Reading Matters

The sheer excitement of choosing holiday reading as a child still comes to mind whenever I select which books to take on holiday. Armed with my well earned pocket money I usually had saved enough to purchase 2 or 3 Armada paperbacks to read whilst we were away. These cost 2/6 each each - a vast sum in those days. I remember reading my way through a lot of Enid Blyton books as a child - the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, Mr Galliano's Circus, the Malory Towers series etc., etc. Although her work was to come in for much criticism in later years I think that Enid Blyton's writing was responsible for my lifelong love of reading. Now many moons later the thought of what to read on holiday still keeps me pleasantly occupied some time before we go. Our recent holiday provided me with some enjoyable reading although only one title was gardening related.

For the long train journey down to Portsmouth I read my way through James Runcie's 'Sidney Chambers and the Peril of Death'. This is the first of an anticipated series of six books featuring clergyman and detective Sidney Chambers. The first book is set in 1953 and follows Sidney as he unravels several mysteries. There are several moral dilemmas for this gentle character and some in the background hints of ensuing romance. The book consisted of several short stories which took me by surprise as it was not obvious at first but several characters featured throughout. A very gentle and very English read I enjoyed it enough to have ordered the next title in the series from my local library. 

Over the sea to France where I had chosen a French related theme for the remainder of my reading. I started with Gregoire Delacort's 'The List Of My Desires'. This book has been a best seller in France since its publication in 2012 and has now been translated into English. The main character is Jocelyn. At the age of 47 she is running a haberdashery shop and spends some of her spare time running a sewing blog. She is reasonably content with her lot in life until an event of life changing implications comes her way. I'm not going to divulge any spoilers but there's an unexpected twist or two as the tale unravels. My only gripe about this book was that it was not long enough.

Next was Claire King's debut novel 'The Night Rainbow', the paperback version of which has landed on the bookshelves here very recently. Set in southern France its narrator is a five year old little girl Pea whose world has been turned upside down. It is revealed very early in the book that her father has died and this event coupled with another tragedy has a devastating effect on Peas's mother as she is left on her own to raise her family. There is much sadness in this book but the overriding emotions are of joy as Pea and her sister make a most unlikely friend who helps their mother to move forward. Pea has a great love of the outdoors and there are many references to the natural world seen through the eyes of a child. The fact that we briefly visited Provence last year helped to give this book a real sense of place. I thought that this was a beguiling read and was one of those books that I did not want to put down.

Finally my last holiday read which is still a work in progress. This is 'The Road to Le Tholonet: A French Garden Journey' by Monty Don.  It came out not long after the BBC series 'Monty Don's French Gardens' but its scope is wider than gardens and it explores what makes France unique. The author visits gardens along the way but as well as describing these gardens he makes many references to French culture. This is not a glossy book and some reviews have come down on the lack of photos in the book. There is no attempt to provide comprehensive illustrations or plans of the the gardens which might disappoint some people. Instead there is but a handful of black and white photos in the book some of these featuring a youthful Monty and friends. I found that this did not detract from the book in the least. It made me perhaps concentrate harder on the author's words as I developed a mental image of what the gardens looked like. I recently struggled to find a photo to illustrate a blog post and ended up including a photo that wasn't really relevant. The book reminded that words can paint pictures too, so perhaps if I'm brave I might post one or two photo free blog posts in the future. This is an ideal book for reading in bite sized chunks so perfect for a holiday.

All my books were on my faithful Kindle which has made transporting books on holiday so much easier and has put an end to the debate whether there is enough room in the suitcase to slip in an extra one. Now back at home I'm looking for more reading matter especially as the evenings seem to be getting shorter already. What have you read or will be reading on your holidays or if you are staying at home this year? All recommendations welcome.