joymargot's reviews
93 reviews

Juniper's Christmas by Eoin Colfer

3.0

I bought this because my cat’s name is Juniper and I wanted something cute and cosy to read over Christmas.

While I was pleasantly surprised to see so many important topics covered in a book aimed at children, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me and the middle section really dragged. I appreciate the irony of criticising a children’s story for being silly but some of the humour (such as the Madden’s names) felt rather dumbed down compared to the overall tone.

Still, I didn’t have a bad time with it and I appreciated the ethnically diverse characters and the important messages about houselessness. I shall pass my copy onto a more age-appropriate reader!

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

4.0

I knew absolutely nothing about this but it caught my eye because I love stationery and wow, what a great find! It’s a beautiful tale of love and family set against the backdrop of 1950s Iran. It was so refreshing to read a romance without spicy scenes too. No shade to those who enjoy them, it’s just not my journey.

As others have remarked, some of the character development feels a bit thin on the ground but the imagery is so rich and immersive.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

4.0

This took me a while to get in to and had it not been recommended by a friend with great taste, I may not have persevered…

…but boy howdy am I glad I did! Such a bleak but utterly immersive read! It was incredibly thoroughly researched and I loved reading more about Kent’s inspiration and process at the end.

The perfect book for cold and grey weather!

Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda

5.0

I absolutely adored this! Cosy Japanese novels with cats on the cover are often my favourites but this one was particularly delightful. Thankfully, it lacked the somewhat frustrating repetitive nature of similar stories…I’m looking at you, Before the Coffee Gets Cold 👀

It’s sentimental and heartwarming in all the best ways and I loved the central theme of stationery that tied everyone’s stories together.

If you enjoyed this, check out What You Are Looking For is in the Library, The Kamogawa Food Detectives and The Bookshop Woman.

I’m dreaming of a film or tv show made by the creators of The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House 🥰

Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

3.0

The constant repetition of the rules continues to be incredibly irritating and as I mentioned in my review of book #3, I think I’m done with this series now that I’ve read all of the ones I own!

I enjoyed this more than book #3 and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th chapters were some of my favourite stories of the series. Unfortunately, the constant use of the term “vegetative state” in the first chapter felt really gross and dehumanising.

Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

2.0

Sadly, I think I’m done with this series. The repetition of the rules has become unbearable and the writing (or perhaps the translation) felt rather stilted compared to the first two books. It took me 9 days to finish a 239 page novel which is completely unheard of for me! It was nice to visit a different setting but it didn’t add much to the story for me.

I already have the fourth book so I’ll read it, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up the fifth.

If you too are a little fatigued with this series but want something with the same vibe, I recommend Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura 🌕

Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson

3.0

I didn’t realise this was a continuation of the “Girls” series when I picked it up. I read the first couple as a tween and barely remembered them, but a quick google confirmed they weren’t a prerequisite!

The writing style instantly took me back and in all honesty, if it wasn’t for the F bombs, the frequent references to googling things and the more explicit sex scenes, I would’ve completely forgotten I wasn’t reading a JW novel from my childhood.

While I enjoyed being back in Wilson’s world, this didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I guess it was kind of the point but the encounters with

Gary

made me incredibly uncomfortable and some of the heavier topics felt a bit plopped in and abandoned.

The most interesting part of the story was the final few pages and I wish we could’ve spent more time exploring this

new relationship.

All in all, a quick and mostly enjoyable read that’s made me want to re-read some childhood favs: Double Act and The Suitcase Kid.

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

2.0

Let me start with the caveat that this isn’t really my sort of thing, I don’t read romance and I was lured in entirely by the promise of pumpkin spice cosy vibes. I wasn’t expecting a literary masterpiece and I knew it would be cheesy as hell but somehow I was still disappointed!

Almost nothing happens, it’s under-edited, incredibly repetitive, heteronormative to the point of ridiculousness and the spicy scenes are excruciating. Does anyone really find the word “erection” titillating?! It also borrows liberally from Gilmore Girls, even down to the author’s pen name.

To its credit, it’s a quick read and the small town setting is indeed cosy and charming. I didn’t have an awful time but I’m certainly not champing at the bit to read the next one.

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

5.0

Absolutely fascinating and what a great book to have met my 2024 reading goal with!

I found I really needed to take time to sit quietly and digest this so unfortunately parts of it were rather wasted on me as I tried to read on a noisy bus. It definitely warrants a re-read to absorb it fully.

My favourite chapters were Mycelial Minds & Radical Mycology and I loved the illustrations, drawn with ink made from ink cap mushrooms, no less!

You may want to warn your friends and family that they’ll be regaled with constant mushroom facts while you read this! 🍄

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

4.0

Really good fun! Sure, you have to suspend your disbelief a little but can’t that be said for most commercial murder mysteries? The inclusion of the diary entires and clues reminded me of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, another of my favs.

I loved the characters of Pip and Ravi although Pip did make some infuriatingly stupid choices in places. All in all, an enjoyable and speedy read and I’m looking forward to checking out the Netflix series now I’ve read it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death