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📚 | Reviews, Reading Moods & Book Recs
📖 | CR: Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke
👇🏼 | More bookish thoughts & Sunday Shelf ↓

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📖 Latest review: Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

I went into this knowing very little about it, and after the first chapter thinking it accidentally picked up a dark crime novel. I hadn’t. As the book progressed, it became clear that this was a coming-of-age story about poverty, money, female friendship and security.

At the centre of the book is Hana, who is only 15 when we first meet her and essentially has been left to raise herself. For Hana, money isn’t about having nice things, it’s just survival - somewhere to live, food, freedom and the reassurance that she’ll be okay tomorrow.

That relationship with money becomes increasingly complicated as she builds a chosen family with Kimiko, Ran and Momoko.

Hana really frustrated me at times, especially when her desire to protect what they’d built became controlling. But I also felt very protective of her. She was the only one worrying about their home, money and future whilst the others sat about assuming things would somehow work themselves out.

If I was choosing sides, I would still probably side with Hana 😅

I also loved the significance of yellow throughout the book 💛 Hana surrounds herself with it, believing it will bring prosperity and good fortune, but by the end it didn’t feel hopeful anymore. I saw it as more of a false hope, a fragile illusion of security - Hana could save every yen, work tirelessly and paint the walls yellow but it won’t guarantee that the life she’s built will last.

I really enjoyed this! Very occasionally the pacing lost me and I think it could’ve been a little tighter in those places, but I loved that it ended up being so different from the novel I thought I was reading.

4 / 5 ⭐️

My full review is live on my blog - link in bio 🫶🏼

Have you read Sisters in Yellow? And if you’ve read more Mieko Kawakami, what should I try next?

#MiekoKawakami #TranslatedFiction #LiteraryFiction #BookReview #JapaneseLiterature by @bookswithmegz

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9 days ago

Banned Books Week 📚

When I started looking through my shelves for Banned Booked Week, I expected to find a few of the obvious classics. But then I started looking at censorship a little bit differently.

Not every book here has been “banned” in the literal sense, but some have been challenged and removed by libraries. One has been restricted in certain countries. One is a reimagining of a novel with a long history of censorship. And in the case of Careless People, you can still buy the book but the author has been legally restricted from promoting it.

They raise the question, who gets to decide what other people are allowed to read?

Personally I find the whole idea of banning books absurd. If you don’t agree with a book, don’t read it. I don’t care if you criticise it, argue with it, or give it a one-star review on Goodreads if you really want to. But deciding that because you object to something nobody else should be allowed to read it is something entirely different.

Reading is one of the ways I learn, challenge what I think and encounter perspectives outside my own. Books are one of the ways we learn to understand people beyond ourselves, and restricting access to them feels intrinsically opposed to that.

So for Banned Books Week - LET BOOKS BE!

Did any of these surprise you? What’s a banned or challenged book you’ve read?

I’ve gone into a lot more detail on these five books on my blog - link in bio.

#BannedBooksWeek #LetBooksBe #BannedBooks #ChallengedBooks #FreedomToRead by @bookswithmegz

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11 days ago

Latest Review 📖: Written in Bone by Sue Black

I started rewatching Bones again recently for the umpteenth time and I decided to finally pick up Written in Bone by Sue Black, which has sat on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time.

I did worry going into this that the realities of forensic anthropology would ruin Bones for me, but thankfully it didn’t.

This was exactly the type of non-fiction I love. It was accessible enough to read for pleasure, grounded in real cases, and packed with new facts I didn’t know.

Black takes us through the human skeleton from head to toe, looking at what different bones can tell us about our age, identity and lives, before showing how that science has been applied throughout her career.

The facts were so interesting. I now know that more than a quarter of the bones in an adult skeleton are found in our hands, human and pig ribs can look remarkably similar and some jockeys historically had their clavicles surgically removed because they were so prone to breaking them. The logic seemingly being you can’t break you’re collarbone if you don’t have one 😂

I was shocked by just how broad forensic anthropology can be. Black’s work has gone beyond examining skeletal remains, and some cases she describes are incredibly difficult to read. But she strikes a really good balance between the science and the people behind it.

There were a couple of technical sections where my attention wandered slightly, which is probably the only reason that stopped this being a five-star read. I was completely fascinated for the most part.

And now I can’t wait to read Sue Black’s new book An Expert Witness that’s now patiently sitting on my shelves.

4.5 / 5 ⭐️

Have you read Written in Bone? Or do you have any other forensic / true-crime non-fiction recommendations?

