Library books I've been reading.

This is what I've been reading lately, 

This is how it always is - Laurie Frankel

One of my colleagues randomly handed me this book from the new books delivery and said she thought I'd like it, and like it I did. Quirky family of 7 (all with awesome names by the way like Claude, Roosevelt and Orion) where the mum, Rosie, has always wanted a little girl called Poppy, and she gets one when her 5th son comes out as transgender.  I found this so beautiful and interesting, following the whole family as they react to Poppy's transition as a child through to a young adult.  Laurie Frankel is the parent of a transgender child, and the experience she brings to the story makes it even more poignant.  I think this was my favourite book of 2018.

Dear Mrs Bird - AJ Pearce

I loved the first half of this book, but the second half drama happened and it kinda ruined it for me.  Does anyone else just want to read books about mundane everyday life, and people being nice, without authours ruining it with twists, turns, drama and resolution, or is it just me?  Anyway I still liked it, even though it made me a bit sad, the characters talk like grown up Enid Blyton characters and one of them is called Bunty!

The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir - Lesley Allen

Oh my gosh, the first half of this book was a struggle to get through.  Biddy is bullied unrelentingly by girls at her school and we're told about this in great detail.  If you don't want to read about heartbreaking abuse, bullying, anxiety, self harm and isolation then this probably isn't the book for you.  I almost put it down several times.  Having said that, the second part is more hopeful and you'll find yourself rooting for Biddy and loving her new friend Terri and her cosy seaside cottage.  I did a little tear at the end of this, which is always the sign of a good book.

Who runs the world - Virginia Bergin

There are a lot of reviews of this book that say it's man hating, but I enjoyed it and I think with this kind of book you take it with a pinch of salt.  There are no men, they've been wiped out by a virus and women live in a peaceful, crime free, greed free society, coping with the aftermath of climate change.  The young women have never met a man or boy, but the grandmas remember the old times and the protests that happened when the remaining men were put into facilities for their own safety.  Until our protagonist, River, meets a real life boy, escaped from the not so safe facilities, and everything changes. 

The finding of Martha Lost - Caroline Wallace

Martha is a foundling, abandoned as  baby on a train, and adopted by a woman with Very Questionable parenting techniques who runs the lost property department at Liverpool Lime Street Station.  Luckily, it's the seventies and the lady in the station café next door provides cake, music and friendship while Martha solves lost property mysteries (she has a knack for it) and her own mystery too.  

How to Stop Time - Matt Haig

I'm trying to read more books written by men, but then I keep not liking them, and I don't know if it's because I don't like the particular books or I just don't like books written by men (which makes me feel bad - I do like Phillip Pullman so at least there's that!) Anyway, I liked the concept of this but didn't like the writing so much.  This was just ok to me.

Midnight Marked - Chloe Neill

I've read all 13 of this series and this is the last one.  And I'm sad I don't have any more of these light fun vampire stories to work though.  This last one was as fun and silly as the others, I'd highly recommend them if you're looking for a fluffy but engaging urban fantasy series to get your fangs into.

Are we all Lemmings and Snowflakes - Holly Bourne

I so wanted to love this as much as I've loved all of Holly Bourne's other books, but it was pretty hard going.  It's probably a really realistic representation of mental illness, and therefore important to read, understand and think about.  But the actual reading of it is heavy going and I didn't like some of the characters and parts of the plot.  I guess this one wasn't for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Holly Bourne writes next. 

What have you been reading? 

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

Library books I've been reading.

Here's what I've been reading lately, 

Moxie - Jennifer Mathieu

Viv is fed up of boys will be boys, uniform checks and at school, so starts an anonymous feminist zine calling her classmates to action, inspired by her new feminist friend and her mum's box of 90's riot grrl paraphernalia.   I really loved this book, I would have loved it when I was younger too, but now I'm old I also identify with Viv's Mum and loved that she was given a proper personality, former riot grrl now making some compromises to get along in the world.

Someday, Someday Maybe - Lauren Graham

I loved this, but I think maybe because it's written by Lauren Graham so in my head I populated the book with Gilmore Girls characters!   Franny moved to New York and gave herself a deadline to make it big in showbiz or go home, as her deadline approaches will she stay or go.  There's a nice romance in there too :)

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

I loved this.  realistic and quirky characters, a moral dilemma or two to grapple with and just lovely scene setting and character building (which must have been done well because I usually hate overly descriptive books!).

