Liz's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 02 Apr 2025 12:31:35 -0700 60 Liz's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Case Histories (Jackson Brodie, #1)]]> 16243 1 A little girl disappears in the night.
2 A beautiful young office worker falls to a maniac's attack.
3 A new mother is overwhelmed by demands from her baby and husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.
Result : Startling connections and discoveries emerge. . . .]]> 389 Kate Atkinson 0316010707 Liz 0 to-read 3.79 2004 Case Histories (Jackson Brodie, #1)
author: Kate Atkinson
name: Liz
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Women 127305853 From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie� McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 Liz 3
Definitely a rating that I feel a bit bad about because I desperately wanted to love this book, and I blame BookTok for the extreme overhype that has ultimately resulted in me being a bit disappointed.

I really wish that The Women had focussed purely on Frankie's experiences in Vietnam, the subsequent difficulties she faces following her tour, and the power of female friendship. I feel that this may have made it a 5 star read for me.

Where it fell flat for me was the romance. I just didn't vibe with any of it. All her romantic encounters lacked chemistry, and she was far too obsessed by men to be any kind of feminist icon. I honestly got sick of reading about them.

Also as much as I get the point it was trying to make, it was so on the nose that it got irritating really fast. Numerous repeated iterations of "WhY wOn'T aNyOnE bElIeVe ThAt ThErE wErE wOmEn In ViEtNaM??" hammered the point home so hard that it came out the other side of the proverbial wall and just became meaningless.

Kristin Hannah is hailed as some kind of deity on TikTok but I'll be hesitant about reading any more of hers unless they come recommended by a trusted source.]]> 4.59 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Liz
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

Definitely a rating that I feel a bit bad about because I desperately wanted to love this book, and I blame BookTok for the extreme overhype that has ultimately resulted in me being a bit disappointed.

I really wish that The Women had focussed purely on Frankie's experiences in Vietnam, the subsequent difficulties she faces following her tour, and the power of female friendship. I feel that this may have made it a 5 star read for me.

Where it fell flat for me was the romance. I just didn't vibe with any of it. All her romantic encounters lacked chemistry, and she was far too obsessed by men to be any kind of feminist icon. I honestly got sick of reading about them.

Also as much as I get the point it was trying to make, it was so on the nose that it got irritating really fast. Numerous repeated iterations of "WhY wOn'T aNyOnE bElIeVe ThAt ThErE wErE wOmEn In ViEtNaM??" hammered the point home so hard that it came out the other side of the proverbial wall and just became meaningless.

Kristin Hannah is hailed as some kind of deity on TikTok but I'll be hesitant about reading any more of hers unless they come recommended by a trusted source.
]]> <![CDATA[A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)]]> 3722183 Life After Life Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. In A God in Ruins, Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula’s beloved younger brother Teddy � would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father � as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have.]]> 480 Kate Atkinson 0316176532 Liz 0 currently-reading 3.91 2015 A God in Ruins (Todd Family, #2)
author: Kate Atkinson
name: Liz
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Wrong Place Wrong Time 59947696
It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.

She doesn’t know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd’s, have been shattered.

After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up� it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd’s terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.]]> 416 Gillian McAllister 0063252341 Liz 3
The time travel aspect should add a fresh spin on an old trope, but instead it just feels tacked on and clunky. If we could keep seeing the effects in the present of Jen's actions in the past, paying actual dues to the butterfly effect which is mentioned several times throughout the story, it would have been much better, but instead Jen just serves as an exposition bridge for the reader, spelling out every reveal as if you're a moron.

It was entertaining, but ultimately did nothing for me. ]]> 3.95 2022 Wrong Place Wrong Time
author: Gillian McAllister
name: Liz
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/14
date added: 2025/03/14
shelves:
review:
I swear people talked about this book like it was some kind of Messianic figure in the world of thrillers. I found it pretty middle of the road. The writing is quite clumsy, and the twist is guessable from about halfway through.

The time travel aspect should add a fresh spin on an old trope, but instead it just feels tacked on and clunky. If we could keep seeing the effects in the present of Jen's actions in the past, paying actual dues to the butterfly effect which is mentioned several times throughout the story, it would have been much better, but instead Jen just serves as an exposition bridge for the reader, spelling out every reveal as if you're a moron.

It was entertaining, but ultimately did nothing for me.
]]> Number Thirty-Two 200191229 Number Thirty-Two was once a family home. Anna was once a mother and a wife. Now, she is in arrears and alone.
With little choice but to sell up, she is forced to confront the memories of the people who once inhabited the empty rooms. With the help of an unlikely ally in her next door neighbour's son, she is finally able to piece together the tragic events of forty years ago that have inextricably linked the fates of their families and ricocheted through both of their households for decades.
Number Thirty-Two is a novel of family secrets and shocking betrayals, promising heartbreak and humour in equal measures.
'Two women, three children and a secret that spans half a lifetime. An evocative, beautifully written story of forgiveness and recovery.' - Julia Slack, author of The Road to Somorrostro
'A story of pain, loss and self sabotage. Steward holds up a mirror and we have no choice but to look. Her interpretation of the devouring mother is rare and familiar at the same time. A triumph of women's literature that you need to read.' - Ashley McCarthy, author of The Heralding]]> 422 Cassie Steward 1739528719 Liz 0 to-read 4.12 2023 Number Thirty-Two
author: Cassie Steward
name: Liz
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> I Who Have Never Known Men 60811826 Deep underground, forty women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only a vague recollection of their lives before.


As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl—the fortieth prisoner—sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.


Jacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, in 1929, and fled to Casablanca with her family during WWII. Informed by her background as a psychoanalyst and her youth in exile, I Who Have Never Known Men is a haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic novel of female friendship and intimacy, and the lengths people will go to maintain their humanity in the face of devastation. Back in print for the first time since 1997, Harpman’s modern classic is an important addition to the growing canon of feminist speculative literature.]]> 184 Jacqueline Harpman 1945492600 Liz 3 The Road look like frigging Sesame Street. At least The Road contained one loving relationship. This was just... bleeeeeeeeeeeeak.

It made me feel all the things that I guess you're supposed to feel - despair, ennui, immense loneliness. And that's all fine with regard to the success of the evocative writing, but it didn't make it any more pleasant to read!

Also, I have an issue with forms of media which give you a mysterious situation and then end up asking more questions than they answer (looking at you, Lost!). Again, I get it. It's a narrative choice and maybe I'm in the wrong for always craving clarity, but I just find it irksome. I want my interest in the setting to be at least somewhat rewarded. Also, is it not kind of a cop out? Never revealing a plot pretty much negates the need to construct one.

And finally, I'm low key done with the "detached narrator" literary tool. It's what stopped me from enjoying Klara and the Sun, and a bunch of other books. No emotion from the protagonist to attach to means I'm not going to emotionally invest in their plight, which is pivotal to my enjoyment.

So yeah, it was fine I guess. Now I'm off to look at some kittens to replace the serotonin that it stole from me.]]> 4.12 1995 I Who Have Never Known Men
author: Jacqueline Harpman
name: Liz
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:
Jeez. I like a depressing book but this was a lot even for me. This makes The Road look like frigging Sesame Street. At least The Road contained one loving relationship. This was just... bleeeeeeeeeeeeak.

It made me feel all the things that I guess you're supposed to feel - despair, ennui, immense loneliness. And that's all fine with regard to the success of the evocative writing, but it didn't make it any more pleasant to read!

Also, I have an issue with forms of media which give you a mysterious situation and then end up asking more questions than they answer (looking at you, Lost!). Again, I get it. It's a narrative choice and maybe I'm in the wrong for always craving clarity, but I just find it irksome. I want my interest in the setting to be at least somewhat rewarded. Also, is it not kind of a cop out? Never revealing a plot pretty much negates the need to construct one.

And finally, I'm low key done with the "detached narrator" literary tool. It's what stopped me from enjoying Klara and the Sun, and a bunch of other books. No emotion from the protagonist to attach to means I'm not going to emotionally invest in their plight, which is pivotal to my enjoyment.

So yeah, it was fine I guess. Now I'm off to look at some kittens to replace the serotonin that it stole from me.
]]> Great Circle 54976986 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780525656975 can be found here.

Spanning Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New Zealand, wartime London, and modern-day Los Angeles, Great Circle tells the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost.

After being rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, Marian and Jamie Graves are raised by their dissolute uncle in Missoula, Montana. There—after encountering a pair of barnstorming pilots passing through town in beat-up biplanes—Marian commences her lifelong love affair with flight. At fourteen she drops out of school and finds an unexpected and dangerous patron in a wealthy bootlegger who provides a plane and subsidizes her lessons, an arrangement that will haunt her for the rest of her life, even as it allows her to fulfill her destiny: circumnavigating the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.

A century later, Hadley Baxter is cast to play Marian in a film that centers on Marian's disappearance in Antarctica. Vibrant, canny, disgusted with the claustrophobia of Hollywood, Hadley is eager to redefine herself after a romantic film franchise has imprisoned her in the grip of cult celebrity. Her immersion into the character of Marian unfolds, thrillingly, alongside Marian's own story, as the two women's fates—and their hunger for self-determination in vastly different geographies and times—collide. Epic and emotional, meticulously researched and gloriously told, Great Circle is a monumental work of art, and a tremendous leap forward for the prodigiously gifted Maggie Shipstead.]]> 608 Maggie Shipstead Liz 5
Completely absorbing story - check.
Epic narrative which spans the entire life of the protagonist - check.
Flitting between time periods - check.
Feminist characters fighting against the patriarchal tide - check.

Every time I sat down to read it, whether I got through 5 pages or 50, I was immediately plunged right back into the world, lost in beautiful and evocative prose, following the lives of the consistently engaging characters.

It's a story for people who love stories. And I loved it from the very first word to the very last.]]> 4.06 2021 Great Circle
author: Maggie Shipstead
name: Liz
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves:
review:
This book ticked all the boxes for me.

Completely absorbing story - check.
Epic narrative which spans the entire life of the protagonist - check.
Flitting between time periods - check.
Feminist characters fighting against the patriarchal tide - check.

Every time I sat down to read it, whether I got through 5 pages or 50, I was immediately plunged right back into the world, lost in beautiful and evocative prose, following the lives of the consistently engaging characters.

It's a story for people who love stories. And I loved it from the very first word to the very last.
]]> The Future 123163147 The bestselling, award-winning author of The Power delivers a dazzling tour de force where a handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it.

When Martha Einkorn fled her father’s isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to find herself working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. Now she’s surrounded by mega-rich companies designing private weather, predictive analytics, and covert weaponry, while spouting technological prophecy. Martha may have left the cult, but if the apocalyptic warnings in her father’s fox and rabbit sermon—once a parable to her—are starting to come true, how much future is actually left?

Across the world, in a mall in Singapore, Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, flees from an assassin. She’s cornered, desperate and—worst of all—might die without ever knowing what's going on. Suddenly, a remarkable piece of software appears on her phone telling her exactly how to escape. Who made it? What is it really for? And if those behind it can save her from danger, what do they want from her, and what else do they know about the future?

Martha and Zhen’s worlds are about to collide. An explosive chain of events is set in motion. While a few billionaires assured of their own safety lead the world to destruction, Martha’s relentless drive and Zhen’s insatiable curiosity could lead to something beautiful or the cataclysmic end of civilization.]]> 432 Naomi Alderman 166802568X Liz 5
The sheer complexity of its construction is just so impressive. It must have taken so much research and planning - the near-future tech, the work of the fictional companies and their CEOs (so clearly modelled on the horsemen of the apocalypse - Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg), the imagining of the world in 10-20 years - they were all horrifyingly realistic.

The characters were fantastic and the storytelling had me hooked from the first page. I loved how the motif of the future kept cropping up in so many different contexts. The whole time I was reading I was just struck by how damn smart it all was.

Chef's kiss. ]]> 3.82 2023 The Future
author: Naomi Alderman
name: Liz
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
Wow. Naomi Alderman is a mind-blowingly good writer. And this book was phenomenal.

The sheer complexity of its construction is just so impressive. It must have taken so much research and planning - the near-future tech, the work of the fictional companies and their CEOs (so clearly modelled on the horsemen of the apocalypse - Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg), the imagining of the world in 10-20 years - they were all horrifyingly realistic.

The characters were fantastic and the storytelling had me hooked from the first page. I loved how the motif of the future kept cropping up in so many different contexts. The whole time I was reading I was just struck by how damn smart it all was.

Chef's kiss.
]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Liz 0 to-read 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Liz
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> You and Me on Vacation 55275757 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 364 Emily Henry 0241992230 Liz 3
The first two books I've read this year have both featured the torture and/or brutal murder of women and I needed some respite in my next read, which this book provided in spades.

I very much appreciate Emily Henry for writing romance novels which don't make me risk straining my optical muscles due to excessive eye rolling. Her prose are slick, her characters are flawed yet likeable and she knows how to be witty yet retain the right amount of sweetness in her narrative.

I really enjoyed the journey that this book took me on, particularly how the story progresses through jumping back and forth between the current vacation and the previous ones, which compliment each other nicely in revealing the depth of Poppy and Alex's relationship.

I've docked it .5 of a star for the ending - for me the reveal of the cause of the Great Falling Out of two summers ago (not a spoiler, in blurb) was quite anti-climatic, considering the entire story builds up to this.

A good romp though, and just what I needed. ]]> 3.71 2021 You and Me on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Liz
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

The first two books I've read this year have both featured the torture and/or brutal murder of women and I needed some respite in my next read, which this book provided in spades.

I very much appreciate Emily Henry for writing romance novels which don't make me risk straining my optical muscles due to excessive eye rolling. Her prose are slick, her characters are flawed yet likeable and she knows how to be witty yet retain the right amount of sweetness in her narrative.

I really enjoyed the journey that this book took me on, particularly how the story progresses through jumping back and forth between the current vacation and the previous ones, which compliment each other nicely in revealing the depth of Poppy and Alex's relationship.

I've docked it .5 of a star for the ending - for me the reveal of the cause of the Great Falling Out of two summers ago (not a spoiler, in blurb) was quite anti-climatic, considering the entire story builds up to this.

A good romp though, and just what I needed.
]]> Wool - Holston (Wool, #1) 12287209
Or you'll get what you wish for.]]> 56 Hugh Howey Liz 2
Initially written as 5 individual novellas, I read the first instalment of the 'Silo' series all in one book. 'Wool' delivers a strong start. Holston, who up until we meet him has worked as Sheriff in the Silo - an underground metal structure which stretches down into the Earth around 140 floors, and built to house humans in order to protect them from the brutal, post-apocalyptic world outside, fatal to anyone who sets foot there. Holston is being sent to "cleaning" - the harshest punishment to be given out by the Silo's legal system - a death sentence where the condemned must go outside of the Silo wearing a suit which barely protects them from the toxic landscape, which only keeps them alive long enough to clean the sensors which give those inside the Silo a view of the barren, unforgiving environment that they are hiding from. One can be sent to clean for merely expressing an interest in the world outside.

Definitely an interesting and original concept - a fresh spin on the dystopian genre, which as much as I love it, can get very repetitive as writers churn out the same trope again and again (I do like the Hunger Games but it's highly derivative). Wool's opening chapters add further intrigue with Holston making a shocking discovery about outside, answering his question of why people who have been sentenced to death even bother to clean the sensors beforehand.

Unfortunately for me however, the novel did not continue to deliver what was initially promised by this opening. I did enjoy it (a little), and the writing while lacking flare was good enough that it never dragged. However I felt that Howey could have done so much more with his central concept. The plot just never took off; the reveals were predictable and lacklustre. The characters were likeable but remained undeveloped throughout the book.

To delve a little more into my disappointment, I'm going to have to include spoilers:

[spoilers removed]

My main problem is that the plot reveals ask more questions than they answer, in an annoying 'Lost' kind of way where you sense that the writer has the scope of imagination to construct a really good story, but then hasn't delivered. Despite all the intrigue I came to the end of the book and found the plot as a whole to be thin and a little dull. The ending read like Howey had got bored, or had something better to do, and the plot resolution wasn't much better than "they woke up and it was all a dream". Add that to the drab description and flat characters and together it produces a disappointing novel.

So yeah - UNFULFILLED POTENTIAL. It's incredibly frustrating that such a good concept has been essentially wasted. I was excited about this book and thought it would be a 4 or even 5 star rating. But alas, for me it was merely "OK". ]]> 4.14 2012 Wool - Holston (Wool, #1)
author: Hugh Howey
name: Liz
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2017/08/22
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
Most succinct way to describe how I feel about this novel - unfulfilled potential.

Initially written as 5 individual novellas, I read the first instalment of the 'Silo' series all in one book. 'Wool' delivers a strong start. Holston, who up until we meet him has worked as Sheriff in the Silo - an underground metal structure which stretches down into the Earth around 140 floors, and built to house humans in order to protect them from the brutal, post-apocalyptic world outside, fatal to anyone who sets foot there. Holston is being sent to "cleaning" - the harshest punishment to be given out by the Silo's legal system - a death sentence where the condemned must go outside of the Silo wearing a suit which barely protects them from the toxic landscape, which only keeps them alive long enough to clean the sensors which give those inside the Silo a view of the barren, unforgiving environment that they are hiding from. One can be sent to clean for merely expressing an interest in the world outside.

Definitely an interesting and original concept - a fresh spin on the dystopian genre, which as much as I love it, can get very repetitive as writers churn out the same trope again and again (I do like the Hunger Games but it's highly derivative). Wool's opening chapters add further intrigue with Holston making a shocking discovery about outside, answering his question of why people who have been sentenced to death even bother to clean the sensors beforehand.

Unfortunately for me however, the novel did not continue to deliver what was initially promised by this opening. I did enjoy it (a little), and the writing while lacking flare was good enough that it never dragged. However I felt that Howey could have done so much more with his central concept. The plot just never took off; the reveals were predictable and lacklustre. The characters were likeable but remained undeveloped throughout the book.

To delve a little more into my disappointment, I'm going to have to include spoilers:

[spoilers removed]

My main problem is that the plot reveals ask more questions than they answer, in an annoying 'Lost' kind of way where you sense that the writer has the scope of imagination to construct a really good story, but then hasn't delivered. Despite all the intrigue I came to the end of the book and found the plot as a whole to be thin and a little dull. The ending read like Howey had got bored, or had something better to do, and the plot resolution wasn't much better than "they woke up and it was all a dream". Add that to the drab description and flat characters and together it produces a disappointing novel.

So yeah - UNFULFILLED POTENTIAL. It's incredibly frustrating that such a good concept has been essentially wasted. I was excited about this book and thought it would be a 4 or even 5 star rating. But alas, for me it was merely "OK".
]]> <![CDATA[The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)]]> 60556912
Every day I clean the Winchesters� beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out� and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of�

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!]]> 329 Freida McFadden 1803144378 Liz 3
First few chapters were really promising - I was intrigued by the story, and thought that the author did a great job creating an incredibly claustrophobic atmosphere. It really feels like Millie is trapped in her circumstances and her backstory is effective in supporting this.

As the novel goes on the plot holes get bigger - like why on earth does the language barrier between her and Enzo present such a problem in the age of smartphones with translator apps? It wouldn't be so bad if it were not leaned upon so heavily as a plot device. There are also so many issues surrounding Nina's story which are just beyond unrealistic.

Despite the above I was still enjoying the suspense, even though I saw one of the more significant reveals coming a mile off, and was fairly invested. But then the ending happened and I couldn't help but laugh and scoff at the sheer ridiculousness. It's just SO silly. Everybody's actions in the last few chapters, especially the police officer, are so laughable that it kind of spoiled it.
]]> 4.31 2022 The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)
author: Freida McFadden
name: Liz
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
Finished in less than 48 hours so definitely an easy read.

First few chapters were really promising - I was intrigued by the story, and thought that the author did a great job creating an incredibly claustrophobic atmosphere. It really feels like Millie is trapped in her circumstances and her backstory is effective in supporting this.

As the novel goes on the plot holes get bigger - like why on earth does the language barrier between her and Enzo present such a problem in the age of smartphones with translator apps? It wouldn't be so bad if it were not leaned upon so heavily as a plot device. There are also so many issues surrounding Nina's story which are just beyond unrealistic.

Despite the above I was still enjoying the suspense, even though I saw one of the more significant reveals coming a mile off, and was fairly invested. But then the ending happened and I couldn't help but laugh and scoff at the sheer ridiculousness. It's just SO silly. Everybody's actions in the last few chapters, especially the police officer, are so laughable that it kind of spoiled it.

