Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
AlysonCB

AlysonCB

Joined January 2019

34 years young. UK 🇬🇧. Greek Classics 💕 Spooky girl 👻 Introvert. Slytherin 🐍Reading resolution to explore life through literature 👀
review
AlysonCB
The Black Farm | Elias Witherow
post image
Pickpick

Not for the faint-hearted. Although packed with itense gore and extreme violence, there is a riveting story underneath, filled with anxiety inducing suspense and fantastic world building. Albeit a world you would never want to end up in.

Lesliereadsalot Read up on this book and wow does it look scary. Will try it based on your rec! 10mo
AlysonCB @Lesliereadsalot - be warned it has some extreme themes!! 😂 Good luck! 10mo
48 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

A creepy little novella about a woman who gets possessed by a demon. A quick and scary read for a rainy day.

Reggie I always remember the dog who doesn‘t recognize her anymore. I said I didn‘t like it but whenever possession stories come up this is the one I think of. 10mo
44 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
AlysonCB
Bunny: A Novel | Mona Awad
post image
Pickpick

Do I know what I just read ? - NO
Did I love it ? - YES

Psychedelic fever dream from start to finish.

Soubhiville I loved this too! Such a strange but engrossing read. I still call people “Bunny” in my head. 😆 11mo
Ruthiella Loved this too! 🐰🍌👖🤯 11mo
AlysonCB @Ruthiella 🪓 🐇 🦌 🧁 👯‍♀️👯‍♀️🦢 ... 🤭 11mo
AlysonCB @Soubhiville Yes! The number of times i've actually called people bunny this week 😂 I need to stop! 11mo
62 likes4 comments
review
AlysonCB
Mr. Loverman | Bernardine Evaristo
post image
Pickpick

Mr Loverman was great! Bernardine has such talent for building communities and complex charaters within her books. A love triangle between Morris, Barry, and his wife Carmel. A wonderful exploration of living secret lives and the trials of being a closeted older gay man from a Caribbean community 🇦🇬

Ruthiella Stacking! I‘ve yet to read anything more from Evaristo, which is sad because I loved 12mo
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
AlysonCB
Woom | Duncan Ralston
post image
Pickpick

Did I read it in one sitting? Yes. Would I recommend it to anyone? No. Go for it if you like extreme horror - all the trigger warnings possible. Haha - what a wild ride.

43 likes2 stack adds
review
AlysonCB
Penance | Eliza Clark
post image
Pickpick

Really enjoyed this. It kept me intrigued from beginning to end. A collection of interviews from a small coastal town in the UK after a girl is murdered by 3 other girls. A great build up to find out what actually happened and the motivations behind the murder. Alongside the murder plot, is a great dissection of what it was like to be a UK school girl with the rise of social media in the 2010's and the dark side of being a true crime fan.

review
AlysonCB
Credence | Penelope Douglas
post image
Panpan

I don't even know what to say 😂 You know a book is bad when the editor can't even be bothered to read something thoroughly enough to stop countless spelling and grammar mistakes. Are the sex scenes good? Yes if you can delete from your mind that it's about an Orphan sleeping with her step uncle and her two grown up step cousins, whilst also playing happy families (which I couldn't). I need to stop taking book recs from Tik Tok 😂

Vansa I find it genuinely alarming that young women nowadays seem to only want to read about exploitative situations involving teenage girls. It's like feminism has gone round full circle to the beginning when as soon as a girl hit puberty,she was married off(a situation that most women find themselves in even now).It's really depressing that girls with agency and freedom choose fiction where girls don't have that 1y
TheLudicReader I read one book by this author…and it was horrible. Like really, really bad. I hate read it and then wrote a scathing review. I have had more than one comment from people telling me that I don‘t understand “dark romance”. Oh, puh-leeze. I agree that many young women are devouring this sort of book…aka CH and it makes me so sad. 1y
49 likes2 comments
review
AlysonCB
Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes
post image
Mehso-so

Wasn't too sure about this one. Much better female centric greek myth adaptations available. Agree with other reviewers that Medusa is hardly in this story. Too much emphasis on forcing the reader to understand that Perseus and the Gods are the monsters, not the Gorgon's. I think most women who read classics and retellings already understand this.

