Books I read in 2020 - Part 1 (January - March)

Earlier this year, I wrote about my year in books (2019) which came about because I joined Goodreads last year and found the perfect platform to indulge my passion for books and reading. At the start of 2020 I pledged to read 25 books and I have to say that I am progressing very nicely with my challenge. During the first 3 months of 2020 I read 9 books. These were:

1. Bring Me Home by Alan Titchmarsh 3.5/5 stars
2. Body Surfing by Anita Shreve 3.5/5 stars
3. Night by Elie Wiesel 5/5 stars
4. The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe 4/5 stars
5. The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris 5/5 stars
6. All The Light We  Cannot See by Anthony Doerr 5/5/ stars
7. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty 4/5 stars
8. The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay 2/5 stars
9. Cilka's Journey by Heather  Morris 3.5/5 stars

NIGHT by Elie Wiesel

Born into a Jewish ghetto in Hungary, as a child, Elie Wiesel was sent to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This is his account of that atrocity: the ever-increasing horrors he endured, the loss of his family and his struggle to survive in a world that stripped him of humanity, dignity and faith. Describing in simple terms the tragic murder of a people from a survivor’s perspective, Night is among the most personal, intimate and poignant of all accounts of the Holocaust. A compelling consideration of the darkest side of human nature and the enduring power of hope, it remains one of the most important works of the twentieth century.

I don't have much to add to the book synopsis. Night is a harrowing book told in simple, stark language that struck me to my core.  Although no words can ever describe the horror of Auschwitz or Buchenwald, this book forces the reader to, not only participate in the physical degradation suffered by the inmates of these concentration camps, but to be brought face to face with the total annihilation of their humanity. Elie Wiesel's memoir of the Holocaust should be mandatory reading in high schools if we are to ensure that the events of 80 years ago are not repeated.

THE BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER by Mary Alice Monroe

Every year, the monarch butterflies—las mariposas—fly more than two thousand miles on fragile wings to return to their winter home in Mexico. Now Luz Avila makes that same perilous journey south as she honors a vow to her beloved abuela—the grandmother who raised her—to return her ashes to her ancestral village. As Luz departs Milwaukee in a ramshackle old VW Bug, she finds her heart opened by a series of seemingly random encounters with remarkable women. In San Antonio, however, a startling revelation awaits: a reunion with a woman from her past. Together, the two cross into Mexico to await the returning monarchs in the little village Abuela called home, but they are also crossing a border that separates past from present . . . and truth from lies.

I enjoyed this endearing story about 3 generations of women and their ethereal connection to monarch butterflies. The Butterfly's Daughter is a book about every girl's journey to womanhood and the connections she makes along the way with the women who have gone before her and the ones she meets along the way. I learnt quite a bit about monarch butterflies and Mexican traditions and, although there are a number of coincidences in the book that may seem a bit unreal, it was still an enjoyable read. This would be a great book for a pleasant summer read.

THE STRAWBERRY THIEF by Joanne Harris

Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her 'special' child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend.

But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray.

This is the fourth and, unfortunately, last book in the Chocolat series. I have always felt an uncanny connection to Vianne. Maybe it's because, like me; she loves chocolate. Maybe it's because whenever I read a book in this series, Vianne seemed to be in the same phase of life as I was - which made us kindred spirits - of sorts. Or maybe it's because Vianne, like me, has a knack for reading people's thoughts. Whatever it is, Vianne and I have been 'friends' for a long time and I shall miss her immensely. In spite of my 5-star rave review, the book does have some shortcomings, like characters who seem to have a major part to play only for them to suddenly disappear, relationships that go nowhere, loose ends that never get tied up (who knows, there may be a fifth book, after all). But, overall, The Strawberry Thief managed to work its magic on me like all the books in this series have. Looking back, 4 stars would probably have been a fairer score but, I can't help being biased in Vianne's favour.

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr

‘Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.’

For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth.

How do I even begin to describe this book? It's like a gift that is wrapped up in many layers of paper and, with each layer you remove, you find something even more wonderful hidden inside. All The Light We Cannot See was a pleasure to read. Each short chapter was so beautifully crafted that it was like a story within a story. And the prose was some of the most beautiful and poetic that I have every read. Doerr is a master at creating vivid descriptions and his writing is enhanced with metaphors that just made me go back and read paragraphs all over again, just to savour the beauty of his words.  This is probably a book that I will re-read someday just to savour it slowly, lingeringly, without having that incessant urge to finish it just to find out how it's going to end. And when it does end, you realise just how futile and horrifying war is.
All The Light We Cannot See won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2015.

THE LAST ANNIVERSARY by Liane Moriarty

70 years ago, the Munro family disappeared without a trace - leaving behind their newborn baby.

When sisters Rose and Connie Doughty found her, they took her in and raised her as their own.

Since then, the unsolved 'Munro Baby Mystery' has brought fame and fortune to their small island.

But years later, after her sister's death and the arrival of newcomer Sophie Honeywell, Rose begins to wonder if she and Connie made the right decision all those years ago.

How much longer can she cover up the lie that has sustained their community for generations?

This book is certainly not a literary masterpiece (of course, reading it after Doerr's exquisite porse didn't help) but it had enough going for it to make it an enjoyable read. Essentially, The Last Anniversary is a story about a family; a family that has a secret that is mysterious enough to keep the interest of the reader going.  This is the second book by Liane  Moriarty that I've read and, in both her books, she creates characters that are flawed, down-to-earth and very  much like each and every one of us. I think it's one of the secrets to her success and what makes her books so popular..

In an effort to keep this post as short as possible, I only shared the books that I rated 4 or higher. I don't find book reviews easy to write. I am sure that all authors pour a lot of time and effort into their work that  probably feels as much a part of them as their right hand. But books are like art: some will appeal to the majority, others to the more selective and some may miss the mark completely. I hope that if any of you need a few book suggestions you will find a couple here that you might like to read. Reading is surely one of the best antidotes at the moment. Keep safe and well and let me know if there are any books from my list that you have read and what you thought about them.