]]> Bright Young Women 101124639
The survivors, including key witness Pamela Schumacher, will be forever changed by this night. They have all become victims. But they tell their perspectives here, they remain masters of their stories. And they hunt the perpetrator on their own - against resistance from the justice system and the police; against public opinion, which idolizes the serial killer.]]> 384 Jessica Knoll 1501153226 Liz 5
Bright Young Women presents a lovely Venn diagram of all these qualities and despite its admittedly gruesome subject matter it was such an enjoyable read.

It was extremely refreshing to read a novel about a serial killer who targets young women which places the victims, and their loved ones, at the centre of the narrative, rather than the perpetrator. The fact that he isn't even named throughout the book highlights that the story is not about him, and I also didn't have to endure any ridiculously tropey features like those random chapters which are all in italics and just contain a cringey first-person narrative of the killer stalking his victims. I swear they're just an excuse for authors to use abhorrently misogynistic language to up the shock value of the book.

The plot was really engaging, again without having to rely on cheap cliff-hangers to keep my interest, and instead offering immensely good pacing and intelligently thought out twists.

It's been a while since I was actually blown away by writing style but this book was an absolute goldmine, and I often found myself rereading sentences just to appreciate their construction. See below for my favourite example:

"She flopped her arms in my direction, at a loss for words. Not because I looked beautiful beyond description but because my mother never paid me compliments, and it must have been like sifting through a drawer of sharp knives to find a blanket."

I think that might be the best simile I've ever read.

I would err on the side of caution when recommending this - definite trigger warnings need to be in place and if light reads are all you're after, then maybe give this a miss. But if thrillers/true crime are your jam then stick it on your TBR, pronto. ]]> 3.99 2023 Bright Young Women
author: Jessica Knoll
name: Liz
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves:
review:
Despite the high number of great books out there I feel like it's actually quite rare that I experience such a perfect melding of engaging plot, well-formed characters, and objectively high quality writing.

Bright Young Women presents a lovely Venn diagram of all these qualities and despite its admittedly gruesome subject matter it was such an enjoyable read.

It was extremely refreshing to read a novel about a serial killer who targets young women which places the victims, and their loved ones, at the centre of the narrative, rather than the perpetrator. The fact that he isn't even named throughout the book highlights that the story is not about him, and I also didn't have to endure any ridiculously tropey features like those random chapters which are all in italics and just contain a cringey first-person narrative of the killer stalking his victims. I swear they're just an excuse for authors to use abhorrently misogynistic language to up the shock value of the book.

The plot was really engaging, again without having to rely on cheap cliff-hangers to keep my interest, and instead offering immensely good pacing and intelligently thought out twists.

It's been a while since I was actually blown away by writing style but this book was an absolute goldmine, and I often found myself rereading sentences just to appreciate their construction. See below for my favourite example:

"She flopped her arms in my direction, at a loss for words. Not because I looked beautiful beyond description but because my mother never paid me compliments, and it must have been like sifting through a drawer of sharp knives to find a blanket."

I think that might be the best simile I've ever read.

I would err on the side of caution when recommending this - definite trigger warnings need to be in place and if light reads are all you're after, then maybe give this a miss. But if thrillers/true crime are your jam then stick it on your TBR, pronto.
]]> <![CDATA[A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)]]> 22055262
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.]]> 400 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376458 Liz 0 to-read 4.04 2015 A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Liz
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Strange Sally Diamond 62322008
Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .]]> 384 Liz Nugent 1844885968 Liz 0 to-read 4.14 2023 Strange Sally Diamond
author: Liz Nugent
name: Liz
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Good Material 96177629
Now he is. . .

Without a home

Waiting for his stand-up career to take off

Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't looking

Set adrift on the sea of heartbreak, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of his ruined relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. But Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story�

In this sharply funny and exquisitely relatable story of romantic disaster and friendship, Dolly Alderton offers up a love story with two endings, demonstrating once again why she is one of the most exciting writers today, and the true voice of a generation.]]> 345 Dolly Alderton 0241523672 Liz 2
It wasn't particularly funny, and the normal nostalgia content that keeps me engaged in her books wasn't really there, just a load of gender cliches, like emotional support in a male friendship group only ever comes in the form of getting black-out drunk together and never actually talking about the issue. I really don't think we should still be normalising this in 2024! It was also just chock full of cliched break-up tropes - like going on a fitness kick, obsessively trawling your ex's social media, and the awkwardness of bumping into them in public. These did not come across as astute at all, just tired.

Also I am so sick of the lack of realism her books always have about the financial burden of living in London post-2008. Yeah okay so he finds a cheap room to rent which might actually happen, but there's no way on earth he would be able to fund that many nights/meals out given his mish mash of shit jobs. Like, does she not live in London?? I don't and even I can see how ludicrous this is.

But, as ever, it was an easy read. So there's that.]]> 3.85 2023 Good Material
author: Dolly Alderton
name: Liz
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:
It's classic Dolly Alderton to write a break-up story from the perspective of a man which includes many of the break-up tropes usually attributed to women and think that this is somehow profound. It's not; it's just another break-up book. The protagonist comes across as pathetic and whiny - which is basically impossible to avoid given the subject matter.

It wasn't particularly funny, and the normal nostalgia content that keeps me engaged in her books wasn't really there, just a load of gender cliches, like emotional support in a male friendship group only ever comes in the form of getting black-out drunk together and never actually talking about the issue. I really don't think we should still be normalising this in 2024! It was also just chock full of cliched break-up tropes - like going on a fitness kick, obsessively trawling your ex's social media, and the awkwardness of bumping into them in public. These did not come across as astute at all, just tired.

Also I am so sick of the lack of realism her books always have about the financial burden of living in London post-2008. Yeah okay so he finds a cheap room to rent which might actually happen, but there's no way on earth he would be able to fund that many nights/meals out given his mish mash of shit jobs. Like, does she not live in London?? I don't and even I can see how ludicrous this is.

But, as ever, it was an easy read. So there's that.
]]> Weyward 127280850
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 392 Emilia Hart 1250842727 Liz 4 Weyward on the whole.

I do feel like it was a bit lacklustre, and lacked the flair that would have made it a truly excellent read. The characters could definitely have had more depth. One of those books which I liked but find that I have little to say about in review.

Nice easy read though. ]]> 4.02 2023 Weyward
author: Emilia Hart
name: Liz
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
I enjoy multiple, interconnected timelines. I enjoy women overcoming adversity. I enjoy witches. This was enough for me to enjoy Weyward on the whole.

I do feel like it was a bit lacklustre, and lacked the flair that would have made it a truly excellent read. The characters could definitely have had more depth. One of those books which I liked but find that I have little to say about in review.

Nice easy read though.
]]> Fairy Tale 60177373 Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes deep into the well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for their world or ours.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.� And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time.

A story as old as myth, and as startling and iconic as the rest of King’s work, Fairy Tale is about an ordinary guy forced into the hero’s role by circumstance, and it is both spectacularly suspenseful and satisfying.]]> 607 Stephen King 1668002175 Liz 5
As good as the story is, the making of this book for me was in Charlie, the protagonist/narrator. He's funny, kind, generous, brave and just an all-round good dude. I loved his perspective throughout the novel. His relationship with Bowditch (and Radar!) is delightful. I could have read another 500 pages about his adventures.

If I'm being hyper-critical, I would have liked a bit more signposting of the Empis story - history of the monarchy and its downfall, etc. and possibly stronger ties to existing fairy tales. It felt a little like he was making it up as he went along at times (classic King). I'm still 5-starring it though, because I just really enjoyed reading it. ]]> 4.05 2022 Fairy Tale
author: Stephen King
name: Liz
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/12
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
I absolutely loved this. It's a proper good yarn, right from the outset.

As good as the story is, the making of this book for me was in Charlie, the protagonist/narrator. He's funny, kind, generous, brave and just an all-round good dude. I loved his perspective throughout the novel. His relationship with Bowditch (and Radar!) is delightful. I could have read another 500 pages about his adventures.

If I'm being hyper-critical, I would have liked a bit more signposting of the Empis story - history of the monarchy and its downfall, etc. and possibly stronger ties to existing fairy tales. It felt a little like he was making it up as he went along at times (classic King). I'm still 5-starring it though, because I just really enjoyed reading it.
]]> Glorious Exploits 127278133 An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history.

On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot. Looking for a way to pass the time, Lampo and Gelon, two unemployed potters with a soft spot for poetry and drink, head down into the quarry to feed the Athenians if, and only if, they can manage a few choice lines from their great playwright Euripides. Before long, the two mates hatch a plan to direct a full-blown production of Medea. After all, you can hate the people but love their art. But as opening night approaches, what started as a lark quickly sets in motion a series of extraordinary events, and our wayward heroes begin to realize that staging a play can be as dangerous as fighting a war, with all sorts of risks to life, limb, and friendship.

Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving, Glorious Exploits is an unforgettable ode to the power of art in a time of war, brotherhood in a time of enmity, and human will throughout the ages.]]> 304 Ferdia Lennon 1250893690 Liz 0 to-read 4.15 2024 Glorious Exploits
author: Ferdia Lennon
name: Liz
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sea of Tranquility 58446227 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, NPR, GoodReads

"One of [Mandel's] finest novels and one of her most satisfying forays into the arena of speculative fiction yet." --The New York Times

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 259 Emily St. John Mandel 0593321448 Liz 0 to-read 4.04 2022 Sea of Tranquility
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Liz
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Crying in H Mart 54814676
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humour and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band � and meeting the man who would become her husband � her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live.

It was her mother’s diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious, lyrical and honest, Michelle Zauner’s voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.]]> 243 Michelle Zauner 0525657746 Liz 0 to-read 4.25 2021 Crying in H Mart
author: Michelle Zauner
name: Liz
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Nightingale 21853621 In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.]]> 564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 Liz 0 to-read 4.63 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Liz
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Slow Fire Burning 56213354
Look what you started.]]> 307 Paula Hawkins 073521123X Liz 3
Again a frustrating read because there's a lot of potential here. I just felt like it needed way more polishing. The story is good enough, though a little on the flimsy side, and the characters had just enough nuance to make them interesting. The jumping back and forth in the timeline would have been really effective had it not been so blurry round the edges. I think it really could have used distinct subheadings to differentiate between the three main time periods - the present, the night of the murder, and the past. As it was, without even separation by chapter, it became too muddled to have a decent effect on the storytelling.

The twist was very guessable and I think would have benefitted from way more complexity - when there are only three real suspects and the first two are the "obvious" ones it makes it very clear who it really is. And Miriam's storyline felt very tacked on to the main story rather than having the intertwined nature which I think was intended.

Another very meh read. ]]> 3.45 2021 A Slow Fire Burning
author: Paula Hawkins
name: Liz
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves:
review:
I feel like I'm currently stuck in a rut of very readable yet distinctly middle-of-the-road books which hold promise but are ultimately a disappointment. This book definitely goes on that list...

Again a frustrating read because there's a lot of potential here. I just felt like it needed way more polishing. The story is good enough, though a little on the flimsy side, and the characters had just enough nuance to make them interesting. The jumping back and forth in the timeline would have been really effective had it not been so blurry round the edges. I think it really could have used distinct subheadings to differentiate between the three main time periods - the present, the night of the murder, and the past. As it was, without even separation by chapter, it became too muddled to have a decent effect on the storytelling.

The twist was very guessable and I think would have benefitted from way more complexity - when there are only three real suspects and the first two are the "obvious" ones it makes it very clear who it really is. And Miriam's storyline felt very tacked on to the main story rather than having the intertwined nature which I think was intended.

Another very meh read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]]> 32620332
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the �80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.]]> 389 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1501139231 Liz 3
One of those books that I wanted to enjoy much more than I actually did.

This novel sets its success on the personality of its two protagonists - the eponymous Evelyn Hugo, and the narrator, Monique Grant. Unfortunately, I found both of them lacking in the characterisation department.

Evelyn, particularly, whose life story is presented throughout the novel, I found to be dull and uncharismatic. This left me pretty uninterested in what happened to her, and I developed no emotional ties to her experiences.

A shame that this was ultimately a let down, as it is very readable. Just not much going on at any deeper level. ]]> 4.39 2017 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Liz
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:
Distinctly underwhelming.

One of those books that I wanted to enjoy much more than I actually did.

This novel sets its success on the personality of its two protagonists - the eponymous Evelyn Hugo, and the narrator, Monique Grant. Unfortunately, I found both of them lacking in the characterisation department.

Evelyn, particularly, whose life story is presented throughout the novel, I found to be dull and uncharismatic. This left me pretty uninterested in what happened to her, and I developed no emotional ties to her experiences.

A shame that this was ultimately a let down, as it is very readable. Just not much going on at any deeper level.
]]> Soldier Sailor 61842212 Well, Sailor. Here we are once more, you and me in one another's arms. The Earth rotates beneath us and all is well, for now...

In her first novel for over a decade, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the early days of motherhood. Exploring the clash of fierce love for a new life with a seismic change in identity, she vividly realises the raw, tumultuous emotions of a new mother, as her marriage strains and she struggles with questions of love, autonomy and creativity.

As she smiles at her baby, Sailor, while mentally composing her own suicide note, an old friend makes a welcome return, but can he really offer a lifeline to the woman she used to be?]]> 256 Claire Kilroy Liz 0 to-read 4.06 2023 Soldier Sailor
author: Claire Kilroy
name: Liz
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Girl You Left Behind 18693627 From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, a sweeping bestseller of love and loss, deftly weaving two journeys from World War I France to present day London.

Paris, World War I. Sophie Lefèvre must keep her family safe while her adored husband, Édouard, fights at the front. When their town falls to the Germans, Sophie is forced to serve them every evening at her hotel. From the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie’s portrait—painted by her artist husband—a dangerous obsession is born.

Almost a century later in London, Sophie’s portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before his sudden death. After a chance encounter reveals the portrait’s true worth, a battle begins over its troubled history and Liv’s world is turned upside all over again.]]> 480 Jojo Moyes Liz 3
I had avoided reading Jojo Moyes thus far as I've seen the film adaptation of Me Before You starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke's eyebrows and I found the storyline to be saccharine to the point where it was a bit nauseating.

For The Girl You Left Behind I found that it was the character development, or lack thereof, which posed my main issue. Sophie's story starts off well enough and I enjoyed this part of the novel, though I felt as it progressed it became a bit lacklustre and could have been much more fleshed out.

The modern day story I didn't really enjoy. I didn't feel any connection to Liv as a character and ended up not really liking her at all. She comes across as selfish and entitled, and really quite whiny. And she makes some RIDICULOUSLY stupid decisions. [spoilers removed] Perhaps if Moyes had spent more time developing Liv's emotional connection to the painting, this section would have worked much better. More flashbacks to her marriage, and how the painting represented her love for her late husband would have definitely helped me sympathise with her a lot more. As it was she was just quite annoying.

A shame - I feel like there was a lot of wasted potential here. In the hands of a more competent writer this could have been an excellent read.]]> 4.09 2012 The Girl You Left Behind
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Liz
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
review:
Held some initial promise for a really good story but was ultimately a bit of a let down.

I had avoided reading Jojo Moyes thus far as I've seen the film adaptation of Me Before You starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke's eyebrows and I found the storyline to be saccharine to the point where it was a bit nauseating.

For The Girl You Left Behind I found that it was the character development, or lack thereof, which posed my main issue. Sophie's story starts off well enough and I enjoyed this part of the novel, though I felt as it progressed it became a bit lacklustre and could have been much more fleshed out.

The modern day story I didn't really enjoy. I didn't feel any connection to Liv as a character and ended up not really liking her at all. She comes across as selfish and entitled, and really quite whiny. And she makes some RIDICULOUSLY stupid decisions. [spoilers removed] Perhaps if Moyes had spent more time developing Liv's emotional connection to the painting, this section would have worked much better. More flashbacks to her marriage, and how the painting represented her love for her late husband would have definitely helped me sympathise with her a lot more. As it was she was just quite annoying.

A shame - I feel like there was a lot of wasted potential here. In the hands of a more competent writer this could have been an excellent read.
]]> Never 57747930 The new must-read epic from master storyteller Ken Follett: more than a thriller, it's an action-packed, globe-spanning drama set in the present day.


In the Sahara Desert, two elite intelligence agents are on the trail of a powerful group of drug-smuggling terrorists, risking their lives—and, when they fall desperately in love, their careers—at every turn. Nearby, a beautiful young widow fights against human traffickers while traveling illegally to Europe with the help of a mysterious man who may not be who he says he is.

In China, a senior government official with vast ambitions for himself and his country battles against the older Communist hawks in the government, who may be pushing China—and its close military ally, North Korea—to a place of no return.

And in the United States, Pauline Green, the country's first woman president, navigates terrorist attacks, illegal arms trading, and the smear campaigns of her blustering political opponent with careful and deft diplomacy. She will do everything in her power to avoid starting an unnecessary war. But when one act of aggression leads to another, the most powerful countries in the world are caught in a complex web of alliances they can't escape. And once all the sinister pieces are in place, can anyone—even those with the best of intentions and most elite skills—stop the inevitable?

Never is an extraordinary thriller, full of heroines and villains, false prophets and elite warriors, jaded politicians and opportunistic revolutionaries. It brims with cautionary wisdom for our times, and a delivers a visceral, heart-pounding read that transports readers to the brink of the unimaginable.]]> 802 Ken Follett 0593300017 Liz 2
I can't remember the last time I read a novel with such poorly written women. They were ridiculously, offensively bad. I could literally see the effort he was going to to present the Strong Female Character (TM), and it is actually laughable how badly wrong he got it. And it's not even like he can use the classic Friends excuse of "iT wAs A dIfFeReNt TiMe" because Never was written in 2021.

When I say I could see his effort to make the women powerful, I don't mean that as a compliment. I mean that he went about it with such typical crusty-old-white-man incompetence that I would have preferred him not to have bothered. From the naĂŻve, yet beautiful, Chadian village woman who sets out on her own to escape her difficult life, who then instantly latches on to a man to protect her. To the (also beautiful) CIA agent who aced combat training and yet spends her first firefight cowering on the floor with her arms over her head, and constantly ignores protocol, who literally will not stop banging on about the guy she fancies. And finally, probably the most ridiculous, the PRESIDENT OF AMERICA - tough but of course also beautiful! - who is supposed to be trying to prevent nuclear was but spends most of her time distracted by men.

This book doesn't just fail the Bechdel test, it rips up the test paper, swallows the pieces, and then defecates them onto a new test paper.

Also the dialogue is TERRIBLE. It's so awkward and unrealistic, particularly amongst the Chinese characters, who are so poorly constructed that it borders on xenophobia. In addition to being flatter than a pancake from Holland, their conversations are just ridiculous. Chock full of English language idioms and read like a Hollyoaks script. These are supposed to be people at the highest level of government and military. And the American politicians are just as bad.

Lastly, the plot lacked so much cohesion that one of the main storylines is rendered completely useless by the end of the book, having no bearing at all on the main conflict. If this book is supposed to serve as a warning about how easily nuclear war could happen, it needs to be significantly better constructed to have any hope of meeting this objective. I'm terrified of nuclear war and all this book made me do was roll my eyes and occasionally snigger derisively.

I can't believe that this came from the same pen as Pillars of the Earth. For shame, Kenneth, for shame.]]> 3.94 2021 Never
author: Ken Follett
name: Liz
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/10
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
Elevated from one to two stars purely on readability. But wow Ken, this was... not good.

I can't remember the last time I read a novel with such poorly written women. They were ridiculously, offensively bad. I could literally see the effort he was going to to present the Strong Female Character (TM), and it is actually laughable how badly wrong he got it. And it's not even like he can use the classic Friends excuse of "iT wAs A dIfFeReNt TiMe" because Never was written in 2021.

When I say I could see his effort to make the women powerful, I don't mean that as a compliment. I mean that he went about it with such typical crusty-old-white-man incompetence that I would have preferred him not to have bothered. From the naĂŻve, yet beautiful, Chadian village woman who sets out on her own to escape her difficult life, who then instantly latches on to a man to protect her. To the (also beautiful) CIA agent who aced combat training and yet spends her first firefight cowering on the floor with her arms over her head, and constantly ignores protocol, who literally will not stop banging on about the guy she fancies. And finally, probably the most ridiculous, the PRESIDENT OF AMERICA - tough but of course also beautiful! - who is supposed to be trying to prevent nuclear was but spends most of her time distracted by men.

This book doesn't just fail the Bechdel test, it rips up the test paper, swallows the pieces, and then defecates them onto a new test paper.

Also the dialogue is TERRIBLE. It's so awkward and unrealistic, particularly amongst the Chinese characters, who are so poorly constructed that it borders on xenophobia. In addition to being flatter than a pancake from Holland, their conversations are just ridiculous. Chock full of English language idioms and read like a Hollyoaks script. These are supposed to be people at the highest level of government and military. And the American politicians are just as bad.

