#recommend read

The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

I finally read Piranesi! I first started reading this book in 2021, but I just could not get into it. It just felt like I was forcing myself to get past the first few pages, and so I decided to leave it to one side for a bit.

I recently re-visited it again, after being encouraged by my friend to do so, and I am so glad I did, because this time, I loved it! I took my time with the story, letting Piranesi guide me through the house, as he discovers more about its inhabitants, and how they came to be there. It is truly a strange but fascinating tale of one man and his relationship with the place he inhabits.

The prose is charming, and while I initially found it to meander quite a bit, as I got comfortable with the writing style, I did find that it suited the story it was a part of. It reminded me a bit of Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun both in terms of the way the writing flowed, and in the way Klara and Piranesi viewed the world around them. There is a marriage of joy and melencoly to both their stories, which I found to be quite beautifully done.

The character of Piranesi is so easy to fall in love with. He sweet, curious, and so at peace with himself, and so open to learning and discovering the world around him. There is a lot we could learn from him.

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

I am still reading Nightbitch but I wanted to share some of my thoughts on it so far…

Firstly, it really reminds me of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I know that this may not be the most ‘original’ observation, and others who have read the book would have drawn on the similarities as well, but the parallels are interesting. Both women have been ‘stopped’ from working by their husbands, and a complication and troubled relationship with motherhood, which had bought on a great deal of stress and anxiety for the women, manifesting in some concerning and and disturbing ways. It is also evident that the mental health of these women is not taken seriously, or dealt with sensitively by their partners.

As a woman myself, I can relate to the anxieties surrounding dependence and impending motherhood. The idea of being do dependent, almost at the mercy of a partner, where it is usually the mother who is expected to give up her ambitions, careers, freedoms etc. to take care of their children can be daunting. It is an immense responsibility, and you are expected to put on the performance of the grateful wife, or a doting mother, and never show any cracks.

I have heard some great reviews of this book, especially in terms of a woman’s journey through motherhood, and I am looking forward to the rest of the novel.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

So, I don’t usually read romance novels, and contemporary romance is a genre I tend to avoid. Not because I think they are badly written or anything, but I just don’t tend to pick them up when browsing for books.

but this year, I wanted to read more books which I normally wouldn’t, so when I saw this book in Tesco while i was put grocery shopping, I decided to pick it up and give it a go.

and I have to say, I quote enjoyed it. It was fast paced (I read it in one sitting!) It was fun, cute, and used the fake dating tropes really well, and did not take itself too seriously. The characters were relatable and lovable, and there were so many scenes where I could not stop smiling and giggling because of the awkward (and cute) situations Ahn put Olive and Adam in.

I liked that the setting was that of a university, with both characters being into STEM, as I have seen too many rom-coms set in the publishing world now, and I like this this went in a different direction.

My only issue would have been the sex scene? It just took me out of the flow of the story and felt awkward and a bit too much?

Overall, I would give the book 3.75 stars.

I finally read a Sally Rooney!

I decided to start with Normal People, as I was already familiar with the characters and they story (because I had watched the show) and I have to say, for all their communication problems, and their self sabotage, and their refusal to be happy, I quite liked the book! I get why the Connell and Marianne act they way they do, but I love them so much, I really wish they would allow themselves to be happy with each other and face the challenges life throws at them together. I would like to imagine a life for them where they get married, have a beautiful family, and get the life they really deserve!

(Can you tell I want all romances to have happy endings, with sunshine and rainbows and love and hugs )

Rooney is clearly a great writer, and I found her prose to be beautiful. I got through the book fairly quickly after I got used to her style, and I will definitely be reading A Conversation with Friends next!

I finally got around to reading The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, and it did not disappoint! By now I know that Shafak’s writing style is something I really enjoy, so it was easy to slip back into her prose and let it carry me away on a journey through London and Cyprus.

This story really moved me in ways I didn’t quite expect it to. Tales of forbidden love are available in abundance, but the way it was written, in the backdrop of so much pain and unrest, I was not expecting it to hit me like it did.

I have the book 4.75 ⭐️ on StoryGraph. It’s definitely a must read and I can’t believe it took me so long to get to this one!