Review: Three Things About Elsie

Filed under ‘beautiful things that made my heart hurt’: this book.

I loved it, by the way. Let’s make that clear from the start because sometimes I read my stuff back after the fact and sort of think ‘wow, that review does not make it seem like I loved that as much as I did’ which is unfortunate, really. Anyhow.  I really really liked this book. Also, sometimes I worry that my saying a book left me feeling a little ouchy might be misinterpreted as my not liking it.

This book made my heart hurt and I liked it a whole lot.

2018 releases I want to read - Part 2

Let’s talk about more 2018 releases I am excited about because apparently there are lots.

I am Thunder by Muhammad Khan is a January YA release about a fifteen year girl who knows exactly what she wants her life to look like – but her parents, who plan for her become a doctor and marry her cousin from Pakistan have other ideas. It’s a debut novel about standing up for what you believe and it sounds like it might be a book that’s needed.

2018 releases I want to read - Part 1

Wow but I didn’t realise how many books due for publication this year were already on my radar until I started this post; I tend to just make notes – on my phone, on my computer etc – and it’s only when I came to actually look at it that I realised that actually there’s quite a lot that I’m excited about.

I bet these aren't even a tiny percentage of  Excellent Books Coming Soon because I never claim to be one of those that is In The Know, these are just the few that have happened to dance across my field of vision. It's a fun thing to blog about though, partly because NEW BOOKS and partly because it will make for another fun post at the end of the year when I come back and see how many I managed to read.  Or at least I’m hoping it’s a fun thing to blog about - it's fun for me at least, and that's a good enough starting point I think!

Book Review: The Innocent Wife

I am such a sucker for a good psychological thriller so I totally jumped at the chance to read The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd (published at the end of December) because wow, how many boxes did that blurb tick for me? A Death Row killer, the English schoolteacher who falls in love with him, the Making the Murderer style documentary that leads to his release, the realisation after the fact that maybe he’s not as innocent as he seems. SO MANY BOXES.

Book Review: Artemis

OH MY GOODNESS AND ALSO GRACIOUS THIS BOOK. I LOVED IT.

L

O

V

E

D

I

T

I was always going to, I know I was. It was one of my most anticipated reads of last year for a reason. A HEIST ON THE MOON, GUYS. I am so glad it didn’t disappoint. I am less glad that it stole my Sunday, which was the first day in ages that the skies were blue and probably I should have been outdoors, and not curled under a blanket all day reading but whatever. I have no regrets. Isn’t it the best ever when you’re super excited for a book and when you finally read it you LOVE it? For sure it is.

In Which I Got a New Kindle

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR.  Wow I am already so far behind the times but worry not!! I am going to be ALL ABOUT THE BLOGGING this year. By which I mean I will probably blog like crazy for a few weeks and then go back to my usual failings but whatever – the intention is there. Anyhow. I’m going to talk at you a little bit about the back end of last year and the start of this one, and maybe a little bit about what I hope my 2018 might look like. A little bit of a catch-up if you will.

So. WHAT NEWS. Christmas was lovely. I spent it with my favourites: my best friend and my family and it was full of fun times and giggles and then I went on holiday on Boxing Day for just over a week. I did the same a couple of years sgo and I really am such a fan of it because that week between Christmas and New Year is always such a weird week and I’m not a fan of New Year’s Eve as a thing anyway so getting away from it all nad having some QT in the mountains is the absolute best for me. I had a horrible early morning flight which was not my favourite at all – so not a morning person - but which gave me the chance to get to know the Christmas present I got myself because, drumroll please, I used part of my Christmas bonus (which probs I should have put to one side for when I have to pay my tax bill at the end of this month but whatever you only live once) to BUY A NEW KINDLE. #successfulmoneymanagement

I won’t lie: this felt like a necessity more than a treat truth be told (holy first world problems, batman, I know) because I didn’t really want a new Kindle. I love my trusty Kindle Keyboard with all my bookish heart but it’s absolutely on its last legs. Every time I use it I am on tenterhooks expecting it to die and it felt like it made sense to buy a new one whilst I had the cash (and my best guy has been on at me to get one ever since it out and out refused  to work when we were on holiday in the summer and who can blame him because who wants to be stuck in a foreign country with a me with nothing to read? NOBODY. He was probably dreading what this ski trip would look like if it happened again and I had no reading material) and so I used Christmas as an excuse and I ordered me a Paperwhite.

I love it, actually. I even loaded some books to it all on my own, which was easier than I expected it to be actually because wow I am a technophobe but magically it came linked to my Amazon account and all the books were there just waiting to be downloaded and it was so easy. We’re just getting to know each other but so far it’s going well. I think we’re going to be just fine. Welcome to my world, Paperwhite.

2017 Best Reads

Let’s talk very quickly about all the books I gave 5 stars to in 2017 because YES and also because if you discount Handmaid’s which was a re-re-re-re-read, there were 10 of them which is a nice number for a round-up and also points to A Good Reading Year.

I’m going to keep this post pocket sized but shall also link back to where I’ve chatted about them previously so that I am not repeating myself. Mostly all you need to know is that THESE BOOKS ARE EXCELLENT.

In which I love bookish snail mail

SUBSCRIPTION BOXES.

Best thing since ever, am I right? I am, I’m totally right. Not always or about everything, but absolutely about this.

I mean most of my snail mail is dullsville, bills and other such adult stuff about which I care not a jot but which I have to deal with because I am trying my hardest to do successful adulting.

Trying my hardest but not always succeeding.

‘My head hurts. I need ibupforen and hugs,’ I wailed at my Dad recently, ‘I am not ready to self-parent,’ and because most post is telling me about money that will be leaving my bank account and thus making me sad, it feels nice when those little boxes rock up. I mean I know that money has had to leave my bank account in order for me to get said boxes, but whatever: I feel much better about spending my hard earned cash on bookish goodies than on gas and electric and council tax. It’s just the way it is.

Book Review: Manhattan Beach

Oh my goodness but this book. Which, is that how I start a lot of blog posts lately? I feel like it is. I make no apology; I’m reading some good stuff. This book is Some Good Stuff.

Book Review: Genuine Fraud

Genuine Fraud - E Lockhart

YES THIS BOOK.

I am, as it happens, a massive fan of Lockhart’s We Were Liars; I think it’s an excellent book and so obviously I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book, Genuine Fraud and let me tell you a thing: it didn’t disappoint.