I have just the one book to write about this week. The weather is so hot and I am finding concentration very difficult. In the past, I would have taken my book outside and read it in our gorgeous garden, with a pot of tea by my side. Since the stroke, however, I can’t read print books and the bright light bounces off my iPad, so I have to stay in my room. In addition, I seem to have developed a touch of agoraphobia and shy away from sitting outdoors. I lie in bed and look at the blue sky through the window and feel guilty, for some reason.

I wonder why that is?

Anyway, this is the book that I read this last week…

The book was The Binding by Bridget Collins. Here is the blurb:

”Emmett Farmer is a binder’s apprentice. His job is to hand-craft beautiful books and, within each, to capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory.

If you have something you want to forget, or a secret to hide, he can bind it – and you will never have to remember the pain it caused.

In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and secrets – are meticulously stored and recorded.

Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of the volumes has his name on it.”

And this is my short review:

The Binding by Bridget Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book about love and memories, which is, in my present circumstances, rather poignant. You see (to those who do not know me), I had a stroke some months ago and I am left with a significant impairment with my memory functions! My short-term memory is poor and I can quickly forget something that has happened only minutes ago. On the other hand, my long term memories are coming back to me in all of their bright colours. I find myself whistling tunes from my childhood.

So imagine a world where painful or inconvenient memories can be removed. What’s more, they are then written down in book form. Other people can, rarely, read them, but the original memories are erased, lost.

How would we function as individuals? How would society work? The book explores these kinds of questions from different viewpoints.

Well, I think it does…. I have now forgotten even reading it!

View all my reviews

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I apologise for mentioning my stroke so often, but I hope you can understand what a profound impact even a mild version has had on my life. So much has been changed by my multiple conditions and the fall-out on my family has been very hard for them.

Right, I will stop feeling sorry for myself and think instead about all the wonderful books that I can enjoy! I am not sure which one I am going to choose next, although I have another one by Bridget Collins waiting in my queue. Perhaps something quite different would be a good idea?

Well, you can find out next week, if you are interested. Until then, Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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