My most recent read was Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell which I’m not sure why it’s named that. Aside from taking place in a London heatwave where there was water rationing and such there’s nothing heatwave about it.
It was very fitting, though, because where I live (northern California) just recently had two heatwaves very close together. We hit 111 degrees which makes our heatwave a bit more severe than what they thought was sweltering in London in the 90s. I guess it depends on the humidity level which we have none of here.
Aside from the confusing title the book was an excellent read. After I learned some British English terminology that I wasn’t aware of (I am aware of a lot but not all) the book was smooth sailing. It’s an easy read, easy to follow, but tells a great story and does it well.
The story revolves around the main premise of the “husband” who disappears from the wife’s (Gretta) life all of a sudden. All the kids are brought back together. They are Michael- Francis, Monica, and Aoife. It took me forever to figure out how the heck Aoife was pronounced, but the book is sure to cover that in full. It should have been obvious (similar to Eva but pronounced more with an f) but it wasn’t until they laid it out.
You get to know the family pretty well, and it covers the backstories of each one of them so you know where they came from. It does focus heavily on their past but only a bit into the future, including what comes of the disappeared father.
As has been so common with the books I’ve read this year they seem to all head in the direction of or end in Ireland. This one ends on the Western coast of Ireland on a little island called Omey Island which is actually connected to the main land through a sand “bridge” that is only available during low tide. If you look at the island with satellite view you’ll notice it quite looks connected to Ireland. The only difference is that in the sand you can see the name “North Atlantic Ocean” but on top of sand.
Quite interesting!
Oh, the island is in County Galway if you’re interested. I need to visit Ireland someday, but I’m afraid that won’t be for some time.
Anyway, the book is a wonderful read, and you do get quite intertwined in the family and their life. I’d recommend picking it up for an easy read that will entertain you, and you might learn a bit of geography too.
Next Book
I’ve already begun reading my next book which is Find Your Why by Simon Sinek & David Mead & Peter Docker. It’s a short read but so far it’s good but not excellent. It might be one of those self-help books even though they claim it’s not.
I’m also working on another blog post after I create a video about my drone. I recorded it, but I need to edit it and post it. Since I’ve been flying my drone a bit and trying to do so more I’ve had some pretty interesting videos to post. They aren’t super entertaining, but it’s kind of cool to see a new neighborhood grow as they’re building houses like crazy in my area.