I’m not sure how it exactly happened, but it’s been almost exactly 6 months since my last reading update post. I’ve now long surpassed my Goodreads goal this year of 100 books (I think I’m on about 130ish at the moment.)
So I have a lot of great reads to catch you up on. (And if you missed it, I was interviewed by Amy on the Readers Gonna Read podcast last month)
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING RECENTLY
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer
This is a highly acclaimed book (Pulitzer Prize winning) about a blind French girl and a German boy who run in to each other during WWII. A beautiful tear-jerker, but I wouldn’t read it again.
3 stars
How to Grow: A guide for gardeners who can’t garden yet by Hollie Newton
A really excellent guide to anyone who is starting out to grow their own garden, allotment or just a few pots on the windowsill. It’s an extremely helpful reference.
5 stars
The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
Ann Rule was a retired police officer and crime writer when she became good friends with a then unknown man named Ted Bundy. Once the story of his guilt came out Ann wrote about the crimes, the investigation and how he managed to fool the people closest to him. It’s one of the best crime novels I’ve ever read and I had to keep telling everyone about it after I’d finished it.
5 stars
The Cows by Dawn O’Porter
TV presenter Dawn O’Porter’s novel focuses on 3 women in different industries dealing with trolls, sexism, relationships and sexuality. I enjoyed reading it, but it didn’t necessarily deserve the glowing reviews that it garnered.
3 stars
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
A new YA series that focuses a set of triplets that are born every generation and trained in different acts of murder to rule the country. I was hooked.
4 stars
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
It’s a suburban drama that focuses on family secrets underneath the facade of normality. It’s quiet, has a slow-build, but with a great pay-off.
4 stars
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Set in both New York and China, this book focuses on the struggle of belonging and identity. This book is definitely a tear-jerker.
3 stars
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Set in a dystopian future where the US government has accidentally released a very deadly virus upon the population that causes vampirism, ‘The Passage’ was extremely long but interesting. It had me hooked. The previews for the new television series based on the book look awful though (and nothing like the book).
4 stars
Eat Up! by Ruby Tandoh
Bake Off star Ruby Tandoh has been very public with her struggles with eating disorders and body image and I loved her insightful essays on relationships with food and body image.
4 stars
Places I stopped on the Way Home by Meg Fee
I was very torn on reviewing this because I follow Meg and I like her blog and instagram very, very much. And I find her stories and her life interesting. However, I really struggle with her lack of authentic voice. I find her prose a bit overblown, like someone who has read too many New Yorker articles or a first year Creative Writing Graduate student thinking that trying to imitate Didion is the only way to write. I hope she finds her own style one day and I’d love to read her book then.
2 stars
No is Not Enough: Defeating the New Shock Politics by Naomi Klein
I found this both frightening and extremely well-written. I was nodding along at certain points in time. My biggest issue is surely this book is just screaming into the echo chamber. I 100% agree with everything that she says, but I still finished the book feeling as though it’s nearly impossible to set politics on an even keel.
5 stars
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi
Helter Skelter is the story of the Manson Murders and the investigation written by the prosecuting attorney in the case. It’s a true crime staple, but the Manson Murders for me, are much less interesting than other serial killings. But that’s obviously down to personal taste.
3 stars
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
A collection of stories and responses from “Wild”‘s Cheryl Strayed during her time as an agony aunt for a column. There’s some really beautiful writing in some of her responses, which made it more appealing to me than ‘Wild’
4 stars
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
I’m a Gaiman fan, so I can’t believe that it’s taken me so long to read Anansi Boys. It’s written in the same universe as “American Gods” so there is some character cross-over, but it’s a lot more light hearted and playful than AG.
3 stars
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
6 teens meet at summer camp during the Nixon era and we follow them as they grow to present day. I enjoyed it, but I never really connected to any of the characters so I wasn’t invested in the way that I should have been.
3 stars
Witches, Midwives and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English
I found this interesting if a little less in-depth than I would have liked. It’s about the struggle of male and female medical practitioners and the genderisation of medicine and health.
3 stars
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
I have tried a lot of Sarah Waters books and I honestly don’t get the hype. This one (like many others) is a reasonably well-written but fairly standard gothic tale that never goes beyond the realm of vaguely creepy. It’s just been made into a film, but the book was mediocre so I have no hopes for the film.
