I thought this was a brilliant read on AI although I spent most of it thinking ‘how can this be allowed to happen‘ (especially in regard to deep fakes 😤). It was giving me anxiety thinking of the world we‘re living in with AI becoming more prominent as a lot of seemed quite bad - however the audio came with a 30min interview with the author which sort of offered a more balanced approach to it- she talked of how it could be used in positive ways.

I loved living in the lives of Adrien, Etienne and Nina. It spans over decades from the time they meet at school to their present day. One of my favourites of the year so far.

Between this & James this is the first time I‘ve ever used up the audiobook hours on Spotify - and I‘ve still got 10 days before it‘s renewed (I‘m loving this book so much I‘m tempted to pay the 9.99 for extra hours but it seems a lot 🤔)

I‘ve had this checked out from the library for far too long - finally getting to it. Think it‘s going to be a tough read.

I do love a list! 😁

This is the epitome of brilliant storytelling - I think the audio added to this as the narrator was AMAZING (if anyone ever asks for audio recommendations this will be my go to). I think Jim/James was a great protagonist in the journey he goes through and the courage and wisdom he has. I loved it as a story but I think reading it with #camplitsy in mind added more depth to the way I listened to it, making me think more deeply about it. #tbrtarot

Imagine being able to write a book like this! I thought it was really clever and gripping. It‘s one of those I think every one will take something different from so really looking forward to the #camplitsy discussion.

This was a lovely read encouraging us to take notice of the small pleasures in life. I live for the ‘little things‘ and moments in life so this was right up my street. #nonfiction2024 (The God of Small Things)

Thanks again for this one Helen 😘

I loved this. I wasn‘t sure that audio was the right format at first but after a while I really got immersed in it & found myself slowing down while listening on my walks to match the tone of the book 😆 it evokes a strong sense of place and is atmospheric which I love. Another review describes it well by noting it has a ‘quiet intensity‘ 🖤 #camplitsy

Best thing about summer days - the kids are happy in the garden most of the day so I get to sit and read 😁☀️ just starting the second half #camplitsy

Lovely few hours with @squirrelbrain @TrishB @Oryx

Pleased with my book haul 😁 (got a couple for the kids too not pictured!)

Written in verse, I feel like the audio gave this an extra boost as we get to hear the inflections and tones from both narrators. A great listen about sisters who only get to know of each other through a traumatic event. The way it unfolded, the sisters different experiences, ambitions etc and how they each dealt with grief and getting to know each other was done really well.

I‘ve been reading a lot of non-fiction books that have all been AMAZING but I was so ready to read something not so taxing while I was on holiday and this was the perfect choice. The pacing was spot on, I was always wondering how it would all come together, we get to know the characters a bit more and I read it within 4 days which is really quick for me! Thanks for this one @squirrelbrain 💚

Sent the kids upstairs so I can watch this in peace 😂

I‘m still reading Code Dependent & A Flat Place (loving this one) from the non-fiction list but from the ones I‘ve read I would love All That She Carried to win.

I feel a bit bad not liking this book considering it was written by a 13 year old but it was really repetitive. My main issue with it was I didn‘t like the way it was always ‘us with autism‘ - sort of speaking for everyone with autism instead of speaking just for himself and his own experience 😬 I‘m sure it‘s very insightful for some though ♥️ #nonfiction2024 (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)

If this wasn‘t shortlisted for the #womensprizeNF I wouldn‘t have been in a rush to read it but I‘m so glad it was as it‘s such a poignantly and beautifully written memoir. I loved listening to the author read her story herself. Brilliant 🖤 #nonfiction2024 (Born a Crime)

I was thinking of this book even when I wasn‘t reading it. I love that the author uses the cloth as a starting point to write about/give us perspectives from people who couldn‘t always leave a record of their lives/feelings. It will definitely stay with me. #womensprizeNF #nonfiction2024 (The Bluest Eye)

