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libbysbookshelf's Reviews (745)
BURNTCOAT by SARAH HALL
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished reading it last night.
It’s a masterpiece.
I don’t want to say anything about the plot, but I will say that it’s devastating and painful and beautiful. Here is a writer who knows what it means to be in love. But also understands how it feels to be in severe pain.
I cannot exaggerate enough. This book is phenomenal and I loved it so much.
#burntcoat #sarahall #book #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreviewfeatures #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookstagramuk #bookstagrammer
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished reading it last night.
It’s a masterpiece.
I don’t want to say anything about the plot, but I will say that it’s devastating and painful and beautiful. Here is a writer who knows what it means to be in love. But also understands how it feels to be in severe pain.
I cannot exaggerate enough. This book is phenomenal and I loved it so much.
#burntcoat #sarahall #book #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreviewfeatures #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookstagramuk #bookstagrammer
FOOLISH HEROINES by JUNE WENTLAND
AD-PR @valleypressuk thanks for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love books that follow a bunch of different characters, whose lives eventually intersect. And that’s exactly what this is. Plus so much more.
The women in this book are oppressed by men, in some way or another. It’s not until they come out from under that oppression that they find themselves and see the beauty in the world.
This sweet little novel follows a whole host of different women and explores — through whimsy and surrealism — how absurd humanity really is.
I loved this book and could have quite easily read it from start to finish without moving or stopping.
I also discovered in the Acknowledgments that this writer studied creative writing at Bath Spa university (same as me) and was taught by Mimi Thebo (also same as me!). I wonder if that’s partly why I loved this book so much.
Anyway, dontcha just love reading?
#book #foolishheroines #junewentland #valleypress #books #bookrecommendations #bookreviewfeatures #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer #bookreviews #booklover #booklove #bookstagram #bookstagrammer
AD-PR @valleypressuk thanks for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love books that follow a bunch of different characters, whose lives eventually intersect. And that’s exactly what this is. Plus so much more.
The women in this book are oppressed by men, in some way or another. It’s not until they come out from under that oppression that they find themselves and see the beauty in the world.
This sweet little novel follows a whole host of different women and explores — through whimsy and surrealism — how absurd humanity really is.
I loved this book and could have quite easily read it from start to finish without moving or stopping.
I also discovered in the Acknowledgments that this writer studied creative writing at Bath Spa university (same as me) and was taught by Mimi Thebo (also same as me!). I wonder if that’s partly why I loved this book so much.
Anyway, dontcha just love reading?
#book #foolishheroines #junewentland #valleypress #books #bookrecommendations #bookreviewfeatures #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer #bookreviews #booklover #booklove #bookstagram #bookstagrammer
EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR MOTHER IS A WITCH by RIVKA GALCHEN
Based on true events of the witch trials in the seventeenth century, this novel follows Katharina, a widow accused of witchcraft. Throughout the book are accounts both for and against Katharina’s guilt, as well as sections written from Katharina’s point of view and that of her neighbour, Simon.
Well-written and researched, but lacking in a little something. Packed with the charm of a strong and brilliant central character, but lacking in any other formidable ones. I wonder if this book was a few sugar cubes short of my cup of tea…
A good read, but not an excellent one. I’m sure there are plenty of you who will love this, though.
#book #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookstagrammer #bookreviewer #bookreader #bookreview
Based on true events of the witch trials in the seventeenth century, this novel follows Katharina, a widow accused of witchcraft. Throughout the book are accounts both for and against Katharina’s guilt, as well as sections written from Katharina’s point of view and that of her neighbour, Simon.
Well-written and researched, but lacking in a little something. Packed with the charm of a strong and brilliant central character, but lacking in any other formidable ones. I wonder if this book was a few sugar cubes short of my cup of tea…
A good read, but not an excellent one. I’m sure there are plenty of you who will love this, though.
#book #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookstagrammer #bookreviewer #bookreader #bookreview
A CERTAIN HUNGER by CHELSEA G SUMMERS
Isn’t the front cover the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?!
A few months ago, I wrote my dissertation on body image and food and sex in literature. Had I known about this gloriously disgusting book about cannibalism and sex, it would have been a main feature of the essay.
This is a writer who can write extremely well. She uses language in the way that a top chef uses their ingredients — excellent quality and in the right quantity.
To begin with the story thrilled me: a woman in prison looks back at the men she has love and murdered and eaten and describes how she ended up in prison for life. The graphic descriptions were gory, but exciting to begin with, but there came a point where it became too much even for me!
I don’t want that to put people off, though, because this is an awesome book. Maybe avoid it if you’re feeling a bit squiffy in the tummy because I was on the edge of nausea a few times.
Overall, good fun and beautifully written.
#acertainhunger #chelseagsummers #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer
Isn’t the front cover the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?!
A few months ago, I wrote my dissertation on body image and food and sex in literature. Had I known about this gloriously disgusting book about cannibalism and sex, it would have been a main feature of the essay.
