Welcome to the Hall of Fame! A book has to be pretty bloody amazing to make it onto this page – so you know they’re all excellent reads. If you’re looking for a new book recommendation, go with one of these!
In no particular order… meet my favourite books.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan – Book review
My goodness, Small Things Like These is a special read! I opened this novella (it clocks in at only 110 pages, but what a powerful set of pages they are) on a rainy, dark afternoon and read it in one go. I was totally immersed in its pages from the…
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Lie With Me by Philippe Besson – Book review
I read Lie With Me on NYE, coming in at 148 pages it’s a perfect afternoon read. And oh my god, WHAT a read – I was addicted, it packs such an emotional punch! Written by French author Philippe Besson and translated into English by Molly Ringwald (yes, the same…
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Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel – Book review
Quite simply, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is just brilliant. It sets up the plot intrigue, layers in the evocative human angle, references the pandemic situation we find ourselves in and sets it all against a grand time-travelling backdrop that takes us from from 1912 to 2401.…
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Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier – Book Review
I have been listening to Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier on audiobook for what feels like three years. This is in no way a negative take on this classic story; it’s more that my commuting time is a lot less these days, and it is my prime audiobook time. Anyway,…
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The Harpy by Megan Hunter – Book review
The Harpy! What a book! It’s been a long time since I’ve related and not related in equal measures to a lead character like this. If that makes any sense? Probably not. Let me explain. Opening sentence: It is the last time. An intricate study Our narrator, Lucy discovers that…
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Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
The wonderfully titled Evil Under the Sun is the 24th outing for iconic detective Hercule Poirot and – I’m pleased to say – it’s a cracking one.
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Peach by Emma Glass – Book review
Short, sharp, hard hitting and playing with your perception, Peach by Emma Glass is a unique, little (98 pages) story that uses every word with purpose to give us a visceral experience of – trigger warning here – a young woman trying to wrestle with her feelings post-rape. Opening sentence:…
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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke – Book Review
My library hold for Piranesi by Susanna Clarke came through on the day it was announced as the winner of the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Very fortuitous. I, of course, dived right in but have to admit was thrown by the opening pages and the world it immediately conjured…
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Review: Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
You know when some books just punch you so hard, emotionally? That’s what Small Pleasures did to me.
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Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Sometimes it seems fortuitous that you pick up a book (The Midnight Library in this case) at the exact moment it can really help you. A few weeks ago I was having a bad Corona day (you know the ones, where you feel like the black fog of this nightmare…
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Review: The Corset by Laura Purcell
I am not being hyperbolic when I say that I adored every single page of this book. The Corset contained all the elements I personally love in a story; intrigue around the lead characters, a murder mystery, unexpected emotional twists and an ending that leaves you closing the book wishing…
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Review: This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Let me start by saying This is Going to Hurt is hands-down one of the best memoirs I’ve read. Adam Kay honestly and succinctly lays bare the harsh realities of being a junior doctor in the NHS: ‘the hours are terrible, the pay is terrible, the conditions are terrible; you’re…
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Review: The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris
Opening sentence: “Bee Larkham’s murder was ice blue crystals with glittery edges and jagged, silver icicles.” If you love a unique protagonist, then you need to give this book a read ASAP. Thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart has autism, synesthesia (a condition where for every word, sound, object or person, he…
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Review: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
Opening sentence: “As pale as a grub she’s an eyeful.” It’s been a while since I’ve read several books by an author and truly felt their natural, distinctive tone of voice shine through loud and clear in all of them, even when all the books have a very different…
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Review: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Wow – what a read! Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi is one of those amazing books that explores so many ideas within a cohesive, engrossing narrative and manages to perfectly balance it all: working as both a heart-wrenching story and thought-provoking, wonderfully written piece that packs an emotional punch.…
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Review: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Opening sentence: “The King stood in a pool of blue light, unmoored.” I’m just going to start this review by saying: You need to read this book. It’s the first novel in a while that’s had such a visceral effect on me. It’s brilliant. Station Eleven is a dystopian novel…
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Review: Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Tin Man by Sarah Winman Opening sentence: “All Dora Judd ever told anyone about that night three weeks before Christmas was that she won the painting in a raffle.” You know when you finish a book and just have to take a moment to compose yourself? Yes, that. To say…
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Review: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo Opening sentence: “I must leave this city today and come to you.” Stay With Me is the debut novel from African author, Ayobami Adebayo and has been on my TBR radar for quite a few months. It was shortlisted for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for…
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A Little About Me.
Hello! I’m Jen. Welcome to my book blog – I review ALL kinds of genres and stories and reading is my true relax and escape time… Read more
Books on the 7:47 