Current read

Wednesday
A few weeks ago, I was listening to a BBC World Book Club podcast, and the featured author and book was this one, The Year of the Runaways, by British author Sunjeev Sahota. It grabbed my attention, as the author lives in Sheffield where I grew up, and furthermore, the book is based in Sheffield. He was born in Derby (as was I!) to first generation Punjabi immigrants, and lived there for seven years, until his parents became unemployed. They decided to go into business, and bought the only shop they could probably afford in Chesterfield, where they still live and run the shop. The novel was a nominee for the Man Booker Prize in 2015. The book tells the story of three young men and a woman, who come together in a journey from India to England, where they hope to begin something new - to support their families, to build their futures to escape the past. I looked into it at the library, and discovered there were a couple of copies in the system, so I decided to get it out and give it a try. It’s quite a long book, and includes quite a lot of Punjabi words, so it’s not the easiest of reads, but I think it’s good to read something a bit out of one’s comfort zone once in a while. I’m also reading a Jodi Picoult book for Book Club, so I’ve plenty to keep myself busy on these dreary days, between knitting, Duolingo, reading and piano playing!
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