I have read this book at least once before – but possibly two or three times. It’s one of those stories that feels like it was irrevocably woven into the fabric of my childhood. I feel like Mary is, in a sense, a part of me. I came across the Kindle In Motion edition READ MORE
Category: Fiction
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | CITY OF GIRLS – ELIZABETH GILBERT
This was another of the books on my BookTube Prize reading list, and another I likely wouldn’t have gotten around to without it. In large part because I’ve not had great success with Elizabeth Gilbert in the past. I particularly struggled with Eat, Pray, Love, her best-known work all about the trauma of her READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | MIDDLE ENGLAND – JONATHAN COE
I haven’t read any Jonathan Coe before, but I have a few of his books on my shelves because they’ve caught my attention. So when this book turned up in my round for the BookTube Prize I was excited to have a reason to pick it up. Technically this book is third in a READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | LONG BRIGHT RIVER – LIZ MOORE
This was my first Liz Moore book, but I had heard wonderful things about her previous book, The Unseen World. This one appealed to me because at its core it is a thriller, and yet it has that literary leaning I’ve been enjoying in my thrillers of late. This book centres around a young READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE – CHARLIE MACKESY
I have been seeing this book everywhere for months now. It was particularly popular around Christmas, and I actually got it as a Christmas present. It’s a small book. Short, full of pictures, light on words. It doesn’t have a linear plot, nor do you get much in the way of characters. It’s more READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE INNOCENTS – MICHAEL CRUMMEY
This was the first book I read from my assigned reading for the BookTube Prize. It’s one I’d had on my radar – Crummey is a prominent Canadian author, after all – but that hadn’t grabbed me. I doubt I ever would have gotten to it if it hadn’t been for the prize. It’s READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | RED AT THE BONE – JACQUELINE WOODSON
I read Another Brooklyn a couple of years ago and was completely blown away by the delicacy of the prose and the insight Woodson imbued her characters with. So when Red at the Bone came out, it was high on my TBR. It did not disappoint. The story is a simple one – it READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SUCH A FUN AGE – KILEY REID
If you have any interest at all in books (and of course you do – you’re here), you have heard of this one. It was released just as the clocks turned to 2020, and has been talked about everywhere since. It has been getting positive reviews by everyone from The Guardian to The Atlantic READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | OLIVE KITTERIDGE – ELIZABETH STROUT
I have to be honest, I didn’t really want to read this book. But the sequel, Olive, Again, came out this year and I knew there was a good chance it would show up on the list for the BookTube Prize. I am trying to read some of the books I think either will READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | MRS. FLETCHER – TOM PERROTTA
I have had this book on my shelves for a long time, but finally decided to pick it up for two reasons: 1) the television show has just come out and I wanted to read it before watching and 2) I wanted something light and entertaining. This is a story about a middle-aged woman READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE TIME OF GREEN MAGIC – HILARY MCKAY
When we first meet Abi, her life has just been turned upside down. Her father has re-married a woman named Polly, who comes with two sons – one grumpy, the other always inexplicably sticky. To make matters worse, she is forced to move into their house, a place where despite having her own room READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE BOOKSHOP OF THE BROKEN HEARTED – ROBERT HILLMAN
I went into this expecting a somewhat entertaining and charming story with a bit of depth, but not too much, with decent characters, but not too deeply affecting, and some minor emotional tweaks but nothing heart shattering. I got a little bit more than I bargained for. This book starts with Tom’s wife leaving READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL – ABBI WAXMAN
This book was a breath of fresh air when I really needed one. It’s a quiet book, full of small interactions and introspection. It’s the story of a young woman called Nina HIll. Nina works in a bookstore and, quite frankly, prefers life spent between the covers of a good book. She suffers from READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | ASK AGAIN, YES – MARY BETH KEANE
I don’t normally do family sagas. They’re just so detailed and finicky and full of petty drama and these complicated strands of storyline you have to keep a constant eye on. I find them wearing and exhausting and not generally worth the effort. But something about this one made me want to give it READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER – BERNARDINE EVARISTO
I was intimidated going into this book. It’s long, and it’s written in an experimental style of verse that doesn’t include periods or capitals. I was nervous I’d be unable to find my feet and that it would prove too difficult for me to get into. Not so. It took about 50 pages, but READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE WALL – JOHN LANCHESTER
I went into this with no expectations at all. I had been mildly interested in it before its nomination for the Booker Prize, and that made me pick it up sooner. But I don’t much care for dystopian books, and though the concept behind this is timely and brings up a few important issues, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | VINTAGE 1954 – ANTOINE LAURAIN
I’ve only read one Antoine Laurain novel, the delightfully charming The Red Notebook. It was the closest I’ve come to finding a book that felt like watching the film Amélie, one of my favourites of all time. Laurain is a master at capturing details of character and setting that bring the story to life READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | FIVE FEET APART – RACHAEL LIPPINCOTT
I’ve had this book on my radar for a while. In my current quest to find books about illness, it drifted up to the top of my TBR – it helped that I also wanted to watch the movie and felt like the book had to come first. I’m going to be up front READ MORE