October 2024 Reading Round Up
Posted 11th November 2024
Category: Round-Ups Genres: N/A
2 Comments
I didn’t read quite as much in October as I’d hoped to, but there were life reasons for that and also, Fourth Wing is really long – it may not have as many pages as, say, The Priory Of The Orange Tree, but the smaller print means that the ‘true’ number of pages should be greater than it is.
The Books
Non-Fiction
Zachary Levi: Radical Love – Reading this was a massive journey. I hope he finds real healing one day.
Fiction
Natalie Jenner: The Jane Austen Society – When American Mary-Anne visits Chawton to try and see Jane Austen’s house (she can’t – the Knight family own it and aren’t into the whole idea) she inspires Adam to start reading Austen. Various others in the village like Austen, too, and sometime later the idea of turning the cottage into a museum comes up. There are some wonderful little studies on various aspects of Austen here and the character-driven and often Austen-esque story is fun and frankly gratifying – it’s a fictionalised take on the creation of Jane Austen’s House Museum, fully accounted for in the acknowledgements.
Rebecca Yarros: Fourth Wing – Violet’s one of the new first years hoping to become a dragon rider for their country to fight in the ongoing war… except Violet didn’t want to be a rider, she wanted to be a scribe but her Commander mother said no to that. To be a rider is to be in continuous peril with the first step being literal steps over a thin parapet a great many metres above the valley. I absolutely loved this, wasn’t prepared for how much I’d enjoy it.
Fourth Wing is going straight on my favourites list. All three books were also on my new non-podcast reading list so I’m glad to say I’m getting through the first use of it.
I’m currently reading three books – Alex Hay’s The Queen Of Fives, Susan Stokes-Chapman’s The Shadow Key, and a collection of snippets from poetry lectures taught by Korean poet Lee Seong-bok called Indeterminant Inflorescence. I’m enjoying my reading a lot.
Episode 109: Susan Muaddi Darraj (Behind You Is The Sea)
Charlie and Susan Muaddi Darraj (Behind You Is The Sea) discuss the Palestinian Christian community, her immigrant characters and their children, how she used the current conflict in her stories, and the segregation and working class in Baltimore, Maryland.
Please note this episode mentions domestic violence.
If you’re unable to use the media player above, this page has various other options for listening as well as the transcript.
November 27, 2024, 4:31 pm
It is a lovely book. I’ve written a review I’ll be sharing soon. I’m really looking forward to her next book, Austen At Sea. I think it’s going to be even better.
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November 13, 2024, 1:20 pm
Hi Charlie, I thought The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner was a delightful little read, so I am pleased to hear you enjoyed it too.
Blessings, Jessica 💌