I am not quite sure what I just read but think twisty enough to cover that prompt for #booked2023 well researched with fascinating perspectives on east end life during the 1880s and Jack the Rippers run of terror and a somewhat feminist undertone I was pleased to pull this off the tbr pile. Also doubles up for #bluing for #panetone23

It‘s taken me ages to finish this but I did really enjoy although not as much as her last book. It‘s beautifully lyrical and with multiple narrators and perspectives feels both old and fresh at the same time. My one slight regret even in this telling Medusa is still not quite her own woman.

This was my quiet YA choice for #booked2023 - not necessarily my usual read it was none the less a sweet first romance story with a strong feminist backdrop as our main protagonist grapples with being the only girl on the hockey team. I liked that she didn‘t change herself to fit in

This is a low pick for me. I enjoyed the sketches of each of the names on the list and whilst clearly the author embraced how similar the set up is to Agatha Christie‘s And then there were none it felt flat in comparison #pantone2023 #tangelo

With a 15 year old first person narrator this was always going to feel a little YA and this followed through to some of the secondary storylines - e.g Bess‘ best friend‘s felt a little too simplistic to me. The main one though - the failings of the UK care system and what that means for one scared young girl was all kinds of heartbreaking and all too real. One that will stick (also #booked23 - reproductive rights)

@jhod look what has arrived while I have been away the last few days! Royal Mail got there in the end !! Thanks so much for this almost crossing my fingers fro a cold snap to curl up and enjoy! #Jólabókaflóð @MaleficentBookDragon

Whilst there might be some flaws here this was absolutely the book I needed today. Elizabeth was at times a tad one dimensional and you need to squint at some of the topics covered and the reality of the 5 year old reading Norman Mailer but it was charming and funny and filled with a feminist rage that spoke to me today

That was really hard work. Powerful for sure and beautifully and cleverly written I feel like I underlined at least a third of the book. BUT I also found it hard going with a couple of the literary tools used a little too heavy handed. I also ultimately found the premise of the animals more distracting that adding to the story and thus not quite as invested in the world being created. I may keep going with my #readingafrica2022 and see how I do!

A short collection of very short translations from Sudanese authors. I wanted to love but I just didn‘t. One or two worked for me but most felt like they never really got going. I tried

I wanted to love this. It‘s literary and occasionally whimsical and tells important stories of Algeria under French rule. Unfortunately it‘s also just a little too thin and the split timelines mean not enough detail for any of the tales to really be fleshed out. #readingafrica2022

I am not sure I am any the wiser about what #hopepunk is other than probably not for me… a strange little book it was well written and an interesting world building. It also marks my final book for this years #booked22 which I am pretty proud of thanks to @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

This is my #booked2022 for the exploration prompt and was genuinely fascinating snapshot of English travel abroad from the end of the Grand Tour right up to 2021. The author peppers her own writing and research with fabulous quotes from private letters, literature and more. Loved it!

This was a slightly left field pick for me. A story of two teens thrown together in the aftermath of a deadly flu. Whilst much is dark (and reminds me at times of the parable of the sower which I read early this year) there is also a light from the fun relationship and a hint of romance as the two boys figure out what they mean to each other #booked22 might I actually make it?

New addition to the tree this year

I apparently bought this in 2014 so it‘s taken a while for me to get to it but thought it would be my ancient option for #booked22 I am. It going to lie this is an odd little book. Beautiful lyrical story telling and language but perhaps a little too out there are literary for me. I am a tad confused by the ending !

Stood in a v long queue at the post office to send my #Jolabokaflod thanks for organising @MaleficentBookDragon winging its way to Dorset with hopefully lots of time before Christmas Eve

Whilst at times the style was reminiscent of my much loved but objectively terrible school stories I am left, as I am sure many before have been a bit flummoxed by this one. 3 school girls and their teacher disappear at a picnic and then some folks reflect on it but nothing much happens. It‘s not a mystery per say and there is a hint of the otherworldly but zero sense of conclusion. Read for #booked2022

I started this book in august and got quite far in before my husband decided he wanted to borrow it and read it exceedingly slowly (and damaged the front along the way 😡 it‘s light hearted and as tongue in cheek as you might expect from a former editor of BuzzFeed but also well researched and thoughtful in its exploration of a variety of conspiracy theories and the psychology around them. Might call this by #booked22 by a journalist!