KT1432 Such a shame it was disappointing. I‘ve loved every single cover I've seen for this. 😩 1y
48 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

Book number 2 from my beach reads. Very interesting story about enduring friendship; the kind that ebbs and flows throughout the years whilst dealing with many of life's big battles, including grief and disability. Also, there is an interesting insight into what goes into making video games. Definitely recommend if you are a gamer but also enjoy ( sort of) romance 😊

jewright I was surprised how much I like this book. 1y
55 likes1 comment
review
AlysonCB
One True Loves | Taylor Jenkins Reid
post image
Pickpick

Number one of my summer holiday beach reads. As we all know TJR is my fave contemporary author so decided to give one of her early books a go. Great beach read - easy going romance but prefer her newer stuff 😊 (even got my husband reading Carrie Soto this holiday!)

review
AlysonCB
Exquisite Corpse | Poppy Z. Brite
post image
Mehso-so

This book was so gross 😂 Trigger warnings for basically anything you can imagine and not imagine.

cemsreadingcorner Just looking at the cover makes me think it‘s sooo good. 😂 1y
38 likes1 comment
review
AlysonCB
The Dreamers | Karen Walker
post image
Mehso-so

Crazy that this came out just before Covid 19 - set in a town in California where a mysterious sleeping illness sweeps the population, forcing quarantine. The book explores the struggles that come with a pandemic for the town and follows individuals' stories of survival. At the end it needed more explanation of the virus - considering the suggestion that there was some sort of mystical/ dimensional element. I got no answers at the end *shrugs*

49 likes1 stack add
review
AlysonCB
Mexican Gothic | Silvia Moreno-Garcia
post image
Pickpick

A very good gothic tale set in 1950's with historical and mystical elements. Creepy and unique with a very likable and charismatic heroine. Read somewhere they are making a tv show, which will be a good watch 👻

review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this. Such an interesting concept - that you are notified on the day you are going to die. The story of two people who find each other on their last day and the journey to live that day to the full.

review
AlysonCB
post image
Mehso-so

I'm not sure about this one. Set up to be a poignant semi-autobiography of a gay man and his relationship with his first lover Trevor, and his Vietnamese Mother and Grandmother- who moved to America as a result of the war in Vietnam. There were lovely moments but I just couldn't grasp at any coherency within the themes and I don't really understand what any of it was about to be honest 😂 Maybe it was above me on an intellectual level. Who knows.

TalesandTexts I know this might be a divisive opinion, but I personally don‘t resonate much with Ocean Vuong‘s writing and don‘t really feel the author is worth the hype. I have found in some cases that when authors are exceptionally popular, readers who don‘t resonate with them, often wonder what‘s wrong, that they can‘t appreciate what the rest of the world apparently does. The reader is forced to justify why they don‘t like the author; which isn‘t right. 2y
Vansa Oooh I had the same feeling.Also, seriously,I never feel that any book is too intellectual for me-book reading now is so much about performance,and giving a voice to narratives that aren't mainstream,that we seem to be missing that not all of those need to be good writers merely by virtue of belonging to a previously marginalized community!Vuong's writing can be unbearably flowery and overwrought in places.Hes too absorbed in his cleverness(1/n) 2y
Vansa (2/n) if this book had been written by a woman in her 40s,she would be laughed out of the industry. 2y
57 likes3 comments
blurb
AlysonCB
post image

Today I went to 66Books LTD in Hemel Hempstead and it was amazing! 20 new books with 70% off - £61! 😻 I am sorted for the year now!! 😂

