31. Karen Armstrong - Through the Narrow Gate

What a powerful book! Ms Armstrong’s writing is beautiful even when what she must describe is not. She does not spare herself in this chronicle of her years as a nun but neither does she spare the Church or the Order of which she was a part. I found the narrative equally disturbing and enlightening. It was disturbing because I have certain character traits in common with the author and enlightening because she has found an alternative way forward. I look forward to reading the next instalment of her autobiography and shall look out for her other works.

30. Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns

I bought this book fully expecting something very like The Kite Runner. In fact, I don’t think I bothered to read the blurb on the back page beyond ‘By the author of The Kite Runner.’ Having read it – both book and back page – I am a little disappointed.

Mr Hosseini’s main characters in this book are female – Mariam and Laila – while those of The Kite Runner are male. I’m never very sure about male authors writing female characters and I’m sure that speaks volumes of my own prejudices. In my eyes, Mr Hosseini struck perfection in The Kite Runner. This time around, however, he has just missed the mark and I can only attribute the slippage to those female characters.

The story is engaging and exquisitely plotted. The first shift from Mariam to Laila left me feeling a little lost but actually sits well within the overall structure of the book (so do read past this). Some of the scenes are brutal but, I think, each was necessary in this retelling of Afghanistan’s story, from a woman’s point of view.

The overall, lingering effect is one of sadness. I have, however, been educated as well as entertained and I think that this is likely Mr Hosseini’s intention.

29. Donald Zochert - Laura

This was a fascinating account of Laura and her family which, I believe, holds to the truth. I feel great love for the characters Mr Zochert has introduced me to and wish, once again, that I could know them in person.

28. Debbie Macomber - 16 Lighthouse Road

This is the second Macomber book I’ve read and I enjoyed it rather more than the first. 16 Lighthouse Road is the first of the ‘Cedar Cove’ series and chronicles a year in the life of Olivia and her friends and family. I found the beginning of the book a bit tedious – there was a lot of telling and not so much showing – but I soon found myself so enchanted with Ms Macomber’s skilful characterisation and nimble plotting that the pages flew by. I’m already looking forward to the next instalment.

27. Martin Meredith - The State of Africa

I’m feeling very proud of myself for having read this book. As one reviewer said:

“The State of Africa is a heavy book, but it is light reading because it is so unfashionably straightforward.” Wall Street Journal

To be honest, I’m not even very sure why this book is in my library or why it survived the cull. I’ve nearly given it away unread on several occasions. I felt intimidated by its size and unsure of my ability to understand the content – or even be particularly interested in it. I like history but not modern, international history. I’ve studied politics and didn’t enjoy it. And I tried economics in my first year of University and changed courses after the first tutorial.

Mr Meredith chronicles the past 50 years (1955 – 2005) of African political and economic history in a manner which I found captivating. It’s not that I enjoyed reading about famine and genocide – I didn’t and remain haunted by some passages – but his approach in following the ‘Big Men’ who shaped modern Africa (for better or for worse) and the quality of his writing have created a page-turner that also serves to educate. It is to be hoped that the book reaches a wide audience who, perhaps, like me start reading without really knowing why.

26. Andrea Busfield - Born Under a Million Shadows

The cover of this book reminds me strongly of The Kite Runner but the story it tells is different. Ms Busfield’s is a grittier Afghanistan, seen through the eyes of Fawad – an 11 year old boy whose family is scarred forever by the Taliban. Fortune smiles on Fawad and his mother, however, when she finds work as a housekeeper for an Englishwoman named Georgie and with whom Fawad promptly falls in love.

This is much more than a romance novel, however. Ms Busfield’s characters often adopt the tone of lecturers as Fawad and the reader learn more about Afghanistan. At first, I found this rather irritating – if I’d wanted to read non-fiction I would have done so – but I was soon so immersed in the lives presented to me that the pages turned easily and I’m sorry now to have finished and to be leaving them behind. Ms Busfield has tied up all the loose ends very neatly and without, I think, leaving herself space for a sequel but I do hope this is not the first and the last book we shall see from her.

25. Micca Campbell - An Untroubled Heart

I really chose this book because I loved the cover – the content was incidental. It is an exhortation to Christian women to live free from anxiety and fear and, as I have mental health problems and live with anxiety, I thought I would find it very relevant. It’s a shame I didn’t but I don’t blame Mrs Campbell in the least.

In this book, she presents the promises of God and suggests that the reader stand on those promises using faith to battle fear. I read the promises and wished I believed them. At this moment, however, I don’t. And my anxiety is too amorphous to be answered with a Bible verse, however well-chosen. So, this wasn’t really the right book for me and, to be perfectly fair, I doubt that I am quite the target audience.

Mrs Campbell’s writing is bright and clear, warm and friendly. She also speaks with great authority having gone through her trials and found her God. I think this would be a great book for any Christian woman who needs encouragement to step forth fearlessly in her day-to-day life.

24. Kathleen Y'Barbo - Golden Twilight

I found myself reluctant to read this book when it found its way to the head of Mt ToBeRead. I’m really not in the mood for Christian fiction or romance books and this promised (and delivered) both.

