Recently Read: June

Lookit, I know. I'm miles behind on this but that cursed blogging break I took has completely messed up my book posts. Hopefully I'll have gotten around to reviewing everything I read during the Summer by Christmas. Who knows though, maybe not! 

Anyway, I read so many great books over the last few months that all deserve a proper review, so here we are.
Let me know what you're reading or if you've read any of this lot!

Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown

Celebrated by the likes of Oprah, Reese Witherspoon and the late great Maya Angelou, Brené Brown is the current queen of self-help. An international bestseller, she has the academic chops to back up her knowledge on human behaviour - she's a research professor and has spent the past sixteen years studying courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy. 

Braving the Wilderness is peppered throughout with her own lived experiences but also references her research to show us that we are, as a species, experiencing a spiritual disconnection, living as we do in an age of increased polarisation. In Braving the Wilderness, she introduces four key practices to reconnect ourselves and others.

And I get all that, but aside from a few interesting paragraphs, this failed to do a huge amount for me. I thought it was helpful to consider my social media usage more closely than I have been and I definitely did that after reading this but really I came away from it questioning what the point of it actually was.

Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney

Set in Dublin, Frances is a twenty-one year old college student, aspiring writer and occasional spoken-word-poet. She performs her poetry for audiences with her best friend Bobbi, who is also her her former lover. It's at one of their shows that journalist Melissa spots them, takes an interest, and asks to interview them. 

From there, Frances and Bobbi get drawn into Melissa's world; her sophisticated home, handsome husband, and pretence at insouciance are attractive to both young women in different ways and Frances, lacking stability in her life, increasingly loses control over her feelings and actions. 

I loved this book. At times, it reminded me of the characters TV show in Girls; twenty-somethings who have firmly jumped aboard the self-introspection train, to everyone else's detriment. There's something much more realistic about it in Conversations With Friends though. I don't think I've read such an insightful look at tangled relationships like this before and there'll definitely be lots of women reading it who can relate, at least in part to some of Frances's thoughts and/or actions. 

Rooney is an excellent writer, I'm really looking forward to reading her next novel. 

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Four siblings sneak out of their New York building in 1969 to discover their fortunes from a travelling psychic. Each hears the disconcerting news of the exact date they will die and after that, their lives are changed forever. 

From that fateful day, we're swept along on an epic journey, through the AIDS epidemic in 80's San Francisco, flashy Las Vegas magic shows in the 90's, the life of an army doctor post 9/11, right up to modern-day research labs where the boundaries are tested between science and immortality. 

Each era is told from the perspective of a different sibling and it's hard not to become attached. I loved this book. I was going to say I cried, I laughed etc. but mostly I cried. 

It's a great read, you'll be absolutely hooked from start to finish.

The Surface Breaks by Louise o' Neill

This is Louise O' Neill's second novel of the year but this one differs from her previous works by being a modern-day adaptation of The Little Mermaid. That's the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale version by the by, not the Disney one. As this is YA, it's aimed at a slightly (ahem) younger market than I would be in so I did find the writing to be more simplistic than I've come to expect from O' Neill, even with regard to her other YA novels. 

Off the Irish coast, lives Gaia, a young mermaid who dreams of escaping her controlling father, who happens to be the ruler of their under-the-sea (bet you're singing it now) community. He's overtly misogynistic and treats his daughters like his own personal belongings; the better looking they are, the more they get shown off. He also decides all of their romantic futures, really, their futures in general. No one is allowed speak of their mother, who years earlier chose to leave the ocean to be with a two-legged man on the land. 

Gaia desires more than anything to follow in her mother's (literal) footsteps but is she prepared for the sacrifices she will have to make? 

The answer is of course, no. This isn't a happy story, if anything it's quite dark. If I was a young teenager, I think I would have enjoyed this more but I felt the feminist theme of the book was awkwardly wedged into the storyline in places and didn't sit well with my reading of it. Even though I appreciate the overall message of the book, it just wasn't for me, but again, for a younger audience, I'm sure the opposite would be true. 

Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O' Toole

Described as a mix between Caitlin Moran, Lena Dunham and Germaine Greer (not sure how happy she'd be about that last one), Emer O' Toole is an Irish journalist and feminist. 

Girls Will be Girls is a journey through her own life, reassessing why she does and says certain things. Where it looks like gender conditioning might be to blame, she explores it further in an attempt to break us out of our gender stereotypes. 

This involves but is not limited to; cross-dressing, full-body waxing, choosing not to wax, going on national television and waving hairy armpits about the place to the disgust of Eamon Holmes, head-shaving, and going full-on glamour. She's learnt lots of lessons in doing all of this, so you don't have to, and in the process she hopes she can open up all of our minds a little bit more. 

This is a fun read, her conversational style of writing means it flows along nicely and it's always interesting reading about people's personal experiences rather than just theories. I'm interested in anything feminism-related anyway, so if that's your bag you may well appreciate this too.

The Outsider by Stephen King

I've enjoyed most of King's recent books and this was no exception. 

The Outsider is about a horrific, unspeakable crime that occurs in a small American town. A young boy is found dead, having been brutally assaulted first. Seen in the area at the time is local English teacher and beloved little league coach, Terry Maitland. Without really thinking first, the detective on the case orders an immediate and very public arrest of Maitland, confirming his guilt in front of the entire town, his wife, and two young daughters. He protests his innocence but there's DNA evidence at the scene of the crime, plus the eye-witnesses. 

There's a catch though; Maitland has an ironclad alibi and the further the detectives delve into the case, the more unlikely and bizarre the whole thing seems. At its heart this is a detective story that dips in and out of the supernatural but it also touches on the phenomenon of accusing someone of something that will destroy their life if you're wrong- something we see more and more of on social media these days. This was a good read; creepy with a slowly building sense of tension and fear from the very start, as only King can, but it's also a cracking crime/thriller, if that's your thing!

Tangerine by Christine Mangan

This had been on my radar for a while and looked like it was set to be a big seller. Young British woman, Alice Shipley has moved to Tangiers with her wayward husband but has struggled to settle in; being an introvert, she hasn't ventured out into bustling Morocco that much. That is until her old friend Lucy Mason arrives. Alice and Lucy haven't spoken after an incident between them a year ago but outgoing Lucy might be just what Alice needs to get accustomed to her new home and soon they fall back into their old rhythms. That is, until Alice's husband goes missing and she begins to fear Lucy's controlling nature again. Set in the 1950's, this was marketed as a gripping psychological literary thriller in the style of The Talented Mr Ripley. Unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I spent a lot of it willing Alice's character to sort herself out, I struggled with the notion that anyone was as slow on the uptake as she was and found her extremely frustrating. Equally, Lucy's character is awful too, so I couldn't really root for any of them and I also didn't care that much about the storyline so it was a struggle. I wouldn't bother with this one.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 & 2 by John Tiffany

Picking up where the last book left off, with Harry and Ginny's son going to Hogwart's for the first time, this is a play (written as a play; 'exit stage left' etc.) that deals with themes of disappointment, family struggles, and good versus evil (as per usual for Harry, am I right?). 

I really enjoyed this, and I know there have been negative opinions about it and about the stage adaptation, but for me, it felt like catching up with old friends. 

