Rating- 9/10 Who doesn't love a good coming of age story. American Street is exactly that, and then some! American Street, the debut novel by Ibi Zoboi is very relevant to the current climate of today's culture. It delves into race, immigration, and class in the American system. Ibi Zoboi was inspired by her own upbringing as a young Haitian immigrant growing up in America for her first novel. The story begins with a young lady named Fabiola Toussaint (what a name eh?), born in America but moved back to Haiti with her mother as an infant. They receive a chance to truly find and live 'the good life' une belle viea, when her immigrant mother is finally granted a visa to move to the U.S. They leave Port au Prince, Haiti and journey to America. Fabiola's mother is detained by U.S Immigration and Fabiola is allowed to live on American soil as she is an American citizen. Fabiola is alone and greeted by her raucous unpredictable cousins Princess, Primadonna & Chantal in a gritty Detroit, Michigan environment, which is all very new to a vulnerable and cautious Fabiola. Her three cousins, referred to in the book as the three bees, and frail but tough aunt, Matant Jo live in west side Detrioit on the (ironically named) corner of American Street and Joy road. Things are not as perfect as Fabiola envisioned in her new American life. Fabiola slowly begins to find her footing at this new strange world she's been thrown into and even begins to fall in love. Although she is beginning to somewhat like her new life, she still struggles with moulding her new self and staying true to her Haitian past as well as dealing with the fact that her mother is still detained. Fabiola realises that this American freedom comes with a price and is met at a crossroads and has to make difficult decisions that will affect her mother's and her new future in this supposedly American 'good life'. Ibi Zoboi is an amazing writer. This book was very easy to read and flowed effortlessly. Even though this novel is a Young Adult book, it really didn't feel like I was reading a typical teen novel. It felt very true to the current social climate that we are in, and was very relate-able if you are an immigrant, or know, or come from a family of immigrants. I liked how Ibi Zoboi used her Haitian roots and kept the character of Fabiola true to herself and her upbringing, by using the vodou culture and almost mystical magical realism too. It helped shape the character of Fabiola very well but also showed her growth in this new foreign land. I also liked how ghetto the talk was in the book, it was real and I actually found the book pretty funny at times! Which was a plus. It had an interesting message too, is the American dream all it's cracked out to be? Do you truly get to experience this 'freedom' your always hearing about? It was interesting because Fabiola moved from an under privileged country to a legit ghetto in Detroit, Michigan. So you really see her battling with this concept, moving from one ghetto to the another. Although, she does see more opportunities in her new life than if she were to still be in Haiti. That's the big difference, more opportunities and a better life. Interesting to think about. Ibi Zoboi went through a very similar upbringing when she herself moved from Haiti to a then very ghetto Bushwick, Brooklyn (not the trendy gentrified version we have right now) at a young age. She struggled to fit in and battled with her past life, but also very much understood the pull of immigration and the hope of a better and maybe happier life. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book a lot and I found myself wanting to read more and more as the chapters went on. My good friend who lent me this book described it as 'a mixture between Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward and An American Marriage by Tayari Jones', Nicole, you were right. It's exactly that. Plenty of drama, race & family dynamics. I would recommend this book if your craving an easy to read, good, heartfelt and current story of the times we live in. Check out American Street by Ibi Zoboi HERE on Amazon Books.