The first part of the novel is a bit disjointed – Where did Fiona get her medical skills? How’s she paying for college? These questions are never really answered. Of course, it doesn’t really matter but I’m someone who likes the facts to be accounted for. It’s only a short book and the writing style was pleasant so I decided to continue.

I’m glad I did. The second half of the book is much improved and, as Ms Y’Barbo wove her web of romantic mystery, I found myself well and truly sucked in. Yes, there are gaps in the narrative. No, there’s no good description of people or places. But, ‘What happens next?’ was constantly on my mind as the pages turned.

I may not seek out more from this author but I do owe her the debt of a pleasant afternoon.

23. Anne Graham - Womanhood Revisited

When I saw this book in the shop I mistakenly thought it was written by Billy Graham’s wife. It’s not – Anne Graham is a Pastor’s wife, certainly, but she’s a British lady. I’ve since remembered that Billy Graham’s wife’s name is Ruth. But I digress.

Mrs Graham writes well and, although I didn’t agree with all her sentiments, I enjoyed reading her, carefully researched, book.

She opens by giving biographical accounts of the women in her family and then looks at the way religion and philosophy have changed over the years. She then moves on to women in the Bible before looking at the lives of women today – as they are and as she thinks they should be.

This is an anti-feminist book and I found some of Mrs Graham’s claims about feminism alarming. I struggle too with her picture of what a woman’s life ‘should’ be like when I compare myself to her ideal. Having just finished the book, I’m left with a feeling of unease and a lot of ideas to think through. I have a feeling that this was Mrs Graham’s intention and, therefore, the book has done its work.

22. Roger Lea MacBride - Little House on Rocky Ridge

I was excited to read this next instalment of the Ingalls-Wilder family’s story, if a little apprehensive – how could Mr MacBride possibly do justice to such well-loved characters?

The first half of this book was a rather disappointing re-telling of the journey from South Dakota to Missouri which Laura covered in On the Way Home. I wonder whether it was really necessary for Mr MacBride to make such a thorough work of this when we already have Laura’s own account? Beside this, the MacBride version lacks sparkle and immediacy.

Once the Wilders are at their new home, however, my enjoyment grew as I read and I’m now looking forward to reading the rest of the series. My criticism is that Mr MacBride focuses strongly on events rather than characters. In fairness, it’s possible that Laura does also but, as the reader is already engaged by her own character as shown by the events she relates, one does not notice. I will be interested to see if the characters are developed further as the series progresses. I very much hope that they are.

21. Jon McGregor - If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things

I was persuaded to read this book by two friends as we all wanted to discover the nature of the ‘terrible event’ alluded to on the back cover. However, I don’t feel I drew the short straw in having to do the actual reading - it was a breathless delight I would have hated to miss.

It’s a little difficult to tell you what the book is ‘about’ as few of the characters are named. Basically, there are two narrative strands. The first is tied to one street of a city on a hot, summer’s day. There’s an injured man caring for his daughter. Students are returning from a party. A young man reaches for eye-drops. A family gets breakfast. The characters are identified as ‘the man from number twenty-two’ and, at first, it was hard to remember who was who. I soon realised that who lived in what house wasn’t really important though and found my way through the text by virtue of each character’s unique identifier – age, moustache, illness.

The second strand visits one of the street’s residents at a point in the future. She has moved away. She’s lost touch with friends. She’s lost. And it’s really impossible to say more without spoiling your reading – and I do heartily recommend that you read this book for yourself.

Mr McGregor’s writing is beautiful and reminded me of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient in tone and pacing. I seemed to float from one scene to the next, from one narrative to the next as he drew me inexorably onwards to that terrible conclusion. There is a ‘terrible event’. But you will have to find out about it for yourself.

20. William Anderson -Laura Ingalls Wilder

This is the first biography of Laura that I have read and I have to confess to being a little apprehensive about it – I love the ‘Little House’ books and didn’t want to be disillusioned by another author telling me that they are fairy stories. But I’ve found out that they are not! In addition to filling in the gaps of Laura’s life, Mr Anderson explains that Laura wanted the books to be autobiographical and accurate in their retelling of historical facts.

Although parts of this book were very sad, it was still an enjoyable and formative read and, I think, a good bridge between the children’s books that Laura wrote and the more serious side of history.

19. Mimi Spencer - 101 Things to do Before You Diet

I came to this book looking for an emotional boost to my dieting efforts.  Unfortunately, Ms Spencer’s world is so different from mine that I didn’t get much out of large chunks of the book and, indeed, I nearly gave up half-way through.  Perhaps I’m not the target audience?

 

Ms Spencer is a fashion editor who also has well-formed views on the food and diet industries.  She advocates the idea that women (and, presumably, men) should ‘get real’ about their bodies, adopt healthy, natural eating practices and keep active.  All of this, I understood.  Being a fashion editor, she also wrote a lot about fashion and clothes and shoes.  And that’s where I got lost.  Basically, she has tried to point the reader towards fashion tricks that will flatter a natural figure and help the wearer to feel good about herself.  Unfortunately, my knowledge of and interest in fashion just isn’t up to the job.  I also found that many of the references to ‘A listers’ flew away over my head before I could try and decipher their meaning.

