Friday 22 September 2017

What I've been reading.

I've been spoiled with excellent library books lately, here's what I've been reading,

 What I've been reading.  Book reviews from UK book blogger secondhandsusie.blogspot.com Lost for words - Stephanie Butland, The Secret Island - Enid Blyton, The Power - Naomi Alderman, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine - Gail Honeyman. #bookblogger #ukbookblogger #bookreviews #ukblogger

Lost for words - Stephanie Butland
It's so rare that I open a book and love it from the first page, but this is one of those books.  I love Loveday and the way she talks to us, and her observations of working with people and books (all too true to a library person such as I).  I wanted to live in this world.  Such a beautiful book and not too cheesy despite the title and the main character being called Loveday.

What I've been reading.  Book reviews from UK book blogger secondhandsusie.blogspot.com Lost for words - Stephanie Butland, The Secret Island - Enid Blyton, The Power - Naomi Alderman, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine - Gail Honeyman. #bookblogger #ukbookblogger #bookreviews #ukblogger

The Secret Island - Enid Blyton
My favourite childhood book, I loved this and it inspired much thinking and planning about self sufficiency and gardening in little me.  I did enjoy re-reading it, but I've come to the conclusion that Jack is an insufferable ass and the gender roles are crap, but what can you expect from a book written in 1938.

What I've been reading.  Book reviews from UK book blogger secondhandsusie.blogspot.com Lost for words - Stephanie Butland, The Secret Island - Enid Blyton, The Power - Naomi Alderman, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine - Gail Honeyman. #bookblogger #ukbookblogger #bookreviews #ukblogger

The Power - Naomi Alderman
Ooof this was a good book.  An electrifying power is awoken in all women, who then take over the traditional power roles usually held by men.  I spent the first half of this book like 'yeah, girl power' and the second half like no no no, this is baaaaaaad.  I found the premise of the book really interesting, and I'll probably re-read it at some point, but beware because there are really violent and graphic rape scenes.  
PS.  On Goodreads the best question and answer about this book is thus, Question 'What would happen if an author wrote a book about men having the power to electrocute to death women?', Answer 'It would be under the history category'. 

What I've been reading.  Book reviews from UK book blogger secondhandsusie.blogspot.com Lost for words - Stephanie Butland, The Secret Island - Enid Blyton, The Power - Naomi Alderman, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine - Gail Honeyman. #bookblogger #ukbookblogger #bookreviews #ukblogger

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine - Gail Honeyman
As I said, I've been spoilt lately with a run of excellent books.  Eleanor Oliphant lives a life of routine loneliness until she starts interacting with the world, and all her terrible secrets come out.  This book made me laugh and cry.

Other books I've been reading,

New Boy - Tracy Chevalier
weird retelling of Othello, based in a school in the 1970s, set in a day, which was very dramatic for the length of time it was set in!!

All that she can see - Carrie Hope Fletcher
The first half of this is cute but troubled girl can see people's sad emotions and tries to help them with magical baking, the second half is scary dystopian nightmare.  Don't think I'll read any more by Carrie Hope Fletcher.

Once and For all - Sarah Dessen
I seem to like every other book written by Sarah Dessen, and feel a bit meh about the others.  This was a meh one, but entertaining enough to keep me company on a day when I was off sick from work.  Can cynical and heartbroken wedding planner Louna find love again?

Freshers - Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
Man, this book made me glad I'm well over my Freshers days.  But it perfectly sums up the weird, lonely antics of the first term of university.  

Bee and Puppycat - Natasha Allegri 
This is a cute graphic novel, I identify more with Puppycat than Bee, he's slightly grumpy! 

What have you been reading? 



 
 
 

10 comments:

  1. I had that Enid Blyton book! I'd forgotten all about it until the cover jogged my memory haha :)

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    1. I'm glad someone else had it too, I hope you enjoyed it :)

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  2. I loved the Eleanor Oliphant book too. I think I knew I would as soon as I saw the title. I'm a member of a reading group and just lately I've ended up trying to read a run of books voted for by the group that truly haven't worked for me, so I was extra pleased to come across this.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, there's nothing worse than reading books that you don't like!

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  3. I felt the same about The Power. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine sounds really interesting as well; I must try to borrow a copy.

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    1. Eleanor O is Such a good book, definitely find a copy!

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  4. I had that exact edition of the Secret books!!!! I LOVED the Secret Island so much and how self-sufficient they were! I always wished I could weave rush-baskets like they did for the raspberries and mushrooms and then the blackberries! And how they got the cow over to the island and how Peggy made a rabbit-skin blanket so she didn't waste the rabbits that she felt so sad over having to kill!x

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    1. I love how much you remember of it! I LOVED it too, and I especially liked studying the cover of the book, because the picture is so accurate - it really has everything in it that they packed!

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  5. I've heard nothing but good things about Eleanor Olyphant, I'm kicking myself for not downloading it from NetGalley when I had the chance.

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    1. It's so good, you should definitely read it if you can!

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