I accidentally deleted this book from my shelves (I'm currently having a clean out) and I am so mad at myself. I don't remember much about this book aI accidentally deleted this book from my shelves (I'm currently having a clean out) and I am so mad at myself. I don't remember much about this book and I can't remember what I rated it so I'm going with three stars because I think I enjoyed it but, again, I don't remember much.
I wish I could undelete books or maybe not be such a fool!...more
I picked this up on a whim today because I wanted something light and fun to read and ended up spending all afternoon devouringSOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUTTEEEE
I picked this up on a whim today because I wanted something light and fun to read and ended up spending all afternoon devouring it, cover to cover. YOU GUYS. This book is so cute and lovely and diverse and amazing. It felt like real life! From the teenage drama to the weird parents to the excitable dog, I just loved the whole thing. I kind of worked out who Blue was early-ish on but it was still super cute when Simon found out and the whole moment was glorious and had me grinning so much!
Becky Albertalli's writing is easy to read and everyone actually acted and spoke like teenagers which is always great. The characters are likeable and it all feels very real. I will definitely be reading more from Becky Albertalli and gushing about this book to everyone I know. There were a couple of things that frustrated me, (view spoiler)[especially when Abby got mad at Simon for trying to push Martin onto her even though HE WAS BEING BLACKMAILED???? like, don't be telling Simon that your love life can't be dictated, TELL MARTIN THAT, IT WAS HIM TRYING TO DO IT LIKE ???????? (hide spoiler)]. But yeah.
I mostly just can't get over how cute this is tbh....more
I highlighted over 500 passages from this book on my Kindle and I feel like that says everything.
I struggle to review non-fiction. I read this book beI highlighted over 500 passages from this book on my Kindle and I feel like that says everything.
I struggle to review non-fiction. I read this book because my limited knowledge about black British history was the pitiful amount I was taught in school and the bits and pieces I've picked up from friends, the internet, and the research I've done myself. Black and British is amazing. It doesn't hold back, it doesn't mollycoddle the reader. It tells the truth, even when the truth is uncomfortable. The research that David Olusoga has done for this book is insane, it is thorough and he has done his best to find and include stories from real people whose lives we revisit throughout the book.
Definitely read this book. I learned a lot not just about black British history, but also about British history in general. Olusoga's writing is easy to read and his thorough research has created a detailed and thorough history of black people in Britain and the colonies....more
I really wanted to love this. I adore Tom Hanks and I was really curious about what this would be. I guess I thought they would all be like These Are I really wanted to love this. I adore Tom Hanks and I was really curious about what this would be. I guess I thought they would all be like These Are the Meditations of My Heart where the focus was the typewriter. There are a few stories that contain the same characters, some that are a bit scifi, some historical fiction. They all feel very nostalgic, even those set in the present day and the future. I don't think I was quite the right audience for these stories. I honestly think this is probably aimed more at people that are the same age as Tom Hanks. My dad would probably enjoy this collection.
I actually didn't read all of the stories in this. I skipped the last three. At this point I was getting a bit bored and I'm just not in the mood for them anymore. I would like to go back and read them in the future though. There were definitely a couple of gems in this (Christmas 1953 was by far the best story in the collection) and Hanks writes very well.
Will I buy the stuff Tom Hanks releases in the future? Probably. I think he is talented and this collection was mostly enjoyable, but honestly I am a bit disappointed in it....more
Amazing, as Adichie always is. This was a great little book full of ideas for raising a daughter a feminist. I love reading her essays and listening tAmazing, as Adichie always is. This was a great little book full of ideas for raising a daughter a feminist. I love reading her essays and listening to her talk. I was reading this on my commute to and from work and I was so into this book that I didn't even realise where I was and almost missed my stop on the metro.
I would honestly recommend anything that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written and this is no exception. She's incredible....more
I loved both of these novellas. I really liked getting to know Akeha in this instalment and seeing more of this world. We get a bit more world buildinI loved both of these novellas. I really liked getting to know Akeha in this instalment and seeing more of this world. We get a bit more world building in The Black Tides of Heaven and we also meet the twins' mother.