 

That said, this was still a motivating read which I’d recommend to women with a few pounds to lose – and an interest in fashion.

7. Steven Galloway - The Cellist of Sarajevo

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did. Mr Galloway paints us a picture of Sarajevo during the siege of the 1990s. We see the city through the eyes of three very different people each of whom gives a subtly different perspective. The result is an incredibly atmospheric book which really made me think about war and how it effects ordinary people.

6. Beverley Shepherd - Created as a Woman

This short book is based on Ms Shepherd’s series of Inspiring Women Bible notes of the same name. In it, she expands on her themes of creation, the Fall, redemption, predestination, transformation and glory. The text is a very easy read although there are questions at the end of each chapter for further study.

5. Beverly Lewis - The Shunning

I’ve read some Beverly Lewis before and was pleased that in this one she has kept to ‘normal’ English except in the dialogue between the Amish characters. I really don’t like to read colloquial language and have set aside some of her other books because of this.

This book is the first in the ‘Heritage of Lancaster County’ trilogy and tells the story of Katie who is all set to marry the Bishop when she discovers a secret about her birth. What happens next is devastating and will lead to big changes for Katie and her family.

In this book, I suppose Ms Lewis is asking questions about the role of nature or nurture in the way people live. She seems to side with nature whereas I would favour nurture and so there were elements of the story that didn’t sit well with me. That said, this is the opening of a trilogy so who knows where we’ll end up?

Katie and her family are engaging characters, although I did sometimes feel a little exasperated by them, and I will look forward to reading the next instalment.

4. Joyce Meyer - Start Your New Life Today

I saw this book some time ago and eventually bought a copy when I was at a particularly low ebb. I have previously resisted Meyer’s approach of managing negative emotions and thought that, perhaps, I was now willing to hear her. Well, I’ve read this book from cover to cover so I can now honestly say that I’ve tried. Her premise is basically that one can manage one’s emotions by a mix of positive thinking and willpower. I suspect she would deny this but that’s what it sounded like to me. If only it were that easy!

The book is divided into short chapters (each only three pages, at most) and that made the narrative choppy and difficult to follow although it did facilitate reading on the run. Each chapter followed essentially the same pattern – Ms Meyer would introduce the topic, give examples from her own life and then exhort the reader to do as she had done to gain victory over whatever.

For me, the most interesting and motivational chapters were those at the end of the book which dealt with the physical self and therefore addressed sleeping, eating, exercising and drinking water. As Ms Meyer has already produced a very good book on physical health they seemed ancillary to the main text but at least their inclusion meant I got something from my reading!

All in all, I was very disappointed with this book although I’m glad I persevered and finished it. I’ve now heard Ms Meyer on the subject of emotions and know that her approach is not for me.

3. Laura Ingalls Wilder - These Happy Golden Years

I am so enjoying my re-read of this series. In this volume, Ms Wilder covers the years in which she starts to teach school (at 15) until her marriage to Almanzo (at 18). Simply told, the stories of everyday life in town and in the country are wholesome and healthy. Each character, place or event is richly and honestly described and I find myself, once again, regretting that I am nearly at the end of the series.

2. Fr Michael Seed - Thinking of Becoming a Catholic?

This is a very friendly little book in which Fr Seed briefly outlines the process of becoming a Roman Catholic.

1. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife

Track book at BookCrossing.com

I was charmed by this book when I first listened to it as an abridged audio book and have now read the unabridged, print version for the Glasgow Women’s Library book club even though I will be unable to attend the meeting. My first encounter with it was long enough ago that I remembered the gist of it but not the salient points (like the ending) and, if anything, I enjoyed it more this time around. I remember feeling a bit lost the first time until I had a feel for how the book works.

This is the story of Henry and Clare. Henry is a time-traveler and first meets Clare near her home when she is six and he is an adult. Ms Niffenegger allows both characters to tell their own stories, writing always in the first person but switching perspectives. Thankfully, each change is clearly signalled in the text and the reader is advised in each section of the date and the age of the person speaking.

I usually avoid sci-fi and fantasy books and so was not much attracted to this tale of time-travel when I first heard about it. I also had some concerns about child abuse. However, Ms Niffenegger is not writing so much about time-travel as about love, death, childlessness, growing up, friendship, truth and loyalty. She deals with each of these large, difficult issues with great compassion and sometimes with humour.

Henry and Clare are the most fully developed characters. Neither is all good or all bad and they, therefore, seem very human and real to me. Other characters, such as Gomez, are painted with strong, bold brushstrokes which avoid caricature. The scenes are richly described and emotions run high throughout the book. There were times when I could really picture what was happening to such an extent that I nearly forgot the world around me – that hasn’t happened since I was reading as a child.

This book made a deep impression on me. I hope Ms Niffenegger writes more but this book will be a very hard act to follow.