My list of summer reads, or books to take on holiday

It's that time of the year when we're all beginning to think about our summer holidays. (While the rain beats down the windows behind my desk...) I usually leave the book buying to the last minute, but this time, since I'm now a professional bookseller, I thought I'd get a head start.

The first novel on my list is set in LA. The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who travels from London to Venice Beach to attend her mother's funeral. Amongst her late mother's possessions she finds a suitcase full of love letters and photographs of the men her mother had known.  She decides to return each letter to its sender. It sounds like a brilliant read - just what's needed on a beach holiday!

Stop press: Anna Stothard is coming to talk about this book at England's Lane Books on 14 June. Details of the event can be found here.

I am a self-confessed Mad Men addict. So much so that my current phone ringtone is the theme tune from the cult HBO TV series. It doesn't make me answer my phone any quicker, and I sometimes find myself listening to the tune forgetting to answer all together - but I digress. When I saw that Rona Jaffe's The Very Best of Everything was written in the 1950's and tells a story of four women working in a Manhattan typing pool very similar to the one in the offices of Stirling Cooper, I had to get the book. The novel was regarded as scandalous when it came out in 1958, and is even mentioned in the show. So as the saying goes, if you liked Mad Men, you'll love....I cannot wait to read this book.

My next recommendation is a crime thriller. I do love a good Scandi crime book on holiday (not that I'm at all biased...) and The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler is famed for being just that. The story behind the writers of this book is almost as intriguing as the book itself: for a long time no-one in Sweden knew who Kepler was, until one persistent reporter found that behind the best-selling novel was in fact a married couple, Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. I will be reviewing this book on my other site.

Next on my list is a novel by Tim Pears. I saw Pears, to me previously unknown writer, read from his book, Landed, at Shoreditch Literary Salon last week. Landed is a story of a man's life, narrated by him in some point in the future. It's an interesting method to use; while the story unravels in the 1980's the future world of the narrator is unknown to us. The bit that Tim read to us at Shoreditch Salon was also very funny so I'm really looking forward to getting to know this writer's work.

A book I'd saved for my holiday but couldn't resist starting is Lucky Break by Esther Freud. This is a sad and funny book which follows a group of young actors through drama school and onto their first successes and failures. Esther started out as an actress herself, so the book has an authentic feel. I'm really enjoying it so far.

Maggie O'Farrell is an author I, for some strange reason, have never read. When I heard her read from her latest novel, The Hand That Held Mine, I became completely smitten by her writing. The novel starts with a young girl, who, yearning for a more exciting life, leaves her genteel parents in the country and moves to bohemian Soho in post-war London. It's a story of what it is to be an artist and a mother, and if the few passages which O'Farrell read at Shoreditch are anything to go by, this is a must read of the summer.

Gerard Woodward has long been a favourite writer of mine. His brilliant Booker listed novel, I'll Go to Bed at Noon, was funny and disturbing portrait of a family coping with alcohol abuse. So I am really looking forward to reading his latest book to come out in paperback, Nourishment. This is an imaginative wartime tale of a woman whose children are evacuated, her husband is a prisoner of war and she's forced to live with her irascible mother while - to help the war effort - working at a London gelatine factory. When she receives a letter from Donald asking for a dirty letter, by return post, she's aghast but out a marital duty and with the help of book shops, libraries and public conveniences, decides to master the language of carnal desire. Again, I cannot wait to read this book!

Last but not least I am going to recommend a book of novellas by an old master, Stefan Zweig, an author who took his own life in 1942 at the age of 61, cutting his writing career tragically short. A couple of years ago for the Babington Book club I chose his novel The Post Office Girl, published post-humously, and fell in love with his writing. This collection of Selected Stories includes his most powerful novellas. It's the perfect book to have handy for a long journey, when you can dip in and out of Zweig's captivating world.

I hope you like my recommendations and tell me what you think. Happy reading!

Cocktails at Babington House

After a highly successful Babington book club on Wednesday someone (I think it might have been me...) decided it'd be a really good idea to finish the evening off with a round (or two) of cocktails.

