Book Review- Bodies of Light

Title- Bodies of Light
Author- Sarah Moss
Published-  2014
Genre- Historical fiction, literary fiction
Length- 309 pages
Rating- 5/5
Synopsis (Goodreads)- Bodies of Light is a deeply poignant tale of a psychologically tumultuous nineteenth century upbringing set in the atmospheric world of Pre-Raphaelitism and the early suffrage movement. Ally, is intelligent, studious and engaged in an eternal – and losing – battle to gain her mother’s approval and affection. Her mother, Elizabeth, is a religious zealot, keener on feeding the poor and saving prostitutes than on embracing the challenges of motherhood. Even when Ally wins a scholarship and is accepted as one of the first female students to read medicine in London, it still doesn’t seem good enough.

Review- I received this from my book subscription service The Willoughby Book Club as my May book.

I loved this book, really loved it, so much in fact that I have already looked up the author on Amazon and either bought or added all of her other books to my wish list.

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April Reading Wrap-Up

So, April was an ok month for reading. I managed 7 books but some took a lot longer to get through than others. When a book is good I get through it quickly, the bad ones drag, and there was a really bad one this month!

March Reading Wrap-Up

So, there is still another day of March but I am not going to finish my current book in that time so I thought I would do my wrap-up today.

I feel like it hasn’t been the best month for reading. Some of the books were pretty good, but none were amazing. I feel like most of the books have dragged a lot and I haven’t enjoyed reading as much this month. I still managed six books but that’s not as much as previous months.

I have been very good about writing reviews this month however, and have already reviewed all of the books!

Book Review- Etta and Otto and Russell and James

Title- Etta and Otto and Russell and James
Author- Emma Hooper
Published- 2015
Genre- Contemporary
Length- 278 pages
Rating- 4/5

I’ve gone. I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there. I will try to remember to come back.

Etta’s greatest unfulfilled wish, living in the rolling farmland of Saskatchewan, is to see the sea. And so, at the age of eighty-two she gets up very early one morning, takes a rifle, some chocolate, and her best boots, and begins walking the 2,000 miles to water.

Meanwhile her husband Otto waits patiently at home, left only with his memories. Their neighbour Russell remembers too, but differently – and he still loves Etta as much as he did more than fifty years ago, before she married Otto.

Review- I received this book as my March book from my subscription service, The Willoughby Book Club.

Whenever I get my subscription book I look at the reviews before starting it. This one had quite mixed reviews, some people seem to absolutely love it, and others hate it, claiming that it is unrealistic. It is unrealistic, incredibly unrealistic, but it is still a wonderful book. 

Are TBR Lists Good or Bad?

So, I don’t have a TBR list as such, I have a bunch of books on my shelf and Kindle that I want to read at some point, as well as a very long Amazon wish list, but I don’t plan my reading ahead of time. I am a mood reader, so a TBR list just wouldn’t work for me. The only thing I do stick to is reading my subscription service book right after I finish whatever book I am reading when it arrives.

I do however really enjoy watching TBR videos on BookTube, and I love it when people use an actual TBR jar, basically because I think they look cute. While watching these videos however it has become apparent that a lot of people find having a TBR list really stressful. So why do they do it?

February Reading Wrap-Up

So, February has been another good reading month for me. The last week was a little slower than the rest of the month but I am still pretty pleased with myself. I have finished 9 books so far this month but should finish my current one this evening.

I have read a good mix of genres this month, YA, thrillers, crime, contemporary and non-fiction!

I have also read a variety of formats this month. Until about six months ago I read almost exclusively on my Kindle but this month I have read ebooks, hardcovers and paperbacks. I have managed to persuade my fiancé to take me on two trips to the bookstore in the last few months and am building up a nice stack of books on my desk as a result!

Book Review – Kiss Me First

Title- Kiss Me First
Author- Lottie Moggach
Published- July 2013
Genre- Mystery
Length- 336 pages
Rating- 4/5

Synopsis (Goodreads)- This is the story of a solitary young woman drawn into an online world run by a charismatic web guru who entices her into impersonating a glamorous but desperate woman.

When Leila discovers the website Red Pill, she feels she has finally found people who understand her. A sheltered young woman raised by her mother, Leila has often struggled to connect with the girls at school; but on Red Pill, a chat forum for ethical debate, Leila comes into her own, impressing the website’s founder, a brilliant and elusive man named Adrian. Leila is thrilled when Adrian asks to meet her, and is flattered when he invites her to be part of “Project Tess.”

Tess is a woman Leila might never have met in real life. She is beautiful, urbane, witty, and damaged. As they email, chat, and Skype, Leila becomes enveloped in the world of Tess, learning every single thing she can about this other woman–because soon, Leila will have to become her.

Review- I received this book as my February book from by subscription service, The Willoughby Book Club. Like most of the books I have received from them, I hadn’t heard of it before.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it had a few little issues, but nothing to stop me recommending it.

Other than the very beginning, the first 150-ish pages of this were fantastic. I couldn’t put it down, and stayed up really late to read it. The middle is a little slow, not a lot happens, it just goes on and on about one topic. A bit of that was fine but it did drag and made Leila,