There was a lot of trying to deal with nausea in September, but managed a few books:
To the Fourth Generation by Chick Yuill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Well I think with every book Chick writes he finds his feet more and more. I’ve been reading quite a lot of ‘heavy’ books and I wanted some fiction – and it pulled me through all afternoon as I read it largely in one go! As always, questions of faith and life’s meanings are woven in – as part of the character’s lives (not wedged in) … and there were points where questioned own place in life as the characters wrestled with their various struggles. I enjoyed the way we followed 4 (well 5) Alexander’s through time – each of them shaped by differing contexts and finding different ways (and not all necessarily getting a happy ending).
When I Talk to You by Michael Leunig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simple but heartfelt prayers, accompanied by lovely comedic illustrations. Applies to so many areas of life …
Pondlife: A Swimmer’s Journal by Al Álvarez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very readable – such short chunks of content – with gentle humour interspersed. As someone who loves wild swimming but has missed a lot around cancer treatment – both the joys of wild swimming (and the effort it can take to engage – but the payoff is worth it) – and the impact of a weakening body in affecting quality of life were very recognisable (as is getting your head to focus on writing when it’s spinning in many diff directions).
