If I could give it more than a Pick, I would. Having grown up in Cyprus, I was expecting it to speak to me personally and culturally. What stunned me was the sheer beauty of Shafak's words when she describes all the pain, animosity and destruction; how she keeps humanity's best traits - love, hope, empathy - alive under the rubbles of human folly. This book made me cry, laugh (especially Meryem's oh so Mediterranean proverbs), but above all, hope.

It's silly o'clock over here but I simply cannot wait to get started on this one! 🤓

I just couldn't finish this one, bailed about halfway through - in fact just after finishing "Genetic Material", maybe because it looked like it might be my favourite short story until it went down an inexplicable path. All the raw beauty of Tsiolkas' writing style could not make up for the relentlessly bleak atmosphere of the stories. Despite the great descriptions and relationship insights, It all felt like an outbidding war in shock therapy...

Engrossing once you get into it. I had had two "false starts" with this one but glad i finished it this time. Three very different characters - a seasoned banker looking for an awakening, a driven young lawyer looking for redemption and a shambolic intell agent looking for a breakthrough - all brought together by an illegal half-Chechen immigrant who arrived in Germany holding a mysterious "key". Ending not too surprising but still a good read...

A chilling story about a kidnapped teenager, Samantha, who is found 15 years later, broken inside and out. A guilt-ridden PI on borrowed time, Genko, is looking for the kidnapper - and for redemption, having failed to solve the case years ago. There are so many twists near the end that I sometimes had to go back on what I've read to absorb it all. 👇🏻

Picked this one up more for the Greek island setting than the hen do context. The descriptions were beautiful and the characters' perspectives and inner struggles so very well portrayed. The switching of points of view between the six women served to keep their parallel stories moving forward at the same pace and deliver the twists and turns smoothly. Best of all, there are a few things I didn't see coming!

Enjoyed delving into this childhood classic! I had flashbacks throughout to the 1980s Japanese anime adaptation Princess Sara, which I loved watching as a child 💗

I raced through this 600-page beast. It surprised me how little I knew of Katherine and her life before she was cast aside. It was painful at times to read about the happy years of her marriage to Henry when we know how it all ended for her. I read this knowing there had been another side to Henry in his youth - pleasant, attractive, charming and even gentle. Still, reading about that side of him felt surreal. 👇🏻

A light entertaining read but it won't turn your world upside down. The plot is moved along by the most extraordinary coincidences. Certainly more fall-off-your-chair-laughing than edge-of-your-seat...

What can I say... it was a slow start but the story suddenly wakes from its slumber and legs it to the finish line, and what a finish... Some books stay with you long after you put them down and I think this will be one of them.

"When his master was changed into a frog, trusty Henry had grieved so much that he had bound three iron bands around his heart, for fear it should break with grief and sorrow. The faithful Henry (who was also the trusty Henry) helped in the bride and bridegroom, and placed himself in the seat behind, full of joy at his master's release."

A pick, with some reservations: dialogue is uninspiring at times; most chapters did not really end on a shocking note; and the clues pointed to the culprit a little too early on. Still very enjoyable - flows well, lead character is great, the coroner office makes for a nice change from the usual police quarters setting, and of course the Manchester backdrop can only be a huge plus - at least for me! :) Hunting down the next in the series...

Nothing like being nice and snug on your sofa on your day off, with a book and a cupper, while the rain drenches your windows and muffles the sounds of early morning rush hour...

The great thing about a period detective story is the absence of technology. It's all about the reasoning and I loved that! I was expecting a ghost story actually but it's not, just has lots of gothic elements in it, a bit like Jane Eyre. And Count Fosco! It's amazing how the author managed to make him so attractive and so revolting at the same time...

A nice little collection, with varying degrees of "paranormal". It's not overdone but rather deftly weaved into the narrative. The endings are not wholly unexpected but the stories hook you all the same, thanks to the lively descriptions and great atmosphere building. I'll be on the hunt for more from du Maurier, for sure...

A great selection celebrating women's valuable but frequently overlooked contributions to the realm of the weird and wonderful. From Burnett's relatively grounded tale of a ship stuck in the fog to Carrington's surrealist story The Seventh Horse, there is something in there for everyone. My own favourites: From the Dead, The Bishop of Hell, White Lady, The Laughing Thing and The Unwanted.

Read the second in the series (The Secret) before this one - both are equally gripping but the second one was a little more subtle. With The Teacher, you move from one gruesome murder to the next at a pace that leaves little time to really flesh out the characters. What's great with Diamond though is even though you do connect the dots quite early on, she somehow keeps you hooked to the very end. Looking forward to reading the rest in the series.

An exceptional author has passed away - i think this calls for a John Le Carre reading list...

This is everything that a detective series should be: the mystery, the characters, the setting, the details that spice up the plot, it's all there. I will certainly be reading more from Katerina Diamond...

There was the good, the bad and the incomprehensible. My favourites were: Listings, Speed Awareness, Robot, Seance, and An Oral History of Margaret. Be prepared for something wholly unorthodox both in style and narrative.
#Booked2020 #covercrush
@4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen

Even better...

My second go at #covercrush ! This one should be good...

I have done what I haven't in a long time: ditched a book a few pages in. Was expecting a nuanced, subtle approach to the character's plight, torn between wild sexual desires and a tranquil family life. I knew to expect some graphic content but found that it didn't serve a greater purpose. I'm afraid the crush ended (prematurely) with the cover on this one. Oh well, on the hunt for the next one...

Choosing this for #Booked2020 #covercrush. I would like to say it's because of its contrasts (the black bow against the white shirt, and the white shirt against a darkened and largely invisible face, all foretelling dark secrets). But the truth is, I just like her style 😁

Invisibility. This is the curse that women have to bear in the man's world that is Brazil mid-20th century. If you want to catch a glimpse of their suffocating and desperate lives without suffocating and despairing yourself - in fact, you will strangely be left feeling liberated and hopeful by the end of it - then this book is for you.
#Booked2020 #armchairtravel
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Picked this up at my local library on a whim - and very glad I did so far. An interesting take on gender inequality, set in Brazil in the 1940s. Fits nicely in the armchair travel category for #Booked2020

Follows wealthy widow, Lady Emily, as she investigates a mystery of stolen artefacts that both draws her to the dead husband she never really knew and causes her to doubt his character, all while navigating through a journey of self discovery. Good portrayal of the Victorian period and a likeable female lead - certainly a refreshing change from the typical virginal heroines of that era.

Dine in afternoon clothes?? Shocking.

Not as creepy as I thought it would be, but great plot, pace, atmosphere building and writing.

The twist was a little bit of a stretch but a good read overall

Well researched historical fiction, just felt the story could have gone much further... and some of the dialogues in the modern day sections were a little irritating.

It's a little hard to get into. The setup is interesting but the snippets of perspectives go back and forth in time, and it's not very easy to follow at first. Still a pick for me because I thought the author did a great job conveying the stifling feeling of loss that follows the death of a loved one, while in contrast showing just how much of us survives through our online profiles.

First thought as I reached the end was: huh?? It felt like reading a well written essay that never answered the exam question. So many things (not least the title) promised a supernatural mystery. But the supernatural was incidental and the mystery didn't work well. It was a great psychological study though: the characterisation of the female leads, their relationship, and the atmosphere building were superb. Shame they were let down by the plot.

The author has created an interesting world, pairing climate deterioration with the rise of repression in a familiar setting, which makes it all the more unsettling. Perhaps a slow start as the groundwork is being laid, but the pace does pick up, and I'm looking forward to books 2 and 3. I found myself skimming through some technical passages though, as I'm not exactly tech-savvy!

I enjoyed this - the writing flows nicely, the characters are well fleshed out and the pace is good, though i was expecting a more unexpected outcome (so in a way, it was unexpectedly expected?) Anyway, a good read!
#Booked2019, #newtomeauthor
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

"I spend the day refusing to get excited because it will all come to naught whilst also meticulously planning my sales pitch. It's an exercise in believing two mutually exclusive ideas; it's exhausting."

Subject is interesting but delivery wasn't. Found the writing repetitive, the tone exaggerated, the narrative simplistic. Overuse of redundant comments. It's a verbatim of the podcast- could have done with more editing to make it more reader friendly.Gets better as you read on, stories are spookier, writing flows better, but it doesn't quite forego the irritating banalities and moralistic quips.
#Booked2019 #Relatedtoapodcast

Havent reviewed in a while! Been cracking on with the reading though... :)
Enjoyed this one, partly because of the local setting :) an interesting take on the alleged big cat sightings in the area. The depiction of family life after the arrival of a newborn is also spot on. Only downside perhaps is the padding around the story can sometimes go on a little.
#Booked2019 #night-oriented
@BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft

French critical thinking & skepticism at its finest, studded with cultural winks and nudges. Funny & profound, poised & radical, an observation & rejection of human nature and its stereotypes. Its two narrators, female and highly intelligent, are pushed by society to the bottom of the influence hierarchy because one is a child, the other a concierge, but both somehow prevail. It mocks the taming of the shrew with all the elegance of the hedgehog.

"As always, I am saved by the inability of living creatures to believe anything that might cause the walls of their little mental assumptions to crumble."

Barely started and I'm loving this book already...

Disappointed. It addressed issues i would have normally enjoyed, and the author's way of raising questions while showing the futility of it is interesting. But I couldn't look past the crude rambling style, despite good descriptions and funny strands here and there. As for the abrupt endings, with no particular punch or twist, though a message in themselves (perhaps reflecting on how most lives end?), they robbed the narrative of a memorable seal.

This book came out when I was still living in Paris.
I remember all the hype around it, yet it has since remained on my to-read list. Time to do something about it! I am sure it will stir up memories of this very #happyplace
#Booked2019 @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft

This one is for the #Booked2019 #IrishAuthor prompt. Halfway through it so far - very unusual style!
@BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft @Cinfhen

A pick, yes, but I would not rate all the stories equally. The spin on puss-in-boots is unique and entertaining, the descriptions in The Erl-King elegant and poetic. Other stories I found less compelling, like Blue Beard and Mr Lyon (a retelling of Beauty and the Beast), partly because they did not stray far enough from the originals (still had some notable variations though). The Erl-King was my favourite.

Brilliant! It has all the ingredients of a good thriller, I barely put it down than i wanted to pick it up again. Has lots in common with Swierczynski's Revolver (cold case, female lead, cop father, dysfunctional family, drinking and more drinking) but this one felt like an easier read.

Diving into my #fairytaleretelling for #Booked2019. Struggled to pick one but in the end went for a classic that i have shamefully not read yet... It's a genre that I'm getting more and more into!
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

A light, entertaining read. Some bits were hilarious, others dragged out a little. Informative whichever side of the Atlantic you are, though it seemed to me more geared towards an American audience.

Have signed up to the #Booked2019 challenge (too ambitious with two little ones at home?) Starting with The Last Place You Look for the #femaledetective one.
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage (did i tag everyone?)

Confused? No, indeed.

So well written, brilliantly researched, great pace throughout. Not one dull bit! And I loved the sprinkle of the quintessentially English quips here and there. Though I found Empress Sisi less likeable as I read it than when I first heard her life story years ago...