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Moray_Reads

Moray_Reads

Joined September 2016

review
Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

Her stories centre on a variety of Black women and their relationships to both the Church and marriage. Their strengths are invisible or taken for granted and Philyaw lays bare the abuse and exploitation they suffer as a result of their colour, their gender and their sexuality.
Each story is a microcosm of heartbreak but because the women are both ordinary and remarkable the vital sparks of hope, intimacy and love are what really shine through.

42 likes1 stack add
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Moray_Reads
Friday's Child | Georgette Heyer
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I just wanted something fun to read and after aimlessly trawling though my TBR I realised that there's ALWAYS a solution to that problem and it's either Terry Pratchett or Georgette Heyer. This time I've gone for Heyer.

LeahBergen It‘s almost Heyer time for me again, too! 3y
19 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
The High House | Jessie Greengrass
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Pickpick

Bleak but beautiful. A terrifyingly plausible vision of the future. Broke my heart ⭐⭐⭐⭐

LeahBergen I love the cover. 3y
32 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Moray_Reads
The High House | Jessie Greengrass
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review
Moray_Reads
Matrix | Lauren Groff
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Pickpick

Utterly spellbinding. Groff tells the story of Marie de France, medieval poet and reluctant nun who takes her nunnery from starvation to prominence through force of will, imagination and ingenuity. It's a powerful story of a female community, full of wonderful characters and a brilliantly realised historical setting. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Suet624 I can‘t wait. Love Groff and really like reading about this subject matter. 3y
BarbaraBB Sounds very good. 3y
42 likes5 stack adds2 comments
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Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

Original, gruesome and funny. Not something I would normally pick up but I enjoyed this. Hendrix's female characters are full of guts and gristle beneath those polite Southern exteriors and his take on vampire lore brings new horror to a familiar foe.

LeahBergen I was surprised by how much I enjoyed his. 😆 3y
Moray_Reads @LeahBergen Me too! It's not my usual thing but I think Hendrix created a really clever mix of humour, horror and real-life problems 3y
54 likes4 stack adds2 comments
review
Moray_Reads
Nightbitch | RACHEL. YODER
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Pickpick

Wow, this is a wild ride. Yoder tackles motherhood furiously and fearlessly and it's funny as hell. And also extremely dark and difficult. The unnamed mother is finding her stay-at-home role increasingly difficult, and the harder she finds it the more she suspects that she's turning into a dog...It's brilliantly done, I raced through it.

sprainedbrain Wow. That sounds incredible. 3y
Moray_Reads @sprainedbrain really enjoyed it. A cracking debut 3y
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Moray_Reads
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😂 😂

LeahBergen 😆😆 3y
Kimberlone I have PTSD from reading Jude the Obscure in college 3y
Moray_Reads @Kimberlone I've only read Far From the Madding Crowd. I tried another once but couldn't take all the talk about farming... 3y
31 likes3 comments
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Moray_Reads
Nightbitch | RACHEL. YODER
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review
Moray_Reads
The Passing Playbook | Isaac Fitzsimons
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Pickpick

A wonderfully sweet story about Spencer a trans teen trying to find his way in a new private school. He joins the football team, develops a crush on a teammate and joins the QSA but isn't out as transgender after a mysterious but definitely awful episode at his old school. Perhaps it's a teeny bit trite and the issues are resolved surprisingly easily but I will take it in such a warm, positive, big-hearted story of trans masculine experience.

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Moray_Reads
The Passing Playbook | Isaac Fitzsimons
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Loving this ridiculously sweet YA romance and this line made me tear up (at work, no less). I think a lot of LGBTQ+ people need to hear this, especially trans people who pass ❤️ 🏳️‍🌈

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Moray_Reads
Magic for Liars | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

There were times I wanted to shake Ivy and say “It's so OBVIOUS!“ when it came to the mystery but overall I enjoyed the book. It was fun, quirky and original.

