Reads in January so far

My first book of the year was ‘The Illumination of Merton Browne’by JM Shaw.I found it in an Oxfam bookshop in London recently and liked the idea of the central character finding a basement of forgotten books.It came as something of a surprise once I started reading the book that rather than being a whimsical tale of an awkward adolescent it was much more about gang violence and various degrees of abuse.I don’t usually favour very grim and gritty books but I persevered with this one.

What makes ‘The Illumination…’interesting also acts as its downfall.Whilst it’s interesting to read about someone very articulate and intelligent who is also part of a gang acting outside the law,this also adds to the very unrealistic ending to the book.To me it seems rather lame to layer on schmaltz and redemption after doing so well with shocking and stark urban realism.

Next was Ian McEwan’s ‘On Chesil Beach’which I’d be eagerly awaiting for months.The only reason it took me this long to get around to it was because I didn’t want to shell out for a hardback copy of such a small book.It was worth the wait though as,like every review I’ve seen would suggest it is a wonderfully evocative novel and beautifully written.My only criticism would be that it seems a little too brief,with the ending arriving unbearably quickly.I also wasn’t hugely thrilled with the summary of the later years of the characters as I felt it superfluous,but overall it was a touching snapshot of an intimate evening.I am yet to read a McEwan that can touch ‘Atonement’though.

Then there was John Crace’s ‘The Digested Reader’in which the author attempts to sumarise a variety of books in around 500 words,all of the summaries written in the style of the original author.This idea began as a newspaper column and I think it probably worked better in that format.Although it was amusing and covered a variety of books from literary fiction to trashy autobiographies it just seemed too much to read it all at once and after a while the ruthless mocking seemed to get a little too smug for my liking.

Then there was Meg Cabot’s ‘Size Doesn’t Matter’(also known as ‘Big Boned’)the third in the Heather Wells mystery series.I loved the other books in the series and couldn’t put them down,they were fun,touching and greatly enjoyable.The problem I found with ‘Size Doesn’t Matter’was that it seemed too similar to the previous books in places,particularly the issues surrounding Heather’s love life.I also found the murder and its motive ludicrous and the ending of the book was much cheesier than anything I would expect from Meg Cabot.So although a very light and easy read it lacked the spark of the other books,I do hope there will be more in the series though as hopefully this one was just a weak link.

So that’s what I’ve managed so far,I have several other books on the go at the moment so I’m sure I will be back soon.

Tags: Books, Ian McEwan, Meg Cabot.