And so the night rapidly turned into the kind where you have a full and meaningful conversation with the lovely mixer of cocktails (Greg), about which you remember very little the next morning.

Lucky, then, that I had the presence of mind to take a few pictures. I took these on my iPhone and without a flash so I'm afraid the quality isn't that great. (And that's nothing to do with the cocktails...)

The Englishman chose an Old-fashioned made with....

Bourbon.

Greg presenting me with my choice: an Appeltini mixed with...

Local cider brandy

 I blame Greg for my headache the next morning...

Book club books

As I was going through the choices for future books for my Babington book club tonight, I thought about the process of choosing these books. People have asked me how I do it, and I really haven't been able to give them a satisfactory answer.

I run two book clubs. I started doing my first one at Babington House a few years ago because the person who ran it before me rather selfishly moved to LA (Go figure!?). So, a couple of years ago, I took over the task of organising the monthly meetings.

Then when I started working at the book shop, it was rather natural I should start a book group there too. (Details here)

I guess choosing a book for a club is very much the same as recommending a novel to somebody who walks into England's Lane Books. In short, I have to love it myself first. I also take into account what books the group have read before and try not to repeat the genre or the style. I obviously also take into account what kind of books people like to read.

But I love going off piste sometimes and choose a quite a different kind of book; one which I'm pretty sure none of the members would have even thought of picking up themselves. Sometimes I've read the book myself many years ago, sometimes the book's new to me too. Or I've seen an interesting review, and am so intrigued about the book that I choose it for my book group.

Here's my latest list of book recommendations put together this morning:

James Meek: The People's Act of Love - an intriguing tale set in an isolated community in Siberia. Love, suspicion and terror engulf the small town when Samarin, a tramp, appears from the woods with tales of cannibalism. (This is the England's Lane Book group book for April 26th.)

Lionel Shriver: So Much For That - Shep saves up and dreams all his working life of an escape from the mundane, but when at last it's time to leave home and start afresh, his wife is not ready. I haven't read this book but I can relate to the story already...and I love Lionel Shriver as a writer.

Yrsa Sigurdardottir: Last Rituals - A dark crime novel from Iceland. If you loved the Danish TV series The Killing, you must read this exciting writer.

***Newsflash: Yrsa Sigurdardottir is appearing at England's Lane Books on Wednesday 18th May 2011 ****

Siri Hustvedt: The Summer Without Men - When after 30 years of marriage Boris falls for a young Frenchwoman and asks for a 'break', his wife Mia falls apart. A funny, tragic and beautiful story of women, girls, love and marriage.

A.D. Miller: Snowdrops - A slowly developing thriller set in modern Moscow. Bodies of those unloved or not missed are discovered each spring after the winter snows thaw. In the Moscow slang these corpses are called 'snowdrops'.

My book club

I've been running the monthly Babington book club for a couple of years now and even though I try, I can never predict the number of people who turn up on the night. We can be so many that we have to relocate from the relatively cosy study to the larger library, or then just one or two show up.

I've racked my brain about why this is and have come up with a list of factors:

1. Babington House is isolated, and even though there's an active membership, they often live a driving distance away. This can make it more difficult to get yourself going on a, say, dark November night. On the other hand, the membership is a good resource and therefore can provide numbers for a club like this. Plus you couldn't ask for a better venue.

2. Traditional book clubs are often run by a group of friends in their own homes. If you're committed to going out to some-one's home, you are more likely to make the effort. Because people know each other, they go to have a chat not just about books but about themselves. Conversely, if you want to meet new people and make friends, there couldn't be a better place than a book club. And this is exactly what's happened to me.

3. To have to read a book to attend smacks of school. Many people think that you have to do your homework to attend. Of course this is not the case, and I actively encourage people to come and talk about books even if they haven't had time to read that particular one. Still, just the word 'book club' can put some people off.

