Wrapping it Up: Books I Read in June 2021

I have been on a role with reading but I think that I might be about to burn myself out so I don’t know how it will go down right now.

Loveless by Alice Oseman

I have been really enjoying Alice Oseman’s books at the moment and in the past couple of months I have been slowly making my through all of her books that I have not read. I find them so comforting and easy to read. They are just what I need at the moment.

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrick Backman

I love Backman. Although, I think I much prefered his fiction that I have read. This book was very funny and balanced the seriousness and humour very well. The audiobook was great and I managed to finish it in one day. The ending of this book was amazing and made any uncertainty around the book great. I can’t wait to read more of Backman’s fiction.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I have opinions on this book! I really enjoyed the first two hundred pages. I loved the academic setting. I found the romantic dynamic exciting. I weirdly liked all the stuff about yoga. It was cheesy, but everything was good and fun. It felt like I was having a great time. It reminded me of Twilight in a good way. It was all the 2000s nostalgia. And then the book just kept getting weird. They moved setting far too much. Every time they would give more information about Matthew’s past, I cringed a bit (did he need to the founding fathers?). I also cringed everything children were mentioned. The relationship in general moved too quickly. I loved their dynamic at the beginning when they were first starting to like each other, but the build up was not maintained throughout.

Hunger by Roxane Gay

This book took me a long time to listen to because it is quite heavy. Roxane Gay’s writing is amazing and this book is no exception. I will say I prefer Bad Feminist because I loved how that book commented on media. But this book is a great memoir.

Heartstopper: Volume 3 by Alice Oseman and Heartstopper: Volume 4 by Alice Oseman

This series is amazing and so comforting. The ultimate comfort series. These two get a bit more serious which I liked. It expressed some things that I have thought but never fully realised. I’m not the biggest fan of all the friends within the books, I preferred it when the cast of characters was a bit smaller.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Such beautiful writing. This book explores two key relationships – one with his mum and one with an ex-lover. It is so engaging and deals with difficult dynamics beautifully. It’s complex and fantastic.

Failosophy by Elizabeth Day

I got some bad news and felt like I needed to read something positive. It was what I needed at the time.

One by One by Ruth Ware

I read this book, like I read a lot of thrillers, really quickly. I enjoyed it a lot, but I still think thrillers are not my favourite genre. I thought this book would deliver slightly more as it is reminiscent of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, however, it was more of a thriller about deranged people than a mystery. I did enjoy it though, it just was not everything I wanted it to be.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

This book was fantastic. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked it up (I picked it up on a whim), but I loved it so much. It was like a mixture of a book by Celest Ng and also something like Buffy. It gave major 90s vibes, it explored gender power dynamics, and it was a great horror book. I am definitely going to pick up the rest of her books.

Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Suess

I have finished uni and was gifted this book.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

I had been wanting to read this for ages and it was well worth the wait for my library loan to come through. It was really tough to read at parts (because it deals with such a serious issue), but it is written in such an amazing way. It is so engaging and you feel so sorry for Vanessa. The choice to tell the story through the perspective of someone who is still under the influence of their abuser worked, it didn’t glorify the abuse it, instead, made the story more powerful and complex. The message of the novel was clear and impactful.

Self Care by Leigh Stein

I had been interested in this book for ages. I find the topic of self care really interesting and I really enjoyed that this book was satire about the wellness industry and in particular how it is presented on social media.

Sandman Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman

I fancied reading a graphic novel and this one was free on Kindle unlimited and I love Neil Gaimon. The concept was cool and I am very interested in the upcoming TV show but I think I have to accept that comic books are just not properly for me.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was a reread and it was just as good the second time around. I listened to the audiobook this time and it was a very different but great experience. A very good audiobook.

A Song of Wraith and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

I really liked the concept of this novel, but I don’t think how the novel was promoted quite matches the plot of the book. The concept of two people who are trying to kill each other dating was what made me read the book. But that isn’t quite what the book is. That might have been me misunderstanding though. Despite this, the book was good. I liked that it involved a competition. That is something I look for in fantasy so that was great.

One Day by David Nicholls

This book was good but at times I struggled to get into it. The structure of focusing on one day from different years was interesting, but made it hard to connect always. I did love how the characters naturally developed and changed. My main problem was that the ending felt like it was made to make you cry. I didn’t feel clever.

