Reading Round-Up
Since I've found myself reading some quite new books recently, I thought I'd do a little reading round-up. Have you read any of these yet?
I think Will Carver might be the only author whose books I read as they come out. I love how dark and inventive his writing is, and love that I never know what he's going to write next.
Psychopaths Anonymous can absolutely be read as a standalone, but readers of Good Samaritans will recognise the protagonist, Maeve. I love that Carver chose to focus on her for his latest book, and I also love all the little nods to his other books in this story. When AA meetings just aren't working out for her, alcoholic Maeve decides to set up a group for psychopaths.
I didn't quite love Psychopaths Anonymous as much as some of Carver's other books, but he does set himself a very high standard.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
While I was reading Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, it was announced as the winner of this year's Baillie Gifford Prize, so you don't need me to tell you how good it is.
I didn't know very much at all about the opioid crisis before reading this book, and I was shocked to discover that Patrick Radden Keefe takes his account right up to the present day. I wanted to read this one because, as an undergraduate, I spent a lot of time in Oxford's Sackler Library, without having the faintest idea who it was named after. I found Empire of Pain an extremely eye-opening read.
Keefe is a superb writer, and this is easily one of the most engaging and interesting non-fiction books I have read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
In Baxter's Beach, Barbados, Lala's grandmother Wilma tells the story of the one-armed sister, a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who disobey their mothers.
Do you ever start reading a book, and immediately know, from the way the author writes, that it is your kind of book? That. I love the title of this book, and the pay-off of that title. I love the way Cherie Jones writes. I love the story itself, with its shock reveals. This book had me hooked from the first page, and I gulped it down in two sittings.
I've read a lot of great books recently, but it's been a while since one blew me away, like How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House did.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I haven't seen as much buzz about Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies as I have about the other books on this list, but they were all books whose releases I was really looking forward to.
Heiresses is a fascinating book, and I think Laura Thompson has chosen a great topic (I adore the title). But there is a lot going on in this book, and it did become a little difficult to keep track of everyone. Most of these women deserved a book in their own right, and I'm left wanting to read more about them.
I will now be on the look-out for more books from Laura Thompson, who has a really engaging writing style, and a knack for choosing great topics (and titles).
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I think Will Carver might be the only author whose books I read as they come out. I love how dark and inventive his writing is, and love that I never know what he's going to write next.
Psychopaths Anonymous can absolutely be read as a standalone, but readers of Good Samaritans will recognise the protagonist, Maeve. I love that Carver chose to focus on her for his latest book, and I also love all the little nods to his other books in this story. When AA meetings just aren't working out for her, alcoholic Maeve decides to set up a group for psychopaths.
I didn't quite love Psychopaths Anonymous as much as some of Carver's other books, but he does set himself a very high standard.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
While I was reading Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, it was announced as the winner of this year's Baillie Gifford Prize, so you don't need me to tell you how good it is.
I didn't know very much at all about the opioid crisis before reading this book, and I was shocked to discover that Patrick Radden Keefe takes his account right up to the present day. I wanted to read this one because, as an undergraduate, I spent a lot of time in Oxford's Sackler Library, without having the faintest idea who it was named after. I found Empire of Pain an extremely eye-opening read.
Keefe is a superb writer, and this is easily one of the most engaging and interesting non-fiction books I have read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
In Baxter's Beach, Barbados, Lala's grandmother Wilma tells the story of the one-armed sister, a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who disobey their mothers.
Do you ever start reading a book, and immediately know, from the way the author writes, that it is your kind of book? That. I love the title of this book, and the pay-off of that title. I love the way Cherie Jones writes. I love the story itself, with its shock reveals. This book had me hooked from the first page, and I gulped it down in two sittings.
I've read a lot of great books recently, but it's been a while since one blew me away, like How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House did.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I haven't seen as much buzz about Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies as I have about the other books on this list, but they were all books whose releases I was really looking forward to.
Heiresses is a fascinating book, and I think Laura Thompson has chosen a great topic (I adore the title). But there is a lot going on in this book, and it did become a little difficult to keep track of everyone. Most of these women deserved a book in their own right, and I'm left wanting to read more about them.
I will now be on the look-out for more books from Laura Thompson, who has a really engaging writing style, and a knack for choosing great topics (and titles).
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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