joymargot's reviews
95 reviews

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

Go to review page

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

Go to review page

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Flow: Rivers, Water and Wildness by Amy-Jane Beer

Go to review page

3.0

I won this in a Bloomsbury book giveaway and came to it knowing nothing about Amy-Jane Beer or her work. It took me a little while to get into it but it comes into its own around the midway point and I enjoyed the chapters on colour, conversation and rewilding.

It’s a slightly rambling mix of personal stories and knowledge, which sort of works for the subject matter? I enjoyed it a lot more than Wilding by Isabella Tree, but not as much as Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

Go to review page

4.0

I wasn’t sure this was really my sort of thing from the description but I actually really enjoyed it and it’s probably my favourite Bloomsbury Creator Circle book of the year!

I’m pretty over the trope of multiple characters’ POV chapters although it does work well here. There were a few other things that bugged me: Would all of these characters have willingly shared their stories for publication? Why doesn’t anyone have social media?

The ending felt a little rushed and a bit too “neat” but all in all, I had a good time. I liked the concept and the characters were frustrating but likeable which is often my favourite type of character! I loved that it focussed on female friendships and relationships.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for the ARC.
You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

Go to review page

3.0

I don’t read a lot of thrillers but this was recommended by someone with similar reading taste.

The twists and turns kept me engaged although I did guess a couple of the “big reveals” early on. Not necessarily a bad thing as it made me feel smart! 🤓

Amaya and Kaavi’s relationship and the Sri Lankan setting provided an interesting backdrop for the story although I didn’t feel the variable POV chapters or interview interludes brought a lot.

The characters were largely unlikeable but this was still a fun read!
The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

Go to review page

4.0

This probably would’ve been a 5 star read for me had I read when it came out! It’s a really interesting take on
zombies
but through no fault of the novel’s own, they’re just a bit “done” now, aren’t they?

I foolishly watched the film (also written by Carey) shortly afterwards which put a bit of a dampener on it as it rather mangled the heart of the story for me!

Those things aside, I genuinely really enjoyed it and it was a great pick for an October reading list.
Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura

Go to review page

4.0

This follows the same format as Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Kamogawa Food Detectives and is similarly repetitive with the “rules”.

I enjoyed this more than BTCGC as some of the stories went in an unexpectedly dark direction, and I loved that they were interconnected and revealed more about the Go-Between over time.

I’ll definitely be picking up the second one when it’s translated and (finally) reading Lonely Castle in the Mirror which has been on my TBR for ages!

Thank you to Doubleday for the ARC.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Go to review page

5.0

I chose this for my October reading list because of the ghosts but it’s so much more than a ghost story and horrifying in a totally different - and tragically accurate - way. It’s a long and brutal read, but an important one. I was utterly gripped and stayed up late to finish it as I couldn’t sleep not knowing how it ended!

Great characters and such a powerful story but check those content warnings.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Bound by Maddie Ballard

Go to review page

5.0

As someone who used to be extremely into sewing and now prefers to spend my evenings and weekends reading, this collection of essays was the perfect meeting place for my past and current selves.

The essays are beautifully written and explore identity and relationships as well as creativity. Emma Dai’an Wright’s accompanying illustrations feel tailor-made for Maddie’s words, if you’ll pardon the expression.

This would be a wonderful gift for a sewist or someone who’s keen to learn. I feel throughly inspired to dust off my sewing machine and get stitching again!

Huge thanks to Tandem UK for the ARC.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Go to review page

3.0

It’s been a hot minute since I read a classic! This was a good choice for dipping back in as it’s pretty short and the language is accessible.

It’s incredibly different to every movie adaption and cultural reference I’ve come across. Less about the “monster” and more about Frankenstein being a bit of a self-absorbed tit. Still, worth a read and the essays and introductions at the start provided some interesting context although I did, as always, read them afterwards.