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bookstorian's reviews
565 reviews
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
4.5
After reading and adoring Good Material I thought it was high time I reread one of my favourite memoirs by one of my favourite authors. I read this as an audio book then squirreled back to my physical copy to highlight key passages.
➕️ Dolly's writing. It's immersive, relatable and aced with nostalgic.
➕️ Exploration of love, heartbreak, grief and growing up.
➕️ The overarching theme of female friendship and how much these friendship teach and envelope us in love.
➕️ Dolly's narration on the audio book is 👌
➖️Want to know more about Farley and what happened in her relationship. I got so hung up on this last time too!
➖️Satirical letters, emails, invites. Maybe they hit too close to home now?
✍️ "Love is quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily forget is there, even though it's palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall." Pg319
🛍 I purchased my physical copy from my local QBD but enjoyed the audio via Spotify Premium
➕️ Dolly's writing. It's immersive, relatable and aced with nostalgic.
➕️ Exploration of love, heartbreak, grief and growing up.
➕️ The overarching theme of female friendship and how much these friendship teach and envelope us in love.
➕️ Dolly's narration on the audio book is 👌
➖️Want to know more about Farley and what happened in her relationship. I got so hung up on this last time too!
➖️Satirical letters, emails, invites. Maybe they hit too close to home now?
✍️ "Love is quiet, reassuring, relaxing, pottering, pedantic, harmonious hum of a thing; something you can easily forget is there, even though it's palms are outstretched beneath you in case you fall." Pg319
🛍 I purchased my physical copy from my local QBD but enjoyed the audio via Spotify Premium
Babel by R.F. Kuang
3.5
Late last year I booked a ticket to see Rebecca F Kuang after loving Yellowface so I was determined to read another of her novels before seeing her talk (and hopefully sign my books) in person.
➕️ Loved the dark academia and historical tones to the novel.
➕️Exploration of huge topics such as colonialism, imperialism, slavery, racism and power. The way colonialism was packaged in particular was incredibly powerful, I've read nothing like it before.
➕️How much language and linguistics drove this novel. I learnt so much.
➕️Overall the writing (so well written. Considering it's so chunky it kept me engaged far longer than I expected to be) and character development was also notable.
➖️The ending, I knew where it was heading and it dragged a lot
➖️ The footnotes. So distracting when reading. I liked when it gave context but also struggled to spot the tiny symbols and then match the symbols to the foot not.
✍️ "That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands." Pg535
🛍 I was lucky enough to find my copy in a Street Library.
➕️ Loved the dark academia and historical tones to the novel.
➕️Exploration of huge topics such as colonialism, imperialism, slavery, racism and power. The way colonialism was packaged in particular was incredibly powerful, I've read nothing like it before.
➕️How much language and linguistics drove this novel. I learnt so much.
➕️Overall the writing (so well written. Considering it's so chunky it kept me engaged far longer than I expected to be) and character development was also notable.
➖️The ending, I knew where it was heading and it dragged a lot
➖️ The footnotes. So distracting when reading. I liked when it gave context but also struggled to spot the tiny symbols and then match the symbols to the foot not.
✍️ "That's just what translation is, I think. That's all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they're trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands." Pg535
🛍 I was lucky enough to find my copy in a Street Library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism
4AM by Zara McDonald, Michelle Andrews
3.0
I am a fan of the Shameless podcast and Ask Shameless Newsletter so I was keen to grab the audio book copy of 4am and read slowly.
+I liked the structure of the book, that the conundrums where sectioned off in to.
+The realistic and raw responses to each of the problems.
+Makes you a better listener and advice giver to the women in my life (I hope)
-Would love to read more replies, I think this was a realy strength of the book.
-A lot of the conundrums washed over me and I can't really remember any in particular. Perhaps this is where the physical copy of the book could be more of an advantage
If you liked Dear Dolly by Dolly Alderton you will enjoy this read.
+I liked the structure of the book, that the conundrums where sectioned off in to.
+The realistic and raw responses to each of the problems.
+Makes you a better listener and advice giver to the women in my life (I hope)
-Would love to read more replies, I think this was a realy strength of the book.
-A lot of the conundrums washed over me and I can't really remember any in particular. Perhaps this is where the physical copy of the book could be more of an advantage
If you liked Dear Dolly by Dolly Alderton you will enjoy this read.
