February 2017: Favourite Books

I've read quite a lot this month and I've had a few books that I enjoyed, but I wouldn't say they were favourites (follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading). These four books are the ones that really stood out for me. For once they're not all crime fiction, I'm branching out!

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Book Review

"STRANGE NEWS, they'd say, of a monstrous serpent with eyes like a sheep, come out of the Essex waters and up to the birch woods and commons!"

The Essex Serpent is written by Sarah Perry and is published (appropriately) by Serpent's Tail.

I've finally got around to reading the hugely popular The Essex Serpent. It's had such a lot of hype that I was worried it wouldn't live up to expectations. However, The Essex Serpent is something wonderfully different; enthralling, Gothic and at the same time very human.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Book Review

"Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die."

The Roanoke Girls will be released on 9th March. It is written by Amy Engel and published by Hodder & Stoughton.

The Roanoke Girls is garnering a lot of attention, both for its subject matter and excellent writing. Yes, this is a disturbing book, but, unlike a lot of books that deal with taboo subjects, The Roanoke Girls doesn't shove it in your face but lets the story unfold slowly in all its disturbing glory. I was thoroughly hooked, wanting to keep reading while also having my skin crawl, a weird feeling.

10 Picture Book Tattoos - Literary Tattoos Series

This is the start of a new series I'm doing on literary tattoos. It's something a bit different to break up the book reviews and writing ramblings.

I've been vaguely wondering about getting another tattoo, but not sure what. Being a reader, I was thinking of getting a literary tattoo and had a scout around the internet for some inspiration, queue getting lost for several hours down a Pinterest hole. There are so many book related tattoos, some awful and some amazing. I thought I'd share a few that I've found in some round up posts.

The first post features tattoos inspired by children's picture books. Picture books are the very first books you discover and they have a lasting effect, so it's no surprise that there are a lot of meaningful picture book tattoos.

Classic Children's Books: The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber

Book Review

"At the far end of England, a land of rocks and moorland stretches itself out into a blue-green sea."

The Mousehole Cat is written by Antonia Barber and illustrated by Nicola Bayley. It is published by Walker Books.

I haven't written a review of a children's book for a while so I thought I'd re-read one of my favourite children's books, The Mousehole Cat by Antonia Barber.

Birds Art Life Death: A Field Guide to the Small and Significant by Kyo Maclear

Book Review

"There are no big reasons to live. Just little reasons."


Birds Art Life Death: A Field Guide to the Small and Significant is released today in the UK (9th February 2017). It is written by Kyo Maclear and published by Fourth Estate.

Here's something a little different; if you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know that I read a lot of fiction, but this little nonfiction gem intrigued me when I saw it on NetGalley. An exploration of birding, it sounds like it will be dull beyond reason, but it's actually about the appreciating the small beauties in the world.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Book Review

"Yes, exile was as old as mankind. But the Russians were the first people to master the notion of sending a man into exile at home."

A Gentleman in Moscow will be released on 9th February. It is written by Amor Towles and published by Hutchinson.

It's taken me quite a while to write a review of A Gentleman in Moscow as I'm still not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand it was a delight to dive into the beautifully worded story of Count Alexander Rostov and the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, but on the other hand this book really dragged for me, and as beautiful as the language was, I felt there was too much of it at times.

January 2017 Link Love

My first Link Love post of the New Year. I don't know about you but January has really dragged for me, I know it's a cliche to hate January but this one has been rather dull and dismal. Although it has been punctuated with a few bright frosty days which make the twice-a-day dog walks bearable.

However, though January has been very Januaryish, there have been a lot of great things on the web, probably because content makers know that everyone's going to be staying in staring at their phones.

I've deliberately left out a lot of bloggers' resolutions and aims posts for 2017, I'm sorry but after twenty or so they become rather repetitive. Instead I've got some excellent book reviews on new releases and older classics, some great writing tips and a lot of randomness, including satirical comedy and lipstick.