The Night Circus

Before I headed off on holiday on 27th July I put a call out on Facebook to ask for suggestions of books to take with me. The titles came pouring in. I cross-checked the long list with the available holdings of my local public library. This gave me a short list of:

Hensher, Philip - King of the badgers
Holmes, Richard - The age of wonder
Massie, Robert - Catherine the Great
Morgenstern, Erin - The night circus
Wallace, Wendy - The painted bridge

On the basis of what happened last year, when I raced through my 2012 recommendations on Shetland, I expected that I would soon get through the pile of books in Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides in 2013. I didn't.

The main reason for not getting through the list was the fabulous weather that encouraged us to spend most of our time on holiday outdoors. Added to this, I got distracted by other books I found at our accommodation (including Niall Barr's excellent account of the Battle of Flodden). In fact, I managed to start only one book - The night circus - and I only just finished it last night.

One of the reasons why I have blipped this book, and noted the others that I returned to the library unread, is that I will return to the list in the future. I would also be interested in other blippers' opinions of the books listed.

As for The night circus, I was rather disappointed in it. I was hoping that it would capture my interest eventually, but I just couldn't buy into the plot. I do think, however, that the magic it portrays so beautifully would be wonderful to see on the cinema screen.