L.H. Johnson's Blog, page 9

The Snow Spider Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo

Snow Spider Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo My rating: 5 of 5 stars I think what is really interesting in books is where they start to get away from you. I know that makes no sense so let’s work it through a little and see where we end up. Every book has an edge, I think,Continue reading "The Snow Spider Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo"

Jummy at the River School by Sabine Adeyinka

Jummy at the River School by Sabine Adeyinka My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have had Jummy At The River School on my radar for a while; it’s the first of a series of school stories detailing the adventures of Jummy at her new boarding school set by the beautiful Shine-Shine River. The RiverContinue reading "Jummy at the River School by Sabine Adeyinka"

The Viking Saga by Henry Treece

The Viking Saga: Viking’s Dawn / The Road to Miklagard / Viking’s Sunset by Henry Treece My rating: 4 of 5 stars I wasn’t surprised to discover that this trilogy was first published in the fifties. Some periods in British children’s literature wear their heart very much on the sleeve. If you cut them, theyContinue reading "The Viking Saga by Henry Treece"

Biggles Defends The Desert by Captain W E Johns

Biggles Defends The Desert by W.E. Johns My rating: 3 of 5 stars Biggles Defends The Desert is the story of a shindig in the desert. We go attack them, they attack us, people are trapped, people are rescued, Biggles has his head basically blown off but then recovers in spectacularly swift fashion, and thereContinue reading "Biggles Defends The Desert by Captain W E Johns"

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

[A brief content warning prior to this book. I am always in favour of content warnings because I am always in favour of making deliberate, conscious decisions about the books you read and engage with. You are in control of literature and not the other way around. Hence this note. The following review mentions abuseContinue reading "My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell"

Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen

Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You by Sofie Hagen My rating: 4 of 5 stars Being fat is a process of daily reclamation of your body from a world that wants to claim it as their own. Hagen’s book examines what that means on an infinite number ofContinue reading "Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen"

Educated by Tara Westover

Educated by Tara Westover My rating: 5 of 5 stars Genuinely remarkable and reading smooth as silk, there’s nothing about this book that doesn’t take your breath away. I have had Educated on my radar for a while but picked it up only recently and then when I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.Continue reading "Educated by Tara Westover"

Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce My rating: 4 of 5 stars When I mentioned that I was reading this online, I got nothing but positive responses. And they were not wrong: Dear Mrs Bird is charming and lovely and deeply, utterly refreshing. It’s funny and heartbreaking and very, very funny. Pearce has a delightfulContinue reading "Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce"

Worrals Carries On by W. E. Johns

Worrals Carries On by W.E. Johns My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have been thinking a lot about the idea of “outlandishness” in literature, that is to say the notion of people doing things that you would not normally do or believe or countenance and yet somehow you, as the reader, buy into themContinue reading "Worrals Carries On by W. E. Johns"

The King Who Had To Go by Adrian Phillips

The King Who Had To Go: Edward VIII, Mrs Simpson and the Hidden Politics of the Abdication Crisis by Adrian Phillips My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really found this fascinating but it is a book of a very particular angle. Phillips is interested in the politics; specifically, the political machinations that occurred withinContinue reading "The King Who Had To Go by Adrian Phillips"