#booksinourhands: May
Parasitic wasps + mycelium + a murder or two
Over on Instagram I have a little account that haphazardly tracks some of the books I read. It’s called booksinourhands and it’s a love letter to the joy of holding books, smelling them, feeling their pages, and spending time curled up in armchairs, away from screens. The thing I love most about it is when people occasionally use the booksinourhands hashtag to share what they are reading with me. If you’re over on Instagram, please feel free to use it and tag me (or comment below).
I’ve been enjoying bringing a bit of the #booksinourhands flavour to Substack. Here are the books I read in May.
#booksinourhands: May
The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves | I turn to Ann Cleeves whenever I need a bit of cosy comfort. The calling of the curlews, the grey seas, the hot coffee and warm pubs, the woollens and outdoor wear (and a dead body or two)… it's cosy reading at its easiest and simplest, in my opinion.
Frogsong by Melissa Manning | Beautifully written and tragic, Frongsong traces the relationship of Caro and Danny from childhood through to young adulthood, when Danny’s life takes a turn and he essentially goes off the rails. I found it hard to read at times, but Manning articulates themes of grief, longing and disappointment with skill.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard | A classic I had been meaning to read for many years. It was the exquisite observation that held my attention in this book. Setting aside the praise Dillard has received for this book, which is a lot and for good reason, I was entranced by the juxtaposition of her attention versus our modern world, where we flit from this to that to this to that without so much as a consideration to land and stay a while. Dillard stays a while. We have a lot to learn from this book. This review says it best.
Zone One by Colson Whitehead | I had been trying to get my hands on this 2011 book for a while, touted as a magical pairing of genre and literary fiction. I listened to the book on audio, but got lost in the numerous flashbacks and reminiscing, which I think could have been potentially resolved outside of the audio version by being able to flick pages back and forth. Glad to have read it? Yes, but would have preferred the paperback.
Mantle by Romy Ash | POW. Weeks later I’m still unsure how I feel about this book. The writing is exquisite and the storyline deliciously strange and wonderful; it’s a beautifully eccentric book of nature, water, climate, grief, lonliness set in a small town on the south-east coast of Tasmania where the fire must be stoked and the supplies in town are running out… but can we talk about the mushrooms? I read parts of this book with my hand over my mouth, appalled by an alarming turn of events involving a strange rash… and the most utterly grotesque scenes imagineable, written with impeccable skill. The characters in this book were a standout, all harbouring their own quirks and stories. I have honestly never read anything like it. If you read it, please report back.
Favourite book of the month:
January: Gentle and Fierce by Vanessa Berry
February: The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
March: The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall
April: Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan
May: So hard - Mantle for the shock and strangeness, or Pilgrim at Tinker Creek for classical nature writing? The heart speaks: Mantle by Romy Ash.
What did you read during May?
I’d love to hear about it.
About the author
Lucinda Bain is a contemporary Australian writer based in Naarm/Melbourne, whose work explores motherhood, place, memory, suburban life and the natural world. Lucinda is mother to three daughters – a role that deeply informs much of her writing. She is currently studying librarianship at the master’s level, which complements her identity as a reader, writer, researcher and observer of how stories locate themselves in both home and landscape.