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
4.0
I spotted this read during our Book Crawl last year became even more intrigued when Zara raved about it on the Shameless podcast.
+Narrative style. It was snappy, honest and addictive. I really just wanted to keep reading it, it was like a car crash, I just couldn't look away. The character knew what they were doing was wring but they did it anyway.
+Enjoyed the modern pop culture references littered throughout.
+There were few characters to keep track of, especially loved the father daughter relationship.
-There was a few things left unsaid or unfinished that I felt were important for character development. I understand why the decision was made to not share them (highly recommend listening to the Shameless Book Club episode that interviews Madeleine Gray if you're curious about this)
-The ending. It just didn't sit right with me and wasn't the closure that I needed
"But en masse the whole thing is pathetic- the men in suits buying takeaway coffees, rushing across the street to get into the office before nine; the forced smiles between colleagues who both happen to be reaching for the last bagel; the fact that we all read Marx in first-year uni; or if not, at least a paragraph or so of Walter Benjamin was relayed to us by a stoned high-school paramour, and we lay on the lawns outside our schools or between tutorials, and we never thought that after this hiatus we too would end up cogs in the machine, and grateful to be so, and grateful to get home to Netflix." (pg60-61)
+Narrative style. It was snappy, honest and addictive. I really just wanted to keep reading it, it was like a car crash, I just couldn't look away. The character knew what they were doing was wring but they did it anyway.
+Enjoyed the modern pop culture references littered throughout.
+There were few characters to keep track of, especially loved the father daughter relationship.
-There was a few things left unsaid or unfinished that I felt were important for character development. I understand why the decision was made to not share them (highly recommend listening to the Shameless Book Club episode that interviews Madeleine Gray if you're curious about this)
-The ending. It just didn't sit right with me and wasn't the closure that I needed
"But en masse the whole thing is pathetic- the men in suits buying takeaway coffees, rushing across the street to get into the office before nine; the forced smiles between colleagues who both happen to be reaching for the last bagel; the fact that we all read Marx in first-year uni; or if not, at least a paragraph or so of Walter Benjamin was relayed to us by a stoned high-school paramour, and we lay on the lawns outside our schools or between tutorials, and we never thought that after this hiatus we too would end up cogs in the machine, and grateful to be so, and grateful to get home to Netflix." (pg60-61)
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
2.0
📖 REVIEW 📖
It spiked my interest that this book was partially set in Nagano, a place I visited in Japan. Wasn't expecting it to be as strange as it was but read across different cities, on trains and finished once I arrived home.
➕️ It was an easy book to read for the most part, especially being a translation.
➕️ Enjoyed reading this book in Japan, especially give. That it was set in some of the places I visited including Nagano and Chiba.
➕️Exploration of themes including oppression, societal expectations,innocence children and trauma.
➖️There was a lot of complicated topics that were u comfortable to read about. Suggest checking out the content warnings on The Storygraph before reading.
➖️It was just weird. Really weird. I probably should have made it a DNF but there was a part of me that wanted to see where it went.
It spiked my interest that this book was partially set in Nagano, a place I visited in Japan. Wasn't expecting it to be as strange as it was but read across different cities, on trains and finished once I arrived home.
➕️ It was an easy book to read for the most part, especially being a translation.
➕️ Enjoyed reading this book in Japan, especially give. That it was set in some of the places I visited including Nagano and Chiba.
➕️Exploration of themes including oppression, societal expectations,innocence children and trauma.
➖️There was a lot of complicated topics that were u comfortable to read about. Suggest checking out the content warnings on The Storygraph before reading.
➖️It was just weird. Really weird. I probably should have made it a DNF but there was a part of me that wanted to see where it went.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
4.0
For a teeny tiny hook, I sure did read it in a lot of places across Japan. From cafes, to trains to air bnbs. I'll treasure this copy a little more knowing I read it in the places it was set in.
What I enjoyed..
Structure, that each character had their own part
Incredibly memorable read that encouraged me to reflect. When would I go back to the past if I could?
Powerful message about the present
Exploration of memory and change
Sad, but beautiful ending
What i didn't enjoy...
A little risky at first to keep up with the characters and who is who at first. Especially as I read this book over the span of a few weeks
I did connect some of the dots early on so meant that I saw the final chapter coming.
