Over the past few years, I’ve enjoyed regularly sharing what books I’ve read on my Instagram Stories. I’ve toyed with the format a few times, but this year (because what’s the point of a hobby unless you have a long-term goal to monetise it), I’ve decided to bring my musings over to Substack.
Fewer things give me greater joy than books. Reading books, talking about books (please do slide into my DMs to discuss a book I’ve posted or to ask for a recommendation), buying books, thinking about reading and talking about and buying books, it’s bordering on an obsession. My unread shelf is out of control. My Kindle has over 100 unread books on it.
This year, I have A Plan. Whilst doing absolutely nothing to dial down the obsession, I will start to make a dent in the unread. And this year, I actually will. Even though I say it every year.
My 2023 reading plan:
Once a month, I’ll take a trip to our local bookshop (Reggie the dog an optional participant) and I will buy one new release to keep it fresh without piling my shelves full of more books to read ‘at some point in the future’ - these will (in theory) be the only books I buy
Instead of both of us getting our own subscription boxes (because post is fun!) me and my boyfriend have decided that each month we will research a new release (for him - Sam’s CDs; for me - Barnaby’s Books) and purchase it for each other
In between my two new releases, I will work through the piles of unread on my shelf and Kindle
On Audible - I’ll take each month as it comes, but I do have a long ‘to-read’ list on Goodreads which I might dedicate my monthly credits to (though this month I obviously had to get Prince Harry’s memoir, thoughts coming in February’s post)
A quick note on my rating system:
I have, historically, been quite chaotic when it comes to ratings. I haven’t really thought through some (MANY) of the five stars I’ve given, and generally rate immediately after I’ve finished so am too busy thinking about the end vibe rather than the whole book to rate logically.
As both a reminder for myself and to keep myself on track, as well as to keep you informed, here’s my stars rating system now:
★★★★★:
Absolute perfection, everyone should read it, no room for improvement
★★★★:
Amazing, would recommend, but not quite perfect
★★★:
Good, enjoyed it overall, but it probably won’t stay with me
★★:
Didn’t enjoy it, but it had some likeable moments
★:
Absolutely awful, suffered through it, would bin all copies if I could
On with this month’s books…
My Goodreads goal this year is 50, and in January I managed 8, so by that merit:
Total: 8
To read: 42
Worth mentioning that I will slow down as the year goes on, so don’t expect eight every month.
Three of this month’s books were audiobooks, and two (one audio, one physical) were so short I’m not yet able to count them as a book complete without feeling embarrassed and on edge that someone might tell me off for trying to cheat my Goodreads goal (I’m still counting them, but you can’t tell me off now I’ve called myself out).
Spoiler: there was a lot of Marian Keyes this month. Which is because there was a lot of unread Marian Keyes on my shelves. Which is because I bought a load of Marian Keyes books late-December before my self-imposed book buying ban and the start of my 2023 rules.
Choice by Jodi Picoult
Rating: ★★
Format: Audiobook
When I say I’m embarrassed to count the short ones as a book complete, I mean that this was 38 minutes long.
Described as “a dystopian crisis through the pinhole lens of an ex-couple experiencing an unwanted pregnancy”, this short story explores a world where men can get pregnant, with loads of them waking up one morning already several months along. Dystopian crisis, indeed.
In terms of the story itself, I thought it was fine. It was so short I wasn’t sure what the point of it was when it ended. It’s too short to change anyone’s minds, but based on a topic too raw to be made into a longer, entertaining story.
Ultimately, I think the underlying “Roe v. Wade wouldn’t have been overturned if men could get pregnant!” is quite a boring and unproductive line to tow now the real-life mess is this advanced and when women are actually dying in real life because of it.
Recommend if you want a quick one to add to your Goodreads total (lol).
Angels by Marian Keyes
Rating: ★★★
Format: Kindle book
I first journeyed into the Walsh Family series in 2019 when I accidentally read Rachel’s Holiday (book two, a banger) first. I meant to return to the series over the years, but didn’t read Watermelon (book one, pretty great) until 2021.
I’d been itching for a comforting, moving, occasionally funny read, and so turned to Marian Keyes, the queen of this vibe, and picked up the next book in the series - Angels.
The third book features Maggie, the ‘white sheep of the Walsh family’, who’s average life is shaken up by her husband having an affair and being fired from her job.