We get to see what Ron and Hermione, Neville, Hagrid and all the other favourites have been up to all this time while Harry struggles with the fact that his son is not quite what he or anyone else expected him to be. 

There's also some nostalgic time travel back into the original books! If you're a fan, you'll love this, but if you have the option of seeing it on stage instead, I'd go for that over reading it!

****

Recently Read: April & May

I took a blog break so I've a fair bit of catching up to do. A lot of excellent books have passed through my hands over the last few months, I'm excited for what Autumn and Winter brings, reading wise, as Summer has been so kind. 

I'll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara

I'm a big My Favourite Murder fan and when they mentioned this True Crime book by journalist Michelle McNamara, I had to read it. The GSK (Golden State Killer, also known as the East Area Rapist), committed 12 murders, over 50 rapes and 100 burglaries in California between 1974 and 1986. Up until very recently he had never been caught, in spite of a wealth of evidence, including DNA. 

Bizarrely, I started reading this the week before the GSK was caught, which made it even creepier finishing it. McNamara sadly passed away before this happened but it's partly due to her that he was found- she coined the moniker "Golden State Killer" and really brought his crimes and his victims back into the public conscious. She actually died before she could complete the book so the last third reads a bit disjointed- it's put together by other people with her notes. I obviously don't hold that against her but it does make it a less cohesive read. 

There's also quite a lot of repetition when it comes to his M.O. I felt a bit like, we understand how he committed these crimes and reading the details of his cruelty over and over again was really unpleasant. I more felt like she did that for each victim but it still was difficult to get through. 

Having said that, if you're a true crime fan, then this is one you'll definitely want to read.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

This has been on a lot of people's "must-read`' lists this year, so I had to get it when I spotted it on Audible. I generally like these sort of books; self-introspection with a side of light heartedness. Dolly Alderton is a journalist/columnist in her late twenties and I felt like that really came across in her memoirs. You know the way the TV show Girls was heavily focused on the self obsession of twenty-something year olds? That's how this felt to me, and being in my mid-thirties, I feel like I've moved on from that and so struggled a bit with some of the chapters in Everything I Know About Love. 

It took me a while to get into the first half of it. I thought the parts where she touched on her issues with alcohol and disordered eating were on the verge of being insightful but that really only became prevalent later in the book. 

There was much about her jealousy of her best friend finding love and happiness and that was a difficult read, to be honest. I suppose it was brave of her to include it as it doesn't reflect well on her at all, but it wasn't enjoyable to read. 

The chapter on her going to therapy was well written and the heavy focus on female friendship was excellent. It was a stand-out for me actually, reading this book. 

Similarly, the chapter on Florence, her friend's little sister was heartbreaking and beautifully written. Like a lot of books in this genre, there was some filler thrown in, with some of her old columns shoved in there and overall, I didn't laugh as much as other people seem to have reading it. That might just be me being cantankerous though.

The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle* by Stuart Turton

This is one of my favourite books of the year so far. Described as a mix between Agatha Christie, Quantum Leap, and Inception, this is a murder mystery set in a big old country house, but with a twist. There's lots of literary tropes you'll recognise here; the aforementioned country house for one, a murder victim with many potential culprits, old school clothes and weapons (it's set in the 1920's) but the author meshes that all together with some sci-fi thrown in, making it feel new and fresh. 

Our narrator wakes up in a forest, in someone else's body, covered in blood. He makes it back to the house where he finds out that his name is Aiden Bishop, there's going to be a murder and he has 8 chances to solve it. 8 chances meaning 8 days, each day will be the same day (Groundhog Day thrown in for good measure too). 

Each day he'll wake up in a new host's body; some are helpful to his cause; young and agile, while others deter him further; old and immobile, drugged, psychopathic etc. 

Lots more obstacles are placed in his path as he slowly begins to unravel the mystery and find out why he's there in the first place. If he doesn't solve the case, he's stuck there forever, so the heat is very much on. Practically every page has some new twist so I did find it slightly confusing at times and it can be quite dark. Having said that, it's probably the most original story of this genre that I've ever read and it was a real treat for someone like me, who loves a good murder mystery. 

I'd highly recommend this one. 

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

I've read a few of the late, great Nora Ephron's books before (and of course, I've seen the films), but Heartburn kept popping up on those "books you have to read" lists and so I found it on Audible, read by Meryl Streep (who also acted in the film adaptation). 

Rachel is a cookery writer, she's seven months into her pregnancy with her husband Mark, when she finds out he's cheating on her. It's narrated by Rachel so we hear all her thoughts- whether or not to take him back, to kill him or forgive him, all mixed up with her favourite recipes. 

I enjoyed this and I really liked Rachel but I think that was definitely helped by the amazing Meryl on audio.

Watch Me* by Jody Gehrman

Watch Me is a tale of obsessive love gone very badly wrong, but with a twist. Kate Youngblood is a creative writing professor, intent on getting tenure in the college where she works.

Lately she's been feeling somewhat isolated; her best friend has had a baby, leaving their friendship on hold and her husband has left her for a woman ten years younger than her. Added to that, her second novel has failed to garner any of the praise or success of her first, and overall she feels like she's losing at life.

The one glimmer of hope is the weird intensity of her budding friendship with her student, Sam Grist, who is both an excellent writer and can apparently see right into her soul. He can see right into her soul because he's stalking her and has been in her house and through her things, but Kate of course, doesn't know that.

As Sam's obsession grows, Kate senses something is not quite right but in her vulnerable state, almost refuses to see it. Parts of this psychological thriller seemed slightly ridiculous to me but then when I finished the book I thought long and hard about the nature of loneliness and what we'll do as a species to feel connected to each other. The portrayal of Kate as an insecure, ageing woman, on the surface glad not to face catcalls from men anymore, but secretly missing the attention, did feel realistic, even if some of her actions were really difficult to countenance.

The Last Mrs Parrish by Liv Constantine

I try and be measured with book reviews. I don't like to be overly negative; one woman's trash is another's treasure after all, but I struggled with this one.

The first half of this book is unbearably slow. I pushed through on holidays and got to 50%. Then I gave up, cause as I always say; life is too short for bad books.

However, I then began spotting this book everywhere; it was picked for Reese Witherspoon's book club, loads of people on Goodreads were saying "push past the first half, it's SO worth it!", and so I did. To be fair, I finished the second half in a couple of hours and it did flow much better than the first, but that ending. Oh lord no.

Daphne Parrish seemingly has it all; married to the handsome and wealthy Jackson, with two beautiful daughters, a stunning home and a group of similarly rich friends at her beck and call. And Amber wants it all. Posing as a plain Jane who wants to help with Daphne's charity work, she soon worms her way into the Parrish's life, with a view to usurping Daphne and becoming Jackson's new wife. Amber's awful internal monologue is the entire first half of the book. No one is that evil; people are shades of good and bad, never just one or the other. It's poor form to write a character who has literally no redeeming qualities, but that aside, she's also not a very interesting person to read about for 300 or so pages. Daphne is certainly a more enjoyable read, and she takes over for the rest of the book, thankfully, although her experiences contain unpleasant subject material that was difficult to absorb.

