A story about friendship, food and fate. The smell hit her first. Smoky burned palm oil, fried peppers and musty stockfish. Next came the noise: Fela Kuti blared out of the speakers, struggling to compete with the group of three men at a corner table, talking over each other. And because this was effectively Nigeria,Continue reading “Wahala, by Nikki May (Book Review)”
Category Archives: Book Review
The Maid, by Nita Prose (Book Review)
Murder, intrigue, cleaning. Every day, when I arrive to work at the Regency Grand, I feel alive again, part of the fabric of things, the splendor and the color. I am part of the design, a bright, unique square, integral to the tapestry. Gran used to say, ‘If you love your job, you’ll never workContinue reading “The Maid, by Nita Prose (Book Review)”
Book Review: The Summer Job, by Lizzy Dent
…He pushes the door open, but instead of showing me in, he pops my suitcase just inside and pulls the door shut. ‘Couldn’t grow a Pinot in this wind-chill, eh?’ I stutter, then scramble for a quick reply. ‘Yes. Certainly it needs to be warmer. Except when there’s a frost. You also sometimes need aContinue reading “Book Review: The Summer Job, by Lizzy Dent”
Book Review: Pretending, by Holly Bourne
TW: sexual assault Here’s the thing: I really don’t understand why love has been so hard for me. I’m pretty. I’m smart. I have a goodish job. I have friends. I have hobbies. I am funny. I am self-actualized. I dress well. I don’t have particularly high standards. I am not expecting to be rescued.Continue reading “Book Review: Pretending, by Holly Bourne”
Book Review: The Split, by Laura Kay
I had never been in my single bed with Emily. Her soft skin had never touched these sheets. I had never felt her hot breath on the back of my neck in the middle of the night within these four walls. I was transported to a land before Emily, to a place where she hadContinue reading “Book Review: The Split, by Laura Kay”
Book Review: The Shelf, by Helly Acton
Amy Wright is lying in bed, staring at herself in the mirror on the wall and counting her chins. Her long dark hair is curled up on top of her head like the chocolate doughnut she ate in secret yesterday and, if she squints, she could be a sumo wrestler. But Amy isn’t going toContinue reading “Book Review: The Shelf, by Helly Acton”
Book Review: Still Life, by Sarah Winman
There are moments in life, so monumental and still, that the memory can never be retrieved without a catch to the throat or an interruption to the beat of the heart. Can never be retrieved without the rumbling disquiet of how close that moment came to not having happened at all. Still Life The bookContinue reading “Book Review: Still Life, by Sarah Winman”
Book Review: The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
The rains came hard in May that year – early, for the rainy season. Every time the rain came down, it sounded like thousands of gloved hands clapping. The daily downpour was a mixed blessing. With the rain, every man and woman felt an old, lingering, hard-to-dissolve guilt for past sins. The rain brought awkwardContinue reading “Book Review: The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey”
Book Review: The Switch, by Beth O’Leary
Half an hour passed. That’s not an especially long time, really. You can’t watch a whole episode of Buffy in that time, or… bake a large potato. But you can totally destroy your career. I’ve been so afraid this was coming. For over a year now I’ve been fumbling my way through work, making absent-mindedContinue reading “Book Review: The Switch, by Beth O’Leary”
Book review: The Lido, by Libby Page
The sky stretches above her and for a moment she feels completely free. She rolls onto her back and tries backstroke so she can watch the birds crossing back and forth… She stops swimming for a moment and floats; for the first time in a long time she lets herself relax. The water holds her.Continue reading “Book review: The Lido, by Libby Page”
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