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The Less Dead by Denise Mina — book review
The Less Dead is a gripping, if bleak, piece of tartan noir. When sex workers, drug addicts, migrant workers, and otherwise marginalised groups are victims of murder, they are called the ‘less dead’. Their deaths are less important, not as ‘impactful’. Denise Mina’s novel, in a similar vein to recent releases such as Long Bright…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, addiction, ADOPTION, BOOK REVIEW, cheating, class, Contemporary, CRIME, dark, dead girls, Denise Mina, female authors, lgbtq+ side, mothers & daughters, netgalley, Noir, obsession, Poverty, prostitution, published in 2020, rape, read in 2020, REVIEW, scotland, scottish author, serial killers, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, SUSPENSE, Tartan Noir, The Less Dead, THRILLER, violence against women -
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie — book review
Death on the Nile is one of Agatha Christie’s most ingenious mysteries. While Christie has definitely penned more ‘twisty’ whoddunits, the shifting dynamics between the book’s various players make for a suspenseful story. With the exception of our wonderfully punctilious Poirot, Death on the Nile is almost entirely populated by unlikable characters (who are either…
1930S, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, AGATHA CHRISTIE, BOOK REVIEW, British author, british classics, CLASSICS, CRIME, Death on the Nile, DETECTIVE, egypt, england, favourite authors, female authors, golden age detective fiction, hercule poirot, HISTORICAL FICTION, light reads, MURDER, murder investigation, murder mystery, MYSTERY, published in 1937, QUEEN OF CRIME, re-reads, read in 2020, REVIEW, rich people, whodunnit -
The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf — book review
Throughout the course of my undergraduate degree I consistently and persistently avoided Virginia Woolf’s body of work as on the best of days I have little patience for stream of consciousness (especially of the Joycean variety) and modernist literature. When my lecturers mentioned Woolf they always seemed to confirm my impression of her being a…
1920s, 20th century, 4 STARS, beautiful prose, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, British author, british classics, CLASSICS, england, ESSAYS, female authors, LGBTQ+ Author, literary criticism, modernism, Nonfiction, philosophical, published in 1925, read in 2020, REVIEW, The Common Reader, Virginia Woolf -
Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent
The opening lines of this novel are wonderfully theatrical: “All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral, although one of us was in a coffin.” Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent is a gleefully dark novel, filled with mean, selfish, and cruel individuals. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Nugent’s latest…
1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 20th century, 3 STARS, addiction, Adult, affairs, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, brothers, Contemporary, domestic thriller, drama, Dublin, family, female authors, growing up, HISTORICAL FICTION, illness, IRELAND, IRISH AUTHOR, LIZ NUGENT, MELODRAMA, mental health, MYSTERY, netgalley, Our Little Cruelties, psychological, Psychological thriller, published in 2020, read in 2020, REVIEW, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, unreliable narrators -
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James — book review
“A large fortune means freedom, and I’m afraid of that. It’s such a fine thing, and one should make such a good use of it. If one shouldn’t one would be ashamed. And one must keep thinking; it’s a constant effort. I’m not sure it’s not a greater happiness to be powerless.” The Portrait of…
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The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – book review
Court intrigue ahoy! “We have lived in our armor for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it.” Holly Black’s sensual and lush writing style perfectly complements the menacing world her heroine inhabits. Black’s silvery prose brims with lavish descriptions: she renders the…
1st pov, 4 STARS, AMERICAN AUTHOR, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, BOOKWORM, court intrigue, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, f/f side, FAERIES, FAIRY TALES, FAIRYLAND, FANTASY, favourite authors, female authors, HOLLY BLACK, HYPED, lgbtq+ side, MAGIC, PARANORMAL, queer side characters, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, ROMANCE, sea, THE CRUEL PRINCE, the folk of the air, the queen of nothing, URBAN FANTASY, YOUNG ADULT -
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton — book review
“A person’s fortune always changes in the telling of it.” Turns out that reading The Luminaries was a phenomenal waste of my time. Eleanor Catton writes well, and the concept behind her novel had the potential of being interesting, but on the whole The Luminaries seems to be little more than a dull rehash of…
1860s, 19TH CENTURY, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, astrology, big books, bombastic style, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, BOOKWORM, CRIME, drama, Eleanor Catton, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, Hokitika, ISLAND, LITERARY FICTION, man booker winner, murder mystery, MYSTERY, mystery puzzle, new zealand, New Zealand author, prostitution, published in 2013, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, sensation fiction, ship, The Luminaries -
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
Salvation Day is yet another book whose good idea/premise is hampered by its poor execution. As the title suggest, much of this novel takes place in one day…this timeline alone makes for a rather restrictive narrative. The story and its characters too are hindered by the fact that most of the events narrated by our…
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — book review
It isn’t surprising that Pride and Prejudice has become such a classic, one that inspired thousands of adaptations and re-tellings. Many of the story’s components have become conventions…and to dismiss this novel as a ‘girl’s book’ is not only incredibly superficial but it negates Jane Austen’s clever social commentary. While many of its characters are…
1800s, 1810s, 19TH CENTURY, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, aristocracy, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, British author, british classics, class, CLASSICS, drama, england, family, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, HUMOR, jane austen, MARRIAGE, novel of manners, Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813, READ IN 2019, Regency era, REVIEW, ROMANCE, satire, SISTERS, SOCIAL COMMENTARY -
Less by Andrew Sean Greer — book review
I’m sure I won’t be the first or last person to find Less to be a bit less than expected. Although it had its moments, for the most part I found myself annoyed by its employment of satire. Not only does Greer lampoon the literary world but almost every scene ends up being satirical of…
2.5 STARS, Adult, age gap, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Andrew Sean Greer, books about books, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, Contemporary, gay, Germany, HUMOR, India, japan, Less, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, Mexico, midlife crisis, morocco, Pulitzer Prize, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, ROMANCE, satire, travel, why the hype
luce [is reading] 