Life Updates
Hannah has added real-life chickens to her garden, including one very confidently named George Michael. There’s ongoing excitement (and vigilance) on egg watch as the flock settles in.
Nikki has been busy with knitting projects, including more socks (as ever) and a rainbow crocheted cardigan. She’s also started walking the Canterbury Pilgrims’ Way with Tom, beginning with the stretch taking in Deptford and Shooter’s Hill. It involved unexpected hills, a heatwave and some mildly questionable optimism about pacing.
Buddy Read Update
The Wheel of Reading Fortune landed on Essays, so our next buddy read is Feel Free by Zadie Smith.
We’ll be focusing on four essays in Episode 11: North West Blues, Fences: A Brexit Diary, The Bathroom, and Joy. Since neither of us reads essays often, we talk through how we might approach it – whether to read it straight through or dip in and out. Either way, we’re both curious to see how we get on.
Hannah’s Reads
All Fours by Miranda July follows a semi-famous artist who sets off on a cross-country road trip, only to abandon it almost immediately for a very different kind of journey. We talk about the title, the polarising reactions it’s provoked in book group and the challenge of sitting with such an unlikable but compelling protagonist. Themes of midlife reinvention, menopause, impermanence and self-discovery come up throughout.
In Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, Hannah reflects on struggling with the corporate setting often found in contemporary Japanese fiction and wonders whether there’s cultural context she’s missing. It’s a slower, more atmospheric opening that hasn’t fully clicked yet.
On the TBR is Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, which has us slightly hesitant due to mixed online reactions, but still interested in its focus on messy, imperfect female lives in midlife.
Nikki’s Reads
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo continues Alex Stern’s story as she tries to rescue Darlington from hell while darker forces gather around Yale and Lethe. Nikki talks about her preference for urban fantasy over high fantasy and enjoys the blend of supernatural elements with a recognisable university setting. The discussion also veers into journalling and collecting ideas for learning.
She’s also recently attended a webinar with Alan Moore, who discussed his Long London series, his evolving writing career and his belief that he doesn’t experience writer’s block.
Finally, The Names by Florence Knapp is discussed as a bit of shared read as Hannah’s read it too. It follows three possible lives shaped by a single naming decision. We both found it deeply moving and heartbreaking, particularly in its handling of domestic abuse. The structure is beautifully balanced, though Nikki wished for slightly more time with the characters.
On the TBR: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.