Drawdown - Paul Hawken

I've renewed this library book waaaaaaaaaaay more times than I'm officially allowed!  There are 100 ideas for ways to reverse climate change in this book.  Most of them aren't things you can do yourself at home, they're more big ideas like using alternative cement, educating girls, using regenerative agriculture or repopulating the Mammoth Steppe.  Despite what could seem like dry subject matter, I've really enjoyed dipping in and out of this book, lots of scientific and social and economic matters are explained simply and it has pretty pictures too.   This book makes me both want to cling to it in hope, and buy a copy for every World leader and beat them round the head with it shouting 'do something about climate change before it's too late!'.   

Into White - Randi Pink

The premise of this book was really interesting, a teenage girl prays to be anything other than black, and wakes up white.  I'm not sure about the writing style though, I liked the basic plot, characters and some of the observations about race, but to me this read like a first draft that needed more editing.

The More you Ignore Me - Jo Brand

Alice loves The Smiths, her mum has serious mental health issues, and she has a guinea pig called Smelly.  I thought this book was just alright, with some bits I loved and a last sentence that made me say 'ahh'.

Lumberjanes - Noelle Stevenson

Friendship to the max!  All hail the kitten holy!  This is a super cute graphic novel, with relatable female characters getting into all sorts of supernatural adventures at summer camp.  I think I'm a Riley.

My absolute darling - Gabriel Tallent

I really didn't like this book.  Turtle, our teenage girl main character, is raped and tortured by her father, which a. I don't really want to read about, and b. the sexual abuse was written about in such a way that it seemed pornographic and titillating, I'm guessing it's representing the views of the abuser and manipulated abused, rather than those of the author (I hope) but it was horrific and waaaay too much for me.  I've seen so many good reviews for this but I hated it and skipped through it to the end to see how things turned out for Turtle.  I'm trying to read more books written by men but I don't think this was a good first choice!

What have you been reading? 

 * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' * 

What I've been reading.

Here's what I've been reading in the last couple of months,

A Change is Gonna Come - Various authors

This is an anthology of short stories and poems by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic writers, and it's part of my attempt to read more diverse authors.  As with most collections of short stories, I loved some and some weren't for me!

Optimists Die First - Susin Nielsen

Do you like books about crafts and cats and cat videos?  Then you'll like this.  It's also quite sad, because it's about a group of teens dealing with various tragedies, traumas and mental health issues.  Pretty much all the reviews I've read about this book have questioned the mix of comedy or whimsy and tragedy, and suggested the issues were treated too lightly, but I thought it was just right and I really enjoyed it.

Some Girls Bite - Chloe Neill

I've started this new vampire series and I'm on the third book already.  Merit is a super strong new vamp, former graduate student, joining Chicago's vampire community.  There's Always some will-they-won't-they sexy vampire drama in all these urban fantasy type books that I'm getting quite bored of, but I'm otherwise enjoying making my way through this series.

It Only Happens in the Movies - Holly Bourne

I love Holly Bourne.  And I really liked this romance story that calls into question the themes of typical romance stories.  Also, there's feminism and zombies.  

The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas

Oof - this was a powerful read.  I wasn't sure when I first started reading this if I would like it, but I'm so glad I persevered (despite the fact I had several graphic nightmares about shootings - I should learn not to read this kind of book at bedtime!).  It had me sobbing by the last page.  That it's based on the Black Lives Matter movement makes it an even more important and affecting read.    

The Roanoke Girls - Amy Engel

All the Roanoke Girls have died or run away, only Lane and Allegra remain.  This is creepy, I thought the reason why the girls dissapeared might be magical, but it isn't, it's revealed pretty soon in the book that the thing you fear is in fact true but I had to keep reading to make sure the girls would be ok at the end.  This book has been haunting me.

The Babysitter's Club - Dawn and the Impossible Three - Ann M. Martin and Gale Galligan

I like these graphic novel versions of the BSC for nostalgic reasons.  This one has a new illustrator, who I don't like so much as Rania Telgemister who illustrated the first 4 BSC graphic novels.

I am Bat - Morag Hood

This is a children's book, but I love it!  If you have children, or are a child at heart like me, then you should definitely read it.

What have you been reading?  I'm trying to read by more diverse authors, but I've realised that I rarely read books written by men, so I'd love it if you could recommend me some awesome books written by men?!  I'm already on the library waiting list for the new Phillip Pullman book!  

 * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' * 

What I've been reading.

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

 

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.

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.

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'. 

