My love—gutted you didn't enjoy Sandwich but as you said, sometimes it's a time and a place thing. I also didn't get into Margot's Got Money Troubles (despite reading RAVE reviews) and think that sometimes books just aren't for us.
In terms of recommendations. Have you read My Year of Rest & Relaxation? Girl, Woman, Other? Americanah? Places I Stopped on the Way Home? The Artist by Lucy Steeds? Any of Nora Ephron's essay collections? All excellent books.
And gosh, John Sandoes is my absolute favourite bookshop in London—a Dickensian-esque dream! xx
Oooh Lucy, we should have a proper chat about books! So I adored Girl, Woman, Other - was thinking about reading her memoir, A Manifesto On Not Giving Up.
My Year of Rest & Relaxation! What an interesting book - I have read it, and while reading it, I was like: what the actual F is this book? But I remember it so clearly (not the case with many books tbh) and I actually think of it quite often so I think that book is actually maybe a classic.
I love Nora. I haven’t read Americanah but feel I should especially as she has a new one out this year and FINALLY maybe I’ll give one of the other two you mentioned a go! You really are a font of book knowledge!
So with you on Sandwich - it was one of the handful of books I could not finish in my entire life - I usually grimly plod on in hope. So pleased with itself and yes, that daughter!
I'm reading In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes - 40's Noir. So gripping and disturbing I almost can't bear to pick it up, and then can't put it down. The best kind of dilemma.
I didn't finish Margot or Sandwich. I didn't enjoy either of them...
I agree with the mindset part. It was last year and I guess when you're not in the headspace for literally anything, it's just not there to suit you. I'm reading The Frozen River now, I didn't think I'd like it, but I'm rather enjoying it. Check out my blog as well if you want. Always a lot of book recs and non-recs from me, myself and I. 💕
Sounds great. Thank you. I won't be finishing The Frozen River. Was reading it for book club but I'm bored officially 😐 I guess. I won't finish it, but I'll be at book club though no doubt.
The Five is excellent and a good corrective (for what it’s worth, my best guess is that Elizabeth Stride wasn’t killed by the Ripper at all). It’s an important description of how desperate and often unforgiving life was in the East End, especially for poor women who lived in the shadow of the workhouse and about whom repeated moral judgements were made. The Whitechapel murders weren’t so very long after Henry Mayhew’s seismic London Labour and the London Poor, and, if the absolute worst poverty and deprivation had been ameliorated a little bit, life for the worst off was still not very far from hell.
Yes, absolutely, so interesting to read how the threat of the Work House loomed over these women. A really great book in opening one’s eyes to what it must have been like… and of course, so interesting because surely Britain had never been richer than at that time in history
That’s one of the particularly grim aspects of it. London was the capital of the greatest empire in history: by 1888 something like 300 million people, which would have been maybe a fifth of humanity. In parts of London you had huge aristocratic palaces like Lancaster House, Londonderry House and Devonshire House, yet a few miles away you had tens of thousands of people living (and dying) in unimaginable squalor and destitution, and there would still be vivid memories of the cholera outbreaks.
Thank you Cindy! My Goodness, yes, Willa, so ghastly I didn’t want to spend another minute in her company. I love the sound of In A Lonely Place. Gripping and disturbing is just what I love from a book.
My love—gutted you didn't enjoy Sandwich but as you said, sometimes it's a time and a place thing. I also didn't get into Margot's Got Money Troubles (despite reading RAVE reviews) and think that sometimes books just aren't for us.
In terms of recommendations. Have you read My Year of Rest & Relaxation? Girl, Woman, Other? Americanah? Places I Stopped on the Way Home? The Artist by Lucy Steeds? Any of Nora Ephron's essay collections? All excellent books.
And gosh, John Sandoes is my absolute favourite bookshop in London—a Dickensian-esque dream! xx
Oooh Lucy, we should have a proper chat about books! So I adored Girl, Woman, Other - was thinking about reading her memoir, A Manifesto On Not Giving Up.
My Year of Rest & Relaxation! What an interesting book - I have read it, and while reading it, I was like: what the actual F is this book? But I remember it so clearly (not the case with many books tbh) and I actually think of it quite often so I think that book is actually maybe a classic.
I love Nora. I haven’t read Americanah but feel I should especially as she has a new one out this year and FINALLY maybe I’ll give one of the other two you mentioned a go! You really are a font of book knowledge!
On my way to watch Apple Cider Vinegar, but before I do "Margo's Got Money Troubles" sounds like such a Gen Z book - unbearable 😅
You're not wrong!
I think we are all in agreement on Margo!
So with you on Sandwich - it was one of the handful of books I could not finish in my entire life - I usually grimly plod on in hope. So pleased with itself and yes, that daughter!
I'm reading In a Lonely Place by Dorothy Hughes - 40's Noir. So gripping and disturbing I almost can't bear to pick it up, and then can't put it down. The best kind of dilemma.
Thank you babygirrrrl!!!! Love you!!!
I didn't finish Margot or Sandwich. I didn't enjoy either of them...
I agree with the mindset part. It was last year and I guess when you're not in the headspace for literally anything, it's just not there to suit you. I'm reading The Frozen River now, I didn't think I'd like it, but I'm rather enjoying it. Check out my blog as well if you want. Always a lot of book recs and non-recs from me, myself and I. 💕
Thank you Laura! I’ll check out your substack x
Sounds great. Thank you. I won't be finishing The Frozen River. Was reading it for book club but I'm bored officially 😐 I guess. I won't finish it, but I'll be at book club though no doubt.
Great book recommendations! Thank you!
The Five is excellent and a good corrective (for what it’s worth, my best guess is that Elizabeth Stride wasn’t killed by the Ripper at all). It’s an important description of how desperate and often unforgiving life was in the East End, especially for poor women who lived in the shadow of the workhouse and about whom repeated moral judgements were made. The Whitechapel murders weren’t so very long after Henry Mayhew’s seismic London Labour and the London Poor, and, if the absolute worst poverty and deprivation had been ameliorated a little bit, life for the worst off was still not very far from hell.
Yes, absolutely, so interesting to read how the threat of the Work House loomed over these women. A really great book in opening one’s eyes to what it must have been like… and of course, so interesting because surely Britain had never been richer than at that time in history
That’s one of the particularly grim aspects of it. London was the capital of the greatest empire in history: by 1888 something like 300 million people, which would have been maybe a fifth of humanity. In parts of London you had huge aristocratic palaces like Lancaster House, Londonderry House and Devonshire House, yet a few miles away you had tens of thousands of people living (and dying) in unimaginable squalor and destitution, and there would still be vivid memories of the cholera outbreaks.
Thank you Cindy! My Goodness, yes, Willa, so ghastly I didn’t want to spend another minute in her company. I love the sound of In A Lonely Place. Gripping and disturbing is just what I love from a book.
I've had Butter on my shelf for a few months but keep skipping over it, this has given me the push to read it next!
Let me know what you think!