Book Loving Blog

Hello, I thought as it's been a few months since I wrote anything book-related here, now may be a good time to review a few of my favourite reads so far this year (I can't believe that we are already seven months into it). I must say this year has seen more books that I 'did not finish', more than ever before. I think this is because as I read more and more exceptional writing, I am becoming more discerning about writing that doesn't 'wow' me. I don't mean that it isn't extremely important to read outside of your normal genres or authors - it really is - I just mean if something isn't gripping me after the first few chapters, I don't see the point in pushing through. With that being said, I have so far read sixteen books this year. I'm currently flying through my seventeenth, but have probably read over half of another six books that I just couldn't finish.  These are some of my favourites. I'm hoping by the end of the year I will...

 " May your paths be safe, your floors unbroken and may the house fill your eyes with beauty." Piranesi is, one of my favourite books of all time - and is a book that holds higher esteem with each read.  I first got my hands on a copy borrowed at the recommendation of a friend in 2024, and I'm so glad she told me about it. This book transcends anything I previously thought I knew about fantasy and is one of the best examples of original world-building that I have ever had the privilege to read. I am currently working through my third read and it captivates me just as much, if not more, than it did on my first.  I recently went to the seaside for a couple of days and was struck by how fitting the world Clarke so masterfully creates, aligns with coastal scenery. The book describes a world within a house, a place with many floors and halls. The house boasts upper floors which are in the clouds, whilst its lower ones are covered by tides and swells of sea. The house defies co...

 Hello,  Today I wanted to jump back on the book blog to write about a read that is perfect for Christmas.  With officially fifteen days left until the big day, I thought now would be a perfect time to talk about A Ukrainian Christmas by Nadiyka Gerbish and Yaroslav Hrytsak.  There is a little back story - as is the case with 99.9% of the books that fall into my hands without a recommendation. I first brought a copy of this book, just before Christmas on the busy Bold Street in the Heart of Liverpool. I was browsing the local independent book shop, looking for something beautiful and captivating, to slightly mirror the famous William Morris quote but not quite do it justice.  Drawn to what I now know to be Ukrainian artwork adorning the cover, I had a feeling that my book token was going to be used wisely. Flower and plant motifs in red, gold and blue adorn the cover and back of the book. In fact, it is so beautiful to look at, I almost thought that the inn...

 Today, after quite the hiatus, I wanted to review a book that I was so swept away by, that I finished it within twenty-four hours.  I Am, I Am, I Am is O' Farrell's only memoir, each section divided by anatomy of the body, each section gripping and pertinent.  The stories within the pages tell of the author's brushes with death. Seven times during her lifetime, she comes close to dying and yet, as she doesn't.  Her stories are succinct, harrowing and captivating - yet all have the same message. That it truly is a lucky thing to be alive. That sometimes the stars align seemingly in your favour, until one day they don't. That you have to make the most of it until then.  I have read two other works of fiction by O' Farrell, Hamnet and A Marriage Portrait, both exceptional. I was so eager to read a reflection of her life, knowing how she is able to tell a story with crisp clarity. However, this isn't a story, this is her memories, written so simply and yet wha...

 Happy February! I hope this new year has been finding you well so far, and to mark the first whole book finished this year, I wanted to highlight the wonderful Tayari Jones.  Having read An American Marriage through the recommendation of a friend a few years ago, I knew I had to read Jones's second book. In it, her characters are so alive and fully-formed, with nuance, flaw and individuality. Her writing style is detailed and crafted, easy to get lost in. Jones covers race, class and the messy lives of humanity so effortlessly, you find yourself pages in within minutes.  Silver Sparrow follows the parallel lives of two stepsisters and through the majority of the narrative, only one is aware of the other. It spans generations, decisions made in youth and the varied nature and nurture parenting, that projects each of us into our fate.  I didn't want this book to end and I will absolutely be getting my hands on anything else released by this incredible writer. If you'v...

