Tag: on my book shelf

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Fiction Romance

Very Nearly Normal, Hannah Sunderland

If you loved Sophie Kinsella’s ‘My Not So Perfect Life’ then you will love ‘Very Nearly Normal’

This novel follows the story of 28 year old Effie, who is still living with her parents, has a tragic love life, and has given up on her dreams to become a published writer. Effie’s so called best friend Kate appears to be living it up in a glamorous flat, with a successful career and is newly engaged whereas Effie lives under a black cloud. Her self-esteem and self-belief is drastically low and she doesn’t feel good enough and as a result she turns to the bottle to drown her sorrows.

Following a failed date Effie, meets Theo who encourages Effie to live out of her comfort zone. They write a to do list together and before you know it you are laughing and crying as we follow Effie’s on a journey of self discovery.

Overall, a very relatable and feel-good story. It is so easy to think everyone is doing better than us and that we should have reached the same goal posts but this story shows us how we all have our time to shine and that good things come to us all.

Categories
Fiction

We Begin At The End, Chris Whitaker

Based in Cape Haven, a small town in America, We Begin At The End starts by setting the scene of an event which happened 30 years ago. Sissy Radley’s body was discovered and Vincent King was charged and sent to prison for her murder. Move forward to the present day and Vincent King is about to be released. His childhood friend, now Chief Walker, the one who found the body, is the only one happy to see him released.

The story switches between Chief Walker and Duchess Day Radley, a 13 year old doing her best to look out for her troubled mother, Star (who is the older sister of Sissy and was the girlfriend of Vincent at the time of the murder), and six year old brother, Robin. In order to deal with adversity Duchess refers to herself as an outlaw throughout the book, imagining that she is of a persona which is to be feared. Unfortunately, despite always having good intentions, Duchess’ actions lead to a series of events which threaten all their lives.

Whilst, in parts I found this book a bit slow burning (compared to my usual reading material) I really admired the way Chris Whitaker bought the characters to life. I felt particularly invested in Duchess as you cannot help but feel for the amount of weight on her shoulders at such a young age, yet the strength she shows and the determination she has to carry on.

Overall, this book takes you on a journey with the characters. You experience their broken lives, their battles to survive and the lengths they will go to protect their family.

Categories
Fiction

A Good Father, Catherine Talbot

A Good Father is told from the perspective of Des, who lives with his wife Jenny and their 3 children. The book flicks between the past and the present day and Des is, as the title of the book suggests, A Good Father. However, Des also struggles with control, jealousy and obsession, which we see unwind throughout the tale.

From a psychological element I thought Des was an interesting character, I never knew whether to hate him or to feel sorry for him. I found that Catherine Talbot demonstrated Des’ complexities very well. However, I would have loved to have either delved more into Des’ past to try and understand how and why his personality was moulded that way, or to hear from Jenny to try and understand Des’ character from her point of view.

Overall, despite some parts of the book being slow I thought this was a decent psychological read and good for a debut novel.

I would like to thank Net-Galley and Penguin Books UK for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Categories
Non Fiction

Everyday Sexism, Laura Bates

‘Everyday Sexism’ was released back in 2012 and I am unsure why (and also annoyed) that I had not read it sooner.

Having experienced a number of sexist incidents and being sick of how sexism has become normalised Laura Bates started the ‘Everyday Sexism’ project which is what is she used to fuel this powerful read. From young girls being harassed in the street to discrimination at work, to the most serious cases of sexual assault and rape – this book covers it all!

What makes this book really stand out is the sheer amount of research which Bates has carried out. Each chapter starts with statistics and the experiences people shared with her in the form of a tweet, which really illustrates the extent of the issue our society faces. The book is very well written and is not to be misinterpreted as a hate campaign against men. In fact, Bates discusses how men also face sexism (boys being told not to play with dolls, men being told to man up, lack of paternity leave) and shares stories of how men have and can confront it. It is made very clear that attitudes within our society need to change and why feminism is still important in the 21st century. Whilst a catcall, or a rape joke may be said without the intent to cause offence and therefore appear trivial to some, this book delves into the detrimental impact this can have on people and wider society.

For some, the horrifying stats and experiences will come as no surprise. To others, they will be a real eye opener. However, one thing that is for sure is that no matter what gender you are or whether you call yourself a feminist or not this is a must read and everyone can take something from this book

Categories
Fiction

I Made A Mistake, Jane Corry

I Made a Mistake: The compelling new thriller from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of I LOOKED AWAY by [Jane Corry]

Having read other novels by Jane Corry I knew that I Made A Mistake would be a read which was hard to put down.  

Poppy Page is a mum, wife, and owns a successful extras agency. When her first love Matthew Gordon walks back into her life Poppy makes a huge mistake- and that mistake is more dangerous than one could ever imagine, which is bound to have a profound effect on the whole family.

The story is well written and told from 3 different perspectives; Poppy’s, scenes from The Central Criminal Court where Poppy gives evidence for a murder trial, and Betty’s, Poppy’s mother in law. I particularly loved how Betty’s story was told through a series of letters to Poppy which described her life with her late husband Jock. Betty appears to be a very loving mother, grandmother and mother-in-law, who at 70 years old is still full of life! Although she comes across very flawless, in letters to Poppy she unravels the mistakes she too made during her marriage and similarities are formed.

Primarily a thriller, I Made a Mistake also touches upon domestic transformations over the years. However, I was a little disappointed that at the end it is suggested that Poppy can’t be the best mum/wife and keep managing her agency.  Despite this, the book is well written, full of suspense and once again Jane Corry succeeds in leading you to believe one thing for the majority of the book and takes you by surprise at the end.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin Random House for supplying me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.