2 stars
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
I read Egan’s famous ‘Visit for the Goon Squad’ years ago, and I thought it time to dip my head into her writing again. Manhattan Beach is the fictional tale of one of the first female naval repair divers during WWII and follows several characters. My main problem was that some of the story lines were incredibly engrossing and others were just killing time.
3 stars
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson is famous for her quitting sugar program and her latest book is all about her struggles with anxiety. As an anxiety sufferer myself there was a lot to relate to in the book (and, of course, a lot that I couldn’t).
4 stars
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I devoured this book in preparation for the film (which I was hugely excited for). The book was a delightful, fun, read.
3 stars
Witches, Sluts, Feminists by Kristen Sollee
This short series of essays contrasts the demonisation of women and female sexuality and power. It was extremely interesting and I highly recommend it.
4 stars
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
A follow up to Crazy Rich Asians, this book is absolute fluff but I can’t help enjoying being in a world of such intense material excess for a few hours.
3 stars
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
The protagonist in this is almost impossible to like and my overwhelming feeling throughout the novel was intense frustration. But I think that was the author’s purpose. However, the ending came out of the blue and hit me. I read it aloud to Sam and cried because the writing in that last bit is so moving and beautiful.
3 stars
Earth, Air, Fire and Water by Scott Cunningham
Cunningham was one of the most prolific pagan writers at one point in time and this is his exploration of natural magick. I found it a bit simple.
3 stars
War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
The end of the “Red Queen” series. For a finale it was just a bit too bland.
3 stars
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
This novel is about a generation of Toymakers who immigrated to London during the Victorian era. It was magical and moving and I cried multiple times.
4 stars.
Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott
A thriller that centers around two highly intellectual and motivated best-friends during their school years and adulthood. I found the twist somewhat predictable, but I enjoyed the ride.
3 stars
Winter Trees by Sylvia Plath
This is a volume of Plath poetry that mostly contains poems that are in other works as well. However, you can never have too much Plath.
4 stars.
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
It’s really hard to describe this work. Poetry? Prose? It centers around Maggie Nelson exploring the colour blue.
4 stars
The Birth House by Ami McKay
This book is set in remote Canada about a practicing midwife. It was recommended to me and was very hard to get a hold of here in the UK, but I really enjoyed it.
4 stars
Minimalism: Essential Essays by Joshua Fields Millburn
Ugh. Everything about this book was “ick”. They’d just copied and pasted blog posts into book form and didn’t really delve into any real issues. I’d love to read a minimalist who isn’t already from a upper-middle class white background.
1 star
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
I love true crime and I was fascinated by the tale of the Golden State Killer, whose prolific rampages I was absolutely unfamiliar with. This book gives us the added bonus of getting to know author Michelle McNamara and her tragically cut short life.
4 stars
Circe by Madeleine Miller
This was a “hot” novel when it was released. Everyone wanted to read it. It’s the story of the Greek goddess-witch, Circe, from her perspective rather than the perspective of Odysseus in “The Odyssey”. I enjoyed it but some sections felt rushed.
3 stars.
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
This is literature sacrilege, but I’m not sure if I enjoy Murakami. This is the 4th or 5th work that I’ve read and they all leave me feeling indifferent. This is a collection of short stories mostly revolving around male loneliness.
2 stars
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
This books was written by a child psychologist and focuses on the impact of having too much (too much stuff, too much telly time, too many activities) on children. It was fascinating but somewhat logical.
3 stars
A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan
This novel focuses on a Romani family that moved to Cornwall generations ago and you follow their family saga in the UK. Nothing groundbreaking but it was a gentle plane read.
3 stars
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
I love what Adam has to say about the NHS and supporting doctors, nurses and hospital staff. However, there are some things in his diaries that as a woman, I found deeply unsettling (ie, some attitudes towards birth, women and mental health).
3 stars
Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard
A slim tome that focuses on women’s voices, relationships with power and gendered aggression. I was on the wait list for this one at the library for months so it must be popular!
4 stars
If you liked this post, you might also want to catch up on my last reading post. Any books you think I should add to my list?
My top recommendations from this session are: ‘The Stranger Beside Me’, ‘How to Grow’, ‘No is Not Enough’
*This post uses some affiliate links. I’ll receive a minuscule amount of commission if you buy a book*