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Moray_Reads
Sorrowland | Rivers Solomon
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Pickpick

One of the most original novels I've read. Surprising, mesmerising, horrifying and very powerful. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

saresmoore I‘m looking forward to reading this! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore it is very strange but very good 3y
30 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Moray_Reads
Ghosts | Dolly Alderton
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Mehso-so

Surely everyone in their 30s isn't this childish? No-one I know is. Mildly entertaining but I soon got quite tired of the melodrama and the constant judgemental attitude of the narrator and other characters @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks I've also been reading some books lately where I'm having trouble decide whether the characters are 35 or 15 😬 3y
Moray_Reads @TheAromaofBooks it's a Shane because I find the author likable and insightful in her column. Maybe she just depends so much time dealing with the people who write in that it's skewed her perception of the 30-39 population! 3y
27 likes2 comments
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Moray_Reads
Lady Audley's Secret | Mary Elizabeth Braddon
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Mehso-so

There are some lovely, vivid descriptions but very little mystery in this classic, sensationalist story. It lacks the suspense and clever literary techniques that make Wilkie Collins the master of the genre. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Tamra Agreed, The Moonstone is more engrossing. 3y
Moray_Reads @Tamra or the Woman in White, which is my favourite 3y
Tamra @Moray_Reads yes, love that one too! 3y
29 likes4 comments
blurb
Moray_Reads
Bingo! | Rosemary Wells
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Late to the party but looking forward to this month! Some of these books have been on my bingo card for so long, I feel sorry for them 😅 @thearomaofbooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Looks great!!! 3y
20 likes1 comment
blurb
Moray_Reads
Bingo! | Rosemary Wells
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
LeahBergen I just recently ordered Madam. Here‘s hoping it‘s good. 🤞 3y
22 likes2 comments
review
Moray_Reads
Assembly | Natasha Brown
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Pickpick

Now THAT'S how to write a novella. An incisive distillation of how racism seeps into every aspect of the unnamed narrator's life and thoughts despite her apparent success, leaving her, as she sees it, with nothing but stark choices. Sparse, spare prose, every word hitting its mark #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Simona Sounds like my kind of book. Stacked! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
batsy Just added it to my TBR today after reading the Guardian review! Glad to see your positive review as well. 3y
See All 6 Comments
TheBookHippie It was so good!! 3y
TheBookHippie @batsy trust me READ IT ! 3y
batsy @TheBookHippie 🙌🏾 3y
27 likes6 comments
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Moray_Reads
Consent | Annabel Lyon
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Pickpick

Dark, uncomfortable and very interesting. This story of two sets of sisters whose stories intersect in a tragic way really drew me in. Themes of ableism, grief and complex family dynamics but I do wish Lyon had addressed the actual consent issue more directly, particularly with Mattie but also with Jenny. There are only outside views and compared to guilt and resentment consent didn't really feel like the focus. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
26 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart
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Pickpick

I loved it. Such a powerful, authentic depiction of 1980s Glasgow as well as a moving, empathetic portrait of addiction without sentimentality or excuses. The characters are so, so strong and I don't think I've ever rooted for any so desperately. Heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting. For a debut novel this is absolutely mind-blowing. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

Kalalalatja Great review! 🙌 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
35 likes2 comments
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Moray_Reads
Shuggie Bain | Douglas Stuart
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review
Moray_Reads
Less Than Angels | Barbara Pym
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Pickpick

Ah, Barbara Pym. What can you say except that it's funny, sharply observed with that air of tenderness that make them so readable. Less than angels is all of these, with its gently absurd characters and their complex relationships. Perfect for cosying up in a holiday cottage in the Isle of Mull while the rain pours down. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

LeahBergen I recently read this one, too. All of the back-and-forth in the Anthropology department reminded me so much of the Anthropology lounge back in my own uni days. 😆😆 I loved it. 3y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! I really need to read a Pym. She's been on my list forever!! 3y
28 likes2 comments
review
Moray_Reads
Mrs Death Misses Death | Salena Godden
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Pickpick

I really wasn't sure at first. It seemed disjointed, and drifting and a bit heavy-handed but in the end I absolutely loved it. Some of these passages are so powerful and the message so strong and full of love and anger that it took my breath away. And then there's that final chapter, that isn't really part of the story but it's also the whole point of it. Beautiful. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

mhillis Great review! I‘ve just started reading it 3y
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Moray_Reads
Mrs Death Misses Death | Salena Godden
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Moray_Reads
Insignificance | James Clammer
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Love a #bookmail and love my Galley Beggars subscription.

squirrelbrain Just looked up Galley Beggars as I‘d not heard of it before - sounds interesting! 🤔 3y
Moray_Reads @squirrelbrain they published Ducks, Newburyport and I loved it so much I wanted to subscribe. They don't publish much a year but it's always great stuff that pushes boundaries 3y
squirrelbrain I saw Ducks on their website when I looked - your new book looks interesting too! I may give the subscription a go.... 3y
23 likes3 comments
review
Moray_Reads
Souvenir Museum: Stories | Elizabeth McCracken
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Mehso-so

As is so often the case with short story collections this is a mixed bag but McCracken is a wonderful writer. My favourites were Proof and Birdsong from the Radio. And it's another bingo! #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fabulous progress!! 3y
22 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
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Panpan

Ugh. No. Full of over-wrought metaphors, no depth, weirdly sexualised prose. An unconvincing story that takes itself extremely seriously and just feels a little juvenile and silly in the end. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!! 3y
BarbaraBB Fab review. Totally agree. 3y
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Moray_Reads
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You know those times when you read a line and think "this was definitely written by a man"? That. This is a mother looking at her young teenage daughter ?