"People don't see things and hear things as objectively as they think. The visual and auditory information that enters the mind is distorted by experiences, thoughts, circumstances, wild fancies, prejudices, preferences, knowledge,awareness, and countless other workings of the mind" p189.
I purchased my copy from @riverbendbooks
What I enjoyed..
Structure, that each character had their own part
Incredibly memorable read that encouraged me to reflect. When would I go back to the past if I could?
Powerful message about the present
Exploration of memory and change
Sad, but beautiful ending
What i didn't enjoy...
A little risky at first to keep up with the characters and who is who at first. Especially as I read this book over the span of a few weeks
I did connect some of the dots early on so meant that I saw the final chapter coming.
"People don't see things and hear things as objectively as they think. The visual and auditory information that enters the mind is distorted by experiences, thoughts, circumstances, wild fancies, prejudices, preferences, knowledge,awareness, and countless other workings of the mind" p189.
I purchased my copy from @riverbendbooks
A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone
2.0
📖 REVIEW 📖
➕️The Christmas vibes and setting,exactly what I expect in a holiday rom-com
➕️ Premise sounded great, it had so much promise!
➕️ Myriad of characters
➖️ Felt like so much of the central relationship happened Ed off the page and we only got the spicy bits
➖️ Title and cover, oh so misleading
➖️ Highly repetitive and obvious, not relying on the reader to connect anything and laying it all bare
➖️ Shocking for the sake of being shocking
⭐ Star rating 2/5
🚨 Mental illness (Bipolar)
🛍 Purchased my copy late 2022 from @avidreader
➕️The Christmas vibes and setting,exactly what I expect in a holiday rom-com
➕️ Premise sounded great, it had so much promise!
➕️ Myriad of characters
➖️ Felt like so much of the central relationship happened Ed off the page and we only got the spicy bits
➖️ Title and cover, oh so misleading
➖️ Highly repetitive and obvious, not relying on the reader to connect anything and laying it all bare
➖️ Shocking for the sake of being shocking
⭐ Star rating 2/5
🚨 Mental illness (Bipolar)
🛍 Purchased my copy late 2022 from @avidreader
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Good Material by Dolly Alderton
5.0
At the beginning of the year I was beyond excited to hear the news that Dolly had a new book coming, I was then elated when my book club voted it in as our first read for 2024. Little did I know it would become one of my favourites books of 2023.
Heart broken and with nowhere to live struggling comedian Andy grapples with his recent break up with Jen. Stuck in his own nostalgia for the past Andy does his best to figure out what happened to cause Jen to end it all.
Uhhhh, where to start? To put it simple I adored this book cover to cover. I read this book with multiple highlighters in hand as I let Dolly's masterful words sink it. It was sad, funny, raw and reflective take on the aftermath of a relationship. Seeing a break up through a male perspective was incredibly unique and I love the introductory list that seemed to seep through the rest of the novel. It really highlighted how alike, yet different men and women are in the wake of a break up. The ending was also beautifully tragic. It was a read that will stay with me for a very long time.
If you like Dolly's previous works, enjoy messy millennial style reads or just want to read a book with an exceptional structure and golden ending give this one a go.
Heart broken and with nowhere to live struggling comedian Andy grapples with his recent break up with Jen. Stuck in his own nostalgia for the past Andy does his best to figure out what happened to cause Jen to end it all.
Uhhhh, where to start? To put it simple I adored this book cover to cover. I read this book with multiple highlighters in hand as I let Dolly's masterful words sink it. It was sad, funny, raw and reflective take on the aftermath of a relationship. Seeing a break up through a male perspective was incredibly unique and I love the introductory list that seemed to seep through the rest of the novel. It really highlighted how alike, yet different men and women are in the wake of a break up. The ending was also beautifully tragic. It was a read that will stay with me for a very long time.
If you like Dolly's previous works, enjoy messy millennial style reads or just want to read a book with an exceptional structure and golden ending give this one a go.
Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
3.5
After reading and loving 'Everyone in my family has killed someone' last year for book club we were eager to read the sequel to round out 2023.
When Ernest Cunningham is invited to speak at the Australian Mystery Writer's Festival, despite being riddled with imposter syndrome he takes the chance and boards with his girlfriend Juliette in tow. The once in a lifetime scenic journey down the continent of Australia is not the break he needs though and when one of the guests aboard the Ghan is killed, Ern cannot help by try and solve it.