That twist though (cause you know there's always a twist). I won't give too much away but I had figured it out for the most part. As despicable a character as Amber is, I was really horrified by the ending of this book and the message it sends about violence against women. I can't say anymore than that but really that tipped me over the age to hating this one, if the ending had been better it could have redeemed itself, but as it stands, it's a firm no from me (insert Simon Cowell gif).

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life From Someone Who's Been There by Cheryl Strayed

I read Wild last year and really enjoyed it, so when I heard Tiny Beautiful Things being discussed on My Favourite Murder (I get my book suggestions from other places than there, promise!), I had to get it. The audio version is read by Strayed herself, and she has a really calming, gentle voice, which is so pleasant to listen to. 

Sugar was an online anonymous columnist that became incredibly popular, thousands of people turned to Sugar for her brilliant life advice. It's since been revealed that Sugar was of course, Cheryl Strayed. This is a compilation of some of those letters and replies from Sugar, many of which stopped me in my tracks. Cheryl shares a lot of her own life experiences in her replies, which at times felt a bit like she was saying "hey look, I've had it worse", but somehow she still manages to turn it around with some really sterling, life-changing advice. I also cried more than once, it's an emotional rollercoaster and definitely worth a read!

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Translated from Italian, the Neapolitan series are four books (this is book one) about the lives of two friends, Lila and Elena, from childhood onwards. Both have very different personalities and we follow them as their lives veer off into different courses in the poor neighbourhood in Naples they are growing up in. I read this while we toured around the Amalfi coast so I have a bit of a soft spot for it, but as I didn't really like any of the characters, I'm not feeling a major sense of urgency to read the next three in the series. Although I probably will at some point, even if I need to go back to Sorrento a further three times (any excuse) to do so.

And that, is that. June and July get their own months cause I was a reading machine throughout so I'll be getting on to writing up those reviews soon. 

Have you read any of these?

What are you reading right now?

XX

*Denotes that books were provided for review, in this case by NetGalley. I was not paid for these reviews and as always, all opinions are my own.

Recently Read: March.

I know, this is good and late but here we are. I didn't get through as many books as usual in March because one in particular completely monopolised my time. Helter Skelter, while interesting in parts, took ages to get through.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

This is the very detailed account of the Charles Manson murders of actress Sharon Tate and four others at her LA home in 1969. The book relays the lengthy investigation that led to the arrest of most of the Manson "family" and the subsequent trial. As it's written by Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in Manson's trial, there's a huge amount of legal details in there that I really felt I had to wade through. That took away from the overall story for me, which I've always found intriguing and in fairness, the sections of the book that focus on the cult itself and Manson's background were engrossing, I just felt that other parts of the book could have easily been shortened without detracting from the essence of the book. If you're a fellow fan of true crime you'll enjoy this anyway, or if you're just interested in reading up on a historical event you'll also appreciate Helter Skelter. For me, this was one of the most fascinating parts of this book- I felt like I was fully immersed in the atmosphere of the time.

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

This is the prequel to Practical Magic, which I just read in January of this year and loved. Set in 1960's New York, it brings us back to Franny and Jet's (the Owen's sisters aunts in PM) teenage years, along with their charismatic brother Vincent. Their mother Susanna has set down certain rules for them that they have to live by; no wearing black, no candles, no magic books, no walking in the moonlight and most importantly; no falling in love. If an Owens falls in love, a family curse set in 1620 means that harm will come to their beloved so all three valiantly try to avoid love but soon realise they can't escape it forever. I really love the way Alice Hoffman writes and especially how she immerses the reader in this world of magic, which is so different from anything else I've read. I loved both The Rules of Magic and Practical Magic and I don't think you need to have read one before the other to enjoy them. I'd recommend both of them!

The New Mrs Clifton by Elizabeth Buchan

Set just after WW2, British Intelligence Officer Gus Clifton arrive home to London to his two sisters with his new wife in tow, Krista, a German woman he married in secret. Krista has been broken by the war; she's malnourished and unwell but is also traumatised by the horrors inflicted upon her. Her relationship with Gus is strained and his sisters cannot understand why he married her in the first place. Their bitterness over the war and prejudice against the Germans doesn't help. Gus has also deeply disappointed his originally intended wife, Nella, who lives nearby, and her brother who now holds a grudge against Gus, who he plans to get revenge on. Both of Gus's sisters are struggling to cope with what they had to do to survive the war, Tilly in particular is very much on the edge. Full of dark secrets and betrayals, this is a really good angle on WW2 that I've never really come across before. Well worth a read. 

The Woman In The Window by A.J. Finn

This is one of those thrillers that gets the "for fans of Gone Girl and Girl On The Train" written on the front of it. As with most of this genre of books, the connection there is the psychological thriller, massive twist and "difficult female protagonist". 

Anna Fox is an agoraphobic psychologist and mother of one. Something catastrophic happened to her six months ago that's left her unable to leave her home. She has figured out how to survive in her current predicament; she sees a therapist online, she has a downstairs tenant that doubles up as a handyman and for entertainment, she drinks wine and watches her neighbours. 

She's particularly interested in the new family that have moved in across the road and so starts watching them intently, that is until she sees something she shouldn't have. 

This leads to Anna questioning everything she believes to be true, including her own mental faculties. Anna is your classic unreliable narrator so I also questioned everything she said and did but that aside, she's a difficult character to spend an entire novel with. 

Like the protagonist in Girl On The Train, Anna has an alcohol dependency problem and so I spent a lot of the book telling her to "stop doing that!!". It's frustrating but real life is like that, I guess. 

One thing I would say is there's two fairly major twists (as there is with all of these sorts of books) which I had guessed well in advance. The clues are there and are easy enough to spot, if you're looking out for them. 

Overall, I liked the undertones of film noir and Alfred Hitchcock throughout this book but I felt it was drawn out and somewhat lacking nonetheless. 

Almost Love by Louise O' Neill

Practically known now for her "unlikeable characters", Louis O'Neill has created perhaps the most unpleasant female protagonist of all with Sarah, a young art teacher living in Dublin, sacrificing everyone else in her life for the man twenty years her senior she is seeing. Sarah hopes Matthew will realise some day that he in fact loves her and can't be without her but that seems extremely unlikely to even the most casual observer; Matthew is married, is a narcissist and uses Sarah for grotty sex in a grotty hotel room. But, and here's the catch, he does tell her from the start that he doesn't want a relationship. That doesn't and can't excuse his behaviour but still, Sarah plays a part in her own undoing, something you couldn't have said about Emma in Asking For It or Frieda in Only Ever Yours (O'Neill's two previous books).

This, if anything makes Almost Love more thought provoking. A common cry after reading this book has been "God, I wish I could go back and give this to my teenage self", such is the recognisable and clumsy attempts at love from a young woman trying for a breezy "oh I don't want a relationship, I'm a cool, easy going girl, just like a guy really", of her actions and words.