Ruthiella Score! 👍📚 2y
RobES Love this ❤️ 2y
68 likes2 comments
review
AlysonCB
Carrie Soto Is Back | Taylor Jenkins Reid
post image
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this from TJR, especially after being a little bit disappointed with Malibu Rising after loving Daisy Jones and E Hugo. It is very tennis heavy 🎾 - shot by shot so if you aren't a fan of the sport then it might be a bit much. Carrie, although being an abrasive character, ' The Battleaxe' is a trade mark TJR female protagonist. Unapologeticly themselves and unwilling to dull down their shine for anyone ❤️

review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

Leant to me by a friend - great thriller/ murder mystery. I struggled to put this down. I noticed after I finished it was book 3 in a series containing the two main female protagonists - you don't need to read the others beforehand, but I will definitely circle back and read others from Tess Gerritsen.

BookishMadHatter That's such a good series 2y
bookaholic1 Love her books 2y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
AlysonCB
post image
Panpan

Bad start to 2023 - I rarely pan books and this was a pan for me. I finished it and the writing style was good and evocative - but I just didn't relate. The theme of the short stories is fears of women twisted in to horror/fairytales but I just didn't understand them at all or see myself in them.

review
AlysonCB
post image
Mehso-so

Kept me guessing to the end. And I defintely don't think I would have gotten the twist if I hadn't read a very similar book this year about the same subject matter. If you like twisty books that are a bit weird and at the end you're still not sure what happened, then this is for you 😂

46 likes1 stack add
review
AlysonCB
post image
Mehso-so

I definitely think I'm too old for this type of book now. I did relate to some of the anecdotes looking back to when I was about 10 years younger than I am now... but I can't get invested in the self indulgent and at times narcissistic tales of an affluent randomer who has found celebrity doing... something or other.

review
AlysonCB
The Inverts | Crystal Jeans
post image
Pickpick

A funny little romp in to the lives of Bettina and Bart, friends since childhood growing up in 1920's England, who both confide in each other that they are gay. They decide to marry each other as a cover with the story following their relationships with each other and the lovers they meet along the way.

45 likes2 comments
review
AlysonCB
Lovely War | Julie Berry
post image
Pickpick

A very romantic story set in WW1 told by Greek Goddess Aphrodite. Absolutely loved the stories of the two couples this book follows, of course being set in WW1, there are bound to be a few tears. Not sure it needed the added layer of the Gods and Goddesses though. This felt a bit forced and would have made a magnificent love story without that element. Still a good read 😊

yash_sy Hi,
My name is Yash Patel, a UX designer by profession. I am designing an app for avid readers like you, where you can borrow & lend your books over the internet across the city/state level. For this, I am conducting the survey. I would appreciate it if you spare a few minutes and participate in this survey.
Here is the link: https://forms.gle/FV68nCWMXNx1H1WD6
2y
40 likes3 stack adds1 comment
review
AlysonCB
Verity | Colleen Hoover
post image
Pickpick

This was a much better offering from CH. There are still parts of her writing style that I don't like. She doesn't trust her readers to follow the story and over describes details that don't matter to the plot. That being said, my goodness was there suspense built throughout the whole story. I actually felt creeped out, which rarely happens. Good going seeing as this is more thriller than horror. Read if you want to get your pulse racing!

52 likes1 stack add
review
AlysonCB
post image
Mehso-so

Beautiful writing but just a tad too much Shakespeare for me. Also not enough mystery, I found the whole plot just a little bit too predictable. Still, interesting concept and kept me engaged throughout.

