Books I read in June
Mini reviews from last months' reads.
The Bloody Chamber and Other Short Stories by Angela Carter
Angela Carter has been on my ‘feminist writers I must read’ list for a long time, so I’m pleased to finally be starting The Bloody Chamber. The book is a collection of short stories - based on folklore and fairytales - published in 1979 and The Bloody Chamber closely follows the storyline of traditional fairytale ‘BlueBeard’.
However, in contrast to typical fairytales where the ‘damsel in distress’ remains submissive and oppressed, Carter plays with this common trope in this retelling creating a piece of gothic fiction that shifts the narrative and allows us into the woman’s psyche.
I enjoyed Carter’s writing style but found the second half of the story rushed.
Themes: male gaze | power | sexuality | violence | love | desire
I am yet the read the other short stories in the book.
Cold Hearted by Leia Stone
Romantasy (romance and fantasy) isn’t my usual genre of choice but I was sent this YA novel as a PR copy and I’ve really enjoyed it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be purchasing the rest of the trilogy.
The story is of Faerie Princess, Dawn, and her quest to save her kingdom - a task asked of Summer Court Princess’ every 100 years to lift the dark curse. To do so she must travel through the portal into the mirror realm and return back with the heart of an Ethereum Lord or her kingdom will perish.
She has been trained as an assassin her whole life especially for this important mission. But what she finds out when she gets there changes everything.
Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers and forbidden love.
Something To Be Proud Of by Anna Quirke
This book was everything I wanted it to be and more 🥲
A YA novel brimming with representation: LGBTQIA+, disability, race, neurodivergent.
It was so wholesome and the characters were brilliant, the plot was really fun too - endearing at times, frustrating at others - you will go on a rollercoaster of emotions with this one!
As someone that is autistic and bisexual (like the protagonist, Imogen) this novel felt really relatable and healing as someone that came out later in life.
I Feel Bad About My Neck, and Other Thoughts On Being A Woman by Nora Ephron
This is the first work of Nora Ephron’s I’ve read and I’m utterly enchanted by the way she writes. She turns the most mundane of topics into literary works of art that make you laugh in fits of recognition.
I feel bad about my neck is a collection of short essays on ageing delivered with equal parts romanticism and cynicism.
Delightful!
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Sinclair’s, a wealthy and privileged family, spend every summer together on their private island, Beechwood Island.
The summer of 2015 changes everything.
When a tragic event occurs leaving Cadence, the eldest grandchild, with a head injury she forgets most of her memories from that summer. From here we are taken on a journey of unravelling what happened that summer alongside the unreliable narrator, Cadence.
Cracks begin to appear amongst this seemingly perfect family and their privilege takes an insidious toll on them, tearing them apart.
This is a story of young love, passion for justice, class, secrets and loss with a gigantic plot twist at the end that will leave you staring at a blank wall for days.
The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson
In a dystopian reality, we follow the story of Sylv.ie, one of many AI ‘pleasure robots’ created with the sole purpose of fulfilling men’s sexual desires. The book tackles the question of consent - can you consent if you are programmed to obey? - and the ethics of sex robots as artificial intelligence becomes more sentient. A thought-provoking, dark and fascinating take on AI, moulded into fiction.
Think Humans (the Netflix show) meets Handmaids Tale.
The Last by Hanna Jameson
Our protagonist, Jon Keller, was at a conference in Switzerland when the world ended. Hundreds of miles away from his wife and children (who are back in America) he holes up in a hotel with 20 other guests. Waiting, surviving, hoping someone will come.
And then the body of a young girl is found. Wanting to keep himself busy Job decides to investigate in the hope of bringing the killer to justice. But how much justice can there be when you believe you are the last 20 people on earth?
A scarily plausible apocalyptic novel that offers a not so unrealistic viewpoint of how humans might behave when the world ends.
The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances
The Girlfriend is about a wildly overbearing and obsessive mother (Laura) and young woman determined to climb her way up the ladder towards a life of wealth and luxury (Cherry).
When Daniel introduces Cherry to his mum (and their very posh and expensive life) Laura is suspicious and takes an instant disliking to Cherry. A constant one-upmanship unfolds between the two women, each desperate to keep Daniel to themselves (I find it so creepy when mothers are like this with their sons 👀).
Each go to extreme lengths to ‘win’ Daniel’s affection and come out on top and claim their prize as ‘the favourite’.
But then, tragedy strikes and one of them tells an unforgivable lie – probably the worst lie anyone could tell. It is an act of desperation, but the fall-out will change their lives forever.
The Catch by T.M. Logan
Thoroughly enjoyed this suspense filled thriller of an overprotective Dad obsessing over his daughter’s questionable husband.
When Ed first met his daughter’s boyfriend (and unbeknown to him, her fiancé), he took an instant disliking to him. A gut feeling that something about him just wasn’t quite right…but is he right? Or just overprotective after previous tragedies within the family?
Another brilliant page turner from T.M Logan (author of The Holiday).
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
This was one of my favourite books when I was a kid and I have such fond memories of reading it, so I decided to get a copy and read it again as an adult. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed reading it again! Even as an adult Coraline is a brilliant story and everything about The Other Mother and her world is creepy!
Themes: home | courage | belonging | family | autistic coded characters
Disability Visibility by Alice Wong
Disability Visibility is a collection of essays written by disabled people and brought together by activist, Alice Wong. The book acts as a manifesto, powered by voices of disabled activists and advocates about how they are trying to survive and thrive in an ableist society.
A brilliant and important collection of literature highlighting and celebrating the disabled experience. As a disabled person myself I found it insightful and powerful to listen to stories from my community.
I always love hearing what others are reading so feel free to drop your current read below 🥰