“Here is the Beehive” by Sarah Crossan
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Usually, before I write up my review I have noted down my thoughts and rating and have a quick eyeball of other reviews to see if anyone else is on the same page. Having seen a huge list of 5-star reviews and nothing else I think it is safe to say I may have missed something here.
“Cinderella is Dead” by Kalynn Bayron
Thanks to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Warning – mild spoilers in review.
“Girls Made of Snow and Glass” by Melissa Bashardoust
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sometimes writers try so hard to do something different with their riffs on existing stories that they become achingly obvious and contrived. That was ultimately the feeling I was left with after reading this book.
Continue reading ““Girls Made of Snow and Glass” by Melissa Bashardoust”
“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
What if you could change the past? Take all those nasty regrets and make a different choice? Nora, the main character of this novel is given that chance to remake some of her past decisions.
“Camelot” by Giles Kristian
Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
It’s tough to review a book when essentially my review is “I liked it ok but it’s not nearly as good as the first book”.
“A Woman” by Sibilla Aleramo
Thanks to Penguin Press UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hmmm…how does one summarise a book such as this? I guess by saying it is VERY Italian. The book is an autobiographical account of the life of the Italian writer Sibilla Aleramo and follows the early part of her life and career at the beginning of the 20th century. Continue reading ““A Woman” by Sibilla Aleramo”
“Stranger in the Shogun’s City” by Amy Stanley
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Anyone who reads and researches a lot about Japan knows that there isn’t much tangible social history about those outwith the nobility. This book seeks to shine some light onto a life of an “ordinary” Japanese woman coming of age in the early 19th century. This was a time of huge political and social change in Japan and it was still largely closed off from the wider world and the social and cultural influences of the time. I say “ordinary” because Tsuneno was still rather privileged by the standards of the time, at the beginning of her life at least.
Continue reading ““Stranger in the Shogun’s City” by Amy Stanley”
“A Little History of Poetry” by John Carey
Thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to read this but having just finished it, I’m left with a sense of extreme disappointment.
Continue reading ““A Little History of Poetry” by John Carey”
“Chinglish” by Sue Cheung
Thanks to Penguin Random House UK Children’s for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
When I requested this book, I thought it was for older teens but I think it’s probably aimed more at the younger teen/tween audience – think Jacqueline Wilson age group. The story follows Jo, a young British Chinese girl growing up in the 1980s. As an 80s kid myself, a lot of Jo’s experiences really clicked with me and there are some real laugh out loud moments, particularly in the first part of the book. The text is interspersed with Cheung’s illustrations which are quirky and fun and really enhance the narrative.
“Four Lost Cities” by Annalee Newitz
Thanks to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I do love a lost city…although as Newitz is quick to highlight, some of these cities are far from lost.