The storyline is non-linear; we get flashbacks to when Sarah was in art college and first meets Matthew, very much at the expense of her best friend Fionn, right up to the present time, where she is in a relationship with a new man, Oisín. Sarah can't seem to get any element of her life right and you could say she's her own worst enemy, but equally she's a painfully damaged character, with a sad past. My feelings for Sarah are so complicated; she's difficult and extremely unlikeable but also, she really needs help. At times, I wanted to slap her, other times I wanted to reach in and hug her and give her the name of a good therapist.

I still don't know how I really feel about Almost Love, but I can say it's an addictive read (I finished it in an evening) and it certainly got me thinking. Thinking about my own behaviour when I was younger, about the expectations and the roles placed on women by society and about the different types of love.

A difficult book to read at times but without a doubt, it's an unflinching look at obsessive love and quite unlike any other book on the market right now.

Have you read any of these?
What are you reading right now?
XX

The Best of March

Mostly so far this month I've heard a lot of "I can't believe it's April already, where's the year gone?!" and in fairness, it has flown by!

March was a good month. We had our trip away to Galway in the midst of Snowmaggedon, lots more great beauty products tried out and more great food, great books and great podcasts.

Glenlo Abbey & Dinner on the Orient Express (kinda)
We headed off to Galway to celebrate a big anniversary as soon as the roads were drivable during the big snow storm. We try and make a trip to the West once a year as we love it here. Glenlo Abbey is a fantastic hotel; the rooms are beautifully decorated, the staff are helpful and friendly and the food is delicious. Speaking of which, there's a carriage from the original Orient Express on the grounds of the hotel and we had one of our meals here. As Agatha Christie fans, we both loved this!

Clarins Eye Mask & Lip Balm
I've been dealing with undereye bags and very dry lips lately so these couldn't have come at a better time. Review HERE.

Afternoon Tea in The Merrion Hotel
I spent a lovely afternoon here recently with my female in-laws, sipping prosecco and eating dainty sandwiches. Always such a treat.

Cheese & Wine Festival @ Eatyard
Eatyard in Portobello reopened recently and have been running themed festivals at the weekends. I went with friends for the wine and cheese festival, which was excellent. A tenner in gets you €10 worth of tokens (I got myself a full Irish cheese board) and a free glass of wine, although I went back to one of the independent sellers for another glass later. They just did a gin festival, which I missed but I'll be keeping my eyes open for more of the same.

Meeting Louise O'Neill and Marian Keyes (again..I love her) with my book club
Tatler hosts excellent events every so often with authors like the above in conversation with each other. Previously I attended one with Lindy West, which was also brilliant. For your €35 ticket, you get a glass of champagne, nibbles, a goody bag, a chance to meet and chat with the authors and in this case, a signed copy of Louise's new book, Almost Love. I went with some of my book club, and we loved chatting with Marian and Louise (we're all on first name terms now, obviously). A great evening and we read Almost Love for the club this month!

Grief Is The Thing With Feathers
This is the Enda Walsh adapted play, starring the ludicrously talented Cilian Murphy. We managed to get very last minute seats and in spite of not sitting next to each other and me barely being able to breathe with a dose of sinusitis, we enjoyed it in the end! The acting performances were outstanding, as were the set pieces. It's a brilliant play, albeit quite grim and surreal. More of an experience than anything.

The Backlash Against the Result in the Belfast Rape Trial
The only possible good thing that could come out of the absolute horror show that was this very high profile trial was the resulting outcry from women and some men online to the jury's decision of not guilty. I won't go into that further here, but it was somewhat comforting to see so many #IBelieveHer posts on Instagram and Twitter. And I still do believe her. I hope she's recovering with her family and knows how supported she is.

Hush: A Buffy Podcast
I feel like I've mentioned this way too much on my Instagram stories but I started listening to a new Buffy The Vampire Slayer podcast; Hush is created by a married couple living in Ireland. Both are of course big fans of the Buffster (they even named their daughter Willow, which is really cute) and are going through each episode in detail-it's a nice trip down memory lane. I haven't watched the full first series in years so I'm enjoying it.

And those are just some of the highlights form the last month. 

Are any of yours on here?

XX

Recently Read: February

Oh, I read some great books last month! You can follow me along on my goal to read 70 books this year, HERE on Goodreads. Let me know if you've read any of these and of course, what you're currently reading yourself!

Still Me by JoJo Moyes

I was one of those people that absolutely loved Me Before You; the story of Louisa Clarke, a young woman who's lost her way a bit and takes a job looking after Will, a former finance manager left paraplegic after a road traffic accident. SPOILER ALERT but they fall in love and Will eventually makes the heartbreaking decision to opt for euthanisation, in spite of the happiness Louisa brought to his life. I raced through it, fell a bit in love with Louisa and Will myself, and cried my eyes out at the end. The sequel to that, Me After You is about Louisa trying to pick up the pieces of her life after this tragedy and it, perhaps understandably, didn't live up to its predecessor. Still Me sees Louisa finally taking the jump Will would have wanted her to- she moves to New York, takes a job working for a wealthy family and tries to find herself again. This was a real return to form for this character- new friends, new romantic prospects, new career opportunities, new adventures with the same great personality she had in the first book. I really enjoyed this, it was nice walking in Louisa's shoes again and the story flowed along so well. I almost hope she doesn't write another one though, it's a good ending to a trilogy.

Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay

I love Roxanne Gay's writing. I read Difficult Women last year and decided on the spot that she was now one of my favourite authors- searing, shocking, insightful, beautiful prose that stayed with me for a long time afterwards. Bad Feminist is a collection of essays organised under different headings; Gender and Sexuality, Race and Entertainment, and Politics, Gender and Race. Although it was only written a few years ago, parts of it feel a bit outdated already; mentions of Bill Cosby and not in a "he's a rapist" kind of way, for instance. Having said that, I thought it was really interesting and found myself wanting to keep reading on to the next essay. 

The Dry by Jane Harper

The Dry is a thriller set in the Australian countryside- think depressing, practically empty small-town, rather than community-friendly Home and Away. Aaron Falk is now a federal agent but he has to return home after his childhood friend Luke has been found dead, apparently by his own hands, along with his wife and two children. When they were teenagers, Luke gave Aaron an alibi after their friend was found dead but the townsfolk never believed it and so Aaron finds himself facing a lot of hostility on his return. He refuses to believe that Luke would have hurt his family, however and sets about finding their killer. This was a really good thriller. Yes, I guessed one of the bigger twists but getting to that point was still exciting and I loved the setting of the story- most thrillers out at the minute are set in America or the UK so this was refreshingly different. 

About Face- The Smart Woman's Guide To Beauty: Your Essential Skincare and Make-Up Bible for the Changing face of Beauty by Aisling McDermott and Laura Kennedy

When original Irish beauty blogger and all round ledge Aisling McDermott passed away recently, I felt it would be a fitting tribute to her to read the beauty bible she co-wrote with journalist Laura Kennedy. I took my time flicking through this one, there's separate sections for skincare (and subgroups within that), and then make-up broken down into foundations, eye make up etc etc. I mostly skipped the parts that weren't relevant to me; oily skin, mature skin, teenage skin etc. This is a lovely book for beauty lovers; full of gorgeous product photos and lots of great tips and product suggestions. 

