The UK is preparing to go to the polls in a few days time and I, like so many, am very unsure of where I will be putting my cross. I have voted in every single election since I was 18 and this is the most uncertain I can remember being. I’m not greatly enamoured of any politician, no matter the party, but usually there is a party whose policies are less of a compromise, the least worse option if you will, not so this time. While I wrestle with indecusion let us instead talk about books and reading, more congenial topics. Books do not let you down, books don’t call other books rude names, books even when discussing difficult topics don’t rip into other books, and of course if you choose a book you don’t like you aren’t stuck with it for the next five years.
A few months ago I published an update to my reading plan. Reading plans, at least for me, are constantly evolving, so I naturally went back to see what I had planned to read this quarter, and of course I singularly failed to live up to my plans. This is fine, one of the lessons living with chronic illness and pain has taught me is that I have to be adaptable and not be hard on myself when life turns out different from the plan, as has happened this quarter.
With poor health and a great deal of pain I have not had the focus I might like to do lots of reading. I generally like to set myself the goal of reading 30 mins each of non-fiction and fiction every day. Compared to my pre-illness reading, even with full time working and the usual family and household commitments, this is tiny. I do however like to set a goal which should be possible on the majority of days providing pain and energy levels are moderate (for me). These last few months have just been a little harder than normal.
It is not surprising then that the list of what I read might not match what I planned to read, but I have still made progress against my plan which is the whole purpose of writing one. One can’t read as much history as I do without acknowledging the truth that no plan, however well thought through, survives the first engagement. With that in mind here are my reflections on what I have read, what I have bought and what I plan to read next.
Recent Reads
Non-Fiction
Seneca – Moral Essays volume II. This formed part of my grief reading plan as the volume contained Seneca’s letters of consolation and his essay on the shortness of life. I read the Loeb edition which has been criticised for its more formal linguistic style. Speaking as someone who was brought up reading victorian novels it neither read as overly formal nor was the style difficult, but one mans poison is anothers meat, as the saying goes. There is however something comforting in the realisation that grief is universal and timeless. Seneca,as a writer from the Stoic school of philosophy, is not one for mushy sentimentality. Instead his words acknowledge the pain, but advise that it be bourn patiently with dignity. It might sound cold to some, but I found it comforting.
New Leviathons by John Gray. In 1651 Thomas Hobbes published The Leviathon in which he discussed what was, in his opinion, the ideal form of government. Hobbes argued that it was the states job to protect its citizens from external aggressors and to preserve peace and security. In this update to Hobbes seminal work John Gray traces Hobbes influence in to what he terms the New Leviathons, authoritarian ideologies such as communism and the social justice movements of recent years. Its a fascinating read, not least because it demonstrates how ideas don’t happen in isolation, they are a progression but it is important to understand their antecedents. Political philosophy is not a topic I would naturally gravitate towards, however I did gain some new perspectives from this book. (ARC from Netgalley)
Treasuring the Psalms by Ian J Vaillancourt. I picked this book up to read alongside my Bible reading to better understand one of the most influential Old Testament books. It is written from a Christian perspective and explains the historic context of the Psalms, how the book was structured, how the Psalms relate to Jewish liturgical rites in the temple, and how Christianity interprets the Psalms through the life of Jesus Christ. It certainly helped me to read the Psalms in a new light and to appreciate how important translations are in how a Psalm can be interpreted. That said as someone brought up with the King James version these more accurate and modernised versions lack poetry. (Netgalley ARC)
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Another classic work of stoic philosophy and very popular with the Influencer Stoic crowd. It is certainly a book which will benefit from multiple readings. As a document it is worth remembering that it was never intended for publication, these are the private thoughts of a Roman Emperor. The reason they have survived and been so widely circulated is because even one of the most powerful men in history is still beset by those same human frailties we all possess. Marcus gives himself a stern talking to about getting out of bed in the morning, dealing with difficult people, and not living up to his own standards. It is however sobering to remember that for all his worthy insights into himself had he been less introspective and more involved in his sons education the Empire might have been spared the disaster which was his son Commodus and today we might remember more than just five good emperors.
There were a couple of books on medical issues, I’ve got to do my research, which I’ve omitted to spare the details.
