I’m joining in with Top Ten Tuesday again this week, sharing some of the books I’m planning to read now Spring is here.
When it comes to reading, I’m not the most organised. It’s why I have given up on things like Good Reads and why my many attempts at starting a reading journal have failed. I never know what I’m going to read until I pick the book up – well, for the most part. There are books that I prioritise, either because they are ARCs or they are library books. Beyond that, though, I read as the mood takes me. Which means I don’t have a Spring TBR, just a list of books that I have to read, or think I might fancy….
In the bedroom above her immense studio at Burntcoat, the celebrated sculptor Edith Harkness is making her final preparations. The symptoms are well known: her life will draw to an end in the coming days.
Downstairs, the studio is a crucible glowing with memories and desire. It was here, when the first lockdown came, that she brought Halit. The lover she barely knew. A presence from another culture. A doorway into a new and feverish world.
Happy Sunday and welcome to another weekly update where I share a little about what’s happened to me this week and the books I’ve reviewed.
I didn’t post a lot this week. It started well. But, as the week went on, I lost focus. Work wasn’t to blame (for once), just a general malaise based on what is going on with the world. My heart is breaking. I feel powerless. And blogging seems a bit pointless. But it is also a point of normality, which I need to stop me doom scrolling and staring at the news. So I decided to try and stick to a routine and post today.
So I fear this may be a standard refrain on my monthly round-ups – where did February go? After the last two years going sooooo slooooowly, here we are rushing through February – time to round-up of books I’ve read, and what I thought about them…
She thought she’d got away with it. She was wrong.
Hannah Godley is an agony aunt on a London radio show Queen of Hearts. She’s warm and empathetic; a good listener. Her catchphrase is: Be kind, always. But when a stranger phones in to tell a tragic story about her brother who killed himself after he was the victim of a terrible prank by two people, Hannah goes cold. Because she remembers Diane’s brother well. In fact, all these years later, he still haunts her dreams. All because of that one bad thing she did when she was young…
Is Diane just a sad, lonely woman looking for a friend, or does she know what Hannah did, and is looking for revenge? Because as Diane insinuates herself into her life and family, Hannah is going to discover that you can never truly escape that One Bad Thing you did – sooner or later, you’re going to have to pay the price…
Happy Sunday and welcome to another weekly update where I share a little about what’s happened to me this week and the books I’ve reviewed.
I haven’t posted for a few weeks – firstly there was work, then there was half-term (which was mainly spent painting my daughter’s bedroom vs. reading or blogging)
Thankfully, this week, I managed to get back to both. I’ve finished two books and three reviews – all for books I really enjoyed.
First up was More Than A Woman by Caitlin Moran. How much did I love this book? Sooooo much! I’m a bit of a Moran Fan Girl so possibly not a surprise. There aren’t many books that make me laugh out loud – repeatedly – but she does it every time. And it’s even less likely that a book will make me cry. She managed that too. I know this one won’t be for everyone as it is edgy and rude and sad. But it feels perfect for women like me – 40+ Gen Xer’s who still want to rock doc martins and too much eyeliner.
I followed this up with two solid domestic thrillers – The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill and When They Find Her. Both of them are different from what I expected, with twists in the tale that make you sit up and realise you’ve been very much led astray by the authors. What was most impressive about When They Find Her is that it’s a debut, which I wouldn’t have guessed.
Other than that, there isn’t much to report this week – not sure if that’s a good thing or not? How about you? How was your week, reading and otherwise? Emma x
DEATH IS NOT THE END. FOR GRACE McGILL IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
When people die alone and undiscovered, it’s her job to clean up what’s left behind – whether it’s clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.
When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.
My thoughts on The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
A decade ago, Caitlin Moran thought she had it all figured out. Her instant best seller How to Be a Woman was a game-changing take on feminism, the patriarchy and the general ‘hoo-ha’ of becoming a woman. Back then, she firmly believed ‘the difficult bit’ was over and her 40s were going to be a doddle.
If only she had known: when middle age arrives, a whole new bunch of tough questions need answering. Why isn’t there such a thing as a ‘Mum Bod’? How did sex get boring? What are men really thinking? Where did all that stuff in the kitchen drawers come from? Can feminists have Botox? Why has wine turned against you? How can you tell the difference between a teenage micro-breakdown and the real thing? Has feminism gone too far? And, as always, who’s looking after the children?
Now with ageing parents, teenage daughters, a bigger bum and a to-do list without end, Caitlin Moran is back with More Than a Woman: a guide to growing older, a manifesto for change and a celebration of all those middle-aged women who keep the world turning.
onereadersthoughts.com 