 Hello, I hope this post finds you well and having a slow, wintery start to the new year.  This review is my first for a while, mainly because I started a, just for fun, podcast and that took up every part of my creative brain since October. I loved creating it, but now that that has finished, I feel more able to turn my attention to writing and photographing, so I'm back reviewing.  I have just read Rebecca for (I'm sure?) the third time. I read it once I think from a library copy, in, 2022. I then brought my own copy after loving it (I rarely buy books new, but I did with this one, as an after work treat whilst in Liverpool in the same year). I then picked up this copy again in November, as I felt the lead up to Christmas, with its dark and cosy nights would be the perfect time to snuggle up with gothic fiction.  So 'Rebecca'... How can I do it justice in this post? It has been reviewed probably hundreds of times, and turned into multiple film adaptations. I think ...

 Hello,  It's cold and dark today, so I hope you can go and grab a blanket and get cosy. Today is Halloween after all, and what better way to celebrate than by reading a spooky story.  Today's review is exactly that. The Small Hand is a ghost story first published in 2010 by Susan Hill, the author of the famous horror story The Woman In Black. I first saw this story only a few days ago, sitting merrily in the Oxfam Bookshop window. I can not resist a good ghost story and I first saw the beautiful embossed blue cover and thought "It can't be.. It is! Another ghost story!"  I brought it straight away with a Victorian collection of ghost stories I also found - strangely linked to this, as in both antiquarian's are featured. This Victorian collection is a little harder to read, but this story is a perfectly formed and accessible ghost story. It follows Adam Snow, a rare book seller as he stumbles upon a derelict house one evening. The house is overgrown, dilapidat...

 First published on my other blog on April 29th 2024. Hello,  Two blogs in two days Molly?! I hear you proclaim,  I know, doesn't write for six months and then writes two posts... Like buses really.  I love blogging and sometimes when life gets busy it's so easy to forget about the joys of writing. I've recently been taking courses in literature and I've been really delving into creative writing for the first time in the past few months. I realised recently how much blogging helps with finding my own narrative voice and just finished a course on  BBC Maestro  an online learning platform where industry experts guide you in their field. It was incredibly informing and was called  Writing Children's Picture Books  with Julia Donaldson. In that time I have read dozens of picture books, marvelled at the prose and craft and enjoyed the beautiful illustrations that you find everywhere in children's literature. I'm now learning about  Writing Love St...

First published on my other blog on 17th September 2023.   Today I'm writing this a little worse for wear whilst recovering from Covid. It's the first time in a few days I haven't been sleeping and as I finished this wonderful book a few days ago, I really wanted to try and muster my thoughts on it whilst it's still fresh in my mind.  - a few hours after I wrote these lines I slept for quite a few hours and struggled to concentrate properly so continued this post later -  In recent months I've really been drawn to nature writing. My love of nature writing really started back in 2021 when on a trip to the Scottish Highlands with Jack, I picked up Lucy Jones's 'Losing Eden' about the importance of nature and protecting it. Whilst good nature writing can make you feel overwhelmed at the climate crisis it can also make you feel overwhelming gratitude at the wonderful planet we have been born into and everything that nature provides. There isn't such thin...

First published on my other blog on September 7th 2023.  Hello, Gosh it has been a long time since I wrote a blog post. According to the tracker that tells me when I last posted, it has been two whole years since I wrote a book review on the little separate blog space I created and then forgot about. I thought it may be less confusing for me just to use this blog - Antics And Ramblings Of a Twenty Something - for all posts again (at least until I am a lot less rusty). So much has happened since I last wrote, reader. I moved to a new city, I have moved homes twice, I got engaged, I got married, I've stayed in hosptial three times and been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. I have a new job. I have lost loved ones and I have been to beaches, forests, cities. I have made new friends here and Jack has had two new jobs. So much has changed. I have grown. I have missed writing.  I am currently not feeling very well whilst starting treatment for EGPA Vasculitus and whilst waiting ...

