I feel like this was right book, right time for me - although it‘s a contemporary novel it‘s set during the 1950s & it was nice to read something that felt a bit old school. The protagonist is in love with a boy she met in school but he moves away & she ends up in a marriage she‘s not truly happy in (for a few reasons). It‘s a quick read although a sad one for the most part but I really loved the ‘twists‘ in it & how it portrays relationships.

Hate to bail on this as I really liked The Essex Serpent and Melmoth but I‘m just over 100 pages and I don‘t feel invested at all and I‘ve sort of been just putting off reading it.

Storm raging, fire on, kids are playing, got my coffee and starting a new book 💛

Book buys for Bookshop day - Wellness from Waterstones and A Spring of Love from the tagged bookshop 🩵

The thread of addiction and generational trauma is woven into these sisters lives prominently in the way they act and in the way they live their lives but it‘s also just in the background in the way it‘s written - the focus is very much on the characters lives and their relationship with each other and their grief. I loved the moment near the end with Avery and her Mam. Very character driven which I love.

I had to go audio with this one when I saw Elle Fanning was narrating it - she was perfect for it. Margo is such a great character, she felt very real and I loved the development. Just such a genuinely enjoyable listen - one of the best audiobooks for me.

Pumpkin spice latte and book shopping to try and cheer myself up over the fact my eldest has started school today 😭

I was drawn to the cover and the illustrations in this book about London pubs.

I always say dystopia isn‘t my genre but whenever I do happen to read a dystopian novel I generally always enjoy them! This was no exception. A camera is put into a ‘kentuki‘ (a moveable soft toy sort of thing) & you can be a watcher or a dweller (where people watch you) - so within it there was themes of technology, surveillance etc. I liked the writing, the idea & the characters although it did feel like it could have been more fleshed out.

You just have to go along for the ride with this one. It‘s first person narrative so you really get that obsessive, full on vibe from her. It reads sort of like a thriller but the drama is all confined to the narrator. Absolutely my sort of read. I did get an inkling about the ending @BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes so I wasn‘t completely surprised but I still thought it was brilliant.

Popped into this lovely little independent bookshop after a lush day with the kids 🩵 I really liked her first book & this cover is just gorgeous

This was such a hard read - you see what‘s happening to the daughter & you just want to stop it & protect her, and you see the mothers side & she‘s just so oblivious to it (until she realises & then she helps the best way she knows how - with some regrets in hindsight). The boys should have been held accountable, things could have been handled differently & this book shines a light to that. Why is it the women/girls always have to take the blame?

Maybe I just didn‘t catch on but I‘m not a fan of books you have to google afterwards to find out what happened- even more so when it‘s a disappointing (to me) reveal. It‘s supposed to be suspenseful but it never felt that way to me. I did like the dialogue between Jake and his girlfriend and the questions it brings up about relationships etc. but overall meh.

Took myself to a lovely little cafe for dinner ♥️ just started this book and I‘m loving it.

One night in a hotel and I‘ll be out tonight but still insist on bringing 2 books and my kindle 😁

July wrap up 🤍

3 of the books I read over months hence the 31 days on average to finish.

Some books you know instantly you‘re going to like.

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 ♥️