whatcathyread

The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (translated by Michelle Hutchinson)

27/08/2021

Most week-nights, Hubby and I cuddle up in front of the TV for an hour before bedtime. Topical comedy shows mostly, or sporting highlights, although we sometimes stumble across a drama series on iPlayer, which is how we got into Wallander – the British TV series adapted from Swedish novelist Henning Manning’s novels starring Kenneth … More The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (translated by Michelle Hutchinson)

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

23/07/2021

When I was a child I had an illustrated book of fairy tales. I became obsessed with the story The Little Mermaid. I remember a picture of the prince enfolding the beautiful red-headed princess in his arms and the mermaid looking on, crying, alone. Possibly it fascinated me because the mermaid didn’t marry her prince … More The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

Elegies by Douglas Dunn

25/06/2021

Grief experts say grief has a shape; they have charted its pattern. First there is shock, then denial, then bargaining (for more time), then guilt, anger, depression, and finally acceptance. The experts disagree over the number and order of the stages but they all agree there is a pattern. The experts could probably track the … More Elegies by Douglas Dunn

The Children of Dynmouth by William Trevor

28/05/2021

I bet you’ll have come across one at some stage when you were growing up: the kid in the class who had no friends and was always alone. The kid who other kids avoided because they just weren’t right, somehow. The kid who even adults didn’t like, never asking why we didn’t invite them to … More The Children of Dynmouth by William Trevor

The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather

23/04/2021

Easter 2013. Hubby had entered a golf competition at his golf club, meaning he would potentially be playing golf every single day across the whole weekend: one round on Good Friday, two on Easter Saturday, one on Easter Sunday, two on Easter Monday. This was the third year running and I’ll admit, I saw my … More The Volunteer: The True Story of the Resistance Hero who Infiltrated Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather

The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul

26/03/2021

If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know I usually open each review with a story or an anecdote. This time I’m going to break with tradition and pitch straight in. The Chip-Chip Gatherers is set in Trinidad and centred on the Settlement, a collection of “mean huts and houses clinging despairingly to … More The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

26/02/2021

My mother once told me you only ever find out what someone is really like when they come into money unexpectedly. I guess mum’s point was that a sudden windfall shines a spotlight on whether a person is generous by nature or only interested in number one. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately … More The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

22/01/2021

With her head tucked underneath her arm She walks the Bloody Tower With her head tucked underneath her arm With her head tucked underneath her arm [From With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm by Sammy Gay (1934)] It would normally be pantomime season (oh yes it would) so it seems kind of fitting to … More The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

Love Is Blind by William Boyd

18/12/2020

Before you rush to hit the “unsubscribe” button, this is very much a one-off. If you are a regular reader of What Cathy Read, I get a mention now and again as “Hubby”, and come across as basically a man of simple tastes, who is most at ease when hitting something with something else, or … More Love Is Blind by William Boyd

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)

20/11/2020

I was nineteen when I first came across the story of Patient Griselda, within the Clerk’s Tale in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. For those who don’t know the story, Griselda’s husband sets out to test her obedience, first by removing their two children at birth, supposedly to have them killed, then by throwing her out … More Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth)