Book Review: The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy

To explain the rating, I neither loved nor disliked this book. I was tracking with Levy completely throughout but it was a thoughtful and interesting book and I'm happy I read. I often get asked in the comments of reviews if I would recommend the book. If you are a fan of Deborah Levy's work then you should read it as I believe it's very true to her style. If you are a big fan of literary fiction then I would definitely give it a go (and I'd love to read your review on it).⁠..

10 Books to Add to Your TBR for #NonfictionNovember

I know, I know, it feels like every week there’s a new Bookstagram challenge. But if you participate in any this month, let it be #NonfictionNovember. I am the first to put up my hand and admit that I’m a fiction junkie. When it comes to books, novels are my first love. I even used to say I hated nonfiction...

Book Review: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The blurb says this book has terrified readers for generations and, I'm not going to lie, it terrified me. It was originally published in 1932 and so some of the predictions, technologically especially, are way off. Others are only kind of off. What is most terrifying is seeing how the predictions made regarding the social order and how society is run might not be completely out there...

Why This Year’s Booker Prize Has Made Me Lose Faith in Literary Awards

In case you missed it, on Monday 14 October, the Booker Prize for 2019 was awarded to both Bernardine Evaristo for her novel Girl, Woman, Other and Margaret Atwood for The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. Both women are phenomenal writers, each deserving of this great accolade. However, this result has left a bad taste in my mouth and a lot of the wider reading community, so let me expound on why...

Book Review: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak

In the 10 minutes and 38 seconds it takes for Tequila Leila's brain to stop functioning after her heart has stopped beating, she reflects on her life, her friends, her family and everything that has led to her death on the streets of Istanbul behind a dumpster...

Book Review: Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson

Like QUICHOTTE, I'm not giving this book a less than 3-star rating because of anything to with the writing. I haven't read anything else by Jeanette Winterson but the skill she shows with language does keep me intrigued in her other works even though I didn't gel with this one. It explores the boundaries of humanity and technological intervention on human life and I understand why it made the longlist. I'm very glad it didn't make the shortlist...

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot: A brief explanation of Guy Fawkes Day

As a Brit living in the states, I have spent the past 31 days trying to make sense of a national obsession with Halloween. Although Halloween has its origins in the old Celtic festival of Samhain, the holidays seems to have exploded since reaching the shores of the "New World". No other country goes as full out with feeling on Halloween as Americans do and, I'm going to honest, as a foreigner, it's a little strange. So, as November 5th approaches, I figured I should reciprocate and bring you all up to speed on our strange little national obsession for effigy burning, better known as Guy Fawkes' Night...