Reading Diary: February – May 2022

It has been a while since I posted here, or was able to write anything. I was ill on and off from December through to the start of April, but finally managed to get myself sorted out with a visit to the doctor and a sort-of diagnosis in the form of the fact that my… Continue reading Reading Diary: February – May 2022

Reading Diary: January 2022

Recently I’ve been exploring the role and function of book blogging and how I want to fit into it. For a while I’ve just reviewed each book I read individually, and I think for me that format was getting a little stale, and I wasn’t sure how appealing it actually was to readers - especially… Continue reading Reading Diary: January 2022

Five books that changed the way I read

Some books you read, and then you just sort of forget; they don't make any difference in your life. Some you think about for a while after, but then they fade from your memory and you move on to the next thing. But there are some books that just get their hooks into you and… Continue reading Five books that changed the way I read

Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021) by Sally Rooney

As I talked about in my previous post, I missed the Sally Rooney hype the first time around in 2017, and it was the release of this novel that got me a little more interested in her. I started with Conversations with Friends, but then decided to dive right into Beautiful World, Where Are You… Continue reading Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021) by Sally Rooney

Conversations with Friends (2017) by Sally Rooney

I’m probably the last book blogger (at least in the UK, who likes this sort of thing, etc…) to read this book. The hype around Sally Rooney has been quite something, and I often have mixed feelings about hype. Often with “popular” novelists, especially female ones, I find that the novels that get the most… Continue reading Conversations with Friends (2017) by Sally Rooney

Yearbook (2021) by Seth Rogen

I read Yearbook way back in May, but because of life I am only now getting around to writing about it. I also read it in about two days - partly because it’s so short and partly because it was so engaging - so it was one of those reading experiences that just sort of… Continue reading Yearbook (2021) by Seth Rogen

The Island (1959) by Ana María Matute

Getting ready to write this post, I realised it's been three months since I posted on here. I honestly didn't realise that much time had passed. That is this pandemic life - time has completely changed. Living in this weird in-between state of anxiety and hesitancy with little pockets of “normal life”, with hardly any… Continue reading The Island (1959) by Ana María Matute

Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates (2020)

This book of four novellas is about women, about what it is like to be a woman, though sometimes through extreme examples. It is not always a pleasant book. Cardiff, by the Sea shows us the worst, most devastating things about being a woman - as well as the exquisite moments of joy that can… Continue reading Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates (2020)

The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies (2018)

I realise that this book is a bit of a departure from the sort of thing reviewed in my last few posts (which I realise were months ago, hello 2021), but this is the first book I have read all the way through since I think October - so I'm reviewing it. Honestly having a… Continue reading The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies (2018)

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (1951)

2003 Virago paperback I first read this in 2014, which seems like a lifetime ago, and decided to re-read it earlier this year when I was fed up with everything I had on my bookshelves. At some point I put it aside, and I left it for so long, I'm not sure why, that I… Continue reading My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (1951)