4. Choice of book. My largest numbers were on a night when we read Stieg Larssson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The fact that the film had also just been shown in the House cinema did, I'm sure, contribute to the numbers, still the book choice I think is crucial. On the other hand, the regulars tell me that the reason they enjoy the Babington book club is that the books we read (that I choose) they'd never pick up and this is the reason they come to my book club. Double-edged sword, this issue.

I would love my book club to be so oversubscribed that we'd always have to relocate to the large library and to that end I'm considering how to improve it.

I could change the name to 'Book salon'. This is what a lot of book friendly clubs are called. They are not book clubs as such, though, and often don't have a monthly book to read, but have events instead. I know a few writers  who would love to come and talk about their books at Babington. A local book shop might be interested in coming and talking about books to my group. They might go as far as sponsoring an event. Then there are agents, publishers, writer's consultants, lawyers who love nothing more than to have a captive audience readers and (prospective) writers. We could go as far setting up our own mini Babington House literature festival. Now there's something to aim for?

So as you may have guessed, I'd like to canvas opinion from you, my lovely readers and followers: do you go to a book club? And if so, why? Do you think a book salon formula would work better? Or do you think I'm mad and flogging a dead horse? (Don't answer that one)

Life can be hard...

Sometimes it attacks us all: desperation. You cannot but ask yourself, 'why me?'. The answer could lie in the words of some great woman or man,


'You deserve the life you've got.' Or,
'If it's not working out, do something about it.'

But change is difficult, and even if part of that change is positive, there are things that are hard to get used to, and some things that seem impossible. And it's scary.

I'm talking about our move, as usual. Through this whole process of our migration from the country to a city, which became inevitable six months ago, I've never doubted that it's the right thing to do. Not really. I know it had to happen and I'm ready for it.

Still, there are days like today when all I want to do is lie down on the kitchen floor, bang my fists against the lovely oak planks, and cry my eyes out.

But instead I'll pull my socks up and go to the Babington book club. I'll discuss The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Oschner with my fellow book lovers and we'll delve into the much less charming world that Oschner paints, where the dead won't stay quiet, apartment blocks have no sanitation and sink into the mud, workers aren't paid and the children go feral. And I'll realise that things aren't that bad after all.

February is a good month

I've noticed over the years I've made several positive decisions in the month of February.

As I went to my Pilates class at the local gym today (mainly to warm up as the heating is still not on in the house) they told me my annual membership would run out in a week's time. I remember the good feeling I had when, this time last year, I handed over the cash to the friendly girl at the desk promising myself 3-4 weekly session in the gym, Pilates and Yoga, even considering doing some circuit training. You've guessed it, things didn't quite work out that way. I've struggled to get to the gym once every week, but I've kept myself fitter this year than for a little while.

In this positive frame of mind I also agreed to start running The Babington House Book Club a year ago in February. This venture has had its ups and downs, and I'm still in two minds whether it's worth carrying on, but on the other hand I've had the pleasure of reading and discussing some wonderful books with some very interesting people over the year. I've made a few friends and even though some of the books incurred heated debates, I wholeheartedly recommend every one of them:

The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig

A Florentine Death by Michele Giuttari

The Master Bedroom by the wonderfully inspiring writer and teacher, Tessa Hadley

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

Heart Burn by Nora Ephron

Another great decision I made this time last year (the 17th of February 2008 to be precise) was to start a blog. I was already on Facebook, mainly to communicate with friends and Son, and I'd been reading Liberty London Girl among other blogs, but just in the capacity of a 'lurker'. I didn't dare to comment on anything, nor become a follower. Looking back at that time seems so strange. To be an active member of the blogsphere is now one of the most natural and rewarding things in my life. Of course from blogging I went onto Twitter and my on-line life was complete.

So what is it about February that makes us - or me at least - feel so positive? Is it because at last the days are getting longer (though not warmer yet), is it because there are so many things to look forward to in this month? In Britain there's Pancake Day and half-term holiday.

But in Finland the short month of February is filled with noteworthy dates.

