I've been on a real reading frenzy since the start of this year when I challenged myself to read more, well, to read at least 10 books this year. Here is what I've read since then (looks like I'm going to meet that challenge too) ...
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey.
I didn't fully realise this was a zombie novel when I started it, and although I would normally avoid them, this story was both powerful and heartbreaking. I was completely hooked on this book from the start and couldn't stop until I was finished. The ending had me thinking about this book long after I put it down.
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.
A rather poignant story about the complicated nature of mothers and daughters. Beautifully written, it had me feeling all the feelings: joy, loneliness, sadness, love. I both enjoyed it and wished I'd never read it in equal measure.
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn.
I really wish this was a full length novel and not a short story, the premise was pretty good but the story felt rushed, the characters weren't fully realised and the ending was ... maybe the start of a bigger story ... it didn't feel like the story had finished anyway.
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs.
This is the third and final book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, and I've enjoyed every one. I felt a tiny bit lost throughout the beginning as I didn't re-read the other two before starting this one but once I got caught up I was hooked and spent the entire day devouring it.
The Ice Twins by S. K. Tremayne.
This book really did keep me guessing about what was happening through every page. Creepy, tense and intriguing, I was only slightly let down by the ending when the narrator was changed and it felt like everything was being explained in case I was too stupid to have worked it out myself.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.
I really struggled to get into this one and after putting it down about a third of the way through and reading two other books, I finally picked it back up to give it one more go. And I was hooked.
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed.
Small, beautifully written, nuggets of advice for a life well-lived. This book had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. Because isn't that what life is really like?!
