Well, I liked Tom before I read his warm, witty & just downright delightful memoir, but now I positively ADORE him! What an intelligent, sensitive, modest, honest & genuine young man he is - no wonder the divine Ms Watson calls him her 'soul mate'. His self-deprecating humour is refreshing & he seems remarkably grounded & self-aware for a former child star. He doesn't shy away from detailing the 'bad bits' either. A fascinating read.

I am starting this delightful volume today. Not only does it look gorgeous, but it also has pleasing dimensions, and it feels satisfying to hold.

Ooh, new Patrick Ness! Starting this one tonight. With thanks to #NetGalley for this book.

Enjoyed this one. Set against the backdrop of Italy's colonial presence in North Africa in the inter-war period, it features a young Italian woman who becomes involved with a particularly vile Fascist officer, putting her family in danger. I enjoyed the setting & the emotional journey the MC goes on - I was able to empathise with her despite her making some bad choices/being naive. Also enjoyed the motor racing connection.

This one just scrapes a Pick. Yes, it is entertaining & intriguing & I was compelled to keep turning the pages. But it did annoy me a little as it all seemed so familiar, so generic, so thriller-by-numbers. There is nothing NEW. And as for the twist at the end, I suspect everyone who has ever read a thriller before would fully expect it, let alone have guessed it! So only a Pick because I'm feeling magnanimous!

Starting this one tonight. A very rare hardback purchase for me as I like to read laid down in bed and that's kinda difficult with a heavy chonk of a book!

An entertaining read with some intriguing female characters & a really nicely done dual timeline. The 2 stories are woven together seamlessly, the past being part of each woman's present internal monologue as she experiences the landscape in which it happened. The author also evokes the flora & fauna really effectively as well - I got a strong sense of the Australian landscape but as experienced by the characters, increasing my empathy with them.

A tough read. As a parent, it has an extra, particularly terrifying aspect - this awful thing happening to a 'good' boy from a privileged background suggests no child is safe - MY child isn't safe! - from this nefarious plague. I mean, there's so much you can do to prevent it from happening, but still, you can't prevent it from happening! The father's helplessness, despair & desperation are heartbreaking, his unending hope, an inspiration.

Nope.

As someone who has a hard time quitting & very rarely does it, I managed 3% of this.

I am NOT the target audience and it shows.

But 3% is something of a record. Am I getting better at quitting? Or was this just really REALLY not very good at all?! πŸ€”πŸ€”πŸ€”πŸ€”

Starting this one this evening, another NetGalley title that I've had for a very long time. Not even sure why I'd request this - it doesn't really seem like my thing.

Don't think I've ever met an Usborne book I didn't like! This one is no exception. Illustrated in a comic book style, it details a day in the life of Viv, a mechanic working at a research station. It's packed with facts, it's fun & accessible, and is pitched just at the right level - something I love about Usborne books.

I am literally staggered by this work. It is sublime. I love the structure & the chorus of ghosts (especially roger bevins iii) It is hilarious, poignant, knife-in-the-heart, gut-wrenchingly sad & despite it being about the most heart breaking loss imaginable (your beloved child) & the navigation of that grief AND 99% of the characters being dead, it is also heart swellingly life affirming. Just brilliant, I'm altered by this book.

Wow! I'm super impressed with this! It was undemanding and relaxing and really easy. I didn't place a couple of the stickers as accurately as I could have, but it really doesn't matter as you can't see any gaps from a distance. A really satisfying craft!

A week out from my emergency lap appendectomy & I'm already bored of recuperating! My daughter has the kids version of these books and I've always been super envious. So I got myself the adult version to help fend off a little of the tedium of being 'out of action.' Starting on a rather lovely hummingbird.

Starting this one today. Another NetGalley title from way back.

I am slowly recovering from having my appendix removed. I am sore and grouchy and so very very bored and, yes, I am the world's worst patient in that I'm not at all patient in any way and I want my normal life back NOW! My only consolation is I have a lot of reading time!

Starting this one tonight. Another NetGalley title requested back in the mists of time.....

I've got appendicitis. Emergency surgery here I come! Feeling down as it will be the first night I've ever spent apart from my daughter in 8 and a half years. Am a wreck, honestly 😭

Cheer me up with some good jokes/puns!

