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605 reviews
Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp
3.0
Marzahn, Mon Amour is the author's semi-autobiographical love letter to the East Berlin suburb of Marzahn and those who dwell within its towering core.
Told in a series of vignette-like chapters, it is a beautifully tender look at humanity and the intricacies of everyday life.
Oskamp meanders gently from client to client using gorgeous free flowing prose to portray many layers of humour and life-affirming warmth.
A gorgeous short character study for those who want to lose themselves in the mundanities of day to day living but not one for those in need of plot driven reads.
I switched between the audiobook and paperback. The narrator had a perfectly complementary soothing tone which carried Oskamp’s character flawlessly to the listener; however I also feel the reader may benefit from the ability to linger more with the paperback given the quality of the writing.
Read If You Like
•Character study based literature
•Descriptive flowing prose
For Fans Of
•Ronan Hession
•Elaine Feeney
Favourite Line
“The middle years, when you're neither young nor old, are fuzzy years. You can no longer see the shore you started from, but you can't yet get a clear enough view of the shore you're heading for. You spend these years thrashing about in the middle of a big lake, out of breath, flagging from the tedium of swimming. You pause, at a loss, and turn around in circles, again and again. Fear sets in, the fear of sinking halfway, without a sound, without a cause.”
Told in a series of vignette-like chapters, it is a beautifully tender look at humanity and the intricacies of everyday life.
Oskamp meanders gently from client to client using gorgeous free flowing prose to portray many layers of humour and life-affirming warmth.
A gorgeous short character study for those who want to lose themselves in the mundanities of day to day living but not one for those in need of plot driven reads.
I switched between the audiobook and paperback. The narrator had a perfectly complementary soothing tone which carried Oskamp’s character flawlessly to the listener; however I also feel the reader may benefit from the ability to linger more with the paperback given the quality of the writing.
Read If You Like
•Character study based literature
•Descriptive flowing prose
For Fans Of
•Ronan Hession
•Elaine Feeney
Favourite Line
“The middle years, when you're neither young nor old, are fuzzy years. You can no longer see the shore you started from, but you can't yet get a clear enough view of the shore you're heading for. You spend these years thrashing about in the middle of a big lake, out of breath, flagging from the tedium of swimming. You pause, at a loss, and turn around in circles, again and again. Fear sets in, the fear of sinking halfway, without a sound, without a cause.”
Penance by Eliza Clark
4.0
Boy Parts was one of my favourite books in 2021 so I was equally nervous &excited to get my hands on a copy of Penance. Could it possibly live up to my expectations or would I be left feeling meh? Well first things first, Penance is a whole other book to BP but wow does it stack up as a gripping &stomach churning read.
Following the decade old story of the horrific murder of 16 year old Joan Wilson in the tattered seaside town of Crow-on-Sea, Clark looks at the tumultuous life of being a teenage girl, the ever popular true-crime genre &questions the concept of what really is the truth.
While looking at the lives of the girls involved in that infernal night, Eliza shows just how chaotic the reality of teenage female friendship can be. Every single character is richly &meticulously crafted, so much so that I felt my level of empathy &attitude towards each girl fluctuate greatly, creating a constant sense of discomfort. The concept of a ‘pocket hell’ is prominent &Clarks clever portrayal of the girls' dynamics &their experiences could easily be seen as each of their own little pocket hells.
The book is awash with pop culture references. Glimpses of The Sims, Andrew Lloyd Webber &indeed the often depraved rabbit hole of Tumblr were expertly written with a cosy familiarity often taking the harsh edge of the gruesome topic at hand. However, wait for the slapping side eye of the Vance Diamond subplot!
The format is a reality blurring cocktail, part metafiction, part (fictional) true crime story which Clark has executed flawlessly. True crime fans may flinch at Eliza’s gaze but I felt it more explored the premise of truth behind true crime. Whose truth is true? Whose story are these stories to tell?
While it may be quite different to her first novel it equally flaunts the insanely brilliant writing ability of Clark. Another enthralling, ingenious &unsettling page turner.
