Smiling Clare

I’ve recently read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes for the second time, having bought the film on dvd to watch and see how it compares.

The first time I read this book I borrowed it from my Aunt, and in all honesty I didn’t want to give it back to her as I knew I’d want to read it again. And so I eventually bought myself a copy.

It’s about how the paths of two people cross, Lou and Will, and how that changes both of them. Lou is a bright, bubbly character, who knows a lot of things but not what she wants to do with her life. Will’s life as he knew it was destroyed by a motorcycle accident and he now has no desire to keep living. It is a heartrendering, magical story about love, which occurs no matter what.

I absolutely loved reading this book the first time, and again the second time. For me there is so much I can relate to in the book; in Lou, not knowing what she wants to do with her life, and in Will, having to rely on people to do the simplest of tasks.

The book reminds me how grateful I should be for the small bits of independence I am able to grasp on to, and possibly regain in the future. It shows the importance of friendship, love, learning and letting go. It is a beautiful book and I can’t wait to read the second Lou Clark novel ‘After You’, as well as see if, and how they managed to convert this wonderful book into a film. In my experience the film versions don’t tend to do the books justice, but maybe they might manage it one day!

I recently bought ‘The Little Cafe in Copenhagen’ by Julie Caplin as a little treat to myself, and let’s be honest, to make up an online order to qualify for free delivery, because who doesn’t do that occasionally right?!

I was drawn to it by the front cover:

And then by the blurb on the back of the cover (Am I the only person who always tries to view the back cover/blurb of a book even online?). The book itself is about a publicist named Kate who’s life is everything she thought she wanted, until her boyfriend goes behind her back and snatches a promotion from her. Heartbroken, Kate escapes to Denmark, where she discovers a little cafe in Copenhagen and how to live life ‘the Danish way’.

I don’t think I could have chosen a better book, sure it sat on my bookshelf for a good few weeks waiting for me to be well enough to finish reading a book I’d had on the go for several months, but when the time came to choose a new book to read from the pile I have collected during months where reading has been too difficult, I couldn’t have picked a better one.

I got through this book in a little over a week; virtually unknown to me these days as I often struggle with holding the book, concentrating enough to follow the sentences, all the things that come with a chronic illness like M.E.

It is a brilliant story, which I hated putting down when I needed to rest; I couldn’t wait to pick it up and find out what happened next. It is such a happy story too. This book had me smiling and even laughing during a week where my physical pain was the worst it had ever been.

The story of Kate’s escape to Copenhagen, and discovery of the Danish way of living, including hygge is beautifully written and I absolutely loved it. I hadn’t previously heard of hygge but the book explains it well, within the story of Kate’s life.

‘The Little Cafe in Copenhagen’ got me through one of the roughest weeks of pain I’ve had and even though I only finished it a few weeks ago I am already looking forward to reading it again. It is going to be one of those books which sits on my bookshelf and is picked up to read again and again.