Hilarious. Eye-opening. Shocking. Hilarious again. And a little bit of heartbreaking. Didn't know who Noah was previously, but he had quite the childhood. Pivotal are his relationship with his ever-loving mother & his struggle to find his place in a society fractured by Apartheid. Despite the seriousness of the issues he faced, this memoir is warm & witty & full of positive vibes. The scene at the Jewish school though - to laugh or cry???!

Late night start for this one.

It's a NOPE from me. Writing was weirdly amateurish. Lots of telling, not much showing. But mainly I just didn't believe it.

None of it.

Especially when the brother is repeatedly run over by several range rovers and walks away with only a tyre print on his cheek to show for it.

Nonsense.

This is not what you'd call a cheery or uplifting read. It is, however, beautifully written. Kent skillfully creates an authentic sense of time & place - the bleakness, the cold, the poverty of 19th century rural Iceland all powerfully evoked. Agnes is also an intriguing character, your empathy for her building the more pages you turn. I love the way the bureaucracy surrounding Agnes' execution is juxtaposed with her raw emotions & her story of ⬇️

This is another book that was huge a while ago and I just didn't get round to. And by a while ago I mean 4 or 5 years 😳 So you could say I'm late to this particular party! But that seems to be the way I roll - permanently 5 years behind in books, fashion, life in general 🀣

My daughter got this sweet little book for Christmas. It has a simple activity for each day of the year to bring a moment of joy - an adult might call this mindfulness but I like to think that to a child it is still that wondrous happiness that defines childhood (or should). For example, today we are being "thankful for cuddling" and asked about our favourite cuddly toy. Super cute illustrations as well!

Picked these 2 from Amazon Prime Reads selection. Oh boy, Mount ToBeRead is growing daily....I need to live till I'm 128!

Love this cover! And I really love this type of book as well - that is, books about books/reading. I had a nature almanac last year that was a joy to dip into each month and by the end of the year it felt like an old friend! So I'm hoping I enjoy this one just as much.

Having read 'A Poem for Every Night of the Year' together in 2021 and 'A Poem for Every Day of the Year' in 2022, my daughter and I are reading this one in 2023. I love our shared ritual of reading together just before bedtime.

The introduction mentions that Byron referred to Wordsworth as 'Turdsworth', a factoid that set the 8 year old off giggling for a good 15 minutes! πŸ’©

After four and a half despairing years stranded on the bleak and unforgiving slopes of the unconquerable Mount ToBeRead, it is finally time to dust this one off and let its desperate plea of "Just read me already!" go unanswered no longer!

In other words, I'm starting this one tonight!

My daughter got seriously into Strictly this last season so picking her traditional Christmas annual this year was a no-brainer. Her favourites were Molly and Carlos.

Absolutely adore my zodiac emblazoned 2023 diary! I'm a Capricorn and therefore do not hold with any horoscope mumbo-jumbo!!!

I write a page a day and this will be 41st year of doing so!

No resolutions, no diet plans, no new gym membership, no vows to be more productive/organized/restrained on the book buying front for me. No targets or challenges either.

Just the same old chaos and barely avoided disaster as always.

Happy New Year, my fellow Littens! May your days be wordy and your pages be many.

This is interesting rather than genuinely fascinating. In fact, I am slightly frustrated by this as I feel it could've been so much better. It features a diverse selection of writers but each section is disappointingly brief, remaining superficial rather than getting to the nitty-gritty. I dislike the maps also - too little info & kinda ugly. And too few photos. Useful as a primer for further reading, but no frills or thrills here.

Starting this one this evening. Not my usual bag, but it sounds intriguing. Will probably be my last one of 2022.

My husband and daughter got me this cookery chunkster for Christmas and I'm thrilled to finally own this as I've coveted it for a long time. My sister exclaimed, "But you don't like cooking!" ? I was forced to explain that liking cooking and liking cookery books are completely separate things!

Wishing all my fellow Littens a very Merry Christmas. Let's hope Santa brings us all the wordy delights our bookish hearts desire!

