Paula at The Book Jotter is hosting the sixth Reading Wales celebration (aka Dewithon 24), a month-long event beginning on Saint David’s Day, during which book lovers from all parts of the world are encouraged to read, discuss and review literature from and about Wales. I haven’t taken part before but this year I hope I can read at least one book.
Here are a few books I have on my bookshelves to choose from:
How Green was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. A story of life in a mining community in rural South Wales as Huw Morgan is preparing to leave the valley where he had grown up. He tells of life before the First World War.
Richard Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd, known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was born in Hendon, London of Welsh parents. Only after his death was it discovered that Llewellyn’s claim that he was born in St Davids, West Wales, was false.
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan. Gwenni Morgan is not like any other girl in this small Welsh town. Inquisitive, bookish and full of spirit, she can fly in her sleep and loves playing detective. So when a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, and no one seems to be asking the right questions, Gwenni decides to conduct her own investigation.
Mari Strachan was born into a Welsh family in Harlech, on the north-west coast of Wales, and was brought up there with Welsh as her first language.
Completely Unexpected Tales by Roald Dahl. Described on the back cover as a collection of macabre tales of vengeance, surprise and dark delights. I used to enjoy these tales in the TV series, Tales of the Unexpected, years ago.
Roald Dahl was born n Llandaff, Glamorgan. His parents were Norwegian. I bought this at The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in the village of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire where Dahl lived until his death in 1990.
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies. In 1944, a German Jewish refugee is sent to Wales to interview Rudolf Hess; in Snowdonia, a seventeen-year-old girl, the daughter of a fiercely nationalistic shepherd, dreams of the bright lights of an English city; and in a nearby POW camp, a German soldier struggles to reconcile his surrender with his sense of honour. As their lives intersect, all three will come to question where they belong and where their loyalties lie.
Peter Ho Davies was born and raised in Coventry to Welsh and Chinese parents, he now makes his home in the US.
BooksPlease 