It seems I really hit my stride with reading this month. This is purely down the books I picked up which were really engaging and just made me want to abandon my reality in favour of theirs. Three of them did that while the fourth made me steer in the opposite direction and look at my own life. It wasn't as enjoyable, let's be honest.
I went through these two really quickly. The stories are different from one another a part from the fact that the narrative is really compelling.
The Last Debutante by Lesley Lokko*
I had an idea of what the story would be about but once I started reading I discovered my theory was very wrong. The story is more complex than I'd thought it would be. It starts off in the backdrop of WW2 and mostly follows Kit who deals with the consequences of her sister's actions. She leads an extraordinary life and we see how it affects the relationship with her daughter whose journey follows similar paths as her mothers. The story is Libby's journey of discovering who her mother really is.
4.5 stars
The Girl Before by JP Delaney*
This is a real psychological crime story which I think would be great as a film. The narrative goes back and forth between Jane, the current tenant, & Emma, the past resident. We see how they adapt living a very conceptual house which basically monitors everything about you. The architect is the enigmatic Edward who both Jane & Emma feel drawn to. We see parallels with Edward's relationship with the two women and follows Jane's journey in discovering what happened to Emma. I couldn't put this book down, the story was very engaging and you never really made sense of two particular characters until the end which was great.
4 stars
Get Your Sh*t Together by Sarah Knight*
I won't lie, I'm very interested in those not very traditional 'self-help' books. Sarah's first book The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k is on the list of books I want. It sounds perfect for me who cares too much about useless things. While not everything applied to me I did find her guide on making lists very helpful. Distinguishing between what really needs to be done amongst all the things we want to do. Overall the thing I took most from reading it is breaking everything into manageable chunks. For me, I tend to get overwhelmed with everything and just not attempt it. This is definitely a book I will go back to for another read.
4 stars
Keep Me Safe by Daniela Sacerdoti*
After being on a roll with the first two books I dove into this one head first. I really found the concept of the story interesting; Anna's daughter Ava starts talking about her other Mum and memories she couldn't possibly have. To get to the bottom of them they travel to the isolated Scottish Island of Seal which ends up being where Mother & Daughter finally feel a sense of belonging. While reading I thought Anna's connection to the island would be a little bit more than it was which was a little disappointing. The story is sweet and gives hope that one day you'll just find a place where you belong.
3 stars
Have you read any of these books?
Ashley xx
4 stars
Get Your Sh*t Together by Sarah Knight*
I won't lie, I'm very interested in those not very traditional 'self-help' books. Sarah's first book The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k is on the list of books I want. It sounds perfect for me who cares too much about useless things. While not everything applied to me I did find her guide on making lists very helpful. Distinguishing between what really needs to be done amongst all the things we want to do. Overall the thing I took most from reading it is breaking everything into manageable chunks. For me, I tend to get overwhelmed with everything and just not attempt it. This is definitely a book I will go back to for another read.
4 stars
Keep Me Safe by Daniela Sacerdoti*
After being on a roll with the first two books I dove into this one head first. I really found the concept of the story interesting; Anna's daughter Ava starts talking about her other Mum and memories she couldn't possibly have. To get to the bottom of them they travel to the isolated Scottish Island of Seal which ends up being where Mother & Daughter finally feel a sense of belonging. While reading I thought Anna's connection to the island would be a little bit more than it was which was a little disappointing. The story is sweet and gives hope that one day you'll just find a place where you belong.
3 stars
Have you read any of these books?
Ashley xx
*Review copies from Hachette NZ
No comments
Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas.