This book was a big surprise to me. It turned out to be exactly what I wished The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Aged 81 would be. Also what I hoped The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry would feel like. It’s a simple story at the outset – it’s the story of Arthur READ MORE
Category: Sunday Review
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HEARTSTOPPER VOLUMES 1 & 2 – ALICE OSEMAN
Like many of you, I picked up the first book in the Heartstopper series, read it straight through in one sitting, and immediately picked up volume 2. So the two are inextricably linked in my mind, and I can’t remember which held what part of the story to review them separately. (I READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | CRYING IN H MART – MICHELLE ZAUNER
You’ve probably seen this book around. I think it’s one of the (if not the) most talked about memoirs of the past year. It’s the story of a mother and a daughter – a mother who has been an indomitable presence in her daughter’s life since she was born, and who has never been READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | RAZORBLADE TEARS – S.A. COSBY
I’ve seen this book around a lot, and was intrigued by the premise. This is the story of two fathers. One white, one Black. Each has lost a son to violence, and they are connected by their sons, who were married to one another. Both fathers did not react well to their sons’ homosexuality READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE END OF YOUR LIFE BOOK CLUB – WILL SCHWALBE
I feel like this book has been kicking around on the periphery of my reading since it first came out about a decade ago. I’ve always been a bit interested in it, but also a bit nervous about the “end of your life” part. It popped up in my library catalogue though, and I READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER – JENNY COLGAN
I have had this book on my shelf for so long now that I can’t even remember getting it! I kept meaning to pick it up… and then just not. But I was in the mood for something a bit light this week, and I saw this, and it seemed like the way to READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HOW TO RAISE AN ANTIRACIST – IBRAM X. KENDI
Ibram X. Kendi is one of the most influential and important voices in American society right now. Every time his name comes up – on a book, in a podcast, as an interviewee in a YouTube video – he doesn’t disappoint. He’s intelligent, knowledgeable and has that rare ability to say exactly what he READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT – JUDITH KERR
I can’t believe I only just discovered this series of books. It is so my type of thing, and I had a period of reading all the books I could find about the holocaust – particularly those told from the perspective of a young girl (this was after reading Anne Frank’s Diary of a READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY – NATALIE JENNER
I really loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so I’m always on the hunt for books about book clubs – bonus marks if they take place in a small English community. This book checked all the boxes. This book follows a group of people who live in a small English village READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SORROW AND BLISS – MEG MASON
For a book about serious things, this book sure was funny. That’s the first impression I had of the book, and the tone instantly had me hooked. This is the story of Martha Friel, who is flailing. She suffers from mental health issues, and has a life that leaves her generally feeling unsatisfied and READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THIS BRIGHT FUTURE – BOBBY HALL
This book. Man, this book. I went into this a bit curious, but not really expecting much. For those of you who don’t know, Bobby Hall is also known as Logic, one of the most successful, influential and respected rap artists of past couple of decades. He’s known for his lyrical skills and being READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE EXTRA ORDINARY LIFE OF FRANK DERRICK, AGED 81 – J.B MORRISON
I enjoyed reading The Reading List, and decided I wanted something else that had some serious topics in it, but mixed in with some humour and heartwarming moments. I’ve also been meaning to read some of the books on my TBR featuring older protagonists, as I fully support more books getting published about this READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | STRANGERS TO OURSELVES – RACHEL AVIV
Unlike many early readers of this book, I hadn’t heard of Rachel Aviv, who is a writer for The New Yorker. This book is her first, and it traces her own experiences as, at that time, the youngest child to ever be diagnosed with anorexia (she was six). From this she moves on to READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE READING LIST – SARA NISHA ADAMS
This book took me completely by surprise. I bought it as Audible’s deal of the day on a whim a while back, after quickly skimming the description. I like books about readers. That was pretty much all the thought I put into it. I think I decided to read it mainly because it was READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | STILL LIFE – SARAH WINMAN
This was yet another of the books I read for the quarterfinals of the BookTube Prize. I had been meaning to read Sarah Winman’s work for ages – I have at least two of her books on my shelves, unread, but this one was quite long and therefore languished on my “maybe, someday” pile. READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | RECKLESS GIRLS – RACHEL HAWKINS
You know when things are going on in life that feel like a LOT and you really just want a book that will sweep you up, grab your full attention, and transport you away from everything that’s stressing you out for a while? This book was exactly that. What attracted me to this book READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE MAGICIAN – COLM TÓIBÍN
I didn’t really have a lot of interest in this book to start with. It’s historical fiction, and it’s based on the life of an author I’d never heard of, let alone read (Thomas Mann). But it was on my second round of judging for the BookTube Prize, so I had to give it READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE – CHERIE JONES
Another book from my group for the quarterfinals of judging for the BookTube Prize, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is an interesting novel that managed to surprise me. I expected a mystery, with a few unexpected twists and turns and with a tropical backdrop. I was interested in it, and was pleased READ MORE