Rating- 7/10 "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold." What a great opening line, and then it continues to the wildest paragraph that I have yet to read in a book until now. "The trunk of the car looked like a mobile police narcotics lab. We had two bags of grass, seventy five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-coloured uppers, downers, screamers, laughers...and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls." What?! How is it possible that this book was even published! Ha so trippy! Let me stop and tell y'all what this book is about. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson is one of the 20th century's cult classic books and movie too. It follows two main characters Raoul Duke and his Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo on this savagely wild and strange weekend road trip to Las Vegas to find the American dream. Whatever that may be. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was first published in Rolling Stone magazine in 1971, then went on to be a book published in 1972 and was very controversial and outrageous. It also features some amazing illustrations by Ralph Steadman. It delves into the mind of Hunter S. Thompson and what he makes of the collapse of the American dream, told through various narcotics and confrontations with bartenders, police officers through a drug enhanced mind. He also focused on the political climate and culture in the 1960/70s. It was actually based on 2 trips that Hunter took with his real life attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta in March and April of 1971. Their journey had resulted in Thompson spending 36 hours 'feverishly writing in his notebook' thus creating Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. I like to change up my reading list so this was definitely a wild card and boy was it wild!! I hadn't actually heard of this book before but I vaguely knew there was a cult movie about it starring Johnny Depp and that about was it. That movie was based on this book by Hunter S. Thompson and according to my hippie friend Chris, it was the book of his youth. Apparently it was massive especially during those days where all sorts of drugs were floating around and the political climate was on the iffy side with Richard Nixon in power, which Hunter makes very clear in this book about how he felt about him. Hunter was pretty famous for not liking the guy. I did not truly know what I was delving into, just that it was about drugs lol so when I read the first couple of chapters it totally blew me away, I was like- what am I reading here? Haha it's so freakin' wild. I mean how in the world this book got published is beyond me, but it's pretty damn impressive. This book is the epitome of cool, sex, drugs and rock n' roll. I could only imagine the hype behind it when it was first published. I quite enjoyed reading it, even though at times I was like, wow what the hell am I reading. it's definitely a thrilling book to read. If you want to add some edge to your reading list be sure to add this to your collection. Also the fact that it's a cult classic and was 'the' book to read for rebellious youths in the 70s then I'd say that's a good enough reason to read it, and it's got some bitchin illustrations to go along with the stories, who doesn't love picture books! The author Hunter S. Thompson was an interesting person. Definitely not your average author. He had a troubled life, and was known for his longtime use of alcohol, narcotics his love for firearms, basically he was a rebel. He was a journalist and founder of 'Gonzo Journalism' which meant that the writer essentially becomes a central figure and participant in the stories. Meaning that they are a part of the story and not just an anonymous person writing about the story, which is what most journalism styles were like back in those days. He basically revolutionised this style of writing and led his life in that way. I think that's pretty cool. He died by suicide at age 67, his wishes were that he wanted his ashes to be fired out of a canon. Which is what happened, his funeral was attended by his friends including John Kerry, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson and more at his funeral, they had wrote this about him... "The true voice of Thompson is revealed to be that of the American moralist....one who often makes himself ugly to expose the ugliness he sees around him." Cool book. To check out Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for yourself, Click Here for a link to Amazon Books.