What I enjoyed about this book was the familiarity of the character of Ernest, especially his narration style. I like that it breaks the fourth wall and you forget it isn't actually a memoir by the author. I think what made this sequel unique was the way in which the character referred to the previous book and the events after its publication. There were some especially funny scenes that make fun of traditional mystery novels while also adhering to the conventions (eg proposal and moving train scenes) and the plot was certainly twisty.
I think the biggest issue that I had was this novel was the ginormous cast of characters, there was too many to keep track of and meant that I was exhausted reading some of the finer details of the case. It become information overload on top of being a bit boring and lack lustre - perhaps because I'm more of a thriller reader than a mystery reader?
Overall I did like the book and look forward to chatting about it with my book club.
When Ernest Cunningham is invited to speak at the Australian Mystery Writer's Festival, despite being riddled with imposter syndrome he takes the chance and boards with his girlfriend Juliette in tow. The once in a lifetime scenic journey down the continent of Australia is not the break he needs though and when one of the guests aboard the Ghan is killed, Ern cannot help by try and solve it.
What I enjoyed about this book was the familiarity of the character of Ernest, especially his narration style. I like that it breaks the fourth wall and you forget it isn't actually a memoir by the author. I think what made this sequel unique was the way in which the character referred to the previous book and the events after its publication. There were some especially funny scenes that make fun of traditional mystery novels while also adhering to the conventions (eg proposal and moving train scenes) and the plot was certainly twisty.
I think the biggest issue that I had was this novel was the ginormous cast of characters, there was too many to keep track of and meant that I was exhausted reading some of the finer details of the case. It become information overload on top of being a bit boring and lack lustre - perhaps because I'm more of a thriller reader than a mystery reader?
Overall I did like the book and look forward to chatting about it with my book club.
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
3.0
As a fan of the Shameless Bookclub I was intrigued to read this one after hearing the hosts gush about the fast pace and devour-ability of the novel. Whilst I can appreciate the mystery of the novel and the way in which it was told, I'm not sure it quite reached the hype I was hoping for.
After meeting at the pub one night birthday twins Alix and Josie become entangled in each other's lives when Alix agrees to interview Josie for her brand new podcast. What Alix doesn't bank on is how easily Josie slides into her home and seeps into her life.
I did enjoy a number of things about this novel that are usual box tickers for me, this includes; duel narrators and shifting formats (narration and transcript of a Netflix Documentary). In addition, I liked the title and how I continually came back to it and questioning what was true and how reliable were the words of the characters that I was reading. The first 75% of the novel was very devour-able.
Unfortunately I thought the plot really slowed towards the end of the novel and it really dragged for me. In addition, the heavier topics explored also weighed me down. I usually like to leave a read pretty quickly when uncomfortable themes are included. The biggest let down for me though was that I felt like the reader was really left to make their own interpretation of the truth, sometimes I love this and sometimes I loathe it. In this case I loathed it as a felt like it was such a large part of the tension for me and when it was released at the end it was frustrating.
Overall I am glad that I read this book as it was the thriller read I needed at the time but, I do recommend that you check out the trigger warnings for this read as some of the content is confronting.
After meeting at the pub one night birthday twins Alix and Josie become entangled in each other's lives when Alix agrees to interview Josie for her brand new podcast. What Alix doesn't bank on is how easily Josie slides into her home and seeps into her life.
I did enjoy a number of things about this novel that are usual box tickers for me, this includes; duel narrators and shifting formats (narration and transcript of a Netflix Documentary). In addition, I liked the title and how I continually came back to it and questioning what was true and how reliable were the words of the characters that I was reading. The first 75% of the novel was very devour-able.
Unfortunately I thought the plot really slowed towards the end of the novel and it really dragged for me. In addition, the heavier topics explored also weighed me down. I usually like to leave a read pretty quickly when uncomfortable themes are included. The biggest let down for me though was that I felt like the reader was really left to make their own interpretation of the truth, sometimes I love this and sometimes I loathe it. In this case I loathed it as a felt like it was such a large part of the tension for me and when it was released at the end it was frustrating.
Overall I am glad that I read this book as it was the thriller read I needed at the time but, I do recommend that you check out the trigger warnings for this read as some of the content is confronting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Murder