Quickfire Reviews: Beach Edition

It’s time for a little bookish catch up, mostly because I want to talk about the books I read when I was away last weekend because that is what I do when I am placed on a beach for 4 days with nothing to worry about and no place to be: I read. I didn’t read as much as I thought I was going too actually, because it was hot, man. The kind of hot that leaves you unable to do little more than lie with your eyes closed and dip in and out of the sea. What I did read, though, was pretty good, which – well that’s excellent isn’t it, because nobody wants to read something shit on holiday (or ever).

So, quickfire reviews. Here we go.

The Mid Year Freakout Tag

So a thing that happened is that I realised that it’s almost August and I hadn’t done any kind of halfway-through-the-year-recap because I am apparently the most tardy ever. So I thought ‘hmm yes best get on that because better late than never, right’ and figured I’d do it now, and then I've seen this post doing the rounds and decided it was a tag I was just going to steal because it’s a fun twist on my usual Top 5 Books Jan-June. So pull up a chair and grab a cup of tea (or a gin if you’re that way inclined which I absolutely am) and let’s chat about the first half of the year in regards to all things bookish. What fun.

THE MID YEAR FREAKOUT TAG (and how I wish I could make the pretty graphics that all the other blogs have but whatever I can’t so let’s just move on).

Review: Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare - Non Pratt

Sooo in my ILLUMICRATE subscription box (which you should all go and subscribe to because it’s lush) there was a book – two books actually but let’s not over complicate – and that book was Truth or Dare by Non Pratt. And I won’t lie: I’ve heard of Non, but I hadn’t heard of this book at all. I liked the cover though (call me fickle, whatever) and after I finished The Hate U Give I thought I’d give it a go mostly because it was there and I wasn’t in the mood to tackle my usual WHAT SHALL I READ NEXT dilemma.

Daddy, My Daddy

So, today is Father’s Day, a day to celebrate Dad’s everywhere and with that in mind, and because I feel like this blog should perhaps maybe be a little bit more than all the reviews all time, I’m going to talk about Dads with daughters because I’m a daughter who genuinely honestly 100% believes her Dad is the best man she ever met and a million times better actually than any on this list. It was a fun list to compile actually because there’s a lot of them and some are good and some are bad and some are downright nuts and it made me happy. & also made me want to do some serious re-reading. & I know you want to know who made the cut, so sit down ,grab a cup of coffee and take a look and then drop me a comment and let me know who your favourite bookish Dads are. I WANT TO KNOW.

Ooooh, actually let's make a list. I love a list.  

Review: Flight of a Starling

Flight of a Starling - Lisa Heathfield

Rita and Lo, sisters and best friends, have spent their lives on the wing – flying through the air in their trapeze act, never staying in one place for long. Behind the greasepaint and the glitter, they know that the true magic is the family they travel with.

Until Lo meets a boy. Suddenly, she wants nothing more than to stay still. And as secrets start to tear apart the close-knit circus community, how far will Lo go to keep her feet on the ground?

Oh, but my heart.

Review: The Names They Gave Us

The Names They Gave Us - Emery Lord 

When it all falls apart, who can you believe in?

Everything is going right for Lucy Hansson, until her mom’s cancer reappears. Just like that, Lucy breaks with all the constants in her life: her do-good boyfriend, her steady faith, even her longtime summer church camp job.

Instead, Lucy lands at a camp for kids who have been through tough times. As a counselor, Lucy is in over her head and longs to be with her parents across the lake. But that’s before she gets to know her coworkers, who are as loving and unafraid as she so desperately wants to be.

It’s not just new friends that Lucy discovers at camp—more than one old secret is revealed along the way. In fact, maybe there’s much more to her family and her faith than Lucy ever realized.  

I won’t lie: my expectations weren’t all that high for this book. I read When We Collided recently and was disappointed but The Names They Gave Us, the new book from Emery Lord, resonated with me, in ways I wasn’t quite prepared for. 

It’s about a girl called Lucy, she’s a Christian, heavily involved in her Church – her Dad is a pastor – and spends every summer at the Church camp her parents run. Her faith is a part of her, a deeply ingrained part of who she is and then her Mum gets diagnosed with cancer and her faith begins to waver and the book, basically, is an exploration of that: of faith, of the lack of it, of grief and loss and growing up.

& it’s good.

Quick May Wrap-Up

Perhaps I’ll do this every month because why would I not. I mean, with the BEST WILL IN THE WORLD – and let me tell you, my will is good – I never ever get to review all of the books that I want to review and this seems like a nice little way to make sure that the books I don’t manage to spotlight get a mention. And I can talk all about all the other stuff that’s been going on also, because my life is nothing if not fascinating. I mean, I read a lot and I sleep and lot and I drink a lot of coffee and why would you not want to hear all about that?

So, let’s do it. Let’s talk about May.

Books That You Should Read On The Beach Because Of Reasons

So I don’t do Top Ten Tuesday every week, mostly because I am so incredibly rubbish at keeping to any kind of posting schedule ever because I just suck, so it always gets to Thursday and I realise it was a really good theme this week and I kick myself. 

Not actually, because ouch, but you know, metaphorically. 

Anyway, their theme this week is a summer freebie which is nothing if not fortuitous because last night I was messaging with The Gals (which is the unique and very inspired name me and two of my friends have for each other) last night about our forthcoming weekend away in the sun (HURRY UP JULY) and my pal Hol asked me for holiday book recs. 

Which, OH HELLO LET ME THROW THESE BOOKS IN YOUR FACE. 

Metaphorically again, this girl is one of my faves; I would NEVER actually throw a book in her face.

Review: Six of Crows

“Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?"
"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.
"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.
"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.
"You're all horrible," said Matthias.”

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Pals. We need to talk. We need to talk about this book I read which is all mystery and magic and heists and intense interesting characters and which I think pretty much the rest of the book blogging world has already read but you know me, I relish being late to the party. Sit down with me, grab a coffee and some kind of snack and let’s talk about Six of Crows.

I mean probably you already know what it’s about but just in case you do not, IT IS A KIND OF MAGICAL HUSTLE.

I KNOW.

Review: When We Collided

When We Collided - Emery Lord

When We Collided is one of those everywhere books, you know, in that, it’s been all over bookstagram (which makes sense because holy pretty cover, Batman) and all over Twitter and mostly it gets All The Glowing Reviews and I was super excited to read it. & if you’ve been sneaking into my house and studying my bookcase – which is a completely weird thought and one that may give me nightmares because I am nothing if not a sensitive soul – then you might be thinking ‘huh, she can’t have been that excited; she’s had that damn book for ages.’

You would be both right and wrong.