I recently figured out I have been reading books of a very specific genre – dystopian novels and climate disaster novels which one could argue are a subgenre of dystopias. I didn’t recognise that I was in this pattern until I looked over my recently read books on Goodreads. I find it strange that I … Continue reading
Tag Archives: reading
A Review of Sally Vickers’ “The Gardener”: A novel about siblings, small country towns, and the power of gardening
After many twists and turns, two adult sisters, Margot and Halcyon also known as Hassie, find themselves living together in a rundown Jacobian house in Hope Wenlock – a small village in the Welsh marshes. The two sisters seem to be completely different. And their relationship is civil but also very cold at the beginning of the novel. The sisters, almost unbeknownst to themselves, want to reconnect. They just don’t know how to do it. Continue reading
A Review of Donal Ryan’s “Strange Flowers”: race and sexuality in 1970s Ireland
This novel is about all the things that families don’t say to each other. It explores the things that are left unsaid, and how that can shape ideas of identity, family, love, and home. Continue reading
How To Get Out of a Reading Slump
Today, I wanted to hit pause on my usual book reviews and bookish articles and have a chat about what it is like to be in a reading slump when you have a book blog. As you can imagine, it can be pretty frustrating to be in a reading slump when you have a book … Continue reading
A Review of Tabitha Carvan’s “This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch”: unapologetically loving things
Carvan’s book is about motherhood and the changes it brings with it. It is (despite what the title suggests) also a little about her love of Benedict Cumberbatch. And it is about losing yourself and then finding a way back to yourself by exploring and embracing the things that bring you joy. Continue reading
“The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafak: Intergenerational trauma and healing through writing
Shafak’s novel has a simple premise, love. And it might seem like a cliche, but it just works for this beautiful story. Defne, a Turkish woman, and Kostas, a Greek man, fall in love at the peak of the conflict in Cyrpus in 1974. Their love is helped along by a beautiful mixed Turkish and Greek couple Yusuf and Yiorgos and a little tavern called “The Happy Fig”. Continue reading
Exploring Australia’s Colonial History: A review of “Devotion” by Hannah Kent
Devotion is an Australian colonial saga. It chronicles the Prussian and German immigrants who travelled to Australia, specifically to South Australia, in the 1800s. It is about love, loss, religious persecution, and the Australian landscape. Continue reading
A Review of Brené Brown’s “The Gifts of Imperfection”: being imperfect is actually perfect
As I write this review, International Women’s Day is approaching – March 8th – and I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a woman today. There is so much happening in the world that I don’t even have the full capacity to comprehend it all without feeling like I am … Continue reading
5 Great Books About Mental Health – because therapy isn’t cheap!
We are in the third year of a pandemic. Everyone is going through something right now. Some people are doing better than others, and how well someone is doing right now can be affected by a lot of things. Money, job and housing security, intimate relationships, friendships and support safety nets differ from person to person. Continue reading
Book Review of “Wild Souls” by Emma Marris: Rethinking nature conservation and the wild
Emma Marris’ book Wild Souls was an easy read for me at the beginning of 2022. I saw it in the nonfiction section at my local book store and I was intrigued by the cover. I have been reading a lot of books about nature, the wild, conservation, and human relationships with the non-human world. … Continue reading
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