Wrapping It Up: Books I Read in September 2020

After having such a busy reading month for August, I may not end up reading an insane amount this month. Although, I will have to start pre-reading for my university course, so if you see a bit of sci-fi this month you know why.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

I have wanted to read this book for years and years. I love the film, it is up there with my favourites. It is one of those films I find myself thinking about time and again, perhaps it is also one of the reasons I love character based stories that explore complicated relationships. Also, it is one of the few Ian McEwan books I had yet to read – The Children Act being my favourite. For whatever reason I have never been able to find this book relatively cheap, it is not available through my library and the full book price is a lot. However, I recently found it in a charity shop and just had to pick it up. While I do think in some ways I prefer the film (or perhaps just enjoyed the story the first time I encountered it perhaps), I did really enjoy reading the book. The first section of the novel was by far my favourite I think, I didn’t enjoy the parts taking place during the war as much – however I did very much enjoy the sort of confrontation scene in part 3. I particularly enjoyed reading the iconic fountain scene. I am very glad I finally picked up this book.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I reread this for an upcoming university course. I initially read this book years ago and at the time I remembered being annoyed about the narrative style of the book. I was annoyed that the novel didn’t show the reactions of the people – so my favourite sections are definitely the beginning and the end. I also remembered there being a weird romance and that is still there. Reading it with a different focus meant that I picked up on different themes, so it was an enjoyable reread.

People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins

This book was not quite what I expected it to be. For whatever reason I thought it would be set in a school shooting and be the reactions in the moment. However, the novel has a longer time frame than that and also has nothing to do with school. Instead the book is more of an introspective in different people’s minds exploring why people use guns etc. It was kind of interesting, but it just wasn’t what I wanted it to be. The prose style was already but the perspective (the story is told by violence/the want to kill) was weird. I found the plot twist was unexpected but unoriginal. And the end was more obviously preachy than it needed to be – the message could have been subtler and more affective.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

In around April I was looking at the books I wanted to read trying to decide what I wanted to read. In this list was Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. However, I realised I didn’t actually know what the book was about. The book is about a pandemic started by a flu. So, that was not the vibe for the moment. But then recently I saw that the author had a new book out and just had to read it.

I really enjoyed this book, but my feelings on the book are shaped by the fact that I was slightly expecting something else. Somewhere I saw the word Gothic associated with this book so was expecting it to be creepier than it was. While the book has ghosts in it, it is not the biggest part of it. The novel was more like a literary fiction novel than the Gothic horror I was expecting it to be. The first chapter of the book did promise what I was expecting – after the first couple of sections I thought that the book could be a new favourite for me. However, the book shifted focus and became more about the business world. A lot of the questions you had reading the book were explained by business rather than a weird explanation that I wanted. I will certainly be picking up other books by this author, but this one wasn’t quite it for me. It was still very good though.

Graceful Burdens by Roxane Gay

I loved her non-fiction, but I didn’t enjoy this as much. I think the story needed a longer format, rather than being a short story. It explored the feminist themes I expected a Roxane Gay story to include. I enjoyed the exploration of motherhood in this dystopian world, but it was just too short to fully explore everything. It felt more like a beginning than a full story.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

I thought I would enjoy this book because the description gave me Rear Window vibes, however the book is not as good as Rear Window. To me everything was a bit too obvious, I kept reading as I thought eventually there would be a twist that completely shocked me. But I had picked up on a lot of the clues beforehand. Also, why do so many thrillers include an unreliable female narrator who has marriage problems and is an alcoholic – I don;t read many thrillers but enough to pick up on this commonality.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

This book was really cute. At the moment, I am not picking up a ton of fantasy books but I am glad that I picked up this gem as it is one of the most heartwarming stories I have read. I actually don’t know what age range this book is aimed at but I think it is truly a book for everyone – which is so rare. I listened to the audiobook and I think I would recommend, although the occasional character was voiced a bit weirdly. Whether you listen to the audiobook or read the physical book I would highly recommend you read this adorable book.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

I read this for my sci-fi course and I am so glad I did. While this book is oftentimes hard to read, it is a very important read for race relations in America. It is also just an amazing time travel novel.

Our Stories Our Voices edited by Amy Reed

This is an essay collection from young adult authors. I did enjoy this. The essays explored interesting issues relating to the authors personal struggles growing up. My favourites were from the authors I had read before and I particularity enjoyed the ones that were from unpublished authors. However, I will say some of the essays were very similar – I don’t know when this essay collection was made but almost all of them referenced Trump.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

I really enjoyed this story, but I will say young adult novels fail to be my favourites at the moment so my enjoyment was shaped by this rather than the content of the novel – a few years ago I would have loved this book rather than just enjoyed it. It is a great story about a black queer girl running for prom queen and learning a lot of important lessons. It contains a really cute love story and equally explores friendships and family. I would highly recommend this book for teens.

