Line by Caroline: March 2022

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Hi, welcome to March’s rundown of the books I’ve been reading. It’s been quite an intense month, reading-wise!

We’ve got books about the art of conversation, a sprinkling of sci-fi, a novel written completely in verse, and a book half-narrated by a tree. You’ll have to guess which one that is from the titles. 

One. Listen by Kathryn Mannix
Mannix, a retired palliative care doctor, wrote the brilliant With the End in Mind, which I highly recommend, all about dying. This is her second book, and it’s about having what she calls ‘tender’ conversations (as opposed to ‘difficult’ conversations). It was well written, and had some effective case studies, but I wasn’t sure it was that helpful for the average person. Most of the examples seemed to relate to relaying bad news in a professional setting - like a doctor might do - as opposed to in general life. Saying that, I still took something from it, and would recommend it as an introductory text into having those kinds of conversations. 
How I read it: Babysitting one evening

Two. Second-Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta
This was my book club pick, it’s Emecheta’s second novel (and also the second one of hers I’ve read), and is apparently very autobiographical. The main character is a Nigerian woman who comes to London to join her husband and decides to become a writer. The style is simple and straightforward, but there’s still so much going on. We all agreed in book club that the ending felt very rushed, but it’s still worth a read. 
How I read it: At home, in a rush to finish for book club the next day

Three. The Emperor's Babe by Bernardine Evaristo
This is a book written entirely in verse, which makes it sound a bit poncy but it’s absolutely not. Set in London in Roman times, it’s a fun, bawdy romp told through the eyes of Zuleika, a girl sold off into marriage at 11 to a member of the nobility, who claws her way, against all odds, to a life that she likes. As well as being funny, it’s touching and surprising, and it really kept me gripped. Evaristo likes to experiment with writing styles, and this is no exception. If you liked the style of Girl, Woman, Other then you might enjoy this too. 
How I read it: On the train home from a trip to Bath

Four. The city in the middle of the night by Charlie Jane Anders
I’ve had this on my list for a while as a sci-fi novel to try and I’m glad I finally did. The setting is a planet where only a small strip is navigable, due to one side being an eternal day with sunlight that burns you, and the other being an eternal night where the cold will kill you instead. I liked learning how humans had managed to survive, and about the ‘crocodiles’ - alien creatures who everyone except one of the central characters sees as monsters. Lots of exciting bits too, all in all an enjoyable ride.
How I read it: Mostly on a long train up to Newcastle 

Five. The Covent Garden ladies by Hallie Rubenhold
Rubenhold wrote the brilliant ‘The Five’ about the victims of Jack the Ripper, which you might have come across as it was a big hit when it came out a few years ago. This earlier book, about the prostitutes of 18th century London, has been reissued recently. For me it didn’t have the same compassion for its subject that the Five did, and she acknowledges in her introduction to this re-issue that she would write it differently now. My main impression was one of horror, as she gives you an insight into the stories of the hundreds of women either trafficked into prostitution, or ending up there because they had no other choice. 
How I read it: On a long train home from Newcastle 

Six. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Shafak is a novelist of ideas, she’s always exploring a concept or an argument in her novels. I really like that as it is so different from a lot of books out there, but it does often leave me feeling at a bit of a remove from her characters. This one was more successful I think, as she centres the story on a small family, torn apart by the conflict In Cyprus in the 70s and still feeling the ramifications today. Some of the dialogue didn’t quite ring true, but the story had a lot of heart. 
How I read it: In fits and starts and then polished off during another evening of babysitting 

Seven. Conflicted by Ian Leslie
Another book club book, this time non-fiction, and related in theme to Listen. It’s about the importance of conflict and how shying away from having tough conversations can be detrimental to all our relationships. He speaks to a whole range of people, from marriage counsellors to interrogators, to learn how people respond to conflict and how to build rapport with someone you might fundamentally disagree with. It’s snappily written and gives very concrete steps for taking forward those conversations in your personal life. 
How I read it: My bedtime book for a few nights

Eight. While we were dating by Jasmine Guillory
After so much deep thinking, unsurprisingly I was in the mood for something fluffy and silly, and it turned out I had one more Guillory romance hiding on my kindle. The plot is entirely unimportant, but it was nice to have a considered and stigma free mental health strand to the story. As usual it was very enjoyable, and I gobbled it up in less than 24 hours. 
How I read it: Loafing about at home 

Book of the month: No stand outs this month, but I think I’ll go for Listen as I did really enjoy reading it, even if I couldn’t directly apply it to my life.