn't dislikable, rather we can sympathise with both her struggling with her students and her students struggling with her. It's a comfortable, easy read.

Black Holes The BBC Reith Lectures, Stephen Hawking

I bought this out of curiosity and in the hope that I would be able to understand some of the science. It is surprisingly intelligible, and has notes from the BBC's science editor who helps give some background. It is amazing in that it is so magical; the theories are difficult to get your head around but seem exciting, far fetched and fictional. 

Mothering Sunday, Graham Swift

Mothering Sunday is beautifully and sparsely written with an incredible atmosphere. The story mostly takes place on Mothering Sunday, March 1924. We follow Jane, a maid who has been given the afternoon off to go and see her parents, though she is an orphan. She is called to see her lover, and we spend the morning with her as she watches him get dressed, and leave. She thinks this will be the last time they see each other in this way. It is incredibly observed, the room and house are tangible and it's very relatable. 

The story of the day in March melds into the telling of the beginning of the affair and the rest of Jane's life; which is all revealed slowly and organically. It is a very personal story but does a really good job of giving a sense of the time and the changes someone would see if they were in their 20's in 1924 and lived to be 90. The only criticism I have is that towards the end there is some 'thinking about writing' and it seems to be an indulgence on the part of the author, the story loses a bit of it's authenticity. 

Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Compelling, written in the first person and so very personal, with a real change in tone in the last chapter. The characters are fully drawn, completely real and rounded. The story is a dramatic one but is told stoically and without drama or fuss, it feels quiet, like the narrator and asks questions.

Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel, Jerome K Jerome

I thoroughly enjoyed both these stories. Jerome is very funny and has a really easy writing style. The first story follows Jerome and his two friends; Harris and George as they row up the Thames, camping out along the way. It's not so much about the journey as about observations on friendship, camping, travelling, packing, locks etc etc. It is the human experience laid out in an easy, funny way. Three Men on the Bummel is even less about the journey / bummel, and is more linked stories and observations.

Jerome is very loveable, sarcastic and plays dumb. He's an unreliable narrator but what is really going on is always quite clear, he seems not to take the job seriously and chats as if he is writing to a close friend. It's easy to see why Three Men in a Boat is as famous, referenced and well-regarded as it is.

Selected Short Stories, Guy de Maupassant

Maupassant's short stories are very vivid, they were written in the 19th Century and apparently were too risqué for the British at that time. I can see why that would have been, Idyll is still uncomfortable reading (though why is hard to answer) and Boule de Suif has lost none of it's moral arguments; the same distasteful, hypocritical honourability and respectability still pervades. Some of Maupassant's stories are beautifully drawn, the events happen off-screen and we see, not even the aftermath, but relatively small human decisions. All have a moral question or a heartbreaking observation.

For all the worth-while questioning in some of the stories there are some in which the role of men vs. women is problematic - with unflattering stereotypes of both male and female roles. There are probably fewer stories like this though and more which are beautiful and unabashed looks at the way people think, act and justify themselves. Many of the stories are just as relatable now as they were when they were written.

I Bought a Mountain, Thomas Firbank

This was a really interesting find, it was first published in 1940, this edition is 1965 and needed a lot of glue and very careful page turning to read, worth the effort though.

Firbank bought a Welsh mountain farm when he was just 21 and knew very little about farming. The book tells of his experiences learning about the trade, the rhythm of the years and a plethora of ventures, some more successful than others. 

Firbank is forthright and eloquent, adept at building the atmosphere and feel of the farm and the mountains. The love he has for the people, way of life and mountain landscapes is palpable. 

This is a guardian article from 2010 when the farmhouse was opened as a holiday cottage by the National Trust. Sad to read that Firbank moved away from the farm when he split with his wife Esme, you could sense the love and admiration for her just as much as the land in the book.

This is Firbank's obituary, surprising after reading I Bought a Mountain, though lovely to read 'he described his life as a series of reincarnations'.