Mrs Blackwell’s Reading Log - January 2024

In direct contrast to the busy and festive month of December, January is almost always a great reading month for me in terms of volume.

The undemanding first few days of the year, combined with multiple public holidays, and the extra day in a 31-day month, all add up to plenty of reading hours to be embraced.

Here’s what I read in January 2024:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Publication date: October, 1920
Format: Hardcover special edition from Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop.

The first book in the #ReadChristie2024 schedule is The Mysterious Affair at Styles. A customer brought this title to the counter on January 2nd and shared details about the reading "challenge" which was completely new to me - but I’m glad I got onto it early! #ReadChristie2024 will have us read 12 titles throughout the year - one per month.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, is Agatha’s first detective novel and the world’s introduction to Detective Hercule Poirot. At the time she wrote the book (1916) Agatha was working in a local dispensary so she put her knowledge of poisons to good use in this murder mystery.

Oath and Honor by Liz Cheney

Publication date: December 5, 2023
Format: audiobook from LibroFM, narrated by the author.

I'm not as interested in US politics as my husband, but I try to stay informed and reading a political memoir or two every year is my main contribution!

Liz Cheney is the daughter of Dick Cheney (Vice-President to George W. Bush) and a high-profile US politician in her own right, though probably not so widely known here in New Zealand.

Her book, Oath and Honor is mainly about the January 6th attack on the US Capitol and Donald Trump’s involvement. Her firsthand account of being inside the building on that day was so vivid that it brought me to tears during my morning walk. Hearing about the House Chamber and the fear they felt - including discovering their desks had gas masks in them, and their chairs were bulletproof - made it feel very real.

I found Liz Cheney’s voice as narrator easy to listen to and follow along with.

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

Publication date: February, 2022
Format: Hardcover.

I came across this piece of backlist fiction while tidying up for Sidewalk Sale. I love to read in hardcover so decided to take this last copy home.

The Swimmers begins as the story of a group of amateur swimmers who share an underground pool, their only connection is that they tend to swim at this same pool on a similar schedule.

The first half of the book is a very poetic description of swimming as a hobby - of the habits, the rules, the repetition, and the relaxation of it. The second half focuses on the narrator’s mother who is descending into the full grip of dementia.

It’s a sad but potentially comforting read for those going through similar experiences.

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Publication date: January, 2024
Format: Advanced reading copy, thanks to Penguin RandomHouse NZ.

Set in Oxford, UK, our main protaginist is Piglet, a food writer whose life is going exactly to plan. Until it isn’t. After a traumatic incident in her relationship she decides to blow-up her life in rather epic fashion.

The author herself is also a food writer, so this story is rich with detail in the cooking and dining scenes, including a very memorable croquembouche episode leading up to Piglet’s wedding.

I didn’t end up ordering this title for Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop but I’m sure it will be widely available in other stores if it sounds appealing to you. It would be a great fiction choice for a foodie.

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

Publication date: September, 2023
Format: Trade Paperback.

During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic Naomi Klein notices she’s repeatedly being confused online with Naomi Wolf. Made famous as a feminist writer and commentator in the 1990s, Naomi Wolf is now better known as an online conspiracy theorist.

The book moves back and forward between the Naomis’ case of mistaken identity, and larger concepts of misinformation, online identity, performance culture and similar ailments of our current internet age. It’s not actually an easy book to classify or shelve, and despite what might sound like a dry topic I found it quite hard to put down.

Naomi Klein is currently a University Professor in Canada and I thought that the teacher in her really showed in the writing, making a complex range of subjects engaging and interesting.

The Missing Piece by Julie Legg

Publication date: January, 2024
Format: Advanced reading copy thanks to Harper Collins NZ, we’ll be stocking this in the shop.

A relatable, easy to read introduction to living with ADHD as an adult women.

Julie Legg discovered her own ADHD at age 52 and shares her journey to diagnosis and treatment. She includes the stories and experiences of many other New Zealand women.

I have a few adult friends with ADHD and initially requested a copy out of curiosity and to understand them better, but ended up seeing myself in many of the pages! As the author points out, this doesn’t have to be a problem unless you feel that ADHD is actually impacting your quality of life. If you do feel that, this New Zealand specific guide shares some tools and resources that can help.

Lonesome Dove (*Chapters 1-7) by Larry McMurtry

Publication date: June 1985
Format: Hardcover. Mine is a secondhand copy from Browse Around Books, Invercargill.

This year I have a reading goal that includes eight major literary prize winners from years past (I’ll write about my specific choices in another post).

But I’ve stared with this 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner. I’m reading it as part of the Bookshelf Thomasville ‘Conquer a Classic’ program. Throughout the course of the year we all read a prescribed set of chapters, and at the end of each month there’s a recorded discussion. It’s fun, and I’m sure it’s not too late for you to join us!

In the first seven chapters we’ve met a large number of characters who seem like they’re going to form our core cast, and we’re beginning to understand the relationships between them. Most characters so far are retired Texas Rangers, and up to the end of Chapter 7 they’re considering driving a herd of cattle up to Montana and perhaps establishing a new life for themselves there.

How to Eat (And Still Lose Weight) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson

Publication date: January 2024
Format: Advance listening copy from LibroFM, narranted by John Sackville.

In a small bookshop where the majority of our customers are regulars, there are some titles - usually from the health, and self-development sections - that seem like they’d sell better in stores where most customers are largely anonymous to staff - this book is one that falls into that category.

Dr Andrew Jenkinson is a British bariatric surgeon and shares his lifetime of experience helping people control their weight.

His goal is to help us better understand our body and the environment we operate in - where we are relentlessly marketed to by processed food producers. I found the details about highly processed food and their impact on our brains and mood really fascinating.

The print version of the book will be released April 2024, you can buy it if you’re brave enough to bring it to the counter ;)