Farewell winter — hello spring. The daffodils are in full bloom and there’s a magnificent display of magnolia blossoms this year. We just have to hope we don’t get any storms in the next few weeks otherwise it will be game over.
It’s also been a good reading month, most of which was spent getting ahead for Reading Wales Month and Reading Ireland Month.
The most disappointing read was Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. I seem to have been on a downward trajectory with this author. I loved Bel Canto which was the first I read by her but was less taken with the next read The Dutch House. Commonwealth was even less rewarding — a family saga that lacked a sense of the period in history through which these people lived. It’s made me hesitant to look out for anything else by her.
The most powerful read in February was Human Acts by Han Kang, a book picked at random from my TBR Book Jar. I thought her previous novella The Vegetarian was harrowing so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised when Human Acts turned out to be just as intense. It’s a remarkable, haunting novel told in the voices of survivors and victims of an uprising in South Korea in the 1980s.
Also powerful, though in a different way, was Sugar and Slate by Charolotte Williams, one of the featured. books in Reading Wales Month 2026. Charlotte was born in North Wales to a Welsh mother and a Guyanan father. Throughout her life she felt an outsider, whether in Wales or Guyana where she lived for a short while. In her book she explores the challenges of trying to “fit in” while always feeling that you belong elsewhere. Review is coming soon….
Rounding off the month I read:
A Long Winter, an atmospheric novella by one of my favourite Irish authors, Colm Toibin. And, finally, The Icarus Ascent by Welsh author Mike Leiws about an ill-fated expedition to reach the summit of The Matterhorn in 1865
By TBR is down by five since the start of the year but is certain to go up by the end of March because the National Trust property near me has a book sale coming up. The books will all be half price so I know I’ll get tempted.
Future Plans??
As you know I don’t tend to plan what to read next. March will be the exception since I’ll still be reading for Reading Wales Month. On the horizon will be:
Glass Houses by Francesca Reece which was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year in 2025
The Testimony of Taliesin Jones by Rhidian Brooke: Chris at Calmgrove has already reviewed this for Reading Wales Month.
A Room Above A Shop by Anthony Shapland. This was always going to feature in my reading list since Anthony was born in the town where I grew up. Actually at the time I’m writing this post, I’ve already read the book. It’s as good as I was lead to believe it would be.
I’m hoping to squeeze in another Irish novelist but it might have to be sacrificed so I can get to my Classic Club spin book — La Cousine Bette (Cousin Bette) by Honoré De Balzac.
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