Went to Barter Books for my birthday 😁 Alfie was so excited over the train 🩵

Thank you so much for this book Helen 😘 I can‘t wait to read it. The birthday card is perfect 😍

The anxiety Gilda feels is so palpable that the warmth and humour within the novel is the perfect way to balance it out. I don‘t think it will be a memorable read for me but a good one all the same. #readyourkindle

Next up from the #womensprizenf shortlist. Hoping to read them all before the winner is announced 🤞

It feels a bit daft bailing at 71% and it‘s such a slim novel too but I really don‘t care about the characters anymore or how it ends 🤷‍♀️ I thought the portrayal of the characters loneliness was done well and the atmosphere of it but I wasn‘t a fan of the writing or the (lack of) story. #readyourkindle

A lot of the things Klein writes about in this book are things I find really interesting to read about (and ponder) so this was right up my street. It‘s a hard one to narrow down and review but I‘m glad it seems to be a book a lot of people are interested in as it would be great if more people were aware of what she writes about here. #womensprizeNF

This was excellent on audio. What the author does so well is shine the humanity on North Koreans, specifically its defectors. I want to say it‘s hard to imagine such poverty, propaganda and such lack of freedom happening today, but sadly it‘s not. Five stars from me. #nonfiction2024 (1984)

I can‘t review this objectively at all because I just felt it all subjectively, although I‘m not going/have not been through loss of a parent, divorce, finding my own way as a single parent etc. I just felt it. Love her writing.

I was aiming to read a poem a day but it turned into more of a weekly catch up. Themes of longing, forgetting, remembering, memories, love lost, love gained with vivid backdrops. Some poems and lines were a ‘wow‘ moment and I lingered over them while others left only a small impression. I won‘t be rushing to read more of his poetry but it has made me want to keep on reading poetry daily/weekly.

I‘m LOVING this book! #womensprizeNF

After reading this I went straight into reading the second book in her ‘living autobiography‘ series, and went out and bought the third, because it was everything I was hoping it would be and more. Her writing is just amazing 🖤

#nonfiction2024 (Speak)

This was Februarys #readyourkindle book. It took me so long to read because it‘s such a worthwhile, heartfelt and powerful read but it‘s also full of grief and sadness (written very profoundly but succinctly, and repeated) so I was just reading it in small bursts. I loved it.

My picks for #camplitsy24 🤍

I love this idea 😁

1. Alfie‘s happiness on his birthday in Legoland 🩵
2. Getting to visit Oxford 😍
3. Coffee and reading time in my local library cafe ☕️
4. Singing in the car with the kids on our long journey 🎶
5. Starting the tagged book - one of those books you instantly know you‘re going to like 🤍

I think I‘m in the minority but I didn‘t really love this. I get what the author was aiming for and it sounded like the sort of novel I‘d enjoy but I found it too disjointing - if I got settled into a part of the story I was soon taken out of it again. There were characters I liked reading about like Robert & the twin sisters but overall a very so-so read for me.

This was beautifully told. I loved listening to the author tell of Dutch paintings & artists, Fabritius & her father‘s paintings - you can tell it‘s something she‘s knowledgeable & passionate about. I listened on Spotify which came with a pdf of all the paintings she discusses but I always listen when I‘m on the go so couldn‘t keep track of which paintings she was discussing. As much as I liked the audio I‘d recommend going print or mix the two.

Little #bookhaul from the charity book shops I went to ♥️

Day to myself, obviously spending it reading and book shopping 😆

A fast, page-turning literary read with in depth characters & important subjects (social media, mom influencer culture and the effects it has on the kids ?). I thought both Mélanie and Clara were fascinating characters & the juxtaposition between them was written perfectly - one lives their life for social media, the other rejects it. It packs a lot of social commentary & psychology of the characters into a very enthralling novel.

