Weeks 4 to 8
Oops! I’ve already forgotten to write 4 posts. In my defence, I’ve been busy reading..
I went to Edinburgh with my sisters, niece and brother in law to watch a play, and subsequently spent my monthly budget in 1 day. The rest of February was a mix of books and working and staying inside because I had no money left for fun…
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Half His Age is a novel about Waldo, a 17 year old girl raised to take care of herself, who starts a relationship with a teacher she becomes obsessed with. As time goes on, things begin to unravel, as you could imagine.
I was a little hesitant to read this but I felt also quite excited - Jenette McCurdy's memoir was so excellently written, so clear and honest, it felt quite nice to speculate how her novel would be. I don’t think I was necessarily disappointed, because I think the purpose was to read this from the point of view of a 17 year old… But I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to.
I felt some of the language and descriptiosn were elementary, or almost quite sloppily written? There was an attempt at reflecting classic Gen Z speak, but it didn’t quite come off as genuine or believable - it felt like quite obvious and like it tried too hard, and at least for me, that was unenjoyable.
That said, I’m glad this book went the direction it did. Like, the framing of the plot points felt deliberate and clever in its attempt to manipulate the reader and I really enjoyed that. It felt noticeable but not obvious. I think the more fiction McCurdy writes, the better it will get.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Wants & Needs by Roxy Dunn
Oh, I really enjoyed this! Dunn’s first novel was excellent for a debut, one of the best books I read that year. I was so excited I pre-ordered this in the Waterstones sale, and I was glad I did.
Wants & Needs is about Misty, whose engagement is brutally called off one day. Gone is her comfortable life, her comfortable future, her sense of having Figured It Out. She ends up back at her mother’s home, and whilst swiping on Hinge, finds out what ethical non monogamy is. This novel is about the complexities of EGM, but also about Misty - a grown woman, learning about herself and the unhealthy dynamics that can form in relationships.
Like I said, I really enjoyed this. I thought Misty was a really thoughtful character, and I thought her mother was interesting and fleshed out. I think it’s a real talent to be able to craft infuriating but loveable characters in a single novel.
Rating: ★★★★★
Days of Light by Megan Hunter
I’ve been really putting off reading this. I think I bought it in early January, maybe even the very beginning of the year, as a treat to myself, but every time I tried to read it, I found it difficult to get into and actually quite floaty. This is the story of Ivy, who presents at first as a very sheltered girl in an unusual family dynamic. It’s easy for her to be lost in all the strange complexes of her family members. The novel begins at Easter in 1938, and after a shocking turn of events, follows Ivy throughout her life in small snapshots.
I think once this picked up, it became really good and I was swept up in the storytelling. I felt genuine sorrow for some of the characters, and genuine sorrrow for the circumstances they found themselves in. Trapped by circumstance, despite wanting and deserving more from their life. But I think a lot of the story got lost in… So many words. Too many words. The beginning felt quite long, and the end felt quite long - and I think this really took away from an otherwise excellent book.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Bound by Maddie Ballard
I picked this up in Edinburgh - one of many books that interested me. I took a sewing class last August and I’ve since been obsessing over fabrics, patterns, dressmaking (and being incredibly shy of making anything that is less than perfect). Bound is all about Ballard’s love and journey of sewing. She starts by making simple clothes as a way to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, but moves onto making more and more complex garments. She works crazy hours to be able to afford lovely fabrics. She moves in with people who have an equal passion for sewing. But this book is not just about sewing. It’s threaded with stories of Ballard’s life, the end of her relationship, her relationship with her culture, her family, her friendships, her work, her anxieties and her worries, her joys. It’s such a beautifully thoughtful little book and her love for garmentmaking really shines through. I don’t think you need to be a sewist to enjoy this, but it adds a real something to be able to follow along the pain of unpicking stitches, attaching collars, trying to figure out linings….
Rating: ★★★★★
Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo
This is a book my sistter recomemnded me, also when we in Edinburgh. This is a series of essays by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo. They are two middle-aged-ish women who meet on Twitter and decide to platonically cohabit in South Korea - a society that doesn’t really think much of platonically cohabiting. The essays are about all sorts of things - Sunwoo’s cooking, the fact that she’s a slob and a hoarder, contrasted with Hana who does not cook, but loves to eat, and loves to quietly clean up corners of the apartment after Sunwoo. It also details the stigma they faced as two women who decided to buy an apartment together, financially tying themselves together. They talk about the furniture they built, their careers, the many arguments they had and how they had to learn to resolve them. How they discussed their financial priorities (leading to an interesting conversation between my sisters, brother in law and I about how much we would pay for a single meal, or a single pair of shoes). Some of the essays were… Okay. Some were really interesting and fun to read. Overall I really enjoyed this book and found it thoughtfully written for a very large audience.
