“A Far Better Thing” is Out Now!
“A Far Better Thing”, the new novel by horror writer Thomas H. Brand, is out now in ebook and paperback!
Do Books Need Content Warnings?
Do books need content warnings? When you watch a film, it will have an age rating. In the cinema, the rating card will state the reasons behind the rating, such as swearing or violence. You'll see the same at the top of the screen at the start of anything you watch on a streaming service.
So why not books?
New Release Announcement: “A Far Better Thing”
The new novel from Thomas H. Brand, A Far Better Thing, will be coming out in the next couple of months. Keep your eyes open for pre-release announcements!
“A Perfect Explanation” by Eleanor Anstruther
A Perfect Explanation is an obvious passion project for the author, detailing her own family history. But the problem with true stories is they often lack the narrative and characters that make fiction engaging, and the problem with family history is that it is rarely interesting outside of your own family. And by honouring the truth, Anstruther's obvious talent is unable to overcome these issues.
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” was recommended to me by a friend as one of those books that you just have to read. And while it’s an engaging story and very well written, I felt something was missing. Something I only figured out once I got to the end.
The Wheel of Time Reread: Book 14 - A Memory of Light
And we're finally here. We've reached book fourteen (of an originally planned six) and the end of the epic saga of The Wheel of Time. The Last Battle, Tarmon Gai'don, has arrived. There is no more time for posturing or positioning. The fate of time itself rests in the balance.
"Queenie" by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie is one of those books I picked up because of an undefinable sense that I needed to read it. I didn’t know anything about it or Carty-Williams, other than that a number of people had listed Queenie in their must-read lists over the last couple of years. And boy, reading it was the right choice.
“Can I Stray” by Jenna Adams
With her debut novel, Jenna Adams takes us right back to the insecurities and struggles of adolescence. And once I reached the halfway point, I literally sat up into the early hours and finished the second half in one single sitting.
The Wheel of Time Reread: Book 13 - Towers of Midnight
Towers of Midnight is our final “breather” instalment. As the Last Battle begins, our characters get one final chance to wrap up their business and get everything ready for the climax. But as they do, we must deal with the narrative snarl Jordan left Sanderson to clear up.
“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro
It's been a long time since I picked up a book that hit me so hard as this one. It took me a while to really get hooked, but by the end I literally could not put it down.
The Wheel of Time Reread: Book 12 - The Gathering Storm
And so we come the the final push. Part 4 of The Wheel of Time. The Final Battle, Tarmon Gai’don approaches. And, along with everything else, a new author to take up the mantle of the fallen.
“Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke
A beautifully written book that gives little away at the start yet lays the perfect amount of breadcrumbs to keep you reading. But depending on your taste for literary fiction, I can’t say it would be everyone’s cup of tea.
“No LGBT, No Feminism, No George Soros Agenda”, No Service
As someone building a new freelance career, it's next to impossible to turn down any work I get offered. And so, there have been times when I've worked for clients with very different viewpoints to my own.
But this afternoon, I found a line I would not cross.
The Wheel of Time Reread: Book 11 - Knife of Dreams
With “Knife of Dreams” not only do we wrap up Part 3 of The Wheel of Time, we find a welcome return for form for Robert Jordan’s final novel.
“Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality” by Dr. Julia Shaw
As a straight, white man, nothing is quite as useful as finding the perfect resource to open my eyes to things outside my own experience. “Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality” is a book everyone should read, no matter their sexuality.
“The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro
Sometimes a “classic” is only a classic because uptight literary snobs have decreed it so. Other times, a novel becomes a classic because it tells a universal story that manages to be both readable and universally relatable. “The Remains of the Day” is the latter.
The Wheel of Time Reread: Book 10 - Crossroads of Twilight
As I said in my review of Winter's Heart, I was ready for Crossroads of Twilight to be one of the worst entries in the series. But I have to admit that it's not nearly as bad as I remembered.
“The Science of Storytelling” by Will Storr
I was recommended Will Storr's The Science of Storytelling as a book on writing. And while it did indeed leave me with a better understanding of storytelling, I wasn't expecting it to be accompanied by an existential crisis.