Naomi Jean has arrived 💕

The fact I read this in 3 days says a lot about the book. The writing is deceptively simple. It‘s about that feeling of being rootless/uprooted and finding/trying to find a sense of belonging. She portrays cultural differences really effectively and with humour. It felt like the male character was portrayed mostly through his dialogue which was brilliantly done & I loved the protagonist. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘ve read quite a few parenting books (since becoming a Mam I really love learning about child psychology etc) and this is my favourite by far. A lot of it made sense to me & it‘s very accessible and insightful. One I will keep and return to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks @squirrelbrain for sending me this a while back 😘

I feel similar to others in that the second part didn‘t grip me as much as the first - some of the stories felt a bit lacklustre & it pulled the rating down for me. Love the way the author came full circle from the beginning story to the last. I went into it expecting it not to really be my thing but I definitely got invested - the author knows how to write believable characters that you feel for/connect with. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #camplitsy

There‘s quite a few ‘main‘ characters in this so it took a little while to settle into but once I did I flew through it. It‘s set against the backdrop of the ‘emancipation‘ bill against Native Americans in the 1950s but the main focus was on the characters & their lives. She packs a lot in and I think some sections it could have done without (the Vera parts mainly) but overall I really enjoyed it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookhaul from yesterday. Usually I have a mental tbr list when I go book shopping but these were all just random choices, besides from Great Circle which was recommended to me by the people working in Waterstones 🤍

What more does a girl need on her birthday?! 😁 little book haul and coffee 💕

Thank you @squirrelbrain for the birthday card (love it ❤️) and book - it sounds fascinating and right up my street 😘

Thank you @kaysworld1 for the lovely card 😘

This chapter/story broke my heart 🥺 #camplitsy

I‘m glad I took breaks in between the sections, really worked for me! Still found myself trying to figure out how & if they connected in any way (besides the repeated names). I enjoyed all the parts pretty equally. I love her writing. It didn‘t have the same emotional punch as ALL but glad I read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How I‘m spending Alfie‘s nap time 😁

I started this last night so not too far into it but so far it‘s good!

I didn‘t really like the characters in this, they felt a bit juvenile for their age, although at the same time they were realistic. Loved the ending - that turned it from a so-so into a pick. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read other books in between the different parts so this didn‘t feel so daunting to read (plus I had a lot of library holds come in one after the other.) Think it‘s time for part three so I can finally finish it!

Tagged book was my favourite of the month and The Crimson Petal and the White my favourite of the year so far! #readingbracket2022

A beautiful book. Slow at times but so poetic and just lovely. I wouldn‘t have thought chapters from the perspective of a fig tree would be for me but it worked, they were some of my favourite chapters. Loved the atmosphere and the characters. A memorable read 💕 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘ve been reading a lot of recently published books lately so it was nice to read something older. I loved the humour, the writing (though she did repeat a lot of sentences within a paragraph - I‘m sure she did this for a reason 🤔) and the characters. Some memorable scenes and a great little novella; it could have been longer for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alfie‘s grandparents always have him on a Friday & I‘m now on maternity leave so this was the obvious choice of how to spend an hour or so ❤️

To write twelve distinct, diverse and interesting characters takes talent and ambition. I wouldn‘t be able to say who was who now I‘ve finished it but when reading it they all felt different. I liked the ways in which they connected, and differed. I bought this in 2019 at the Strand when I went to NY for the first time and it‘s one of those books that just holds a memory for me of when I bought it; glad to have finally read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Getting reading time in where I can. Holidays aren‘t quite as relaxing with a toddler 😂 but having lots of fun 🤍

I was torn between Matrix and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo this month but went with Matrix. #readingbracket2022

Stroud has five children and this is mostly a memoir of a specific time in her life: having a newborn as well as parenting a teenager & her other kids. She writes honestly & openly about her feelings on being a parent, the highs, the lows & everything in between. I was really looking forward to reading it but I found it didn‘t live up to the blurb/reviews. I just didn‘t connect with it but I‘m sure it‘s relatable for some. ⭐️⭐️ #nonfiction2022

I finished the second part of To Paradise (part 2 so bleak 😬) and thinking I might read these two books before I go on to start Part 3 🤔

I thought Spring was the perfect read for now, we‘re finally getting some sun ☀️ enjoying it so far! #weekendreading

Alfie loves his books as much as us ♥️

The only perk to being tested for gestational diabetes is two hours reading time. Can‘t wait to have my morning coffee though 😆

This took a while to really get into, I‘d pick it up and have to remind myself who was who and what was going on. Around halfway I settled into it and ended up enjoying it for the most part. I like the writing and the cast of characters although I think it would have been just as good written fully from the perspective of Briseis. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The only book that‘s kept me up past 9 the past few weeks 😂 (pregnancy 😴). Couldn‘t stop reading it. It feels like an easygoing read but with depth to it. I‘m not sure if we‘re supposed to like Evelyn but even with all her flaws I did! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love an atmospheric book and this definitely is that. The writing is stunning, the sense of place is spot on and the main character Marie is brilliant; the way her perspective changes as she grows older and her relationships with the other women in the abbey. One I won‘t be forgetting any time soon. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Getting some reading in before little man is home. Really enjoying this book. It‘s one of those you can‘t put down 💚

