I love reading travel memoirs. I’ve been a huge fan of the genre since reading Under the Tuscan Sun and several Bill Bryson books in high school. I haven’t read much in the genre for a few years, but felt like it was time to pick it up again – in no small part READ MORE
Year: 2017
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS ON MY 2018 WISHLIST AND TBR
I’m not super in tune with which boooks are going to be coming out in 2018 yet, but I have stumbled across a few I’m looking forward to! Here are the ones I can’t wait to get my hands on, as well as a few books I didn’t get to this year that I’d READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I HOPE SANTA BRINGS ME
There are so many books I’d be absolutely THRILLED to find under the tree, but here are the ones I’m coveting the most at this particular moment (it will probably have changed by the time you’re reading this!). Non-fiction Graphic Novels and Picture-Based Books READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | RESTLESS – WILLIAM BOYD
I picked this book up because it’s a spy thriller with a twist – it’s the story of Ruth, a young woman discovering that her mother spent years working as a spy for the British government during the early years of WWII. Cool premise, right? It also won the Costa Novel Award in 2006, READ MORE
MY WEEK ON WEDNESDAY | #35 (DECEMBER 7-13, 2017)
It’s been a long time since I’ve written a My Week On Wednesday post, because it’s been a loooooong time since I’ve finished a book. I’m not entirely sure why that is – maybe it’s the weather changing, maybe it’s that I’ve been busy, maybe I’ve just been more into watching TV and knitting. READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | FAVOURITE BOOKS READ IN 2017
I’m tweaking this topic a little (as I seem to pretty much every week these days) because as you guys know, I’ve been behind on my reading in the last couple of years, and have only really gotten back into reading at all in the second half of the year. And because of that, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | A BEAUTIFUL, TERRIBLE THING – JEN WAITE
This is a memoir, but it reads more like a romance novel turned psychological thriller. In it Jen Waite shares the harrowing story of her fairytale marriage to a man who starts off as her soul mate and dream partner, but who becomes, more or less overnight, someone completely different. The book is Jen’s READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOK SETTINGS I’D LOVE TO VISIT
Oh man. This one is hard. I’m so tempted to just make this a list of travel memoirs and call it a day, but I want to try a little harder than that! (Though there will be some. I just have to.) First, a few fictional books based on real places I’d like to READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS ON MY WINTER TBR
I don’t really read seasonally in the sense of reading dark-themed or scary books in the fall, books set in the northern hemisphere and about Christmas in the winter, hopeful books about romance and new beginnings in spring and books set on sandy beaches or about escape and self-discovery in summer. Sometimes I pick READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE POWER – NAOMI ALDERMAN
This is one of the books I’ve heard most about in the past six months, since it was nominated for (and later won, much to the surprise of many, myself included) the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. This book is part dystopian fantasy, part sociological speculation. It brings to life a theoretical question many READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS I WANT MY DAUGHTER TO READ
Of course, the correct response to this prompt is a firm “anything she wants to read.” Because at the end of the day, I just want her to find what in this world inspires her – hopefully books will factor in, in some capacity, but I’m fine with whatever she is passionate about. But READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP – JOANNA CANNON
Set against the backdrop of Britain’s 1976 heatwave, this is the story of two young girls who, during a slow-paced summer, decide to look into the sudden disappearance of their neighbour, Mrs. Creasy. But this isn’t just the story of what happened to Mrs. Creasy. In following the amateur detectives, we learn about the READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | CHARACTERS & AUTHORS WHO INSPIRED ME TO FOLLOW THEIR LEAD
This week’s topic is one I’ve messed with and definitely made my own, but I had a hard time with the original topic (characters who would make good leaders). Not because it’s not a good topic, but because I just couldn’t think of enough characters I’d place in that category. I think the problem READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HENRIETTA’S WAR – JOYCE DENNYS
I don’t enjoy much historical fiction as a rule. With the exception of WWII-era fiction, particularly if it’s set in England. I think it’s because it wasn’t so far in the past that I have trouble picturing, relating to or tolerating it. It helps that my own family was there too, so there’s a READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BEST BOOK TITLES
This topic is unbelievably cool, because there are so many books I’ve picked up because of either a cool cover or a cool title. I’ve done a few posts featuring some of my favourite covers, but I can’t remember ever highlighting titles. And now I can’t for the life of me think why not! READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | REBECCA – DAPHNE DU MAURIER
I remember a battered copy of this book, mass market paperback, yellowed and curling pages, ugly cover, somehow making its way onto my bookshelves when I was a teenager. I can’t remember if I read the first few pages and decided it wasn’t my thing, or if I was put off by the cover. READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS FOR FOODIES
I have to admit I’m not really the best person for this week’s topic. I’m not a huge food person, and I don’t read books that center around food for this reason. So I’ve scoured my reading history for any books I can really remember food from – wherever possible in a positive light, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | LAST NIGHT IN MONTREAL – EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL
Last Night In Montreal is Emily St. John Mandel’s debut novel, but you’d never know it. From pretty much the first page, it had me completely under its spell. I went into this not really knowing what it was about. Just a vague idea that it would be your basic relationship story, but a READ MORE