I am one of those very fortunate people who from the very first time I learnt my ABCs (and the other 23 letters), I have enjoyed the way that letters connect with each other to form words – and then sentences and then paragraphs. In other words, I have always enjoyed reading. I am in awe of the way so many gifted people are able to draw word pictures, so that I can broaden my own experience of life and the world.
To this end, I invite you to my bookcase for a monthly book review, sharing what I enjoyed about some of the most memorable page-turners.
Without doubt, my number one read of 2024 was This is Happiness by Niall Williams. Transporting us to rural Ireland in the 1950s where a teenager called No, short for Noel, comes to live with his grandparents in a small village without electricity called FaHa.
As he reflects on this time, now as an old man, he recalls the wonder of religion, village life and the rich wisdom and wit of this precious time, as the villagers decide if the electricity is going to be connected. A time that will never be repeated. (Some time ago, I bought ten copies of this book to give to fellow readers and have only one copy left, hidden where it will never be found – even by me.)
Book: This is Happiness
Author: Niall Williams
Published: 5 September, 2019, by Bloomsbury Publishing