Rating: ★★★★☆
This Is A Love Story by Jessica Soffer
Yet another book I picked up in Edinbrugh. Another slow start, almost quite confusing to start because the format reads almost like a love letter from one to another. It’s the story of Abe and Jane, who meet at Jane’s work. The story is set as Jane is at the end of her second diagnosis of cancer, reading, again, as a love letter from Abe to Jane. But it also delves into the lives of those around them; of Abe, of Jane, of Max, their son, of the people peripheral to their lives in different ways.
It’s a book that seems to be filled with lists, long descriptions of what the characters love and do and their characteristics. It reads quite strangely, but it was beautiful to read, and once you get your head around the confusing format, it became wonderfully compelling. I enjoyed this so much, I want to read every Soffer has ever written. It’s so clear when an author really loves and believes in their characters, and I felt this in this book.
But like I said, it is written in a strange format - and I don’t think everyone would enjoy that. I love that type of strange writing, that feels like nothing and something all at once, so it didn’t bother me tooooo much.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Strangers by Belle Burden
I read this on seeing Emma Gannon recommend it on Instagram. I love memoirs, and shamefully, I love drama. Strangers starts with Burden, her husband and their 2 daughters temporarily relocating to Martha’s Vineyard at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. One evening, they’re cleaning up after dinner. Burden is wearing her pyjamas and a pair of long socks. They’re comfortable. And then she receives a phone call telling her her husband is having an affair. And then her husband decides to leave. But he doesn’t just decide to leave Burden - he leaves their home and their children too. Out of nowhere, Burden’s life changes.
I’m hesitant to talk badly about someone’s lived experiences, because I think that’s in poor taste. Burden is an heiress, and it felt frustrating when she described signing an unfavourable prenup because she trusted her husband. Or the fact that she left her financial life in her husband’s hands, and how that impacted her after their separation. It was really difficult to read, and just seemed to impress on me more how important financial literacy is for women after they get married.
Burden writes beautifully, and in shockingly honest detail about the separation. She does not paint her ex-husband in a positive light, nor does she paint herself in a positive light. She only (rightfully) paints her children in the best way possible. I admired her vulnerability, knowing the scandal that her story could and would cause. But it was not lost on me that Burden benefits from immense privilege and you really do read it on every page.
Rating: ★★★★☆
The Princess Diaries 1 by Meg Cabot
I’m not going to review this book because I’ve already reviewed The Princess Diaries series as a whole. Needless to say, I love these books and they always bring me joy.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
This took me sooo long to read - it’s 700 pages and I was warned of its length beforehand, but I’m still shocked at just how long this book seemed.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny follows Sonia and Sunny, both born in India, and their respective families as they all wander in their own loneliness. I think that’s the best way I can put it. Sonia is lonely at college, she is lonely in New York City, she is lonely wherever she is. Sunny is lonely in India, he is lonely at home, he is lonely in New York City. Their family members - similarly lonely. You follow their lives, watching their struggles, wishing they could just talk to each other. There’s a sprinkle of magical realism you could only just tolerate in a book of 700 pages.
This book was wonderfully written. Desai is masterful and it really comes through. I think that’s probably why I rated this book so highly; I loved her characterisation, I loved her writing, I loved her ability to pin and drill themes down, like a worm on a tray. But I just struggled with some of this book. The magical realism really took me out of what would otherwise be an excellent book.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Don’t Let It Break You, Honey by Jenny Evans
This book has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non Fiction in 2026, and I hope it’s shortlisted. Jenny Evans is a journalist, and she only became a journalist because she was raped as a teenager by a high profile figure in British TV. When she reported the rape to the police, intimate and suspicious details appeared in newspapers around her. Her career in journalism is fuelled by her desire to understand how her information was leaked. Was her phone hacked? Were people listening to her? Was her house being stalked? This book is her story.
I found this… Horrifying, shocking, gripping, almost thrilling sometimes. But at the heart of it is a woman who has been through hell, and has fought her way out of it. This memoir is brilliantly written, compelling, and all I wanted to do was bundle teenage Jenny into my arms. I commend her bravery in every way, and feel embarrassed to have only just found out who she is.
Rating: ★★★★★
Alchemised by SenLinYu
I… Think I enjoyed this. Alchemised is the traditional publication of a famous Draco x Hermione fanfiction. I won’t pretend like I didn’t spend most of my early teenage years (and later years, to be honest) reading good fanfiction. And Alchemised is supposed to be one of the best. It’s a dark, quite grim sort of crossover between Harry Potter and The Handmaids Tale, except in an entirely new fantasy worls with its own systems, lore and characters.
This was good enough that I read the 1100 page book in about 3-4 days (and my eyes suffered the price because I was exhausted at the end of it). I enjoyed the storyline and the style of writing complemented the heaviness of the plot. But I found it really difficult to follow the fantasy parts and the lore. You start the book thrown into words and systems and magic as if you already understand it, and the explanations aren’t as reader-friendly as I would’ve liked. I definitely had to Google some of the terms, and could really only keep up by comparing the Alchemised characters to the Harry Potter characters.
Rating: ★★★☆☆