I did enjoy reading this book, but it does pale in comparison to the first two. Rachel’s Holiday tackled a big topic beautifully, Watermelon gave us a devastatingly-timed break-up and a life slowly rebuilt from rock bottom, but Angels, which centres around a woman aptly described as a ‘plain yoghurt at room temperature’, didn’t move me in the same way.
Setting the book in Los Angeles did add an interesting element to the story. Without that backdrop, the book would have likely fallen even flatter.
Would recommend as part of the Walsh Family series overall, but lower your expectations after the first two.
The All-or-Nothing Marriage by Eli J. Finkel
Rating: ★★★
Format: Audiobook
From the blurb: “The institution of marriage in America is struggling. But as Eli Finkel's most recent research reveals, the best marriages today are better than the best marriages of earlier eras. Indeed, they are the best marriages the world has ever known. Still, the quality of the average marriage is in decline.”
This book felt like 90% of it covered the history of marriage, some of which was interesting (did you know there was a boom of divorces after the Second World War when lovers who’d rushed to tie the knot before the man went off to fight realised, upon his return, that they weren’t actually a match?), and some of it which was a bit dry (I’d hope we’re all aware by now that marriage used to be a necessity for women due to them having no rights at all).
The other 10% was a bit ‘here’s what you can do about it’ after announcing that modern relationships are all about self-discovery, self-esteem and personal growth. My inner feminist found this part a bit annoying given we’ve been saying for ages that men need to be giving more emotionally now that our lives don’t depend on being shackled to one of them for our survival.
Some of the tips were useful, but if you have an ‘AHA’ moment from a book telling you to invest time and energy into your relationship and to get some friends and solo interests so you don’t rely on your partner for everything, respectfully, go to therapy.
Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes
Rating: ★★★★
Format: Hardback
If you’re making your way through the Walsh Family series and also feel a bit flat after Angels, fear not, as book four - Anybody Out There? - is fantastic.
In the first three books, Anna Walsh is painted as directionless with her head in the clouds. In between books three and four, she’s moved to New York, landed ‘The Most Fabulous Job In The World™’, and got married.
She’s also been in a horrific accident, which has completely blown her world apart.
The accident and the impact it’s had is revealed slowly at first, allowing room for speculation. Then comes the dropped bomb, which completely took me by surprise and resulted in quite a big cry (I should add here that I never try and guess ahead so while it may be obvious to some, it wasn’t to me).
This book is a deeply sad yet moving read, and is handled with Keyes’ trademark wit - weaved through in her incredible way that doesn’t undermine the subject she’s dealing with.
Mammy Walsh’s A-Z of the Walsh Family by Marian Keyes
Rating: ★★★
Format: Kindle book
This is a super short ebook, which I think is technically meant to be read at the end of the Walsh Family series but which I read second to last because I needed some light relief after Anybody Out There?.
As it says on the tin, this one is written from Mammy Walsh’s perspective, and is an A-Z guide of the Walsh Family. In it, you’ll find popular family phrases picked up throughout the series, additional content about the Walsh sisters, and stories about Mammy Walsh’s nightmare grandchildren - hilarity ensues!
The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
Rating: ★★★
Format: Paperback
The fifth book in the Walsh Family series, The Mystery of Mercy Close follows Helen Walsh - a Private Investigator who’s work has dried up and has caused her flat to be repossessed.
Helen has featured in all the previous books, but seeing her character drawn out fully from the outline which has been shaped before was really interesting. Whilst seeming to be outspoken and brash in earlier stories, we learn that she has great depth behind her big gob - she battles with depression, struggles to form and maintain friendships, and has a boyfriend who always seems to have his ex-wife over.
The story of this was unlike the others in the series, feeling more driven by plot in a way previous instalments hadn’t, as Helen tries to track down a missing member of the boyband ‘Laddz’ before their comeback gig.
I’m writing this a month and a half after I read the book, and my memory is better than the three stars I gave it. I think the markdown likely came from the length of this one, as it went on a bit longer than it needed to.
The Promise by Damon Galgut
Rating: ★★
Format: Audiobook
The Promise is a long-term examination of the Swarts, a white South African family, with each chapter centring around a common key life event of each family member (I was dead surprised when I realised what life event the book is structured around).
