Peter Mayle, A Year in Provence

I flew through this, it's incredibly readable,I've always loved reading about people who have moved abroad. There is no particular narrative, it is what is says on the tin; Mayle describes a year in Provence, shortly after he and his wife bought a house near the Luberon. Mayle tells us of the locals, the perils and delights of the locals, the weather and most importantly the food, wine and olive oil. There also seem to be a lot of similarities with Catalunya, which made it relatable.

Tenth of December, George Saunders

Completely beautifully written short stories, full, surprising and often futuristic or surreal. Enjoyably pointing out failings and cruelties in personalities and societies. Very American.

Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid

Very satisfying and bewitching book, telling the story of a fictional band's rise and hit album. It is written like a transcript of a documentary film and is very cinematic. It has all the obvious story lines of a rock and roll band, but it does manage to cut under the usual tropes and tell a few heartfelt love stories. 

Caesar's Last Breath, Sam Kean

Kean gets across his passion for the science of gasses and their story of discovery throughout history. Super interesting, great balance between human, relatable anecdotes, facts and numbers (which make very little sense to me). It's one that cries out to be re-read so I can remember more of it.

The Sealwoman's Gift, Sally Magnusson

This was a good story, a re imagining of a historical incident in which 400 Icelanders were captured and taken into slavery in Algiers in the 1600s. Lots of things seem improbable and then turn out to have been true. It has a strong sense of place, both in Iceland and in Algiers. A brilliant portrait of people's different ways of reacting to being torn away from lives and loves. How people adapt to circumstances and build lives with whatever they are given. Levels of resilience.

I'm not sure what I thought of the writing though, it was a little stilted and try-hard and a little bit like chick lit (lots to read into re. why that makes it less worthy - because female?) I much preferred the way the afterword was written, very engaging and made me think that  a first draft might have read better.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Gardens, Vita Sackville-West

I bought a small collection of these gorgeous editions in a Bristol charity shop a few years ago and am just getting round to reading them. Mostly bought for their beauty and the range of cosy and very British themes, they are lovely snapshots in time. 

This one is a collection of Sackville-West's gardening columns for The Observer, which she wrote for 15 years. It is certainly from a different time, there is one entry 40 years to the day before I was born, nevertheless it is a lovely read, full of gardening advice as well as snapshots of the writer's triumphs, failures and imaginings, and descriptions of her neighbours' gardens, or those she has seen. It's all very light-hearted and friendly in tone and is definitely something to read if you've just acquired a garden and need some inspiration. I'm lamenting the lack of space on my balcony for a quince or almond tree.

The Stranger in the Woods, Michael Finkel

The Stranger in the Woods of the title is a man, Christopher Knight, who disappeared into the woods in Maine, USA in his 20's and lived in complete solitude for around 20 years. He lived in close proximity to a number of summer cabins, and some all-year-round residents in a small town and survived by breaking into cabins and stealing supplies. Finkel is a journalist intrigued by Knight who corresponded with him and visited him in prison. 

It is a fascinating read and Finkel does a good job of telling Knight's story whilst tying it in with historical accounts of hermits and research on isolation. He tries his best not to romanticise Knight and to give the residents who were burgled for years a say, though I'm not entirely sure he's impartial. It makes for uncomfortable reading towards the end of the book, where Knight and his family repeatedly tell Finkel to leave him alone, before he eventually does.