RaeLovesToRead Agree. I loved the atmosphere of this one, but the story didn't have enough complexity or twistiness for me to truly love it! 3y
53 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
AlysonCB
Ugly Love: A Novel | Colleen Hoover
post image
Panpan

Definitely a book that 'booktok' made me buy that just isn't worth it. It reads like really bad fanfiction (which there is nothing wrong with, I love good fanficiton when it's written well). I had no connection to any of the characters and the book as a whole made me feel nothing. Sorry to anyone who loves this book - maybe i'm just too old for this kinda thing now 🥱

TheLudicReader I‘ve never met a CH book I‘ve liked. Granted I have only read two. I just don‘t get why people love her. 3y
fictionaddictbooks Now I feel like I Should drop this. I didn't even get to read it yesterday neither have I touched it today and it's midday already. 3y
AlysonCB @fictionaddictbooks I see you managed to get though it and persevered. Not great right? Funnily enough I'm just starting Verity by the same author. It will be a good test to see if it was just the one book that was bad to me or her writing. Wish me luck!! 3y
45 likes3 comments
review
AlysonCB
Sweetbitter: A novel | Stephanie Danler
post image
Mehso-so

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I finished a book 😂 So unlike me, but life has been unrelenting.
OK book about a young girl moving to the big apple and getting a new job at a restaurant. Navigating the city, making new friends, lovers and learning about life. Lovely descriptive language to evoke smells and tastes, but overly pretentious in places - sadly unavoidable when the story is heavily focused around fine dining and wines.

persephone1408 Love the show 3y
AlysonCB @persephone1408 ooo didn't know they made it in to a show. I will have a search for it 😊 3y
persephone1408 @AlysonCE 2 seasons of it on starz 3y
Kitta I agree, it was only so-so. I‘ve never watched the series though 3y
56 likes2 stack adds4 comments
review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

Finally finished a book and out of a very long reading slump, and it was this lovely story. Tender, poetic, and bursting with the most beautiful writing. A masterclass in world building on a small scale. Strong themes of coming of age, loneliness and self reliance in a hard world, and what it is to be truly 'connected'.

IuliaC Lovely review! I really enjoyed this one 👍 3y
cheesemoi Nice review! I‘m glad you enjoyed it! :) 3y
Lesliereadsalot Movie on the way with Daisy Edgar-Jones. She played Marianne in the tv version of Normal People by Sally Rooney. 3y
AlysonCB @Lesliereadsalot I have just seen the trailer 🥰 So exciting! 3y
73 likes4 comments
review
AlysonCB
post image
Mehso-so

Very interesting premise - 100% go in to it blind. Not knowing the subject matter of the story before hand is definitely what makes this a good read. Contains very mature content and themes so definitely check this before reading if certain topics upset you.

review
AlysonCB
Vicious | V. E. Schwab
post image
Pickpick

This was good. Not what I would normally read so I don't really have a bench mark but chose after reading Addie LaRue by the same author. Great for anyone who enjoys the Sci-fi/ Superhero genre packed with morally grey characters. Looking forward to reading the next book in the duology.

56 likes1 stack add
review
AlysonCB
Malibu Rising | Taylor Jenkins Reid
post image
Mehso-so

I had huge hopes for Taylor Jenkins Reid's new book but unfortunately it didn't resonate with me as much as Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo did. Saying this it was still a great book with TJR's undoubtable talent for characterisation and writing complex, strong and passionate women. Looking forward to exploring some of her earlier writes and adding to my collection 😊

BittersweetBooks Glad I‘m not the only one who felt this way. I was super excited to read it but thought it fell short. I much prefer her earlier books. 3y
60 likes1 comment
review
AlysonCB
The Maidens: A Novel | Alex Michaelides
post image
Mehso-so

Eh, it was ok. Have definitely read better murder thrillers. Unfortunately a twist that I did partly see coming from near the beginning even though the book does do a good job of trying to throw you off the scent in many different directions. Unfortunately wrapped up in a very quick and flimsy way.

hannah-leeloo Thank you for the follow 😊 happy reading from a hufflepuff who loves ya and fantasy 📚❤📖 3y
AlysonCB You're welcome @hannah-leeloo ! Happy reading to you too ☺🤪 3y
Amoon I think the red herrings were manipulative. The big reveal was not great 3y
AlysonCB @Amoon completely agree about the 'big reveal' and the red herrings got confused within themselves. Have you read The Silent Patient by the same author? I hear good things. 3y
60 likes4 comments
review
AlysonCB
Daisy Jones & The Six | Taylor Jenkins Reid
post image
Pickpick