Fiction
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. As a child I was introduced to the Ladybird version of the book, so was under the misapprehension that this was a children’s novel. It is not, as it deals with themes such as slavery, cannibalism, piracy and survival. The only other novel by Defoe I had read was Moll Flanders, so I probably should have realised this was not going to be a sanitised novel. In Wilkie Collins’ novel The Moonstone the old butler whenever he was troubled or needed guidance would seek it in the pages of Robinson Crusoe, rather like a moral oracle. I found this curious, surely for a good victorian the Bible would have been the book to turn to. Finally I now understand why, Crusoe is the story of a man who despite appalling circumstance never gives into despair and melancholy, while at the same time remaining resolutely human. Sometimes in novels these great hero’s feel out of reach, like they are set apart, but Crusoe demonstrates that as well as heroism there is also fear and cowardice, humanity and savage violence. While it is certainly a novel about surviving slavery and shipwreck, to leave it at that is to miss its depth, its message of hope that however bad our external circumstances may be we still have the power to make the best of them.
War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Since I first read this novel it has remained one of my favourite books. The quality of the storytelling and the clear delineation of the characters makes for an enjoyable read. I have a version in three volumes, each of which is around 500 pages long, so it doesn’t feel like one giant book rather three normal length novels which aids in creating a sense of progress. While the story is set against the drama of the Napoleonic Wars, concluding with the disastrous capture of Moscow and the subsequent collapse of the French army, it is not a war novel. I have always described it as a great epic romance, the romantic flirtations of the aristocracy, the love between families, romances between lovers, but most of all the love between people and place. On this reading, however, I was struck by how much of Tolstoys political views come through. His own experiences of war colour his descriptions of battles and generals. His romantic views of the Russian people, in particular the peasantry, are shown as natural and collectively morally superior to the artificiality of most of most of the aristocracy and the foreign powers. I’m interested to read more of Tolstoys philosophical works of which I have two (On Life and The Kingdom of God is Within You).
Poetry Pharmacy Forever by William Sieghart. The premise of the Poetry Pharmacy books, of which this is the third in the series, is that poetry has the capacity to aid is through the ups and downs of life. Even if you are not an enthusiastic reader of poetry you undoubtedly will have experienced its capacity to capture the emotions of the moment, whether it be a funeral or a wedding. This however is not just another poetry anthology, William Sieghart provides both a “prescription” and an explanation of why a poem in appropriate for specific circumstances. The poems themselves are drawn from such a wide range of styles and time periods that there is sure to be something for everyone.This edition covers such themes as Coming Together, Moving Apart, Grief, Checking Out and Tuning In, Finding Light, and Great Escapes. I appreciated so many of these poems and will be purchasing the hardback to sit alongside the other editions on my bookshelf. While it is a book well worth reading cover to cover it is one you are going to want to reach for time and again.
Honourable mentions: Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie, Soul Music by Terry Pratchett.
Current reads
The Bible – my year long reading will finish at the end of August, so there are still two months to go and I have Revelations to come, which I am rather looking forward to.
Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope – I got stuck on this one, not because it is a difficult read but because the main character get’s himself into financial difficulty by acting as security for a loan, which he cannot afford to pay. Somehow audio books make distressing situations seem worse than reading it in print, and despite knowing that in true Trollope fashion our hero will be fine after learning the moral lesson he needs to I am struggling to get through the hard times. I have read the novel before so I already know how the story turns out, but that doesn’t seem to be making it any easier.
Pure Wit by Francesca Peacock – A biography of the remarkable Margaret Cavendish who wrote during the English Civil War and into the restoration of Charles II. While it may be biographical it draws heavily on Margarets own writing which is revolutionary for a female writer of her time. Only a few chapters left, but I’m really enjoying this on.
World War II by Anthony Beevor – Only a few pages in and I’m already making notes and bothering my husband with lots of questions. It’s very well written and I’m enjoying Beevor’s writing style. I think it will achieve my purpose in reading it, to give an overview of WW2, but its one for high energy days.
Bread for the Journey by Henri Nouwem. A daily devotional I’m reading with my reading group. Not one I would have chosen myself, certainly giving food for thought. As we read and discuss only a few days at a time, we will be reading it for a few months yet.
Orlando by Virgina Woolf. After finishing War and Peace it was a choice between this and Dostoevsky. Much as I love Russian literature I did fancy something a little more familiar.
A question ...
Before I move on to what I’ve bought and what I’m planning to read I have a question for you. Would you be interested in reading more book reviews from me?
I am considering a few options one if which is to write reviews of books which are linked either by theme or form a series. I’ve added a quick poll below but also feel free to add comments if none of the options are quite what you are interested in.
New Aquisitions
I have been trying to be really good and not succumb to too much temptation with new book acquisitions, however I have once again bought what may seem like an excessive number of books. In entirely unrelated and joyous news the carpenter has finally arrived and is building new bookcases!
