July Book Club

All the books I read this month

I didn’t read as many books as usual this month because all my free time was spent listening to the election coverage, but I have now returned to a healthier relationship with BBC News and my attention is back on the growing pile of books beside my bed. This month I read a brand new author, discovered a forgotten gem in a second hand bookshop, and bought a beautiful new book for Olive’s birthday.

BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
(Canongate, 6 June 2024)

I’ve never read Kevin Barry before, but heard about him from my husband via the Blindboy podcast. He is an Irish writer, and the book is set in a copper mining town in Montana in 1891, which is largely populated by Irish immigrants. The two main characters fall in love and try to escape their miserable lives by riding to California, only to be pursued by a gang of Cornish bounty hunters. The plot is a whirlwind, but it’s the writing style I loved the most - I’m reading a lot of stuff about novel structure at the moment and this book is the epitome of ‘showing not telling’. It’s closer to poetry than prose, full of lilting Irish cadence and lyrical descriptions of the landscape and people. I loved it.

A Garden Lost in Time by Penny David
(Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999)

I was at Petworth Park the other day, and on my way to the tearoom for a compulsory slice of Victoria sponge, something caught my eye in the second-hand bookshop. Having visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan when we were in Cornwall, I’m now a bit obsessed with lost, overgrown gardens that have almost disappeared due to neglect, and this one was all about a house/garden called Aberglasney in south Wales which has been restored as part of a big heritage project. The book is such a treasure and I am now desperate to visit the gardens when we are next in Wales!

Fungarium by Ester Gaya
(Templar, 2020)

So I haven’t exactly read this book cover to cover, but I wanted to share it on here because I think the whole series is so beautiful and amazing. I bought Animalium for Olive when I found a copy in a charity shop, and she loves looking at the big, bright illustrations when she goes to bed, so we decided to buy her another one and slowly build up the collection. She is obsessed with mushrooms and fungi so this one seemed the perfect choice for her birthday this month.

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If you’re looking for books to read, might I suggest pre-ordering my next one?

Ebb and Flow: A Guide to Seasonal Living is an illustrated guide to slowing down and tuning into the rhythm of the year. I’ve poured many happy hours into it, illustrating every page and writing essays, poems, crafts, recipes and other tidbits, all designed to help you embrace each season and find peace, mindfulness and joy throughout the year. I really feel like there’s a little piece of my soul in this book!

The hardback is published with Bloomsbury on 12 September 2024, and it can be preordered anywhere you buy your books, including Bloomsbury, Bookshop, Amazon and Waterstones.