Showing posts with label Talking As Fast As I Can. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talking As Fast As I Can. Show all posts
1/02/2017
Favourite Reads of 2016
Hello and Happy 2017 to you all. I hope you had an awesome new year. Today is the first of my yearly favourites for 2016. Containing all the books I've read, loved and need to cement as the best of the bunch in 2016. There's a mix of novels, non-fiction and that poetry volume I love and have to mention one more time. So without further ado, here is the books I loved and rate highly from 2016...
milk and honey by Rupi Kaur-Raw, real, important. Those three words probably best summarise how I feel about this book. I have passages underlined, pages dog-eared and the book's cover is smudged with fingerprints. It is one of those books I have been recommending and gifting to people because I feel like everyone, women especially need to read this.
Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson-Mara's first book of essays was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I loved it. It reveals enough about Mara without being a full-on expose of her life so far. She's a fantastic storyteller and I found this book so gripping. I actually reread it again a couple of weeks after first completing it, which is not something I do very often. Biographical writing is something I want to do more of so I am sure this one will get a reread again this year at some point.
Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes-The beauty writing of Sali Hughes is always going to appear magical in my eyes. There is just something so wildly charming about it. Her latest book was crammed with beauty's most legendary products, both in her opinion and that of the wider beauty loving community. They're the products that you're likely to remember from childhood, that Gran has used for ages and the newcomers that have become fixed in our minds thanks to the digital age. Sali's personal anecdotes and insights about each product makes this book all the more brilliant. I love it.
Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham-Another of my book club reads for 2016 was Lauren Graham's and I really enjoyed it. So much so that I want to track the audiobook down at some point. I read this over a day and loved it. The conversational tone made it feel like Lorelai Gilmore was on a long-winded, caffeine fueled speech but in the best way. It's hilarious, engaging and crammed with some fantastic insights about Stars Hollow. If you're a Gilmore Girls fan you need to get ahold of this.
The John Lennon Letters by Hunter Davies-I remember seeing this book in the shops when it was first released and being so irritated by its ridiculous price tag. It was forgotten about until watching Nowhere Boy inspired me to look up literature about and written by John Lennon. This hefty tome contains letters, notes, scraps of creative writing and even some of John's to-do lists. All meticulously catalogued and analysed by Davies, who also wrote an authorised biography about The Beatles. If you're a Beatles fan I think you'd find this incredibly interesting. I certainly did and despite its mammoth size, I got through it rather quickly.
Autumn* by Ali Smith-I've read a few of Ali Smith's books now and the more I read of her work, the more I find myself loving it. Autumn is a particularly poignant, insightful read that is incredibly timely after the year that was. Shining a magnifying glass on the political fibres of the United Kingdom, relationships and their alterations with the passing of time. This book is comforting. Cosy up under a pile of blankets and have a hot beverage nearby.
Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson-This collection of twelve tales for twelve days was simply brilliant. As well as Winterson's short stories, it also contained twelve recipes and anecdotes about the memories behind them. The stories all shone, my favourite in particular was The Silver Frog but they were all fantastic. I will more than likely purchase this to reread annually in December.
Eligible* by Curtis Sittenfeld-This modern-day interpretation of Pride and Prejudice was the one book I recommended the most last year. It may look hefty but it is a quick read. It's witty and just as cleverly done as the original.
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig-For anyone whose found themselves facing difficult times, either currently or in the past, this is such an important book. I'm not going to lie, it is not always the easiest to read. That being said there is something comforting and reassuring about it. If you are going through a rough patch it's well worth having a flick through.
The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett-After seeing this novel on Olivia's blog I was intrigued and it ended up surpassing my expectations. This novel again considers the passing of time and the 'what-ifs' of the protagonist's lives, depending on what paths they take. There are three different narratives and they all explore these different alternatives, determined by which individual the protagonists choose to continue their lives with. Each blended together seamlessly and all bought something different to the story.
Carol by Patricia Highsmith-The Price of Salt, nowadays more commonly known as Carol was one of the first books I read in 2016 after buying it on a whim in The Women's Bookshop. Side note: I miss working literally doors away from there. It tells the story of Carol and Therese who enter a somewhat scandalous romantic relationship, for the time at which the book took place. As well as looking at their relationships it offers microscopic analysis of the two women as individuals. It is these details that make it the most delectable, visually pleasing novel. Read it and then watch the film because it is equally as brilliant.
-What books did you read and love in 2016?
*Review Copy
12/21/2016
End of Year Book Club Reads
It's been a little while since I did a book club update. In fact, I think the last one went up in October. Whoops. Speaking of, if you follow my book-club, I'm thinking of cutting it back to bimonthly so I'll probably assign one or two books and if you want to read them, you can. Anyway, today I have the November+December reads for my own book club as well as Jean's December Book for the Fem Orchestra book club to review and rave about...
Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham-This was arguably one of my most anticipated reads for the year. I love Lauren Graham and that probably is not much of a secret so thank goodness this delivered. I had finished it within twenty four hours, probably as fast as Lorelai Gilmore would inhale a book about coffee. Her collection of essays and anecdotes cover Gilmore Girls (naturally) but also Parenthood and 'everything in between' as she puts it. It's like having a lengthy natter with Lauren, well what I'd imagine it to be like and for that I love it. I will definitely be revisiting this soon because I really read it way too fast. In fact the audiobook may be something I look into as well.
Autumn* by Ali Smith-Another book club read of mine that I was eagerly anticipating, as I'm quite the Ali Smith fan now. Again it did not disappoint. Ali Smith is releasing four novels themed around the seasons, this being the first. I'm not sure if she wrote this in the days following Brexit and the current state of the world but it certainly seems that way. The story itself explores the political and social injustices of our times which makes it all the more captivating. It follows the relationship of Daniel and Elisabeth, two neighbours turned friends who are only divided by their ages. Elisabeth cares for Daniel in his old age and the story shifts between the period of Elisabeth's adolescence to the present day. I'm not going to ever do this justice in writing. Just read it and discover its brilliance for yourself. Please.
Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole-This was the final book assigned by Jean for her Fem Orchestra Book Club this year. Admittedly I have been flitting in and out of this one a bit but I am enjoying it. Part memoir, part study of the varying degrees and facets of girlhood that shape our understanding of feminism and what being a woman entails. In the same way as Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates, it can be a bit of a rage-inducing read in that it will make you bemoan the state of the world and the psychological effects that seem at play even as a child. For the most part it is an entertaining, riveting read. I highly recommend it.
-What have you read lately?
*Review Copy
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