Summer reading – The best of Welsh literature!

Posted on: Thu Aug 11

Whether you’re looking to stuff your suitcase with books for that long awaited summer holiday, or just looking for a thriller to engross you one sunny evening overlooking Cardiff Bay, below you can find a selection of must-reads from Welsh authors.  Masons Self Storage teamed up with one of our favourite customers, the talented author and publisher Cathy Farr, to bring you these useful reading suggestions.

Cathy Farr is a local South Wales resident and the very talented author of the popular Fellhound Series.

Cathy came to Masons Self Storage desperate for a place to store retail stocks of her books back when she was starting out her publishing journey to make BiTE Publishing what it is today; she started out with just one of our smallest units when she was drowning in boxes of books and has increased the size of her unit with no stress as her fabulous career has soared.

If you are looking for an interesting read and one that offers all of the adventure and excitement you and your children can handle, then Cathy’s series, the Fellhounds of Thesk are for you. Both Moon Chase and Moon Crossing are sure to take you on a rollercoaster of adventure. Make sure you’re up-to-date with the series in time for her new novel, Ghost Moon, soon to be released. Promising even more action and twists and turns, it’s sure to keep a reader of any age on the edge of their seats. Last summer, Cathy also wrote The Cat and the Fiddle, which was featured recently in a Walesonline article to mark it’s publication. In this piece, Cathy talks about the special place this book holds in her heart due to when it was written. All books are available directly from Bitebooks.co.uk

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For even more exciting reading this summer, Cathy and Masons Self Storage have created this list of some interesting Welsh fiction that you might consider for your must-read lists for this summer’s reading or well into the Autumn months.

The Penguin Book of Welsh Short Stories by Alun Richards

This collection of twenty-four short stories written by Welsh men and women offers authentic and honest depictions of valleys and mountains, cities and towns, as well as offered powerful and moving insights into the nature of the people that live there.

A Hundred Years of Fiction by Stephen Knight

Stephen Knight’s A Hundred Years of Fiction covers a huge range of Welsh fiction in depth, from Allen Raine to Christopher Meredith. He relates the authors and texts to the determining forces of their period and contexts, such as the economy, politics and religion. A must read for anyone interested in Welsh literature.

Revenant by Tristan Hughes

In a remote Welsh village by the sea, four friends grow up together. Then, one terrible day, the gang is broken up for good. Meeting ten years later in the now declining  village, they meet again to re-live the memories that hang over them. A thriller that is sure to have you at the edge of your seat all the way through.

Feet in Chains by Kate Roberts

This classic novel written in 1936 follows passionate and headstrong Jane grow up and grow old, struggling to bring up a family of six children on the pittance earned by her slate-quarrying husband, Ifan. A novel spanning forty years and generations of a family, this novel is brilliantly written and provides a true reflection of life for the ordinary Welsh family in the 1930s.

The Long Dry by Cynan Jones

It’s in the small details that come together to create a life, this is a novel written in fantastic depth, it’s powerful message about the fragility of life and the small, unseen moments upon which everything can change forever will have you eagerly turning the page.

Reasoning by Rob Mimpriss

Reasoning: Twenty Stories is the first of a series of three collections, the novel has strong historic awareness and a longing to understanding what it means to inherit a Christian and Western heritage at the start of the twenty-first century in Wales.

Twenty Thousand Saints by Fflur Dafydd

Three stories meet in a quest for uncovering events long since buried in the past. Twenty Thousands Saints is an engaging comedy about finds, losses and secrets that will have you staying up late to read just one more chapter.

Flesh and Blood by Emyr Humphreys

‘Flesh and Blood’ is the first novel in the very successful sequence of novels called the ‘Land of the Living’ by Humphreys. The central theme of all of his novels is an examination of what it means to be ‘good’ and how it is, or is not, passed down from generation to generation.

Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Jakob Beer is just seven years old when he is the only member of his family rescued from Nazi-occupied Poland. Fugitive pieces is a novel of beauty and wisdom offering an insight into the resilience of the human spirit.

The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams

A semi-autobiographical play, The Corn Is Green offers insight to the world of a strong-willed school teacher working in a poor coal mining village in 19th century Wales where she is struggling to win the local Welsh miners over to her English ways.

If your book collection is getting out of hand, then you would be right at home at Masons Self Storage, hiring a unit, or Storage Vault, to get it under control without having to lose any of your beloved books is a perfect solution. You would be surprised at the many interesting and resourceful ways customers have utilised our state of the art storage facility based just ten minutes from Cardiff Bay. So if you’re looking for a new home for your serious sci-fi or guilty pleasure plot twists, then be sure to contact us here at Masons Self Storage to find the storage solution that’s perfect for you.

Posted on: 11th Aug 2016