May and June 2024 Reads

I have been wanting to read slow stories that feel real. That hold truth and explore small joys and small triumphs. After finishing A Year in Provence, I turned to Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, and there I am still, making my way through.

Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The fourth in Kawaguchi’s series about a cafe that lets the customers go back in time. The main rule is that nothing they do or say can change the present, which is disheartening for those who are going back in time to see someone who has since died. The first in the series was more engaging and impacting, but the following stories are still easy to read and a pleasant way of spending an afternoon. 3.5 stars.

Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakumi

A collection of personal essays surrounding Murakumi’s career as a novelist. I still preferred What I Talk About When I Talk about Running, but this was also well-written and interesting. Murakumi has a way of writing that is to the point yet beautiful. He goes through some of his processes and what it is to be published, as well as the highs and lows of his experiences. 4 stars.

The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge

This was a lovely novel about family, faith, and duty. The descriptions of the land, the home, and the family history were so detailed and beautiful. I wasn’t sure what direction this novel would go in, and at times the story felt a bit slow, but by the end I did find myself captivated by these characters with so much personality and conviction. 4 stars.

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

I loved this book so much and found it hard to put down. The real story of Peter Mayle and his wife who bought a rundown property in France, and the first year they spend there. Detailing funny anecdotes of meeting neighbours, getting a grasp on the language, and understanding the seasons was more engaging than I thought it would be when I picked the book up to begin with. As this is a true story, it doesn’t have a hurried plot that rises in the middle and is resolved at the end; instead, it recounts those small moments that make up a beautiful and frustrating life. I especially loved all the descriptions of everything they ate and the changes they made to their house. 4.5 stars.

Sarah xx