This is a bit late, but I'm finally home after various Christmas visits so have only just put together my book haul presents! I'm really happy with these - they're all very thoughtful and I can't wait to get through them. Maggie Nelson is currently blowing me away with The Argonauts. Has anyone read any of the others? 😊

This book is so well written that I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to attempt a review. I was completely engrossed in Maggie Nelson's memoir in which she deftly weaves threads of personal and familial trauma and grief amidst a harrowing murder trial. It's an uneasy read as she grapples with the wider cultural obsession over violence against women in its various forms. A 5⭐ read, but content warning for graphic descriptions and suicidal ideation.

"Some dark crescent of land, a place where suffering is essentially meaningless, where the present collapses into the past without warning, where we cannot escape the fates we fear the most, where heavy rains come and wash bodies up and out of their graves, where grief lasts forever and its force never fades." (p. 122)

Yikes... it has been quite a while since my last post. I took an unplanned break from reading as I've been having a bit of a rough time with migraines and chronic headaches lately, but I've finally finished this lovely comfort read! It's like a warm hug of a book. I really enjoyed spending time with Evvie. A definite pick that has me excited to get back to my tbr list! I hope everyone's Christmas involves some great reads!

I'm not sure I would have picked up this book to read, but I'm so glad I stumbled across the audio book on BorrowBox and gave it a chance. I love Maeve Higgins! I'm really going to miss listening to her musings on my commute to work. She feels like an old pal at this stage. I'd definitely recommend listening to this one because you really get a good sense of her humour. The topics vary but these essays are all heartfelt and hilarious. A pick!

After seeing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and listening to Karina Longworth's 'You Must Remember Manson' podcast, a friend recommended this book with high praise, and I wasn't disappointed. I'm in awe of Emma Cline's compelling, perceptive prose. Cady McClain's thoughtful narration really immersed me in teenage Evie's heightened world. Her interactions with a host of vivid characters are, at times, stark and horrifying. An absolute pick!

I absolutely adore this beautiful book. It's full of playful references and evocative language. It's difficult to describe the plot- you're better off just diving straight in. The last section is joyful and exhilarating in a way that reminds me of how I felt reading Molly's soliloquy in Ulysses for the first time. I'll revisit this, and I can't wait to read more of Ali Smith's work. If you're looking for a pick-me-up, I highly recommend it!

This is such a gorgeous read 💜

At the start I didn't know how I was going to get on with this cranky octogenarian, but Maurice Hannigan quickly had me hooked and really emotionally invested in his story. I finally finished it last night in floods of tears. Anne Griffin has crafted a very sweet, heartfelt read.

I absolutely raced through this, and it was the first book in a long while that I finished in less than a day. The excitement was similar to that I used to feel with each new release of a Harry Potter book, so it's fair to say my expectations were high! Apart from a few minor quibbles, I loved it. One my favourites this year. I don't want to post anything else for fear of spoiling anyone, but I'm excited to hear what other people think!

Excuse the terrible photo, but it's 6:30am and I'm barely awake... 🤣 about to head on holidays and I can't wait to get stuck into this! The excerpt on NPR had me intrigued from the get-go: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/754859270/first-read-hear-margaret-atwood-tell-th...

"I could see she was nervous with my eyes on her. I understood the worry. When I was that age, I was uncertain of how to move, whether I was walking too fast, whether others could see the discomfort and stiffness in me. As if everyone were constantly gauging my performance and finding it lacking."

This book is so well written. It's really smart and evocative. I'm loving this #audiobook so far!

"The reason to have a home is to keep certain people in and everyone else out."

While sparse, this book is at times funny, wise, heart-breaking, sharp, and poignant... which is no mean feat!

It has a strange way of tapping into some wonderfully observed truths about life, and at the same time I feel as though we're only privy to brief glimpses of the characters.

It's a definite pick, and I'd give it a solid 4 stars!

I'm a sucker for a Donald Barthelme reference! It reminds me that I should delve back into Sixty Stories soon- it's one of my favourite collections and I haven't revisited it for a long time.

As for the tagged book: I love Jenny Offill's distinct style. Insights are gleaned from succinct vignettes that are brief little windows into these characters' lives at various different stages.

I think I'm probably in the minority about this! There were plenty of individual elements that appealed to me, but overall it wasn't a pick.

I was actually quite shocked to find out that Samantha is 25... the dynamics and dialogue felt closer to a high school setting rather than an elite MFA programme.

I definitely enjoyed some of the really skewering passages, but despite all the mayhem, I just didn't feel like the stakes were ever that high?

"Sometimes you have to kill your darlings, you know?"

...This is starting to get properly bonkers !

I've just finished the 'Born Under a Star' blanket and Mary Jane booties from this lovely collection! They took long enough, but Jenny Lord's helpful advice along with brilliant illustrations are great for encouraging you to tackle projects that you might think are beyond your capabilities. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to take up knitting!

Third page in and I can't stop giggling... I think I'm really going to enjoy this one! 😂👌

I'm about a quarter of the way through this audio book and while it's probably down to the fact that I've been listening to it in fits and starts, I'm finding it underwhelming! Trying to decide if I should keep going or bail...

