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📚 my literary archive
📚 wherever you go, there you are
📚 Giving my preloved books a new home
👇🏼 Browse the current listings below

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The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A dystopian tale of a father and son travelling south towards the coast to find somewhere safe with food and civilisation. The prose and atmospheric descriptions are minimal and reserved but I think that suits the story. When you're in survival mode, there isn't time to dwell when you see something traumatic along the way. You keep moving no matter what in order to survive. In this post apocalyptic world, I think this is a pretty accurate depiction of what could happen once the canned food and other resources run out. People would turn on each other, humans eating humans collecting them like cattle to live another day. But essentially this is just about a father trying to protect and shelter his son from the cruel elements. He teaches him survival skills but more importantly made sure his son didn't lose his humanity and goodness/fire in the process.

We never find out exactly what happened to the land but if I had to guess I'm leaning towards some type of nuclear war explosion. The ending felt a little too convenient but after so much destruction there needed to be some hope for the future. I haven’t seen the movie yet but I just know the visuals will be amazing! A story like this feels like it’s better suited for the screen, where the bleak landscapes, fear/tension of the dangers can really come to life. I need to see it, on the list it goes! 3/5

#cormacmccarthy #theroad #bookreview #bookstagram #dystopianfiction taken in Australia by @readsuin

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15 days ago

Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell

In this book we follow Ciara as she flees her abusive husband with her two young children. Since emotional and psychological abuse cannot be seen in the same way as physical abuse this is why it's an important read for anyone who wonders why someone can't just "pick up and leave". The husband's manipulation and coercive tactics are subtle yet calculative. The constant digs, berating, temper tantrums and feeling like you're always walking on eggshells are enough to suggest a relationship is unsafe but each incident can seem so small on its own that it's easy to shrug it off. Ciara gradually becomes a shell of herself, enmeshed with and dependent on the abuser. Years of control and isolation had erased her confidence and sense of self, making the decision to leave even more difficult.

It's a tough book to get through just knowing that so many women and children are living through similar situations every day. The statistics are brutal in Australia and reading Ciara's version highlights the immense courage it takes women to leave abusive relationships. The women who find the strength to leave and rebuild their lives are the untold heroes. Many don't make it out alive 3/5

#nesting #roisínodonnell #bookreview #contemporaryfiction #literaryfiction taken in Australia by @readsuin

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a month ago

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

*Spoilers*

I didn’t expect this book to trigger my anxiety. It will probably give you health anxiety too and leave you wondering whether you or everyone you know is infected with HIV/AIDS and not even know it. Makki brings HIV/AIDS awareness as the main focus and showing what life was like in the 1980s at the height of the epidemic where no effective treatment was available. The fear and stigma associated with this was palpable.

The story moves between two timelines and two perspectives. In the 1980s we followed Yale who is navigating the fear of HIV, not knowing if he has it, feeling betrayed and ostracised when he is infected and how it impacts him in the end. Then there's Fiona in the later timeline. She grew up during the epidemic, watching her brother and friends die and the grief from that time still follows her decades later. Her commitment to helping others during the AIDS crisis had a ripple effect and strained her relationship with her daughter who grew up feeling abandoned and resentful of the choices Fiona made. It then affected her daughter's relationships with others later in life.

The large cast of characters straight off the bat was slightly annoying. I had to write them down as it was difficult to keep track of who everyone was and how they were connected but once you grew into it, it was fine. Other than that it was an eye opening experience and I am so glad our world looks different now compared to back then 4/5

#thegreatbelievers #rebeccamakkai #bookreview #historicalfictionbooks #bookworm taken in Australia by @readsuin

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a month ago

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I saw the plot twist a mile away, it was so obvious with how it was written. I'm going to try and be vague so I don't spoil it for those who come across this and haven't read it yet but how lucky was Cadence to have that opportunity! It would've made the process a whole lot easier if this was a guaranteed thing for everyone to experience. Gat was the most relatable character as he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth and was thoroughly perceptive. He picked up on underlying family dynamics and unspoken tension amongst the Sinclair's like a pro. I enjoyed it, perfect for a holiday beach read. 3/5

#wewereliars #elockhart #bookreview #mysterybooks #bookstagram taken in Australia by @readsuin

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2 months ago

Foster by Claire Keegan

This is about an unnamed, neglected child sent to live with her maternal grandparents in rural Ireland for the summer. With her mother heavily pregnant and struggling to manage a chaotic household, she is sent to help ease the burden at home. She is used to being overlooked in an unstable environment and is filled with fear and hesitation when she arrives. When she settles into a simple and predictable daily routine, her anxieties start to settle down. The contrast of being surrounded by attentive adults who actively include her in their daily lives, shows how stability can transform this child (or any child) to feel safe. It is only then she finally lets her guard down and begins to flourish. Keegan's point is that children don't need much to thrive and all they require is a consistent routine, a safe environment and adults who are present.