Read If You Like
•True Crime
•Meta Fiction
•Unreliable Narrators
•Unlikeable Characters
For Fans Of
•True Crime Story
•I Have Some Questions For You
•True Story
Favourite Moment
•The Sims torture dungeon! Didn’t we all remove the swimming pool ladder or lock Winston the butler in the freezer, no?
Following the decade old story of the horrific murder of 16 year old Joan Wilson in the tattered seaside town of Crow-on-Sea, Clark looks at the tumultuous life of being a teenage girl, the ever popular true-crime genre &questions the concept of what really is the truth.
While looking at the lives of the girls involved in that infernal night, Eliza shows just how chaotic the reality of teenage female friendship can be. Every single character is richly &meticulously crafted, so much so that I felt my level of empathy &attitude towards each girl fluctuate greatly, creating a constant sense of discomfort. The concept of a ‘pocket hell’ is prominent &Clarks clever portrayal of the girls' dynamics &their experiences could easily be seen as each of their own little pocket hells.
The book is awash with pop culture references. Glimpses of The Sims, Andrew Lloyd Webber &indeed the often depraved rabbit hole of Tumblr were expertly written with a cosy familiarity often taking the harsh edge of the gruesome topic at hand. However, wait for the slapping side eye of the Vance Diamond subplot!
The format is a reality blurring cocktail, part metafiction, part (fictional) true crime story which Clark has executed flawlessly. True crime fans may flinch at Eliza’s gaze but I felt it more explored the premise of truth behind true crime. Whose truth is true? Whose story are these stories to tell?
While it may be quite different to her first novel it equally flaunts the insanely brilliant writing ability of Clark. Another enthralling, ingenious &unsettling page turner.
Read If You Like
•True Crime
•Meta Fiction
•Unreliable Narrators
•Unlikeable Characters
For Fans Of
•True Crime Story
•I Have Some Questions For You
•True Story
Favourite Moment
•The Sims torture dungeon! Didn’t we all remove the swimming pool ladder or lock Winston the butler in the freezer, no?
To Star the Dark by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
4.0
To Star The Dark is a beautiful and unusual collection of poetry by the wonderful Doireann Ní Ghríofa which looks at themes such as Irish history, motherhood and sexuality.
Emotionally charged with some uncomfortable moments which are beautifully contrasted by sublime captivating prose.
My Favourites
🌟 Prayer
⭐ Under The City, A Light In A Cave
✨ False Friends
Read If You Like
Haunting powerful and slightly unnerving poetry.
For Fans Of
Sara Baume, Kerri Ní Dochartaigh, Sophie White, Sarah Davis-Goff
Emotionally charged with some uncomfortable moments which are beautifully contrasted by sublime captivating prose.
My Favourites
🌟 Prayer
⭐ Under The City, A Light In A Cave
✨ False Friends
Read If You Like
Haunting powerful and slightly unnerving poetry.
For Fans Of
Sara Baume, Kerri Ní Dochartaigh, Sophie White, Sarah Davis-Goff
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
2.0
This Book Is Gay is possibly one of the hardest books I’ve sat down to review, because while it’s clear the book is written from a well meaning place unfortunately the execution just leaves it down miserably.
The book declares itself as a one stop shop guide to sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBT however at times feels like it just really isn’t inclusive enough! The humour and terminology used is quite juvenile in places and a lot of comments do tend to miss their mark.
It does need to be mentioned that the book was written by Juno as a gay male before she transitioned and I think the struggles she was experiencing at the time with her own identity unfortunately shine through.
It annoys me to rate the book so low, especially given the far right rhetoric and false quotes thrown about however it's also far from a balanced inclusive look at the LGBTQIA+ world as a whole.
The book isn’t terrible in its entirety and it may be a good starting point for a confused teen or conversation starter however there are many more books out there which cover this topic better.
On a side note I am a huge fan of Juno and her other work but just feel this was a miss rather than a hit.
