Natasha

3.5 stars. Beautiful descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness and a gentle retelling of a fairytale.

I clearly did not get this at all. I liked Grief is a Thing with Feathers, and I adored Lanny - but this just felt confusing and pretentious.

This book seems to have a little of every genre. It follows the rise of a band in the 60's and their highs (ha!) and lows. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the band members - I cared about their personal lives and their particular demons.

What didn't work as well for me were the party, name dropping scenes. It felt like fan fiction and author wish fulfillment rather than the authentic experiences.

Overall though - an engaging (if rather long) read. (Note: I think it contains spoilers for the author's previous novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - although I haven't read that one yet).

Something wicked this way comes. A house with a grizzly history of murder, witchcraft and hauntings. Enter 4 renowned horror authors and a small team of vloggers who spend Halloween night in the infamous house - and you get all the gothic goodness - bumps in the night, shadows in the periphery and a steady descent into madness. Who will survive this menacing place? ⁣
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Really great fun, with just the right amount of gore and scares. Recommended read for Halloween

“I'm here to remember - all that I have been and all that I'll never be again.”

Beautiful, poignant and heartfelt - filled with deep love and aching regret.

I wanted to love this book, to adore it, and I'm upset that I didn't. The writing is beautiful, I loved the reclamation of the language and the use of the dictionary, but I failed to connect with any characters or the story. It's not you, it's me.

4.5 stars. This story has been done before- a girl held captive by an evil man, but I was riveted the entire time. It had me hooked, I had to turn the page to find out what happened. A mark of a very successful thriller.

I don't feel that I can rate this book. It is deeply personal and affecting. Just know that it is powerful and important and everyone should read it.

This is the oldest book on my shelves. 7 years it's been sitting there - and I finally picked it up. I really enjoyed the first half - loved learning about Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah and Dinah's childhood. I didn't really care for the end of the novel set in Egypt, but I'll always champion a feminist retelling, and love how Diamant gave Dinah a voice.

2.5 stars. This was just bizarre. It's very cerebral and symbolic and maybe my exhausted little mind didn't quite appreciate it as it would have when I was a university student. I did enjoy the way Awad poked fun at The Arts and the ‘academic wankers' as we used to call them (people who got off on their own intellectual brilliance).

I see a lot of mixed reviews for this one, but it ticks a lot of boxes. It's mysterious, haunting and oh so creepy.

Two generations ago, the entire inhabitants of a struggling village disappeared without a trace. With the exception of a brutally murdered woman tied to a pole, and a new born baby left in the school. Now, a documentary film making team are scouting the area and investigating the mystery to (hopefully) pitch it to a major network. Creepy shenanigans ensue.

The beginning of the book is a little slow, but it didn't deter me. I needed to know what happened, and overall I was satisfied. Ghost towns, possessions, sabotage, brain washing, murder and mayhem. If that sounds fun to you, I recommend you pick this up and sleep with the lights on.

Uurgh. Dry, dull and dense (the 3 disaster D's). I absolutely loved Atonement- but all other McEwan books have fallen short - I think it's time I break up with him.

4.5 stars. I'm rounding this up to 5 for pure enjoyment value. It's a fun, easy read packed with puzzles and riddles and mysteries. If you are looking for something to distract and entertain- this is it!

I'm really not a poetry fan - didn't like it in University- and unfortunately still don't like it now. But at least I tried.

All the stars! You have to read this book. It is a beautiful tale of courage in the face of adversity, of light in times of darkness. It made me cry (a lot - sometimes with joy!) and also made me laugh out loud. Adunni is absolutely delightful. She is kind and courageous, clever and optimistic - one of my favourite characters in literature EVER!

I feel like I am gushing, but I think I have discovered a new all time favourite. Read it!!

4.5 stars. An emotional and action packed rollercoaster of a novel. Gripping and relevant.

Once again I feel emotionally manipulated by Kristin Hannah, but anything that makes me cry ugly tears deserves at least a 4 star rating.

I'm not quite sure I know what happened in the end, but I certainly enjoyed the ride. Sarah Waters is a remarkable writer.

3.5 stars. A cult. Yes A CULT! Any book that has a cult in it I'm there for. It's a morbid fascination I have with misplaced faith and belief - and The Project started out strongly. A missing sister, a cryptic bible verse, a tragic suicide.

And then the middle fizzled out. Nothing much happened. I could see what was happening to the main protagonist and felt like shaking her just a little bit. It was slightly predictable, and then ......

That ending! Once again, strong and satisfying. I preferred Sadie, but will definitely read Courtney Summers future works.

I don't do this often, but I HATED this book. I know it's meant to be a satire about privileged beautiful boarding school types, but it was so not funny. It's message was awful (especially around body image) and I would keep it as far away from any teenage girl as possible. Detestable characters, boring plot .... just .... no.

Fun, easy read with characters you love to hate.

This was a heart breaking read. It was powerful and moving and tragic.

I did it! I finished this monster of a book! It was quite a ride. I enjoyed most of the plot. I can't say I was completely satisfied with the ending but I'll take it. I found the way women were referred to (and portrayed) to be problematic- a lot of unnecessary boob and buttocks descriptions

Charming, delightful and oh so feel good

The premise sounds amazing. Something happens and all communication to the outside world is cut off. A lone survivor in the Arctic and a group of astronauts hurtling towards an uncertain earth try to piece together what happened while trying to survive. ⁣
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BUT it just didn't deliver. It was incredibly dense (despite being a rather short book) and the ending left me underwhelmed and dissatisfied. ⁣
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Has anyone watched the Netflix adaptation, Midnight Sky? Is it worth it? ⁣