stephdadi's reviews
98 reviews

Hilariously Infertile: One Woman's Inappropriate Quest to Help Women Laugh Through Infertility. by Karen Jeffries

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

3.5

A lighter attitude to a subject dear to my heart. While I found the style a little too relaxed to begin with, I settled in to it. Some bits were genuinely laugh out loud funny. Enjoyable, sweary and relatable.

It’s more a memoir than a self-help book and does detail some successful pregnancies and postpartum life so best to avoid if that is triggering.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers by Lauren Burke, Hannah K. Chapman

emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

What a great little taster into the public and not so public lives of some incredible female authors. Some I knew of well and some I’d never heard of (shame on me). I was particularly moved by Mary Shelley. Recommended.

Geneva by Richard Armitage

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed this and it helped me get out of a reading slump but it was fairly predictable. There’s something comforting in that though. A comforting thriller? Performances were very good. Elevated it for me. 

52 Times Britain Was a Bellend: The History You Didn't Get Taught at School by James Felton

funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

Delightful taster of our worst hits! Really funny in a dry way. Occasionally I would have liked a little more context. The final section is a great reflection on the way we write our histories. Recommend. 

The Blackout by Ruth McIver

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It’s a 2.5 for me. 2 stars feels a bit harsh but 3 seems too much. I didn’t like the use of 2nd person in this book. It didn’t gel with me and I found it really broke my suspension of disbelief. Some interesting ideas but overall a predictable read. 

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I love this series. There’s something so delightful about the gang of sleuths and their band of followers and I particularly enjoy how Osman refuses to patronise these OAPs without losing any humour. While it’s slightly more outlandish and unbelievable than the first two, that doesn’t really bother me. It’s the “extra” level elements that shine the diamond. The trick now is waiting six months for the next instalment. 

Toffee by Sarah Crossan

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gorgeous book. Really beautifully sad in places but ultimately a hopeful story. Uniquely structured but occasionally I found it difficult to hold the thread of the dialogue, owing to the poetic layout. Recommended read.

The Wrong One by Dervla McTiernan

3.0

Twist was interesting. Characters were super unlikeable. Could have been so much more.

Their Lost Daughters by Joy Ellis

4.0

I really enjoyed this thriller. I particularly enjoyed that the more mundane aspects of policing were included: leaving for sleep, waiting for protocol and test results. Some moments of predictability but overall some really great twisty turns.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

5.0

I deeply enjoyed this book. The treatment of tense and tumultuous family relationships and the self-doubt in the aftermath is brilliant. It’s what she doesn’t spell out that really work. Stylistically it reminded me of Tim O’Brien - another fave of mine.