Lastly, the plot lacked so much cohesion that one of the main storylines is rendered completely useless by the end of the book, having no bearing at all on the main conflict. If this book is supposed to serve as a warning about how easily nuclear war could happen, it needs to be significantly better constructed to have any hope of meeting this objective. I'm terrified of nuclear war and all this book made me do was roll my eyes and occasionally snigger derisively.

I can't believe that this came from the same pen as Pillars of the Earth. For shame, Kenneth, for shame.
]]> Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) 16092173 568 Stephen King 9024559154 Liz 4
I don't know whether it's because it was written later (apparently it is known among more avid King readers that there is a noticeable difference in his writing when he is in the midst of his drug abuse compared to during his recovery) but I found this book to be distinctly more readable than some of his others.

One aspect that I particular appreciated was how he plonks you straight into the action (with added top notch creepiness) immediately, in the very first chapter. The pacing which follows is excellent. Whilst King is certainly a master of the slow tension build (TM), I have found that this can easily err into rambling tedium. Dr. Sleep however, had me hooked the entire way through.

Adult Danny Torrence is a very likeable character, as is Abra, and they work extremely well together as joint protagonists. I loved watching their relationship develop, particularly as they team up to defeat the insidious True Knot, who in turn are awesome villains. And while one could take a step back and find the entire concept of the novel a bit ridiculous (even for horror-fantasy), King has a way of placing the events within the world with such ease that it all seems rather believable.

I will continue to work my way slowly through King's impressive, if not somewhat intimidating, body of work. ]]> 4.16 2013 Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2)
author: Stephen King
name: Liz
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves:
review:
4.5 stars

I don't know whether it's because it was written later (apparently it is known among more avid King readers that there is a noticeable difference in his writing when he is in the midst of his drug abuse compared to during his recovery) but I found this book to be distinctly more readable than some of his others.

One aspect that I particular appreciated was how he plonks you straight into the action (with added top notch creepiness) immediately, in the very first chapter. The pacing which follows is excellent. Whilst King is certainly a master of the slow tension build (TM), I have found that this can easily err into rambling tedium. Dr. Sleep however, had me hooked the entire way through.

Adult Danny Torrence is a very likeable character, as is Abra, and they work extremely well together as joint protagonists. I loved watching their relationship develop, particularly as they team up to defeat the insidious True Knot, who in turn are awesome villains. And while one could take a step back and find the entire concept of the novel a bit ridiculous (even for horror-fantasy), King has a way of placing the events within the world with such ease that it all seems rather believable.

I will continue to work my way slowly through King's impressive, if not somewhat intimidating, body of work.
]]> <![CDATA[On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous]]> 41880609 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born � a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam � and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one's own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.]]> 246 Ocean Vuong 0525562028 Liz 0 to-read 4.05 2019 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
author: Ocean Vuong
name: Liz
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fleishman Is in Trouble 41880602
But Toby's new life � liver specialist by day, kids every other weekend, rabid somewhat anonymous sex at night � is interrupted when his ex-wife suddenly disappears. Either on a vision quest or a nervous breakdown, Toby doesn't know � she won't answer his texts or calls.

Is Toby's ex just angry, like always? Is she punishing him, yet again, for not being the bread winner she was? As he desperately searches for her while juggling his job and parenting their two unraveling children, Toby is forced to reckon with the real reasons his marriage fell apart, and to ask if the story he has been telling himself all this time is true.]]> 373 Taffy Brodesser-Akner 0525510877 Liz 0 to-read 3.61 2019 Fleishman Is in Trouble
author: Taffy Brodesser-Akner
name: Liz
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Being Emily 2048613 320 Anne Donovan 184767044X Liz 3
Whilst I'm a sucker for a book written in an accent (especially when it's Scottish), I feel like this book had too much unused potential for it to reach 4 stars.

I'm a little confused about the title. While Fiona, the narrator, is obviously a fan of Emily Bronte, I didn't ever get the feeling that she was trying to be her as the title suggests. Other than reading one of her books at the beginning, a few references to Wuthering Heights throughout the book and a school trip to her birthplace, there wasn't must else to justify this naming of the book.

I feel that the book's major flaw was the protagonist's characterisation. In that there wasn't any. Maybe that's slightly too harsh, but she seriously lacked personality. Particularly as she was narrating the story as well, this made it overall feel very flat. I just didn't really care what was happening to her. And whilst she goes through various traumatic experiences, these seemed to be present in an effort to add depth, without adding any actual depth to her character within her inner monologue. Also her art projects all sounded like absolute shite.

Overall this was slightly disappointing but entertaining enough I guess. ]]> 3.66 2008 Being Emily
author: Anne Donovan
name: Liz
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

Whilst I'm a sucker for a book written in an accent (especially when it's Scottish), I feel like this book had too much unused potential for it to reach 4 stars.

I'm a little confused about the title. While Fiona, the narrator, is obviously a fan of Emily Bronte, I didn't ever get the feeling that she was trying to be her as the title suggests. Other than reading one of her books at the beginning, a few references to Wuthering Heights throughout the book and a school trip to her birthplace, there wasn't must else to justify this naming of the book.

I feel that the book's major flaw was the protagonist's characterisation. In that there wasn't any. Maybe that's slightly too harsh, but she seriously lacked personality. Particularly as she was narrating the story as well, this made it overall feel very flat. I just didn't really care what was happening to her. And whilst she goes through various traumatic experiences, these seemed to be present in an effort to add depth, without adding any actual depth to her character within her inner monologue. Also her art projects all sounded like absolute shite.

Overall this was slightly disappointing but entertaining enough I guess.
]]> <![CDATA[A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3.1)]]> 768889
The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud. In the northern wastes, a horde of hungry, savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown. And Robb's defences are ranged against the South, the land of the cunning and cruel Lannisters, who have his young sisters in their power.

Throughout Westeros, the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the wall is breached, no king will live to claim it.]]> 663 George R.R. Martin 0006479901 Liz 3
The novels are well written, and obviously have had an immense amount of work put into the writing. However, firstly they're REALLY complex. Just when you think you've got a handle on all the characters, another 5 pop up from somewhere, who you thought were dead, lost, joined the circus or just disappeared off the face of Westeros. As much as I love complex story-telling, it's just too much. You forget where characters are or should be, which results in endless flicking back to find out when you lost them, or turning to the back to read the lists of all the family members. Either way, this ruins the flow of your reading.

Secondly, the stories are far too dragged out. I haven't read the last 3 books in the saga, but I honestly think the story could have been spread over 3 books and would have been one of the best trilogies of all time. It's hard to maintain hope for a character's plight when they've been plighting for the last book and a half. And knowing Martin, they'll probably just die soon anyway, so why bother caring about them?

All in all, Martin needs to chill out and add some hope to his books to combat the utter despair felt when reading them. ]]> 4.47 2000 A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3.1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Liz
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2012/05/07
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves:
review:
One thing I have to say about reading Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' is that I can never go straight into the next one without getting some literary respite from a few other books first, despite the books always ending on about 20 different cliffhangers.

The novels are well written, and obviously have had an immense amount of work put into the writing. However, firstly they're REALLY complex. Just when you think you've got a handle on all the characters, another 5 pop up from somewhere, who you thought were dead, lost, joined the circus or just disappeared off the face of Westeros. As much as I love complex story-telling, it's just too much. You forget where characters are or should be, which results in endless flicking back to find out when you lost them, or turning to the back to read the lists of all the family members. Either way, this ruins the flow of your reading.

Secondly, the stories are far too dragged out. I haven't read the last 3 books in the saga, but I honestly think the story could have been spread over 3 books and would have been one of the best trilogies of all time. It's hard to maintain hope for a character's plight when they've been plighting for the last book and a half. And knowing Martin, they'll probably just die soon anyway, so why bother caring about them?

All in all, Martin needs to chill out and add some hope to his books to combat the utter despair felt when reading them.
]]> Whatever You Love 8009124 I study the photo in the same way that a spy might study the face of a counterpart in a rival organization. I am calm as I make this promise: I am going to find out what you love, then whatever it is, I am going to track it down and I am going to take it away from you.

After the death of Laura's nine-year-old daughter, Betty, is ruled an accident in a hit-and-run, Laura decides to take revenge into her own hands, determined to track down the man responsible. All the while, her inner turmoil is reopening the old wounds of her passionate love affair with Betty's father, David, and his abandonment of the family for another woman.

Haunted by her past and driven to a breaking point by her thirst for retribution, Laura discovers the unforeseen lengths she is willing to go to for love and vengeance.]]> 336 Louise Doughty 0571254756 Liz 3
However the story then wanders wildly in different directions as the book progresses. At one point it seems to be about the psychosis that can accompany acute and intense grief, and how people are affected very differently by bereavement. It is also a reflection on the past relationships of the narrator, as the loss of her daughter causes her to reminisce on her failed marriage to Betty's father. This was the bit I thought was done the best, and probably should have been focused upon as a central theme.

There are also elements of a thriller here, as the protagonist experiences some strange interactions which all point towards there being a big twist at the end. If this was the intention, then Doughty really needs to work on her twist construction!

The thematic confusion, coupled with some absolutely bizarre choices from the protagonist even considering she is grieving (one "scene" in particular is genuinely hard to read and people who have read the book will know instantly which one I'm talking about), hugely detracted from my enjoyment of the book, which is a shame because writing-wise there is some decent stuff in here. ]]> 3.47 2010 Whatever You Love
author: Louise Doughty
name: Liz
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves:
review:
Entertaining enough to qualify as escapism, but in terms of quality this book massively suffered from an apparent confusion with regard to what the narrative was trying to be. If the blurb is to be believed this book is about the retribution of a grieving parent, who believes that there has not been sufficient punishment for the person whom she considers responsible for the death of her nine year-old daughter.

However the story then wanders wildly in different directions as the book progresses. At one point it seems to be about the psychosis that can accompany acute and intense grief, and how people are affected very differently by bereavement. It is also a reflection on the past relationships of the narrator, as the loss of her daughter causes her to reminisce on her failed marriage to Betty's father. This was the bit I thought was done the best, and probably should have been focused upon as a central theme.

There are also elements of a thriller here, as the protagonist experiences some strange interactions which all point towards there being a big twist at the end. If this was the intention, then Doughty really needs to work on her twist construction!

The thematic confusion, coupled with some absolutely bizarre choices from the protagonist even considering she is grieving (one "scene" in particular is genuinely hard to read and people who have read the book will know instantly which one I'm talking about), hugely detracted from my enjoyment of the book, which is a shame because writing-wise there is some decent stuff in here.
]]> One Hundred Years of Solitude 320 417 Gabriel García Márquez Liz 1
It was one of the worst books I've ever read.

It is a meandering, dreary, rambling account of several generations of a family in Colombia who... live through some experiences. The characters are so flat I literally could not have cared less about a single one of them, exacerbated by the fact that they all have the same fucking name.

It is also chock full of sexual violence towards women. My assessment of reading it was essentially this: "blah blah blah incest blah blah blah rape blah blah blah child molestation blah blah blah solitude blah blah blah more incest blah blah blah death".

There is barely any dialogue and each page just presents a depressing wall of text which gave me absolutely nothing. It's rare that I can't find a single thing to like about a book but I literally hated this. ]]> 4.10 1967 One Hundred Years of Solitude
author: Gabriel García Márquez
name: Liz
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1967
rating: 1
read at: 2024/10/10
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
This book epitomises why I rarely read prizewinners. I cannot fathom why this won the Nobel Literature Prize and I feel utterly gaslighted by the fact that it did.

It was one of the worst books I've ever read.

It is a meandering, dreary, rambling account of several generations of a family in Colombia who... live through some experiences. The characters are so flat I literally could not have cared less about a single one of them, exacerbated by the fact that they all have the same fucking name.

It is also chock full of sexual violence towards women. My assessment of reading it was essentially this: "blah blah blah incest blah blah blah rape blah blah blah child molestation blah blah blah solitude blah blah blah more incest blah blah blah death".

There is barely any dialogue and each page just presents a depressing wall of text which gave me absolutely nothing. It's rare that I can't find a single thing to like about a book but I literally hated this.
]]> She's Always Hungry 201033505 From Eliza Clark, the author of the brilliant novels Boy Parts and Penance and one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists, comes a fierce, visionary and darkly comic story collection.

A woman welcomes a parasite into her body.

A teenager longs for perfect skin.

A scientist tends to fragile alien flora.

A young man takes the night into his own hands.

Unsettling, revelatory, and laced with her signature dark humor, Eliza Clark’s debut short story collection plumbs the depths of that most basic human feeling: hunger.]]> 240 Eliza Clark 0063393263 Liz 0 to-read 3.81 2024 She's Always Hungry
author: Eliza Clark
name: Liz
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)]]> 43615
He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter.]]> 231 Stephen King 1501143514 Liz 0 to-read 3.95 1982 The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Liz
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> ’Salem’s Lot 11590 Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ISBN 0450031063

Thousands of miles away from the small township of 'Salem's Lot, two terrified people, a man and a boy, still share the secrets of those clapboard houses and tree-lined streets. They must return to 'Salem's Lot for a final confrontation with the unspeakable evil that lives on in the town.]]> 483 Stephen King 0450031063 Liz 4
Whilst it certainly hit the creep factor, I have to say that sadly I didn't find 'Salem's Lot particularly scary. A full blown adolescent (& adult) obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer means that vampires have been far too romanticised for me to find them remotely frightening.

Still, a fun read. I know King's not for everyone but I will continue to work my way through his prolific collection of writing.]]> 4.06 1975 ’Salem’s Lot
author: Stephen King
name: Liz
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1975
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves:
review:
Not my favourite King, but creepy enough to keep me thoroughly entertained. He really is the master of building suspense, and amping it up in increasing increments as you approach the novel's conclusion.

Whilst it certainly hit the creep factor, I have to say that sadly I didn't find 'Salem's Lot particularly scary. A full blown adolescent (& adult) obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer means that vampires have been far too romanticised for me to find them remotely frightening.

Still, a fun read. I know King's not for everyone but I will continue to work my way through his prolific collection of writing.
]]> Waiting for Sunrise 12345981
Later the same day they meet again, and a more composed Hettie Bull introduces herself as an artist and sculptor, and invites Lysander to a party hosted by her lover, the famous painter Udo Hoff. Compelled to attend and unable to resist her electric charm, they begin a passionate love affair. Life in Vienna becomes tinged with the frisson of excitement for Lysander. He meets Sigmund Freud in a café, begins to write a journal, enjoys secret trysts with Hettie and appears to have been cured.

London, 1914. War is stirring, and events in Vienna have caught up with Lysander. Unable to live an ordinary life, he is plunged into the dangerous theatre of wartime intelligence � a world of sex, scandal and spies, where lines of truth and deception blur with every waking day. Lysander must now discover the key to a secret code which is threatening Britain’s safety, and use all his skills to keep the murky world of suspicion and betrayal from invading every corner of his life.

Moving from Vienna to London’s west end, the battlefields of France and hotel rooms in Geneva, Waiting for Sunrise is a feverish and mesmerising journey into the human psyche, a beautifully observed portrait of wartime Europe, a plot-twisting thriller and a literary tour de force from the bestselling author of Any Human Heart, Restless and Ordinary Thunderstorms.]]> 368 William Boyd 0061876763 Liz 3 Any Human Heart.

This book was so middle of the road that it could masquerade as a white dashed line. The pacing is all over the shop, and while the more exciting parts were pretty compelling, far too much of it just dragged along drearily.

The protagonist would have been likeable had it not been for his questionable treatment of women (I don't care that it's set in the 1910s, I still don't have to like it) and the wartime setting was tired and tropey.

I'm not sure I'm going to bother with any more of Boyd's unless they come recommended. ]]> 3.58 2012 Waiting for Sunrise
author: William Boyd
name: Liz
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
Alas, I feel that with William Boyd I started with his best book, and now none will be able to hold up to how much I enjoyed Any Human Heart.

This book was so middle of the road that it could masquerade as a white dashed line. The pacing is all over the shop, and while the more exciting parts were pretty compelling, far too much of it just dragged along drearily.

The protagonist would have been likeable had it not been for his questionable treatment of women (I don't care that it's set in the 1910s, I still don't have to like it) and the wartime setting was tired and tropey.

I'm not sure I'm going to bother with any more of Boyd's unless they come recommended.
]]> The Color Purple 52892857 Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

â€Áč±đ˛ą»ĺľ±˛Ô˛µ The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women’s literature as world literature. In writing us into the world—bravely, unapologetically, and honestly—Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay.â€� —Tayari Jones

�The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art.� —Kiese Laymon]]> 287 Alice Walker 0143135694 Liz 4 The Color Purple is anything but. It's raw, honest and brutal, yet also beautiful and inspiring.

Spanning decades in the life of the book's narrator, Celie, it tells her story through letters that she writes first to God, and then to her sister Nettie, whom she has been separated from at an early age. Walker never shies away from addressing the devastating reality of domestic and sexual abuse, and the oppression of people of colour in the deep south of US at the time.

The way that Walker writes for Celie throws you straight in to the story and you can't help but experience it through her voice and be utterly immersed in her life. This is a seminal book for sure, at the time it was written and certainly still today. ]]> 4.40 1982 The Color Purple
author: Alice Walker
name: Liz
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1982
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/17
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
I can totally see why this won the Pulitzer Prize. Whilst I normally shun the more prestigious prize-winning books because they tend to be ridiculously pretentious, The Color Purple is anything but. It's raw, honest and brutal, yet also beautiful and inspiring.

Spanning decades in the life of the book's narrator, Celie, it tells her story through letters that she writes first to God, and then to her sister Nettie, whom she has been separated from at an early age. Walker never shies away from addressing the devastating reality of domestic and sexual abuse, and the oppression of people of colour in the deep south of US at the time.

The way that Walker writes for Celie throws you straight in to the story and you can't help but experience it through her voice and be utterly immersed in her life. This is a seminal book for sure, at the time it was written and certainly still today.
]]> Yellowface 62047984
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? This piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller. That is what June believes, and The New York Times bestseller list agrees.

But June cannot escape Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens her stolen success. As she races to protect her secret she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.]]> 319 R.F. Kuang 000853277X Liz 4
The "unreliable narrator" is a well-known and well-used literary tool, deployed by Kuang in Yellowface to great effect. June/Junie/Juniper (her ever changing identity yet another feather in the cap of her existential crisis) is as abhorrent as she is pathetic, and as arrogant as she is delusional. I thought it was a fantastic way to write this book. The whole narrative seems to serve not as a confession or an effort to convince the reader of her innocence, but to convince herself. The themes of white saviourism, cultural appropriation and the 'ownership' of art are expertly explored through the lens of June's unrelenting attempts to justify, explain and excuse her actions. [spoilers removed]

On top of that, this book is just a cracking read. It's well-paced and engaging with vibrant characters. Thoroughly enjoyable. ]]> 3.69 2023 Yellowface
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Liz
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:
Though I'm loathe to disparage others' subjective views of any form of media (up to a point... if you enjoy soap operas without any hint of irony then there's something seriously wrong with you) but I have to admit I'm a tad confused about the reasoning for some readers not liking this book - they found the narrator/protagonist to be highly objectionable. I did too, but is that not the entire point of the novel?

The "unreliable narrator" is a well-known and well-used literary tool, deployed by Kuang in Yellowface to great effect. June/Junie/Juniper (her ever changing identity yet another feather in the cap of her existential crisis) is as abhorrent as she is pathetic, and as arrogant as she is delusional. I thought it was a fantastic way to write this book. The whole narrative seems to serve not as a confession or an effort to convince the reader of her innocence, but to convince herself. The themes of white saviourism, cultural appropriation and the 'ownership' of art are expertly explored through the lens of June's unrelenting attempts to justify, explain and excuse her actions. [spoilers removed]

On top of that, this book is just a cracking read. It's well-paced and engaging with vibrant characters. Thoroughly enjoyable.
]]> <![CDATA[Revelation Space (Revelation Space #1)]]> 89187
For the humans now settling the Amarantin homeworld, it's of little more than academic interest, even after the discovery of a long-hidden, almost perfect city and a colossal statue of a winged Amarantin.

For brilliant, ruthless scientist Dan Sylveste, it's more than merely intellectual curiosity - and he will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Even if it costs him everything.

But the Amarantin were wiped out for a reason, and that danger is closer and greater than even Syveste imagines...

