Title: Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club Author: Alison Goodman Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again) Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2015
I loved the cover on this (yes, I judge books by their covers), and I really liked the blurb and the whole premise. But, I just couldn’t quite do it. Don’t get me wrong, this was a well written book and I actually quite liked the style. However, I’m really not into overly descriptive stories. Honestly, I could’ve done with ¾ less of the descriptive language and I would’ve been quite happy to keep reading this.
There were so many threads of hinted importance throughout this story. But after reading 25% of the novel, nothing had actually happened. Just lots of foreshadowing and hints of what could happen. I wanted some action! Honestly, whilst this story showed a lot of promise, I felt like it didn’t really know what genre it wanted to be in and what form it was going to take. Disappointing with all of its potential.
Title: Fast Girls: A Novel of the 1936 Women’s Olympic Team Author:Elise Hooper Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Feminism, Historical fiction, Sport Pace: Medium Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2020
I’m someone who likes to read a good biography or historical fiction as a bit of a nighttime read. I tend to find they’re not quite as fast paced and intense as my fantasy and romance books. Fast Girls was supposed to be one such read. It didn’t end up being like that at all. Fast Girls was absolutely impossible to put down and filled my brain with so much amazing information that I honestly couldn’t sleep after reading it. The three stories of Betty Robinson, Louise Stokes and Helen Stephens were riveting and emotionally entangling. I love that they were based in reality, and it wasn’t just the stars that Hooper chose to focus on, but the other members of the Olympics team. Those that are sometimes just as talented, but get overlooked.
The fact that Hooper used two well-known women, Betty Robinson and Helen Stephens, but also a lesser known Olympian, Louise Stokes to tell this tale was a brilliant, and, admittedly, surprising move. It’s a great reminder of the strength of women and some of the different hurdles we’ve had to overcome in the past. I love that it honours the women who have come before and how important their multitude of contributions are. Not just those that are loud, proud, front and centre. But also the people who continued fighting and maybe never got any kind of acknowledgement whilst they were alive. It was definitely an interesting, but also very humbling read and thing to think about.
I’m passionate about my two chosen sports and have definitely got more dedication than some to do well in those fields. However, the dedication and passion that top athletes show is a bit of a different story. I love how well Hooper talks about this commitment. How it is almost a part of breathing to be running for these girls. Particularly in the 1930’s when they had even greater challenges to overcome than I do today. I can’t imagine that level of commitment and pure love – I get close with some things, but not like this. I love that Hooper spends a lot of this story emphasising that it’s not just the natural talent that got these three women to the top of their field. It was also their passion, commitment and pure stubbornness.
After reading Fast Girls, I not only want to discover more about Betty Robinson, Helen Stephens and Louise Stokes (although my understanding is that there is a whole lot less information about Louise out there). I also want to discover more about the “Nazi Olympics” of 1936. I’m also absolutely fascinated by the life and trials of Stella Walsh, who, whilst she didn’t feature in this story, has an interesting journey all of her own. I can’t imagine the social and political pressures surrounding the 1936 Olympics, and for this reason alone, I want to know so much more about it!!!
Title: The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy – and Why They Matter (Revised and Updated) Author: Marc Bekoff Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Nature, Non-fiction Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Non-fictional text, Novel Year: 2024
This was one of those books that I had to slowly read chunks of it at a time. Not only is it filled with information that I actually wanted to retain, but it was also kind of emotionally intense. Which is surprising for one of the more academic texts. And, honestly, there were moments throughout that I had to really pause and think about my own actions and try to see if my actions fit in with my morals (I’m human, they didn’t always. But often did). The Emotional Lives of Animals is one of those texts that I thoroughly enjoyed and will probably refer back to in the future because of the sheer amount of quality information. But, I also wouldn’t be in any hurry to reread it soon because it was just incredibly intense and at moments long-winded.
The Emotional Lives of Animals not only discusses the evidence of animals showing emotions, but also the implications of our actions. It flows very naturally – first Bekoff discusses the different pieces of evidence; the studies, the anecdotes, etc. Then he starts to tease out what some of the implications of this could be. Again, he peppers this with the evidence. Allowing the narrative go from almost entirely evidentiary support for his point that all animals have emotions to the argument that he ultimately makes, that we need to deeply consider our treatment and legislation of animals and the ways in which these emotions impact this. Bekoff manages to take a controversial (in scientific circles) topic, hold your hand and lead you to what you will feel is the logical conclusion at the end of his telling.
Although Bekoffspends the majority of The Emotional Lives of Animals emphasising empathy and care, I love that he also acknowledges the consequences of empathy burn out. Rather than just telling us to do better, he also talks about the emotional toll that doing better can take on us. And how sometimes, even when we are fighting for something that is “good”, we have to pause, take a step back and take a deep breath. Bekoff might be discussing the emotional reality of non-human animals, but he also emphasises the importance of taking care of our own emotional lives and well being.
