Let the Right Book In

Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in rural Ireland, but the similarities end there as they are from two very different worlds. “Most people go through their whole lives, without ever really feeling that close with anyone.” I’ve seriously been putting off writing this review because I just don’t know what to say!! I feel like I can’t put into words why I loved this book - I just did. As someone who went through very similar experiences to the characters, in terms of both school and university, I felt like I was reading about the intertwined lives of two of my close friends. There is something incredibly beautiful in its simplicity. It’s about normal people, people who you feel like you may know, living relatively normal lives. And yet it’s written in a really impactful way. When I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about Marianne and Connell and wondering how they were getting on... are they okay?!! *weeps* Without giving anything anyway, I have...

Daniel Carter is an ex-homicide detective, now a private investigator, who inherits a bookstore in Providence from someone he’s never heard of. Then people start dying in mysterious ways, and while Carter doesn’t want to be involved, he’s beginning to suspect that someone else wants him to be. “He couldn’t see how you could share the shit out of somebody with math, but it seemed you could.” Holy moly! This was the exact kind of read that I needed after finishing The Alchemist. Going back to my horror roots and my love for Lovecraftian fiction (although I guess I wouldn’t specifically categorise this as horror, more weird fiction with some creepy parts) But anyway... this was a hell of a lot of fun! I feel like Howard handles a lot of the Lovecraft’s mythology and themes and tropes very well. You can tell he knows his shit! And he gives us a kickass character in the form of Lovecraft’s descendant - his great-great (I don’t know how many greats and frankly don’t care) gran...

Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different than he ever imagined. “And, when you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.” Let me preface this review by saying that although I did not like this book, I totally appreciate the meaning behind the fable and the message being put forward here (well... part of it). It was just done so in the most tedious and boring way possible. Even now, just typing the words “Personal Legend” makes me want to scratch out my eyeballs. Maybe that’s to do with the manner in which “legend” is used in present day... but I found it cringe-worthy. Throughout the entire novel you are just bludgeoned to death with the concept of your Personal Legend. I hate the notion that if you REALLY want something and you try hard enough that the universe will help guide you to your Personal Legend. I just don’t believe life works like ...

Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love as teenagers, but Ifemelu departs for the United States to study as a result of Nigeria being under a military dictatorship. Obinze had hoped to join her, but is denied a visa after 9/11, and so heads to London instead, where he eventually becomes an undocumented immigrant. “Why did people ask “What is it about?” as if a novel had to be about only one thing.” What appears to be a love story on the surface is really about immigration, ethnicity, racism and belonging. It takes place across a few locations - Nigeria, the UK and the USA, and Adichie effortlessly glides between all three, whilst moving back and forth between the past and the present, as the story is told from the perspective of both Ifemelu and Obinze. It sounds like a lot is going on, but Adichie expertly juggles it all! The plot flows seamlessly whilst Adichie creates well-developed and interesting characters, and is truly quite difficult to put down once you pick it up! Ifemel...

I feel like books covering mental health topics are quite personal - what works for you may not work for another. Luckily this one really worked for me! Wilson is funny and relatable, and she describes anxiety in a way that I truly understood. It’s unapologetically raw and personal, and I was sad to finish it. “Purposeful, creative, bold, rich, deep things are always beautiful.” It’s written in a very conversational style, the structure is a tad chaotic and repeatedly jumps around to different things but that does appeal to me - as my brain is very much like this! It means that I never got bored. She covers triggers and treatments, as well as her own personal anecdotes and little quotes and tidbits from fellow anxiety sufferers. However, what I loved most about this book were the parts where Wilson tried to approach anxiety in a positive way, in other words - make the beast beautiful. And she’s right! For all the negativity that anxiety can bring to our lives, it also makes ...

In a dystopian world set in the future, where criminals take over the dark, Alex is a juvenile delinquent who talks using an invented slang called Nadsat. ”What’s it going to be then, eh?” A Clockwork Orange might just the biggest turnaround I’ve ever had in terms of initially hating a book... and then becoming a fan of it by the end. After buying a copy and flicking through it, and seeing some of the writing, I messaged @ab_reads to say “why the hell am I putting myself through this? I should have picked another book for my list” and even as I trudged through the first 30 pages or so I just wanted it to be over... but I’m glad to say that once I got a hold of the slang I found a really outstanding story! The events and acts of brutality carried out by Alex and his friends are surprisingly violent, but this is masked by the initial confusion surrounding the Nadsat and trying to decipher what is actually happening. A rather interesting technique employed by Burgess that I ...