August reading roundup #1

Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books, Paul Collins
Collins moves with his wife and young son to Hay-on-Wye, a tiny Welsh town that boasts 40 bookstores and a large population of eccentric booksellers. He briefly works as a bookseller/shelf-arranger for Richard Booth, self-crowned King of Hay, while browsing the ever-growing stacks. Collins loves arcana, so his memoir occasionally veers that direction, but it’s a charming, quirky story of life in Hay, studded with wry observations on British life. Such fun. (Found at the Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden, Maine.)

Howards End, E.M. Forster
The writing in this classic novel was gorgeous, but the plot frustrated me. The titular house belongs to the wealthy (rather obtuse) Wilcox family, whose lives become intertwined with those of the independent, well-read, idealistic Schlegel sisters and the poor, uncultured bank clerk Leonard Bast. I had trouble sympathizing with any of the characters, or understanding their actions. Forster’s key idea is “Only connect,” but this novel was about missed connections. More a philosophical treatise than a good story.

The Movement of Stars, Amy Brill
Hannah Gardner Price, a young Quaker woman living on Nantucket in the 1840s, spends her nights observing the sky, hoping to discover a comet. When she begins teaching navigation to a young man from the Azores, the community starts to whisper – and with her father’s impending remarriage, Hannah may have to leave the only home she’s ever known. Gorgeous writing, especially the descriptions of the sky; Hannah’s struggle between the known and the unknown (and the tension thereof) is exquisitely drawn. I loved this book. Based on the life and work of Maria Mitchell, pioneering female astronomer.

Me Before You, Jojo Moyes
When Louisa Clark loses her job at a cafe, she reluctantly takes a job caring for a quadriplegic man in his 30s. Will Traynor, former jet-setting traveler and arrogant businessman, is now confined to a wheelchair and very bitter about it. He and Lou drive each other nuts at first, but gradually become quite close. A heartbreaking story – though quite funny in parts – and a compassionate, nuanced look at complicated issues surrounding disability and death.

Under Wildwood, Colin Meloy
This sequel to Wildwood takes us back to the wilderness on the edge of Portland, Oregon, whose inhabitants (human and animal) are caught up in a bitter war. Prue and Curtis, two teenagers from Portland, find themselves fighting to save Wildwood while running for their own lives. A fun story, though the mythology of this world often gets complicated and over-detailed, and the narration sometimes grows over-elaborate. Not as good as the first one, but I’m sure I’ll read the third book when it comes out.

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