Yes! Taylor Jenkins-Reid is officially my favourite contemporary author. I still prefer Evelyn Hugo, but this is amazing in its own right. Jenkins Reid has a natural talent for conveying raw emotion that grips you. I was a sobbing mess during both of these reads. Heading out soon to buy Malibu Rising!

jewright I found this book fascinating. 3y
75 likes3 stack adds1 comment
review
AlysonCB
post image
Panpan

I feel guilty for 'panning' this considering the subject and the fact that Homegoing was one of my favourites last year, but I just didn't like it. Main character, Gifty, didn't grow until the last 2 pages when the whole of her future was wedged in with no explanation. Just felt like rambling pages of religion vs science, with what could have been a very interesting story about loss, depression, religon, race and addiction badly woven within it.

StellaB I didn‘t get very far with this either. 3y
46 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

Wow. I was nervous going in to this as I've seen so much hype around this book and that can often lead to disappointment. Definitely NOT the case, it was phenomenal. Hands down my favourite book of the year so far. Evelyn Hugo, what a formidable woman. I think im in love.

Lesliereadsalot We have so many books in common, I will definitely pick this one up. 3y
AlysonCB @Msleslieg , you wont regret it! Let me know if you read it. I would love to know your thoughts 😊 3y
Lesliereadsalot Wow Alyson. Evelyn Hugo is a stunner. I actually cried when she won the Oscar. A great read. Many thanks for your recommendation. (edited) 3y
AlysonCB @Lesliereadsalot You're so welcome and I'm so happy you enjoyed it! I wish I could read it again for the first time 😍 3y
67 likes5 stack adds4 comments
review
AlysonCB
Tender Is the Flesh | Agustina Bazterrica
post image
Pickpick

I am now a vegetarian. That is all.

BarbaraBB Fab review! Loved the book! 3y
magyklyXdelish Amazing review ♥️ 3y
she.hearts.horror I started this 3X. I need to finish. 3y
AlysonCB @she.epeolatry It's so eye opening. I was digusted by the end. Honestly no meat in my house now 😂 Good luck with finishing! 3y
she.hearts.horror @AlysonCE I‘ll bet. I‘m actually enjoying the read but it‘s a lot to process ( pardon the pun) 💀😭. I think because everything presented is go grounded and plausible. It reminded me of The Warehouse ( by Rob Hart). 3y
52 likes2 stack adds5 comments
blurb
AlysonCB
Piranesi | Susanna Clarke
post image

When your to be read fills a whole shelf!

LapReader I have over 1000 TBR. You have great self control. 3y
TheLudicReader @LapReader I have hundreds on my tbr, too. I am almost jealous when I see someone with a manageable tbr pile…but then I go to the bookstore and the feeling goes away. 🤪 3y
ShyBookOwl Haha I have one filled shelf too... if u don't include the dozens on my kindle 😅 3y
See All 14 Comments
AmyG @LapReader @TheLudicReader My People! 😘 May we all live long enough to read our TBR pile. 3y
Graywacke Nice 3y
AlysonCB @AmyG Amen to that 🙌 😂 @LapReader , @TheLudicReader - Now I know mines small in comparison I want to buy more! 😈 3y
Donna310x Mine spans a whole bookcase 😄🤣 3y
Lesliereadsalot Did you read Piranesi? It‘s really good! 3y
AlysonCB @Lesliereadsalot Not yet, it is still 0n my shelf waiting to be read! I might go for it next. 3y
Lesliereadsalot Picked up They Both Die at the End just because the title is so intriguing! 3y
AlysonCB @Lesliereadsalot again still on my shelf waiting for me to get to it! I have too many book to get through and no time 😅 But I hope you enjoy it! 3y
jimfields3 You have better discipline than me that they all fit on one shelf! 3y
AlysonCB @jimfields3 I'm learning that, compared to others, I don't have that bad of a book buying problem! 3y
67 likes14 comments
review
AlysonCB
Ariadne | Jennifer Saint
post image
Pickpick