Rating 10/10 Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda & Samantha. What fabulous legends they were, still are actually! I'm pretty sure the reason why I love cosmopolitans so much is because of Sex and the City. What a revolutionary show this was and this book tells us exactly why. Sex and the City and Us by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong tells the stories behind the stories. As a television historian, she tells us how SATC was born and how it went to become one of the most significant, daring, and feminist shows that has aired on television. If you don't already know, the idea of the Sex and the City TV show came from a simple column in the New York Observer magazine by writer Candace Bushnell called 'Sex and the City'. From then on it began to attract major attention as the weeks and months went by, so much so that it was picked up by TV producer Darren Star, co-creator of the '90s hit show 'Beverly Hills 90210' & '00s show 'Melrose Place' (remember 90210?! ah mem'ries). Then Badabing badaboom, the show was born. It aired on HBO's cable network as it allowed for more freedom to shoot on location in NYC and the the show's content could be as provocative without the filters that come with other commercial networks. If you are a fan of SATC and love all things Big and Aidan, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha & Charlotte then read this book! It is filled with the whole history of how the show was born, how the episodes came to shape, where the ideas came from. It's actually endless, but so so juicy and good to know!! I feel so much closer to the show and probably love it even more after reading this book. It takes you through the very beginning with the author and creator of the idea, Candace Bushnell, to hiring the actors, writers & producers for the show, and then some. I liked how the book went through the various seasons, and explained key moments that changed the way we viewed TV and became exposed a different side to life and dating that we never really saw on television before this show. SATC took a lot of risks and the author truly did her homework in getting incredible details of the stories behind the scenes. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is an excellent writer, I loved how the book flowed very well throughout the chapters. It could not have been an easy book to write so I do admire that she kept in style with the vibe of Sex and the City in her writing, it really felt like I was being taken back to the show and episodes. Very clever. You could also tell that she herself, is a self confessed SATC fan which shows in her writing. I liked that she also showed the negative sides to the hit TV show in terms of lack of diversity which I found to be a major downfall for the show. She also highlighted about how privileged the show had been depicted as. It mostly showcased the elite of NYC and was not realistic for real women and men unless your lucky enough to be from that very specific bubble. You basically saw no people color on the show, only a couple of times but even then, it was shown in an almost negative way and wasn't enough to depict that yes people of color could have a similar lifestyle. It totally lacked this in the show and was one of it's flaws. Especially at that time during the airing of seasons, there were many endless people of color that could have featured in the show, from supermodels, to designers and entrepreneurs, it could have seized the various opportunities, and I liked that the author touched on these core issues. It's funny because till this day, the only other TV show that depicts people of color in a positive similar way to SATC from my memory, was the show 'Girlfriends' starring Tracee Ellis Ross, and 'Living Single', back in the 90s with the awesome Queen Latifah, both shows depicted strong, independent black women doing it for themselves in the city but never gained the same traction as SATC did, kinda sad, it would be nice to see a similar show made but with real diversity because the world ain't all white, amirite?! Having said all that, the show itself was somewhat revolutionary. It gave women a voice in sexuality and feminism. Teaching us that we don't need a man to get through life and can choose this lifestyle of having a career and being successful and choosing yourself instead of that social pressure to find a man to make you happy. So many women these days would rather live 'the single life' which is now seen as a positive and something that most traditional women envy, the freedom to do whatever the hell you want without anyone judging you. SATC gave us the vision and empowered us, even though it was sort of aimed at predominately white, privileged women in a specific area, it still did in some ways change TV viewers' opinions and the attitudes of what women can do and be. I will always love SATC and I love that the author quoted some pretty epic lines in it. Mine is probably at the end of season 6 when Mr Big finally gets his shit together and runs to Paris to win Carrie back. He finds Carrie and declares his love to her by saying.. "It took me a really long time to get here. But I'm here Carrie, your The One." (Queue tears)...goddamnit Big! Took you long enough! Jeez. Although, a big part of me would have wanted Carrie to not have that typical rom-com happy ending. Life ain't all peaches and cream and sometimes things don't work out like that, but also, that girly part of me was like Yasss Big Yasssss!! Bring our girl back to NYC (as Miranda had quoted to Big)! Ah, long live SATC. If you've watched the seasons, movies and read the books then you best add this juicy book to your reading list. Click Here for a link to Sex and the City and US by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong on Amazon Books. P.S- Check out my buddy Nicole's new podcast called Shelf Life, it's a great podcast! Click this link below- https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/shelf-life/id1438521647?mt=2&i=1000421415312 Nicole interviews the author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong on her book 'Sex and the city & Us'.