On the plus side, I did find the structure of this book interesting. Basing it around the deaths (probably not a spoiler) of each family member was an interesting tactic, and one I haven’t come across before.
On the down side, this book just didn’t sit well with me at all. Galgut uses the book to make a comment on racism, but it’s not done well. There’s a moment that feels very much like the narrator points their finger with a “you didn’t think about the background of this Black character - ha - you’re racist”, when actually the Black characters are not very well drawn at all. Perhaps he got to the end of the book and thought this moment of deflection might mean he gets away with it. The Black characters include Salome, the servant who’s constantly spoken about, rather than to, by the white characters, her son Lukas who’s angry and ungrateful without any context, and a car-jacker who turns out to be a murderer.
This book also felt a bit ‘one thing after another’, like Galgut had a ‘politically correct checklist’ that he shoehorned in throughout without having a real-life understanding of a lot of it (bisexuality! AIDS! veganism!), and a ‘shock checklist’ in an attempt to create a story that stuck (fatal snake bites! murder! suicide!). Also, I’m not sure if it’s a symptom of listening to the audiobook, but trying to figure out how long had passed between chapters was a bit of a distraction.
Anyway, it won the Booker Prize in 2021 because the world really needs more white men writing about racism, so congratulations to you, Damon Galgut.
Unfinished Business by Michael Bracewell
Barnaby’s Books - January pick.
(He was too keen and ordered it sooner than agreed, and I was too keen and read it as soon as it came - his next pick will be in the March round-up.)
Rating: ★★★
Format: Hardback
“For recently, he fancied, he had become aware of an overview - a symptom of age, no doubt; his life presented to him as though by destiny, with an unnerving and unexpected shrug - ‘There you go then’ - dismissive, final.”
Focused on Martin Knight, a London-based office worker with a job he no longer understands, Unfinished Business looks at a life unfulfilled and the physical and emotional effects of loneliness and modern coping mechanisms.
Sometimes in the evening, I finish work, potter downstairs and put on BBC Radio 6 Music. I’ll keep it on all evening in the background, then at some point will become aware of what’s playing and think to myself “this isn’t meant for me, this is meant for middle aged hipster men”. I tell you this, because it’s a feeling not dissimilar to how I felt at certain points in this book.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it. This book has some really beautiful language in it, and does a great job at examining those feelings and parts of life that we churn through unconsciously (one of my favourite types of writing). While short in length, this book isn’t one to inhale in a single sitting. I spent a lot of time chewing over every word, needing to take my time to digest it and re-read sentences again to feel the full impact.
The end of this book felt unnecessarily tortuous to me (give the man a break), but overall I found this book to be perceptive and poetic, regardless of perhaps not being the target audience.
The confession section
Turns out, it might take practice to stop me from mindlessly buying books and throwing them on my unread shelf. The problem is largely on-sale Kindle books and my lack of willpower.
Total number of books bought this month: 11
Kindle books: 9
Physical books: 2
The Kindle January sale got me. I bought: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy; Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls; The Diet Myth by Tim Spector; Anxious People by Fredrik Backman; You Be Mother by Meg Mason; Kindred by Octavia E. Butler; Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert; and The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker. No, I have not read any of these yet.
When I go to a new place, I like to visit a local independent bookshop. This month, I travelled to Oxford for a work meeting and popped into Last Bookshop. They sell loads of classics at great prices, and have a very fun second-hand section downstairs. The fact I walked away only buying two books (one wasn’t for me, so doesn’t count), is a miracle. I bought Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, because what kind of millennial woman am I if I’ve never read Ephron? An essential buy, I think we can all agree.
The other physical book I bought was The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel. I’d been eyeing it up for ages, and Waterstones put it on sale at 50% off so I had to.
January round-up
If I’ve learnt anything this month, it’s to write down my thoughts after I finish a book rather than weeks later as I’ve got a head like a sieve. I’d pretend to claim I didn’t know I was going to be writing them up on Substack, but this idea is months in the making so I’ve only myself to blame.
Overall, it was an ok month for books. Many three stars, which means either my rating system needs revision or all the books I read this month were just fine. I think probably the latter - a steady existence in the middle ground.
Coming next month:
- my January new release pick - Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
- my January Audible pick - Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare
- more of the unread shelf of doom!
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Really enjoyed your book reviews, excited to hear more about your journey in the coming months and hope to one day pick a five star book for you!