Hannah Morgan-Lewis
I liked this one. Not such a reliance on the old tragic backstories. Yes, they have had hard times but not to the point of harrowing the reader. Nice age difference relationship with a little bit of non bdsm dominance/submission in the bedroom, countered by the equality outside the bedroom. I thought that the death of Nathan's parents was glossed over though, I know that his father was supposed to be the villain, but it was a bit of a case of Nathan just shrugging it all off.
A sweet little historic romance, not quite as sexy as some others. Not one to read if you are a stickler for historical accuracy or language - particularly the frequent descriptions of ass for bottoms (quite sure that would have only been used to describe donkeys!). Apparently, the prostate has always been the easiest to find body part on a man! Would probably look out for the follow up on unlimited again.
A bit too far this time. I understand this is meant to be angst but when you start to play trigger bingo and are numbed to the effect of what should be an upsetting read then I think it's time to reign it in. The characters didn't have the personalities that some of Sloane's have. Levi was just guilt and suffering and Phoenix was mainly guilt. Not one of her best.
It's a bit dated as far as the 1980s sexual attitudes are concerned, but this book is like eating a big box of chocolates. Funny and absurd in places with a cast of nutty characters. I like that unlike some modern women's fiction, this isn't an improve the woman/marriage type of novel, the main character doesn't have some sort of revelation and there's very little angst about the affair.
A good erotic romance, hot and sweet. The kink of the older, bigger man taking care of and controlling a younger, smaller man (without the bdsm elements of pain or restraint) might not be to everyone's tastes, particularly as Ash seems to physically shrink through the course of the novel, but I enjoyed it. I thought the sex was a bit more realistic than some of the m/m books I've read in the past too.
This would be a great beach read. Filled with glamorous, substance addicted, self destructive rich people spending too much money and behaving shockingly. This is narrated by an outsider who becomes friends with the monsterous Lavinia. It makes a good point about the nefarious uses of social media. A page turning thriller filled with some suitably unpleasant characters.
A grumpy old man re-discovers life novel greatly enhanced by a cast of enchanting characters and a wealth of stories. The characters are really lovingly drawn with all their flaws, particularly the women who are deeply appreciated by the men for their personalities rather than the way they look. Loved Henry the loveable art forger. Probably a little too sweet for some tastes.
Great use of the unreliable narrator(s). The novel is narrated by Alex, a ‘functioning' alcoholic who continually deludes herself that everything is OK despite her memory losses and the diary enteries of another alcoholic Alex was connected with. It's the kind of novel where you don't know who to trust. Alex's interior monologue about drinking is extremely convincing. There is not a great deal of investigation going on, it's mainly a psychological thriller.
Quite Enid Blyton for adults at times in the way that the children's adventures and the meals they have are described. This is a comforting book but layered with the tension that the family who have already been affected by one devastating conflict, wi soon be affected by another. There are continual undertones that behind the idyllic life of the family there are secrets lurking. Although this is not an explicit book, I do wish that she had been a little braver with Rachel's relationship with Sid. I understand that the way that it is portrayed is completely in character, but to me it is getting a bit too close to the unhappy homosexual trope. Still, this could be rectified in a later book.
This is a good analysis of what prompted Islam to declare a fatwa against Rushdie. The author makes the point that rather than this being a worldwide thing, the protests and book burnings mainly happened in the UK where some parts of the Islamic communities were finding it difficult to integrate into Western culture and saw Rushdie as a traitor. This was by no means completly widespread, I loved that he drew attention to the Islamic feminist women's group in London who protested in support of Rushdie who was making a point against some of the misogynist elements of Islam in The Satanic Verses. I was also fascinated by the MP Keith Vaz's stance of publicly condemning the book (although reading in Rushdie's memoir Joseph Anton, behind the scenes Vaz initially offered him support). Despite the age distance, this is still a very relevant book in the author's coverage of the history of Islam in the UK and the analysis of the differing opinions towards Western culture and how immigrants integrate.
I usually don't mind Rushdie, but for some reason I just couldn't get on with this book. I thought it might have something to do with the narrator or the source material (although I have started reading the Brothers Karamazov and much prefer it), but I thought it was a fine example of the kind of lit fic that went out of fashion due to alienating readers by being overblown and pretentiously intellectual. To me, modern litfic is accessible to readers who don't have a comprehensive knowledge of obscure lit, cinema and culture. I also didn't appreciate what I saw as the token autistic video games programmer and the miserable gender fluid person. If you are going to introduce these characters, for the sake of all that is decenct explore them in a meaningful, fresh way. Two stars is a harsh rating from me, but it ends up reserved for books that waste their potential, because that is what makes me angry, when underneath all the intellectual posturing and failing characters is a better book waiting to emerge.
Another treat from Pigeonhole. This was a really entertaining page-turner, the start of a trilogy of books. It promised mummies, magic and mayhem and it didn't disapoint. Jyx is recruited to help resurrect some mummies for a royal profession but it all goes a bit wrong when he overstretches his magical abilities. The necromancer is a great, mysterious character. Loved the names she used too. I will be looking out for the next books and for the author again.
A strange, satirical, funny, difficult but rewarding novel chronicling the growth of a tiny village into a megalopolis within the span of fifty years. This is accomplished by scheming, theft and prostition carried out by the Kong family and their associates. The narrative is not that difficult to follow but the author uses allegory and magic realism liberally. I would really like to know more about the satirical elements of how he was using the allegory to express his fears about the growth of modern China as I am not that knowledgeable either about China or Chinese literature. I did, however, think that this was a worthwhile, highly thought provoking novel.
I really loved this book. The character of Circe is wonderfully written as the outsider who discovers that she can harness the power of witchcraft and metamorphosis. Miller writes about the gods and heroes in a fresh way. I also like the way that she portrayed Odysseus - like many of her characters she shows the hero as the mortal, flawed man. I hope that she wins many awards for this as this is really the kind of lit fic that I think deserves it - both brilliantly written and completely readable and resonant with current readers despite the fantasy setting.
A very well written courtroom drama centering on the lives of an MP accused of rape, his wife who has give everything up to support his career and the barrister prosecuting him. One of those books that makes you question attitudes to sex and consent. The characters are well drawn, particularly the barrister and the author avoids making the MP too much of a pantomime villain.
I listened to this on audiobook narrated by the author and I loved it. I think that she has a natural gift for making history accessible as she covers major fascist regimes from Nazi Germany up to Putin's current regime in Russia, analysing their impact and how they relate to modern fascism. Really informative and interesting, particularly for the parts of history that I am not so well versed in. Albright envisions a future where either the extreme right or extreme left takes control and society ceases to function, coming to the hopeful conclusion that by taking the best ideas of the right and left and by not allowing Trump or Putin to destroy American democracy, we can make things better but that Human rights are the responsibility of all.
A surprising, quite uplifting book. I was expecting a dissolute man novel about a degenerate individual on a spree of gambling and drinking, but this book is way more than that. The author avoids predictability or making the book too cosy with black humour and a great cast of characters including a German leather maid, a crazy self-obsessed doctor who spends operations imagining himself saving Hendrix and an anarchist slider chef.
Read on Pigeonhole. An enjoyable historical novel weaving different generations of a family connected by a house. This was well written and I liked the way that the author weaved the different storylines togetger, but I wasn't completely convinced by the paranormal elements which seemed to be tacked on at various moments as I thought they were a bit superfluous.