Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

My rating: 4/5

This was such a fun read! I think I’ve become a bit prejudiced against Victorian male writers, but this was fast-paced and funny. Phileas Fogg is an eccentric English gentleman who sets off on this unlikely challenge of travelling the globe in eighty days, admittedly for no good reason. But as other characters are flummoxed by this, I think Verne gets away with it. Sure, I had to suspend my disbelief a lot, but I was glad to do so for the wit and characters Verne served up. Much more Wilde than Dickens!

Lies Over the Ocean by Martha Lane

My rating: 4/5

I read this in one sitting! This is what novellas-in-flash are all about: a story told in snapshots with more of a punch as we read each flash. It’s set in a dystopian future where Britain has become tropical and a hotspot for sharks. Research facilities are trying to stop the frequent shark attacks – but what are they hiding? Ominous from page one, atmospheric, but full of personal warmth and real-feeling characters, we root for main character Thea as she grapples with her own personal losses against this shark-infested backdrop.

The First DNF of my 2024 Reading Challenge

My self-imposed challenge for 2024 was to read through all the unread books in my house in alphabetical order, without buying any new books. You can read all about my thought process behind that here. It’s been going well, though we’re almost a quarter of the way through the year and I’m still firmly in the ‘A’s. In fact, due to book club, and the length of ‘Albion’, I’ve actually only completed four books for this challenge so far.

Which is part of why I’ve decided early on to abandon Henry James’ The Ambassadors. I rarely DNF (did not finish) a book; I usually force myself to trudge through a book I’m not enjoying just so I can say I’ve finished it. But what’s the point of that? It’s part of why I have so many unread books in my house in the first place. And, really, it’s pride or snobbery or both. Reading is meant to be enjoyable. And while I enjoy challenging myself, and will push through something that’s not exactly to my taste, I’ve decided that I’m going to start DNF-ing books much sooner.

This year I’m attempting to tackle clutter, which is leading to me being more ruthless about throwing things away (donating, rehoming or outright binning) rather than holding onto them for six months before doing just that. And I think my reading life needs to be similar – give up on something sooner rather than later. That way I can have more space (read: reading time) for the things (books) I love. 

Within the first page or two I suspected The Ambassadors was not for me. I read James’ The Turn of the Screw whilst at uni, and I’m sure I enjoyed that – I mean, it’s pretty Gothic, why wouldn’t I? But this… urgh. James’ sentences are so long and meandering, reading through one, for me, is like wading through knee-high snow. A lot of effort for little gain. I feel the same about most of Dickens, so it’ll be interesting if I DNF some of those this year too. I made it to half way through the second chapter, though — maybe an hour of reading time — before abandoning the book.

Perhaps reading this straight after finishing I Capture the Castle didn’t help, because that is a very tough act to follow, having received a rare (from me) five star rating. (Yes, I know that’s not in alphabetical order – it was for book club!) 

I’ll admit, I did a quick browse of Goodreads to see if reviewers were promising it would pick up. Most were speaking of the maze-like quality of the book, the Rubiks Cube nature of each sentence. So… no. I’m giving up and moving on. Maybe at a different time of life I would be up for the challenge of puzzling it out, but right now I don’t fancy it, and that’s OK. Off it pops to the charity shop. 

That said… if you’re a Henry James fan and feel I simply must plough through this, state your argument below!

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

My rating: 5/5

I’d read this when I was eighteen or so and forgotten all about it. On re-reading it for book club, I adore it! I Capture the Castle is very close to a perfect novel. The setting captured my heart as much as the characters, and it reads like a love letter to England as well as to youth. Full of almost-magic and eccentricities, Cassandra teeters between childhood and adulthood as the family teeters between being more and being ruined, and her father between genius and madness. Practicality and romanticism dance and embrace in the most charming way. A glorious read to be savoured.

All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki

My rating: 4/5

Ozeki is such an intelligent writer. Ostensibly this is a novel about GM potato seeds in Idaho, but there are so many layers, each of which gets us in the heart. Ozeki explores aging, family responsibility, friendship, freedom, and so much more. There are lots of characters in this novel, which I usually don’t like, but somehow she makes each unique, memorable and, aside from one or two, genuinely likeable. I loved that the ‘villain’ really was that, too, like we really have permission to dislike him even as the main character isn’t sure. So much heart in this read!