Sunday 15 September 2024

Planet earth is blue and there's nothing I can do


Discovering new authors, both new and new to me, is a thrill that never goes away. My last couple of reads both fall into that category and have recently given me many hours of pure joy. As ever, I won't give away plot spoilers as I know some of you go on to read these sporadic recommendations I post from time to time. 

Tom Cox is an author whose writing I find enchanting, haunting, funny and unnerving - often at the same time. Centred around a village in the southwest of England, Villager, his 2022 novel, will pull you in much like a centrifugal force. Told from the perspective of many of its protagonists (including the village itself), not everything is as it seems. My copy, bought seconhand on eBay, is signed (to David) and its inscription tells David and indeed his wider readership all he/they need to know - 'Don't disturb the dolls in the wall!" A terrific read.


Next up is a compact & bijou novel that we read for this month's Book Club. Orbital tells the tale of five astronauts (and one cosmonaut) who work aboard the International Space Station circumnavigating the earth some sixteen times a day (yep, clocking up sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets every day). It explores quite beautifully the fragility of both planet Earth and the crew's joint experiences as they float 'round their tin can, far above the world. It enthralled me, I don't mind telling you. Samantha Harvey's writing and the imagery she lays out before the reader is flawless. This is a book I shall come back to often. 

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recommendations. I always like what you enjoy on the reading front.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really think you'll like them both, Alyson.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the tips, John. In the past couple of years, the growth of my pile of unread books has seemed diametrically opposed to the speed with which I can read them.

    I live in hope that one day, one day I will have ‘caught up’ and can read my ‘new’ books as soon as I buy them! For that reason, these two may be added to the pile even if there’s no likelihood I’ll get to either this side of New Year…!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What you speak of is not uncommon, K! Like I said to Alyson, I think you'll love this pairing.
      We're reading Benjamin Myers next for BC and I know Swiss Adam raves about him, so I can see me falling down that rabbit hole very shortly...

      Delete