I've already called my book of the year, so I guess this one will have to my book of the decade... maybe even the last twenty years. Authentic, utterly gripping and moving as it is horrifying. Thank you Kate Elizabeth Russell for writing this book <3 "Once in a while, a book comes along that consumes your waking hours, unmoors you from your lived reality, grips the very core of you and doesn't let go. My Dark Vanessa is that book." - Esquire. . . .
Office Love
I'm currently in the process of moving house where I'm finally going to get my very own office space! So in the run up I've been binging on Pinterest ideas... could this be the most perfect study ever created? NB: The conveniently placed booze for late night writing / editing sessions... winner. . . .
A Good Man by Ani Katz
It may only be January but I'm calling it… This is my book of the year! Wow, just wow <3 I always worry about writing reviews on books like this, in case I give too much away, but this one on BookPage by Amy Scribner sums it up perfectly. A truly fantastic debut. LB x . . .
The Joy of Writing…
Some wise words from A L Kennedy... "The joy of writing for a living is that you get to do it all the time. The misery is that you have to, whether you're in the mood or not. I wouldn't be the first writer to point out that doing something so deeply personal does become less jolly when you have to keep on at it, day after cash-generating day. To use a not ridiculous analogy: Sex = nice thing. Sex For Cash = probably less fun, perhaps morally uncomfy and psychologically unwise. Sitting alone in a room for hours while essentially talking in your head about people you made up earlier and then writing it down for no one you know does have many aspects which are not inherently fulfilling. Then . . .
Review: You by Caroline Kepnes
Oh em eff gee... Where do I begin with this one? There are no words for how brilliant this book is, so there is part of me that doesn't even want to try and start! My book club and I read the hilariously funny and twisted You by Caroline Kepnes for our meeting in September and I think it is one of my favorite reads to date. I totally fell in love with the anti-hero Joe Goldberg and all of his obsessive, perverted ways. He's just so damn likeable, which is bizarre considering he's a serial killer and a stalker. There are a lot of nods to Bret Easton Ellis throughout the book, and in particular I found echos of Patrick Bateman running throughout Joe's character, especially when it comes . . .