ImperfectCJ Definite eye roll. And an ew, too. Might have to reevaluate this one's place on my TBR. 3y
Moray_Reads @ImperfectCJ so far, not impressed. Lots of try-too-hard metaphors and word choices and several weirdly sexual descriptions. I'm only 25 pages in 3y
Palimpsest “Pundendum in relief”? Making a mental not not to read this author. 3y
See All 9 Comments
LeahBergen It‘s the word “pudendum” in this context that makes me a little 🤢. 3y
LeahBergen @Palimpsest 🤣🤣 We replied at exactly the same time. 3y
Palimpsest @LeahBergen I almost used the exact emoji that you did. 😆 3y
Moray_Reads @Palimpsest @LeahBergen such a weird writing decision, I mean, why? 🤢 Indeed 3y
Flaneurette Ew, doesn‘t bode well… 3y
BarbaraBB The rest of the book is not much better IMO. Very unrealistic even in themes like these. 3y
29 likes9 comments
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Moray_Reads
The Street | Ann Petry
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Pickpick

The fact that this book was published in 1948 is remarkable. It's a powerful story that lays bare the reality of poverty, racism and misogyny #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
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Moray_Reads
The Street | Ann Petry
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review
Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

There was something so heartwarming and likable about this book and it's protagonist, the wonderful, flawed, shape-shifting Paul. It's full of early 90s references from the fashion and music to the AIDs crisis. It's very explicit, very funny and very well-written and a fascinating take on genderqueer culture from a gifted non-binary author.
@TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Yay bingo!! 3y
20 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

This is a story that wears a lot of faces. Coming of age, immigrant story, ghost story, thriller. It's full of Cho's funny, pacy, pugnacious style and Ah Ma is a real hoot. But it also goes to some dark places on homophobia, misogyny and violence against women. I loved it #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
26 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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Moray_Reads
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julesG Has this been published already? I keep finding different pub day information. 3y
Moray_Reads @julesG mine is an arc. I think it's out next month? I'm sure it was mentioned in my Goodreads "authors you've read before" emails. I'm only half way through but am happy to recommend it already, I really enjoy Cho's style 3y
julesG I read that the US edition is out May 11th, the UK edition June 10th. 3y
28 likes3 comments
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Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

For sheer compulsive reading this had to be a pick. There were a few issues with pacing and plot and the twists weren't quite as surprising as the author thinks but I could not put it down @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks If a book keeps me turning the pages, I'm willing to give it some leeway on believability haha 3y
27 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
The Monsters We Deserve | Marcus Sedgwick
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Pickpick

Lovely atmospheric reverie on the process and consequences of creation. A struggling author retreats to the Swiss Alps to wrestle with the idea of monsters, fixating on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
20 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Moray_Reads
House of Spies | Daniel Silva
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Panpan

Terrible. Wall to wall clichés, no suspense and every character is paper thin. The women are there to mother the main character or have sex with him. But it was a quick one for my #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!! 3y
18 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
Bingo! | Rosemary Wells
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Let's read more in May! 📚📚💪💪 #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Looks great!! 3y
21 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
Bingo! | Rosemary Wells
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Didn't get through at many this month what with returning to work so there are a lot of rollovers, but here's May's #bookspin list. @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
25 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
The Manningtree Witches | A. K. Blakemore
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Pickpick

Loved this atmospheric, beautifully written debut. The sender of impending doom and the feeling of place and time were exemplary. @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
20 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
City of Ghosts | Victoria Schwab
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Pickpick

I can't resist a story set in my beloved Auld Reekie. Edinburgh is a character in its own right and Schwab uses it well in this fun MG/YA tale @TheAromaofBooks #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
31 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
Such a Fun Age | KILEY. REID
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Pickpick