Again I felt myself becoming attached to characters I had only just been introduced to, and again I fell in love with this world. I could read a big novel set in this world with these characters, honestly. I can also say that reading this second didn't detract from The Red Threads of Fortune. I enjoyed them both immensely and am so excited about the two further books being released in this world. I sincerely hope Mokoya, Akeha, Thennjay and the other characters in these novellas are featured in them....more
I loved this novella. I know Goodreads has marked this one as the second and having looked at other reviews other people have said it's better to readI loved this novella. I know Goodreads has marked this one as the second and having looked at other reviews other people have said it's better to read this second. I can't say how true that is because I haven't finished the companion novella yet, but reading this first didn't dampen my enjoyment of it in the slightest.
There's not a lot of world building and you definitely get thrown straight in but everything is easy to quickly pick up, in my opinion. The characters are interesting and I found myself getting attached to them, even over such a short amount of pages.
I'm really excited to read The Black Tides of Heaven to get a bit more background on Mokoya especially. I'll have to get back to you about the reading order but the author has said it doesn't matter which order you read them in and so far I'm of the same opinion....more
There are so many reviews floating around about this book basically only consisting of Hillary Clinton blaming other people/events for her losing the There are so many reviews floating around about this book basically only consisting of Hillary Clinton blaming other people/events for her losing the presidential election. The people posting those reviews have clearly not actually read the book, because she explicitly states (more than once) that ultimately, she completely blames herself for losing. It actually broke my heart a little bit reading about it because I honestly don't think it was her fault. Of course there are going to be people out there that simply don't like her or her politics, and that think she didn't deserve it or is a bad person etc., but there were so many other factors that I truly believe effected the election so much that they are largely to blame for her loss.
What Happened is a really interesting evaluation of Hillary's whole campaign. It is biased, of course it is, because she is so proud of the people that worked for her and she knows how hard she worked, how much she put into the campaign. But I personally think she does a really good job of analysing both the immediate and the long lasting effects different events had at different points during the election process.
Hillary Clinton has written a well balanced, intelligent, easy-to-read analysis of what happened during her campaign and the election itself and I personally believe that it's worth a read if you, like many across the globe, are wondering how on earth this could have happened....more
There were a few gems in this little collection. Much more enjoyable when read aloud. I didn't really enjoy the diary entries in the last 20 pages, I There were a few gems in this little collection. Much more enjoyable when read aloud. I didn't really enjoy the diary entries in the last 20 pages, I skimmed most of them. Even so, this is worth the read with it being so short and sweet....more
A small collection of fun tales from Boccaccio's The Decamoran. I had heard of The Decamoran but never thought to pick it up. To be honest, these taleA small collection of fun tales from Boccaccio's The Decamoran. I had heard of The Decamoran but never thought to pick it up. To be honest, these tales haven't really changed my mind, but they were a bit of fun and a little insight into the views and sexuality of women of the time....more
I was really looking forward to reading this little book but it turned out to be pretty disappointing. I don't really have many feelings about it becaI was really looking forward to reading this little book but it turned out to be pretty disappointing. I don't really have many feelings about it because it didn't make any sort of impact on me at all. This book is less than 200 pages long and, honestly, that's the only reason I finished it. Had it been any longer I probably would have just put it down.
The writing was very simplistic. At times I could see how it reflected the style of storytelling that fairytales use, which I liked and thought was clever, but for me it didn't do that often enough to make the writing feel less amateuristic.
The plot itself is... kind of meh. I guess the basic premise is that the main character (I've already forgotten her name) becomes obsessive about a book her husband (who is the book collector the title references) has locked away in a safe. She is sent to an asylum to recover her mental faculties and is replaced by a nanny while she was gone. When she comes back she starts to suspect something is going on between her husband and the nanny. It's pretty obvious from the moment the POV moves to an anonymous figure looking for someone to skin what is going to happen. I didn't feel the creepy atmosphere and I didn't think it was scary. I didn't really care about any of the characters, to be perfectly honest.
