Lockdown and social distancing measures due to the coronavirus continue to be gradually eased here in the UK. The 15th June saw the reopening of “non-essential” shops, which includes bookshops, although it’s a case of look, don’t touch…unless you’re going to buy. And bars, restaurants and, most importantly, hairdressers are due to re-open on 4th July. I managed to get myself an appointment in three weeks time which is sooner than I’d expected.
I finished eleven books in June, including some I awarded five stars. Here are my five favourite. The link from the title will take you to my full review.
Patrol by Fred Majdalany is another in the Imperial War Museum’s Wartime Classics series. Based on the author’s own experiences in North Africa during World War 2, the book describes in realistic and totally immersive detail the events of one particular reconnaissance night patrol.
Staying with the wartime theme but this time focussing mainly on post-WW2 Berlin is Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton, the first in a series featuring Joe Holderness, known as Wilderness to his lady friends. The book combines espionage, black market racketeering, a dash of romance and an iconic visit to West Berlin. Great fun and I have the next two books in the series, The Unfortunate Englishman and Hammer To Fall in my TBR pile.
In The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn, set in WW2 Norwich and contemporary Newfoundland, all roads lead to the quaintly named Tippy’s Tickle on Newfoundland’s rugged coastline. It’s a multi-layered story about family secrets, missed opportunities, second chances and the clash between old and new. I loved the Newfoundland setting.
Benjamin Myers won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in 2018 with his novel, The Gallows Pole. His latest book, The Offing, is quite different but I thought it was just as good. Although it was on the longlist for this year’s Walter Scott Prize, surprisingly it didn’t make the shortlist. Set in Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire just after the Second World War, the book tells the story of the unlikely friendship between sixteen year old Robert and Dulcie, an elderly woman living alone in a cottage. I thought it was terrific.
My final choice is The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey which won this year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Set in Cape Cod during one summer in 1950, it’s a compelling and insightful fictionalized account of the turbulent marriage of artist Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine.
What were your favourite books you read in June? Have you read any of my picks?
You can find details of all the books I’ve read so far in 2020 here with links to my reviews. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.
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