Rating 8/10 My friend Amy, fetched this book from her bookshelf one day and told me that this was her favourite author ever. I always love it when people recommend books for me to read because most of the time they tend to be pretty awesome reads, just like this one. I recognised Brooklyn because it came out as a very famous Sundance romantic drama movie back in 2015 starring that pretty Irish actress that I can never pronounce her name called 'Saoirse Ronan'. That movie was based on this book by Colm Toibin. I'm glad I never actually got around to watching the movie which meant I could enjoy the book even more! Brooklyn by Colm Toibin is based in early 1950s Ireland and is a coming of age story following a young girl called Eilis Lacey who has never left her small town home in Ireland before. After WW2, times are hard for her and her peers to find any kind of employment in her town. Many of her friends and family have relocated to various countries to try and find work. Eilis, who is skilled in bookkeeping, is presented with a similar opportunity by an Irish priest in Brooklyn. She decides to leave her small town, her vivacious sister and dependant mother and head to an unfamiliar Brooklyn which the priest says will be filled with Irish immigrants and that it would be similar to living in Ireland. Eilis makes the big move to Brooklyn where she begins working at a department clothing store in hopes to eventually advance to some office administrative work. During her stay in Brooklyn, she begins to feel homesick and adrift from this unknown place and unruly house mates, then out of the blue, she meets this charismatic American guy and begins to fall in love. Eilis starts to feel something close to happiness and suddenly, news from her home town in Ireland forces Eilis to quickly return home. While Eilis is in Ireland she begins to feel conflicted with her old comforts and her new possibilities and opportunities in Brooklyn and has to make the tough decision on whether to stay in her small town in Ireland, or return to her new life and love in Brooklyn. This is probably one of my most memorable, tender and emotional stories that I have read so far this year. Colm Toibin is an incredible story teller. His writing is really something else, I found this book very engaging and spellbinding. I was totally thinking about reading it when I wasn't reading it which is always a great sign, and wanting to know what would happen next. Even though it's a simple story, it really kept you gripped and I had no idea how it was going to end at all! No matter how many times I tried to guess, it really was a surprising ending. I would very much want to read any of his other books purely based on his writing style. He's very talented and a very straight forward writer which I like, none of that mumbo jumbo wordy descriptive crap that sometimes ruins a book. This was pure good writing at its best. The only negative comment I had was the reference in the book about the 'coloured folk'. I do understand it was the 1950s and it was during the time when segregation was at its peak, although progress was being made during this time with the civil rights movement, it still was an issue for black people in America. The writer couldn't have avoided these facts if he were to stay true to the time in which the book was based. That being said, there were a couple of scenes in the book that straight up put me off. It could have been written a little more thoughtfully, in my opinion. I mean, black people were not some kind of exotic animal, they're people. Two eyes, one nose, one mouth. End of story. I've read a whole lotta historical fiction novels by many different white & black authors and some can be more 'offensive' than others. Other than that hiccup, I liked the book. It was a tad slow to start with, but really what did it for me was the writing. Simple and very efficient and elegant. It's one of those books that pays off at the end. You should totally read this book if your from Ireland, lotta Irish references, down to the way everyone spoke in it. I found myself doing an itty bitty Irish accent at times while reading it. Also just a generally great book if your after a good romantic drama story. Maybe I'll now watch the movie at some point! To pick up a copy of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin, Click Here for Amazon Books.