This is a writer who can write extremely well. She uses language in the way that a top chef uses their ingredients — excellent quality and in the right quantity.
To begin with the story thrilled me: a woman in prison looks back at the men she has love and murdered and eaten and describes how she ended up in prison for life. The graphic descriptions were gory, but exciting to begin with, but there came a point where it became too much even for me!
I don’t want that to put people off, though, because this is an awesome book. Maybe avoid it if you’re feeling a bit squiffy in the tummy because I was on the edge of nausea a few times.
Overall, good fun and beautifully written.
#acertainhunger #chelseagsummers #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer
A GHOST IN THE THROAT by DOIREANN NI GHRIOFA
A masterful book about obsession, a love of literature and motherhood, that ultimately wasn’t for me, but I can wholeheartedly recommend to people who enjoy reading about motherhood.
The writer was so intoxicating that I made it half way though this book before ultimately giving up. It’s not the book’s fault, though. It’s mine. It’s not you, it’s me!
#ghostinthethroat #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookreader #books
A masterful book about obsession, a love of literature and motherhood, that ultimately wasn’t for me, but I can wholeheartedly recommend to people who enjoy reading about motherhood.
The writer was so intoxicating that I made it half way though this book before ultimately giving up. It’s not the book’s fault, though. It’s mine. It’s not you, it’s me!
#ghostinthethroat #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookreader #books
ACT YOUR AGE, EVE BROWN by TALIA HIBBERT
The third instalment of Brown sister fun and it was just as good as the other two.
I was feeling restless and then I picked this up and it settled me right down.
Sometimes all you need is a bit of romance and a lot of sex! Who knew?!
Recommend if you need a break from all your spooky Halloween reads.
#book #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #taliahibbert #actyourageevebrown #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer
The third instalment of Brown sister fun and it was just as good as the other two.
I was feeling restless and then I picked this up and it settled me right down.
Sometimes all you need is a bit of romance and a lot of sex! Who knew?!
Recommend if you need a break from all your spooky Halloween reads.
#book #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #taliahibbert #actyourageevebrown #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer
HUMANKIND: A HOPEFUL HISTORY by RUTGER BREGMAN
My husband and I work at the same school so every morning on our commute we listen to an audiobook. For the last few weeks we have been listening to, and discussing (and loving) this book by a Dutch writer.
We have learnt soo much! Rutger covers moments throughout history that most of us would be familiar with, but he looks at them in a new light. His aim — with this ambitious book — is to prove that humans are essentially kind. He looks at the holocaust, the murder of Kitty Genovese, psychology experiments by Milgram and Zimbardo, among many other events, and shows that a lot of what we think we know is wrong.
At one point he argues that we should stop watching, reading or listening to the news because journalists and news outlets have one desire and that is to keep a viewership and so they will often only report on stories from a point of view that is most shocking because that’s what sells a newspaper. We’re not always getting the whole story, though. And often the story we get is a more pessimistic one and definitely not a realistic one. You see, pessimism and realism often go hand in hand, but this book teaches you that to be kind and compassionate is in fact to be a realist.
This is one of those books that — when read and discussed well — can change the way you approach your own life. I would go as far as to say that this book has changed me. I know it’s written by a white guy, which is so not me, but I guess some of them are ok 😏
#book #humankind #rutgerbregman #nonfiction #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer
My husband and I work at the same school so every morning on our commute we listen to an audiobook. For the last few weeks we have been listening to, and discussing (and loving) this book by a Dutch writer.
We have learnt soo much! Rutger covers moments throughout history that most of us would be familiar with, but he looks at them in a new light. His aim — with this ambitious book — is to prove that humans are essentially kind. He looks at the holocaust, the murder of Kitty Genovese, psychology experiments by Milgram and Zimbardo, among many other events, and shows that a lot of what we think we know is wrong.
At one point he argues that we should stop watching, reading or listening to the news because journalists and news outlets have one desire and that is to keep a viewership and so they will often only report on stories from a point of view that is most shocking because that’s what sells a newspaper. We’re not always getting the whole story, though. And often the story we get is a more pessimistic one and definitely not a realistic one. You see, pessimism and realism often go hand in hand, but this book teaches you that to be kind and compassionate is in fact to be a realist.
This is one of those books that — when read and discussed well — can change the way you approach your own life. I would go as far as to say that this book has changed me. I know it’s written by a white guy, which is so not me, but I guess some of them are ok 😏
#book #humankind #rutgerbregman #nonfiction #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreader #bookreviewer
MRS DEATH MISSES DEATH by SALENA GODDEN
Now this is going to be tricky.
This is the story of a young person who is struggling with mental illness and the loss of loved ones. They feel a connection to death, so much so they begin to communicate with Death and find out that she is an old, working class Black woman — someone ignored by society.