My full review is live on the blog - link in bio.

#WrittenInBone #SueBlack #NonFictionBooks #TrueCrimeBooks #BookstagramUK by @bookswithmegz

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14 days ago

Happy International Translation Day 📚🌎

Sometimes some of the best books aren’t originally written in English. Some of my faves have covered Renaissance Florence, Korean office politics, Icelandic crime and Japanese assassins.

I’m definitely guilty of recommending a translated book based on the author, the writing or the characters, without taking into consideration the person who actually made it possible for me to read it.

So today, the translators get their props too!

I’ve pulled together some of the books in translation I’ve loved (or at the very least were particularly interesting), alongside what I’m currently reading and one patiently waiting on my TBR.

Let me know the best books in translation that you’ve read recently! 👀

I’ve posted a more in-depth post on my blog, with some more thoughts on each book. Link in bio.

#InternationalTranslationDay #BooksInTranslation #TranslatedFiction #BookRecommendations #BookstagramUK by @bookswithmegz

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16 days ago

Murder at the Hotel Orient was such a fantastic read!

It’s set in a glamorous Vienna hotel where guests use aliases, phones and cameras are banned, and privacy is of paramount importance. Then two guests are found dead, and suddenly all that secrecy becomes a very big problem.

The protagonist, Sterling, was easily my favourite part. She is smart, witty, flirtatious and completely comfortable in herself — and I loved that she never felt like she needed to make herself smaller for anyone else.

What made the mystery especially fun was that her role as concierge actually mattered. She knows these guests through the tiny details they have revealed over time, so when the aliases start getting in the way, she has to piece together who they really are from what she remembers, to help the police with their investigation, while trying to keep the reputation of the hotel in tact.

This was one of those books that genuinely kept me guessing as well. I had suspicions throughout, but I never felt completely certain on anything until the full reveal.

The pacing worked perfectly for me, the ending felt satisfying, and I finished it wanting another book with Sterling immediately.

Luckily Sterling is returning in Scandal at the Opera House next year, and I am eagerly anticipating it to go on sale for pre-order!!

What’s been your favourite mystery book this year?

#CosyCrime #MysteryBooks #Whodunnit #BookReview #AlessandraRanelli by @bookswithmegz

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17 days ago

7 Historical Non-Fiction Books I’d recommend🦴📚

One of my favourite non-fiction genres is history (unsurprising, I know, given I also love historical fiction).

That being said I’m not a fan of those heavy history books that explore in detail one period of history. Instead I enjoy more broad-reaching history books that explore things from a new angle.

Exploring history through disease, archaeology, women’s rights, political change provide a unique perspective. One of the things I love is when books start overlapping with each other, so you see the same period from different perspectives, and suddenly get a much more holistic view of a period in history and the dynamics at play.

These are seven historical non-fiction books that I’ve loved and would highly recommend 💕

I’ve also got plenty more on my TBR to get through 😅

Have you read any historical non-fiction books that I need to add to my TBR?

#HistoricalNonFiction #HistoryBooks #BookRecommendations #NonFictionBooks #WomenInHistory by @bookswithmegz

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19 days ago

I picked up The Final Six because the premise felt genuinely different.

Six graduates make it through thousands of applicants to the final stage for a role at one of Japan’s most prestigious tech companies. Then, just before the final assessment, they are told there’s only one job available - and they have to decide amongst themselves who deserves it.

Then six envelopes appear containing damaging information about each person in the room, and suddenly the whole thing turns into a very tense game of suspicion, self-preservation, and ambition. It’s basically a white-collar squid game 💼

I would say it has the energy of a workplace thriller crossed with a classic “whodunnit” except nobody dies and the prize is a job.

It makes you think about recruitment in general. Everyone walks into an interview presenting the most well-presented, most employable version of themselves. Then this book asks: if we strip away those masks and bare people’s darkest secrets what happens then?

It was super twisty and I didn’t see the main reveal coming, which is always appreciated!

I’m not sure how I would rate it honestly, the premise was fresh, the thriller aspect was brilliant but the pacing in the second half of the book left something to be desired.

#PsychologicalThriller #JapaneseFiction #TranslatedFiction #BookReview #AkinariAsakura by @bookswithmegz

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21 days ago

10 Autumn TBR Hopefuls 🍂📚

Looking through my TBR is definitely overwhelming at times. There are so many books I want to read that it can actually make it harder to choose what to pick up next.

So, here are 10 books I am determined to read this autumn. I’ve tried to keep a good mix of different genres to keep things interesting, and am super excited to dig into them.