Hello my name is Rachel and I am a biblioholic … but no I have no intention of quitting
I am not going to list all the 30+ books I have bought (yes really!), in my defence a lot of them are 99p kindle books but I also clearly have a problem. Instead I thought I would pick out some honourable mentions:
The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov
This book was recommended to me some years ago by a dear friend as I “if you love Tolstoy try this”. I have been meaning to read it for quite some time, so as it was on offer I decided to add it to my Russian authors reading list.
Cooking Books – various
I really like food, but it has been some time since I was able to cook. That has not stopped me acquiring more cookbooks, if only to find ideas of tasty recipes for my husband, who fortunately is also a bit of a foodie and enjoys cooking, to make. Amazon has been having a bit of a sale of cookbooks in kindle format recently so I have acquired two books specifically focussed on salads, Med by Claudia Roden which if it is anything like her Arabesque is definitely aspirational cooking, and some books on easy tasty everyday meals.
Biographies
Mostly I read biographies of historical figures rather than people alive today, usually from periods of history in which I already have an interest. The Tudors have been a passion since childhood so I was interested in a new biography of Margaret Beauford, mother to Henry VII who gave birth at the tender age of thirteen, but I have never really read anything specifically just about her. Likewise with Jane Boleyn, sister in law to Anne (wife number two to Henry VIII) and arguably the woman who brought her down, and then was brought down by her own involvement in the affairs of Catherine Howard (wife number four). It’s an opportunity to see the machinations of the Tudor court through another set of eyes.
A.N Wilsons biography of Queen Victoria can now sit along side Lucy Worsley’s take on the infamously corpulent monarch, it will be interesting to see how the two compare. Lastly Antonia Fraser’s biography of Charles II, not a period of history I know a great deal about but after reading about Margaret Cavendish I’d like to know more about what made Charles tick and how that was reflected in the decisions he took.
History
Millennium by Tom Holland and Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore continue my reading around the history of Christianity and it’s influence on western culture. I have read other books by Tom Holland, whose writing style I find equally enjoyable and informative. Simon Sebag Montefiore was at one time the darling of the BBC historical documentary circuit discussing Byzantium, Rome and Vienna. I have, to my shame, not yet read any of his books, something I intend to rectify. I’ve also added a couple more Tufor histories about court life, one focussed on the private life of the Tudor monarchs and the other on the game of courtly love which was so influential in the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
Future plans
Many of these plans have been carried forward from my last review, which highlights that the best laid plans don’t always work out. It is satisfying though that despite a rough few months I still made progress which is rather why I make these plans.
Fiction
Dickens – I’m still planning on reading David Copperfield so this stays on the list
Trollope – The Small House at Allington – next one in the series after Framley Parsonage
Bronte – Shirley as I have owned it for years and is I think the only Bronte novel I have not read
Kafka – The Castle – my mothers favourite book
Dante – The Divine Comedy. I’m going to take this one as a long read. While it is c800 pages long so hardly excessive, it is going to require deeper reading. It was partly to help understand this book that I have been reading the Bible.
Dostoevsky – Notes from Underground. I still can’t quite face trying Crime and Punishment again, this one is quite short.
Non-Fiction
Adler - How to read a book. I started reading this a few months ago but put it to one side, it’s due for a restart.
Holland – Dominion to go along side my reading of The Bible, Millenium if i make good progress.
Bilbro – The Liberating Arts. Another ARC but as this is what I am trying to achieve with my reading it has to be on the list.
Boethius – The Consolation of Philosophy
Kenward – The joy of mindful writing and/or Kempton – The Way of the Fearless Writer. Both were 99p Kindle offers but purchased for a purpose. I rather feel in need of some writing practice so I’m hopeful these might help.
As I’m enjoying the biography of Margaret Cavendish so much I’m tempted to pick up some other biographies of notable women or a couple of anthologies of women’s writing from the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries.
Poetry & Plays
Milton – Paradise Lost. I am due to finish reading the Bible at the end of August as Paradise Lost is heady with biblical references its high time I read it, his complete works have only been on my bookshelves for twenty odd years.
John Betjeman poems – I inherited a copy and I don’t think I have ever read it
Keats – I have his complete poems but only know the usual suspects so a chance to expand my horizons
Shakespeare – Henry VI Parts 1,2&3. I’m still on the search for a version to read along to, sadly the Globe doesnt have any if the old Rylance productions available.