I'm kind of baffled by the amount of high ratings this book has. I don't get it. The whole idea of this story could have been done a lot better, even in the short amount of pages this book makes up. Overall, very disappointing....more
I'm still not really sure how I feel about this book. I did enjoy it, especially the parts set in the 50s and I quite liked interludes, but overall I I'm still not really sure how I feel about this book. I did enjoy it, especially the parts set in the 50s and I quite liked interludes, but overall I feel like something was missing to make me fully enjoy it. Some parts of this were scary, others kind of ridiculous. There were a couple of things that I actively dislike about this novel, but mostly it was pretty good. It has to be for someone to commit to reading over 1000 pages.
All I knew about this going in was that there was a clown in the sewers. It's so much more complicated than that, and actually I don't think It was a clown for the vast majority of the novel.
I think what slightly ruined this book for me was the length of it, how much the parts of the novel where they were adults were dragged out, and (view spoiler)[the fact that they all had to sleep with Bev when they were on their way out of the sewers. WHAT????? THE FUCK????? Like ?????? I feel like it was totally unnecessary, I really don't believe that that was the only way they could have brought themselves closer (hide spoiler)].
Also (view spoiler)[what was the point of Tom and Audra coming to Derry? At least Henry caused some sort of conflict. (hide spoiler)]
I don't know. I was entertained and I was intrigued by this book. Sometimes I was even scared. The premise of It and the idea behind It as a being was interesting. But honestly? I'm a little disappointed, maybe I was expecting too much because of how famous this book is. I think the scary parts of the novel will be much more effective on film for me, personally....more
You can see my thoughts from my first read of Jane Eyre by clicking here. Before rereading this novel I've And again, my heart is full from this book.
You can see my thoughts from my first read of Jane Eyre by clicking here. Before rereading this novel I've read some of Charlotte Brontë's youthful writings in her poetry and Tales of Angria, and Wide Sargasso Sea. These things allowed me to go into this with a bit more insight and to get a little more out of the story. Seeing the parallels between some of the things in Tales of Anrgia and Jane Eyre was interesting, and gave some insight into Charlotte's thought process and how her ideas matured and developed. Whereas Wide Sargasso Sea made Bertha seem more human and Mr Rochester less easy to sympathise with.
I loved Jane the second time around, and I imagine I'll love it more and more every time I read this book....more
From what I've seen, a lot of people didn't like the way this series ended, but I actually really enjoyed this last novel in The Witcher series. I am From what I've seen, a lot of people didn't like the way this series ended, but I actually really enjoyed this last novel in The Witcher series. I am glad I made it to the end because this was a fairly satisfying conclusion for me.
As a whole this series has been challenging for me to read. It's too bulked out, could have definitely been condensed into two or three books, and the series name is very misleading. It's not really about Geralt and it's not at all about Witchering. However, I have become attached to the characters and I'm glad I read these before starting the video games, but I can't ever see myself reading these again.
The writing style is quite jovial and the little tidbits of myth and legend (my main man King Arthur was alluded to in this book in particular). Once I was used to it, the narration style of the last two novels was fairly easy to follow, despite all the POVs, though I'm definitely not a fan of the jumping around in time like that.
It has taken me a long time and some serious commitment to finish this series, and while I'm glad it's over and I am happy to have finally read it....more
I knew I was going to love this book before I even picked it up. I follow the author on Twitter, and after one of her #BygoneBadassBroads threads, sheI knew I was going to love this book before I even picked it up. I follow the author on Twitter, and after one of her #BygoneBadassBroads threads, she mentioned she had a book coming out, so I jumped straight on that, and now here it is. And I read it. And I loved it.
The Gentlman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is grand, cute, badass, and abso-bloody-lutely hilarious. I laughed so much while I was reading this. Monty, our main character, can be a bit of a dick and a complete idiot, but he's so funny and he's so tiny and cute. Felicity was such a good female character, I absolutely loved her. I wasn't sure about her at first but I really liked her character arc and development and I loved her passion and her drive. And Percy, dear sweet, innocent Percy. I can 100% see why Monty is in love with him.
I loved all of the characters in this book, and I love that they were all inspired by real historical figures, real people, real Tours. It's been so long since I read some solid historical fiction and I was so ready for this novel. The writing is easy to read and a lot of the time I forgot I was reading a young adult novel. I am so sad that I couldn't just sit and devour this book because it's just so good. I wasn't expecting to laugh so much or read about people running naked through the gardens of Versailles, or sinking islands. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a good time and a good giggle. I cannot wait to read more of Mackenzi Lee's work....more
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The writing is so smooth, you'd never guess it was written by two people and not just one person. InI enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. The writing is so smooth, you'd never guess it was written by two people and not just one person. In other books I've read by multiple authors you can tell who wrote certain pieces but in this the writing style was consistent and amazing throughout. I also love books about ballet and wish I read more of them. It always makes me wish I could have continued with ballet instead of having to stop when I was still young.
