July Reading

July was an 11 book month! 7 proper books and 4 graphic novels.

 But MORE importantly.... I REACHED MY 52 BOOK TARGET!!! Book 52 was Nailbiter Volume 3, and it was something I had been waiting to get my hands on for a while so it seemed like a fitting choice for #52.

On to the reviews -

Beloved Poison by E.S. Thompson - This was a random choice from the library, and not as much of a winner as previous random choices. The story is based around a hospital in 1850(ish) England where Jem Flockhart is a resident apothecarist with a secret, who uncovers a secret as the planned demolition of the hospital takes place. I probably mentioned earlier in the year when talking about The Devil In The Marshalsea that I'm not a fan of historical fiction. Beloved poison was a much better story, and I enjoyed the presumably accurate portrayal of an apothecary's work, but the Victorian setting was a dampener.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - A classic piece of fiction that lives up to it's reputation in my opinion. I loved it from start to finish and found the descriptions of the characters and their world to be incredibly effective in creating a vivid immersive story. I only wish I could have followed Offred and her story for longer. I would highly recommend reading this, and perhaps you too will wonder if Atwood was being mildly prophetic with her tale of female slavery at the hands of a fundamentalist christian male dominated new world order...

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin - I should imagine everyone is familiar with the term Stepford Wife, but many perhaps less familiar with Ira Levin's fantastic book. A thematically fitting follow up to The Handmaid's Tale, and no less sinister! I have only seen the recent remake of the film (and love it), and I believe the original follows more closely to the book with the fate of Joanna Eberhart being somewhat more unfortunate, and Walter not such a nice guy either. A short book which I read in one sitting, but still very enjoyable and didn't feel too short either.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio - This is a uplifting but tear jerking story about a boy named August and his horrific facial deformity which makes starting high school somewhat more difficult than it is for the rest of us. Told from the perspectives of different characters it is refreshing to address the negative feelings of the "normal" sibling alongside the feelings of the main protagonist, and it was dome in a relateable and sensitive way. We all know children are often tactless and sometimes cruel, but I think everyone reading the book will be that little bit kinder to everyone they encounter, disfigured or not.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare - I read this 10 or so years ago, and probably enjoyed it more the first time around. I don't particularly go for plays, exception being Euripides whose work I am rather fond of, and it just seemed a little more drawn out than I remember. I may try re-reading others which I enjoyed in the past to see if it was just that story in particular.

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn - A garishly covered book containing one of the more odd stories I have ever read. Based around the life of a family of circus freaks in a traveling circus, the book explores the messed up realities of the human condition as told by the albino hunchbacked dwarf Olympia. Where the book could have simply been a peek at the grotesque, it really makes you question life, love, and the universe. Much more profound and insightful than one could predict from a book titled after someone who bites the heads off chickens.

The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey - This was a book which caught my attention on the "What Should I Read Next Podcast", and I was fortuitous in picking it up from the library when I did as it has been made into a film due to be released soon! It was quite a long book, but it kept me captivated from beginning to end. Set in London/Outer London after a fungal virus has turned most of the population into zombie like 'hungries' who only spring to life when a uninfected human is smelt, the book revolves around a girl called Melanie, her teacher Miss Justineau, a scientist, and two military men thrust into a dangerous situation in this dangerous world. The ending was unexpected and made for the perfect dystopian novel, I would very much recommend it!



And now for the graphic novels which were the last 4 that I read, although it would have been a nice way to break them up anyhow.

Nailbiter Volume 3 by Joshua Williamson et al - The third trade paperback installment of one of my favourite comics, and the plot thickens! With plenty of time spent with the enigmatic Nailbiter himself this had me delighted and desperate to know what happens next. The fourth volume is out so hopefully it won't be too long before I find out more about the real reason for the Buckaroo Butchers.

Outcast Volume 3: This Little Light by Kirkman and Azaceta - This volume did not seem to move the story on in a significant way in my opinion, compared with the first two anyway. I am curious to watch the TV show but also do not wish to spoil the story!

Postal by Bryan Hill - A new to me story, and one I really enjoyed, about a town called Eden which is basically populated by criminals, and there is a zero tolerance attitude to any illegal activity as the town is meant to be the second chance that serious criminals would not otherwise be able to get. The character of Mark (not a criminal, the mayor's son) is in charge of the postal service, and his position on the spectrum drives him to great lengths to solve the mystery of a murder that happens in Eden. I am very interested to see how this story develops, and am enjoying the frank but sympathetic portrayal of Mark.

Saga Volume 6 by Vaughn and Staples - My favourite of all the graphic novels I read, and the sixth volume did not disappoint. *Spoiler Alert* The Will getting fat was probably the funniest part of the story! I love the bizarre and unusual characters and the bizarre and unusual situations they find themselves in. But more Lying Cat next time please!



So that is July all wrapped up, August's books will be on the way soon.
Have you read any of July's books? What did you think? Or maybe you are considering picking up one of them - I would love to know!

April Reading

Very late getting these up!

 April was a busy month, and I didn't get much in the way of reading done.