It was actually really cathartic for me to read this book. Where Bekoff has obviously pushed through academia to make his point and fought the common contentions of what and how animals operate, I honestly couldn’t do it. A big reason (amongst a few) that I left scientific academia was the rigidity in not considering that animals have feelings and personalities. That the anecdotal evidence of the locals doesn’t actually count for anything. And just that, in general, a narrow-mindedness that I could not find myself fitting into. There is a disjoint between the academic pursuit and the personal lives of many, and Bekoff is working in a brilliant way to highlight this and overcome it.
Title: Cinnamon and Gunpowder Author: Eli Brown Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again) My Bookshelves:Adventure, Historical fiction, Pirates Pace: Fast Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2013
It’s not often that a book completely surprises me with its ending, but Cinnamon and Gunpowder most definitely managed it. It wasn’t a surprise in a bad way either. Rather, just… not quite what I was anticipating for the end of this novel. And, even if I was a little disappointed in the first instance, the more I’ve sat with this ending, the more I’ve loved it. There was a great feeling of contentment and calm at the end of this story that I have really enjoyed sitting in once I turned that final page. I love that there was a sense of open-endedness with the conclusion though. You can imagine all of the characters enjoying their hard earned rest, but that there’s potentially other adventures just around the corner.
One of my favourite things about Cinnamon and Gunpowder was the skill of description which Eli Brown employs. Particularly the descriptions of the food that he makes throughout. I love that amongst the swashbuckling adventures, the changing of morals and the insanity of the high seas, Owen Wedgewood is also driven to create culinary masterpieces. Each of these have just enough description in how and what he’s made that it is tempting to try and test myself in this culinary trend too. I won’t because I don’t have the time or energy to actually nurse a sourdough starter in my shirt. But, wow, did I enjoy imagining myself in Wedgewood’s shoes.
Every chapter of this book brings a new and intense swashbuckling adventure to the fore. I love that every character has incredibly unique drives and passions. And that each point of conflict (of which there are many) is driven by these vastly different characters. There’s also the fact that the understanding of what motivates each character is understood incredibly differently as the story flows forwards. Primarily this is because Wedgewood starts to move on from his stiff and restricted view of the world. From a very English and puritan viewpoint to one that is more accepting, loving and similar to more modern ideals. The fact that this viewpoint is drastically changed alongside Owen’s very obvious falling in love just made me love it all that much more.
It was immensely easy to fall in love with Wedgewood and his adventures. But it was also easy to fall in love with all of the other characters. I loved Mr. Apples, Joshua and the twins. But it was most definitely Mabbot who I was drawn to the most. Even at the beginning, when the descriptions of her were less than complimentary, they still made me absolutely adore the mad captain. I loved that even though, on the surface, her decisions seemed unnecessarily cruel and evil, the more you find out, the more you understand the logic behind her motivations. It made her drive to find and stop the Brass Fox that much more admirable and I love how strongly she helped Wedgewood change his opinion of the world around him.
This was a fantastic story that I absolutely devoured. The writing style was a little bit more formal than I have been reading lately, so I did take a little longer than usual. However, I really enjoyed this departure from my “normal”. I will definitely be looking to add some more Eli Brown books to my shelves in the near future.
Title: Brave New World Author: Aldous Huxley Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again) My Bookshelves:Classics, Science fiction Pace: Slow Format: eBook, Novel Year: 1932
I can completely understand why this is a classic – it is kind of brilliantly constructed and thought through. However, I wasn’t a huge fan. I found this a little bit too chaotic and meandering. I found it quite hard to concentrate on what was happening. And whilst I enjoyed the general gist, I just couldn’t get into it. Plus, I’m at a point that I just want a feel good story in my life at this point – there is just too much chaos and drama in my day to day.
The idea of science ruling the world and what this can lead to is incredibly potent. Even now, decades after this was written, the issue remains the same. There is no one formula to happiness, but in using science to try and make it so, there is a whole lot of controlling going on. The scenes with the classical conditioning made me cry. They were so uncomfortable and harsh. The cruelties of science and experimentation are pretty clear when they are set up against humans and children.
All in all, this was a book that was interesting and worth a read. But, it wasn’t one that I am incredibly keen on reading again. A lot more classics to fill my shelves. But I’m glad that I dived into this story and gave it a good shot.
A nice and short novella that was enjoyable, but not overly memorable. I enjoyed reading this and would be happy to pick up another EmKay Connor novella, but also wouldn’t be rushing to read one. Obviously, I’m very eh about the reading of this. That may also be because, at its core, this is a story about a couple who is on the verge of separation. It is about people who are still trying to be together, but too many mistakes and too much distance leads them to start to fracture. A kind of similar circumstance to myself when I was reading this, so it also might just be the fact that it was touching a little too close to home.
Again, something that felt a little too familiar – the fact that a lot of the issues, at least from Lou’s point of view is his voluntary distance. Rather than facing up to the difficulties in his relationship, he chose to pull away from Katie. Luckily, he does choose to own up to his shortcomings and work on being better. It’s almost too late, but I love that he’s able to actually see where his mistakes lie and work on improving himself.