Louise O‘Neill writes complex and often not particularly likeable female characters and Sam here is probably one of her best. Full of trigger warnings this had me hooked. Grounded in obsesssive teen friendship it‘s also a ringing criticism of social media wellness personalities and an exploration of cancel culture. Disturbing and powerful. I have lazed my morning away finishing (and it‘s no.3 from my started not finished pile #novelnovember

Another started but not finished #booked22 (and a #readingAfrica) thanks to this weeks #novelnovember. This is hard to review - overall I loved the historical elements of the novel and the story of the kingdoms of Africa pre and alongside colonisation but at times struggled with the very oral style of storytelling in its written form. Also didn‘t love the main character who was annoying and slightly stalkerish. His love has no voice of her own

I started this months ago fro #booked22 and then somehow forgot about it so picked up again for the readerton. I enjoyed the style of writing and the main push of the authors point - language is powerful and a factor in how cults emerge but at times it was a little clunky with also storytelling about specific groups. I most enjoys the section on wellness and fitness groups and how language is used there @Andrew65 1 down 17 to go 🙈

First time of joining in hit our pup has broken her ankle and so not a lot happening in our house this week! I‘m setting a simple goal @Andrew65 which is to only read books I have started and then put down again. Feels like my kindle and tabletops are littered with books I‘ve started but got distracted from (this never happened to me until the last 3 years but is now common) I think I have counted 18 I can pick from so still plenty of choice!

What even was this? The first 100 pages were really slow then it picked up pace and was a lot more going on to a frantic end. Plot synopsis - magic alive and well and embedded in secret societies at Yale with them being sort of policed by the ninth house. Alex (a difficult to know protagonist) has been selected because she can see ghosts and is thrown into a murder and mystery. Yup kind of trashy but kind of fun! #booked22 dark academia

This quote is sticking with me. Perhaps also a potential for a coming out book for those who like me have left their #booked22 to be heavily backloaded!

My #booked22 choice for about the AIDS epidemic. This is first and foremost a story of grief. Kevin is at just 28 dealing with the painful death of his partner. The grief is palatable throughout - not just for Frankie bit for the life they haven‘t had. Sometimes darkly funny, sometimes shouting with barely retrained rage this book carried me along

Talking about series I love it‘s only right that Jodi Taylor‘s newest is my #booked22 for - book published in 2022. I love Her writing and this is another fun filled descent into chaos and sees the return of all our favourite characters and a slow move forward on general plot. Easy, a bit mad and just what you need after a tough week

Have I ever binge read quite like o have read this series? I don‘t think I have but my how I have enjoyed these so so much. Consistently great police cases with character development but not Too much that it over shadows. This was a great example

It‘s taken me a while to get through this (my #booked22 pick for with a recipe - I‘m seriously behind!) pacing was a bit hit and miss for me but loved this food led autobiography overall. Recipes, film gossip and a step through so many great restaurants made it a good read

This is going to be possibly my only audio book of the year! Listened to on our recent road trip. I found many of the chapters interesting but was a bit confused about whether there was a real connection. A few times ideas started and didn‘t really go anywhere and there was a sense of ‘so what‘ about some of the content And ideas

Oh how I wanted to love this with so many things I love in a book… strong female characters, vibrant rich settings and an element of historical fiction that thought me something new. I loved the desert scenes and the richness with which they and the Nomadic Tuereg people but then there was also an epically annoying lead character in Izzy, some elements of unexplained mysticism and a ton of incredible leaps of chance. 📸 Moroccan sunset last night

Raced through this for my #readingafrica Morocco option@and because I was due to land in Tangier! This was an incredibly messed up story of obsessive friendship and damaged people in Tangier in the early 1950s. The city was brought to life wonderfully and the fiesta kept on coming… on arrival this morning I dragged my husband to a cafe that features heavily!

After such a long time not enjoying any police procedural as I feel like 2022 might be my year. I get this was a bit unusually paced but (horrific content aside) I enjoyed and will be trying the next in the series for sure. Edited - crimes there are 17 of them!

How lucky have I been thank you so much @Cupcake12 this is a perfect package for me! I also wanted to thank and @Avanders for setting this up. It was my first swap in ages.

