zoroco's reviews
22 reviews

Inshallah United: A story of faith and football by Nooruddean Choudry

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

enjoyable, but lacking that connection to Manchester made it a struggle for me at times. loved the insight into Islam and wanted more faith, less football, in the end! 

One Two Three Four: The Beatles in Time by Craig Brown

informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

a pretty astonishing book . half a point docked for the weird distaste for george and getting the name of a bob dylan album wrong . the last chapter, which begins with brian epstein's death and travels backwards to him meeting the beatles for the first time, is incredibly moving. 

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

breezed through it in a couple of days. if there's one thing ms mellors knows how to do it's keep you turning those pages. the characters lurking on the periphery were the ones i wanted to spend time with more than the sisters themselves. a little clumsy in parts but it did have heart! 

Lady MacBethad: The Electrifying Story of Love, Ambition, Revenge and Murder Behind a Real Life Scottish Queen by Isabelle Schuler
Did not finish book.

sorry to be blunt but the writing was some of the worst i've come across.

Down The Highway: The Life Of Bob Dylan by Howard Sounes

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream by Neil Young

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

adventurous emotional funny mysterious medium-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? Yes

5.0

Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

is he being honest? does it even matter? bob's voice is so strong, and he tells a cracking story. opaque, infuriating, and oddly tender. would have loved the new morning part to be longer. but what a tale huh. what a man.

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

felt like i was SCREAMING at everyone by the midpoint; greer was so clearly dodgy from the off. loved lois's journey and the lush detailing though. a real sense of time and place throughout. great at the beginning, sorta derailed itself in the middle, and then came back to just about stick the landing at the end. sometimes terrible things have to happen to you in order for you to change and so on. 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

the first time i heard about this book, it was being hyped as a feminist re-telling of the myth of st. george and the dragon - and it was huge on booktok. i don't really like tales of old being repackaged, and for me booktok is where good taste can be found hung, drawn and quartered.

still, my curiosity persisted; until one day i saw this on sale and thought fuck it. anyway it does slay! ead i love you. loth i love you. tané i love you. niclays i'll let you off the hook i guess. the worldbuilding is incredible, and i am a slut for fictional religions and political systems. the action sequences are great, and the big showdown at the end did genuinely give me chills. it's not just a re-telling of old georgie boy and the dragon: it touches on lots of myth and folklore along the way. the arthurian vibes are strong. 

is ms shannon going to win awards for her sex scenes? no. did this book need a slightly firmer editorial hand? possibly. did a bizarrely large number of chapters end with the POV character being rendered unconscious? if in doubt knock 'em out! but i really enjoyed it nonetheless. fantasy doesn't have to be white and heterosexual. what a ride.