Instead of Pancake Day we have Laskias Tiistai, or Sledging Day (Shrove Tuesday). This is traditionally spent hurtling down the longest and steepest hill in the neighbourhood on a sledge and eating sweet buns filled with whipped cream.

In early February there's a day celebrating the life of Runeberg, the Finnish national poet who penned the words to our National Anthem, Maamme Suomi. In the vein of how Finns celebrate anything or anybody, there's a cake, or pastry, named after him. These little sweet cakes are only sold around the Runeberg Day so I usually miss having a taste. This year, however, on Books From Finland site, which I regularly visit to get updates on what's going on in Finnish Literature, they published a recipe. I'll definitely try it out even though the day has now passed.

Furthermore on 28th February Finns celebrate the Finnish Culture Day, Kalevalan Päivä.

Then everywhere in the western world it seems, there's Valentine's Day. If anything, a bit of romance surely will get the positive energies flowing through one's body? Husband and I don't usually go out, but try to have a romantic meal at home, and definitely give each other at least a card. If you, however, go for gifts and are unsure of what to buy the male love of your life this year, the wonderful Mrs Trefusis posted a wholly comprehensive list on her blog earlier this month. Go and admire her impeccable taste.

When I was still living in Finland we didn't celebrate Valentine's Day at all. I remember vividly a few months after I'd met the Englishman in February 1981 I got a card from him with the puzzling message, 'Be Mine...' and a question mark under it with a small letter 'x'. I recognised the handwriting so knew it was from him but couldn't for the life of me understand why he didn't say so. And what was the little 'x' all about? Of course I now know how very romantic that was.

Nowadays in Finland Valentine's Day is celebrated as Friendship Day, very much in the vein of the Americans. There's a humorous description of Valentine's Day in the US from a British viewpoint on Expat Mum. But I'm still finding it strange to get cards or messages from my friends and relatives in Finland. To me Valentine's is just for lovers. Call me old-fashioned.

Whatever it is, romance, culture or the memory of sledging in the snow, I do feel different in February. Perhaps it's the efforts Husband and I traditionally make in January to be without the Devil's Juice, although in past few years we've only managed to drink less, not be wholly abstinent. Perhaps it's the lack of alcohol that makes me feel better in February? I'm not sure, and I'm not prepared to repeat January's efforts all through the year, even though I know I really should. I love good wine too much. Besides, positive and over-productive Helena Halme year around would drive my family around the bend. There is a danger I may also start to annoy myself, or even burn out. And we couldn't have that now, could we? I say this while starting to warm up a bottle of Rioja (stored in the Siberian climate that is the lobby) in front of the fire, ready for this evening's well deserved tipple. Misguided?

Bad Hair and Book Club

Though it’s my daughter who’s taking the A 2’s, they’ve affected me too. I’ve not had one trip to London since her school ended almost three weeks ago. Nobody has forced me stay home and look after her, but I’m a mother and want to be here to support her and pick her up if her confidence wobbles. Just like when she was a baby.

Due to a lack of trips to London my hair is two weeks overdue colour and cut. And we're off to Oxford to spend son’s birthday weekend with him and girlfriend, then going onto a friends house for Sunday lunch on the way back home. I haven’t seen her for two years. Hair out of shape is not good for either of these events. Think of all the pictures that will remain on various pc’s.

The hair situation came to a crisis point last night as I was getting ready for a book club I run at Babington House. As usual I was short on time. Normally my long hair just needs a quick blow dry and some product. But no, last night it was not playing ball.

With seriously frizzy, straight-and-curly-in-wrong-places coiffure, I greeted my fellow book lovers. ‘You look well,’ said one in that concerned tone, which really meant, ‘You just got out of the shower without making yourself up?’

I’m sure I'm being paranoid, but three weeks in the country without the refreshing effects of some London glamour does get to a girl. A point which was beautifully expressed in the book of the month, Stefan Zweig’s ‘The Post Office Girl’. Although she was poverty stricken and lived some 100 years ago in Austria. So, really, I have nothing to complain about. Ah, the enlightening effects of literature.