The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown*

Set in Essex, England in 1645, Alice returns to her her childhood home widowed, pregnant and alone with no prospects and forced to live with her stern brother, Matthew. In her time away he's become wealthy and powerful and uses that influence to elevate himself to the position of chief witch hunter. Thanks to a lack of education and a fear and suspicion amongst the townspeople, Matthew becomes all-powerful and can torture and abuse any woman he decides is a witch, with complete immunity. Worse still, knowing how precarious her position is, he forces Alice to help him but she has other ideas and vows to escape his clutches. Can she stop him before he destroys them both and kills more and more women? I really enjoyed this book, it's so atmospheric and although it's disturbing at times, it's so well written, you'll be completely absorbed by it. Plus it's based on real people and real events and I personally find that time in history fascinating, especially after visiting Salem a couple of years ago. Oh and that ending! My jaw dropped! 

Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

This was our book club choice this month but I flew through it in February in early nerdy preparation! Set in Nigeria in the 1980's, this was for sure a very different setting than books I've read previously. Yejide and Akin are happily married and have been in love since they met in college. Unlike other couples in their community, Yejide has her own business and a car, even though Akin has a good job in the bank. Also unlike other couples, Yejide is the only wife in their marriage, that is until it is decided by their families that Akin will marry another woman in the hopes that she can provide him with a child, something Yejide has not been able to do so far. This is a devastating blow for Yejide and she goes to desperate measures to keep Akin all to herself. This was a really interesting book and an insightful look into the way things were in Nigeria at that time. It also spoke to me (and my all female book club) about the expectations placed on women and the presumption of what their place in society is. It touched on so many topics; infertility, tradition, chronic illness, motherhood, love and family amongst many others. 

Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates*

This has been billed as one of the bigger thrillers for 2018 and to an extent, it didn't let me down. The book opens with a shocking scene- a young teenage girl tied to a tree, bloodied and broken, two of her male friends nearby, one holding the weapon used to torture her. Twenty something years later, their lives have changed more than they could ever have imagined. The three meet again in New York, with devastating consequences. I think while the book started out incredibly strongly, and I was really intrigued by what their futures would hold, I felt it waned slightly with a lot of talk of food blogging (which I mostly enjoyed...nom!) and the origin of a cement factory, which went on a bit longer than I would have liked. I really appreciated that we got to hear from more than one of the characters in flashback form, telling their version of the story years later and then also the conversations between the characters. It felt like we got a well rounded view of the events depicted in the book. All of those points of view converge later on but it wasn't the dramatic ending I expected. Personally, I had a very different idea of how the book was going; I thought the character of Hannah was doing an Amazing Amy on us at one point and honestly, I was totally there for that! In spite of all of the "read this if you love Gone Girl" book recommendations over the last few years, it really felt well-suited to this book because it had a similar Gilian Flynn vibe. That's probably my own fault for going off on a mental tangent though! Overall, it's slow paced but simmers with tension. I loved Hannah's character and would gladly have read more from her. 

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Susan Ryland is an editor sitting down to read bestselling author Alan Conway's latest manuscript. She's worked with Conway for years and is fond of his reoccurring character, Atticus Pünd, a German detective post-war, finding himself solving murder mysteries in a sleepy English village. Susan states with a certain amount of doom that this book will change her life irrevocably, and then we get to read the book for ourselves, stopping just before the big reveal and bringing us back to the real world, where Susan is. She stops because the last chapter is missing and begins to suspect that the disturbing murder depicted in the book has a link to a real life crime. She then sets about solving the mystery herself. I'm a big Agatha Christie fan, so I really enjoyed the Atticus Pünd book and was actually a bit put out when I didn't get the solution to the mystery when I was expecting it! I also really enjoyed following Susan around on her quest for the truth. In general, this was a really good read; if you like murder mysteries, thrillers and whodunnits then this is for you!

Paper Girls Vol 3 by Brian K. Vaughan

This is obviously the third in this series- a beautifully drawn, super vibrant graphic novel series about four kick-ass teenage girls in 1980's America, battling against giant monsters, time travel and various past and future versions of themselves. It's very cool. 

And that's the lot for now! I'm currently reading some really good thrillers, I'll be back with more reviews soon!

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* indicates books that were provided for review. This is not a paid for or sponsored post. All opinions are my own, as always!

The Best of February!

Yes, we may be in the middle of a snow storm right now, but it's nice to look back on the parts of the month that did not result in me being forced to stay indoors, watch the Tom Cruise version of The Mummy and eat the only snack foods that were left in my local petrol station (you can imagine) after Snowmaggedon set in. 

West Cork 

I think the country and its mother listened to this Audible original podcast this month. Based on the ongoing investigation into the mid 90's murder of French woman Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork, it's similar to the This American Life podcast Serial but possibly even more interesting as it's so close to home. Chief suspect Ian Bailey is interviewed throughout and although he comes across as a terrible person, it's still hard to know whether he's actually innocent or not. It's a weird one but definitely worth a listen! If you don't have Audible, you can get a free trial and an audiobook of

your choice to try! 

The Dry

I'd had this on my to-read list and my kindle for a while but even though I read lots of good books this month, I'm specifically recommending this thriller set in the Australian countryside where a cop has to return to his oppressive hometown after his childhood best friend and his entire family have been killed. They shared some dark secrets from their teen years about the death of one of their friends that neither of them have ever quite moved on from. It's very atmospheric- well worth picking up, even though I read the entire thing in my head in the voice of several characters from Home & Away. 

Black Panther

We'd been waiting for this one for a while and it didn't disappoint (not completely anyway). The character of the Black Panther and pretty much every woman in this film are just brilliant. The women are all warriors- not something you always find in a Marvel movie, or any film for that matter. Plus the exploration of various African tribal costumes, cultures and traditions were really well depicted. There is a but, however. I felt it was too long. Like, could-have-been-a-half-hour-less-too-long and I would happily watch more scenes with Danai Gurira kicking someone's ass. Extra points for Michael B Jordan though. Swoon. 

Hey Donna

We've been planning to go to this new restaurant in Rathmines for a while now. It's where Jo Burger used to be and is owned by the same people. Since the changeover, it's really bright in there, there's books, plants and light everywhere so it's a nice place to go with friends or for a very pleasant date night! Plus, Lebanese food is always a winner. I would suggest the roast aubergine, the labneh, the roast potatoes and the apricot gin cocktail. Himself recommends the lamb! I also went there for lunch with my sister another day and had an excellent chicken salady wrap thing.

Buxom Lip Cream

I had originally picked up a tiny sample size of this with my Sephora rewards card when I was in Vegas, wore it for the night of our vow renewals and quickly became obsessed with it. It's like the original Pout lip glosses if you remember them? 

Pure cream (No shimmer), a tingly sensation that puffs the lips up a bit, a minty-vanilla scent and a gorgeous flattering pink shine. This is the perfect gloss. I bought a full size and some on-sale Paddywax candles from Debenhams online when I was feeling sorry for myself after putting my back out and I have zero regrets. I love it! (the candles were also a winner). You can find the lip cream HERE, on sale, although the shade I got, Rose Julep is low in stock. 