The original novel in the epic series, Revelation Space was nominated for both the BSFA and Arthur C. Clarke awards. Reynolds' PhD in astronomy and experience with the ESA means that his space operas present hard science spins on intergalactic adventures and have impacted SF for years.]]> 585 Alastair Reynolds 0441009425 Liz 0 to-read 3.99 2000 Revelation Space (Revelation Space #1)
author: Alastair Reynolds
name: Liz
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow]]> 129147
It happened in the Copenhagen snow.  A six-year-old boy, a Greenlander like Smilla, fell to his death from the top of his apartment building.  While the boy's body is still warm, the police pronounce his death an accident.  But Smilla knows her young neighbor didn't fall from the roof on his own.  Soon she is following a path of clues as clear to her as footsteps in the snow.  For her dead neighbor, and for herself, she must embark on a harrowing journey of lies, revelation and violence that will take her back to the world of ice and snow from which she comes, where an explosive secret waits beneath the ice....]]> 410 Peter Høeg Liz 1
Throughout my reading, it really reminded me of David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars. The two books aren't narratively similar in the slightest, but they are both snow-themed, and they are both FUCKING BORING.

Seriously this book was dull to the point where it actually induced extreme rage. The plot (if one can even call it that) moves at a glacial pace (thematically appropriate but infuriating to read), and the narration of it is so buried beneath the tedious stream of consciousness and endless, dreary reminiscence of the protagonist that when something relatively exciting happened I barely even noticed. I had to read the cliff notes to even find out the full resolution of the story because it was so poorly presented.

The first person narration of the protagonist was grating to the point that I actually hated her by the end. Secondary characters were often introduced merely by their pronouns (unhelpful when they are nearly all male), making it difficult to discern who they were, though they were all so sinfully boring that I didn't really care anyway. The storytelling was jagged, and haphazard. It would barely move forward at all and then suddenly trip over itself making small bouts of progress.

There was no flare to the writing, no attempt to engage the reader or present likeable, relatable or even interesting characters.

No. Just no. ]]> 3.70 1992 Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow
author: Peter Høeg
name: Liz
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1992
rating: 1
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/08
shelves:
review:
When I (finally) finished this book I had to resist the urge to launch it across the room, and probably would have done so if not for the risk of waking my 12 week old baby.

Throughout my reading, it really reminded me of David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars. The two books aren't narratively similar in the slightest, but they are both snow-themed, and they are both FUCKING BORING.

Seriously this book was dull to the point where it actually induced extreme rage. The plot (if one can even call it that) moves at a glacial pace (thematically appropriate but infuriating to read), and the narration of it is so buried beneath the tedious stream of consciousness and endless, dreary reminiscence of the protagonist that when something relatively exciting happened I barely even noticed. I had to read the cliff notes to even find out the full resolution of the story because it was so poorly presented.

The first person narration of the protagonist was grating to the point that I actually hated her by the end. Secondary characters were often introduced merely by their pronouns (unhelpful when they are nearly all male), making it difficult to discern who they were, though they were all so sinfully boring that I didn't really care anyway. The storytelling was jagged, and haphazard. It would barely move forward at all and then suddenly trip over itself making small bouts of progress.

There was no flare to the writing, no attempt to engage the reader or present likeable, relatable or even interesting characters.

No. Just no.
]]> Intermezzo 208931300 An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family—but especially love—from the global phenomenon Sally Rooney.

Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common.

Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties—successful, competent, and apparently unassailable. But in the wake of their father’s death, he’s medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two very different women—his enduring first love, Sylvia, and Naomi, a college student for whom life is one long joke.

Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward, a loner, the antithesis of his glib elder brother. Now, in the early weeks of his bereavement, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman emerging from her own turbulent past, and their lives become rapidly and intensely intertwined.

For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude—a period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.]]> 454 Sally Rooney 0374602638 Liz 0 to-read 3.88 2024 Intermezzo
author: Sally Rooney
name: Liz
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Life Impossible 198281740
“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…�

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.]]> 324 Matt Haig 0593489276 Liz 0 to-read 3.45 2024 The Life Impossible
author: Matt Haig
name: Liz
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Then She Was Gone 35297426 She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?]]> 359 Lisa Jewell 1501154648 Liz 3
Also I feel like the "happy ending" was marred by [spoilers removed]

But yeah, as ever a fun romp.]]> 4.02 2017 Then She Was Gone
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Liz
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves:
review:
Just as immensely readable as the other Jewell books that I've read, but I'm docking a star from my usual 4-star rating because the "twist" was so starkly obvious. I guessed what was happening about a third of the way through the book so there wasn't really any suspense or excitement for me where the story was concerned.

Also I feel like the "happy ending" was marred by [spoilers removed]

But yeah, as ever a fun romp.
]]> <![CDATA[Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Liz 4
Conceptually, this book is fantastic. Set in a distant future where humans have colonised the far reaches of our solar system, Children of Time explores the idea of how we would preserve our species when the Earth inevitably reaches its environmental breaking point. But when things fail to go according to plan, humanity is forced to go to extreme lengths in order to find a new home.

The two main settings - the great ark ship Gilgamesh and so-called Kern's world (humanity's supposed new home) - are presented exceptionally well, and it's clear just how much thought and research went into both. Tchaikovsky also delves deep into the science of evolution in ways that I've never experienced before - the way that Portia's narrative shows the ever-increasing cognitive and social development of her people is masterful.

So why no 5 stars? It took me the majority of the 600 page book to figure out what exactly was just not hitting the spot for me. And I think it's a side effect of the "hard sci-fi" of it all - the aspects that make the book so good conceptually are also what meant that I enjoyed it that little bit less. It was just all a bit... clinical. It's so scientifically sound that, ironically for a book about humanity, a lot of the essential human-ness was lost. The characters lacked emotion, and felt distant and unrelatable. It wasn't until the dramatic conclusion that I felt anything for them at all. For the rest of the time while reading I felt like I was observing the whole thing through a microscope.

Still a good read though, and I will be picking up the next in the series for sure. ]]> 4.29 2015 Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Liz
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/27
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves:
review:
This could easily have been a 5 star read, if I was solely judging on the world-building, and the sheer amount of detail included in the narrative in order to make the story as realistic as possible.

Conceptually, this book is fantastic. Set in a distant future where humans have colonised the far reaches of our solar system, Children of Time explores the idea of how we would preserve our species when the Earth inevitably reaches its environmental breaking point. But when things fail to go according to plan, humanity is forced to go to extreme lengths in order to find a new home.

The two main settings - the great ark ship Gilgamesh and so-called Kern's world (humanity's supposed new home) - are presented exceptionally well, and it's clear just how much thought and research went into both. Tchaikovsky also delves deep into the science of evolution in ways that I've never experienced before - the way that Portia's narrative shows the ever-increasing cognitive and social development of her people is masterful.

So why no 5 stars? It took me the majority of the 600 page book to figure out what exactly was just not hitting the spot for me. And I think it's a side effect of the "hard sci-fi" of it all - the aspects that make the book so good conceptually are also what meant that I enjoyed it that little bit less. It was just all a bit... clinical. It's so scientifically sound that, ironically for a book about humanity, a lot of the essential human-ness was lost. The characters lacked emotion, and felt distant and unrelatable. It wasn't until the dramatic conclusion that I felt anything for them at all. For the rest of the time while reading I felt like I was observing the whole thing through a microscope.

Still a good read though, and I will be picking up the next in the series for sure.
]]> Funny Story 199354786 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 384 Emily Henry 0241624142 Liz 0 to-read 4.28 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Liz
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Gone to Soldiers 862109 Gone to Soldiers is an unforgettable reading experience and a stirring tribute to the remarkable survival of the human spirit.]]> 800 Marge Piercy 0449215571 Liz 4
Despite Piercy having written my all time favourite novel, Woman on the Edge of Time, I kept putting off reading this book due to being intimidated by what an absolute unit it is. Weighing in at a whopping 852 pages, with a pretty small font, I was convinced that even given my fast-paced consumption of literature it would take me about half a year to read and would ultimately ruin my chances of hitting my reading target. But then having found myself 5 books ahead of schedule, I figured now's the time...

I should have had faith, because once this book got going I couldn't get enough of it. Having said that it does take a good 150-200 pages for the plot to really start, probably due to having about 10 different character POVs whom all needed sufficient set up and back story.

Spanning pretty much the entirety of World War 2, Gone to Soldiers follows its characters through their markedly different experiences of the war, including front line conflict, espionage, devastating brutality and oppression from the Nazis and evacuation to a foreign land far from home.

In classic Piercy style, the female characters did far more for me than any of their male counterparts (fuck off Daniel, you boring incel). Whether it was the bravery of Naomi, who is sent halfway across the world to live with distant family in the USA when the Nazis invade her homeland of France, or the brilliant obstinance of Ruthie - determined to prioritise her career and education when all her peers are getting married and shooting out kids. Bernice fights against the tide of misogyny to eschew her role as her father's surrogate wife and housekeeper and realise her dream of flying planes for a living, whilst Louise and Abra constantly strive to take control of their own sexual destinies. But the most honourable mention goes to Jaqueline - spoiled middle class brat turned French-Jewish Resistance fighter. I honestly would happily have read an entire novel based upon her experiences, such was the power, poignancy and inspiration of her tale.

Piercy never shies away from describing in excruciating detail the abject horrors of not only conflict but also the experiences of Jews in the Nazi concentration camps. It was devastating to read in the knowledge that this genuinely happened to millions of people. Truly barbaric and inhuman acts committed daily and seemingly without remorse.

I'm only docking a star due to some characters failing to engage me or add much to my reading experience (fucking Daniel...) but this was truly an amazing read on the whole and one that everyone should experience.]]> 4.26 1987 Gone to Soldiers
author: Marge Piercy
name: Liz
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves:
review:
I feel like if you Google the term "epic novel" then there would be a picture of this book.

Despite Piercy having written my all time favourite novel, Woman on the Edge of Time, I kept putting off reading this book due to being intimidated by what an absolute unit it is. Weighing in at a whopping 852 pages, with a pretty small font, I was convinced that even given my fast-paced consumption of literature it would take me about half a year to read and would ultimately ruin my chances of hitting my reading target. But then having found myself 5 books ahead of schedule, I figured now's the time...

I should have had faith, because once this book got going I couldn't get enough of it. Having said that it does take a good 150-200 pages for the plot to really start, probably due to having about 10 different character POVs whom all needed sufficient set up and back story.

Spanning pretty much the entirety of World War 2, Gone to Soldiers follows its characters through their markedly different experiences of the war, including front line conflict, espionage, devastating brutality and oppression from the Nazis and evacuation to a foreign land far from home.

In classic Piercy style, the female characters did far more for me than any of their male counterparts (fuck off Daniel, you boring incel). Whether it was the bravery of Naomi, who is sent halfway across the world to live with distant family in the USA when the Nazis invade her homeland of France, or the brilliant obstinance of Ruthie - determined to prioritise her career and education when all her peers are getting married and shooting out kids. Bernice fights against the tide of misogyny to eschew her role as her father's surrogate wife and housekeeper and realise her dream of flying planes for a living, whilst Louise and Abra constantly strive to take control of their own sexual destinies. But the most honourable mention goes to Jaqueline - spoiled middle class brat turned French-Jewish Resistance fighter. I honestly would happily have read an entire novel based upon her experiences, such was the power, poignancy and inspiration of her tale.

Piercy never shies away from describing in excruciating detail the abject horrors of not only conflict but also the experiences of Jews in the Nazi concentration camps. It was devastating to read in the knowledge that this genuinely happened to millions of people. Truly barbaric and inhuman acts committed daily and seemingly without remorse.

I'm only docking a star due to some characters failing to engage me or add much to my reading experience (fucking Daniel...) but this was truly an amazing read on the whole and one that everyone should experience.
]]> The Tiger Flu 39070352
Kirilow is a doctor apprentice whose lover Peristrophe is a "starfish," a woman who can regenerate her own limbs and organs, which she uses to help her clone sisters whose organs are failing. When a denizen from Salt Water City suffering from a mysterious flu comes into their midst, Peristrophe becomes infected and dies, prompting Kirilow to travel to Salt Water City, where the flu is now a pandemic, to find a new starfish who will help save her sisters. There, Kirilow meets Kora, a girl-woman desperate to save her family from the epidemic. Kora has everything Kirilow is looking for, except the will to abandon her own family. But before Kirilow can convince her, both are kidnapped by a group of powerful men to serve as test subjects for a new technology that can cure the mind of the body.

Bold, beautiful, and wildly imaginative, The Tiger Flu is at once a female hero's saga, a cyberpunk thriller, and a convention-breaking cautionary tale--a striking metaphor for our complicated times.]]> 330 Larissa Lai 1551527316 Liz 0 to-read 3.51 2018 The Tiger Flu
author: Larissa Lai
name: Liz
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Dance with Dragons 1: Dreams and Dust (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5, Part 1 of 2)]]> 13337715
Tyrion Lannister, having killed his father, and wrongfully accused of killing his nephew, King Joffrey, has escaped from King’s Landing with a price on his head.

To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone � a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Eddard Stark's bastard son Jon Snow has been elected 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. But Jon has enemies both inside and beyond the Wall.

And in the east Daenerys Targaryen struggles to hold a city built on dreams and dust.]]> 690 George R.R. Martin Liz 3
I've said it before, but Martin has dragged out most of the story lines way too far. I'm still very impressed with the scope of his imagination. To create a world like the Seven Kingdoms and the hundreds of characters who live there is nothing short of amazing. But it's the same with Tolkein - amazing world created, but poor narration, and dragged out to the point of tedium. A writer has to consider the effect this has on a reader's sympathy for characters. After a while I find myself wishing that some tragedy will befall them, just for the sake of having something happen.

I'm going straight onto the next one, mainly because the TV series is jumping ahead with certain characters, and also I just want it to be finished now. I didn't hate this book. It was enjoyable, just tedious at times and frustrating that Martin is spinning all the characters' plots out so much. 'A Feast for Crows' had a great deal of action, some revelations, a few loose ends tied up, but I felt that 'A Dance with Dragons' had none of this, and lacked the good pacing of the previous installment. ]]> 4.33 2011 A Dance with Dragons 1: Dreams and Dust (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5, Part 1 of 2)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Liz
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2014/06/13
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
Don't really know what to say about this one... it just didn't 'wow' me. I really enjoyed 'A Feast for Crows' and had fairly high expectations for 'A Dance with Dragons' but some parts were quite dull and I had to battle through it somewhat to get to the last fifth of the book, where all the action seemed to be. Many of the characters appeared to be in some kind of holding pattern, waiting for something to happen, as was I.

I've said it before, but Martin has dragged out most of the story lines way too far. I'm still very impressed with the scope of his imagination. To create a world like the Seven Kingdoms and the hundreds of characters who live there is nothing short of amazing. But it's the same with Tolkein - amazing world created, but poor narration, and dragged out to the point of tedium. A writer has to consider the effect this has on a reader's sympathy for characters. After a while I find myself wishing that some tragedy will befall them, just for the sake of having something happen.

I'm going straight onto the next one, mainly because the TV series is jumping ahead with certain characters, and also I just want it to be finished now. I didn't hate this book. It was enjoyable, just tedious at times and frustrating that Martin is spinning all the characters' plots out so much. 'A Feast for Crows' had a great deal of action, some revelations, a few loose ends tied up, but I felt that 'A Dance with Dragons' had none of this, and lacked the good pacing of the previous installment.
]]> <![CDATA[How to be Famous (How to Build a Girl, #2)]]> 35068933 How to Build a Girl, the breakout novel from feminist sensation Caitlin Moran who the New York Times called, "rowdy and fearless . . . sloppy, big-hearted and alive in all the right ways."

You can’t have your best friend be famous if you’re not famous. It doesn’t work. You’re emotional pen-friends. You can send each other letters—but you’re not doing anything together. You live in different countries.

Johanna Morrigan (AKA Dolly Wilde) has it all: at eighteen, she lives in her own flat in London and writes for the coolest music magazine in Britain. But Johanna is miserable. Her best friend and man of her dreams John Kite has just made it big in 1994’s hot new BritPop scene. Suddenly John exists on another plane of reality: that of the Famouses.

Never one to sit on the sidelines, Johanna hatches a plan: she will Saint Paul his Corinthians, she will Jimmy his Pinocchio—she will write a monthly column, by way of a manual to the famous, analyzing fame, its power, its dangers, and its amusing aspects. In stories, girls never win the girl—they are won. Well, Johanna will re-write the stories, and win John, through her writing.

But as Johanna’s own star rises, an unpleasant one-night stand she had with a stand-up comedian, Jerry Sharp, comes back to haunt in her in a series of unfortunate consequences. How can a girl deal with public sexual shaming? Especially when her new friend, the up-and-coming feminist rock icon Suzanne Banks, is Jimmy Cricketing her?

For anyone who has been a girl or known one, who has admired fame or judged it, and above all anyone who loves to laugh till their sides ache, How to Be Famous is a big-hearted, hilarious tale of fame and fortune-and all they entail.]]> 368 Caitlin Moran 1443448524 Liz 4 4.00 2018 How to be Famous (How to Build a Girl, #2)
author: Caitlin Moran
name: Liz
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/04
date added: 2024/08/04
shelves:
review:
Sharp, witty, heartfelt and delightfully crass. If puns derived from the word "fuck" are your thing then this book is right up your street. Perhaps a little bit twee for my liking, but it's sweetness is difficult to truly dislike. Also refreshing to read something set in 1990s London when rent was relatively affordable and making it in the music industry wasn't basically impossible. A really fun romp.
]]> <![CDATA[A Death in the Family (My Struggle #1)]]> 15705460 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

In this utterly remarkable novel Karl Ove Knausgaard writes with painful honesty about his childhood and teenage years, his infatuation with rock music, his relationship with his loving yet almost invisible mother and his distant and unpredictable father, and his bewilderment and grief on his father's death. When Karl Ove becomes a father himself, he must balance the demands of caring for a young family with his determination to write great literature. In A Death in the Family Knausgaard has created a universal story of the struggles, great and small, that we all face in our lives. A profoundly serious, gripping and hugely readable work written as if the author's very life were at stake.]]> 490 Karl Ove KnausgĂĄrd 0099555166 Liz 3
I also didn't care for Knausgard's propensity towards including the minutiae of every person, event, random tree that he encounters throughout his journey, which ultimately bear no relevance at all to the plot. It got tedious very quickly, and certain formatting choices, such as the lack of chapters and "wall of text" recollections did nothing to help.

Whilst I acknowledge his accomplishments as a writer, I shall not be seeking out any more of his books. ]]> 3.99 2009 A Death in the Family (My Struggle #1)
author: Karl Ove KnausgĂĄrd
name: Liz
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves:
review:
Definitely a book of two halves for me. The parts where the narrative consisted purely of Karl Ove reminiscing about his youth were enjoyable, and I found this section of the novel quite compelling. Unfortunately though the latter half of the book contained far too much pontificating on life, death, art and the nature of existence. Having zero interest in philosophy meant that these parts held no interest for me whatsoever.

I also didn't care for Knausgard's propensity towards including the minutiae of every person, event, random tree that he encounters throughout his journey, which ultimately bear no relevance at all to the plot. It got tedious very quickly, and certain formatting choices, such as the lack of chapters and "wall of text" recollections did nothing to help.

Whilst I acknowledge his accomplishments as a writer, I shall not be seeking out any more of his books.
]]> <![CDATA[Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)]]> 44421460 What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?]]> 213 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529029589 Liz 3 3.67 2015 Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1)
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Liz
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/24
date added: 2024/07/24
shelves:
review:
I liked the concept, and the narrative, but found the characters lacking in development and personality, meaning that inevitably this book left me pretty cold.
]]> The Queue 30186905 Set against the backdrop of a failed political uprising, The Queue is a chilling debut that evokes Orwellian dystopia, Kafkaesque surrealism, and a very real vision of life after the Arab Spring.

In a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a centralized authority known as â€the Gateâ€� has risen to power in the aftermath of the â€Disgraceful Events,â€� a failed popular uprising. Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer.

Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively denying the very existence of the bullet.

Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done, or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save his life.

Written with dark, subtle humor, The Queue describes the sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.


From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 209 Basma Abdel Aziz Liz 1
The above quote, appearing on the penultimate page of this book, is pretty much a perfect description.

Man, I think that was the worst book I've read in quite a while. Made even more frustrating by the fact that the premise is actually really interesting - an unknown middle eastern country which has fallen under strict dictatorial rule imposes a regime whereby everyday administrative tasks have to be approved by an unseen organisation known only as "the Gate". Citizens must join 'the queue' in order to do pretty much anything, including getting life-saving surgery. However the Gate never opens and the queue never moves.

This concept, and the "Disgraceful Events" that apparently cause it to happen, present an intriguing setting, which is never taken advantage of in the book's 200 pages, at any point.

