Oh
hey, my bookish friends. It’s been a while. I promise I have
been reading this year… I
just haven’t been writing about it as much, for some reason. Let’s
fix that now, eh?
Here
are a few of my reads from earlier in 2019…
Heartstream,
by Tom Pollock.
It’s
no secret how much I love and loathe
Tom and his brilliantly, terrifyingly, whip smart and wicked writing.
The first novel of his I read, ‘White
Rabbit, Red Wolf’, was hands down my best read of 2018.
'Heartstream’ will
be ranking very highly in this year’s reads, too. The pacing was
perfect, the characters were totally 3D, the plot was fascinating –
and at times, devastating. I particularly loved the way Pollock
captured the essence of the boy band fandom; how truly devoted and,
often, deranged the fangirls can become to not just the
individual members,
but a fantasy ship within the
band. I’d liken his talent in writing this specific subgenre to
that of Alice
Oseman and Chris
Russell,
the legends of #boybandYA – and then he twisted it extremely darkly
in a way only his mind can.
A Girl’s Guide to Personal Hygiene,
by Tallulah Pomeroy.
This
book slayed me. It’s a quick coffee table read – although I do
not recommend reading with any drinks in one’s mouth, for fear of
choking or spraying them out when you inevitably crack up laughing.
This
book has actually inspired its own gross little blog post (which is
why I won’t be saying much about it in this one). Read that HERE,
if you dare!
Letting Go, by Cat Clarke.
A
short and sweet story of two young women, exes, who have to come
together again in a less than ideal situation – the scattering of
one’s mother’s ashes, on a clifftop, with a new boyfriend thrown
in for extra awkwardness.
It’s
no secret that I love the inclusive and generally marvellous
publisher, Barrington Stoke. I also have the biggest friend- and
author-crush on Cat, so imagine my excitement when this beauty
arrived in the post!? I gobbled it right up on a day’s train
journeys into and home from work. I really enjoyed the tension, not
just in the life or death scenario that presents itself (no spoilers,
but wowee), but also in the relationships between each of the
characters. Classic Clarke.
Read
my quickie interview with Cat about this book RIGHT HERE!
Thanks
for bearing with me, bookish peeps. I’ve been a bit up and down
this year, in all honesty; my mental health is ridiculous as ever,
and fortunately (I say, smacking my hand hard
on
my wooden coffee table, repeatedly) I have not had any major surgery
or drastic physical ailments but I still
feel
stretched thin
and
knackered
out. I should really be prioritising chilled reading time, tbh.
Is
it too late to make that a new year’s resolution??
These
books are all available in the high street shops, but as always I
will link you to the indie guys; The Big Green Bookshop and A Great Read. I urge you to consider who you want your money to go
to when you’re buying things. (Also, the latter do free delivery
sooo…)
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