Halo Hair

I finally got my hair reblonded after leaving it be for the last 4 months. I tend to let my roots grow out as long as possible cause my own hair colour is pretty light but every so often it's fun to go super bright blonde. It felt appropriate coming in to Spring but what wth the snow I guess I'm looking more like an Elsa tribute act now. Anyway, the blonde is courtesy of the wonderful Alison in Halo Hair on Drury st, to book find them online HERE. 

The Start of the Snow

Look, we all got excited there at the start of the last week in February when we found out we were getting some snow. Of course, it's turned out to be so bad that people have lost electricity, some have had holidays cancelled, have had injuries, can't get to work, or worse (in the case of a lot of my colleagues in the health service) have had to sleep in work or nearby hotels. Zero craic. It was beautiful to begin with though. Snow make everything pretty. 

Contributing to Happy Magazine

I was delighted this month to be asked to be a contributor by the lovely Holly, formerly of Sweet Like Cinnamon blog and now editor of Happy Magazine, a site created to provide daily positivity for people going through cancer in Ireland. I'll be sharing my book reviews there and there's some excellent articles to be found on it, so if there's anyone you know who you think would like Happy Magazine, you'll find it HERE!

Beautiful New Shoes

These are from the bridal collection on asos but that did not stop me. I've been practically stalking these shoes and they kept selling out while I weighed up whether or not to get them until they got them back in stock recently and I said feck it and bought them. They are very high and extremely fancy but I am nothing if not a trier so I'll make the extra height work and as you may be aware, I am myself, very fancy so I think I can pull these off...Find them HERE. (I'll show these in more detail on Insta, the photo here is small and they deserve more of a spotlight ;)

And that's the lot for February. 

How was your month? 

Do we have any overlapping favourites?

I'm guessing West Cork could be in there somewhere?!

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Recently Read: January

Man, did I read some truly excellent books last month. I have a thing about the first book of the year that I read- it has to be good, otherwise I feel like it's a bad reading omen for the year. It's probably nonsense but it fills me with great joy when I read a brilliant book in the first few cold days of January!

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

And here it is, the excellent first read of 2018. This is what the 90's film of the same name, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman was based on. I also loved that film and kind of jumped at the chance to read the book when it popped up on my Borrowbox (library ebook/audiobook app). Gillian and Sally have had an unusual upbringing. Their parents deaths left them orphans in the care of their two elderly, unconventional aunts. The other kids bullied them for being weird and the rumours of witchcraft followed them around everywhere they went. They're both desperate to escape this life and as soon as they're old enough they do just that- one of them runs away and lives a very wild life, while the other settles down and marries. It looks like they may never see each other again, until dark forces (and let's face it, a bit of magic) brings the sisters back together again. I really loved this book. The descriptions are beautiful; it's romantic and witty, dramatic and fantastical and it flows along wonderfully. Hoffman has a very unique style of writing that I haven't come across before. I've already checked out the sequel, The Rules of Magic from the library and I cannot wait to start it!

The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit

I've mentioned before my love for feminist author Rebecca Solnit (HERE) and after buying Men Explain Things To Me while in Boston, I had to get The Mother Of All Questions when I saw it in a San Franciscan book store. This is actually the third in this series, so it looks like I'll need another stateside trip to get the second one and complete the tradition! This is a collection of essays with feminism at their core and with the central theme being "the mother of all questions", i.e if you have children, if you don't, why not and are you selfish for not having them? Questions Solnit and many women are all too familiar with. I really enjoyed this, I couldn't put it down and I found her discussions on misogynistic violence, women who refuse to be silenced, the gender binary, rape jokes and the fragile masculinity of some of the "great male authors" were incredibly insightful and well thought out. Several times I found myself reading a section aloud to Himself. Loved it. 

Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips

I read about this book last year and the premise; a mother with her son on a day trip to the zoo, forced to fight for their survival when they come under attack, left me so intrigued that I had to get it! I listened to this one, again on my Borrowbox app (honestly, save yisserselves a fortune and get a library card lads). It starts out pretty innocuously, Jane is in the play area of the park with her young son and becomes aware of how late it's getting. She starts to gather him and his toys up, hurrying hm along to the exists when she hears some loud noises, confused as it's too early in the year for fireworks. When she finally realises what it is- a terrorist group have taken over the zoo and are shooting everyone in sight, Jane's adrenaline kicks in and she has to use all her strength to keep her and her son safe, outwitting the killers. This was an interesting take on the thriller genre, considering most of what's around at the minute is very much your domestic noir, this was refreshingly different but at the same time, relevant to the society we live in where these sorts of attacks are becoming more and more commonplace, particularly in America. 

Little Deaths by Emma Flint

This was another Borrowbox read and this is not an ad for Borrowbox, I swear! Set in an oppressively tight-knit working class community in Brooklyn in 1965, Ruth Malone is a single mother of two, working as a cocktail waitress at night and seeing different men in her spare time. She wakes one day to discover that her two children are gone- missing from their beds. No one saw anything but because of Ruth's unconventional lifestyle for the time, all fingers immediately point to her. The police decide she did it and nothing can change their minds. Meanwhile, a young journalist becomes obsessed with the case and with the beautiful and tragic Ruth. Did Ruth kill her children or is she a victim of misogyny and the public court of opinion? I was astounded by this book- I felt at times like I couldn't read on but then I was so gripped by Ruth and her plight that I had to. It's really beautifully written and so evocative of the time. It made me feel angry and sad and devastated, all at the same time. I both highly recommend this book and advise caution; if you have children or you're of a particularly sensitive disposition lately, I would avoid!

Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

This is the sequel to Stillhouse Lake, a thriller I read last year and loved. This was provided for review, so thank you to NetGalley for that! Gwen Proctor is living a secret life. She used to be Gina Royal, wife and mother of two until her husband was revealed to be a prolific serial killer. She had to change her name and those of her children, bringing them on the run, moving at a minutes notice, if it looked like the internet trolls who stalked them had found their whereabouts. In the first book the family had managed to find peace at Stillhouse Lake; that is until the bodies of young women began to turn up nearby, murdered in the same gruesome method as Gwen's ex husband was known for. While that turned out to not be the work of Gwen's ex, he did escape his prison cell at the end of the first book and so now Killman Creek is about their survival again; can Gwen track him down and kill him before he finds her? I love Gwen's character; she's strong and resilient but human too. As her close knit support circle begins to dwindle she has only herself to rely on and she has to find the strength to keep going, even in the face of utter horror. It's unusual to find a female protagonist like this and I'm really hoping there'll be a third book!

Women & Power A Manifesto by Mary Beard

This was a super quick read- just two short essays from professor of classics and feminist Mary Beard. Sick of the online misogynist trolls, Beard decides to examine the origins of this behaviour and finds that it traces right back to Ancient Greece. Here, she dips in to the classics to compare the treatment of women in Homer's Odyssey and works or art to how Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren and other prominent women are treated in society today. Beard also reflects on her own experiences of sexist abuse online, examining the power structure between men and women. I found this to be a really interesting read and focused on an area of feminism I hadn't concerned before. 

And that's the lot for the minute. I'll have February's books up soon but until then, have you read any of these? What are you reading right now?