Even though Lou realises his mistakes before being shot, the danger he finds himself in just helps to drive home how important his relationship is to him. I know that, even though I have not been in such a horrible situation, it took almost breaking to make me realise how much I don’t want to give up on the person I love more than anything else. Like I said, not a bad novella, but definitely one that hit a little bit too close to home in the reading of it.
Title: The Billionaire’s Intern Author: Lia Hunt Rating Out of 5: 1.5 (Couldn’t get past the first chapter) Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2022
Whilst I love a good redemption arc in my romances, I’m at a point in my reading and life that I need there to be a glimmer of the good to start with. And honestly, this read just like what I’ve now dubbed an “asshole romance”. Those romances that the guy doesn’t really change, there isn’t actually all that much that is nice about him, and you can’t quite get over all of the moral lines he crosses, so you kind of give up. Then there’s the whole fact that the female love interest is the whole starry-eyed innocent. Which meant that she was immediately dismissed, and the stalker ex-wife. And just… everything about this sat really uncomfortably from the very beginning.
I gave this a really good try, but honestly, if after three chapters I can’t find anything redeeming about a character. Then it’s just a big, hard nope. So I guess I’ll move onto stories that are far more suited to my taste and interest.
Title: Beach Boss Author: Liz Alden Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary romance, Vacation romance Pace: Fast Format: eBook, Short story
After reading this short story, I just want more of the Wanderlust Resort. I mean, I got to see Emery and her partner in The Rival in South Africa, and Clara from Nutcracker with Benefits is also mentioned in Beach Boss, so I love the cross over. And it was good to see their origin. But, I also wanted more of the resort in the Caribbean and the different couples that could fall in love here.
There is something dreamy and sweet about a vacation romance. The fact that this is a story all about falling in love with a Caribbean beach as the backdrop is just so damn cute. Plus, Emery is also reeling from the death of her father and trying to figure out how to rebuild his business. It makes the love and support in this story all that much sweeter and more endearing. Plus, Emery’s mum absolutely sucks. I mean, yeah, she has hurt feelings from the past with her dad. But to take that out on your own child? Absolutely unbelievable. So much nope.
This is a really quick and cute read about two people finding their way back to one another. They both have crushes on each other from years ago, but the depth of feeling and maturity just grows and grows with the advent of age and understanding. I absolutely adored this story, and as I mentioned before, I would love more of this Resort and all of the potential it shows!
Title: Best Served Hot Author: Amanda Elliot Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Contemporary romance, Food Pace: Medium Format: eBook, Novel Year: 2023
I can’t say that the idea of Internet Influencers, or running my own page that brings in traffic as a career has ever been something that I’ve completely understood. It’s just a world that my introverted self doesn’t quite feel the need to enter. However, I absolutely loved reading a story about someone who puts their passions and loves out into the public eye through social media and the public eye. It was an entirely new viewpoint and one that I wasn’t really expecting. But, man, did I enjoy it.
One of the aspects that I loved about this romance is that it took the different modes of food reviewing and highlighting the pros and cons of each style. Julie is the grass roots internet influencer who is all about the hidden gems and is working out how to make her own footprint on the “scene” without much assistance. Bennett on the other hand is from a more privileged background and thus has a greater number of resources to begin with. He also has a different set of limitations to Julie, both have their unique niches that they slot into brilliantly, and, ultimately, neither of them is “better” than the other, rather, they are just two different sides of the same passionate coin.
Even though you know that Bennett and Julie are going to end up together (because romance), I love how well their chemistry reads from the very first moment. There are just sparks flying everywhere, and I couldn’t wait for them to dive in. Plus, the characters that I thought would stand in the way of their happily ever after actually support their attraction! I love that the entire story was a massive slow burn and they really don’t get together to fairly close to the end. Of course, there is that last minute spanner in the works that drives them apart again. But it was still nice to read a good, solid slow burn that had me speed reading through the pages to find when they finally decide to get together.
I must admit, that this is definitely a book I wouldn’t suggest people eat on an empty stomach. It is just filled with wonderful and delicious descriptions of food. Descriptions that, even as I’m writing this review, make me want to get in the kitchen and create something scrumptious. I’m actually not that talented in the kitchen, but it made me want to try. I love that, even when Julie is so dang obsessed with class / social circles, food ends up ultimately being the great equaliser. It’s a great mode in which her big chip on her shoulder is whittled down just a bit. We all enjoy food in our own unique ways, and, whilst our background can and will influence what we are drawn to, we are all drawn to food of some sort. At least, in my experience.
The end of 2024 was just as hectic and insane as the rest of the year, but the beginning of 2025 has been a little slower and nicer. Which has meant that I’ve read a lot since the last update. Many fun books, some with a Christmas theme, others with just an all round fun story line.
Earth and Skye 