Despite hinging on a huge coincidence I really enjoyed this story. It's compulsively readable and full of nuance. Emira is a brilliant main character because her pragmatism and uncertainty make her so believable. I look forward to Reid's next book #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay bingo!!!! 3y
32 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
Burial Rites | Hannah Kent
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Oh my, a new book from Hannah Kent is coming. I LOVED Burial Rites and The Good People

LeahBergen Ooo! 👏🏻👏🏻 3y
Cathythoughts I did love Burial Rites ... I never got any further though. I must follow her up 3y
34 likes2 comments
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Moray_Reads
Life After Life: A Novel | Kate Atkinson
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Panpan

Honestly? I got really tired of the resets and I never really connected to Ursula despite all the tributaries of her life #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks At least it's off the list!! 3y
Moray_Reads @TheAromaofBooks at least there's that. And it had been on there for SO LONG 😅 3y
TrishB My absolute least favourite of Atkinson‘s. 3y
Moray_Reads @TrishB thank God! Everyone seems to love it but I thought it was so tedious 3y
TrishB I did shout at the book whilst reading- just tell the story!! 3y
32 likes5 comments
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Moray_Reads
The Mercies | Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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Mehso-so

I enjoyed a lot about this book but the climax felt rushed so the end was left lacking #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
32 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
The Manningtree Witches | A. K. Blakemore
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When working from home translates as reading outside

Simona I‘m a little bit envious ... we have freezing rainy weather and I can‘t work from home. 3y
Moray_Reads @Simona it's been surprisingly warm here for April and the working from home will end in a couple of weeks, I'm glad but I'm trying to make the most of the relative freedom! 3y
37 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

Lovely, lyrical family story in the time of Armistice and the Spanish Flu. Maxwell had a delicate touch with words and characters. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
27 likes1 comment
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Moray_Reads
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Pickpick

There is so much to unpack in the novel, take it slowly. I've rarely read a work of fiction that had made me think so deeply and I'm so grateful to Torrey Peters for making me really consider my own experience of womanhood. She tackles feminism, femininity, misogyny, transphobia and more with real nuance and never shies away from difficulties and contradictions. It's dark, funny, disconcerting, iconoclastic and humane. #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

vivastory I ordered this last night. The vitriol currently being leveled at Women's Prize & Peters is repugnant. 3y
Moray_Reads @vivastory The transphobia is vile. It's a dense and challenging book. Peters offers no easy answers and she refuses to sanitise anything. Her characters sometimes do, say and think horrible and unsettling things. It's bloody brilliant and a worthy Women's Prize contender 3y
vivastory I love fiction that challenges me in that way with characters who can be unlikable. It just feels very true to life. I'm really looking forward to reading it. 3y
See All 8 Comments
Moray_Reads @vivastory I think you'll enjoy it. We need more books like this, I can't wait to see what she writes next 3y
squirrelbrain I loved this too. Such a dense book though with so much to concentrate on, take in and think about. It‘s not my personal favourite on the list but I absolutely think it should make the shortlist and, although I haven‘t read the full list yet, it might be my winner. 3y
Moray_Reads @squirrelbrain it's a very strong list this year. This and Transcendent Kingdom are my favourites so far but also loved Piranesi and Summer. I had to keep putting this down to just collect my thoughts, I will definitely read it again to catch things I probably missed! 3y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 3y
BarbaraBB Such a great review. I want to read it badly! 3y
36 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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Moray_Reads
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This breaks my heart, even more so with the vitriol leveled at Torrey Peters online. So much of this sentiment is true for cis women too it's like a gut punch #transwomenarewomen

Darklunarose Trans women ARE women ❤️❤️❤️ 3y
34 likes1 comment
review
Moray_Reads
Girl A | Abigail Dean
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Pickpick

Dark, difficult but well done. The cover and title are deceptive, I wouldn't call it a thriller or a mystery but a subtle psychological family drama. TW for child abuse and trauma but it's not graphic or detailed. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
batsy I felt the same about the title and cover; it's marketed as a kind of popcorn thriller but it's certainly not that! 3y
Moray_Reads @batsy the cover I've used here has slightly less of a thriller vibe. I would never gravitate towards the other cover, it's only because of litsy that I gave it a shot 3y
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Moray_Reads
Girl A | Abigail Dean
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Wow

Texreader That‘s truly intimidating 3y
saresmoore Ha! Like a murder of crows? 3y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore I love a good collective noun and this is chilling 3y
Oryx Just finished this, and that phrase struck me as well. 3y
33 likes4 comments