Third book published!
After a summer of wonderful holidays, I had to get down to some work again! I published my third novel, Precious Things, on Amazon in the middle of September. I wrote the original draft some years ago, and had a UK agency show some interest (though they did not actually take it up), so I am very happy to have finally got it out there. I am also very fond of this book because the subject and the main character were inspired by someone I was very fond of. While the main theme is hoarding behaviour and the effect it has on people’s lives, the story also touches on ageing, loneliness, mother-daughter relationships, grief and mental health. I have had some really nice feedback, and was especially moved by a friend who said she was able to start sorting through her late husband’s belongings when she realised, as the protagonist does, that it’s the memories that should be treasured, not the things. In case you would like to check it out, here is a link: https://amzn.eu/d/0cQ0ko3a
I am working on a third novel in the Turkish village series. The book still focuses on Fatma and the Kismet Pension, and this time Fatma is having a more personal crisis. As before, I am trying to include plenty of Turkish phrases and customs. Here is an expression that Fatma realises the truth of (and that I would sometimes benefit from remembering!): su akar, yolunu bulur. It means ‘water flows and will find its way’, or don’t try to control everything as things often resolve themselves over time!
I have just had a great weekend away, visiting the natural travertines of Pamukkale. These are deposits of calcium carbonate released by hot springs coming out of the rock. They are soft when first formed, hardening to form sparkling white terraces whose Turkish name means ‘cotton castle’. I first saw them about forty years ago and was suitably impressed, though at that time there were actually hotels built over the top of the terraces, pumping some of the thermal water into their pools, and people were allowed to walk all over them. Unsurprisingly, when I next went there a few years later, the terraces were crumbling and stained. However, the authorities thankfully realised the need for conservation and in the 1990s the hotels were demolished, all roads were removed and the water – and the visitors – started to be actively managed in a way that allowed the travertines to regenerate. You can still walk up the hill and bathe your feet in the warm, mineral-rich water, but the feature is returned to its former glory.
Alongside it, and part of the joint UNESCO World Heritage Site, are the remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis. This grew up as a direct result of the hot springs and became a centre of healing. It is a huge site, with a theatre that can seat more than 10,000, and an enormous cemetery – not a great advert for a health spa, but I suppose inevitable when a lot of the people who went there were already sick!
Last weekend, the site saw the second Lykos half marathon race meet, which attracted an incredible 10,000 participants. The route went over the top of the travertines and through the ruins, with hot air balloons lining the first stage. There is a certain adrenaline rush just watching the runners, and seeing them all racing among the ancient ruins just added to it!
This month, I’ve discovered two new book-related podcasts: The Book Club (with Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett) and Sara and Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club (Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd). In the first, they discuss classic books – so far I have listened to their episodes on East of Eden, Wuthering Heights and Rebecca. The second focuses on recent popular books, often with the author present. The episodes on Land (by Maggie O’Farrell) and Taipei Story (Rebecca F. Kuang) have made me impatient to read the books (though I am a big fan of Maggie O’Farrell anyway, and would have got round to this at some point!)
As for my recent reading, I have to confess to reading two Booker prize winners that I found a struggle. I won’t name them because I’m not sure my opinion is valid, but I felt the characters were poorly-drawn and unlikeable, and one of them seemed unnecessarily long and drawn out. I know we all have different tastes, and these days I am probably drawn more to books that have a good story than ones that are considered literary achievements, but I was pleased when I checked on Goodreads to find that there were many people who shared my view!
Here is one book that I did enjoy:
Crow Lake – Mary Lawson
This is beautifully written and a great story. The author is Canadian and this was her first book, published when she was fifty-five (for which I love her even more!) It is set in northern Ontario, where life is already hard and made harder for the Morrisons by a family tragedy. It focuses on the relationships of the narrator, Kate, with her brothers, and the widely divergent paths their lives have taken. With a pending invitation to return home to Crow Lake for a family celebration, Kate is forced to face up to her guilt and her misconceptions, and is given the chance to build new relationships with her family.
Wishing everyone a colourful autumn!
Melanie