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Recently Read: October, November & December

Don't be put off by the amount of months there, I slowed down a bit towards the end of the year so there's not as many books here as I'd like, plus I will make a concerted effort to be more brief than usual! My plan for the year ahead is to read 70 books. I'm 9 in. I can do this! 

*book reading montage*

Nasty Women by Ink 404

This is a collection of essays written by women from different backgrounds, ethnicity's, sexual orientations, educations, etc. about being a woman in the 21st century when intolerance, misogyny and political turmoil seem to be on the rise. The name refers to the now infamous quote from Trump, referring to Hillary Clinton, which has become a badge of honour for some women in the states. I really enjoyed reading this, the different perspectives on a variety of topics kept it fresh and interesting and I kept wanting to read on to the next essay, regardless of how tired I was at the time!

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler

Miranda Rader is a detective and a good one at that. Her kidnapping and attempted rape as a teenager, left her determined to make something of herself and put her into a position of authority where she can help other women. No one believed her when she was a teenager, about her own attack or about the girl who was taken with her and who was never found. Miranda has for the most part put this behind her, that is until she and her partner are called to a murder scene where the victim had a newspaper clipping detailing Miranda's kidnapping. He has been brutally murdered and by his injuries, it looks like a woman could be the perpetrator. Then Miranda's prints are found at the scene and things start to look very bad for her indeed. This is a great little thriller that kept me guessing thanks to a few twists and turns and the odd red herring thrown in for good measure! I really liked Miranda's character and the love story/steamy sex scenes didn't do any harm either!

The Betrayals by Fiona Neill

This was a book club read and not well liked by any of us if I recall correctly. The story is told from several different perspectives, giving it an uneven, jumpy quality. None of them are reliable narrators by the way, so you spend the entire book wondering what really happened. Anyway, Rosie and Lisa used to be best friends. They shared everything, went on holidays together and their children were best friends too. That is until Lisa betrayed Rosie. After years of silence, Rosie receives a letter from Lisa, exposing long held secrets and asking for help. The letter will cause Rosie's family to unravel even further. Nothing really happens in this book. You're lead to believe the whole way through that there's going to be some dramatic reveal but there really isn't. It felt a bit dragged out to me and the content doesn't match how it was marketed- it looks like and the blurb reads like a domestic noir thriller (that are all the rage at the minute) but don't be fooled- it's not. It moves along at a snails pace. On the plus side, there is a very realistic portrayal of OCD in there that I haven't seen as well written in any other novel. Overall though, I'd avoid. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I featured this in my top 5 books of the year (HERE). It was another book club read but much more successful this time. Elena Richardson is a journalist and mother of four, living in an affluent suburb of Cleveland. She is wealthy, successful and respected in her town, which she thinks is down to playing by the rules, something she's prided herself on her entire life. That all gets shaken up when free-spirited artist Mia and her teenage daughter Pearl move to the area; Elena's four children immediately becoming obsessed with them both, which makes Elena uneasy and envious. A local adoption involving Elena's best friend turns into a vicious custody battle that makes enemies of Elena and Mia and Elena decides to use her journalistic skills to uncover secrets about Mia's former life in an effort to destroy her. 
I've had a few people say they started this (on my recommendation..eep!) but found it quite slow moving. It is a slow burner, for sure, but it's beautifully written and atmospheric. The characters feel like real, flawed humans and I could understand their motives, even when they did terrible things. If you're looking for a quick, easy read, this isn't it but stick with it, it's gratifying in the end. Promise!

Recipes For A Nervous Breakdown by Sophie White

This is part memoir, part self-help book, part recipe book. I enjoyed all the parts. Sophie White was a regular gal, living a regular life until she took a tablet at a festival which led to the worst trip of her life and a knock on effect of debilitating mental illness for the next few years. The book covers that time but also her recovery, how she met her husband, their travels together and how she became a chef. The recipes throughout coincide with these times in her life, along with "meals to eat when..." you're pregnant, hungover, in love etc. I loved this book. It gave me so many recipe ideas, beautiful food photos to look at, good life advice and overall an interesting life story to read. 

Under The Dome by Stephen King
This is your classic King; small town Americana full of good and bad people who must face an un-fightable force of evil in order to survive..if the bad guys don't kill all the good guys along the way first, that is. A clear barrier descends over a small town, landing directly on the town borders. Nothing can pass in or out without annihilation and it cannot be destroyed. The longer it's there, the worse the oxygen levels become and the more likely it is that the town's resident mini dictator/murderer will destroy all the townsfolk. This was so gripping and as with all King books you get completely engrossed and attached to the characters. So many times I got annoyed and could be heard exclaiming "WHY? WHY HIM?!" etc. It's long, so you really have to like your King to take this one on- it's not his best but that's a pretty high bar anyway. I enjoyed muchly. 

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
This is one of the bigger bestselling thrillers from last year. It seemed at one point like everyone was reading The Couple Next Door. Two couples are at a dinner party, one of the couples have a baby daughter who they've left unattended in their home next door, with the baby monitor on. They check on her every half an hour. When they at last leave the dinner party it's been an hour since they checked on her and to their horror, find she's not in her cot- she's been kidnapped. No one is beyond suspicion; the couple themselves, their neighbours, their family etc and the book is really just about figuring out who took her and why. There's a few twists and turns and overall it's a really quick and entertaining thriller, without a huge amount of substance. 

This Is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay
Adam Kay is a comedian that originally trained to be a doctor and got quite far too until a tragic event at work made him completely change careers. This is his account of being a junior doctor in the NHS; from the very bottom of the rung; med student and intern, right up to senior house officer and registrar. Health care professionals LOVE telling you all of their weirdest and most wonderful hospital stories. I should know, I'm a nurse and a midwife and I'm married to a doctor. We regularly try and out-do each other with our work stories (no names mentioned, obviously. All very confidential) because that's what doctors and nurses do to relieve the stress we feel from the responsibility our jobs demand from us.
Adam is no different here and for the most part this is a funny read. At the heart of it though, is an expose of just how hard junior doctors work. They miss family events, can't maintain a relationship, work 24 hour shifts, sleep at work instead of going home cause sometimes it's easier and that's all before you add in the abuse from the public and the constant fear that they may make a mistake due to sheer exhaustion. I really enjoyed reading this because it all rang so true for me. I've experienced a lot of what Adam mentions (although I still think most of my hospital stories are better) and I would highly recommend everyone reads this, health care professional or not. It's an eye opener for most people but also, it's really very entertaining. I laughed, I winced and I cried loud, gulpy sobs. 

Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Reni Eddo-Lodge originally wrote an essay with the same name, which garnered so much interest she was asked to expand on the topic and write a novel, and here it is. The first quarter of the book explores the origins of racism in the UK and what role it currently plays in modern Britain. Here, she discusses whitewashed feminism, the connection between class and race and her suggestions for how we can acknowledge and counter racism when it occurs. This is a huge issue right now with modern feminism branching off between intersectionality and those who well, don't understand the actual meaning of feminism I guess?! I enjoy reading and learning as much as I can about feminism and how I can practice intersectional feminism and be a more inclusive and supportive feminist while acknowledging my own privilege, and I found this was a really astute perspective that would be helpful to most feminists.

