Category: Reviews

#WWWWednesday – 25th September 2024

whatcathyreadnext2 Comments

WWWWednesdays

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too?  Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

Currently reading

Shy CreaturesShy Creatures by Clare Chambers (Wiedenfeld & Nicolson) 

In all failed relationships there is a point that passes unnoticed at the time, which can later be identified as the beginning of the decline. For Helen it was the weekend that the Hidden Man came to Westbury Park.

Croydon, 1964. Helen Hansford is in her thirties and an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she has been having a long love affair with a charismatic, married doctor.

One spring afternoon they receive a call about a disturbance from a derelict house not far from Helen’s home. A mute, thirty-seven-year-old man called William Tapping, with a beard down to his waist, has been discovered along with his elderly aunt. It is clear he has been shut up in the house for decades, but when it emerges that William is a talented artist, Helen is determined to discover his story.

HortobiographyHortobiography by Carol Klein (Ebury Press)

Carol Klein is one of Britain’s best loved horticulturists, and for decades gardening has been at the heart of her extraordinary life. From her childhood adventures in Manchester to her first experiments in plantswomanship at Glebe Cottage, and from training as an artist and a teacher, and then finding an entirely unexpected career as one of Britain’s most beloved television presenters, in this long-awaited memoir Carol tells the story of the people, places and plants that have shaped her life.

Exploring why our relationship with the natural world is so important, and how it brings joy, creativity and good health to our lives, Carol also offers irresistible insights on her favourite flowers and plants, and how to help them flourish. A story of a life lived happily amongst the greenery, this book is the perfect companion for anyone who has sought solace in the natural world.

Recently finished

Possible Happiness by David Ebenbach (Fitzroy Books)

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury) 

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier (Harper Collins)

What Cathy Will Read Next

PrecipicePrecipice by Robert Harris (Hutchinson Heinemann) 

Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe. In London, twenty-six-year-old Venetia Stanley—aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless—is part of a fast group of upper-crust bohemians and socialites known as “The Coterie.” She’s also engaged in a clandestine love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than twice her age. He writes to her obsessively, sharing the most sensitive matters of state.

As Asquith reluctantly leads the country into war with Germany, a young intelligence officer with Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate a leak of top-secret documents. Suddenly, what was a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security that could topple the British government—and will alter the course of political history.

Book Review – Possible Happiness by David Ebenbach

whatcathyreadnext2 Comments

About the Book

Book cover of Possible Happiness by David Edenbach

Eleventh-grader Jacob Wasserman is just trying to get by. Under the radar, he spends his weekends at home by himself, leaning on TV and video games to distract himself from the weight — these days we would call it depression — inside him.

But he’ s secretly got a quirky sense of humor, and, when he starts letting it show, he finally gets noticed. In fact, before he knows it, Jacob’ s ability to keep people entertained has drawn him into a full-time social life, complete with a circle of friends, parties, and even a girlfriend.

But is this newfound acceptance enough to unlock meaningful well-being? Is this entertainer even the real Jacob?

Format: eBook (246 pages) Publisher: Fitzroy Books
Publication date: 10th September 2024 Genre: Young Adult

Find Possible Happiness on Goodreads

Purchase Possible Happiness from Amazon UK

My Review

My teenage years are a long way behind me, I’m female, British, not Jewish and went to an all girls school so you might imagine it would be difficult for me to relate in any way to sixteen-year old Jacob Wasserman. Yet I’m sure we can all think of occasions when we’ve felt like an outsider or that we don’t fit in, or doubted if our friendships will last or we’ll ever find that special person. So even if the teenage angst and dating worries are a distant memory, I found myself really absorbed in Jacob’s struggles, cheering at his little moments of joy and feeling sad for him when things aren’t going so well.

Jacob is intelligent and witty but often has to fight the inclination to hide himself away, to retreat into himself when the going gets tough. He often feels down but not only for himself but for the sadness of others, the sadness in the world even. ‘He would be walking down the street and see a dent in a car, for example, or he’d be on the bus and he’d hear two people arguing bitterly, or he’d look out a window and see a person walking slowly by themselves…’ He calls how this makes him feel ‘the howl’.

Things seem to change when Jacob becomes part of a circle of friends who refer to themselves as the ‘Pack’. They hang out together before and after school, they go to nightclubs and parties together, they introduce one another to different types of music. But when members of the group begin to pair up, the dynamics change and Jacob fears he may become an outsider again. He doesn’t help himself by bottling up his feelings so they risk exploding into anger.

I loved the relationship between Jacob and his mother, their companiable banter as they eat dinner or watch a TV show together, Jacob’s ability to make his mother laugh. (His father is off the scene having started a new life in another city with another partner.) As well as working all hours to make ends meet, Jacob’s mother has her own issues – in particular, the dark period she experiences every November – but she possesses an instinctive sense of Jacob’s needs, offering support and encouragement rather than hectoring him like his father. Jacob’s sister, Deanna, who is away at college is also a source of practical advice. Sometimes Jacob just needs someone to help him see a way through the darkness to the other side, or just convince him there is an ‘other side’.

The author captures the essence of the late 1980s through the films and TV shows the characters watch, the video games Jacob and his friends play, the music they listen to, the clothes they wear, and the food they eat. In case you’re thinking the story sounds a bit of a downer, you’ll find a good dose of humour in there too.

Possible Happiness is a perceptive coming-of-age story about facing up to the challenges in life and finding your place in the world.

I received a digital review copy courtesy of the author.

In three words: Insightful, funny, poignant

About the Author

Author David Ebenbach

David Ebenbach is the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, winners of awards like the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize, among others. He lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he works at Georgetown University, teaching creative writing and literature and supporting faculty and grad students in their own student-centered and inclusive teaching. [Bio/photo: Amazon]

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