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? 

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

 

 

 

What I've been reading.

I find what I read directly correlates to the state of the world.  And in this current climate of Brexit, Trump, Theresa May and the aftermath of a snap general election, I'm sticking with kids books, gardening and tales of TV dogs.  Here's what I've been reading,

Nigel, My Family and other Dogs - Monty Don

Disappointingly this book was neither written by Nigel the dog from Gardener's World, or written from the point of view of Nigel the dog.  Rather it's Monty Don's stories of Nigel and his other pet dogs.  I don't particularly like dogs, but Nigel is my favourite part of Gardener's World and I really liked this book.

The Worst Witch - Jill Murphy

I never read The Worst Witch as a child, but I loved the 90's kids TV programme based on it and wished my school uniform included stripey tights and doc martins.  I love the illustrations in this book too.  Am I definitely too old to go to a boarding school for witches?  

The Rurbanite - Alex Mitchell

If you want to live a more rural life in an urban setting then this book's for you.  There's lots of inspiration for guerilla gardening, community gardens, urban wildlife gardening and all sorts of other eco-friendly things you can do to make your urban space nice and green.  I liked this even though I don't live in a city.

The Twins at St Clare's - Enid Blyton
The Twins at St Clare's series is basically Malory Towers, with different names.  But they're a nice easy read, full of midnight feasts, tricks on teachers and schoolgirl dramas.  Malory Towers has a swimming pool though, which I think makes it the better school.  Swimming is waay better than lacrosse. 

The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J K Rowling

So firstly, this has the most beautiful black and white illustrations, which totally makes it worth reading.  Secondly, if you need to read wizarding fairy tales, with additional commentary and analysis from Prof. Dumbledore, then you should probably read this.  

More things I've been reading,

Emmy and Oliver - Robin Benway  Ollie is kidnapped as a child, and returned to his neighbourhood as a teen, with added romance with the girl next door.

Rat Queens Vol. 1 Sass. and Sorcery - Kurtis J. Wiebe  You definitely want to read a graphic novel about kick ass, violent ladies called 'sass. and sorcery'!

Air Head - Meg Cabot  The plot for this is Weird, in a way I can't say without giving a spolier, but it's still good!

All the Feels - Danika Stone  When her favourite film character is killed off, Liv launches an online campaign to reinstate him, which gets ever so slightly out of control.

What have you been reading?  I'm trying to get through my big pile of library books so I can start re-reading the Harry Potter series!  (It's not going well, I keep adding to my library book pile!)

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

What I've been reading.

Here's what I've been reading recently, lovely library books and some second hand finds too, 

The Little Women Letters - Gabrielle Donnelly
If you need to read a fluffy book about the ancestors of the Little Women (assuming of course that they're real) then I can recommend this one.  A quirky lady with wild hair (Jo March's great great granddaughter, obvs) finds Jo's letters in the attic and their stories intertwine.  But WARNING the girl's dad is the most annoying character ever written and is likely to induce feminist rage (he has an imaginary wife, who he talks to, and about to his real wife.  Seriously.)

The Manifesto on how to be Interesting - Holly Bourne

I've read everything Holly Bourne has written so far and I've loved it all.  I started with this book, wherein a quiet geeky girl undertakes to make herself cool with big consequences.  And lots of feminism.  In all her books.  Yey for feminism.

How to Grow Food A Wartime Guide - Doreen Wallace

This is a funny little book published in the 1940s to help new gardeners dig for victory.  We follow a year in the gardening life of our family, newcomers to the country and to growing their own, with sage advice from their neighbour, the weatherbeaten lady.  It's delightfully vintage. 

Saffy's Angel - Hilary McKay

I've been working my way through this childrens/YA series for a while, there are six books and some are better than other, but all quite good comfort reads.  I've seen this series likened to Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle, and other retro-feeling books, where the family are arty, and the parents do care but are a bit crap and the children are free to have all sorts of adventures with no adult supervision.  It's a sweet, charming series.

What have you got out from the library right now?

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

  
  

What I've been reading.

Here's what I've been reading recently, lovely library books and some second hand finds too,

Doctor Who Time Lord Fairy Tales

This book has the most gorgeous illustrations and it looks beautiful on the shelf.  The stories are quite simply told, in the same style as fairy tales, so it's best to leave any literary expectations aside and imagine baby Time Lords being told these stories.  I especially liked the story of Cinderella and the Magic Box and the Three Little Sontarans.

