books
Finished reading: The Binding by Bridget Collins 📚
Meh. I struggled to get into this, got drawn in a little in the middle but then had to make myself finish it. Not really my cup of tea.
Finished reading: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray 📚
Took too long to get into and by then it was too late to stop reading. It was fine, but not award shortlist level. And can someone explain why the full stops disappeared in Imelda’s story?
Finished reading: Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino 📚
Abandoned reading: Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews 📚
Just couldn’t get on with the main character. Or the repetition of certain words - not sure if that was intentional or I just became fixated on it.
Finished reading: The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers 📚
Continuing to work my way through everything Benjamin Myers writes.
Finished reading: The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson 📚
Reading, or watching, anything related to real crimes always feels voyeuristic to me. While it is about a murder and subsequent trial, this book is more about the author whose writing is raw and honest, sometimes brutally so.
Finished reading: Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid 📚
Easy summer read. After Evelyn Hugo I’m happy to read more of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s extensive collection.
The unexpected benefit of re-employment (and an office in town) is that my use of the library has exponentially increased 📚🐛
Finished reading: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon 📚
I enjoyed this and as a debut novel goes it’s written well. I’m certainly keen to explore what the author did next.
Finished reading: Pageboy by Elliot Page 📚
It’s important we hear trans people tell their stories and this felt like a necessary read. Although, I did find the jumping around through time a challenge to the reading experience.
Finished reading: Sisters by Daisy Johnson 📚
Unsettling. Daisy Johnson creates such atmospheric worlds. Now I want to re-read Everything Under.
Finished reading: How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie 📚
I finally went back and finished this. It was ok, an interesting idea just a bit one note in delivery and faded away towards the end.
Abandoned reading: Stoner by John Williams 📚
Not for me. Perhaps I expected too much, but this sadly sits alongside The Rainbow as one of the most boring books I’ve tried to read.
Finished reading: Cuddy by Benjamin Myers 📚
I enjoyed this overall. The local angle definitely helped. Was a little challenging initially getting used to the different styles, but after time I found the narrative flowed.
Finished reading: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 📚
I’d been avoiding reading this. Why? I stubbornly dig my heels in when people tell me I should do something. But, I finally picked it up to take on holiday and it was just what I needed. It took me entirely by surprise. And I loved it!
Finished reading: Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay 📚
Finished reading: Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers 📚
I have no idea what possessed me to read this. While the mystery element interested me at first, the lazy stereotyping and abrupt ending made the whole experience supremely disappointing.
Finished reading: The Devotion Of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino 📚
A good spin on the classic detective story. Recommended in book group at work. I’ll definitely look out for more in this series.
Finished reading: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 📚
Brutal. The atmosphere the author creates had me on edge throughout. I think it benefitted from reading over a short period in a few big chunks.
There was a point where I had to put it down for a while and give myself space to sit with what had happened. I doubt that will be a feeling I forget any time soon.
Totally get why this won the Booker.
Currently reading: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 📚
Oof, this packs a punch. Only ~100 pages in but I can already see why it won the Booker.