Mini shopaholic (by Sophie Kinsella)

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The fifth book in Sophie Kinsella’s classic ‘chick lit’ series, ‘Shopaholic and baby’, features Becky Brandon going through pregnancy; the baby is not born until the end of the book. And its immediate sequel, ‘Mini shopaholic’, which I last read in 2012, begins a couple of years later. As with most books which I haven’t read in a decade or more, I had entirely forgotten the storyline.

One can’t forget Becky, however, or her hard-working and generous husband Luke. They are living with Becky’s parents at the start of the book, hoping to buy a place of their own. But one after another, the houses they want have problems. It looks as though the perfect one is available, however, so they’re hopeful. They’ve taken over rather a lot of her parents’ house with Becky’s huge collection of clothes and shoes, not to mention little Minnie’s equipment, toys and clothes…

Becky has been trying to cut down a bit on her own shopping, and even agrees to start wearing the things in her closet at least three times before buying anything new. And she’s also set up a new system for Minnie to buy things with her pocket money, although Minnie loves shopping as much as her mother does, and it’s clear that already she’s many years in debt…

Last term at Malory Towers (by Enid Blyton)

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I started rereading Enid Blyton’s ‘Malory Towers’ school series back in May. I’ve continued reading one per month and have just finished the last in the original series, ‘Last term at Malory Towers’. I say the ‘original’ series because I’ve learned that there are some extra book written by a different author which fill in some of the gaps. However I don’t have any of those, and have not read them.

I last read ‘Last term at Malory Towers’ in 2014, but as a teenager I read it every few years, and occasionally as a young adults, so I was reasonably familiar with some of the storylines. Darrell Rivers is now head girl of Malory Towers, and - with most of her friends - in her final term. She, Sally, Alicia and Betty are all off to university in the autumn, and are looking forward to it. But inevitably there’s a lot of nostalgia as they go to their beloved boarding school as pupils for the last time. 

Darrell’s younger sister Felicity is in the second form, and she features somewhat in this book, along with a rather unpleasant girl called Jo who has even more unpleasant parents. Jo’s father tells her he was always bottom of the class, and encourages her to do as little work as possible. He sends her money and extravagant food, and she tries to manipulate her classmates as a result. But the only person who seems to like her is a timid first-former called Deirdre.

Mr Brightly's evening off (by Kathleen Rowntree)

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It’s over twenty years since I read Kathleen Rowntree’s novel ‘Mr Brightly’s evening off’. So, unsurprisingly, I had entirely forgotten the story and the people. It was more than time for a reread.

There’s a prologue which doesn’t seem to make much sense at first: three unconnected women watching a TV show where some silhouetted women are asked how they feel about a situation, and a particular person. I’m not quite sure why this prologue is there, other than to give a bit of mystery to the novel; it’s not until towards the end of the book that the scene takes place.

Chapter one introduces us to the elderly - but spry - Mrs Parminter who wakes up to find herself lying in her garden, in the rose bed. She comes to consciousness gradually, and then starts to wonder why she’s there. She then worries about how she’s going to get up, until she remembers that it’s Wednesday, and Mr Brightly is going to pay her a visit. It’s his evening off, he has told her, when his wife is at choir practice. And although Mr Brightly is much younger than Mrs Parminter, in his early fifties, the two of them are very good friends. 

The garden of evening mists (by Tan Twan Eng)

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I had never heard of Tan Twan Eng. And while the cover of the book ‘The garden of evening mists’ is quite appealing, with some excellent reviews, I doubt if I’d have picked it up to read by chance. However, it was the allocated book for this month’s reading group, so I bought it (used) from the ‘World of books’ site last year, and read it over a few days before the meeting.

The first chapter is a bit confusing, though it’s confidently - and, in places, poetically - told. The whole book is in the first person, narrated by a Chinese woman called Yun Ling. The opening paragraph mentions her seeing the Emperor of Japan when she was twenty-seven, and that terrible things were done to her and her sister.

Then the action moves forward by thirty-six years. Yun Ling has retired early from a high-powered job as a judge. She’s come to a house where she used to know a man called Aritomo used to leave. There’s a Chinese servant living there, who remembers her from over three decades earlier. She hasn’t returned there since. Yun Ling is about to meet an art expert who is going to examine some of Aritomo’s work. 

Jane and the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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It’s nine years since I read ‘Jane and the Chalet School’, 51st in the original series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. Before that it had been at least a couple of decades, and I found I had no memory of it. This time, I vaguely remembered that one of the girls, known as Jack, took a dislike to a new girl called Jane. But I had entirely forgotten the details. Evidently this is not a book I have read regularly. 

The book opens at the start of a summer term in Switzerland. The first chapter is quite dramatic. Jack Lambert, who is fourteen but seems young for her age, is in a furious temper. She’s been moved from the dormitory where she has slept since she came to the school, and she will no longer be able to ask constant questions of her favourite senior, Len Maynard. 

For most girls this would be a minor frustration, but Jack is an all-or-nothing person, and she is determined to dislike the new girl who is taking over her cubicle. And Jane Carew is about as different from Jack as possible. Jack - who hates her full name of Jacynth - likes what were then considered ‘boyish’ activities: mechanics, cars, woodwork and so on. She has short hair, and a short temper.