Inspired by this morning’s post over at Gudrun’s Tights discussing best reads of the year to date, I went ahead and picked out my own personal “Top 5”, but, sadly, could not get my reply to come through. (Apparently the comments have been acting up on the blog; I’m wondering if that’s why I can’t seem to get mine up.) So, since I already typed it all out, here is my list.
Picking a top 5 for the first half of 2013 was easy/hard. I did read some rather outstanding books. A few more than 5, actually, but here are the ones that really stood out. I’ve only reviewed three of these; the others deserved more review time than I could spare at the time of reading, so they’ll be under more focus in future.
- All the Little Live Things (1967) by Wallace Stegner – Two couples at differing points in their lives become neighbours and friends in a rural California setting. The book examines love in various forms – romantic, platonic, parental – as well as the different ways individuals deal with emotional traumas and the brutal realities of too-early deaths. Sounds grim, but it is a hauntingly presented story which I found powerful, thought-provoking and ultimately comforting in its examination of ways of embracing grief and going forward. (Not reviewed yet.)
- The Joyous Season (1964) by Patrick Dennis – another farcical period-piece (the period in question being 1960s, upper-class New York) by Auntie Mame‘s author. Two children cope with their parents’ proposed divorce in a very “civilized” way. Mostly humorous, with a truly poignant ending.
- The Sisters Brothers (2011) by Patrick DeWitt – I missed reading this when it was all the rage a year or two ago, but now I get what all the buzz was about. A rather twisted saga of two brothers employed as contract killers in the 1850s. Very dark, very clever, very funny. (Not reviewed yet. I might not review this one; it has been so popular that it seems a bit pointless to add my words to the many that are already out there. Can I just say that I loved this book, and leave it at that? 😉 )
- Crewe Train (1926) by Rose Macaulay – a highly unusual, absolutely stoic English girl who has grown up in an isolated Spanish village is brought back to England by her upper-class relations after she is orphaned. The resulting cultural clashes are highly entertaining, and highlight the foibles of “accepted behaviour” in a rather cunning way.
- Hostages to Fortune (1933) by Elizabeth Cambridge – a quiet domestic drama centered around a doctor’s wife, her marriage, and her motherhood. A keen-eyed examination of a common experience which has many parallels to family life today. The essentials never change.
To answer the other question, regarding weekend plans, oh yes – I do indeed have those! Let’s see…
Yesterday I (unexpectedly!) bought a piano in the big city several hours away; today will be devoted to getting it home. There’s also a huge family reunion going on this weekend just a few miles away; all of my husband’s relations will be convening, so I’ll be cooking for that, and attending, of course, PLUS my elderly mother who is at present incarcerated in the hospital after a bad fall last week (she’s on the mend) will need multiple visits; she’s in the small city an hour away. So driving, talking, cooking, eating – in that order – are my themes for the upcoming long weekend! (Not much reading time, I fear.)
Hope you are all having a good summer. And what have your outstanding reads been this year to date?
Leaves & Pages 
I read Crewe Train, based on your review, and loved it. What a great book, that I felt was totally applicable to life today. Had a bit of a challenge obtaining a copy through the library system, but it was worth it! Thanks for your reviews; I have found alot of books I have enjoyed through them!
Hi Julie, I’m so glad you managed to find a copy, and that you enjoyed it. I’ve discovered so many great new-to-me authors and books through other blogs; so happy when I hear from others who have discovered new-to-them things from mine! 🙂
So sorry about the commenting problems – your comment did finally come through – and I thank you for it. All of your favorites sound completely fascinating!
No worries – I’m glad it went through. 🙂 I do enjoy reading your blog! 🙂
So happy to see that Hostages to Fortune made your list! My favourites so far this year have been Speaking of Jane Austen by Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern and Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (which I am having a heck of a time trying to review).
Isn’t it odd how the best books are sometimes the hardest to do justice to? I find I am experiencing an awful lot of writer’s block these days, which is a great shame, as I’m reading some really good stuff. (And a few duds, too, to be perfectly honest.) 🙂
Good luck with your piano! And extra good luck with your busy busy week, and best wishes for a speedy recovery to your mum. Sounds like you will indeed have your hands full.
Thank you for the kind words, Jenny. It’s been far and away one of the more stressful weekends of our year to date. Since this post poor Mom has now developed pneumonia – not really a surprise, as she’s had it before and has been crackly in the lungs since her accident. (A week ago Thursday she fell in the very early morning & was on the floor 5 hours before we found her; she’s 88 & very frail, so this was NOT good, though she luckily didn’t break anything. She hit her head, lost a lot of blood & was in shock & hypothermic, but she rallied well from that. This latest development is very worrisome. Anyway, she’s under very competent care in our local hospital, so all we can do now is wait it out & see how she responds to the antibiotics.)
The family reunion went exceedingly well; several hundred people showed up; the cousins & aunties & uncles & assorted in-laws have been visited with in between trips to town to sit with Mom; the piano is off the truck & under cover, waiting a visit from our piano tuner/all-around piano guru to see if it was indeed the good buy we thought it was, before we move everything around & settle it into our very small living room. It’s an old (1930s) Sterling, not very fancy to look at (it was well kept but the cabinet is very modest; no carvings etc.) but it sounds pretty darned good, so that’s a happy thing.
What a long saga I’ve just shared with you! Well, onward & upward… (And thank goodness for the lovely escapist qualities of good books…)