What I'm reading ...

Time for my next book club book, so I have started The Red House by Mark Haddon. Having enjoyed his previous book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I am looking forward to this one. Here's the blurb:

Two families. Seven days. One house.
Angela and her brother Richard have spent twenty years avoiding each other. Now, after the death of their mother, they bring their families together for a holiday in a rented house on the Welsh border. Four adults and four children. Seven days of shared meals, log fires, card games and wet walks.
But in the quiet and stillness of the valley, ghosts begin to rise up. The parents Richard thought he had. The parents Angela thought she had. Past and present lovers. Friends, enemies, victims, saviours.

Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery - by Henry Marsh

An excellent book. The author maintains a healthy balance between talking about the actual brain surgery, his feelings and views about his work and the rest of his life. It is written with what I felt was great humility. He is proud of what he has achieved, but deeply saddened by his own failings. I am humbled to read about someone working with such skill and expertise, but still caring and modest.

What I'm reading ...

I was after a non-fiction, easy to read book and have started Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Here's the blurb:

Do No Harm offers an unforgettable insight into the highs and lows of a life dedicated to operating on the human brain, in all its exquisite complexity. With astonishing candour and compassion, Henry Marsh reveals the exhilarating drama of surgery, the chaos and confusion of a busy modern hospital, and above all the need for hope when faced with life's most agonising decisions.

Middle Watch - by Loretta Proctor

This book is unusual nowadays, as it has a single timeline and is told from a single viewpoint. The language used in the book is straightforward and makes for easy reading. The story, however, does have complexities, specifically the various relationships that Bridie has with the other characters, which is ultimately what the book is about. On a certain level, her uncertainties in this area are resolved by the way circumstances turn out. But I was left wondering whether she was happy to have everything clear or was just living with what was inevitable. The book left me with some questions [which is OK, as I will meet the author in a few weeks], but also with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. I wonder: and then what ... ?