 Hiya, I hope, as ever, this post finds you really well and maybe even enjoying the lovely sunshine today. Whilst the world is a bit crazy at the moment, at least the sun is shining and the birds are singing. It makes you feel at least some things are normal (though we are in England, is sun normal?) I thought it may be nice to document my day today, for anyone who is THAT bored and also for future me. I’ve realised how I love blogging more than any other sharing on social media because unlike photos it gives me an insight to my thoughts and ideas at the time, and I think that’s pretty cool to look back on. It’s also really calming to write and I do recommend it to anyone wishing to write a diary but doesn’t have the stamina to write daily. You could write it just for yourself and never share it anywhere. Give it a go :) So today started early for me, I woke up actually really refreshed for a change at 7.30am after falling asleep at 9.45pm last night. Normally I’m a getting to slee...

 First published on my other blog on 2nd July 2019. Hello! As I’m currently in the beautiful seaside town in Cornwall, I have been doing a lot of relaxing and a lot of reading. One of the things I love most about holidays, especially when it’s warm, is just being able to sit and read without a rush to be doing something else. I think this is one of the most luxurious things ever and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it. The first book I want to talk about, is actually a book that I’m reading for a book club that I sometimes go to back home. Our next coffee meet is at the end of the month and I thought it’d take me much longer to read the book (having purchased it second-hand less than a week ago). However, it’s just been too gripping, too fascinating, that I haven’t been able to put it down. For the last three days my trips to the beach have all involved getting this out of my bag. It’s the amazing  The Handmaid’s Tale  by Margaret Atwood. Whilst this book is now starting t...

First published on my other blog on May 11th 2019.  Hello! I hope this post finds you really well and happy this Saturday evening :) The interesting thing about this book is I almost brought it a month or so back when I had book vouchers. I really find it so hard choosing books, I find people quite easy to read, books not so much 😂 and so I didn’t end up buying it. With my book voucher I ended up buying “Everything I know about love” by Dolly Elderton which should be a classic similar to Bridget Jones for us gals, and so I have no regrets. I’d seen Heartburn on the shelf, though but decided against it for another book I just couldn’t get into and ended up giving away pretty soon after. I can’t even remember the name of it? However, what I did notice in the reviews at the back of Alderton’s book is that her writing style and humour was likened to Nora Ephron’s. After a quick search I found that this author I was indeed going to buy alongside Dolly’s book weirdly enough?! After chec...

 Uncharacteristically of me, I’m now writing my third book review in three days. This book however, is my firm favourite of the year. So much so that I’ve stayed in for five hours straight to finish it, that is “Everything I know about love”  by Dolly Alderton. This book is a holy grail for twenty-somethings as Dolly masterfully tells of her loves, losses and friendships that make up her twenties. Her writing style is that of Bridget Jones, with none of the self pity or loathing, only lessons learnt whilst growing and having fun  through life. It’s funny, touching, honest and life affirming. It is a book that will now be a firm favourite on my book shelf, and one that I will be recommending to every girl-friend. Amazing. Love, Molly xx

 First published on my other blog on April 27th 2019. Hello, As promised- Here is my second book review of the past month. ‘Kitchen’ by Banana Yoshimoto is probably not a book I would have picked up, I’m not sure why, I think both the fact that the simple noun of something so every-day like “Kitchen” lead me to have thought it was boring. Also, as the book is translated into English from Japanese, I guess my first reaction was that it may not have relevance to me in England. Both of these presumptions were wrong I was kindly given this book to borrow by a work colleague who adores Japanese culture. It was after trying the traditional Japanese sweets of “Mochi” that she actually suggested the book.  Previously my friend has lent me a very long, though I’m sure marvellous, book that I couldn’t get through (I struggle to maintain concentration for long complex narratives). It was through the fact that this is a fairly short book of 150 pages and the fact that ‘Kitchen’ is one of ...

