Slump

I have been in a reading slump lately. Whilst I have been able to get through a few audiobooks (including the prequel to the His Dark Materials trilogy, La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman plus the entire trilogy), I have found it hard to start a new physical book. I have started Babel by R. F. Kuang, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and Before the Cofee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I also have Floored on my teetering TBR pile by my friend Chris, writing as Chrissie Harrison, which I want to start but I just haven’t been in the right state of mind for any of them.

Today, I returned some books to the library and while I was there, I spent some time browsing the shelves. It has been on my mind to read more Carnegie Medal-winning books so when I saw Anthony McGowan’s Lark (winner of the 2020 award), I picked it up and started reading it right there in the library. When my parking was almost up, I went home and finished the rest of the book – all before 11.30am. I was left bawling. It is short but packs a powerful punch and makes me wish I had read the first three books in the series first.

This afternoon, I nipped over to Baddesley Clinton – a local National Trust property – and after a quick tour of the manor house, I read the opening of Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell over a cup of tea and a cheese scone. It seems to be exactly what I need to read as an antidote to Lark’s beautiful but harsh realism.

The list of the Carnegie Medal winners since 1984 is below (I have starred the ones I have read). I already have the 1967 winner The Owl Service by Aland Garner as well as Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve and October, October by Katya Balen – I expect I will wait until autumn to read the latter. I loved Jason Reynold’s Long Way Down so I definitely want to read his winning book, Look Both Ways.