The plot is barely existent - merely a rambling collection of character interactions with no discernible narrative theme or connection. The characters themselves are all incredibly bland and indistinguishable from one another. The story, if it can even be called that, just meanders on without direction or offer of engagement.

I literally got nothing from this book. Most of the time I felt I was just staring at the words, comprehending them linguistically but not being given any deeper context for them whatsoever.

Terrible. Avoid.]]> 3.57 2012 The Queue
author: Basma Abdel Aziz
name: Liz
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2012
rating: 1
read at: 2024/06/22
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves:
review:
"Nothing had really happened".

The above quote, appearing on the penultimate page of this book, is pretty much a perfect description.

Man, I think that was the worst book I've read in quite a while. Made even more frustrating by the fact that the premise is actually really interesting - an unknown middle eastern country which has fallen under strict dictatorial rule imposes a regime whereby everyday administrative tasks have to be approved by an unseen organisation known only as "the Gate". Citizens must join 'the queue' in order to do pretty much anything, including getting life-saving surgery. However the Gate never opens and the queue never moves.

This concept, and the "Disgraceful Events" that apparently cause it to happen, present an intriguing setting, which is never taken advantage of in the book's 200 pages, at any point.

The plot is barely existent - merely a rambling collection of character interactions with no discernible narrative theme or connection. The characters themselves are all incredibly bland and indistinguishable from one another. The story, if it can even be called that, just meanders on without direction or offer of engagement.

I literally got nothing from this book. Most of the time I felt I was just staring at the words, comprehending them linguistically but not being given any deeper context for them whatsoever.

Terrible. Avoid.
]]> The Heart's Invisible Furies 33253215 real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he?

Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.

At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from � and over his three score years and ten, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more.

In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.]]> 582 John Boyne Liz 5
This is EXACTLY my kind of read - an epic story spanning the entire life of the protagonist (each section leaping forward 7 years), filled with engaging, fully formed characters and brimming with the richness of the settings.

Also, John Boyne needs to teach seminars in how to write snappy dialogue. The exchanges between the characters are often heart-warming and deeply humorous, without ever feeling forced or inauthentic (it helps if your inner voice reads them in a Dublin accent). This novel made me laugh as much as it made me cry, and from the first page had me hooked into a deeply compelling narrative which never ceased to be engaging and immersive for an impressive 700 pages.

If you haven't read it, add it to your TBR post-haste. ]]> 4.51 2017 The Heart's Invisible Furies
author: John Boyne
name: Liz
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
What. A. Belter.

This is EXACTLY my kind of read - an epic story spanning the entire life of the protagonist (each section leaping forward 7 years), filled with engaging, fully formed characters and brimming with the richness of the settings.

Also, John Boyne needs to teach seminars in how to write snappy dialogue. The exchanges between the characters are often heart-warming and deeply humorous, without ever feeling forced or inauthentic (it helps if your inner voice reads them in a Dublin accent). This novel made me laugh as much as it made me cry, and from the first page had me hooked into a deeply compelling narrative which never ceased to be engaging and immersive for an impressive 700 pages.

If you haven't read it, add it to your TBR post-haste.
]]> Real Life 46263943
Almost everything about Wallace is at odds with the Midwestern university town where he is working uneasily toward a biochem degree. An introverted young man from Alabama, black and queer, he has left behind his family without escaping the long shadows of his childhood. For reasons of self-preservation, Wallace has enforced a wary distance even within his own circle of friends—some dating each other, some dating women, some feigning straightness. But over the course of a late-summer weekend, a series of confrontations with colleagues, and an unexpected encounter with an ostensibly straight, white classmate, conspire to fracture his defenses while exposing long-hidden currents of hostility and desire within their community.

Real Life is a novel of profound and lacerating power, a story that asks if it’s ever really possible to overcome our private wounds, and at what cost.]]> 329 Brandon Taylor 0525538887 Liz 4 Real Life provides a snapshot into the life of its protagonist, Wallace, as he navigates various struggles whilst completing a postgraduate degree in biochemistry.

Taylor's use of dialogue is extremely effective in getting across the difficulties that Wallace faces in his different relationships - from an unexpected sexual encounter to facing overt bigotry (followed by total gaslighting) from one of his fellow students. All the while going through his own internal struggle with the trauma which resides in his past.

Though it seems to lack a definitive plot, I found the novel to be immersive and compelling, and overall a really enjoyable read. ]]> 3.79 2020 Real Life
author: Brandon Taylor
name: Liz
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/12
date added: 2024/07/12
shelves:
review:
Gorgeously conveyed through rich storytelling and excellent character exposition, Real Life provides a snapshot into the life of its protagonist, Wallace, as he navigates various struggles whilst completing a postgraduate degree in biochemistry.

Taylor's use of dialogue is extremely effective in getting across the difficulties that Wallace faces in his different relationships - from an unexpected sexual encounter to facing overt bigotry (followed by total gaslighting) from one of his fellow students. All the while going through his own internal struggle with the trauma which resides in his past.

Though it seems to lack a definitive plot, I found the novel to be immersive and compelling, and overall a really enjoyable read.
]]> Talking at Night 62583508
They’re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother’s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer—destined to be one another’s great love story.

Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.

But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can’t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.

What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can’t let go?]]> 400 Claire Daverley 0593653483 Liz 4
I was particularly impressed with the achingly realistic portrayal of various forms of trauma - grief, parental abuse, substance abuse and OCD - all conveyed with the utmost care and attention to detail, both subtle and painfully obvious simultaneously.

The writing is lovely - it's gentle and immersive. I've always had a soft spot for dialogue without speech marks; for some reason it makes it easier for me to relate to the characters.

Recommend as an easy but good quality read. ]]> 3.91 2023 Talking at Night
author: Claire Daverley
name: Liz
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/01
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves:
review:
Really lovely book about life getting in the way of love, and love getting in the way of life.

I was particularly impressed with the achingly realistic portrayal of various forms of trauma - grief, parental abuse, substance abuse and OCD - all conveyed with the utmost care and attention to detail, both subtle and painfully obvious simultaneously.

The writing is lovely - it's gentle and immersive. I've always had a soft spot for dialogue without speech marks; for some reason it makes it easier for me to relate to the characters.

Recommend as an easy but good quality read.
]]> Butter 200776812 The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer," Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.]]> 464 Asako Yuzuki 0063236400 Liz 0 to-read 3.51 2017 Butter
author: Asako Yuzuki
name: Liz
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Night She Disappeared 55922299
Kim watches her daughter leave and, as late evening turns into night, which turns into early morning, she waits for her return. And waits.

The next morning, Kim phones Tallulah's friends who tell her that Tallulah was last seen heading to a party at a house in the nearby woods called Dark Place.

She never returns.

2019: Sophie is walking in the woods near the boarding school where her boyfriend has just started work as a head-teacher when she sees a note fixed to a tree.

'DIG HERE' . . .

A cold case, an abandoned mansion, family trauma and dark secrets lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell's remarkable new novel.]]> 416 Lisa Jewell 1982137363 Liz 4
But as with all the others, it kept me well and truly entertained for the 12 hours or so that it took me to read it, which was exactly what I wanted.

Ever the effective literary palate cleanser!]]> 4.05 2021 The Night She Disappeared
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Liz
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/12
date added: 2024/06/12
shelves:
review:
Definitely the silliest Lisa Jewell book I've read so far - the ending is pretty wild even for this genre!

But as with all the others, it kept me well and truly entertained for the 12 hours or so that it took me to read it, which was exactly what I wanted.

Ever the effective literary palate cleanser!
]]> How They Broke Britain 96177652 The revealing, defining account of the dark network that broke out country.

Something has gone really wrong in Britain.

Our economy has tanked, our freedoms are shrinking, and social divisions are growing. Our politicians seem most interested in their own careers, and much of the media only make things worse. We are living in a country almost unrecognisable from the one that existed a decade ago. But whose fault is it really? Who broke Britain and how did they do it?

Bold and incisive as ever, James O'Brien reveals the shady network of influence that has created a broken Britain of strikes, shortages and scandals. He maps the web connecting dark think tanks to Downing Street, the journalists involved in selling it to the public and the media bosses pushing their own agendas. Over ten chapters, each focusing on a particular person complicit in the downfall, James O'Brien reveals how a select few have conspired - sometimes by incompetence, sometimes by design - to bring Britain to its knees.]]> 404 James O'Brien 0753560372 Liz 4
So whilst I expected something akin to a lengthy Private Eye article, what James O'Brien has in fact produced is an incredibly well-researched, detailed and scathing indictment of the key figures who hold ultimate responsibility for the state of the UK today, from the disgustingly fascist skewing of the media from the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Paul Dacre, to the insidiously self-serving and corrupt actions of Boris Johnson, to the utterly laughable incompetence of Dominic Cummings and Liz Truss.

So whilst not as immediately engaging and accessible as I was hoping (though certainly not a slog to get through by any means) this is a book that I'm very glad I read, and that should be read by anybody wishing to be even slightly informed on the state of British politics and perhaps more importantly, how it got to this point in the first place. We've come a long way from the most scandalous event in politics in the UK being an active Prime Minister referring to a bigoted woman as just that on a hot mic, and O'Brien very purposefully lays forth the path taken by certain individuals that now seems to afford most right-wing politicians complete carte blanche in their actions.

That being said, it is not without certain humorous comments along the way, my favourite being easy to pinpoint when he describes Jacob Rees-Mogg as "a penny farthing in human form".

I have a great deal of respect for O'Brien and this book has only served to bolster that feeling. I will never tire of seeing him tear down the ignorant and often downright racist troglodytes who attempt to get the better of him when ringing in to LBC (particularly as usually all he does is ask them simple questions). If more journalists were like him then maybe the country wouldn't be in such a fucking mess.

#fuckthetories]]> 4.23 How They Broke Britain
author: James O'Brien
name: Liz
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/11
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves:
review:
I think I had a slightly incorrect impression of what this book when I picked it up - my expectation was a satirically humorous review of the various politicians and media moguls who have, over the last decade or so, collectively steered the country into the utter shitstorm that we now find ourselves in. Whilst the latter half is certainly true, it turns out there is very little humour to be found in such an endeavour.

So whilst I expected something akin to a lengthy Private Eye article, what James O'Brien has in fact produced is an incredibly well-researched, detailed and scathing indictment of the key figures who hold ultimate responsibility for the state of the UK today, from the disgustingly fascist skewing of the media from the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Paul Dacre, to the insidiously self-serving and corrupt actions of Boris Johnson, to the utterly laughable incompetence of Dominic Cummings and Liz Truss.

So whilst not as immediately engaging and accessible as I was hoping (though certainly not a slog to get through by any means) this is a book that I'm very glad I read, and that should be read by anybody wishing to be even slightly informed on the state of British politics and perhaps more importantly, how it got to this point in the first place. We've come a long way from the most scandalous event in politics in the UK being an active Prime Minister referring to a bigoted woman as just that on a hot mic, and O'Brien very purposefully lays forth the path taken by certain individuals that now seems to afford most right-wing politicians complete carte blanche in their actions.

That being said, it is not without certain humorous comments along the way, my favourite being easy to pinpoint when he describes Jacob Rees-Mogg as "a penny farthing in human form".

I have a great deal of respect for O'Brien and this book has only served to bolster that feeling. I will never tire of seeing him tear down the ignorant and often downright racist troglodytes who attempt to get the better of him when ringing in to LBC (particularly as usually all he does is ask them simple questions). If more journalists were like him then maybe the country wouldn't be in such a fucking mess.

#fuckthetories
]]> The Shipping News 7354
A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary American family, The Shipping News shows why E. Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today.
(back cover)]]> 337 Annie Proulx 0743225422 Liz 3
This is a particular shame because I found the writing to be absolutely sublime. Always highly evocative and often extremely beautiful, if this had been married to a great plot then this would have undoubtedly been a 5 star read for me. The author expertly gets the setting across through her descriptions (whilst the writing itself is lovely, the setting itself sounds like somewhere I very much would not want to live) and creates such a strong sense of atmosphere.

All in all not really for me, though I can appreciate the book for what it is. ]]> 3.88 1993 The Shipping News
author: Annie Proulx
name: Liz
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/02
date added: 2024/06/02
shelves:
review:
I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just never quite got there for me. I enjoyed the beginning, which held a great deal of promise in terms of plot and character building, but I felt that this soon disappeared - as soon as they reach Newfoundland - and the would-be plot is replaced by a meandering nothingness which offered very little to latch on to. I lost any connection to the main character that I had developed and I failed to connect to any new characters at all. This left it all very flat for me and whilst I didn't necessarily dislike the novel, not being able to sink my teeth into an engaging narrative was disappointing.

This is a particular shame because I found the writing to be absolutely sublime. Always highly evocative and often extremely beautiful, if this had been married to a great plot then this would have undoubtedly been a 5 star read for me. The author expertly gets the setting across through her descriptions (whilst the writing itself is lovely, the setting itself sounds like somewhere I very much would not want to live) and creates such a strong sense of atmosphere.

All in all not really for me, though I can appreciate the book for what it is.
]]> <![CDATA[The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read [and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did]]]> 42348818 This book is about how we have relationships with our children, what gets in the way of a good connection and what can enhance it


The most influential relationships are between parents and children. Yet for so many families, these relationships go can wrong and it may be difficult to get back on track.

In The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad that You Did), renowned psychotherapist Philippa Perry shows how strong and loving bonds are made with your children and how such attachments give a better chance of good mental health, in childhood and beyond.

She'll help you to:
- Understand how your own upbringing may be impacting upon your parenting style
- Contain, express, accept and validate your own and your child's feelings
- Understand that all behaviour is communication
- Break negative cycles and patterns
- Accept that you will make mistakes and what to do about them

Almost every parent loves their children, but by following the refreshing, sage and sane advice and steps in this book you will also find yourselves liking one another too.

]]> 240 Philippa Perry Liz 4
There are a few niggles though where I came across things I wasn't so keen on or didn't quite agree with. Firstly Perry seems to have a tendency to categorise people into distinct groups, sometimes even binarily. This rarely happens in reality - people are far too complex for such simplistic sorting. Whilst Ainsworth's Strange Situation study is a classic in developmental psychology, and for good reason, is pretty reductionist to attempt to place an entire population into one of four categories, even with the later addition of disorganised attachment which I believe was added for this exact reason. Personally whilst I can identify with certain traits from specific attachment groups I have never felt that I belong squarely in a single one.

Additionally, and I found this quite irksome at times, Perry seems to disregard parental mental health fairly often. I get why she's encouraging parents to respond to a child's every cry. And I get why she is staunchly against full blown sleep training such as "cry it out" (I don't think I will advocate this for my child either), but she never once acknowledges that if a child is waking every hour of the night, or cluster feeding, or is just generally very clingy as an infant and will only sleep on one of their parents, that this can be absolutely devastating for the mental wellbeing of parents - particularly breastfeeding mothers. She only ever describes this as potentially "exhausting" for parents, rather than further delving into the serious effects that chronic sleep deprivation can have, even for practical activities such as driving a car. It almost makes it sound like all people who wish to sleep train are doing it for selfish reasons rather than out of necessity.

Lastly, Perry is obviously anti-Caesarean and anti-pain relief - even going so far as to describe both as preventing a child's "natural" entry into the world. Perhaps this is true, but again the experience of the mother needs to be acknowledged and I don't think it's fair to introduce any feelings of guilt or shame for women who choose pain relief or C-sections for their birth plan.

Generally though this was informative and reassuring, and certainly eye-opening for anyone raised by Boomers or earlier generations!

]]> 4.10 2019 The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read [and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did]
author: Philippa Perry
name: Liz
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/18
date added: 2024/05/18
shelves:
review:
There's some really good stuff in here and I definitely subscribe to Perry's approach to child-rearing - validating negative feelings, actively listening, fitting your life around your child rather than vice versa, and generally being an attentive and loving parent who sets boundaries but ensures that their child grows up feeling securely attached.

There are a few niggles though where I came across things I wasn't so keen on or didn't quite agree with. Firstly Perry seems to have a tendency to categorise people into distinct groups, sometimes even binarily. This rarely happens in reality - people are far too complex for such simplistic sorting. Whilst Ainsworth's Strange Situation study is a classic in developmental psychology, and for good reason, is pretty reductionist to attempt to place an entire population into one of four categories, even with the later addition of disorganised attachment which I believe was added for this exact reason. Personally whilst I can identify with certain traits from specific attachment groups I have never felt that I belong squarely in a single one.

Additionally, and I found this quite irksome at times, Perry seems to disregard parental mental health fairly often. I get why she's encouraging parents to respond to a child's every cry. And I get why she is staunchly against full blown sleep training such as "cry it out" (I don't think I will advocate this for my child either), but she never once acknowledges that if a child is waking every hour of the night, or cluster feeding, or is just generally very clingy as an infant and will only sleep on one of their parents, that this can be absolutely devastating for the mental wellbeing of parents - particularly breastfeeding mothers. She only ever describes this as potentially "exhausting" for parents, rather than further delving into the serious effects that chronic sleep deprivation can have, even for practical activities such as driving a car. It almost makes it sound like all people who wish to sleep train are doing it for selfish reasons rather than out of necessity.

Lastly, Perry is obviously anti-Caesarean and anti-pain relief - even going so far as to describe both as preventing a child's "natural" entry into the world. Perhaps this is true, but again the experience of the mother needs to be acknowledged and I don't think it's fair to introduce any feelings of guilt or shame for women who choose pain relief or C-sections for their birth plan.

Generally though this was informative and reassuring, and certainly eye-opening for anyone raised by Boomers or earlier generations!


]]> None of This Is True 62334530 Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?]]> 390 Lisa Jewell 1982179007 Liz 4
Again, as with other Jewell books I've read, not as twisty as people would have you believe and reads more like the gradual unravelling of a story about a very messed up person rather than a twist & turn thriller, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Probably my favourite of hers so far - I read it in one sitting and it was exactly the literary palate cleanser that I needed after spending nearly a month slogging through a very boring read.

Thumbs up. ]]> 4.08 2023 None of This Is True
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Liz
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/04
date added: 2024/05/05
shelves:
review:
Man, Lisa Jewell is really good at writing about fucked up families...

Again, as with other Jewell books I've read, not as twisty as people would have you believe and reads more like the gradual unravelling of a story about a very messed up person rather than a twist & turn thriller, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Probably my favourite of hers so far - I read it in one sitting and it was exactly the literary palate cleanser that I needed after spending nearly a month slogging through a very boring read.

Thumbs up.
]]> Alone in Berlin 6801335
Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear. At the house on 55 Jablonski Strasse, its various occupants try to live under Nazi rule in their different ways: the bullying Hitler loyalists the Persickes, the retired judge Fromm, and the unassuming couple Otto and Anna Quangel. Then the Quangels receive the news that their beloved son has been killed fighting in France. Shocked out of their quiet existence, they begin a silent campaign of defiance, and a deadly game of cat and mouse develops between the Quangels and the ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich. When petty criminals Kluge and Borkhausen also become involved, deception, betrayal and murder ensue, tightening the noose around the Quangels' necks ...

If you enjoyed Alone in Berlin, you might like John Steinbeck's The Moon is Down, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.

'One of the most extraordinary and compelling novels written about World War II. Ever.' -- Alan Furst

'Terrific ... a fast-moving, important and astutely deadpan thriller.' -- The Irish Times

'An unrivalled and vivid portrait of life in wartime Berlin.' -- Philip Kerr

'To read Fallada's testament to the darkest years of the 20th century is to be accompanied by a wise, somber ghost who grips your shoulder and whispers into your ear: "This is how it was. This is what happened."' -- The New York Times]]> 590 Hans Fallada 014118938X Liz 2
Usually when a book receives a great deal of acclaim in reviews, I can understand the appeal despite not having enjoyed it myself. This book though has me absolutely stumped. I cannot understand the wealth of 4 and 5 star reviews.

Apparently, Fallada wrote this in just 24 days. And you know what, it shows. It is in SERIOUS need of editing. The narrative, which is poorly construed anyway, is hidden beneath descriptions of every bit of minutiae the characters experience. It was an absolute slog to say the least.

The characters themselves range from distinctly flat to wholly unlikeable - and I'm not just referring to the ones in the Gestapo that you're supposed to dislike. Every single one of them grated constantly.

The writing is as flat as the characters and similarly riddled with irksome features, such as an abundance of completely unnecessary exclamation marks. These were particularly present in speech, making the dialogue between characters even more irritating than it already was. I'm not sure how much of this was due to it being a translation, but I'm inclined to attribute the majority of it to poor quality writing.