Has anyone read/listened to this? Any recommendations? 😊

"Perhaps, at some point, Yeong-hue had simply let fall the slender thread that had kept her connected with everyday life."

Oof, this book! I hardly know where to start. I won't be able to do it justice. First and foremost, it's a visceral experience, and a haunting one at that.

The beguiling character at the centre of this short novel endures so many brutalising acts of violence that the sense of quiet desperation is palpable, making it quite a claustrophobic, upsetting read.

I thought it was excellent, but am hesitant to recommend it as this won't be for everyone.

Set in a post-apocalyptic Ireland, this zombie thriller is certainly evocative and atmospheric. The considered prose is full of colloquial quirks that really instil it with a firm sense of place that I enjoyed. It is also quite fiercely feminist in a lot of ways, and neatly subverts many tropes of the genre. While it slightly lagged for me about three quarters of the way in, it's a great, quick read. I'd give it a solid three and a half stars.

Settling in for a cosy evening! I'm a total wimp when it comes to zombies but I've heard great things about this one so I'm willing to give it a go. Wish me luck! 😭

#Bookhaul featuring my almost-finished knitting project and pink gin in a CAN... #treatyoself 💕🤣 After a hectic few weeks moving into a new apartment I finally ventured to my new local library. So excited to get started on these!

"Writing fiction, creating an imaginary world, is, it seems, rather like remembering what never happened."

I adore this collection of essays, even if I sometimes have to re-read a paragraph three times!

This was a re-read, but even when you're familiar with the story, it still really gets under the skin. Shirley Jackson created a truly unique and unforgettable narrator in Merricat, which is apparent from that disquieting opening paragraph. Donna Tartt called it "her greatest book", and I'm inclined to agree. It's a deceptively simple read, full of startling imagery and twisted insights. The writing is exquisite!

"And anyway, there is no comfort here on Earth. There is pretending, there are words, but there is no peace. Nothing is good here. Nothing. Every place you go on Earth, there is more nonsense."

These short stories certainly pack a punch! I'd rate this collection a 4/5.

My favourites were, 'Bettering Myself', 'Slumming', 'The Beach Boy', 'Nothing Ever Happens Here', and 'A Better Place'. Has anyone else read this? What did you think? I'm curious!

This was my first time reading Sarah Waters, and while it was a reeeally slow burn, I was completely hooked. I generally loved the characterisation even though the narrator, Dr Farraday, infuriated me at times (which I think is rather the point of his character)! What impressed me most, however, is how Waters crafts the specificity of this period, especially with respect to wealth and class within a shifting social landscape.

I just adore this book!

I finished this concurrently with 'The Lottery and Other Stories' and it was the perfect counterbalance to the sense of disquiet that Jackson leaves you with. This absolute gem of a book is a true comfort read, filled with beautiful insights amongst genuinely hilarious tales of Alderton's roaring twenties. Having just said goodbye to that decade myself, this ode to female friendship made me laugh, cringe, and cry in equal measure. What a joy ❤

I had to take my time with this collection... Shirley Jackson just left me feeling shook and uneasy so frequently! She really is a master of the short story.

'Colloquy' was published in the 40s, yet Mrs. Arnold's bewilderment feels all too familiar. What a great 3-page short story by Shirley Jackson.

Oh girl, have we all been there or what!

This is definitely a pick, even though I haven't quite figured out how I feel about the ending! I've rarely come across a book that captures so distinctly that feeling of being twenty-one and having absolutely no idea who you are: "At any time I felt I could do or say anything at all, and only afterwards think: oh, so that's the kind of person I am." It was a solid 4/5 stars for me!

The Bloody Chamber remains one of my favourite collections of short stories. Carter's feminist re-tellings of fairy tales are exquisitely written in lush & often startling prose. She employs the same rich, immersive language here, however, the effect is often more frustrating than beguiling. Ultimately the story was too brutal & disturbing & it felt provocative in an alienating way. 2/5 stars: wouldn't recommend except to Carter enthusiasts!

Thanks so much for tagging me, @Kristy_K
@cassiopia @isobelr @Texreader @Trashcanman @MaGoose - sorry I'm a bit late posting (see number 15 🤣), but here's #20thingsaboutme

"Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought." I'm going to end up underlining every sentence in this lovely little selection of Lorde's essays! #chasingthejanuarybluesaway

Last week I re-read one of my favourites, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank. It's such a great comfort read! 💕 What's on your reading list at the moment? This was book 2 of 2019's #readingchallenge, part of my #resolutions

I'm in awe of these incredible essays. What a great way to start my 2019 reading list! I can't speak highly enough of this book 👌 #readingchallenge book 1 of the year

Just settling in front of a cosy fire to get started... #wildfridaynight

Love this!

Feeling a bit under the weather this week, but these poets are fantastic company on #internationalwomensday 💕

Really enjoyed this quick, accessible read. Mary Beard includes some very interesting examples in the long history of the "exclusion of women from public speech". Highly recommend this!

"The goal, ultimately, was successful camouflage as a human woman." (p. 30)

You and me both, Eleanor...