Reading night with bubba - just finished Ariadne. One my favourite Greek retellings I've read so far, up there with Circe and Song of Achilles. Will definitely enjoy if you liked these ❤

Vansa I really liked this book. Very moving, specially Phaedra's story. 3y
AlysonCB @Vansa SO moving! And such young girls to have to deal with their situations, both of them. 3y
mackelie Can‘t wait to add it to my list! 3y
64 likes4 stack adds3 comments
blurb
AlysonCB
Boy Parts | Eliza Clark
post image

It has taken till page 206 for me to find this book interesting and throw me a twist! My evening sorted. Please ignore my pot of houmous on the table 😂

blurb
AlysonCB
Wrath and the Dawn | Rene Ahdieh
post image

I went crazy at the book shop 🙃 I need to be on a book buying ban for a couple of months I think 😂

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️📚❤️ 4y
59 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
AlysonCB
post image
Mehso-so

A lovely little anthology of retellings of myths through the lense of love. Some were better than others but as a whole a poignant collection that made me smile 😊

review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

Urgh I really didn't want to like this book because it is so hyped but I loved it. The premise is something that i've never come across before, a historical fantasy novel with sprinkles of old mysticism. Big enemies to lovers trope, which I have a soft spot for, but definitely isn't the whole basis for the story. Well written, poetic, and has me crying out for a sequel. Can't wait to see this adapted for the big screen!

CoffeeNBooks This is my favorite read so far this year! 4y
AlysonCB @CoffeeNBooks It's definitely up there for me too! I've read so many good books already this year I can't decide 😂 100% between this or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine ❤ 4y
CoffeeNBooks Oh, I loved Eleanor Oliphant so much, too! I read it a few years ago, and so much of the story still sticks with me! 4y
65 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
AlysonCB
post image
Pickpick

An excellent YA novel (maybe slightly too YA for me) and definitely should be recommended reading for secondary school children to get to grips with rape culture and the affect it has. Also shows how powerful girls and women are when they come together with a common goal 👏

blurb
AlysonCB
post image

About to start The Nowhere Girls, freshly stamped with my new 'From The Library Of' Stamp. LOVE it.

tpixie That‘s a beautiful stamp and great signature! 4y
35 likes1 comment
blurb
AlysonCB
The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald
post image

Happy Bank Holiday monday! 😘

susurran That's a lovely copy! One of my all-time faves! 4y
62 likes1 comment
review
AlysonCB
Homegoing: A novel | Yaa Gyasi
post image
Pickpick

An amazing book, perfect for fans of Girl, Woman, Other. Homegoing follows the family tree of Maame and her two daughters split by the slave trade. Starting in Ghana and moving through the generations to America, Homegoing is an illuminating telling of black lives through the ages. At times the details of colonial atrocities are very difficult to read, which is exactly why it is an essential read.

Suet624 Such a good book!! 4y
AlysonCB @Suet624 Isn't it just! Definitely one of those books that will stick with me forever. 4y
Come-read-with-me I love this cover! 4y
62 likes3 comments
quote
AlysonCB
Homegoing: A novel | Yaa Gyasi
post image

This book is challenging me in amazing ways. I'm really taking my time to read each individual story and this quote just stuck with me.

blurb
AlysonCB
Homegoing: A novel | Yaa Gyasi
post image

Such a rainy day. Perfect for reading ⭐

57 likes1 stack add
quote
AlysonCB
post image

44 likes1 stack add
blurb
AlysonCB
post image

On to my next book. Trying to get through the stack I have before I come off furlough and go back to work... when I never have time to read 😪

Jeannineth I loved this book. A quick fun read. 😱🎈❤️ I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4y
AlysonCB Loving it so far @Jeannineth ! The pacing is very quick. 4y
58 likes2 comments