A YA book so I‘m obviously not the intended audience which shows in my rating (3 ⭐️). It was very readable, accessible, engaging and I imagine quite informative/eye opening and relevant to younger readers. I think for its audience it‘s a great read. #readyourkindle

I can‘t always focus on novels during the day when the kids are around so this was perfect as a daytime read as it‘s got short but informative chapters that can be read in 5/10 minutes. Each chapter is a lesson in something such as confidence, relationships, melancholy, manners etc. The main takeaway is we don‘t have to be perfect parents, in fact it‘s good for us to be ‘flawed but kind‘. I really liked it and it‘s one I‘ll keep.

This was definitely a book of two halves but in the best way - I loved how the two parts focused on the different perspectives from Lotto & Mathilde and the things they keep hidden, didn‘t know about each other and their feelings about their marriage. I thought it was such a brilliant character driven novel despite the fact the protagonists weren‘t always likeable.

Went to this wonderfully curated bookshop while I was on holiday and chose these two books. They had a great selection of The School of Life books (which @squirrelbrain introduced me to 😘). Next time I‘m in Whitley Bay I‘ll be visiting again 😁

After a week of feeling rubbish we decided to book a last minute weekend away. So nice reading in bed while it‘s raining outside (and the kids are playing with their Nana) 🩷

I‘m making my way through this slowly but steadily - those small chapters sure pack a punch. I am loving the writing. Feels like a timely read.

I‘ve had either a stomach bug or food poisoning so I‘ve not read this month (just listened to an audiobook now & again). Still don‘t feel 100% but hoping I‘ll get to read some of the tagged book today, which is from Febs #tbrtarot & #readyourkindle

These are what came up for me this month on kindle - think I‘ll aim for just reading one (Everyone In this Room Will Someday be Dead) as I‘ve still got a chunk left of the tagged book to get through

This was every bit as good as I thought it would be 🖤 I absolutely love her on How to Get Away with Murder and the little insights into how she wanted to play that character were great. I was gripped by her story and how she told it. Inspiring, vulnerable and raw. #nonfiction2024 (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)

I always get stumped trying to review books I like the most 🤷‍♀️ but I loved this one - the imagery, the writing, the plot, the way it unfolds, Lucrezia ♥️ and the ending is one I won‘t forget (it was perfect for the book).

I‘ve only read Matrix by Groff (loved it!) but this feels so different. It‘s a slow read but I‘m really enjoying it. Almost at the second half which I‘ve heard changes things up a bit.

I‘m still very much on a Laura Marling kick but another rediscovery recently of this song and Painter (Valentine) which is on the same single. I used to listen to them a lot so it‘s nice to hear them again 🩷 #tuesdaytunes

https://open.spotify.com/album/7tSZJFwUYyXYOcoLiKCj0J?si=JTax_TSbQ7qFOqVufXXYkw

“Insipid/idealistic portrayals of motherhood made me less interested in it as a young person. I thought it was boring when it‘s one of the most extreme socio-political experiences I have ever been through.”

All the stars for this book ✨ becoming a mother changes us physically and mentally and Jones details this using research from neuroscience, existential therapy, ecology, sociology etc. as well as drawing from her own experiences.

One of the songs from this album came on when I was listening to a playlist the other week and it‘s like rediscovering an old favourite as it‘s been years since I‘ve listened to it & I‘d forgotten how much I love it 🖤 favourites - Hope in The Air, Blackberry Stone, Made by Maid #tuesdaytunes

https://open.spotify.com/album/7x98osNfh0aUookqE7MMQ1?si=BVL-joT1T02fEHVOLv7euA

Although #auldlangspine was one sided for me I‘m still glad I signed up as this was on my tbr and my match‘s list so it‘s given me the push to read it, and I‘m loving it! Flying through it.

I liked this book about Abi, who becomes pregnant at a young age and moves to Australia to be with her boyfriend (who is actually infuriating for most of the book but realistically written), and who is befriended by Phil, an older woman, and a lovely but complex friendship ensues. It dragged on a bit in places and the ending was very neatly tied up but a charming read all the same.

This was my #tbrtarot from last month @CBee