Any pathos intended at the novel's conclusion was completely lost on me, having had no emotional connection to either of the two protagonists throughout. All in all a really disappointing read. ]]> 4.26 1947 Alone in Berlin
author: Hans Fallada
name: Liz
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1947
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/04
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves:
review:
The real shame about this book is that there is a good story here, which has been unfortunately buried underneath a pile of poor writing. Although considering it's based on a true story there is not much credit due to the writer for that.

Usually when a book receives a great deal of acclaim in reviews, I can understand the appeal despite not having enjoyed it myself. This book though has me absolutely stumped. I cannot understand the wealth of 4 and 5 star reviews.

Apparently, Fallada wrote this in just 24 days. And you know what, it shows. It is in SERIOUS need of editing. The narrative, which is poorly construed anyway, is hidden beneath descriptions of every bit of minutiae the characters experience. It was an absolute slog to say the least.

The characters themselves range from distinctly flat to wholly unlikeable - and I'm not just referring to the ones in the Gestapo that you're supposed to dislike. Every single one of them grated constantly.

The writing is as flat as the characters and similarly riddled with irksome features, such as an abundance of completely unnecessary exclamation marks. These were particularly present in speech, making the dialogue between characters even more irritating than it already was. I'm not sure how much of this was due to it being a translation, but I'm inclined to attribute the majority of it to poor quality writing.

Any pathos intended at the novel's conclusion was completely lost on me, having had no emotional connection to either of the two protagonists throughout. All in all a really disappointing read.
]]> Fires in the Dark 307210 Fires in the Dark reveals the highly secretive and misunderstood world of the coppersmith gypsies.

In 1927, when prosperity still reigns in Central Europe, Yenko is born to two Coppersmith Gypsies. His parents, Josef and Anna, are nomads who raise their son during the relative calm of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Soon, though, dangerous times threaten to unsettle their family, as their heritage makes them vulnerable targets for ethnic cleansing. As Germany invades Czechoslovakia and the conflicts of World War II begin to unfold, Yenko and his parents become fugitives, forced on a journey that promises only great uncertainty and offers survival as a remote possibility. In the course of their flight, the burden of an ancient tradition rests entirely on Yenko's shoulders.

In capturing the desperation and perseverance of one family during an extraordinary time in history, Louise Doughty pays homage to an insular and little-known culture.]]> 481 Louise Doughty 0060571233 Liz 0 to-read 4.03 2004 Fires in the Dark
author: Louise Doughty
name: Liz
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)]]> 2459785
Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.]]> 448 Tana French Liz 0 to-read 3.83 2007 In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1)
author: Tana French
name: Liz
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Man on the Street (Jimmy Mullen #1)]]> 48646236 'I can safely say it will be huge ... an excellent read' PATRICIA GIBNEY, author of the DI Lottie Parker series

'A unique protagonist and a cracking plotline ... bags of heart and humanity' MARI HANNAH

When homeless veteran Jimmy thinks he witnesses a murder in Newcastle, the police refuse to believe him. He's not quite sure he believes his own eyes. Then he sees missing persons posters matching the description of the man he saw killed, and he realises he wasn't mistaken. But how do you catch a killer when nobody believes a murder has been committed?

Together Jimmy and the dead man's daughter decide to take matters into their own hands and hunt down the murderer themselves. They soon realise it will be a far more dangerous task than they could ever imagine.

But Jimmy has one big advantage: when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose.

]]> 364 Trevor Wood Liz 0 to-read 4.22 2019 The Man on the Street (Jimmy Mullen #1)
author: Trevor Wood
name: Liz
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Utopia Avenue 52597312 The long-awaited new novel from the bestselling, prize-winning author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.

Utopia Avenue is the strangest British band you’ve never heard of. Emerging from London’s psychedelic scene in 1967 and fronted by folk singer Elf Holloway, guitar demigod Jasper de Zoet, and blues bassist Dean Moss, Utopia Avenue released only two LPs during its brief, blazing journey from the clubs of Soho and drafty ballrooms to Top of the Pops and the cusp of chart success, and on to glory in Amsterdam, prison in Rome, and a fateful American fortnight in the autumn of 1968.

David Mitchell’s captivating new novel tells the unexpurgated story of Utopia Avenue; of riots in the streets and revolutions in the head; of drugs, thugs, madness, love, sex, death, art; of the families we choose and the ones we don’t; of fame’s Faustian pact and stardom’s wobbly ladder. Can we change the world in turbulent times, or does the world change us?]]> 574 David Mitchell 0812997433 Liz 5
It was engaging without being over the top, heart-warming without being unnecessarily saccharine and had just enough of Mitchell's trademark weirdness to set it apart from other books about bands becoming famous.

I loved the characters. I loved the period and setting. I loved the format. I loved the narrative. Just ace. ]]> 3.94 2020 Utopia Avenue
author: David Mitchell
name: Liz
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/04/07
date added: 2024/04/08
shelves:
review:
Man this was exactly what I needed for a holiday read. I was literally hooked from the first page and the storytelling did not let up for a whole 500 pages.

It was engaging without being over the top, heart-warming without being unnecessarily saccharine and had just enough of Mitchell's trademark weirdness to set it apart from other books about bands becoming famous.

I loved the characters. I loved the period and setting. I loved the format. I loved the narrative. Just ace.
]]> <![CDATA[Invasion of the Body Snatchers]]> 127515 224 Jack Finney 0684852586 Liz 4
Happy to say that The Body Snatchers definitely did not lack in this department. It's a really solid read which leads the way in the trope of what if you suddenly fail to recognise the closest people in your life?

It's excellently paced - the claustrophobia and mounting panic of an invasion happening around you with such speed and effectiveness comes across very well, and I was hooked in pretty much from the start. The ending could not be more deus ex machina if it tried, but this is such a common trend in stories such as this that it can be forgiven.

All in all, I enjoyed it. ]]> 3.91 1955 Invasion of the Body Snatchers
author: Jack Finney
name: Liz
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2024/03/31
shelves:
review:
Despite my love of the genre as a whole I often avoid "classic" sci-fi because many books from the era tend to lack in engagement and I find them a struggle to get through.

Happy to say that The Body Snatchers definitely did not lack in this department. It's a really solid read which leads the way in the trope of what if you suddenly fail to recognise the closest people in your life?

It's excellently paced - the claustrophobia and mounting panic of an invasion happening around you with such speed and effectiveness comes across very well, and I was hooked in pretty much from the start. The ending could not be more deus ex machina if it tried, but this is such a common trend in stories such as this that it can be forgiven.

All in all, I enjoyed it.
]]> <![CDATA[Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights]]> 41807239 A bold and gripping graphic history of the fight for women's rights

The ongoing struggle for women's rights has spanned human history, touched nearly every culture on Earth, and encompassed a wide range of issues, such as the right to vote, work, get an education, own property, exercise bodily autonomy, and beyond. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is a fun and fascinating graphic novel-style primer that covers the key figures and events that have advanced women's rights from antiquity to the modern era. In addition, this compelling book illuminates the stories of notable women throughout history--from queens and freedom fighters to warriors and spies--and the progressive movements led by women that have shaped history, including abolition, suffrage, labor, civil rights, LGBTQ liberation, reproductive rights, and more. Examining where we've been, where we are, and where we're going, Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is an indispensable resource for people of all genders interested in the fight for a more liberated future.]]> 200 Mikki Kendall Liz 3
They have tried to cram basically every feminist figure from the dawn of time to the present day (although the #metoo movement is conspicuously absent) and so instead of weaving them into an engaging narrative, the book is essentially a "who's who?" list of people with a brief summary of their work. The backdrop of some school students from the future on a kind of VR museum tour of history isn't anywhere near fleshed out enough to count as a storyline. It barely features and is incredibly bland.

It was informative, but not engaging in the slightest. ]]> 4.09 2019 Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights
author: Mikki Kendall
name: Liz
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/29
date added: 2024/03/29
shelves:
review:
This is a generous 3 stars because of my appreciation for the subject matter. I get what they were going for and I'm totally here for graphic novels about feminist icons but ultimately this was a let down.

They have tried to cram basically every feminist figure from the dawn of time to the present day (although the #metoo movement is conspicuously absent) and so instead of weaving them into an engaging narrative, the book is essentially a "who's who?" list of people with a brief summary of their work. The backdrop of some school students from the future on a kind of VR museum tour of history isn't anywhere near fleshed out enough to count as a storyline. It barely features and is incredibly bland.

It was informative, but not engaging in the slightest.
]]> <![CDATA[Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong - and What You Really Need to Know]]> 16158576 What to Expect When You're Expecting meets Freakonomics: an award-winning economist disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they're expecting.

Pregnancy—unquestionably one of the most pro­found, meaningful experiences of adulthood—can reduce otherwise intelligent women to, well, babies. Pregnant women are told to avoid cold cuts, sushi, alcohol, and coffee without ever being told why these are forbidden. Rules for prenatal testing are similarly unexplained. Moms-to-be desperately want a resource that empowers them to make their own right choices.

When award-winning economist Emily Oster was a mom-to-be herself, she evaluated the data behind the accepted rules of pregnancy and discovered that most are often misguided and some are just flat-out wrong. Debunking myths and explaining everything from the real effects of caffeine to the surprising dangers of gardening, Expecting Better is the book for every pregnant woman who wants to enjoy a healthy and relaxed pregnancy.]]> 336 Emily Oster 1594204756 Liz 4
Seriously it is NUTS how much information people/the internet want to throw at you when you become pregnant. And most of it comes in the form of dire warnings about what not to do and, even more annoyingly, whatever stage of gestation you're at, how the next part is going to be so much worse. My god, I have never had so many people lining up to tell me how awful my life is going to become after revealing that I am on the exciting (supposedly!) journey of expecting my first child.

I found Oster's book to be highly readable and engaging. Despite being stats heavy and laden with references to empirical studies (I'm a nerd), I devoured the book like a cheap thriller, and my appetite for her objective view never waivered.

Having said that, I did have some issues. Whilst I enjoyed reading the information, I did not vibe with all of it. This was somewhat mitigated by reading a review from a medical professional who pointed out Oster's distinct lack of medical knowledge in her approach. Her conclusions, whilst based on studies for which she has a more than secure understanding of methodological quality, are based on statistical significance, not medical fact. This does make me doubt some of her findings, particularly in the chapters on substances to avoid during pregnancy (despite her assurances I will not be having a glass of wine every day for the remainder of my pregnancy).

My other issue was towards the end of the book when she approaches the matter of childbirth. Ever the controversial subject (vaginal vs C-section, to epidural or not to epidural, etc.) and one that causes many woman, including myself, significant anxiety, I was hoping that she would offer a balanced view of the options. Disappointingly, she did not. She consistently referred to drug-free labour as "natural childbirth" - one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. There is nothing unnatural about wanting relief from the most notoriously painful experience of your life! She is also fairly anti C-section (I do understand this more given that she's American - if I only got 6 weeks of statutory maternity leave I probably wouldn't want to join the sunroof club either) and she's also weirdly against both epidurals and episiotomies - the latter is particularly baffling. I'm not saying I want to be snippy snipped in my nether regions, but... needs must?? Better that than having a baby stuck in my vag.

Anyway, I think the best conclusion here is that no pregnancy information source is ever going to be perfect. Everyone is different. Every pregnancy and birth are different. Everyone needs to do what's best for them and the baby and ignore any toxic judgement. I think reading Expecting Better has certainly helped me to affirm this mindset so in that sense, it's done its job. ]]> 4.28 2013 Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong - and What You Really Need to Know
author: Emily Oster
name: Liz
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/23
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves:
review:
This was the first pregnancy book I've read so I don't have anything to compare it to, but considering the absolute PILE of information there is out there about pregnancy and birth, it was very refreshing to read information collated by a woman who seemed to want nothing more than to cut through the bullshit and get to the real facts. An esteemed economics professor and lover of statistics, Oster seems to have a similarly dwindling patience to me for vague advice and unhelpful hysteria surrounding pregnancy.

Seriously it is NUTS how much information people/the internet want to throw at you when you become pregnant. And most of it comes in the form of dire warnings about what not to do and, even more annoyingly, whatever stage of gestation you're at, how the next part is going to be so much worse. My god, I have never had so many people lining up to tell me how awful my life is going to become after revealing that I am on the exciting (supposedly!) journey of expecting my first child.

I found Oster's book to be highly readable and engaging. Despite being stats heavy and laden with references to empirical studies (I'm a nerd), I devoured the book like a cheap thriller, and my appetite for her objective view never waivered.

Having said that, I did have some issues. Whilst I enjoyed reading the information, I did not vibe with all of it. This was somewhat mitigated by reading a review from a medical professional who pointed out Oster's distinct lack of medical knowledge in her approach. Her conclusions, whilst based on studies for which she has a more than secure understanding of methodological quality, are based on statistical significance, not medical fact. This does make me doubt some of her findings, particularly in the chapters on substances to avoid during pregnancy (despite her assurances I will not be having a glass of wine every day for the remainder of my pregnancy).

My other issue was towards the end of the book when she approaches the matter of childbirth. Ever the controversial subject (vaginal vs C-section, to epidural or not to epidural, etc.) and one that causes many woman, including myself, significant anxiety, I was hoping that she would offer a balanced view of the options. Disappointingly, she did not. She consistently referred to drug-free labour as "natural childbirth" - one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. There is nothing unnatural about wanting relief from the most notoriously painful experience of your life! She is also fairly anti C-section (I do understand this more given that she's American - if I only got 6 weeks of statutory maternity leave I probably wouldn't want to join the sunroof club either) and she's also weirdly against both epidurals and episiotomies - the latter is particularly baffling. I'm not saying I want to be snippy snipped in my nether regions, but... needs must?? Better that than having a baby stuck in my vag.

Anyway, I think the best conclusion here is that no pregnancy information source is ever going to be perfect. Everyone is different. Every pregnancy and birth are different. Everyone needs to do what's best for them and the baby and ignore any toxic judgement. I think reading Expecting Better has certainly helped me to affirm this mindset so in that sense, it's done its job.
]]> The Sweetheart Season 119992 384 Karen Joy Fowler 0345416422 Liz 2 We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

Man. This. Was. A. SLOG.

The blurb is completely misleading, for one thing. I thought I was picking up a novel about women from a small town in post-war America who eschew the expectation to wait for a husband to appear and form a kick-ass feminist baseball team. Whilst this does occur, to an extent, it very much takes a backseat to the main narrative. The main narrative being... fuck all.

Seriously, nothing happens in this book. There's a bit of mooning over a couple of men, there's some cooking in a communal kitchen. There's some letter writing for a fictional agony aunt in a paper and there's a weird obsession with Ghandi's India from the townspeople. The plot points are sporadic, and weak as piss. And the characters are as devoid of personality as the book is of an engaging story.

If you're thinking of reading this book then my advice would be - don't. ]]> 3.22 1996 The Sweetheart Season
author: Karen Joy Fowler
name: Liz
average rating: 3.22
book published: 1996
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/16
date added: 2024/03/16
shelves:
review:
I've only upgraded this from 1 star because of the competency shown in the writing style, and because it came from the same pen as the utterly brilliant We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

Man. This. Was. A. SLOG.

The blurb is completely misleading, for one thing. I thought I was picking up a novel about women from a small town in post-war America who eschew the expectation to wait for a husband to appear and form a kick-ass feminist baseball team. Whilst this does occur, to an extent, it very much takes a backseat to the main narrative. The main narrative being... fuck all.

Seriously, nothing happens in this book. There's a bit of mooning over a couple of men, there's some cooking in a communal kitchen. There's some letter writing for a fictional agony aunt in a paper and there's a weird obsession with Ghandi's India from the townspeople. The plot points are sporadic, and weak as piss. And the characters are as devoid of personality as the book is of an engaging story.

If you're thinking of reading this book then my advice would be - don't.
]]> <![CDATA[The Family Upstairs (The Family Upstairs, #1)]]> 43822820 here.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.]]> 352 Lisa Jewell 1501190105 Liz 4 3.93 2019 The Family Upstairs (The Family Upstairs, #1)
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Liz
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/20
date added: 2024/02/20
shelves:
review:
Enjoyable read, definitely a page turner although I would stop short of calling it a thriller. It lacks a little for twists - I feel that for the most part the story progresses in exactly the way you expect it to. The narrative delivery is well done, coming from three different perspectives which all compliment each other to tell the story. It's less of a "whodunnit" tale and more the story of a twisted and messed up situation involving twisted and messed up people.
]]> The Woman in Me 63133205 The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.]]> 288 Britney Spears 1668009048 Liz 3
HOWEVER, I have to say that Britney Spears is one tough fucking lady and she needs to be very much commended for surviving the shitstorm that her family, partners and business team brought down on her, and for having the courage to put it all down on paper to tell the world. Seriously, what the actual FUCK is wrong with these people?? Her parents need to go to jail. Right to jail. Right away. The sheer level of abuse, manipulation, control and gaslighting that they happily committed, on top of already forcing Brits through a childhood of neglect and torment, all the while taking her hard-earned profits for themselves. Seriously, FUCK THEM BOTH.

Also fuck Justin Timberlake for being a basic-ass tool of a man. And fuck Kevin Federline for being low enough to use someone's children to control and coerce them. And a huge FUCK YOU to all the paparazzi that collectively made her life a genuine waking nightmare for years and years and years, all because they wanted to get the best picture of her mid-mental health crisis. Finally, fuck the world for the constant judgement, the sexist double standards, and for laughing when she shaved her head.

Congrats on your freedom Britney, get after it woman. ]]> 3.83 2023 The Woman in Me
author: Britney Spears
name: Liz
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/14
date added: 2024/02/15
shelves:
review:
This is a definite 3.5 stars because I so badly wanted to give it 4 but just couldn't due to the writing quality. I'm going to offset this critique below by praising poor little Britters for her courage and resilience but man this read like a fevered stream of consciousness that seriously lacked any kind of editing. It was fractious, jumping around here, there and everywhere and only loosely conforming to the tradition of linear storytelling.

HOWEVER, I have to say that Britney Spears is one tough fucking lady and she needs to be very much commended for surviving the shitstorm that her family, partners and business team brought down on her, and for having the courage to put it all down on paper to tell the world. Seriously, what the actual FUCK is wrong with these people?? Her parents need to go to jail. Right to jail. Right away. The sheer level of abuse, manipulation, control and gaslighting that they happily committed, on top of already forcing Brits through a childhood of neglect and torment, all the while taking her hard-earned profits for themselves. Seriously, FUCK THEM BOTH.

Also fuck Justin Timberlake for being a basic-ass tool of a man. And fuck Kevin Federline for being low enough to use someone's children to control and coerce them. And a huge FUCK YOU to all the paparazzi that collectively made her life a genuine waking nightmare for years and years and years, all because they wanted to get the best picture of her mid-mental health crisis. Finally, fuck the world for the constant judgement, the sexist double standards, and for laughing when she shaved her head.

Congrats on your freedom Britney, get after it woman.
]]> <![CDATA[The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4)]]> 50209317
At the Five-Hop One-Stop, long-haul spacers can stretch their legs (if they have legs, that is), and get fuel, transit permits, and assorted supplies. The Five-Hop is run by an enterprising alien and her sometimes helpful child, who work hard to provide a little piece of home to everyone passing through.

When a freak technological failure halts all traffic to and from Gora, three strangers—all different species with different aims—are thrown together at the Five-Hop. Grounded, with nothing to do but wait, the trio—an exiled artist with an appointment to keep, a cargo runner at a personal crossroads, and a mysterious individual doing her best to help those on the fringes—are compelled to confront where they’ve been, where they might go, and what they are, or could be, to each other.]]> 336 Becky Chambers 0062936050 Liz 4 The Galaxy as much as I've loved others in the series, her world-building just has to be commended.

She's constructed unbelievably comprehensive backgrounds for about a dozen different alien species, complete with full physical anatomy and medical traits, socio-political history, social idiosyncrasies, gender norms, mating habits, and so much more.

Her writing cannot help but wrap you up in such a full and vibrant world, and I just can't get enough of it. Her books are engaging, heart-warming and joyous to read. ]]> 4.38 2021 The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Liz
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/10
date added: 2024/02/10
shelves:
review:
Becky Chambers really is quite remarkable. While I didn't completely love the plot of The Galaxy as much as I've loved others in the series, her world-building just has to be commended.

She's constructed unbelievably comprehensive backgrounds for about a dozen different alien species, complete with full physical anatomy and medical traits, socio-political history, social idiosyncrasies, gender norms, mating habits, and so much more.

