It’s no secret that the past few years have been slow reading years for me. But even when I was reading between 50 and 100 books a year, there were always books I felt like everyone and their lazy dog had managed to read except me. It stands to reason, then, that my sense READ MORE
Category: Features
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING – JOAN DIDION
I went into this book knowing it was going to be difficult. It’s Didion’s memoir of her husband’s death, but more importantly, of what came after. This book has gathered praise and acclaim for being an unflinching exploration of grief that tells Didion’s experience with an honesty rarely brought to the topic. That’s exactly READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | FAVOURITE HOLIDAY READS
There’s something about the lead-up to Christmas that makes cosy something that comes from the inside and makes magic feel real. So I generally love to read anything that has one or both of those elements around Christmas. The Harry Potter Series. Because of course. I don’t even care that it’s a cliché, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | MRS. FLETCHER – TOM PERROTTA
I have had this book on my shelves for a long time, but finally decided to pick it up for two reasons: 1) the television show has just come out and I wanted to read it before watching and 2) I wanted something light and entertaining. This is a story about a middle-aged woman READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | TEN REASONS I’M THANKFUL FOR BOOKS
Breaking down what exactly makes me so grateful for books is something I’ve always struggled with. Reading is just awesome. End of story. But I think part of the reason why it is so awesome is because there are so many ways in which it has improved my life. So I’m trying to tease READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | POVERTY SAFARI – DARREN MCGARVEY
I first came across this book when Tracey Thorn posted a picture of it on her Twitter account. I love her writing so much that I felt like I needed to check out what she enjoyed reading as well. I’m incredibly grateful to her for bringing this to my attention! This book is quite READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | CHANGES IN MY READING LIFE
This week’s topic is an interesting one, but also a difficult one. Most aspects of my reading life have remained relatively constant, with minor situational changes. But here are a few things that are different now than they were about three years ago, whether the changes will persist or whether some of them will READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | RAISING DEMONS – SHIRLEY JACKSON
Raising Demons is the sequel to Life Among the Savages, which I read last year. Both are memoirs of Shirley Jackson’s experiences as a mother to four boisterous and rowdy children. In this book the kids are a bit older, but other than that, it’s a lot like the first. It’s a series of READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | FAVOURITE BOOKMARKS
I have to admit that, despite a large collection of beautiful made-to-purpose bookmarks, I often use whatever I have to hand as a bookmark. I have been known to use bus passes, random scraps of paper, flowers and leaves (hence today’s image), ticket stubs, granola bar wrappers and, on one memorable and short-lived occasion, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | BREAKING & MENDING – JOANNA CANNON
Most of you probably know Joanna Cannon’s name from her works of fiction, The Trouble With Goats and Sheep and Three Things About Elsie (longlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction). What you might not know about Cannon is that she is also a doctor – specifically a psychiatrist. That insight is part READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOKS THAT HAVE THAT AUTUMN FEEL
I love autumn. I love everything about it. I love the cold bite in the air, I love the colours of the leaves, I love the satisfaction of a warm mug of tea and the unbeatable cosiness of anything warm and fuzzy. So it stands to reason that I enjoy books that give off READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | GREENWOOD – MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Michael Christie’s first novel, If I Fall, If I Die, was one of my favourite books of the past five years. It was a surprise to me, but one I will be forever grateful to have discovered. Since closing the cover of that book, I’ve been waiting for Christie to publish another one. So when READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | SCARY BOOKS I’D READ IF I WEREN’T A SCAREDY CAT
I can’t do horror. I can handle violence, but if there’s even a hint of creepy, I’m out. So there are definitely books I’d love to read if I had the constitution for them! There aren’t that many though, because since I can’t handle scary stories, I don’t tend to file them away in READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE TIME OF GREEN MAGIC – HILARY MCKAY
When we first meet Abi, her life has just been turned upside down. Her father has re-married a woman named Polly, who comes with two sons – one grumpy, the other always inexplicably sticky. To make matters worse, she is forced to move into their house, a place where despite having her own room READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | BOOK TITLES I’D CHANGE
This week’s prompt is a tricky one. I don’t really keep track of titles I don’t like, though I know there have been lots over the years. Here are a few I might have given a different title if it had been up to me, but I know there are ones I liked less READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | NATIVES – AKALA
About once every five years I pick up a non-fiction book that leaves me speechless in wonder. I’ve been lucky this year, because I’ve had a few of these – some memoir, some topical. This book, however, is arguably the most deeply impactful book I have read or expect to read for a decade READ MORE
TOP TEN TUESDAY | EXTRAORDINARY BOOK TITLES
I think titles are so important. Not only do they tell you something about the book – its topic, tone and genre – but they also grab attention. I can’t count the number of times I’ve picked up a book just because I liked the sound of the title and ended up discovering something READ MORE
QUARTERLY WRAP-UP | JULY-SEPTEMBER 2019 (& BOOKER WINNER PREDICTIONS)
Somehow another three months have gone by! I didn’t have as much time to read as I did in the first and second quarter of the year, so I only managed 8 books. But there were a couple of really great ones in there, so let’s take a look! July Ask READ MORE