‘Madam Bovary’ – Gustav Flaubert 1856
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Madame Bovary takes its place next to Jane Eyre in my collection of favourite ‘romantic’ novels that are considered classics...
‘Soft Apocalypse’ Will McIntosh 2011
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars A slow burning novel about the end of the world. I didn’t think I was going to like this book. I thought it was going to be slow and d...
‘Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage’ – Haruki Murakami 2013
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really loved this book. It was strange, in typical Murakami st...
‘The Natural Way of Things’ – Charlotte Wood 2015
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood My rating: 3.5 stars In a word: unsettling. The Natural Way of Things is an unusual book, so far removed from my rea...
‘Strange Weather in Tokyo’ – Hiromi Kawakami 2001
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beautiful and poignant, this little story stole my heart. The layers of the friendship and l...
Banned Books Week
It’s Banned Books week this week. And while I couldn’t count the number of times a book was removed from my clutching hands as a child because I was reading at ...
‘The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender’ – Leslye Walton 2014
My rating: 5 of 5 stars How can you summarize all the things a sunset makes you feel? There is hope for the future, anticipation of darkness, sadness and fondne...
‘Rook’ – Shannon Cameron 2015
Rook by Sharon Cameron My rating: 2.5 stars In a sentence: Awkward French revolution homage. Rook has a really interesting premise: a post-apocalyptic world whe...
‘The Alchemist’ – Paulo Coelho 1988
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho My rating: 3 of 5 stars Actual rating: 3.5 stars Every book we read is a journey. Either short or long, difficult or easy, it migh...
‘Kafka on the Shore’ – Haruki Murakami 2002
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami My rating: 4 of 5 stars Kafka on the Shore is strange, thought-provoking, and confusing, as only a Murakami novel can be. ...