If you have a great relationship with your mother, this book might seem like it was written by an alien. For those who struggle with the relationships with their parents, then this book might help you think about your experiences in new ways. Continue reading
Luda is a journalist and she seems to have an almost cut-throat nature when it comes to her reporting. She sees the story and the opportunity to tell it – and not really who is involved in the storytelling and how their lives become swept up in the drama of the story. When Luda publishes the picture of the girl falling to her death off the coastline of the remote community she moves to, she is quickly ostracized by the community. In a moment of profound grief – Luda can only seem to see the opportunity to tell a story of climate disaster with little regard for how the disaster of losing a child might affect the family involved. Continue reading
The novel follows the life of Roland Baines, and the novel swaps between Roland’s formative years at an all boys boarding school in the U.K. and his adult life as a single father to his son Lawrence, after his wife disappears one day. Continue reading
This is all a very roundabout way to say that The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was an amazing book and went against every apprehension I had. As soon as I started to read it, I could not put it down. I felt completely immersed in the story – carried with the winds of the in-between with Maali – and I was utterly hooked. Personally, it has been a breath of utter fresh air to have found Karunatilaka’s novel at a time where I haven’t always felt on my reading A-game. Continue reading
There have been many highs and lows, but I wanted to talk today about 5 ways grief has affected my reading in 2022. Continue reading
Keegan is an Irish author who grew up in Ireland but she has also lived in the United States, Wales, and is now back in Ireland. Her writing, like all Irish writing seems to have to beauty and softness about it that I can’t quite explain, but truly love to read. I’ve written about my love of Irish authors a lot on this blog and one of my favourites is Niall Williams’ This is Happiness. You can read my review of Williams’ book here. Continue reading
His latest work though is a very different kind of book. Instead of creating worlds in a well or alternate universes through tunnels, Murakami has released a book about his experiences as a career author, and in it, he details all the highs and lows of what it is really like to write books for over 35 years. In this book, he talks about each section being a speech rather than an essay or memoir, and I feel like that is perhaps the best way to think of this book. It does feel like Murakami is talking to you – delivering a speech at a graduation or event. Considering that Murakami rarely makes public appearances, he does this kind of speech writing well. Continue reading
While Kelly memoir is about Alan, it is also about her own journey with finding love in her partnership with Alan, but also being able to love herself. It is a story of discovery through love and loss, and Joanne writes candidly about what her life will be like once Alan is gone. In many ways, it honours Alan and also caries his memory forward. Continue reading
When I started to see this book around my local independent bookstores, I was intrigued but unsure. The blurb does not give much away so you might not think it is a book about grief, alien eggs, or magic realism. It wasn’t until a friend of mine read this book and told me about it, … Continue reading
I read Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner a few months ago now. It has rightfully been a best seller, a book of the year by all the major news outlets and reviews, and a general literary success across the globe. Everyone is talking about it. Everyone is reading it. In terms of algorithmic (internet) success – I should have written my ‘exclusive’ thoughts on the book long ago. But I didn’t. Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.