So it's no surprise with the last scene of the book playing out the way it did. What I got out of it from that was this.. when the child grows up, their adult relationship with their parents is always a direct reflection of their childhood. If you're neglectful and abusive when your children are young, don't wonder why they don't visit when you are older. It's a harsh lesson and a universal truth people learn later in life. That scene was so simple but spoke a thousand words. 3/5

#foster #clairekeegan #bookreview #literaryfiction #bookstagram taken in Australia by @readsuin

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2 months ago

People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield

*Spoilers*

A historical retelling of the Jack the ripper murders filtered through Susannah’s interpretation and her desperate search for freedom but every time she manages to carve out a little piece for herself, it confines her into shame and coercion. Living in poverty, her prostitute mother gets murdered on the job and she’s sent to live with her grandparents. Her grandfather died suddenly and her grandmother lacks patience and constantly refers to her as an evil child (when one is told something enough times, they subconsciously start believing it) yet guilt trips her into staying home with her for fear of being abandoned in old age. She breaks free from her grandmother and lives up to her self fulfilling prophecy by poisoning her to become a nurse. Nursing to her means a stable income and autonomy but the work isn't what she imagines it to be and feels restricted by this and seeks an escape. She falls in love with her best friend but same sex relationships were forbidden in those days. Then she marries Thomas, believing he’ll give her the fairytale ending she's always dreamed of but the marriage becomes another prison she didn't see coming along with the housekeeper, who patrols the house like she owns it.

Whether she is assumed to be an unreliable narrator or not, her version of events and evidence shown point to the fact that her husband is Jack the ripper. Every time Susannah tries to escape one cage, she finds herself chased and stuffed in another. Some dodgy deals are being made which buys her time and freedom, calling the shots with who lives with her and how the house is run but falls back into the same trap when she enrols in medicine, which is another restrictive system that is overseen by the same men involved in the illegal dealings of the medical world. This is a beautifully written book, the air is thick with this oppressive stench of dread and doom which reminded me of 'never let me go' and 'mexican gothic'. The build up is incredible, you just know some heavy shit is about to go down. For a debut this is impressive! I recommend++ 4/5 Photo by reads you in | booktrovert in Australia with @3doorsdown, @clarewhitfieldauthor, and @headofzeus. May be an image of book and text that says "PEOPLE OF ABANDONED CHARACTER Clare Whitfield". taken in Australia by @readsuin

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2 months ago

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter

I needed a sassy YA rom-com to break up the dark and sadistic books I've been reading lately and this boy next door, enemies to lovers trope was sweeter than a Bueno bar. Wes is so friggin adorable I knew he had a soft spot for her from the very beginning with how much he made it his mission to annoy her.

Ahh young love! Especially that unrequited puppy love we all went through in high school. Those were the days weren't they? A boy could break your heart in a million pieces and he didn't even know it 🥲 I adored all the movie references throughout the book, some of the best rom-coms were made in the 90s and honestly I miss those days when the storylines and characters were more relatable. Even the music was top tier, with those heartfelt power ballads that made you bawl your eyes out when you were thirteen and pining over a guy who didn’t even know you existed Ahahaha! So embarrassing 🤣😭 3/5

#betterthanthemovies #lynnpainter #bookreview #romcom #bookstagram taken in Australia by @readsuin

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2 months ago

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Jeez!!! I haven't read a thriller this good since 'the silent patient'. Annie is a real estate agent who gets abducted while holding an open house inspection. As the story unfolds things turn dark very quickly and I was sick to my stomach and had to put it down a few times because what was happening to Annie felt as though it was happening to me too. The scenes are graphic and disturbing, but I kept picking it back up because it was so gripping and addictive I just had to know what happened next. Towards the end, my suspicion about the culprit and their motive turned out to be correct!! Aha! Highly rate this one 4/5

#stillmissing #chevystevens #bookreview #bookstragram #psychologicalthriller taken in Australia by @readsuin

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2 months ago

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

This is a coming of age story about Lily who accidentally killed her mother with a gun when she was four. Rosaleen (housekeeper) stands up to a group of racist men and gets brutally beaten by them and thrown in jail. Lily helps her escape for fear they will return to kill her. Sick and tired of her father's abuse they flee to a small town to uncover the truth about her mother and the kind of person she was. Their journey leads them to a honey farm run by three sisters who kindly take them in and as Lily learns the craft of being a beekeeper, she also discovers the importance of the queen in maintaining a thriving supportive community. The bees become a metaphor for Lily's own journey as she searches for answers and eventually finds the same purpose and belonging within her chosen family that the bees share with the queen. The writing was effortless and the symbolism woven throughout the story was nicely done but I wasn't completely floored by the ending and twists. Still, I enjoyed her writing and look forward to reading 'the invention of wings'. 3/5 For my next read I think it's time to switch it up and go for a thriller.

