Refer back to this week's What I'm Reading Wednesday post and you will remember my simultaneous feelings of fear and excitement at the prospect of this review. I have little reluctance in stating that Strange Bodies is one of the most astonishing books of its literary generation - a fact that, when combined with its multiplicity … Continue reading Review: Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux
For the perceptive among you, I am sure you have noticed a slight discrepancy between my What I'm Reading Wednesday lists, and the latest batch of reviews. Much of this has to do with my exam-induced reduction of 'reading for happiness' hours, making two reviews of new-to-me reads per week super ambitious. However, it was … Continue reading Review: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
One of my more frequently pursued habits is the tendency to over-purchase books, largely a consequence of my visits to the various local charity shops (Oxfam Bookshop, you stand guilty as charged). For a bibliophile on a budget, the pull of a pile of £2 books is almost too much to bear. So it is … Continue reading Review: Chocolat by Joanne Harris
As a genre, crime fiction is perhaps one of the most divisive. For those who relegate their murder mystery volumes - likely acquired through the generous condescension of an ancient relative - to the darkest and least-visited corners of the bookshelf, understanding a love for the genre is problematic. I avoided crime fiction with an … Continue reading Review: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
" 'This is a place of mystery, Daniel, a sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, … Continue reading Review: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
After tackling the emotional imbalance brought about by completing Suite Francaise, I was in desperate need of something relatively light and plot-driven as a break for my tear ducts. Having heard some great things about Michael Grant's dystopian series, and finding myself bombarded with WH Smith adverts to the effect of 'buy this book right now', I … Continue reading Review: Gone by Michael Grant
This is a difficult review to write. Diving into Suite Francaise with tremendous anticipation last week, mostly due to my love of fiction set during the events of the First and Second World Wars, I did not give much thought to the resulting review. Ordinarily, I will find myself jotting down the odd note as I … Continue reading Review: Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Hello and happy Sunday to you lovely people! This post is coming to you in anticipation of World Book Night on 23rd April. I'll be writing more about the event itself on Tuesday but, after seeing that one of my favourite reads - The Eyre Affair - was on the World Book Night list, it seemed … Continue reading Review: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
You may remember my excitement a couple of weeks ago at having rooted out some new purchases from Waterstones. After already tackling The President's Hat (see my review here), I decided it was time to wade into the 694 page epic, Labyrinth. I had high hopes for this one. Having steered clear of the recent TV serialisation, I … Continue reading Review: Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Happy Sunday everyone! We've been enjoying some unexpected warmth here in the UK (obviously guaranteed to happen since I've had to spend the day inside at work). But I hope you've all managed to take advantage of it and that those elsewhere have had an equally fabulous day! This review is somewhat on the hoof … Continue reading Review: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Book Habit 