Standout Lines
“LGBTQ+ people do not choose to be LGBTQ+. Bigots choose to hate.”
“The less we understand a group in society--the less we bother to learn--the more misconceptions and worries we have.”
If you enjoyed this review come follow me on instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/travelseatsreads/">@TravelsEatsReads</a> for more
The book declares itself as a one stop shop guide to sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBT however at times feels like it just really isn’t inclusive enough! The humour and terminology used is quite juvenile in places and a lot of comments do tend to miss their mark.
It does need to be mentioned that the book was written by Juno as a gay male before she transitioned and I think the struggles she was experiencing at the time with her own identity unfortunately shine through.
It annoys me to rate the book so low, especially given the far right rhetoric and false quotes thrown about however it's also far from a balanced inclusive look at the LGBTQIA+ world as a whole.
The book isn’t terrible in its entirety and it may be a good starting point for a confused teen or conversation starter however there are many more books out there which cover this topic better.
On a side note I am a huge fan of Juno and her other work but just feel this was a miss rather than a hit.
Standout Lines
“LGBTQ+ people do not choose to be LGBTQ+. Bigots choose to hate.”
“The less we understand a group in society--the less we bother to learn--the more misconceptions and worries we have.”
If you enjoyed this review come follow me on instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/travelseatsreads/">@TravelsEatsReads</a> for more
TEN: The decade that changed my future: Give the gift of laughter this Christmas by Rylan Clark, Rylan Clark
4.0
I listened to The Life of Rylan and Ten one after the other and absolutely adored both of them.
Rylan doesn't hold back on letting the listener into every aspect of his life, the good, the bad, the ugly and the side splitting hilarity. There's something so warming listening to Rylan tell his stories (with his Mam chirping in on Ten) that it is impossible not to fall in love with him.
His honesty and readiness to discuss his tough times and indeed the mistakes he made along the way made for at times a heavy yet in ways refreshing read.
If you have any even passing interest in him as a person I would highly recommend picking them both up for a listen so you too can see how he really is one of those good guys. Honestly, listening to both of these felt like sitting down for a cup of tea with your sweary best friend!
Rylan doesn't hold back on letting the listener into every aspect of his life, the good, the bad, the ugly and the side splitting hilarity. There's something so warming listening to Rylan tell his stories (with his Mam chirping in on Ten) that it is impossible not to fall in love with him.
His honesty and readiness to discuss his tough times and indeed the mistakes he made along the way made for at times a heavy yet in ways refreshing read.
If you have any even passing interest in him as a person I would highly recommend picking them both up for a listen so you too can see how he really is one of those good guys. Honestly, listening to both of these felt like sitting down for a cup of tea with your sweary best friend!
The Life of Rylan by Rylan Clark-Neal
4.0
I listened to The Life of Rylan and Ten one after the other and absolutely adored both of them.
Rylan doesn't hold back on letting the listener into every aspect of his life, the good, the bad, the ugly and the side splitting hilarity. There's something so warming listening to Rylan tell his stories (with his Mam chirping in on Ten) that it is impossible not to fall in love with him.
His honesty and readiness to discuss his tough times and indeed the mistakes he made along the way made for at times a heavy yet in ways refreshing read.
If you have any even passing interest in him as a person I would highly recommend picking them both up for a listen so you too can see how he really is one of those good guys. Honestly, listening to both of these felt like sitting down for a cup of tea with your sweary best friend!
Rylan doesn't hold back on letting the listener into every aspect of his life, the good, the bad, the ugly and the side splitting hilarity. There's something so warming listening to Rylan tell his stories (with his Mam chirping in on Ten) that it is impossible not to fall in love with him.
His honesty and readiness to discuss his tough times and indeed the mistakes he made along the way made for at times a heavy yet in ways refreshing read.
If you have any even passing interest in him as a person I would highly recommend picking them both up for a listen so you too can see how he really is one of those good guys. Honestly, listening to both of these felt like sitting down for a cup of tea with your sweary best friend!