Hi, so there was a lot of books this month that I wanted to ramble about so this month’s post is purely on the books I’ve read!
B O O K S
For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.
A small boy washes up on the shores of a Scottish fishing village, he bears a striking resemblance to Dorothy’s son who went missing years ago. With the village snowed in for the winter, Dorothy agrees to look after the child until he can be returned home. Soon buried secrets come to light and Dorothy finds herself face to face with the reclusive fisherman that she had once loved long ago.
This book made me a MESS. I heard of this book through work and I thought this would be a nice read for my train journey home. Boy was I so, so wrong…. The Fisherman’s Gift is a book seeped in sadness, each page turn bringing more misfortunes than the chapter before. I reached half way and was thinking surely this can’t get anymore sadder? It is beautifully written and heart-breaking. I would say it’s even deceptive in the way it’s described as a love story when the romance is briefly touched upon, and the depth of the story really comes from the community. Dorothy I would fight the entire village for the way they treated you!
Orbital follows the lives of six fictional astronauts over 24 hours on a space station as they collect data, conduct experiments and ponder on the lives of those below them. I had the pleasure of getting to celebrate its Booker Prize win in the office and it was such a lovely moment with everyone cheering for Samantha Harvey who dropped by briefly! I really enjoyed this, managed to read it all in my two hour train journey home. It’s definitely a dividing book and if you’re looking for a plot, you’ll be sorely disappointed. I read this at the same time I finished playing Mouthwashing and it has definitely set me on a space reading kick now.
Wren Darlington lives in hiding, concealing her psychic gifts which were a result of a biotoxin released into the world 150 years ago. She spends her days running the farm with her uncle and doing the occasional operation for the rebellion group that works to overthrow the Prime (humans who were immune to the biotoxin) population. But a mistake puts her directly into the sights of the military who force her to join the training ranks of the elite Silver Block. Alone with no help on the horizon, Wren must hide her skills and keep her head down. But war is escalating and Wren might just be the missing piece they need to win.
What fun! I haven’t really picked up a dystopian book in a while since most of them keep to the YA genre which I’ve grown from in recent years. The best way I can describe this is adult Shatter Me (and a bit of Divergent) with a much more compelling and steamy plot. I did roll my eyes at the fact every single man kept thirsting over Wren – 2014 me would’ve eaten that up, but 2024 me is just tired of that old trope. At first the plot didn’t really grab my attention, it felt very typical dystopian opening scene but there is a shift where it became much more enjoyable. I also felt like it was longer than it needed to be, didn’t really need like six sex scenes to show how down right bad Wren and Cross were for each other, but I guess to each own. Some scenes were also very long, but it didn’t feel like a drag, I just felt like it could’ve easily shaved off a couple of sentences everywhere and it still wouldn’t have made a difference to the overall impact of the story. This makes it sound like I hated it, but I didn’t. In fact, I was more annoyed I read it so early.
‘If I can’t be the freed, let me be the corrosion’
‘It would be easier if God was dead & we knew it.
Then we could get on with it: the final choice of the human: repair or epilogue.’
Danez Smith’s third poetry collection which chronicles their reaction to the murder of George Floyd amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while living in Minneapolis. It is vulnerable and powerful. My first time reading their work, and definitely won’t be the last. (As you’ll see below…)
While I was on a space kick after Orbital and Mouthwashing, I came across this while on my trial for Kindle Unlimited. A cozy sci-fi novella which I loved! Set on a distant purple moon, August decides to discover who she truly is. She quits her job and begins to explore the tower she has called home. Very relatable and comforting!
An older poetry collection of Danez Smith. A brutally honest collection which examines race, gender, sexuality and illness. I think I preferred this one over Bluff.
please, don’t call us dead,
call us alive someplace better.
Noh In-ji is an employee at NM (New Marriage) where her job consists of being rented out as a wife for a fixed period to an elite clientele. All tailored to the client’s desire and all ended with a quick and easy divorce. One of In-ji’s previous husbands requests her back for another year which sets off a chain of events that has In-ji questioning her past and the agency that hired her. An intriguing and compelling read however it wasn’t the book for me – feels like the translation was missing a lot of nuance and the story has a lot of moving parts, much of them are left unresolved by the end. I am particularly interested in the upcoming k-drama adaptation for this though, I have a feeling it might be a better format for the story.
Under the Oak Tree was one of the first webtoons I ever read in 2017. It was fan-translated and choppy quality. I hadn’t thought much of the story back then, merely read a few chapters and then moved on from the story. It’s a popular first webtoon for a lot of new manhwa (Korean webtoon) readers. 2017 me was not a fan of Maxi but in 2024, I found her a lot more endearing. Funny how time has completely changed my perception of this story. Also, it’s finally being released in English in a physical form. I lucked out at work when I saw it randomly on the table of free books. I’ve even ordered the translated version of the novel.
A standalone rom-com set during the COVID-19 pandemic about two neighbours who fall in love during lockdown. Nokoru is brutally overworked and when the pandemic forces him to readjust his living condition, which includes clearing out his junk and turning his balcony into a lush garden, he chances upon meeting his neighbour Natsu, a graduate archaeology student. No fuss, no drama, just pure, pure sweetness as these two awkward people fall in love. I would LOVE to see a anime adaptation of this.
A collection of poems assumed to be written by an unknown Buddhist monk, known as Hanshan, translated and organised in a small pocket book. I read this all in one train journey home and it was quite interesting to see how the work of someone we don’t know has survived this long – as no one knows who he was or whether he actually existed. All of the poetry draws heavily on Buddhist and Taoist themes and it was pretty interesting just researching about his existence.
Fia and her reindeer Solas have a powerful bond. But when Fia’s village struggle to survive the eternal winter and they turn to sacrifice Solas to keep them fed – which sets Fia off on a journey with her cousin Mish to find the Deer Mother and make her wake the sun at the winter solstice. But the harsh winter winds aren’t the only thing nipping at their heels and the shadows that lurk turn far deadlier than they expect.
A STUNNING middle-grade book about hope and the bond of family based on Irish folklore. I cannot get over how gorgeous the art work is in this book. While I was reading this all I could think was how similar the story is to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, another beautifully written story and a game I recommend a lot! (Please note: Brothers shares a similar tale of two young kids going on an adventure, it has more mature content.)
That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?
as told by zaheerah 
I just picked up Home Office Romance from a bookstore this month. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. It looked like a good read and I’m excited to start it soon.
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