Something about a new year gives me a lovely literary kick and a desire to read. The start of a fresh year and fresh challenges, new worlds and new knowledge that are just waiting to be discovered are too exciting to pass up. I continued Cornwell’s Saxon series although the story is fairly brutal. I returned to Sharon Kay Penman’s writing and thoroughly enjoyed her medieval tale and I ventured into reading a popular book.

For whatever reason I have not been drawn to any mystery novels as of late. Normally I have a series or an author that I follow, but I have not been able to find a new series that has caught my attention. For now, I am digging into history and loving every minute of it.

Here are the books I decided to start the new year with in January:

LORDS OF THE NORTH BY BERNARD CORNWELL

After an unlikely victory in the previous book, Lords of the North begins with Wessex free of Vikings. Uhtred, who helped King Alfred win a great victory, is disappointed in the king’s lack of generosity and flees to pursue an old blood feud with Kjartan the Cruel, the Danish lord who killed his foster father and took his stepsister captive. His only ally is Hild, a Saxon nun fleeing her calling.

By this time, Uhtred carries the reputation of a great warrior. He assists in the release of Guthred, a slave who is believed to be a king. Guthred dreams of a kingdom of both Saxons and Vikings and enlists Uhtred to be part of his household guard. Unthred agrees partially because of his attraction to Guthred’s sister, Gisela, and knowing the fate of Cumbria will inevitably lead to the stronghold of Dunholm and the lands of his nemesis Kjartan and his son, one-eyed Sven. That is until Uhtred is betrayed and sold into slavery.

Lords of the North was a compelling third book in the Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell. I enjoyed the pacing of the book and I never felt as though the story fell off or became muddled. There was room for epic battles, love affairs and the political intrigue within each page. The resurfacing of the old blood feud between Uhtred and Kjartan was also riveting even if, as a reader, I know that Uhtred survives in the end. Cornwell deliberately includes passages where Uhtred is narrating the story in his old age. Even so, I wanted to know how he would exact his revenge and whether would there be a great loss amid the epic battle.

I greatly enjoy the depiction of historical figures and plausible sceneries of the 9th century. What I do struggle with are the descriptive passages where blood and gore and rape occur. I still like the series and I find the history incredibly intriguing, but I do struggle with some of the more brutal scenes.

I am going to give the next book a chance and see how it goes. I want to know what happens in the story that alone commends that Cornwell is a great writer even when I am unsure if the series is the best thing for me to read, I feel compelled to keep going.

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY BY BONNIE GARMUS

Chemist Elizabeth Gott is not like most women and in the 1960s she struggles with her all-male team at work and societal norms that care little for her views on equality. That is until she meets a fellow scientist, Calvin Evans; a brilliant Nobel-prize-nominated man known for his deep-seated grudges. When the pair meet and Calvin is fascinated with her mind as well as her physique, the chemistry between the two is unmistakable.

And yet, life does not work out how people think and leads Elizabeth Zott to find herself as a single mother and a reluctant TV star on a beloved cooking show Supper of Six. Elizabeth’s unorthodox approach to cooking not only educates her spellbound audience in the details of chemistry, but she pushes even further challenging the status quo which her audience ferociously devours.

Wry, witty and observant, Lessons in Chemistry opens a window in time and shrewdly exposes a world rife with hypocrisy, sexism and bias.

Lesson in Chemistry was extremely popular when I put the book on hold and the library and I had to wait for five months before it was available. The time crunch of knowing I had only three weeks compelled me to get through the book and as I started I was ready to throw the book into the heap of contemporary books that just did not hit the mark, and then I kept reading and reading. This was the first book in a long time where I laughed out loud so many times. I loved Garmus’ witty sense of humor and her sharp observations relating to gender inequalities.

“No surprise. Idiots make it into every company. They tend to interview well.”

This was the first of many lines that made me laugh and I enjoyed the way Garmus filtered these sort of clever lines through different characters throughout the book.

Once the story took off I could not put it down and even though it is a fairly large book for a contemporary read, I finished it in less than a week. Elizabeth Zott’s character was the sort of curious nonconformist that I enjoy rooting for and the story was refreshingly relatable even if it read much like a story of blowing apart the nostalgic whitewashing of the 1960s. The fact that so many of the horrible characters received their comeuppance caused the reading of Lesson in Chemistry to be wonderfully cathartic.

The ending did feel a bit too tidy. Everything was sorted and figured out and I tend to like books that leave a few strings untethered allowing for my imagination to take the story further along. Be that as it may, I still greatly enjoyed the book and sometimes it is nice to have all the circles connected and the story to complete. I highly recommend this book as was both entertaining and eye-opening.

One thought I had throughout the book was If people think women are not treated well now, just go back a few decades it was way worse. Go back hundreds of years and tales of the treatment of women would turn your stomach. Even if things are better does not mean they cannot be improved on. I was still struggling with feeling a bit low after the holidays and this book perked me right up, compelling me to go out there brave and bold.

SWORD SONG BY BERNARD CORNWELL

In 885, there is peace with the Danish kingdom in the North and the Saxon kingdom in the South. The formidable warrior Uhtred—Saxon by birth, raised as a Viking—has settled with a wife and children beholden to King Alfred. Then a dead man rises and new Vikings arrive, capturing the old Roman city Lundene (London). The Vikings want Uhtred to help them conquer Wessex, but Alfred commands Uhtred to take back the city.

Uhtred has to truth the honor of his oath to a king he loathes and gage the shift of power to decide where to establish his allegiance. Added to the turmoil, Alfred’s newly married daughter is kidnapped her existence now threatens Alfred’s kingdom. It is up to Uhtred to decide the fate of England.

Although there are many parts of this series where women are brutalized, there are also many occurrences of strong female characters. Every woman who becomes a companion to Uhtred is strong and determined. Bride continues to stand by Ragnar’s side and is one of the strongest female characters even though she seldom appears in the story. The history of the making of England is of constant interest as I read this series, but the women make it a better story.

Again, I struggled with the brutal nature of the battle scenes. I will admit that in this book I skimmed through the more gruesome sections and made sure to return for dialogue to stay connected with the story. I am on the fence about whether to continue the story solely based on the brutal depictions, but perhaps I can find a balance and still read the main essence of the story and pass on the more gruesome details.

WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT BY SHARON KAY PENMAN

The death of England’s King Henry I in 1135 AD brings about the undesirable prospect of the country being ruled by a woman, Maude, Countess of Anjou and the King’s only remaining legitimate child. Before Maude can claim the throne, her cousin Stephen seizes the crown. The years that follow are what are considered a time of anarchy when England bled and burned.

This is the fourth book I have read from Sharon Kay Penman and like her Welsh series, I was immediately drawn into the story. For some, Penman’s depictions and writing may be on the slower side, but I enjoyed the fact that she takes her time with her scenes and does well to paint a picture of medieval England.

I also appreciated that Penman is less graphic in her writing compared to her fellow historical fiction authors. I have a gentle soul and a strong visual imagination. When depictions get too violent, especially against women, I tend to struggle.

I was immediately drawn into the story of Empress Maude and her nephew King Stephen. I was less familiar with this era of English history, but it all came together when Henry II ascended the throne and began the Plantagenet dynasty. The exploits of Maude trying to evade the clutches of Stephen were fascinating and I was happy to learn that they actually happened. All in all, this was a wonderful read and I am excited to continue the series which expands upon the life of the infamous Eleanor of Aquitaine and her legacy with Henry II and their children Richard the Lion Heart and his younger brother John. Penman is detailed in her storytelling and I love delving into her historical world.

JANUARY 2024 READING LIST