So that's two "self help" books, two graphic novels, and a non-fiction about chopped off heads...why yes, sometimes when I look at my life I do feel like it's a wee bit on the eccentric side of things!

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Reubin  was a birthday gift that I had been holding off from buying. Having discovered the Happiness podcast, I was desperate to dive into Gretchen's books and it didn't disappoint! I found the account of Gretchen's year long project to increase her happiness to be honest, funny, and relatable. I am not one for self help type books, but this one read more like a funny year long memoir than a cheesy "you can do it, and I will show you how" style book.

Better Than Before by Gretchen Reubin was  snapped up no sooner than I had finished the previous book. Again I was familiar with the sort of content and things like the four tendancies from the podcast, but it is a useful text to consult when wanting to change your habits. I find the subject of habit formation very interesting and Reubin goes into just enough detail to be informative, but not so much to swamp you. More self help than the Happiness Project is, but not cheesy/cringy about it.

The Wicked + The Divine Vol 1 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie was a birthday gift.  Most people who read graphic novels have probably heard of this series, but if like me you were put off by the premise of gods sent down to Earth reincarnated as "rock stars", please give it a go anyway! This is a funny read - obviously a bit over the top given the celebrity status of the characters - with a more interesting plot than the premise of the series eludes to. Lucifer is my favourite character so far, mainly for the hilarious Daily Mail burn.


ODY-C Vol 1 by Matt Fraction and Christian Ward was also a birthday gift. This is one of the most insane graphic novels in my collection, its bright in your face illustrations, coupled with the fact it is a retelling of Homer's Oddysey but set in space and genderbent, makes for one hell of a crazy read! I liked it, but mostly felt like I wasn't sure what was going on...maybe I should read the original story before going back to it.

Severed by Frances Larson promised a weird and compelling read and completely delivered! I cannot tell you just how interesting this was - I mean severed heads span a lot more fields than one would imagine. The book is not really very morbid or gross*, and each chapter discusses a different area of severed heads from the history and significance of shrunken heads, to skulls as war trophies during Vietnam. Educational throughout, and will provide you with enough fun facts about heads to trot out at dinner parties for the rest of your life!

*I am morbid and interested in "gross" stuff so my judgement may be skewed haha!


Well 5 books may be poor compared to previous months but they were a great selection nonetheless.

January Reading

Happy Friday!

This is one of the new posts I am going to be doing monthly as a nice way to track my reading month by month (I do track books read on Pinterest each year) and perhaps introduce readers to a new book along the way!

So in January I read seven books:

Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey was the January Lincon WI book group choice, and although I did not make it to the book group I still read the book and was surprised to enjoy it! Most months I do not particularly enjoy the books, so it is really nice when I do. Very briefly the book is based around Maud who has dementia, and the stories of her sister going missing in the 1940's, and her friend Elizabeth who Maud believes is missing in the present day.

Outcast Volume 2: A Vast and Unending Ruin by Kirkman & Azaceta Graphic novels are one of my favourite things to indulge in, I love the stories and the artwork, and the innovative story telling. Outcast's main protagonist is Kyle Barnes who has been plagued with demonic possession his entire life. His "sidekick" is Reverend Anderson, and together they are trying to work out just what the hell (excuse the pun) is going on.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk was something I struggled to get into. I think it was the separate stories within the main story that  was the issue for me. The story is based around a group of writers who sign up to a writer's retreat and they go a bit insane. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was just the short stories, or just the story of the writers. I liked many parts of it but as a whole I found it a bit of a slog.

You by Caroline Kepnes A bit late on the bandwagon (as usual!) but I enjoyed the book a lot. I found that the "victim" was unlikable to a greater extent to the creepy perpetrator Joe whose eyes you see the story through. I liked the stalker's perspective, and going through the story with his twisted view on things. Also makes you want to lock down your social media. Be careful in book stores ladies and gents!

The Collector by John Fowles was perhaps not the wisest choice to read straight after You! It follows the story of a man who is obsessed with a young woman, and when he comes into some money he kidnaps her thinking she will grow to love him. I loved the first part of the book as told through his eyes, but found the second part as told through the diary of the girl to be a bit irritating. A good read, but the second part could have been better.

Low: The Delirium of Hope by Remender & Tocchini is the first Image release I have found a bit "meh". There is nothing wrong with the story as such, I just didn't go for it personally. It is set in a world where global warming has destroyed the protective ozone layer and humans have had to colonize the depths of the oceans to survive. Spoiler alert: We are still dicks to each other even after all that has happened.

The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson was the February Lincoln WI book group choice. This one I did not like. Even though it is based on historical documents I found it to be a bit preposterous. Thomas Hawkins is a spoilt arse who ends up in the debtors jail "The Marshalsea". There are some spooky goings on and Thomas is forced to get to the bottom of it. I'm not one for historical books, or crime/mystery books, and it seemed to be enjoyed most by those who were a fan of Dickens (I'm not).


So I hope that didn't bore anyone to death! If you have read any of these books/graphic novels let me know what you think.