Check Yo Shelf

Reading date - September 2020 I got this book as part of the reading club at my old job.  It was the last book I got before I left, which was in December.  It's been lolling around on my shelf for ages and only read it when a friend of mine started reading it and said it was really good.  My reading has slowed down a lot recently...I always go through phases like this, I read everything I can get my hands on and then it slows down.  I think this is the only book I've read in September..I am currently reading The Year of the Runaways and I'm taking my time with it.  I don't want to be reading it just to get it finished because it is about something that has never been written about before but is something very close to my heart. Anyway, what's this Lincoln in the Bardo like? Firstly, I keep reading it as Lincoln in the Bando.. I had no idea what "in the bardo" meant so I googled it.  It is taken from Tibetan culture, Wiki says: "used loosely, "bar...

Reading date - August 2020 This book held so much promise..and then turned into a massive chick-lit fest.  I really dislike chick-lit because it comes with the connotation that women are more suited to reading light, fluffy books with no substance bar drama.  I mean god forbid we be intelligent beings who like being educated by the books we read. This is my first disappointment with this book.  My second disappointment was the fact that it was all a bit too try-hard.  You can tell this book is written by someone who studied English and is desperate to get out everything they've learnt into a book, there are some places where there is way too much description.  For example, nobody needs an in-depth description of a washing up sponge.  The book also tries way too hard to be super modern and down with the kids. The basic premise is easy to guess even before the twists are revealed.  There are spoilers ahead... The book is called Heatwave because the story...

Reading date - August 2020 When I first started reading this book, it didn't really stand out to me.  The more I read, the more uncomfortable I felt because it spoke to experiences non-white people face - the touching of hair, the slight whispers you get behind your back.  Nobody can tell me I am imagining things when I hear them.    Your experiences are not mine.  I also read one review on Amazon which really annoyed me where the guy was banging on about him being prejudiced because he was born working class.  You're still born white, you can't compare that with being called a Paki.  You cannot.  Nothing anyone says will convince me.  And...it's not as if black and brown people are born without a class.  You can work hard or rip people off and beat your working class roots, the colour I was born is the colour I will die.   I liked this book but it is tough going and can get quite boring and tedious as it's basically a collecti...

Reading date - August 2020 I love watching programmes about serial killers and Nazir Afzal is often featured on these shows.  This is basically an autobiography detailing how and why he got into law and how he managed to bring around changes in the law that maybe people from other backgrounds would have been unable to do. The book begins with his childhood and how both his parents became pillars of the community giving advice and getting justice for the people who couldn't trust the police.  Being ethnic myself, I fully understand this and respect his parents for doing this.  When you're new to a country where nobody rates you, you need to stick together until you're strong enough to understand the laws and take on the establishment yourself. The book details his trips to Pakistan, his time at uni, his first job, how he moved from Birmingham to London and then to Manchester.  He covers how he managed to change the law around honour killings and then the grooming case...

Reading date - July 2020 I remember when this book first came out.  I remember seeing it on display at Waterstones and telling myself I would buy it when I had read some of the books I already had.  Well, as you know, I never read before I buy more.. This was on kindle as their book of the day and for 99p, who can say no?  My reading times have slowed down again as I am busier and busier with work so don't have as much time to read. I try and get through a chapter at a time but some of these chapters are 50 pages long. Afua Hirsch is mixed race, her mum is Ghanaian and her dad is German Jewish (settled in England years ago).  On her mum's side of the family, I believe one of her ancestors was a Head of State.  She comes from privilege but doesn't got out of her way to hide this or act like a poverty tourist.  One of my favourite bits of this book is that she takes the time to tell you how to pronounce her name.  I would have said af-ooah but it's actua...

Reading date - July 2020 Well..I raced through this book.  I've never read a book that was told entirely through letters. The book is about a girl called Celie, who is firstly, sexually assaulted by her dad (covered in graphic and succinct detail) and then sent to be married to a man who her sister is in love with.  I won't say more as it will ruin the story.  The book tells the story of her life.  It is full of intense sadness and some pockets of happiness.  You cant help but still remember that the sadness is still there even when you're at the happier parts of the book. I could not put this book down.  I read it before work, during my breaks, at lunch, after work, before bed.  I finished it in about three days.  It's such a sad book with moments of happiness few and far between.  You can see the protagonist grabbing at any happiness that comes her way and you really feel for her.  The character development of all the characters is ver...

Reading date - July 2020 I read Rebecca when I was at school during the winter time and I loved it.  Obviously, when at school, you don't read on your lunchbreak so I used to read this book when I got home.  I feel that du Maurier's work is best appreciated when it's cold and bleak outside.  I really liked Jamaica Inn.  I wish it was colder when I read it, I tricked myself into thinking it was all moody and broody outside when reading this as I read it in the dark of night, mainly. The story follows an orphaned girl who goes to live with her aunt at Jamaica Inn (a real place which is now a tourist trap thanks to this book but was pretty isolated when du Maurier lived here for a bit).  The aunt is no longer the fun aunt the girl remembers and harbours a dark secret.  I figured out the plot twist pretty early but nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it, it's full of suspense and good for a bit of escapism.