I read nearly 70 books in 2019 and still I feel like I missed out on so many great novels that kept shooting past my feed! Luckily I’ve saved them all to my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ list. There are currently 269 books on that list so, unless I win the lottery and withdraw from […]
contemporary fiction
Review: The Space We’re In, by Katya Balen
In her debut novel, Katya Balen uses her knowledge of autism and experience working with autistic people to create an intriguing and intense yet always respectful family story. I think I started crying on about page 23 of this gorgeous but heart-breaking book and hardly stopped. When the tragedy referred to in the blurb happened, […]
Review: The End of Time, by Gavin Extence
The End of Time is a fabulous modern story about the differences and similarities between people of all races and religions. Told in first person with empathy and humour, it centres on on the story of two teenage Syrian brothers trying to reach the U.K. where they hope to leave the war behind them and […]
Review: The Bride Test, by Helen Hoang
I read The Bride Test, by Helen Hoang, when I was flat on my back with the flu. It was such a fun, heartwarming and easy read. It’s an unusual premise with echoes of familiar stories. If you transported Pride and Prejudice to the modern day, mashed it up with Pretty Woman themes and then […]
Teens, drugs and dementia – Love And Other Battles, by Tess Woods
I picked up Love and Other Battles, by Tess Woods because I’d heard others rave about it, and I’m really glad I did. It’s a wonderfully warm and inspiring story of mothers, daughters and lovers across three generations. It made me laugh and cry and I even learned a thing or two about parenting teenagers. I […]
Review: The Paper Wasp, by Lauren Acampora
This a truly strange book that I somehow couldn’t put down. A very dark story, it’s the antithesis of Hollywood though it’s set in L.A. Reading The Paper Wasp was a little like watching film noir. You don’t really understand what it’s about and you arrive at the end none the wiser but somehow you […]