πŸŽ…β€οΈπŸŽ„πŸ“šπŸŽ…β€οΈπŸŽ„πŸ“šπŸŽ…β€οΈπŸŽ„πŸ“šπŸŽ…β€οΈπŸŽ„πŸ“š

Fascinating, informative & fun, this book was a joy from start to finish. The author's love of language is evident on every page & her enthusiasm is thoroughly infectious. It's so interesting to discover the roots of modern English, what's changed and what's stayed the same. The pronunciation guides keep this book accessible to the armchair linguist & the wit & warmth avoids the stuffiness of a more academic tome. An ideal gift for word lovers!

Wasn't really enjoying this one, but I like to persevere for reasons I'm not entirely sure of. Then, around the 60% mark, came a scene so ridiculous that I nearly threw the thing across the room. That's me done.

Quitting feels good. I really should do it more often!

Was initially distracted by the artwork of this graphic novel - it's a little scribbley & smudgy. But as I got into the narrative, I realised how it related to, and enhanced, the words telling the story. And what a fascinating & absorbing story it was. What sad, bleak lives those BrontΓ« women endured - no wonder they retreated into their interior worlds. But then the imaginary became preferable to real life.... A really fantastic read.

Had to Pan this. The gushing fan-girl hyperbole seemed ludicrous to me to the point of being meaningless word salad. Also Rihanna's Umbrella is "one of the songs of the century"??! And the rhetorical "Did the Beats write a better tribute to Americana than 'Icy Cola Coca [sic], Sprite I love the most-a!/I ride rollercoasters!/I try all the cultures'" (lyrics by Azealia Banks)Er, what??? I just really did not connect with this one at all!!!

It is a wet and gloomy day in Yorkshire's east riding today. Can't wait to get in from work and settle down with this book, a blanket & a large coffee!

Adored The Invention of Wings, remained largely unimpressed by this one. Didn't connect with the story or the characters, didn't really buy the relationships & the "deep & meaningfuls" didn't move me in the slightest. Lily didn't read as authentic, her personality seemed indistinct. Not a real lot happened either - the turns of the plot seemed contrived to me. And the writing seems weirdly flat compared to IOW. I'm a bit disappointed....

Starting this one this evening. Great cover! With thanks to #netgalley for this book.

A quietly enchanting novel with writing that is simultaneously understated & sublime. It's a brief glimpse into the diverse lives of various characters living in a Parisian apartment block. Tackles big issues - loss & grief, isolation of early motherhood/PND/PNP, rise of far right in France, radicalization but it's never heavy or preachy. The characters are so real, so genuine that it feels like a privilege to witness the events herein.

Could cry! Had just settled into bed with my book & my cup of tea when my daughter, who is a die-hard cosleeper, rolled into me & I split my tea all over this gorgeous book! Gah, never spill tea on my waterproof Kindle, no. Just on real, porous, non-waterproof paper! 😭😭😭😭

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1. Waterstones. Yes, it's a big soulless company but my local branch is like a second home to me!

2. I'd go for some borderline rude pun like 'What The Book?!' or 'Fancy a Book?' or 'Bookwits' or 'For Book's Sake' because my sense of humour is still that of a 14 year old!!!

3. Tagged

Got my daughter this fab book for Halloween πŸŽƒ

I loved every second of this. Backman has created a set of characters that have become a part of me I care so deeply about them. His insights into life, relationships and (obviously) hockey are incisive, heartbreaking, joyful, painfully true. He can put me on an emotional roller coaster like no other. He can rip my heart out (oh, Benji) in a way that is simply exquisite. Gah, can't bear it's over. Who knew hockey was .... everything?!

Starting this one today. This is one of those books that if you'd asked me I would've said I'd read it. I haven't, I just really feel like I have! *Double checks blurb - no, definitely NOT read it* 🀣

Forgot to post my 'third time lucky' purchase from this last week - I'm just about over the embarrassment now! The duplicate books were Blurb Your Enthusiasm by Louise Willder and From Spare Oom to War Drobe by Katherine Langrish. I am currently obsessed with books about books!

Yesterday in Waterstones I selected & bought a book I thought looked interesting. While having refreshments in the cafe it started to seem very familiar - checked on my Kindle and yes, I already owned it. Exchanged it for another equally intriguing title & left the shop. Luckily I hadn't gone too far when something made me check my Kindle for that one too. Yes, I also owned my 2nd choice as well! Felt so silly!

Having a second try at starting this one tonight. Tried last night but was far too (book) hungover from The Winners that I stared at the first page for about 20 minutes without actually reading a single word!