I would say May has overall been a positive month. The weather has been largely good, we’ve spent more time with friends than we had for two years, we had two long weekends away (including one without the dog – shock!). I finished six books, all of them good.

I’ve started a new K-drama, so look out for my review of that soon. And I’ve rediscovered the Indian TV show Little Things, which is a gorgeous look at the minutiae of one Mumbai couple’s relationship. Film-wise, my top hits were Turning Red and Definition Please, though I also very much enjoyed finally watching Johnny Mnemonic.

Here’s to an equally excellent June. Happy reading!

Books read

The Biscuit: the History of a Very British Indulgence by Lizzie Collingham
This is a fascinating history of the biscuit, from its Roman Empire beginnings as twice-baked bread, to being a culinary centrepiece for the super rich of the 17th century; to becoming a factory-made staple of every British household (and indeed much of the rest of the world). I learned so many brilliant facts from this book, and bookmarked several of the recipes dotted throughout. My one criticism is that Collingham repeatedly glosses over/euphemises colonialism and slavery. For a book written in 2020 to fail so badly to address how and why Britain was suddenly flooded with cheap sugar, for example, is honestly shocking.

The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
In this fourth volume of her autobiography, Angelou recounts the years she spent living in New York City working on her writing and her move to Egypt. This was when she got involved in civil rights, working for Martin Luther King Jr’s SCLC and meeting both King and Malcolm X for the first time. She has to contend with her son becoming a teenager eager to prove himself as a man, and face up to her limitations as a singer and actor (her primary sources of income up until now). Angelou is lyrical and brutally honest about herself and the choices she makes.

All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes by Maya Angelou
In Maya Angelou’s fifth volume of autobiography, she has a job lined up in Liberia but circumstances force her to live in Ghana instead. Newly independent, its president Kwame Nkrumah is already legendary and his support for Pan-Africanism appeals to Angelou and her new group of ex-pat friends. Angelou’s life was crazy fascinating.

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi
Having learned a little about Ghana from Maya Angelou, I was inspired to pick up this novel that was a DNF for me when it first came out in paperback in 2014. This time I got on with it much better and really enjoyed the unusual pacing. In suburban Accra, Kweku Sai dies early one morning in his garden. Selasi describes his dying thoughts in minute detail, taking up the first hundred or so pages. The rest of the book follows his children and ex-wife learning the news and coming together for his funeral. The structure means it helps to devote a good chunk of time to starting this book to prevent it from becoming bewildering. But it’s a really good way to illustrate the rich details of every small moment of every life.

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
I spent a few months making slow progress through this classic of lesbian fiction. First published in 1928. It’s the story of Stephen Gordon, a woman raised in all the comforts of a large country estate, the only child of a doting father who teaches her to ride, hunt, study and fence. When it gradually becomes clear in her teens and early 20s that she is attracted to women, her father’s instinct is to protect her, while her mother is disgusted. The rest of her life follows a similar pattern of finding people who accept her and people who hate her. Like many books of its era, the language feels a bit stilted and old-fashioned now. But I can see why many people still laud this book, and how revolutionary it must have been, speaking frankly about Stephen’s relationships and those of her gay friends, and pointing out the hypocrisy and unfairness in how they are treated.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
This is feminist mecha sci-fi set in a future inspired by Chinese history and mythology. The opening chapters repeatedly threaten to drop into terrible fantasy tropes – such as the innocent girl falling for a violent but strangely compelling man – but thankfully always swerves away to a more unexpected direction. In Huaxia, the ongoing war at the Great Wall is fought in Chrysalises – giant robots piloted by young men who are national celebrities, and co-piloted by mostly nameless young women who almost always die in battle. Wu Zetian volunteers to become a co-pilot to avenge the death of her older sister but when she unexpectedly survives her first battle, she begins the process of uncovering secrets about herself, about the army, and about her whole country. This is really enjoyable and clearly sets itself up for sequels.