 Book review of Phil Collins’s Autobiography - ‘Not Dead Yet’ - first published on my other blog on 26th April 2019.  Hey, how’re you doing? I feel like writing today and after watching Taylor Swift’s interview with ‘Time’ in which she says “everything is copy”, I thought I’d do a book review 📚. This particular book is over 400 pages and normally I wouldn’t read something that long. Whilst I love stories and characters and arcs and cliffhangers, whilst I love literature in general - I’ve never actually found it easy to read. I was never that child that was a book worm, I would’ve much rather been swimming. As I’ve grown I’ve realised how amazing some stories can be and if I get into one, then it can seem a breeze. This book is one of those. I found it in a really cool Oxfam book shop in my city, whilst waiting for my Mum to do her shopping. I don’t think I would’ve thought about reading Phil Collins’s autobiography, if it wasn’t for the fact about a year and a half previously...

 First published across on my other blog on 15th September 2018 With over 350,000 copies sold world wide, ‘L’art de la simplicite’ is a book that has been on my ‘to read’ pile for months. After seeing it in a shop when in London, sitting there in pure white and gold glory, I knew I had to have it. I promptly purchased a second hand copy on amazon as soon as I returned home (I am a student, after all) and have to say it has changed my outlook massively. Loreau, a French essayist who has lived in japan since the 1970’s, has adopted a lifestyle of minimalism and simplicity in accordance with ancient Japanese teachings. Her belief that “less is more” is the underpinning message in the book. Losely defined as a ‘self help’ read she explains in the forward that it is for anyone “In search of a simpler life, in mind, body and spirit” explaining that “simplicity is beautiful because it brings hidden joys”. Split into three parts entitled “Materialism and Minimalism”, “Body” And “Mind”, Lor...

 First published across on my other blog on 17th July 2018 Hey, After my days are mainly being spent with my head in a book in the sun at the moment, I realised the other day how many books I seem to be collecting and that at least three are on loan to friends at any given time. I always like to read book reviews if I’m bored as I’m constantly looking for the next one to delve into, so I thought it may be nice to write a post on my “Top five books of the last five weeks”. If you’re not a member at your local library, to buy books can sadly cost a small fortune so I thought this post might help to inspire if you fancied curling up with a cuppa’. 1) The Catcher In The Rye - JD Salinger - Officially published as a novel in 1851, this book is considered the epitome of “coming of age” novels. See Holden Caulfield despise, reflect and contest as a young boy finding his place amongst peers, studies, relationships and the shattering of childhood  illusion. Over 1 million copies of thi...

 Todays review is all about one of the most beautiful books I've read and that is "Wilding" (the illustrated guide).  I brought this using a book voucher my Godmother kindly gifted me for my birthday, from a local independent bookshop. As soon as I saw the beautiful illustration of a hare in lino print on the cover, by extremely talented illustrator Angela Harding, I knew I had to have it.  I'm sure I actually read Wilding as a book on my kindle in 2020. It is the true story of how an Estate of 3,500 acres in West Sussex stopped traditional farming practices to 're-wild' their land. More on this can be found here, a link to Knepp's website:  Knepp Background The result is that many rare and beautiful creatures have found their way to Knepp, creatures that due to intensive farming methods, fertilisers, human changes to waterways or lack of food chain, simply had nowhere else to go and their numbers were declining. These include Peregrine Falcons and Purple ...

 Hello hello! It's been a little while since I last wrote. I've been off my reading game and have started writing more posts online about disability awareness and I guess that has been taking up more of my headspace of late. I hope whoever is reading this is doing really well and quite frankly surviving and thriving in this 29 degree heat that is unheard of in the UK. Finally people are getting their BBQ's out without being laughed at. Today I want to review a book that I first spotted when having a wonder around the beautiful Storyhouse library in Chester quite a few months back now. I was marvelling at the large array of books on offer in the beautiful space and Growing Goats And Girls caught my eye.  The cute cover illustrations and the cosy blurb wanted me to get a cup of tea and start reading there and then but alas, I couldn't. I asked Jack to take a picture as I knew I would forget the title in three minutes tops and then when at home ordered a copy second-hand. ...