#thesecretlifeofbees #suemonkkidd
#bookreview #bookstagram #literaryfiction taken in Australia by @readsuin

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2 months ago

Towelhead by Alicia Erian

Jasira is thirteen and lives with her mother and her boyfriend in NYC. Barry displays predatory behaviours towards Jasira and instead of protecting her, she becomes a threat to their relationship and is sent away to Texas while being blamed for his behaviour. Life with her father is no better either as he's controlling, strict and physically abusive. If Jasira disagrees with him or doesn't do exactly as she's told, he lashes out. He has no respect for her privacy or bodily autonomy, telling her she can't use tampons till marriage and even walking into the change room while she's trying on bras. He expects complete submission and any attempt to assert herself is met with intimidation and rage. He also prioritises his romantic relationship over his daughter's safety and emotional needs (like her mother). Once he starts dating his girlfriend, he spends days at her house leaving Jasira isolated and unsupervised for days (he even tells her she hogs too much of his girlfriend's attention and that's why he stays away).

This is an emotionally abandoned child that has been starved of love by her primary caregivers, even the tiniest scraps of attention can feel like validation which is why it became easy for her to mistake sex for love so it wasn't surprising when she gets manipulated, groomed and eventually CSA by her disgusting PDF neighbour and also agrees to every sexual request made by her boyfriend. By being conditioned to be obedient and submissive, she learns that her value/self worth lies in pleasing others and refusing leaves you unloved and abandoned. The writing is graphic and the prose carries a dark sense of humour being filtered through her young perspective. I really enjoyed this one, it covered a lot of issues teenagers deal with and it's fast pace will get anyone out of a book slump 3/5

#towelhead #aliciaerian #bookreview #bookstagram #literaryfiction taken in Australia by @readsuin

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3 months ago

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

This may be a short read but the themes are highly relevant because Murata addresses the elephant in the room and the elephant has been sitting its fat ass in the corner for centuries, if not eons. Society teaches us to look outside of ourselves to define what our 'normal' should be and once we achieve those ideal markers, happiness will naturally follow through. For the protagonist, that pressure came from her social network, who viewed her unconventional existence of a single convenience store woman abnormal and a project to be fixed.

In our modern world, it's the same thing as we are constantly being bombarded by subliminal messages and subtle persuasion telling us who we should be and what we should have in order to be whole (through social media, beauty/youth standards, fashion, consumerism, and of course the ultimate markers of what supposedly makes a successful and fulfilled life: marriage, children, career, money and status etc). So is it worth spending all that time and effort to curate this ideal image of yourself for the approval and acceptance from others? Is putting on this exhausting performance of perfection and competing against each other worth it or does it make you feel empty at the end of the day? It almost looks cultish, with the blind leading the blind, yet the fear of rejection pushes people to follow these outdated rules they genuinely didn't want to be a part of in the first place but feel like they have to because everyone else is doing it (like Keiko). So if you're feeling drained and exhausted and cope by chasing cheap dopamine hits for short term relief, that's a good sign to take a step back and figure out what you actually want. Because once you know yourself, nothing is worth sacrificing the peace that comes from simply being comfortable with who you are. 3/5

#conveniencestorewoman #sayakamurata #bookreview #bookstragram #literaryfiction Photo by reads you in | booktrovert in Australia with @shawnmendes, @grantabooks, and @sayaka_murata_. May be an image of text that says "INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'HILARIOUS... COULDN'T PUT 'IRRESISTIBLY QUIRKY' IT DOWN' ELIF BATUMAN GUARDIAN, BOOKS OF THE YEAR CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN SAYAKA MURATA 'EXHILARATINGLY WEIRD "ASINTOXICATINGAS 'AS AND ANDFUNNY"SALLYROO FUNNY" SALLY R0O' RO ASAKEMOJITO' MOJITO' VOGUE". taken in Australia by @readsuin

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3 months ago

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

I have a very strong opinion about this memoir and it's going to piss some people off. I assumed it would be about the clashing of cultures (which some sections are), but the whole narrative depended on her mothers cancer to pull it forward. Her mother was a private person who took immaculate care of her appearance and image. Yet, Zauner thought it would be a great idea to expose her most vulnerable, and worst undignified moments of her life for the enjoyment and consumption by millions of strangers to read. She could not consent to this because she's already dead, yet all this in the name of art?! I mean how would you feel if someone did that to you? Not only is it violating but a huge betrayal of who she was. It was a selfish route to make a quick buck or two. She might say writing this helped with her grief, but publishing this crossed the line. It felt wrong reading this because these were private and sacred last moments before her death. It simply wasn't her story to share. She can mention her mother's cancer and how that affected her and how she's evolved from that experience but she abused it by going into the nitty gritty details, and for what? Shock value? Attention? Sympathy? Give me a break! The whole book felt exploitive and cheap. She even threw her dad under the bus on several occasions and painted him as some kind of yellow fever perverted creep. Enough said. 1/5

#cryinginhmart #michellezauner #bookreview #bookstragram taken in Australia by @readsuin

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3 months ago