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
I mean, we all want to know the answer to that one, am I right?? Hillary taking the blame squarely for it herself in this book about her run and subsequent loss of the US presidency. Also to blame of course are misogyny, sexism, the Russians, those damn emails, the head of the FBI, a feeling amongst Americans that there needed to be a change in the status quo and the inexplicable popularity of Donald Trump. I'm not a blind follower of Clinton, I'm well aware of mistakes she has made throughout her 30 year career in politics (I still can't reconcile the fact that a woman with 30 years experience in the job lost to a male reality TV show host), which she also addresses in this book. She holds her hands up and admits to things she would not do the same if she had a second chance. But she also makes the valid point that male politicians regularly make huge errors of judgement that effect millions and their careers aren't tarnished forever more. For me, this book provided a lot of food for thought. I had been following the US election so I was interested anyway but I also think hearing from the first major female presidential nominee after her defeat is an interesting read! I listened to this on audible cause HRC reads it herself so it fees more authentic that way, even though she can be a little stiff sometimes in her delivery. There's a lot of political discussion in here- what she planned to do if she had won etc. that isn't particularly fascinating but overall I enjoyed it and felt like I learnt a lot more about her as a person- and she is an interesting woman. If you're interested in politics and feminism and how those two coincide then you'll enjoy this too. 

Mindhunter; Inside The FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas
This is the book that the recent Netflix series Mindhunter was based on. There's some minor changes between the two but it's the same basic gist. I feel like I learnt more about the life of John Douglas (the main character in the show) from reading this and there's definitely far much more detail on the crimes featured in the series in here, as well as plenty of crimes that aren't (season 2 anyone?). There's also a lot more information about profiling itself, which I find compelling. Overall, an insightful read that kept me captivated, once I got past the first few chapters (those were a little slow). If you like True Crime, this is a good'un. 

OK, I lied, I was not brief but it's hard not to gush about books! 

Tell me, have you read any of these? What are you currently reading?

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Favourite Books of 2017!

I'm finally getting around to this and being a bit kinder to myself by only doing my top 5 books of 2017, instead of my top 17...mostly because I'm writing this on Blue Monday (if it's actually a thing), I'm exhausted and also because I don't think anyone reads posts that are that long anymore. I do, if it's something interesting to me, like books, but I know not everyone can spare the time, so here's my condensed version of 2017 book faves. 

If yisser lucky (joke) I'll still get around to popping up my fave beauty products, but only if January hasn't forced me into a full-on productivity downward spiral altogether.

Himself by Jess Kidd

This was the first book I read of 2017 so it's apt that I start with it now. I have a thing about the first book of the year being a good one; of course I'd prefer if they all were but that's not possible. That first fresh read of January though. It just has to be a good one because it sets up my entire reading for the year. I'm not superstitious about most things but that's one I do hold stock with. Anyways, the book itself is about a swagger-y young fella called Mahony who shows up in a small town in Co. Mayo in the 70's, on a mission to find out what happened to his runaway teen mother who disappeared almost straight after she gave birth to him. All is not as it seems; the locals are not happy to see him and it looks like everyone has a secret to hide, or tell, depending on how much they fancy Mahony. Thrown into the mix is the sometimes help/sometimes hindrance that is Mahony's ability to communicate with the dead. It sounds strange but it's actually brilliantly written; very witty, clever, extremely Irish, and yes, very creepy. Loved it!! Jess Kidd has a new book out soon that I cannot wait to read.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This is the memoir of neurosurgeon and cancer patient, Paul Kalanithi. Paul had previously studied English and Philosophy so the book reads quite philosophically, unsurprisingly. He describes how drastically his life changed; going from an extremely hard working neurosurgeon, saving lives daily to being vulnerable and fighting for his own life, his marriage and to get back to the person he was before his tumour changed him irrevocably. I know some have felt the book was too sad but I found it positive and uplifting also. Paul lived his life to the fullest, he loved his family and changed how he practised medicine based on his experiences of being a patient himself. On a personal level, I found his comments about his career and how it affects who he was as a person particularly emotive. Because of these reasons, I think this would also be a great read for health care professionals, as well as everyone else.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

This is from 2013 and I've seen constant references to it in book blogging circles so I eventually got around to reading it this year and it was a revelation. Ursula Todd is born one snowy night in 1910 but doesn't take a breath and dies. In another 1910, Ursula Todd is born again on a snowy night but lives, which means little as she will continue to live different lives and die different deaths from then on. The varying lives Ursula leads are expertly woven together and left me bereft every time something bad happened to her (which happened a lot). It sounds grim but it was unlike any other book I've read and it has many uplifting moments. I didn't enjoy the sequel, A God In Ruins, however. I found it slow moving and I connected less to the characters but I really loved Life After Life.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

This was a late contender and a book club read that I became completely emerged in on our flight to LA.    

Elena Richardson plays by the rules; in her job, her community and her own home, so she's more than a little put out when enigmatic artist Mia and her daughter Pearl arrive in Elena's affluent suburb, looking to settle down. All of Elena's children become involved in Mia and Pearl's life on some level, obsessions starting in some cases. It's not until Mia's role in a local adoption case comes to light, effecting Elena's best friend, that Elena decides they are in fact enemies- she doesn't trust Mia's motives and begins to dig into her history, uncovering long buried secrets which will have a devastating effect on all their lives. This is a really well written book. It's atmospheric and engaging and the characters are easy to visualise and relate to. Looking forward to reading more from Celeste Ng this year. 

Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay

I hadn't read Roxanne Gay before and so I was very excited when I saw this collection of short stories on my local library shelf.  Every story has a woman as its protagonist and they're all full, rounded people with flaws and secrets, good and bad traits. I was crying by the end of the first story while others left me completely bereft and others, fuming with anger. I still think about some of the women's stories from time to time. This for me was one of those times when you come across something so new and so different that it floors you a little bit- I'm still not quite recovered. Trigger warning for rape/child abuse if you are thinking of reading it. I need to read everything else she's ever written this year. 

Honourable mentions go to The Princess Bride by William Goldman (the book of the famous film, the book is also well loved and for good reason), The Break by Marian Keyes (Marian at her absolute best. Loved this story of a marital break, a family in crisis and a woman holding it all together), Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine (a sucker punch of a thriller- main character Gwen is in hiding from her serial killer ex but must use her considerable talents to protect herself and her kids from a copycat killer) Eleanor Oliphant is completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (a funny, poignant, tragic and sweet story of Eleanor; not really socially capable but in need of love), Final Girls by Riley Sager (a horror movie within a thriller, with a twist), Under the Dome by Stephen King (classic King- an epically long read that'll keep you gripped throughout) and The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel (a creepy, atmospheric read about family secrets).

Dishonourable mentions go to The Breakdown by B.A Paris (extremely predictable and slow moving), Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (I didn't care about any of the characters and stopped reading halfway through. It was pretty blah), Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (a drawn out thriller with a preposterous ending), Nine Folds Make A Paper Swan by Ruth Gilligan (a complicated and muddled mish-mash of depressing stories in one, a terrible book to read in January).

And that is my lot. Did any of these make it into your top books of the year? What were your least favourite?