L.H. Johnson's Blog, page 6

They Called Her Patience by Lorna Hill

They Called Her Patience by Lorna Hill My rating: 5 of 5 stars I sometimes think that the nearest thing to literary Arcadia is Lorna Hill and the Northumberland countryside. It’s just so perfect to me, the way she pauses on a beat and suddenly you realise everything here is so endless and perfect andContinue reading "They Called Her Patience by Lorna Hill"

Happy birthday How To Be Free

How To Be Free is out today! I am so happy that she’s officially in the world and I hope you enjoy her. She features my favourite bullet points ever, my favourite Hanna moment ever, and quite possibly one of my favourite cakes ever. There is also some excellent dangling by Eloise Taylor (play toContinue reading "Happy birthday How To Be Free"

The Kingdom By The Sea by Paul Theroux

The Kingdom by the Sea by Paul Theroux My rating: 4 of 5 stars I finished this and I thought: isn’t it weird that the more things change, the more things stay the same. There are parts of The Kingdom By The Sea that feel like something from another world: people who were born beforeContinue reading "The Kingdom By The Sea by Paul Theroux"

A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll My rating: 5 of 5 stars A Kind of Spark centres on neurodivergent Addie and her campaign for a historical memorial in her hometown. The memorial is for the women who were killed in the witch trials, centuries ago, by the townfolk. Addie learns about these women duringContinue reading "A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll"

Tom Swift and His Megascope Space Prober by Victor Appleton II

Tom Swift and His Megascope Space Prober by Victor Appleton II My rating: 5 of 5 stars The tall, dark-haired reviewer sat down to write her review on the book and considered how to begin. It was interesting, she thought, how everything in her busy, vivid life had suddenly required two adjectives. She wasn’t sureContinue reading "Tom Swift and His Megascope Space Prober by Victor Appleton II"

Mother Tells You How: Essential Life Skills For Modern Young Women

Mother Tells You How: Essential Life Skills for Modern Young Women by Unknown My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love these comics very much and devour them whenever I come across them. They’re beautifully constructed things and the amount of knowledge they pack into six frames (six! frames!) is incredible. The only thing thatContinue reading "Mother Tells You How: Essential Life Skills For Modern Young Women"

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus My rating: 3 of 5 stars It’s an interesting one this because I did like it and I did enjoy it but also I found some strange stickiness about certain parts of it. Let’s start with the good stuff. Elizabeth Zott persists despite everything the world has to throwContinue reading "Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus"

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit

The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’m very fond of what E. Nesbit does because she does it very well. She has a deep understanding of the messy, vibrant rhythm of family life and inter-personal relationships and it’s this, really, that makes her work still immeasurably readable and interestingContinue reading "The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit"

Excitements at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

Excitements at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am slowly working my way through the last few Chalet School books I’m yet to review and picked up Excitements, prompted by the discovery of a nicer paperback in the shop. I like this slow and steady collection making,Continue reading "Excitements at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer"

Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day

Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day My rating: 5 of 5 stars A while ago, I had a very particular need to read some Susie Day. I have adored her work for a long time and I think that in many ways, it demonstrates everything that is good in present-day children’s literature. SheContinue reading "Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day"