Her writing cannot help but wrap you up in such a full and vibrant world, and I just can't get enough of it. Her books are engaging, heart-warming and joyous to read.
]]> Circe 35959740
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love.]]> 393 Madeline Miller 0316556343 Liz 4 extremely useful GCSE in Ancient Greek. But I do enjoy it, so getting to read a feminist retelling of a story about an exiled goddess who is treated appallingly by her entire family for no particular reason, and then goes on to become a badass, Athena-fighting, lion-and-wolf-taming nature-witch, was really right up my street.

It's a good story, and it's well told, though admittedly some parts had me significantly more hooked than others, as I found a slight lack of consistently in how engaging the narrative was. But all in all it is enjoyable and worth the read. ]]> 4.22 2018 Circe
author: Madeline Miller
name: Liz
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/08
date added: 2024/01/09
shelves:
review:
I love a bit of Greek mythology. Not that I have really read any since studying for my extremely useful GCSE in Ancient Greek. But I do enjoy it, so getting to read a feminist retelling of a story about an exiled goddess who is treated appallingly by her entire family for no particular reason, and then goes on to become a badass, Athena-fighting, lion-and-wolf-taming nature-witch, was really right up my street.

It's a good story, and it's well told, though admittedly some parts had me significantly more hooked than others, as I found a slight lack of consistently in how engaging the narrative was. But all in all it is enjoyable and worth the read.
]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Liz 5
Absolutely amazing. Just read it. ]]> 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Liz
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/28
date added: 2023/12/28
shelves:
review:
Gorgeously characterised, fantastically written story which grabs hold of you and doesn't let go.

Absolutely amazing. Just read it.
]]> The Hunting Party 37642030 Everyone's invited...everyone's a suspect...

For fans of Ruth Ware and Tana French, a shivery, atmospheric, page-turning novel of psychological suspense in the tradition of Agatha Christie, in which a group of old college friends are snowed in at a hunting lodge . . . and murder and mayhem ensue.

All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.

Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?]]> 406 Lucy Foley 0008297126 Liz 4
This thematic likeness is not the only similarity between this book and The Guest List. The narrative structures are EXACTLY the same. The flipping back and forth between time, the ever increasing reveal of the dark secrets among the characters, the red herrings thrown about here, there and everywhere, and the build up of tension to the suitably dramatic conclusion. But you know what, she may only do one thing but she does it bloody well. So well that I polished off the latter half of the book in one sitting.

My advice would be to not read the two books too close together to avoid getting frustrated by how similar they are. I actually only picked this tactically to ensure I reached my reading target and knowing full well it would be a quick, easy read. It certainly was that, and I did really enjoy it, despite seeing the twist coming a mile off.

Recommend for good escapism/holiday read. ]]> 3.59 2018 The Hunting Party
author: Lucy Foley
name: Liz
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/24
date added: 2023/12/25
shelves:
review:
Lucy Foley's writing really gives "bullied by alpha females at school". Her plotlines seemingly centre exclusively on entitled, privileged arseholes meeting spectacularly gruesome fates. I have to say I'm totally here for it.

This thematic likeness is not the only similarity between this book and The Guest List. The narrative structures are EXACTLY the same. The flipping back and forth between time, the ever increasing reveal of the dark secrets among the characters, the red herrings thrown about here, there and everywhere, and the build up of tension to the suitably dramatic conclusion. But you know what, she may only do one thing but she does it bloody well. So well that I polished off the latter half of the book in one sitting.

My advice would be to not read the two books too close together to avoid getting frustrated by how similar they are. I actually only picked this tactically to ensure I reached my reading target and knowing full well it would be a quick, easy read. It certainly was that, and I did really enjoy it, despite seeing the twist coming a mile off.

Recommend for good escapism/holiday read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Universe Versus Alex Woods]]> 15984268
But when he meets curmudgeonly widower Mr. Peterson, he finds an unlikely friend. Someone who teaches him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make it count.

So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the front seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing ...

Introducing a bright young voice destined to charm the world, The Universe Versus Alex Woods is a celebration of curious incidents, astronomy and astrology, the works of Kurt Vonnegut and the unexpected connections that form our world.]]> 407 Gavin Extence Liz 3
This is such a hard book to review because I actually can't say what was wrong with it. It's a good story, it's well characterised, the prose are tight and engaging, and it's suitably poignant and heart-warming.

I just didn't fully gel with it emotionally. I think I might have an aversion to teenage boys as narrators. It all feels a bit Adrian Mole. Perhaps it's because I work with teenage boys and experience how annoying they are on a daily basis.

I hate to disparage this book though, so I won't. Objectively it really is a good read. ]]> 4.09 2013 The Universe Versus Alex Woods
author: Gavin Extence
name: Liz
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/22
date added: 2023/12/22
shelves:
review:
Definitely 3.5 stars.

This is such a hard book to review because I actually can't say what was wrong with it. It's a good story, it's well characterised, the prose are tight and engaging, and it's suitably poignant and heart-warming.

I just didn't fully gel with it emotionally. I think I might have an aversion to teenage boys as narrators. It all feels a bit Adrian Mole. Perhaps it's because I work with teenage boys and experience how annoying they are on a daily basis.

I hate to disparage this book though, so I won't. Objectively it really is a good read.
]]> The House We Grew Up In 18764826
Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family's desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.]]> 388 Lisa Jewell 1476702993 Liz 4
High family drama presented in a great format - I love a book which skips back and forth in time.

My first Lisa Jewell read but certainly not my last. ]]> 3.73 2013 The House We Grew Up In
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Liz
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/25
date added: 2023/11/25
shelves:
review:
A lovely bit of a escapism.

High family drama presented in a great format - I love a book which skips back and forth in time.

My first Lisa Jewell read but certainly not my last.
]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)]]> 76703559 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.]]> 406 Sarah J. Maas 163973094X Liz 2
As I said, I would have overlooked this thoroughly grating turn of events, had the narrative been more than merely passable. Maas seriously needs to get some help with plot-writing. Her story meanders along in the most mind-numbingly linear fashion with no deviation from the main narrative and with the main characters' stream of consciousness spelling out every single plot point to an intensely annoying degree. It is, to put it bluntly, incredibly basic writing.

My biggest gripe however is unsurprisingly the same as it was with the last Maas book that I read - the lore. If you're going to write fantasy, you HAVE to get this right! There's so much competition out there and I honestly cannot fathom why her books get so much acclaim! I suspect that what she's actually doing is attempting to write romance novels against a fantasy backdrop and therefore not paying much mind to the latter, despite this being the identifying genre of her books. As a big fan of fantasy however, this irks me considerably. She does NO justice to the genre at all - the lore that she sets out is so wishy-washy, it honestly reads like she's making it up as she's going along. There's no grounding, no establishing of solid base from which a world can be built. Amateur hour, really.

I think that's you and me done, Sarah. Adios. ]]> 4.18 2012 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Liz
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2023/11/20
date added: 2023/11/21
shelves:
review:
GAAAAAH. Another immensely frustrating read from Sarah J. Maas. I was willing myself to like this one more, I really was. I was even happy to look past the obvious faux pas of a protagonist, who is clearly supposed to be a feminist icon in her role as the best assassin in the land, spending the majority of the book batting her eyelashes at the two most handsomest men in her life, seemingly agonising over which one she wants to shag.

As I said, I would have overlooked this thoroughly grating turn of events, had the narrative been more than merely passable. Maas seriously needs to get some help with plot-writing. Her story meanders along in the most mind-numbingly linear fashion with no deviation from the main narrative and with the main characters' stream of consciousness spelling out every single plot point to an intensely annoying degree. It is, to put it bluntly, incredibly basic writing.

My biggest gripe however is unsurprisingly the same as it was with the last Maas book that I read - the lore. If you're going to write fantasy, you HAVE to get this right! There's so much competition out there and I honestly cannot fathom why her books get so much acclaim! I suspect that what she's actually doing is attempting to write romance novels against a fantasy backdrop and therefore not paying much mind to the latter, despite this being the identifying genre of her books. As a big fan of fantasy however, this irks me considerably. She does NO justice to the genre at all - the lore that she sets out is so wishy-washy, it honestly reads like she's making it up as she's going along. There's no grounding, no establishing of solid base from which a world can be built. Amateur hour, really.

I think that's you and me done, Sarah. Adios.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last House on Needless Street]]> 54621094
All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong.

In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think...]]> 337 Catriona Ward 1788166167 Liz 0 to-read 3.82 2021 The Last House on Needless Street
author: Catriona Ward
name: Liz
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mayflies 50162215 From the widely renowned author Andrew O'Hagan, a heartbreaking novel of an extraordinary lifelong friendship.

Everyone has a Tully Dawson: the friend who defines your life.

In the summer of 1986, in a small Scottish town, James and Tully ignite a brilliant friendship based on music, films and the rebel spirit. With school over and the locked world of their fathers before them, they rush towards the climax of their youth: a magical weekend in Manchester, the epicentre of everything that inspires them in working-class Britain. There, against the greatest soundtrack ever recorded, a vow is made: to go at life differently. Thirty years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has news.

Mayflies is a memorial to youth's euphorias and to everyday tragedy. A tender goodbye to an old union, it discovers the joy and the costs of love.]]> 288 Andrew O'Hagan 0571273688 Liz 2
Mayflies is divided into two distinct halves. The first section follows a group of friends from Scotland, all around 18 years of age, as they embark on a weekend in Manchester to see some of their most loved live music. I found the characterisation of this section intensely grating. The dialogue between the group had a really chaotic nature to it which I didn't enjoy at all, and none of them had any aspects to their character for me to warm to. By the end I was thoroughly irritated by each and every one of them.

The second half focuses on two characters in particular - the best friends of the group - in adulthood as one shares some devastating news with the other. Perhaps due to being so turned off by them all for half of the narrative, I could not bring myself to form any kind of emotional attachment or feel anything for either of them, so the heartfelt nature of the story fell completely flat. In all honesty, I found the story in this section to be pretty dull.

I really think the formatting was a major issue here. Perhaps instead of halving the book in that way, the narrative would have come across much better if the two sections were interspersed with each other, meaning that the reminiscence complimented the current events by revealing more about the two main characters through their youthful exploits a little at a time. Also the story could have done with about a third of the cultural references that were actually included. The writing was drenched with namedrops of musicians, poets and writers and it absolutely did my head in after a while.

Really not for me. ]]> 3.91 2020 Mayflies
author: Andrew O'Hagan
name: Liz
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/28
shelves:
review:
I did not vibe with this book AT ALL. I can see why people would like it but to be honest I'm struggling to understand all the reviews presented on the front and back covers hailing it to be something exceptional.

Mayflies is divided into two distinct halves. The first section follows a group of friends from Scotland, all around 18 years of age, as they embark on a weekend in Manchester to see some of their most loved live music. I found the characterisation of this section intensely grating. The dialogue between the group had a really chaotic nature to it which I didn't enjoy at all, and none of them had any aspects to their character for me to warm to. By the end I was thoroughly irritated by each and every one of them.

The second half focuses on two characters in particular - the best friends of the group - in adulthood as one shares some devastating news with the other. Perhaps due to being so turned off by them all for half of the narrative, I could not bring myself to form any kind of emotional attachment or feel anything for either of them, so the heartfelt nature of the story fell completely flat. In all honesty, I found the story in this section to be pretty dull.

I really think the formatting was a major issue here. Perhaps instead of halving the book in that way, the narrative would have come across much better if the two sections were interspersed with each other, meaning that the reminiscence complimented the current events by revealing more about the two main characters through their youthful exploits a little at a time. Also the story could have done with about a third of the cultural references that were actually included. The writing was drenched with namedrops of musicians, poets and writers and it absolutely did my head in after a while.

Really not for me.
]]> Pizza Girl 44088751 In the tradition of audacious and wryly funny novels like The Idiot and Convenience Store Woman comes the wildly original coming-of-age story of a pregnant pizza delivery girl who becomes obsessed with one of her customers.

Eighteen years old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl in suburban Los Angeles, our charmingly dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it all. She's grieving the death of her father (who she has more in common with than she'd like to admit), avoiding her supportive mom and loving boyfriend, and flagrantly ignoring her future.

Her world is further upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighborhood, who comes to depend on weekly deliveries of pickled covered pizzas for her son's happiness. As one woman looks toward motherhood and the other towards middle age, the relationship between the two begins to blur in strange, complicated, and ultimately heartbreaking ways.

Bold, tender, propulsive, and unexpected in countless ways, Jean Kyoung Frazier's Pizza Girl is a moving and funny portrait of a flawed, unforgettable young woman as she tries to find her place in the world.]]> 208 Jean Kyoung Frazier 038554572X Liz 0 to-read 3.36 2020 Pizza Girl
author: Jean Kyoung Frazier
name: Liz
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman]]> 59808451 Madly Deeply is a rare invitation into the mind of Alan Rickman—one of the most magnetic, beloved performers of our time.

From his breakout role in Die Hard to his outstanding, multifaceted performances in the Harry Potter films, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and more, Alan Rickman cemented his legacy as a world-class actor. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice, and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate audiences today.

But Rickman’s ability to breathe life into projects wasn't confined to just his performances. As you'll find, Rickman's diaries detail the extraordinary and the ordinary, flitting between worldly and witty and gossipy, while remaining utterly candid throughout. He takes us inside his home, on trips with friends across the globe, and on the sets of films and plays ranging from Sense and Sensibility, to Noël Coward's Private Lives, to the final film he directed, A Little Chaos.

Running from 1993 to his death in 2016, the diaries provide singular insight into Rickman's public and private life. Reading them is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close companion. Meet Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveler, the fan, the director, the enthusiast; in short, the man beyond the icon.

Madly, Deeply features a photo insert, a foreword by Emma Thompson, and an afterword by Rima Horton.]]> 469 Alan Rickman 1250847958 Liz 0 currently-reading 3.54 2022 Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman
author: Alan Rickman
name: Liz
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Book Lovers 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Liz 5
I usually avoid the romance genre entirely, due to its unfortunate propensity to produce shit literature (shit-lit?) which is centred around vapid, simpering women who devote their entire existence to finding a man. In the past I have found them to be boring, heteronormative, offensively reductionist views of the female experience and have eschewed them entirely.

But I feel like the genre, with its suitably patronising moniker of "chick-lit", has perhaps finally caught up with fourth wave feminism, and that maybe its time to give it another go.

Book Lovers came highly recommended and did not disappoint. The characters are three-dimensional, flawed, interesting and funny, leading to dialogue that was pithier than a giant satsuma and a narrative that I just couldn't tear myself away from. I adored Nora and Libby, and I really appreciated the fact that just as many, if not more, words were given over to their relationship, as well as the romance plot. Their backstory was achingly poignant and the way that the gaps were filled in in bitesize chunks, all the time complementing the current plotline, was sublime.

Charlie and Nora's story is also delivered with expert poise. The sexual tension was built up so well that I was quite literally fanning myself in some of their scenes in a full on swoon.

Such an easy book to dig my teeth into. Definitely recommend as a book to totally lose yourself in. ]]> 4.09 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Liz
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/15
date added: 2023/10/16
shelves:
review:
I absolutely whole-heartedly and unashamedly loved this book.

I usually avoid the romance genre entirely, due to its unfortunate propensity to produce shit literature (shit-lit?) which is centred around vapid, simpering women who devote their entire existence to finding a man. In the past I have found them to be boring, heteronormative, offensively reductionist views of the female experience and have eschewed them entirely.

But I feel like the genre, with its suitably patronising moniker of "chick-lit", has perhaps finally caught up with fourth wave feminism, and that maybe its time to give it another go.

Book Lovers came highly recommended and did not disappoint. The characters are three-dimensional, flawed, interesting and funny, leading to dialogue that was pithier than a giant satsuma and a narrative that I just couldn't tear myself away from. I adored Nora and Libby, and I really appreciated the fact that just as many, if not more, words were given over to their relationship, as well as the romance plot. Their backstory was achingly poignant and the way that the gaps were filled in in bitesize chunks, all the time complementing the current plotline, was sublime.

Charlie and Nora's story is also delivered with expert poise. The sexual tension was built up so well that I was quite literally fanning myself in some of their scenes in a full on swoon.

Such an easy book to dig my teeth into. Definitely recommend as a book to totally lose yourself in.
]]> The Guest List 52656911
The bride � The plus one � The best man � The wedding planner � The bridesmaid � The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?]]> 319 Lucy Foley Liz 4
Gone Girl will forever live as my standard for this genre, and I am yet to read anything which bests it in terms of readability, characterisation and a twist to end all twists. So the goalposts are pretty high and while The Guest List didn't reach them it was an enjoyable, albeit predictable, story which was well paced and reached a satisfying conclusion.

The characters were nearly all toe-curlingly awful and so I very much enjoyed reading about their night getting more and more ruined by the hour, and the switching back and forth between current events and the build up, with the tension being ratcheted up further the closer we got to the two meeting, was very effective.

Definitely a good book to get you out of a reading slump, an easy holiday read or a palate cleanser after something heavier. ]]> 3.82 2020 The Guest List
author: Lucy Foley
name: Liz
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/07
date added: 2023/10/07
shelves:
review:
It's really nice to see more and more thrillers appear nowadays which are written by female authors and don't follow the usual crime fic tropes (i.e. violence towards women).

Gone Girl will forever live as my standard for this genre, and I am yet to read anything which bests it in terms of readability, characterisation and a twist to end all twists. So the goalposts are pretty high and while The Guest List didn't reach them it was an enjoyable, albeit predictable, story which was well paced and reached a satisfying conclusion.

The characters were nearly all toe-curlingly awful and so I very much enjoyed reading about their night getting more and more ruined by the hour, and the switching back and forth between current events and the build up, with the tension being ratcheted up further the closer we got to the two meeting, was very effective.

Definitely a good book to get you out of a reading slump, an easy holiday read or a palate cleanser after something heavier.
]]> The Binding 39964740
After having suffered some sort of mental collapse and no longer able to keep up with his farm chores, Emmett Farmer is sent to the workshop of one such binder to live and work as her apprentice. Leaving behind home and family, Emmett slowly regains his health while learning the binding trade. He is forbidden to enter the locked room where books are stored, so he spends many months marbling end pages, tooling leather book covers, and gilding edges. But his curiosity is piqued by the people who come and go from the inner sanctum, and the arrival of the lordly Lucian Darnay, with whom he senses a connection, changes everything.]]> 437 Bridget Collins 0008272115 Liz 4 in the fucking blurb. Who the hell read this book and decided that particular plot point was something which was fine to be revealed before the reader even starts the book? They need to be sacked. Fuming.

On the whole though, this was a really enjoyable story which was let down in parts by some poor pacing. And this didn't even occur all the way through, which was kind of even more frustrating, because the tantalising greatness that the narrative could have offered was dangled infuriatingly in front of my face for the most part. This was particularly true in the middle one of the three parts that the novel is divided into. I absolutely gorged on this section - I think I finished it in two, maybe even one sitting.

The first section though left quite a bit to be desired for me. I felt like I was waiting for the story to begin the entire time, and the characterisation wasn't anywhere near developed enough to hook me in to the plight of the protagonist. I found Emmett to be something of a bore, that is until the middle part turned this judgement completely on its head.

The final section had a great deal of promise - I can see what Collins was going for with the switching of first person perspective but in actuality it was jarring to constantly have to remind myself who was now narrating. And while the pacing was better than in the first section, I feel like her writing has a significant imbalance of plot-driving action and inner monologue pontificating, with the latter often obscuring the former so that more than a few times I had to skim back because I'd missed something important.

All in all though, I did enjoy the book, particularly for the latter half. It offered a unique twist on a centuries old tradition, as well as a gratifying romance plot which eventually reached a satisfying conclusion.]]> 3.86 2019 The Binding
author: Bridget Collins
name: Liz
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/30
date added: 2023/09/30
shelves:
review:
Firstly, I have to voice my biggest complaint about this book - which I'm assuming is actually the fault of the editor/publisher, rather than the author - one of the biggest reveals in the story, which occurs no less than HALFWAY through the book, is in the fucking blurb. Who the hell read this book and decided that particular plot point was something which was fine to be revealed before the reader even starts the book? They need to be sacked. Fuming.

On the whole though, this was a really enjoyable story which was let down in parts by some poor pacing. And this didn't even occur all the way through, which was kind of even more frustrating, because the tantalising greatness that the narrative could have offered was dangled infuriatingly in front of my face for the most part. This was particularly true in the middle one of the three parts that the novel is divided into. I absolutely gorged on this section - I think I finished it in two, maybe even one sitting.

The first section though left quite a bit to be desired for me. I felt like I was waiting for the story to begin the entire time, and the characterisation wasn't anywhere near developed enough to hook me in to the plight of the protagonist. I found Emmett to be something of a bore, that is until the middle part turned this judgement completely on its head.

The final section had a great deal of promise - I can see what Collins was going for with the switching of first person perspective but in actuality it was jarring to constantly have to remind myself who was now narrating. And while the pacing was better than in the first section, I feel like her writing has a significant imbalance of plot-driving action and inner monologue pontificating, with the latter often obscuring the former so that more than a few times I had to skim back because I'd missed something important.

All in all though, I did enjoy the book, particularly for the latter half. It offered a unique twist on a centuries old tradition, as well as a gratifying romance plot which eventually reached a satisfying conclusion.
]]> An Abundance of Katherines 49750 Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.]]> 229 John Green 0525476881 Liz 3
I think I'm done with John Green. It's not that he's a bad writer. If there was a literary award for realistic yet quippy dialogue between adolescents then he would win it no contest.

That, and an engaging enough plot, kept my interest for the modest two hundred (approx.) pages of this book. But there is really nothing else here.

The "super smart kid who is definitely on the spectrum and weird but in that quirky cute kind of way and is unlucky in love but gets the girl" trope is so tired man. I liked Colin as a character but jeez, could he be any more of a caricature??

I had zero interest in "the Theorem". Like literally none. It was UTTER nonsense and a terrible character hook. But I did like Hassan, and Lyndsey, and the interactions between the three of them. The footnotes were also entertaining.

But yeah. Don't think John has much else for me. I think The Fault in Our Stars was the peak.

Maybe the only problem is that I'm not 12 years old. Either way, I'm done.]]> 3.54 2006 An Abundance of Katherines
author: John Green
name: Liz
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/15
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves:
review:
*sigh*

I think I'm done with John Green. It's not that he's a bad writer. If there was a literary award for realistic yet quippy dialogue between adolescents then he would win it no contest.

That, and an engaging enough plot, kept my interest for the modest two hundred (approx.) pages of this book. But there is really nothing else here.

The "super smart kid who is definitely on the spectrum and weird but in that quirky cute kind of way and is unlucky in love but gets the girl" trope is so tired man. I liked Colin as a character but jeez, could he be any more of a caricature??

I had zero interest in "the Theorem". Like literally none. It was UTTER nonsense and a terrible character hook. But I did like Hassan, and Lyndsey, and the interactions between the three of them. The footnotes were also entertaining.

But yeah. Don't think John has much else for me. I think The Fault in Our Stars was the peak.

Maybe the only problem is that I'm not 12 years old. Either way, I'm done.
]]> Greatest Hits 25766717 The Versions of Us.

One day. Sixteen songs. The soundtrack of a lifetime...

Alone in her studio, Cass Wheeler is taking a journey back into her past. After a silence of ten years, the singer-songwriter is picking the sixteen tracks that have defined her - sixteen key moments in her life - for a uniquely personal Greatest Hits album.

In the course of this one day, both ordinary and extraordinary, the story of Cass's life emerges - a story of highs and lows, of music, friendship and ambition, of great love and great loss. But what prompted her to retreat all those years ago, and is there a way for her to make peace with her past?

Daughter. Mother. Singer. Lover. What are the memories that mean the most?]]> 439 Laura Barnett 1474600204 Liz 4
Barnett is an exceptionally good storyteller (I also really enjoyed Versions of Us). In Greatest Hits she expertly drip feeds the narrative of the life and career of fictional musician Cass Wheeler, using the songs she selects to tell the story of her life, and show how each one connects to her personally. Interspersed with sections from a single day in the present, as she prepares for the first music event she has done for several years, this is a tale of reflection on the triumphs and losses she has experienced throughout her journey.

A lovely book, full of poignant moments and engaging stories. Definitely one I would recommend. ]]> 3.73 2017 Greatest Hits
author: Laura Barnett
name: Liz
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/02
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves:
review:
Really enjoyed this despite the main hook being centred around one of my most hated literary devices - song lyrics in books. I don't know what it is but I just can't stand it - something about reading song lyrics without the melody grates on me hard.

Barnett is an exceptionally good storyteller (I also really enjoyed Versions of Us). In Greatest Hits she expertly drip feeds the narrative of the life and career of fictional musician Cass Wheeler, using the songs she selects to tell the story of her life, and show how each one connects to her personally. Interspersed with sections from a single day in the present, as she prepares for the first music event she has done for several years, this is a tale of reflection on the triumphs and losses she has experienced throughout her journey.

A lovely book, full of poignant moments and engaging stories. Definitely one I would recommend.
]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 59364173
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,� eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?� She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!�), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 320 Jennette McCurdy Liz 5
Pushed into acting at the age of 6 by her HELLA abusive mother, Jennette McCurdy is thrown into the unstable world of being a child star, getting her big break on Nickelodeon show iCarly not long after she starts her career.

Jennette then begins an 18 year journey of battling with her increasingly poor mental health and self-destructive lifestyle. She documents her experiences with self-loathing, eating disorders, substance abuse and disordered grief with devastating honesty, whilst also managing to make her story engaging, witty and relatable throughout. I fell hard into this book and have done almost nothing but read it for the last 4 days.

I cannot get over the masterful way in which she presents her mother and the relationship they had. She is so matter of fact about the horrific and ever-worsening abuse she experiences from a very early age, yet still manages to get across the sheer complexity of emotions she feels about their relationship. It would be easy to question how on earth she can say she loves and grieves for this woman - who "teaches" her to have an eating disorder, who constantly body shames and berates her, who pushes her into a career that Jennette has no love for due to her own desperation to be successful and famous. This woman who lives vicariously through her youngest daughter and doesn't give two shits how much it destroys her mental health. But you don't ask that, because Jennette manages to portray through her writing that it is anything but that simple. Even in death, her mother still has such a hold on her, and controls so many aspects of her being.

Such a good fucking read - I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. ]]> 4.45 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Liz
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/28
date added: 2023/08/28
shelves:
review:
Man, I knew child actors had a rough time of it (#poorbritney) but I've never had it laid out in such a stark light before.

Pushed into acting at the age of 6 by her HELLA abusive mother, Jennette McCurdy is thrown into the unstable world of being a child star, getting her big break on Nickelodeon show iCarly not long after she starts her career.

Jennette then begins an 18 year journey of battling with her increasingly poor mental health and self-destructive lifestyle. She documents her experiences with self-loathing, eating disorders, substance abuse and disordered grief with devastating honesty, whilst also managing to make her story engaging, witty and relatable throughout. I fell hard into this book and have done almost nothing but read it for the last 4 days.

I cannot get over the masterful way in which she presents her mother and the relationship they had. She is so matter of fact about the horrific and ever-worsening abuse she experiences from a very early age, yet still manages to get across the sheer complexity of emotions she feels about their relationship. It would be easy to question how on earth she can say she loves and grieves for this woman - who "teaches" her to have an eating disorder, who constantly body shames and berates her, who pushes her into a career that Jennette has no love for due to her own desperation to be successful and famous. This woman who lives vicariously through her youngest daughter and doesn't give two shits how much it destroys her mental health. But you don't ask that, because Jennette manages to portray through her writing that it is anything but that simple. Even in death, her mother still has such a hold on her, and controls so many aspects of her being.

Such a good fucking read - I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
]]> Hamnet 43890641 Hamnet is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child.

Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.

Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell's new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.

A New York Times Notable Book (2020), Best Book of 2020: Guardian, Financial Times, Literary Hub, and NPR.]]> 372 Maggie O'Farrell 1472223799 Liz 4
It did not grip me initially, like at all. I found it to be fairly dull and lacklustre, with so many names thrown in in quick succession that I struggled to place everyone and ended up quite frustrated.

The story meandered on until about halfway through, and then suddenly something changed quite dramatically in how I felt about it. And it's not as if the narrative suddenly got more interesting. I think I just settled into it, and as the characters unfolded further, and as I noticed how much I enjoyed Agnes as a character, I started to really enjoy it.

The alternating back and forth in the timeline was really effective, and the description of Hamnet's death (no spoilers it's in the blurb) and the consequential grief of the family was conveyed beautifully, and with great compassion. The raw emotion felt differently by different characters leapt off the page, and I felt like I was experiencing the bereavement with them.

I can see why this book has polarised people and it essentially polarised me as an individual, but overall I found it to be a solid read. ]]> 4.16 2020 Hamnet
author: Maggie O'Farrell
name: Liz
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/24
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves:
review:
This is such a difficult book to review. I felt almost completely contrasting emotions about it whilst reading, but by the end I was really glad I read it.

It did not grip me initially, like at all. I found it to be fairly dull and lacklustre, with so many names thrown in in quick succession that I struggled to place everyone and ended up quite frustrated.

The story meandered on until about halfway through, and then suddenly something changed quite dramatically in how I felt about it. And it's not as if the narrative suddenly got more interesting. I think I just settled into it, and as the characters unfolded further, and as I noticed how much I enjoyed Agnes as a character, I started to really enjoy it.

The alternating back and forth in the timeline was really effective, and the description of Hamnet's death (no spoilers it's in the blurb) and the consequential grief of the family was conveyed beautifully, and with great compassion. The raw emotion felt differently by different characters leapt off the page, and I felt like I was experiencing the bereavement with them.

I can see why this book has polarised people and it essentially polarised me as an individual, but overall I found it to be a solid read.
]]> Penance 75498191 One of Granta's Best Young British Novelists 2023

From the author of the cult hit Boy Parts comes a chilling, brilliantly told story of murder among a group of teenage girls—a powerful and disturbing novel as piercing in its portrait of young women as Emma Cline’s The Girls.

On a beach in a run-down seaside town on the Yorkshire coastline, sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson is set on fire by three other schoolgirls.

Nearly a decade after the horrifying murder, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has written the definitive account of the crime, drawn from hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves. The result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.

But how much of the story is true?

Compulsively readable, provocative, and disturbing, Penance is a cleverly nuanced, unflinching exploration of gender, class, and power that raises troubling questions about the media and our obsession with true crime while bringing to light the depraved side of human nature and our darkest proclivities.]]> 336 Eliza Clark 0063327856 Liz 0 3.77 2023 Penance
author: Eliza Clark
name: Liz
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/09
shelves:
review:

]]> Penance 62898932 Do you know what happened already?
Did you know her?
Did you see it on the internet?
Did you listen to a podcast?
Did the hosts make jokes?

Did you see the pictures of the body?

Did you look for them?

It's been nearly a decade since the horrifying murder of sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson rocked Crow-on-Sea, and the events of that terrible night are now being published for the first time.

That story is Penance, a dizzying feat of masterful storytelling, where Eliza Clark manoeuvres us through accounts from the inhabitants of this small seaside town. Placing us in the capable hands of journalist Alec Z. Carelli, Clark allows him to construct what he claims is the 'definitive account' of the murder - and what led up to it. Built on hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves, the result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.

The only question is: how much of it is true?]]> 336 Eliza Clark 0571371795 Liz 4 Penance has all the creepy and dark hallmarks which tell us immediately that this came from the same delightfully macabre mind that gave us Boy Parts, but is thematically distinct enough to showcase the obvious range of Clark's literary skill.

She masterfully weaves the narrative through the lens of fictitious investigative journalism, managing to get across the mindsets of the perpetrators of the gruesome murder that the story is centred around, without compromising the realism of the format. She also expertly conveys the twisted psyche of the 'troubled teenage girl', and ramps up the tension despite the reader knowing the ultimate outcome from the outset - this latter aspect is particularly impressive!

Clark also utilises the concept of the unreliable narrator to great effect, telling the story from multiple perspectives, none of which provide objective truth of the narrative.

My only criticism is merely a personal preference - that I find interview format less enjoyable than stream of consciousness prose. This is still a hard recommend from me, particularly for lovers of dark fiction, and I will remain excited for Clark's next project. ]]> 3.87 2023 Penance
author: Eliza Clark
name: Liz
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/09
date added: 2023/08/09
shelves:
review:
Another tour de force from Eliza Clark - Penance has all the creepy and dark hallmarks which tell us immediately that this came from the same delightfully macabre mind that gave us Boy Parts, but is thematically distinct enough to showcase the obvious range of Clark's literary skill.

She masterfully weaves the narrative through the lens of fictitious investigative journalism, managing to get across the mindsets of the perpetrators of the gruesome murder that the story is centred around, without compromising the realism of the format. She also expertly conveys the twisted psyche of the 'troubled teenage girl', and ramps up the tension despite the reader knowing the ultimate outcome from the outset - this latter aspect is particularly impressive!

Clark also utilises the concept of the unreliable narrator to great effect, telling the story from multiple perspectives, none of which provide objective truth of the narrative.

My only criticism is merely a personal preference - that I find interview format less enjoyable than stream of consciousness prose. This is still a hard recommend from me, particularly for lovers of dark fiction, and I will remain excited for Clark's next project.
]]> <![CDATA[Middle England (Rotters' Club, #3)]]> 40175320
As acutely alert to the absurdity of the political classes as he is compassionate about those who have been left behind, this is a novel Jonathan Coe was born to write.]]> 424 Jonathan Coe 0241309468 Liz 4
It is nice to read a book which is so brazenly and unashamedly left wing, and it was great (if not somewhat triggering) to read a novel which covered the time period which I now think of "the start of all the bullshit", i.e. everything that followed the 2008 financial crash and leading up to 2016 and the point at which David Cameron decided to royally fuck the country with the Brexit referendum and then fuck off before the dust had settled. Yes, I definitely am still angry.

All in all a good solid read. Would recommend this whole series. ]]> 3.88 2018 Middle England (Rotters' Club, #3)
author: Jonathan Coe
name: Liz
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/01
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves:
review:
Big fan of this series, a fact which remans unchanged after finishing its third instalment. Though it's been a long while since I read either of its predecessors, it was easy to slip back into the lives of the main characters, and I enjoyed catching up with them in their middle age. Lois' daughter Sophie was also a welcome addition to the narrative and I definitely vibed with her as a character.

It is nice to read a book which is so brazenly and unashamedly left wing, and it was great (if not somewhat triggering) to read a novel which covered the time period which I now think of "the start of all the bullshit", i.e. everything that followed the 2008 financial crash and leading up to 2016 and the point at which David Cameron decided to royally fuck the country with the Brexit referendum and then fuck off before the dust had settled. Yes, I definitely am still angry.

All in all a good solid read. Would recommend this whole series.
]]> <![CDATA[The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)]]> 40275288
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction � but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.]]> 845 Samantha Shannon 1408883457 Liz 0 to-read 4.18 2019 The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)
author: Samantha Shannon
name: Liz
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience]]> 58330567 Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.

Over the past two decades, Brown's extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown's singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power, it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.

Brown shares, "I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves."]]> 301 Brené Brown 0399592555 Liz 0 to-read 4.33 2021 Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
author: Brené Brown
name: Liz
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Untamed 58456345 Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.]]> 352 Glennon Doyle Liz 0 to-read 4.06 2020 Untamed
author: Glennon Doyle
name: Liz
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)]]> 50659467
At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.]]> 419 Sarah J. Maas 1635575567 Liz 2
Firstly, I love fantasy. So much so that it's not actually that hard to please me within this genre. Particularly given my motivations for picking up this series, which were for a nice easy read which was compelling enough to keep my attention.

Which brings me on to my second point - I ordered this book because I'd had several people confirm that this series delivered on all my aforementioned needs. However... I got confused and accidentally ordered the wrong book. Facepalm. I could only remember the author's name and so after a quick search online, I ordered this book believing it to be what I now know is Throne of Glass. And by the time I realised my error I had already started reading it.

So... this book. It is a particular trope (and pitfall) of fantasy to create "strong" female characters - the inverted commas here necessitated by the fact that so many fantasy writers conflate physical strength with strength of character, and instead of creating female protagonists who have actual personalities, they merely produce these paint by numbers women who have nothing about them, but dress in "boy's clothes" and are really good at hunting (cough, cough Katniss Everdeen...). It's annoying yet expected when male authors do it. It's INFURIATING when female authors do it (again, I'm looking at you Suzanne Collins). And here we have the classic example. Not only the protagonist but also the narrator - Feyre is such a typical version of the "strong huntress" trope, who takes 300 pages to start developing any kind of characterisation for herself and is instead defined purely by the gaze of the male characters whom she encounters.

This leads me nicely on to my second point - the boyz. Utilising a narrative tool that I can only label as "Twilight syndrome", Maas proceeds to take us on a journey of archaic, patriarchal nonsense throughout the Feyre-Tamlin love story. Not only do we have to put up with about 5 million references to Tamlin's golden skin, I also had to endure the highly derivative (see: Beauty and the Beast, amongst MANY others) romance plot which basically hinged itself on "sexy Stockholm Syndrome" - held captive by a creature whom she has been socialised to fear and hate her entire life, whom she then starts to get the hots for (REMEMBER HIS GOLDEN SKIN???) and even his creepy, feral, borderline-sexual-assault-but-it's-okay-because-he's-under-the-influence-of-magic-and-she's-kinda-into-it advances are not enough to sway her deep deep lust. This is SO problematic. Like really, Sarah? It's 2023.

LASTLY, because this is a long rant even by my standards, the faerie lore was shaky at best. It felt very much like Maas was making it up as she went along. The reveals were jumbled and very very silly, and it just felt unplanned the entire time. Surely any fantasy writer knows you gotta storyboard this shit before you even start?

So yeah. Not good. The only thing saving this book from the wretched 1-star club is the fact that it actually, for all that I stand by the above, it was pretty compelling. In particular the last third was enough of a page turner for me to enjoy it, but I can't in good faith bestow any higher a rating on a book which is so ridiculously anti-feminist. There's a great deal of genuinely strong female characters out there now and you gotta step up to the plate. No excuses.
]]> 4.16 2015 A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Liz
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2023/07/24
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves:
review:
GAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH. This book reeked so badly of unused potential that it made me quite angry. I have many thoughts about it which I will now attempt to organise into some semblance of order...

Firstly, I love fantasy. So much so that it's not actually that hard to please me within this genre. Particularly given my motivations for picking up this series, which were for a nice easy read which was compelling enough to keep my attention.

Which brings me on to my second point - I ordered this book because I'd had several people confirm that this series delivered on all my aforementioned needs. However... I got confused and accidentally ordered the wrong book. Facepalm. I could only remember the author's name and so after a quick search online, I ordered this book believing it to be what I now know is Throne of Glass. And by the time I realised my error I had already started reading it.

So... this book. It is a particular trope (and pitfall) of fantasy to create "strong" female characters - the inverted commas here necessitated by the fact that so many fantasy writers conflate physical strength with strength of character, and instead of creating female protagonists who have actual personalities, they merely produce these paint by numbers women who have nothing about them, but dress in "boy's clothes" and are really good at hunting (cough, cough Katniss Everdeen...). It's annoying yet expected when male authors do it. It's INFURIATING when female authors do it (again, I'm looking at you Suzanne Collins). And here we have the classic example. Not only the protagonist but also the narrator - Feyre is such a typical version of the "strong huntress" trope, who takes 300 pages to start developing any kind of characterisation for herself and is instead defined purely by the gaze of the male characters whom she encounters.

This leads me nicely on to my second point - the boyz. Utilising a narrative tool that I can only label as "Twilight syndrome", Maas proceeds to take us on a journey of archaic, patriarchal nonsense throughout the Feyre-Tamlin love story. Not only do we have to put up with about 5 million references to Tamlin's golden skin, I also had to endure the highly derivative (see: Beauty and the Beast, amongst MANY others) romance plot which basically hinged itself on "sexy Stockholm Syndrome" - held captive by a creature whom she has been socialised to fear and hate her entire life, whom she then starts to get the hots for (REMEMBER HIS GOLDEN SKIN???) and even his creepy, feral, borderline-sexual-assault-but-it's-okay-because-he's-under-the-influence-of-magic-and-she's-kinda-into-it advances are not enough to sway her deep deep lust. This is SO problematic. Like really, Sarah? It's 2023.

LASTLY, because this is a long rant even by my standards, the faerie lore was shaky at best. It felt very much like Maas was making it up as she went along. The reveals were jumbled and very very silly, and it just felt unplanned the entire time. Surely any fantasy writer knows you gotta storyboard this shit before you even start?

So yeah. Not good. The only thing saving this book from the wretched 1-star club is the fact that it actually, for all that I stand by the above, it was pretty compelling. In particular the last third was enough of a page turner for me to enjoy it, but I can't in good faith bestow any higher a rating on a book which is so ridiculously anti-feminist. There's a great deal of genuinely strong female characters out there now and you gotta step up to the plate. No excuses.

]]> <![CDATA[Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)]]> 61431922 Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders...

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile� humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die]]> 665 Rebecca Yarros 1649374046 Liz 0 to-read 4.56 2023 Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Liz
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>