As one who has lived a life of disturbing thoughts and anxieties, the ones this writer fixates on feel somehow inauthentic. There is writing to understand the depths of human experience and there‘s writing to provoke. This landed on provocative but in too heavy handed a way as to be relatable I‘m afraid.

If you know, you know

New Christmas read

Once in a while I do buy a book for its cover

As we enter into another period of uncertainty here in the UK (Covid, Brexit, flu season), I find it ever harder to distract myself. Television can only stretch so far before you‘re practically numbed out. The bedroom is littered with halfhearted attempts at finishing this or that book. Hoping this one sticks a bit.

Can‘t think of a better Sunday

Keeping me company while I maintain 2 meters distance from family due to radioiodine treatment.

I lost my dear dad a week ago. I can‘t recall if I pre-ordered this in anticipation of the event or if I did so off the back of a well-timed review. Maybe a bit of both. It‘s really helping me, and I plan on shipping it to my mother when I finish.

Read this if you‘re brave, and not too depressed about the state of the world. My god.

Birthday book bounty 🎉📚📖

My Mothers Day gift 🌸💕

Beautifully crafted, though I‘m still unsure what I think about about the final chapters. I guess no ending could feel both genuine and satisfying with this sort of narrative, and maybe that‘s the difficulty the author faced as well. In any case, there‘s a lot to love about this book.

I‘ve enjoyed a few of her books on audio and thought this would be a safe bet. Maybe setting the scene for nine characters takes a little longer, but I feel like I‘ve invested a lot of time already and so far care nothing about any of the people or the situation. I may come back to this if/when I find myself at loss or the mood strikes, but for now it‘s a bail.

My go-to place for lunch these days

Hanging near my bed in the guest room at my parents‘ home on Vancouver Island. Only just noticed it.

I was having THE WORST day so absconded to the British Library to clear my head. How did they know I needed this?

Gorgeous writing juxtaposed against a harrowing subject, particularly poignant on this day. I‘ve spent my life avoiding holocaust narratives, simply because it terrifies and hurts me too much to imagine. But the luminous writing and plight of the characters lead me by the hand towards the increasing darkness, and there‘s no turning back.

Our first book club read of 2019. Reluctant to put down the Murakami, but I‘ve heard good things, so away we go.

Book igloo in Waterstones Cambridge. H said it was mainly made of Alice in Wonderland pages inside 🐇

I‘ve undressed the Murakami, and look how gorgeous 😍🎨. He does not disappoint - in the first pages: a family of cats, a ghostly visitation, women with interesting features, casual sex...no sign of food preparation yet but I‘m sure it‘s to come.

New Christmas reads

Read it and weep (with laughter and tears)

This book is making me laugh quite a lot. Really highly recommend. Read it now!

Highly recommend this one. The chapters comprise of short, autobiographical episodes of mortal anxiety. It‘s difficult to imagine anyone having so many close calls in one lifetime, although if you reached far enough into your own childhood memories, and polled a few close family members, it might not be such a stretch.

I had an unexpected stay in hospital, and this book kept me sane. Whenever I was lonely or bored, felt anxious, or got woken in the night by one of my fellow ward-mates, I would put on my headphones and escape.

Badge earned

I listened to this on audible and it ticked every box for audio reads: sadistic, simply written, suspenseful. The last few lines were perfect, and gave me a little thrill.

It‘s nice to read a book that‘s chosen for you, with no preconceptions about what it will be like. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was something entirely different from what I expected when I finally ventured in. I‘ll say no more.

A cheeky murder mystery set in the elite heart of Oxford university. Who murdered the beautiful fresher? Will Nancy snag her Next Duke? Will Ursula ever make it to the library? The book keeps you guessing, laughing, and touring the exclusive buildings, customs, and pass times of high society you‘ve maybe always wondered about.

I guessed the twists but it was still a highly enjoyable listen. Annette Chown is good company for the bedridden.

Cold and flu reads. When the Lemsip tablets wear off, I pull the duvet up under my chin and play the crime thriller.

I love a witchy book, and thought this was a refreshing take on a time, place and perspective - not least of which (witch?) because these events happened in locations that I can picture perfectly, as I‘ve lived near and/or travelled through them.

Finished this one in Malta. I loved Paul as an uncomfortable protagonist and felt it was a good move to filter things through his perspective. A bit too symmetrical a conclusion, but I put it down to first book cleverness.

I think I pulled a muscle in my face from constant eye-rolling. The idea that any self-respecting undergrad would hero-worship a second-wave feminist in bad footwear (who is somehow famous for running a niche magazine via a poorly branded organisation) is laughable. MW put so much effort into giving irritating names to people, places, video games and book titles, she forgot to develop an actual plot. Even Cory succumbed to her dull fantasy world.

For me this was just ok. I‘m not sure if it was because I listened to it in audible, but I felt hyper aware of the cliches (she smelled like home, she opened a door inside her that could never be closed etc.) and sometimes the writing was a bit too on point. I didn‘t feel particularly sorry for Mia or Pearl, or any of the Richardsons (who are all dicks, let‘s be honest). Beebee on the other hand, I have all the time in the world for.

Speaking of birthdays, I bought this one for my OH on his birthday last week. Feeling a little guilty, as maybe a small part of me wanted him to read it quickly so that I could go next. 😬

Birthday reads 💙🖤❤️

Our non-fiction choice for this month‘s book club. It comes out fists flying from page 1 with the helpful assertion that, unless you clock 8 hours of sleep a night, you WILL die.

And before you die of heart failure, or diabetes, or Alzheimer‘s, or that weird middle-age disease where you stop sleeping entirely and no one knows why or can cure you and you die 8 weeks later, you will probably be fat.

Neurotic or nervous dispositions, take heed.

A glutton for punishment, or is my short term memory shot to pieces by a relentless day job? (Yes and yes.)

I was partway through this read (listen) when I recognised a turn of phrase because, weirdly, the author of my last read used it too, and - oh.

It won‘t spoil anything if I tell you that a character from this book also “forked her sunglasses” onto the top of her head, or that the twist was equally - if differently - unsatisfying.

As an audio book for the train, this was pretty decent. I guessed the twist far too early though, and she neglected to tie-up a loose end, which I think she felt wasn‘t necessary because it was a red herring. So that puts it at so-so for me.

I can‘t recommend this book highly enough.

An uninteresting premise comprised of a series of plot lines that went nowhere. If this hadn‘t been a book club read I would have bailed.

This was chosen for our next book club meeting. I‘m finding it fairly trite/tedious but want my little project to succeed, so can‘t be too disparaging (5 out of 12 colleagues voted in favour).

Oh and shout out to cold & flu tablets. This always seems to happen when I finally have time off 💊

#TBS A gift on Mothering Sunday

Ludicrous or fun? Either way, it‘s something I‘ve always wanted to try.

Ugh, my free audible pick for Feb. I thought this would be a mystery with a bit of thriller thrown in but it's just a straight up (dull) narrative about a woman who has a baby out of wedlock. I'm pushing on until the bitter end for whatever reason but don't imagine it will improve.

Cheeky podcast promo! I highly recommend West Cork for true crime fans of Making a Murderer, S-Town and Serial. This has me utterly in its grasp.

Any guesses?

Nights at the Circus?

😻📖