This is a very special middle school book. The titular October is 11 and has grown up living mainly off the grid in the woods with her father. She is smart and clever but wild. When her father has an accident she has to get used to life in London with her mum. It‘s beautifully written. Through Octobers eyes the usual become poetic and magical and he love of storytelling is just lovely

Really different style of writing with a mix of narrative, tweets and direct transcript style police interviews made this a bit more interesting than your run of the mill police procedural. Read it to get of my TbR (apparently I downloaded on the 2 Jan 2018!) but now I find there are 4 more in the series!!

Struggling a bit with words for this one. A devastating story of a young gay man with AIDS returning to his small home town in Ohio. Told in predominantly three voices it was heartbreaking and difficult to read but also kind of beautiful. I know this will be in my top lists of the year for sure

Final book of the holiday finished on the plane. I thought this was overall really powerful - main storyline sits in 1973 and follows a nurse in a Mississippi family planning clinic and the consequences of the forced sterilisation of young, poor, black girls. Whilst I didn‘t love the main character I think that was kind of the point and she meddled and helped this is everything I love about a good historical fiction novel

I enjoyed this as an easy but thought provoking read. The author reflects on the extent to which gender and perceptions of gedner have impacted innovation. Really liked the chapter on computing and also electric cars which re positioned some of my understanding. Others were more political and less to my taste but still very interesting. The book culminates powerfully in what some do the topics already raised might mean for tackling climate change

Picked this for my book set at a hotel or inn for #booked2022 and I LOVED it. Multi generational family saga set around a holiday resort in the Catskills this was soapy but so much fun…

Did I like this book? No. Did I love this book? Yes I think so. Will it stick with me? 100%. We follow a main character who grapples with / bobs along in her life without really ever connecting. She‘s damaged, causes chaos and hurt along the way and yet to me was extremely relatable and I want her next chapter to be more. The writing is spectacular. Pulling the reader into the narrative. First was in a while that‘s really had impact.

Very predictable somtort of summer love, family secrets and fresh starts. The story is pretty average but the wonderful descriptions of Skopelos the island where the book is set were a joy. That I am reading in the sunshine by the pool helps no end !

So I picked this for my nautical #booked2022 based on the fact it had a ship on the cover - reality which the Titanic is a key part of the story (and I love a Titanic story) this is not a nautical novel! What it is, is a wonderfully researched fictionalisation of a true story. The story of a young woman from Nice and her bad marriage to a bad man. I enjoyed a lot 📸 Nice several years ago

Fun but maybe forgettable. 6 women, one isolated Greek villa and a metric ton of secrets. Fairly predictable but well written with a great sense of the forced fun and discomfort that comes when you being dispersed groups of friends together

Gentle stories of summer - spread over multiple years are my guilty pleasure, and I really enjoyed this one I picked for #booked2022 and the Canada prompt. It‘s sweet with hints of young adult in the story of the early years with a confidence and angst in the 12 years@lter section that I really enjoyed. A perfect affirming palate cleanser after 2 slightly heavy novels

Second - probably a great book, but not for me in a row. This is based on a horrific real life case of a long period of sexual assault against the women of a small community. The fiction here is the conversations between them as they decide whether to stay in the community or leave vs coexist with their attackers. It‘s a powerful story with theology and more but I struggled to engage with it

I found this incredibly hard going. The story is a powerful one; the untold women at war as Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. It‘s incredibly violent and full of fear and hatred and bravery and I can see why it has won awards. The style, lacking in punctuation and with odd interspersed chapters didn‘t quite work for me and it‘s taken me several weeks to slog through it. #readingafrica2022

After finding her first novel not being for me I really enjoyed this one. A multi generational novel of sorts it asks important questions about identify and place as we follow the implications of 16 year old twins running away from home and grappling with race in 20th century America. I📸 Brussels

A weekend at the coast to reset has been lovely. Read this looking for a new series. Overall enjoyed a the setting in Lincoln but found the main character a little annoying. The case itself was interesting enough. Saw enough I liked to try book number 2 but not a solid recommend

Downloaded on a whim as a dog for #booked22 I ended up really enjoying this. Criminal case, psychological thriller with a touch of the paranormal so not my usual thing at all!

I do love a myth retelling and this one was … fine I guess. The story was well told, characters nicely fleshed out but if felt somehow lacking compared to BArker, Miller etc in some ways it felt a little YA in the thinness of the story. A pick but maybe just about