literary hoohah
I first read Shirley Jackson a few years ago, and saw this biography advertised shortly after - and immediately wanted to read it. Even before I'd read Jackson's work I was intrigued by her and her life, and of course a biography is the perfect way to explore that. If you've ever read any of… Continue reading Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin (2016)
This is one of those books that I have no memory of first discovering - but somehow it made its way on to my radar, and my GoodReads TBR. I am fascinated by the true crime genre, and so my interest in My Friend Dahmer came from that. I'm the kind of person who has… Continue reading My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (2012)
I'm back! As you may have seen on my Instagram, I was recently on holiday (again) and so everything was a bit quiet... but I'm now back and ready to get back into blogging. I am right at the end of Emma by Jane Austen, so I will be writing about that soon, as well… Continue reading Half-year review: best books of 2018 so far!
I bought my copy of Jane Austen at Home while on holiday in Devon, when I ran out of reading material (first time in my life that I only packed one book, silly me). I ended up reading it mostly after the holiday, but starting it in picturesque Devon only added to my joy at… Continue reading Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley (2017)
I honestly didn’t know much about Joan Leigh Fermor when I asked for this book for Christmas last year, but I knew a little about her travel writer husband Paddy, and the blurb intrigued me. I decided to take the book in holiday with me to Devon, where I read it in two days, mostly… Continue reading Joan: The Remarkable Life of Joan Leigh Fermor by Simon Fenwick (2017)
Like the last book I read, I found Once We Were Sisters through my GoodReads recommendations. I had never heard of Sheila Kohler but soon discovered that she is well-established writer of fiction, and this is her first memoir. It centres around her relationship with her older sister Maxine, and the devastation of Maxine's sudden… Continue reading Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler (2017)
I discovered this book through the wonder that is GoodReads recommendations, which are surprisingly good at times. I have found a number of unknown-to-me books this way that I ended up loving. I've been on a non-fiction kick recently, and have always loved reading unusual or off-beat memoirs, especially by women. The Bridesmaid's Daughter has… Continue reading The Bridesmaid’s Daughter by Nyna Giles (2018)
As soon as I heard about this book I wanted to read it. It was published in February 2018, and just two months later its subject, the Golden State Killer, was finally captured. His first recorded attack was in 1974, and he had finally been identified and caught. It was a big moment for all… Continue reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)
A disclaimer: I did not manage to finish this book, even though it's not very long. I love Joan Didion's journalistic writing, as well as the two other memoirs of hers that I have read (The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights), but I just could not get on with Where I Was From.… Continue reading Where I Was From by Joan Didion (2003)
I first read Jean Rhys at university when her novel Good Morning, Midnight was on the reading list for a course about the 20th century novel. Since then she has been on my radar and I have kept most of her books on my long term TBR. I read Wide Sargasso Sea a few years… Continue reading Smile Please: An Unfinished Autobiography by Jean Rhys (1979)
