My Reading Month - June

In June I read seven books, so I have at least made a reasonable start on #20BooksofSummer, and three books fortuitously also qualify for my own #projectplaces.

My top read of the month was definitely John D Burns' The Last Hillwalker, which I've reviewed here. It's very entertaining, full of great stories, and not nearly as super-hearty as I had feared.

I also very much enjoyed Olga Wojtas's second outing for the indomitable Shona McMonagle, Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Vampire Menace (reviewed here), which is a lot of fun and clever too.

I was surprised by how much I liked Catherine Alliott's A Cornish Summer, which reminded me of Jilly Cooper's early romances (Harriet, Imogen); not only is it full of rich, posh people (Belinda, Babs, Flora, Hugh...you get the idea), beautiful country houses, and dogs called Piggy, it also manages to have a proper plot, the lack of which is the downfall of many a book of this kind.

I knew I would be in safe hands with Ian Rankin, and his Hide and Seek certainly delivered - Rankin's plots are so clever, and his characters so believable; it's also satisfying to recognise so many Edinburgh locations, from the Georgian mansions of the New Town to the grim half-abandoned estates of Pilmuir.

I was less impressed with Rebecca Tope's A Cotswold Killing, perhaps because I could not take to the rather cold heroine. The plot was over-contorted and the dialogue unconvincing, although as this is the first in a long and popular series, I feel I should try another one before writing this author off.

Fell Farm Holiday (reviewed here) was also a disappointment for me, but again I know that many people love and cherish these post-war children's adventure stories. I am now keen to revisit some of the books that made my own childhood, to find out if they retain their magic or are lost to me now.

Finally, I listened to one audio book in June, The Railway Children. I have read the novel and seen the famous film, but I still enjoyed this reading by Sarah Ovens on the wonderful BBC Sounds. Ovens' reading was excellent, but I did find myself in a much more critical mood this time - maybe I was having a bad day! I got quite irritated by Mother, who seemed fundamentally wet compared to the children, and by the pat way that everything worked out in the end - but I reminded myself that this was a children's story, and I was still very happy to hear Bobby's famous closing words as her parents are finally reunited on the station platform.

I also watched two films last month, What We Did On Our Holiday and The Castle. The former I had seen once before but it was well worth a second outing.  The acting in this very funny, touching film is outstanding, from Billy Connolly's subversive grandpa Gordie MacLeod to Ben Miller's wealthy, self-made, pompous Gavin (one of Gordie's sons.) David Tennant and Rosamund Pike are perfect as parents trying to navigate a divorce while pretending to play happy families for the sake of the ailing Gordie, and but it's the children - Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge and Harriet Turnball - who really shine. And of course the scenery of Scotland's west coast is a spectacular star in its own right.

The Castle is a low budget Australian film from 1997 that I discovered thanks to David Stratton's excellent Stories of Australian Cinema (available on BBC i-Player); it's about the working class Kerrigans, whose house is next to the runway of an airport and underneath an electricity pylon. The family, however, think their home is wonderful, and led by the patriarch, Darryl (Michael Caton) they see the good in every part of their happy life. One son is unfortunately in prison for armed robbery, but even then Darryl is sure he was just 'easily led' - and seeing the rest of this family's trusting naivety you can actually believe that this may have been the case. When some rich businessmen decide to extend the airport, the Kerrigans are served with a compulsory purchase order and eviction notice. Darryl, convinced that morals will overcome money, decides to fight for his home and those of his equally poor neighbours. What happens next forms the plot of the film, and is both hilarious and deeply uplifting. You can currently find The Castle on YouTube.

In July I hope to read more, although as we begin to travel farther from our homes, time may start to shrink again. I hope not, as the lockdown has reminded me of just how rewarding sustained reading (rather than 20 minutes on the bus or 10 minutes before I fall asleep) can be.