This premise is what drew me in and made me add the book to my wishlist (thanks to @jthbooks for surprising me with a copy a few months ago!)
However.
But.
On the other hand.
I’m not sure.
I am tempted to say this is the best thing I’ve ever read… but I’m not sure that’s true.
This is not just a story told in the format of a novel. This is also poetry and an essay and a letter. These things are all good. In writing about about death, the writer has also managed to write about the beauty of life.
The issue I have is that I’m not sure if the writer pulled off the desired effect throughout. I’m not sure if it was consistent enough. But then what if that was the desired outcome? There were moments when I wanted to applaud this writer and also moments when I wondered if she needed to go back to the drawing board, but what if that variety and that rollercoaster was exactly what the writer intended me to feel?
My conclusion: I love a book that makes me feel something, especially if it’s something new, so I’m going to call this a win and advise more of you to read this and join me in my conflicting feelings.
#book #mrsdeathmissesdeath #salenagodden #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreviewer
Now this is going to be tricky.
This is the story of a young person who is struggling with mental illness and the loss of loved ones. They feel a connection to death, so much so they begin to communicate with Death and find out that she is an old, working class Black woman — someone ignored by society.
This premise is what drew me in and made me add the book to my wishlist (thanks to @jthbooks for surprising me with a copy a few months ago!)
However.
But.
On the other hand.
I’m not sure.
I am tempted to say this is the best thing I’ve ever read… but I’m not sure that’s true.
This is not just a story told in the format of a novel. This is also poetry and an essay and a letter. These things are all good. In writing about about death, the writer has also managed to write about the beauty of life.
The issue I have is that I’m not sure if the writer pulled off the desired effect throughout. I’m not sure if it was consistent enough. But then what if that was the desired outcome? There were moments when I wanted to applaud this writer and also moments when I wondered if she needed to go back to the drawing board, but what if that variety and that rollercoaster was exactly what the writer intended me to feel?
My conclusion: I love a book that makes me feel something, especially if it’s something new, so I’m going to call this a win and advise more of you to read this and join me in my conflicting feelings.
#book #mrsdeathmissesdeath #salenagodden #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreviewer
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold
Imogen Hermes Gowar, Naomi Booth, Emma Glass, Irenosen Okojie, Daisy Johnson, Natasha Carthew, Eimear McBride, Liv Little, Mahsuda Snaith, Kirsty Logan
HAG: FORGOTTEN FOLKTALES RETOLD by VARIOUS AUTHORS
I’d been saving this book up for Halloween month because of its supposed spooky themes. Unfortunately I didn’t love this. I liked it, but the stories felt a little amateur.
They are retellings of folktales from various places around the U.K. and I liked the concept but the final product was not as polished as I might have liked.
There was one stand out story that makes the reading of this collection worthwhile and that was the one about the panther.
I don’t think the writing was bad, I just didn’t find the retellings that exciting or compelling.
Anyone else read this and had a similar experience?
#hag #folktalesretold #book #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendation #bookreviewer
I’d been saving this book up for Halloween month because of its supposed spooky themes. Unfortunately I didn’t love this. I liked it, but the stories felt a little amateur.
They are retellings of folktales from various places around the U.K. and I liked the concept but the final product was not as polished as I might have liked.
There was one stand out story that makes the reading of this collection worthwhile and that was the one about the panther.
I don’t think the writing was bad, I just didn’t find the retellings that exciting or compelling.
Anyone else read this and had a similar experience?
#hag #folktalesretold #book #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendation #bookreviewer
BODIES by SUSIE ORBACH
I cited this text, and others by Orbach, in my dissertation on sex and body image. Unlike, Fat is a Feminist Issue (her seminal work), however, this book talks about the body in general. She explores the real life case study of a man who feels he no longer wants his legs and wishes to have them amputated. She explores sexuality in both men and women and in young people. She explores feral children and sex dolls. For a short book, Orbach manages to fit in a lot of content.
The way it’s written is informative, while also being slightly informal, creating an engaging and trustworthy narrator; almost like listening to a good teacher in a classroom.
I found a lot of this book fascinating and I recommend it to people who are aiming to read more nonfiction.
#susieorbach #book #nonfiction #books #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookstagrammer
I cited this text, and others by Orbach, in my dissertation on sex and body image. Unlike, Fat is a Feminist Issue (her seminal work), however, this book talks about the body in general. She explores the real life case study of a man who feels he no longer wants his legs and wishes to have them amputated. She explores sexuality in both men and women and in young people. She explores feral children and sex dolls. For a short book, Orbach manages to fit in a lot of content.
The way it’s written is informative, while also being slightly informal, creating an engaging and trustworthy narrator; almost like listening to a good teacher in a classroom.
I found a lot of this book fascinating and I recommend it to people who are aiming to read more nonfiction.
#susieorbach #book #nonfiction #books #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookreviewer #bookstagram #bookstagrammer