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redheadreading's reviews
2147 reviews
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Even though I'd already seen the miniseries so knew the plot, I really enjoyed experiencing the telling of this! Waters' writing is so rich in Victorianisms and she sets a scene so well. Occasionally it did feel a bit long, I guess partly because the way the narrative is split into parts means you have a few quite distinct stories all woven together to make Nancy's life! I think my personal preference is for Waters' slightly darker and more twisty work, but this was still a really fun romp and I particularly loved the ending. Interestingly, reading this edition with the afterword it appears the author can see some of the "shortcomings" herself and I really enjoyed reading her discussion of them and what she might do differently if she wrote it now - but still, what a corker of a debut!
A Little Gay History of Wales by Daryl Leeworthy
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Mainly focused on the 1800s onwards, has more of a focus on gay experience (hence the title) and perhaps requires a little pre-existing knowledge of Cymru's history - nonetheless, this is a great addition to any queer non-fic shelf!
Detroit 67: The Year That Changed Soul by Stuart Cosgrove
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Updating my rating to a four star as I'm reading the second book because I'm really appreciating the way this series weaves together music history with social history
A Thousand Threads: A Memoir by Neneh Cherry
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Her reflections on her mum at the end were particularly moving. A really warm and generous biography.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Floating somewhere between a three and a four. Certain sections of this were fab and caused me to wander off on some thought spirals. I'm glad I broke up the reading experience across a few sessions to help limit the repetition, but weirdly for such a short book I did find myself thinking it felt a bit overlong towards the end! Perhaps just a little too much listing?
Sonia Delaunay by Cecile Godefroy, Anne Montfort
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Fascinating!
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Lots of sighing and perhaps a thousand sleeves wettened by tears (and those were just mine as I rustled up the motivation to continue reading), I can appreciate its importance in the history of literature but I found it dull and repetitive. Genji is an absolute pest who somehow manages to be worse than all of the other abhorrent men in this book.
Reothairt is Contraigh: Taghadh de Dhàin, 1932-72 by Somhairle MacGill-Eain
challenging
emotional
reflective
4.0
I felt the righteous anger at the clearances, the deep mourning of the loss of a way of life, the anxiety over a fading language - deeply affecting. Although I can't speak Gaelic, I did really value finding some recordings of the poetry being spoken aloud, it really helps you appreciate the sound of the language. My favourite poems were those in An Iomhaigh Bhriste/The Broken Image chapter and those from 1945-72.
The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly (with Recipes) by Kate Lebo
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
An interesting piece of food writing that somewhat defies categorisation- something that I confess I do love in foodie books! I suspect I shall be dropping details from this into conversation for years to come. The first half felt stronger to me than the latter and I confess the wheat chapter lost me (just make gluten free food if your partner is a coeliac, what on earth is wrong with you!!! Gluten free baking exists!!!)