When I decided to take on the role of hosting a month-long reading event I didn’t anticipate that I wouldn’t have much breathing space for reading anything unconnected to that event.

I’m not complaining — I enjoyed every minute in my second year of hosting Reading Wales. I’m just explaining why there’s a heavy weighting towards Welsh authors in this monthly re-cap.

For Reading Wales Month I read:

The Icarus Ascent by Mike Lewis. What caused the deaths of four mountaineers who set out to climb The Matterhorn? This is a fictionalised account of the 1865 tragedy. Review is here.

The Testimony of Taliesin Jones by Rhidian Brook. A child seeks answers to help him make sense of a world in the aftermath of his parents’ separation. Review is here.

A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland : Superb debut novel of a secret relationship set against a background of a homophobic community. Review is here.

Bitter Honey by Caryl Lewis: A tale of love and redemption that draws parallels between one couple’s marriage and the world of bees. Review to follow.

Pulse by Cynan Jones. A set of six powerful short stories all focused on the challenges/hardships of a rural life and the relationship between man and nature. Not yet reviewed

I also tried reading Glass Houses by Francesca Reece but it didn’t live up to its initial promise. The multiplicity of characters introduced without explanation and the constant changing of time lines proved too frustrating so I gave up long before the end.

The month of the Celts

Though born in Wales I also have Irish heritage so I couldn’t ignore the fact that March was also Reading Ireland Month. It was a bit of a squeeze but I did manage to read two books.

A Long Winter by Colm Toibin, an atmospheric novella by one of my favourite Irish authors. Not yet reviewed (sorry Cathy).

The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan. I’ve yet to read a novel by Donal Ryan that I haven’t enjoyed. This one has become my favourite. It’s a tremendous story that follows four generations of the Aylward women as they negotiate grief and conflict. 

Future Plans??

You all know by now that I prefer a free-form approach to reading so I rarely know what I’ll choose next. I’m currently reading The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Ducet which is the story of Afghanistan as xperienced by staff at the country’s only five star hotel. It’s fascinating but long and very detailed so this is going to take me most of the month to get through.

I’ve also decided to join in with the 1961 Club hosted by Simon and Karen. My last attempt at one of these club reads failed miserably — I got the wrong book from the library and it was too late to switch. My cunning plan this time is to start reading ahead of time — I’ve picked Now is the Winter of Our Discontent which is the last novel written by John Steinbeck.

After that I’m hoping to get back to my Classic Club list and pick up another couple of African authors. That’s the idea – whether April will turn out that way is an entirely different matter.