Sarah’s Stack of Reading
Blog · Posted September 26, 2024
Sarah has read some titles outside of her usual pick-up genres this month.
In anticipation of Sir Ian Rankin coming to Mainstreet in October, I decided to break my usual reading habits and pick up a crime novel.
Detective John Rebus is SAS turned police detective in Edinburgh. He bends the rules and you’re not too sure on if you agree with his morals at times – stealing from corner stores and sleeping around. However, you cannot help but have a soft spot for him and his character is what makes reading the novel a real pleasure.
The tension is built gradually and once it picks up, it does not stop. With two plot lines to follow – a serial kidnapping killer case and a side plot involving the dirty dealings of Rebus’ brother – it is a read that never leaves you bored and always keeps you guessing.
Rankin is often referred to as ‘the king of crime fiction’. I can now firmly and truthfully agree.
As long as you do not go in with high literary expectations, these next two novels really are a good bit of fun. I was in a bit of a reading rut, desperate for something to tear through and help me get my groove back, and these TikTok sensations hit the mark spectacularly.
I am glad I finally picked them up and got to dip my toes into the world of romantasy, indulging in the comfort of the predictable enemies-to-lovers trope.
ACOTAR is set in a world of faeires and mortals. Our main protagonist, 19-year-old Feyre is desperate to save her mortal homeland from Fae control. With pure ferocity and determination, we see her take on High Fae Lords, manipulating priestesses and a tyrant sorceress under a mountain. And while she is making some serious enemies, she is, of course, also falling in love.
The joy of this genre is the novels always have a cracking ending. Do not start this series unless you are prepared to start A Court of Mist and Fury (Book 2) immediately after.
Fourth Wing follows Violet Sorrengail as she is forced into a dragon-riding school by her mother, who happens to be the commanding general at the fictional War College. Violet has to try to survive her first year classes while also sharing the halls with students who are out to kill her… Xaiden Roirson is particularly focused on her since Violet’s mother killed his father. But can these two work things out and maybe become friends, or maybe even a little more than that?
Thrilling and addictive, I found myself ignoring all of life’s other responsibilities to escape reality with this book.
This is a wholesome and heartfelt novel, a quiet one to savour and to take your time over because when it is finished you will wish you had more time with it.
When 12-year-old Tomoko goes to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle, it is a year that changes her life and allows her to discover the magic of storytelling. Fondly reminiscing on her stay 30 years later, we see her tell her own story of how she and her curious cousin Mina grew to be close friends, sharing secret crushes, little obsessions and various adventures. Tomoko’s tale is told with refreshing candour as she watches and listens to discover the lives of her unusual family.
I adored this book and its graceful writing felt like a warm hug.
This novel follows the lives of three people across centuries and dives into the rich history of Mesopotamia. It sounds ambitious but if there was going to be anyone who could pull it off, it would be Shafak. Each character and timeline is supposedly connected by water yet you know there is something more that will bring all of these unlikely stories into one by the final page.
Crossing time and place, while weaving in all of the meticulous research that she has done, Shafak’s novel often reads like a fable. And while there is undoubtedly pain and sorrow to be felt as you unravel each thread of the narrative, the ending remains hopeful and perfectly finishes a glorious book.
Gillian Anderson (yes…the sex therapist in Netflix’s Sex Education) opened up an online portal and asked women from around the globe to anonymously submit letters detailing their deepest, darkest, sexual fantasies. The final result is a daring, fascinating, curious and undoubtedly steamy book.
There is a colourful range of scenarios from all walks of life. Some I found disturbing and odd, some incredibly compelling and touching. While all being anonymous, we still get little glimpses into the lives of some of these women and see an emotional want as well as physical one. The point of this collection is not the quality of the writing but the experiment of exploring women’s desires and discovering there are patterns to be found.
Some entries are four words long while others are a few pages, making it a great book to dip in and out of when you have the time for it. If nothing else, bringing together 174 submissions into one collection shows the breadth and depth of the female imagination, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
In the male dominated world of glassmaking, on the Venetian island of Murano, Orsolo Rosso does not let tradition stop her from doing what she longs to do. Facing love, loss, plague, war and the natural rise and fall of fortunes, we witness a young girl become an independent woman and a glassmaker to rival or surpass the masters of the craft.
Beginning in 1486 and ending in our present, Chevalier adds a touch of magic to her tale, allowing several decades to pass while the Muranese may only age by a handful of years. Chevalier’s skill as a writer shines through here as she deftly introduces the fantastical. Although you jerk forward through the centuries, you never lose the graceful, sweeping flow of the story. She highlights the changes throughout history while also noticing what remains untouched by time.
A beautifully crafted and subtly powerful piece of historical fiction.
You can find an updated list of all our bookseller recent reads over on Bookshop.org. Click HERE.
Our booksellers love to recommend books and share their favourite reads with other booklovers (it is their job but also their hobby). Our blog is a good place to start to find some recommendations but if you still need some help, simply pop into the shop, give us a call or shoot us an email.
Find out how to contact us HERE.