While this was a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed how entertaining it was, it is filled with ballet stereotypes and because of the type of school this is it's always quite intense. The eating disorders and the mental health in general wasn't explored as much as I'd have liked it to be. The characters know it's wrong to an extent to essentially starve themselves whilst exercising too much, but it's only explicitly mentioned as being a problem once and then everyone goes back to normal and it's like it never happened. This book is also basically just 300+ pages of girl on girl hate and drama, so if that's something that majorly bothers you then you probably won't like it.
I went into this book expecting a contemporary novel but actually it's more of a thriller. We still don't have all the answers so I'll probably be continuing on with the series because it's all I can think about right now. Tiny Pretty Things was definitely a pleasant surprise for me and it was just what I needed right now....more
This is basically a picture book separated into chapters which each have an introduction that is a couple of pages long, and each picture caption has This is basically a picture book separated into chapters which each have an introduction that is a couple of pages long, and each picture caption has a little explanation or piece of history to describe the context of the picture, be it about specific regiments or places or people.
I had only seen a couple of colour photos and films of WWII previous to reading this book, so seeing this collection of colour photographs from the War was exceptionally powerful. It makes the events feel so immediate and so recent. Looking at these pictures it honestly feels like it could have happened only a matter of years ago, not 72+ years ago. This is genuinely such an interesting and powerful read and an amazing addition to my collection....more
Here's the thing about this book. I was reading it and I wasn't sure whether I was liking it or not. I was starting to feel a tiny bit of disappointmeHere's the thing about this book. I was reading it and I wasn't sure whether I was liking it or not. I was starting to feel a tiny bit of disappointment because it wasn't everything I was expecting or wanting it to be, after reading Aristotle and Dante and loving it so much. There was some stuff I had problems with. And then it hit me. Hard. I got lost in this book and some things went down and they hit me right in the heart and I cried for a while. It has inspired me and made me feel so many things, and it's made me think a lot.
There's no way I manage even a semblance of a proper review for this. The writing is beautiful (of course it is) and the plot is good. It has some problems. There are a few phrases in here that are really bad, and there's a part where someone who was sexually assaulted is talking to the boy who assaulted her and hearing his apology and forgiving him, and I don't really know how to feel about all of that. The latter half of this book is incredible, and it does have way more good than bad. But it's important to put it out there.
I can't really say any more than that while I'm feeling all of these emotions....more
I don't have much to say other than I love Sarah Anderson's work and I love having these books to flick through whenever I need to smile. These are reI don't have much to say other than I love Sarah Anderson's work and I love having these books to flick through whenever I need to smile. These are relatable, hilarious comics and, like the last one, this book brings some old and some new comics together. There are a couple of essay-type pieces near the end which were interesting and I'd definitely like to see more of.
I would definitely recommend this book, it's 100% worth a read!...more
The Accusation is a collection of stories about life in an extremely oppressive dictatorship, the sort of stories we usually read in dystopian novels.The Accusation is a collection of stories about life in an extremely oppressive dictatorship, the sort of stories we usually read in dystopian novels. Life many people in the world couldn't even imagine living. The manuscript was smuggled out of North Korea hidden between Kim Jong-Il's Selected Works.
Usually I'd rate and review each short story in a collection separately, but that didn't feel right to do here. Though these are all technically independent of each other, each with a different cast of characters, looking of different backgrounds and different problems, but ultimately they all denounce the North Korean regime. There's nothing purple about them, there's no beating around the bush. They're all critical of North Korea, they're all about the people who doubt the regime and are too scared to rally against it.
These stories are grim, and they're well written, and they're important. I definitely recommend this collection to everyone. The events in these stories aren't rare occurrences. This is everyday life in North Korea. This is the sort of book you read and now it'll become a classic. Read this if you can....more
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