For those of you following The Book Habit on Facebook, you may recall that a couple of weeks ago I put out a call for Cormac McCarthy recommendations. His is a name that I have come across consistently for a number of years now, leaving me with a mental note-to-self that this was an author for … Continue reading Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Hi pals! Over the past couple of weeks, I have received a number of emails asking for summer reading recommendations. Optimistic for those of us in the UK perhaps (and particularly inappropriate given that it has rained all day), but these emails did get me thinking. As you may have noticed from my reviews, I … Continue reading My Summer Reading Recommendations: Challenge Accepted
Charles Dickens and I have only become recently acquainted. Having avoided him like the plague for a number of years, I finally gave in two summers ago - largely the result of his connections with Knebworth House and my inability to talk with any kind of authority about his life and work. A close friend … Continue reading Review: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
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
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
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
Post otherwise titled 'Why all non-YA/fantasy fans should read this book'. "Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well." So opens what is by far one of the most unique, captivating, and acutely tragic books I have read to date. Recommended to me by an extremely knowledgeable … Continue reading Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Confession: I am really terrible when it comes to picking out contemporary fiction to read. Generally speaking, it takes a specific recommendation from someone to provoke me into reading a book that I'm mostly unfamiliar with. Otherwise, a book's journey onto my bookshelf (or, more realistically, onto my towering book stacks) is a lengthy one, typically … Continue reading Review: The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurain
This post comes as something of a heads-up for UK-based readers and a 'get to Barnes and Noble right now' for those in the US. I am completely happy to admit that there is no way that I could indulge my crazy book habit without a fairly extensive global support network. Having lived in both … Continue reading Review: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
The Book Habit 