Guess who's back? After my week's break I am back and read to blog all the things. Well maybe not all, that's just a bit too overambitious. I am back for now and seriously missed blogging although if anything taking a break has reminded me that it's good to press pause every now and again. Today I have another edition of the bookdate, aka the literary speed date if you will. Admittedly I've really not read and finished a lot lately. What I have read and liked though has for the most part been brilliant. Before this intro gets any longer, let's get on with the books shall we?

Book Club: So I finally finished The Cows* by Dawn O'Porter this month. I'm not sure why it really took me so long to read this book because once I properly started it, it was very difficult to put down. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars over on Goodreads. For me, The Cows was the perfect blend of frank and funny. It covered a wide range of topics; feminism, childlessness and internet trolls to name but a few.  My only qualm with this book was the character Stella's storyline. It was just a bit too twisted and weird to be plausible. Maybe that's the whole point. In saying that her plot was wrapped up in an incredibly satisfying way. That little niggling complaint aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Another brilliant read from Dawn. 

Emma Watson's book club, Our Shared Shelf are reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's a book I've wanted to read for ages and with the new television series sending the world into a frenzy it seemed the perfect time. It's also one of my good friend's favourite books. Anyway, because I've been terrible at reading all month I'm still not very far into it but I am finding what I've read so far brilliant. Keep an eye out for an update next month.

20 Years of Harry Potter: As I type this, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published twenty years ago. I was four, nearly five at the time and didn't read it until I was seven so it had been out in the world for two years by that point. Nonetheless, as a Harry Potter fan and someone who grew up utterly immersed in all of J.K. Rowling's magnificence today still feels very special. Last year I bought my eight year old cousin the first book and he loved it and is now reading the rest of the series. If that doesn't prove their timelessness and ability to transcend generations, in an ever-increasing digital age, I don't know what does. Happy Birthday Harry. Thanks for the magic.

Recently Read: / The Lottie Project by Jacqueline Wilson. I was recently sent Jacqueline Wilson's latest book. She's published over 100 titles now. Isn't that amazing? Anyway, for nostalgia's sake and in preparation for a post, I decided to revisit some of her titles. The Lottie Project was one of the first of her books I read and it's still just as brilliant in my nostalgically biased, rose-tinted eyes. Lottie, aka Charlotte is a schoolgirl tasked with doing a project on the Victorians. Bored by the mundane books she has to choose from, she decides to create a journal about Victorian life. She cleverly interprets events from the present day for the earlier times. I like how the journal's handwritten in Nick Sharratt's illustrative script too. So good. So nostalgic. I love it. / Moranthology by Caitlin Moran. Newcomers around here mightn't know I'm a bit obsessed with Moran's writing. Everyone else, yes I am talking about Caitlin again. Moranthology is a bind-up of Caitlin's columns covering everything from Amy Winehouse to Downton Abbey, in a rather hilarious recap or two. She introduces each column with afterthoughts which are equally as brilliant. I really hope she releases another book soon because I've only got her novel left to read and then I'll have covered everything. Send help, or new Moran-isms. 

The Wishlist: / Face Paint by Lisa Eldridge. Believe it or not I've actually not read this book. I have flicked through it though and it looks brilliant. Lisa is so knowledgeable and I have a birthday coming up so. Hint hint, family.  / Without A Doubt by Marcia Clark. I'm a bit obsessed with The People vs OJ Simpson and only have the last episode left. Much to my dismay. Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark is amazing and we all know I love memoirs so I really want to read her book about this incredibly fascinating trial. She actually writes crime novels too but it's this book in particular I'm intrigued by.  / Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion. More Didion. This time set in the sixties and shining Didion's microscopic lens on Hollywood. Like Moran, I want to read everything of Didion's and this is next on my well-established list.

-What have you read lately?

*Review copy but enthusiasm for O'Porter's words and general brilliance is all my own.