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged - Ayisha Malik

This is a typical chick lit, rom-com, but with a twist as the main character is a strict British Muslim and the focus is on her love life.  I don't think this was a brilliantly written book, but I got into it and it was a really interesting insight into Muslim culture, which it turns out I know little about despite living in an area with a huge Muslim community.  It's nice to learn something. 

The Treasure Hunters - Enid Blyton

I picked up this 1960s edition of The Treasure Hunters for 20p in a charity shop.  It's not an Enid Blyton story I've read before and it was a nice comfort read, full of adventure, picnics, and a naughty dog.  I was mostly attracted to it because it looks like it's been printed in a proper printing press, and by the cute, retro illustrations.

The Girls - Emma Cline

Evie's boring summer is dramatically turned around when she gets involved with a cult, implicated in an infamous murder.  It's set in 1969, all hippies and living in a commune, but The Girls gives a deeper look at the dysfunction rife in that kind of living arrangement.  It's told from the present day, with a grown up Evie looking back on her youth.  Although I've never lived in a commune, I did find a lot of Evie's thoughts relatable and familiar to my own as a teen and as a woman.

Vinegar Girl - Anne Tyler

The Hogarth Shakespeare series sees popular authors updating Shakespearian plays.  Vinegar Girl is Anne Tyler's version of The Taming of the Shrew.  This is the first book I've read by her and I thought it was just OK, easy to read and quite sweet, it shows a different imagining of the story and is less extreme than the play, or the Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor film.  But to be honest I prefer 10 Things I Hate About You.

What have you been reading?  

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

Charity shopping - the one with the Gottschlich hedgehogs.

I've only got two things to show you this time.  I'm trying to cut back my spending a little, and really, our house is too full! 

But it's OK, because I really, really, really love what I bought!

This plate is one of those things that I saw one week, practiced good will power and left behind.  But then it was still there the next week, so I decided it was meant to be mine and bought it quickly!  I love it so!  It says 'Gottschlich' on the front and Britannia Designs on the back.  I couldn't find much about Britannia Designs online, but I did find a bit about Gottschlich, which lead me to my next purchase.

Gisela Gottschlich hedgehog plate, Severn Hospice charity shop, £1.49.

After some online research I found that Gisela Gottschlich, the illustrator who drew the hedgehogs for my plate, had drawn lots of other lovely things, and I fell a bit in love with her.  A conversation on Facebook lead me to this book, which I found for a bargain on Ebay.  It's really beautiful, I love the style of the illustrations and it's so lovely and Christmassy.

My Big Christmas Book, Ebay, £2.99 inc. postage. 

Linking up with Vintage Charm and Vintage Bliss.
 

What have you been buying?  Any good bargains or new obsessions?  

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *

 

Library love.

The library's been good to me lately!  

I've been picking up some books I wouldn't normally read, like the retelling of Pride and Prejudice (I don't usually like Austen that's been messed with!) and the MC Beaton books, and it turns out I really liked them both.  Which is what the library's about really, isn't it? 

Eligible - Curtis Sittenfeld

I was really, really, really into this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice...until the last 100 pages.  It got a bit silly, I realise it was hard to come up with something that would be as scandalous today as Lydia and Wickham running off together was in P&P times.  But I didn't like the 'scandal' and I can't really say anymore about it without giving away spoilers!  Apart from the ending I really enjoyed this long, long book (it was 500 pages!) and I'd recommend it.

Edwardian Murder Mystery Series - Marion Chesney/MC Beaton

These books aren't really about the mysteries, they're about the romance between Harry and Lady Rose, who take the whole 4 books to get together.  MC Beaton is cheesy and predictable and easy to read and I love her.  Apparently.  

Baby sitters Club - Kristy's Great Idea - Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier

Yes, I'm re-reading the Baby sitters club books!  They've been turned into graphic novels with cute illustrations by Raina Telgemeier.  BSC books were a rare treat for me as a child, I didn't own any myself but my friend had loads and we used to read them all night during sleepovers.  Reading this gave me all the nostalgics and I specially loved the illustrations of Claudia's outifits!   

Adulthood is a Myth - Sarah Andersen 

I always read Sarah's Scribbles online, I'm not sure if the comics in this book are new or just the online ones republished, but either way I love her work and happily read/reread it.  My library has subscribed to a new e-comics service, with loads of comics and graphic novels available free, online to library members - I'm so happy!

What have you been reading?  

* Facebook * Instagram * Twitter * Bloglovin' *