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November Book Roundup
So we say farewell to November and start to look towards December and some Christmassy offerings. Before we go full-pelt into the Christmas season, here is my monthly book roundup. How was your November? Did you manage to read everything you wanted to? This month I read ‘Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking’ by Matthew Syed. I also read ‘The Christie Affair’ by Nina de Gramont (review coming soon) and finished ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ by Suzanne Collins. I am a massive fan of The Hunger Games series, so absolutely loved the prequel. It was a bit of a whopper, but after the first 100 pages or…
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Book Review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Secret Life of Bees follows the journey of Lily Owens, a young girl who is struggling to understand the world around her. The story takes place in 1964 in South Carolina, where Lily’s life has been shaped by her mother’s death when she was only three years old. Living on a peach farm with her harsh and unforgiving father, she has only one friend: Rosaleen, the black servant who raised her after the death of her mother. When racial tensions erupt one day and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily chooses to flee with her. As they make their way across the country, they come across a trio of…
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Book Review
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of those books that I knew I would love within a few pages of starting to read it. I hadn’t even considered reading it before, in the belief that it wouldn’t be my thing. But seeing as it was my work book club choice, I thought I’d give the book a whirl. The story follow Monique Grant, a reporter for Vivant magazine, who has been selected to interview Evelyn Hugo, a reclusive former star. Evelyn is auctioning some of her famous gowns to raise money for a breast cancer charity. Monique doesn’t understand why Evelyn has chosen her, but nonetheless goes to Evelyn’s apartment to meet…
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Book Review: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon is a substantial novel, weighing in at over 500 pages. It’s so vast that it seems desultory to attempt to describe it in a review, yet that is exactly what I am going to do here. Hidden deep within the old city in Barcelona is a library of obscure and forgotten titles- the “cemetery of lost books”. His father brings ten- year- old Daniel there one chilly morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and pulls out The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Over the next few decades, he realises several people are interested in his…
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Current Obsessions
Time for a current obsessions posts (really narcissistic I know). I have been into all sorts recently so here is the round-up: Film In January, I went to see the film The Greatest Showman at the recommendation of my friend. Loved it! It may not have been a critical success but I enjoyed the story and the music. I listen to the soundtrack pretty much every morning on the way to work and I think I might get it on DVD when it comes out. I think it should have won every Oscar going in my opinion :P. Recommended for all fans of musicals as it’s colourful, uplifting and enjoyable.…