So glad I went with audio for this one (thanks for recommending @Megabooks ) Tarana tells her story powerfully and beautifully. I love that she shows her vulnerable moments and through trauma found a way to help others. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #nonfiction2022 - survivor

It‘s not very often I read thrillers but the fact this was set during the pandemic & lockdown had me intrigued. It felt a bit surreal reading it at first but I thought it was done really well. The author states she hopes it was entertaining and that‘s exactly what it was. A few too many changes/twists near the end for me but I was hooked throughout. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A bleak and quiet sort of novel that speaks about the ways in which lives are changed during war and the aftermath of it. The sense of community and family was palpable. The ghost character of Henriette shows how much people, events and memories stay with us. It was beautifully told and I liked it a lot, although I didn‘t find it overly immersive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #nyrbbookclub

Typical that two library holds I‘ve had for months are available at the same time, when I‘m in the middle of two long books. Which one to read first? 📚

This follows a set of twins throughout childhood and into later years. We get to see how they diverge in personality and life experiences. Depression, and that feeling of not feeling like a part of the world; like someone that doesn‘t belong, is portrayed devastatingly but without cliche and not overly dramatically. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A refreshing read on what it means to be a parent; she argues (using a lot of research) that we need to let go of the idea of parenting with a vision of who we want our children to be - rather give them space & freedom to explore, play & be involved. The school system is all about outcomes & grades & I love that she writes about how education needs to make a shift to allow for play & to make room for different types of learning …

Been putting this off because of the length but it‘s calling to me now 🤍

It feels harsh giving this 2 stars considering the trauma she went through & how warts and all she writes about herself but I found her relationship pretty dull to read about (& that seemed to be the focus of most of the book), obviously it‘s a memoir and that‘s what must feel important to her but I didn‘t connect with it or get anything from it. I did feel for her in the latter chapters and I think some might find comfort in her words. ⭐️⭐️

I really liked the friendship between Szu & Circe and how that played out, it felt relatable. I wasn‘t as invested in the chapters on Amisa and sometimes it felt like they were there as filler/a bridge between the past and present day. Overall an enjoyable read, glad to have read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Still listening to Unbound on audio (got around 2 hours left so should get it finished this weekend/early next week). I‘m enjoying 26a and at 80% so should finish that tonight, then I‘ll be reading 56 days which I picked up from the library the other day 📚 #weekendreading

This has to be one of my favourite #nyrbbookclub reads. I found it compelling & fascinating; for a book about psychoanalysts they all seemed to get each other wrong, or were blinded by their own perception/needs (human nature I guess). I loved the way it felt like the author took herself out of the narrative as much as possible and just let the main people involved speak for themselves. Very well written, would love to read more by her. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The world had changed a great deal, but the little rules, contracts and customs had not, which meant the world hadn‘t actually changed at all.”

That is essentially what this book is about; misogyny still prevails in many parts of society. I loved the minimalistic, to the point style in which it was written and the final paragraph, although bleak, summed up the novel. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Still listening to Unbound (usually takes me a few weeks to get through audiobooks) and started The Rules Do Not Apply last night which I‘m really liking so far. I was hoping our January read for #nyrbbookclub would have arrived so I could start that but no luck! #weekendreading

I have a feeling this is going to be one of those forgettable books for me. It had its moments but for the most part I wasn‘t invested. Maybe it was one too many books at the same time where women are treat like second class citizens and have little say in their own life. I liked the questions it provoked at the end - who was really the criminal, Firdaus that killed a man or all the men in her life that lead her to that point? ⭐️⭐️

I love that this is (I think) a metaphor for female rage, intuition & power. The commentary on motherhood isn‘t subtle - she depicts loneliness, the feeling of her work as a mother not being valued, giving up work etc but it‘s mixed in with some crazy, weird stuff which I loved. It got stranger as it went on and I gave up trying to analyse it 😂 I know a few that would relate to Nightbitch. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Currently reading Ponti on kindle, Unbound on audible (will do a bit of audio colouring this weekend) and The Montessori Toddler 🤍 #weekendreading

Alfie‘s with his grandparents and I‘ve got the day off work, obviously this is how I‘m spending my day 😁

Almost finished this one and I‘m really enjoying it!

Set against the background of The Troubles in Northern Ireland this novel spans nearly forty years in the life of the protagonist, Mary. It started off great and I liked the ending but there was a lot of repetition in between. I understood Mary‘s reticence to some extent (her upbringing, the life she thought she wanted) but it did get a bit tedious to read about. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

835 pages and I feel like I need a sequel 😩 I thought the ending was done well but I am left wanting to know what happened to them all! It‘s one of the most immersive novels I‘ve read; when I wasn‘t reading it I was thinking about it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#20in4 #newyearspecial

Maté is a firm believer that the mind and body are connected; that stress and unresolved childhood trauma and/or upbringing can cause illness. He writes about it from a professional perspective using research and individual experiences. An informative read. I personally got more from The Body Keeps the Score but glad I read this too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#20in4 #newyearspecial

I kept my goal achievable in 2021 (30 books), happy I got to read more than expected. I‘ve focused mostly on reading books I own and I‘ll do the same in 2022! Baby no2 is due in June so I‘m going to read as much as I can before they arrive as after that any spare time for reading will be non existent for a few months 🙈🥰

Happy New Year 🥂❤️

My only reading challenge last year was #nonfiction2021 and I read more than I thought I would! Quite a few of my favourite reads were non-fiction.