What should I read first? What’s on your autumn TBR?

#AutumnTBR #AutumnReading #BookstagramUK #TBR #BookRecommendations by @bookswithmegz

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22 days ago

📖 Latest Review | The House of Fallen Sisters by Louise Hare

I read this one in a day, which probably tells you most of what you need to know about this one 😅

Set in Georgian London we follow Sukey, a young mixed-race girl forced to auction off her virginity at a brothel. It’s a dark and immersive novel, that faces the realities of poverty, prostitution, violence, race and agency head on. It’s like the opposite of Bridgerton, although instead of crazy mamas we’re now dealing with rival madams.

These girls don’t have the luxury of worrying about finding a good marriage; their focus is survival. The solidarity that exists between them while they’re also being exploited is heartwarming, and there’s a strange contradiction throughout between the brothel being both a dangerous place, and at times, one of protection.

Sukey was such an interesting character to follow, particularly with her vested interest in Jonathan Strong, a real historical figure brought from Barbados to London, whose case became integral to the developing British abolitionist movement.

I really loved this. It was darker than I expected but explored such difficult themes really well.

⭐️ 4.5/5

Have you read The House of Fallen Sisters? 👀

I’ve written a more detailed review about Sukey, the women around her and what I thought the book done particularly well over on my blog (link in bio).

#HistoricalFiction #LouiseHare #BookReview #HistoricalFictionBooks #BookstagramUK by @bookswithmegz

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25 days ago

8 historical fiction books I highly recommend 🤩

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and I’ve still got a TBR piled high with lots!

Swipe through to see my ultimate favourites that I would always recommend:
👑 May We Feed the King - Rebecca Perry
🏺 Babylonia - Costanza Casati
👯‍♀️ The House of Fallen Sisters - Louise Hare
🔮 The Tarot Reader of Versailles - Anya Bergman
❤️‍🔥 The Betrayal of Thomas True - A.J. West
🎨 Perspective(s) - Laurent Binet
🍰 The Art of a Lie - Laura Shepherd-Robinson
♠️ The Square of Sevens - Laura Shepherd-Robinson

They’re all very different - medieval courts, ancient Assyria, Georgian London, revolutionary France, and Renaissance Florence.

There are a few five-star reads in this list, and The Betrayal of Thomas True may have to be up there as one of my all-time favourite books - I can still picture it perfectly two years later.

What’s the best historical fiction book you’ve read recently? 👀

#HistoricalFiction #BookRecommendations #HistoricalMystery #BookReview #ReadingCommunity by @bookswithmegz

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a month ago

I picked up The Tarot Reader of Versailles after seeing it mentioned quite a lot and then finding it in Sainsbury’s for cheap, which apparently is all the encouragement I needed 📚

The French Revolution is one of my favourite periods of history, so the setting was always going to appeal to me. I absolutely love Les Misérables and visited the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A museum last year.

What I liked most was the balance between the two main characters: one can see the past, and one can see the future 🔮

That gave the story a really interesting structure, and despite being worried that the tarot element might feel gimmicky, it was a crucial part of the storyline.

My only real issue was the pacing towards the end. It felt like it could’ve been wrapped up a bit earlier than it did. For a book set against so much upheaval it felt like the momentum slowed down at the end.

Still, I really enjoyed this one and gave it 4/5 ⭐️

If you had to choose, would you rather be able to see someone’s past or someone’s future? 👀

#HistoricalFiction #bookreview #FrenchRevolution#Bookstagram #TheTarotReaderOfVersailles by @bookswithmegz

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a month ago

Cosy crime recommendations 🕵🏼‍♀️

Finishing Murder at the Hotel Orient sent me back through some of my other recent reads, I mean who doesn’t love a crime novel.

The five I’ve picked here are all quite different: one is set in Delhi, one is a locked-room mystery, one has a very wholesome granddaughter-grandfather duo. But the reason I’ve picked them is because they’re similar in that they provide great mysteries without feeling psychologically taxing. 😅

My five cosy crime picks are:
🦌 Death at the White Hart - Chris Chibnall
🇮🇳 Murder in Moonlit Square - Paul Waters
🏨 Murder at the Hotel Orient - Alessandra Ranelli
🕵🏼‍♀️ My Grandfather, the Master Detective - Masateru Konishi
🔪 This Is Not a Game - Kelly Mullen

What are your favourite cosy crime reads? Have you read any of these?

#CosyCrime #BookRecommendations #Bookstagram #CrimeFiction #MysteryBooks by @bookswithmegz

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a month ago