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gillman

While this is a sci-fi book, it isnt one for my course. Before starting the course I wanted to read some sci-fi books as I actually don’t read sci-fi that often. When I saw this book I had to read it. I had previously read The Yellow Wallpaper by her and also love feminist sci-fi so had to read the first of them all. I don’t know if I can say I enjoyed reading this book, but I did find it interesting to read. The male perspective was interesting and the comparative conversations were thought-provoking. It perhaps isn’t a book you would read for plot but more a book to make you think about and reconsider gender norms.

After the People Lights Have Gone Off by Stephen Graham Jones

This is the first time I have ever listened to a short story collection as an audiobook and I don’t think I would do it again. At times I struggled to concentrate as a short story collection requires a bit more brain power at the best of times. However, I did really enjoy the stories. There were quite a few that really drew me in. I am definetley interested in reading a longer story by this author. I think with the opportunity to delve a bit deeper into the horror I will really enjoy his work.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

This is perhaps the weirdest book I have ever read, but god did I love it. The book was on my radar and I was abdiment that I would read it before watching the film, but then I saw the audiobook was available on Scribd and had to give it a go instantly. This is perhaps the best audiobook I have ever listened to! I was so thoroughly engaged in what was happening. A lot of this is due to the story itself which is so well crafted. However, the audiobook does do something spectacular which made me literally stop and just listen. Usually I struggle to do nothing while listening to an audiobook but for the second half of this audiobook that was all I could do. I listened to the whole thing in a day and invented things to do so I could listen to it more.

I don’t want to write too much about the actual plot of the book as I think knowing as little as possible is paramount to reading this book – don’t read a description just read it if you like weird horror.

Vague Spoilers Ahead: The twist was done so well. I think if it was included in another story I wouldn’t have liked it. But it made so much sense, the clues were there and it really made me think. I honestly think i will have to reread the book at some point – probably the physical book – and pick up on the clues as I know the ending. I keep thinking about how various elements add into it, but there are certain parts I really want to reread as to make it clearer. I think reading it a second time will if anything make it even creepier.

This Savage Song by VE Schwab

I really enjoyed this book. It took me longer to get into than her other books but once I got into it I really enjoyed. I am really excited about the upcoming release of The Invisible Life of Addie Larou so thought I would read one of her books I haven’t read yet in anticipation. I will say that in general I prefer her adult works over her young adult ones. But this was still a really solid story. I will definitely be reading the sequel – probably very soon.

Wrapping it Up: Books I Read in August 2020

I have read so much in the past couple of months that it was inevitable that eventually, I would get into a bit of a reading slump. Reading isn’t perhaps my priority at the moment. I will still be reading, but perhaps not as much. I think towards the end of the month I am going to try and read some books I have been really interested in rather than just what I am kind of interested in and can get freely or cheaply. I also might be participating in a readathon with some friends so my reading might increase. Basically, it is just a bit of a weird reading time for me at the moment.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

I have a post coming up where I rank all of Donna Tartt’s books so for more on this book then check out that post.

Out of Love by Hazel Hayes

I really enjoyed this book! I really liked the concept, but was a little apprehensive as it is a YouTuber book. However, Hazel Hayes isn’t my most watched YouTuber and I did pick this book up for the conept, not for her. There were some chapters that I really really fell in love with – one in particular talked about children and being an aunt in a way that completely spoke to me. 

Summer by Ali Smith

If you’ve read a lot of my wrap ups you’ll know that I have been rereading Ali Smith’s books for my upcoming dissertation. So I obviously had to pick up this book straight way, although I love her work so much I probably would have read it quickly anyway. Ali Smith is a masterful writer and it can be doubted by this book. The lockdown references in this book hit me more than the contemporary referencing in her other books.

Actress by Anne Enright

Maybe I read too many similar books in a row but this book didn’t wow me. It was fine, but I definelty would not have read it as quickly as I did if I had had internet. It seemed like a lot of things that I would love (a book focussed on a celebrity, a book with complicated dynamics etc) but for whatever reason it didn’t draw me in completely. It just wasn’t a memorable book for me.

Finding My Voice by Nadiya Hussain 

I am a big Bake Off fan and in particular my favourite season is season 6, aka the season Nadiya won. Therefore, I was obviously going to read this book. I loved how this memoir was less of a chronological account of her life, but was structured through the different identities she had. This allowed the book to feel more like a collection of essays and also be more personal. I loved how you could tell that Nadiya loves to write and wasn’t just writing a book because of money etc. As much as I loved this book, I would have liked a little bit more on her experience on the Bake Off, it felt a bit like the book was skirting around it – although I did love the part where Tamal was mentioned. 

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

I previously read My Year of Rest and Relaxation by this author and wanted to read more of her book – especially as this book was shortlisted for the Man Booker. I didn’t enjoy it as much as her other book. But that could have just been because I read a lot of similar things in a row and I had to read this as it was one of the only things I had downloaded. It was obviously well written and engaging. I just didn’t particularly care or feel like I wanted to read it. I think I need to prioritise the books with interesting concepts rather than books by authors I liked. I am a mood reader and I need to embrace that a bit more.

Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire

The most common complaint I have heard about this book is the length – a lot of people want it to be longer and do more. I am not quite sure if it was the length of the book that particularly made the book an average read. Perhaps it was the fact that I listened to the audiobook. I likes the audiobook but it was over very quickly and perhaps I wasn’t listening as closely as I should have. I think if I continue the series I would read it physically.

In relation to the content of the book, I liked the world and thought the world building was quite good, but I think I wanted something slightly different than the book did. Maybe I would have liked to learn more about the world’s they travelled to. I liked that it explored the aftermath of going to a new world (and in no way wanted that to change), but I would have liked to learn more about the world through the characters memories and thoughts.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 

From here until the end of the post are the books I read during a little readathon I did. 

This book was great! Initially I was planning on reading Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo as the plot of that one really interests me. However, I recently got Scribd and this book was available so I decided to read this one instead. I didn’t know much about this book other than the fact that it is written in verse. Therefore the plot itself was a bit of a mystery to me. 

I really enjoyed the exploration of family, community, first love and finding yourself. Normally, I have mixed feelings on modern Instagram-style poetry, however, I love when it forms a story. Some of the verse in this book really hit me. 

Dracula by Bram Stoker 

I had never read this book before, which felt a bit wrong. I also realised that I had at some point bought the audiobook for it, so it felt like I should finally get to. I loved the audiobook as it was one where Audible tried to get a lot of big names to do it. The book itself was fine. Sometimes I find it hard reading a book where I already know a lot about it. We have all seen many different variations of this story. 

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay 

This is one of my favourite books I have read recently. I don’t traditionally read a lot of non-fiction but recently I have had a hankering to read some very specific non-fiction – basically a personal essay collection relating to issues. Hence, this book fulfilled this want and more. I loved reading her personal options on certain things. In particular, I loved how one of the main things this book explored was fiction and media. It was these sections that I think I enjoyed the most. The way she acknowledges the complexity of issues and pieces of media was really well done. It felt like the book was not judging anyone and understood that being a ‘good feminist’ is really hard. 

Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell 

As soon as I heard of this book I knew that I had to read it – I love books about bands and fame. In particular ones that are set in the past – a niche love I know. I also previously read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and while it wasn’t my favourite book ever I did really enjoy it. I really did enjoy this book but for whatever reason I don’t think it is going to become one of my favourites. I really loved all the characters Dean and Elf in particular are stand outs. I will say I would have liked more chapters focused on the other characters, in particular Levin (the band’s manager who was semi-openly gay in this late 1960’s setting). This book did make me cry though. It had some really transformative moments that were emotional and fantastic. I would highly recommend this book, perhaps my expectations were slightly too high. 

Intimations by Zadie Smith 

Another, little essay collection I read this month. I saw that Zadie Smith had an essay collection coming out about her thoughts during lockdown and decided I wanted to read it. I had never read any of Zadie Smith’s non-fiction but have read a couple of her novels. There are some essays that I really enjoyed – the first couple I really enjoyed. As it went on I wasn’t enjoying it as much, this might have been because I was loosing focus – so more of a me problem than a book problem. Also, I knew going into it that the book was short, but I might have liked a bit more if it was longer. It was a good 

Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig 

Yes I picked up even more non-fiction. I have read more non-fiction this month than probably the rest of the year. This one is slightly less essay based, I would perhaps call it observation based – I don’t know, but it is structured slightly differently than a traditional essay collection. I listened to the audiobook and really liked how it was an audiobook that knew it was an audiobook – the audiobook had a lot of effort put into it. There were quite a lot of this that made me think and challenge the way I view things. I really liked the observations on social media, the internet and self images. A couple of thoughts really stuck with me: he talked about how we used to work to serve us and now we work to serve businesses; he also made a proposition that the quick changes in the world have led to a general higher state of anxiety for everyone. 

The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace 

I didn’t particularly like this book. I perhaps would have put it down if it wasn’t so short and I definitely wouldn’t have picked it up if it wasn’t on Scribd. I found some of what was being said interesting but most of it was obvious. I think this is just the type of poetry it is – it is statement and revelation based. Instagram poetry is not necessarily for me. I like poetry that makes me think a bit more and is more subtle. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this style of poetry, it is just not what I like. 

Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls

I don’t have an insane amount to say about this book. It was okay. I enjoyed it while I was reading it but it didn’t really do anything for me. I quite liked the setting of a summer after school and I loved all the Shakespeare. I will probably eventually pick up another David Nicholls book in the future but overall it is just an okay book.