Rating 5/10 This is my second Clare Mackintosh book. The first one I read was 'I See You' a while back, scroll through the blog homepage for the full review! Funny enough, I think I preferred the other novel to this one. Purely because it's not about *Minor Spoiler* domestic abuse (I normally never give out spoilers but I kinda had to so you would know why I didn't love the book as much). I LET YOU GO by Clare Mackintosh is a fast pace thriller. It's action packed right from the beginning. It begins with an intense hit and run accident where a young boy, Jacob gets killed instantly. It then tells the story from the point of view of 3 different characters. Jenna Grey a young creative sculptor, who is the main character, Ray Stevens, the lead detective on the case & Ian Petersen a middle-aged businessman. Jenna's world has been turned upside down from the beginning of the book and her only solution is to run away, where nobody knows her name or her past. She immediately moves to a remote welsh town into a small cottage away from everyone and everything, but slowly and surely, her past begins to unravel and creep up after her. She is constantly haunted by her fears and her past life, even though she is slowly beginning to glimpse a new beginning and a somewhat happier life, the past eventually catches up to her and boom! The story then explodes into this ride of wild twists and turns. I have to say, for me personally, a humongous lover of plot twists, I actually did not see the main twist coming AT ALL! I do have to give props to Clare Mackintosh for that. I had to go back and read some chapters cos I was like, wait, what?! Haha Although, that being said, I wasn't as surprised at how the actual story turned out, you'd know what I mean if you read the book. So for that fact, I had to give it a few less points than I wanted to. After numerous years of reading various psychological thrillers, my tolerance for domestic abuse based thrillers has gone down significantly. I just can't take it anymore, it's too painful to read and I end up not enjoying the book as much. That's not to say that this book wasn't great, but as soon as it went down that road I pretty much lost interest in it, but I did have to finish it to see how the story ended. Clare Mackintosh is a great writer, she really knows how to capture the audience and tell a gripping story. I'll admit that I was gripped throughout the book, minus the domestic abuse parts. It was a good read. Also if you are a crime lover or like cop based books then add this to your list! Fun fact* Clare Mackintosh used to be a Police Officer in real life so she really does know her stuff! I thoroughly enjoyed the cop banter in it and the legit police talk too. I also liked that there were 3/4 main characters in this book which meant for a pleasant easy read. Where you can truly get to know each character and their point of view throughout the book. My friend Rosie absolutely loved this book and I'm glad I read it too as it was a best seller and had also read her other novel, ' I See You' which I liked. If your a lover of action packed plot twists, psycho thrillers and crime based books, grab yourself a copy of this book. It's totally worth the read. It also received a huge ton of positive reviews online so it's defo one for thriller lovers. Click Here for an Amazon link to 'I let you go' by Clare Mackintosh.

Rating- 6/10 This is the first time ever that i read a book by someone I personally know like in real life! Kinda cool that I now know some awesome authors. I have known Amy for a while and had no idea she had published a book till quite recently so I thought, oh I gotta read that! So I did. Ford Road by Amy Kenyon is a novel about history, family ties, & nostalgia. It follows Kay Seger, she comes down with a case of Nostalgia after her mother passes away. She suddenly leaves her well paid job in California as a historian consultant for various glamorous movies and shows/productions, and returns to her childhood home in Michigan. While she is in Michigan, she seeks out to meet her past teenage love Joe Chase (Such an American name lol). Joe still lives in his childhood home and works for Ford automobiles and is a Vietnam war veteran too. The more time they spend together, the more they rekindle their romance from many years back, and ignite the urge to delve into Kay's past and find hidden answers in her family's history and secrets. She tracks down various ancient family boxes and belongings such as photos, letters & articles and the more she discovers, the more she gets sucked into this nostalgic state of mind. This book is about long lost relationships, old flames and how history can truly affect the future, it can be rewarding as well as damaging to any relationship. Ford Road is not a book that I would particularly go for if I came across it in a book store as I'm not that big into history and the past. With that said, this story was told very well, it was a slow burner and the type of book you would want to read over a long period of time, like a long summer or winter. It sort of paces itself and is in no particular rush to tell this tender tale. Which totally fits the story! I would say if you are from or live in Michigan, you gotta read this book. You learn a whole lot about Michigan as a state and various cities in it, particularly Detroit. I learned so much about their baseball team just by reading this book you guys. I would also recommend this book if your a fan of all things historic and nostalgic. It also goes real deep into explaining about Henry Ford, the creator of Ford automobiles and what life was truly like in those olden days when the company began to truly flourish. It's not all peaches and candy, and I liked that about this novel. It told the true story of what it was like for the people who were directly affected in this particular area of Michigan. If your a baseball fan, particularly the Detroit Tigers, you should add this to your reading list too. I now know why the Detroit Tigers are called 'The Tigers'. Books are awesome! The story was told through various characters in different time spans which was cool, but I have to admit it was a little hard to keep track of who was who as there were lots of characters in it. I'm not particularly a nostalgic and history kinda gal, so I found that I didn't really relate to the book as much personally. I'm more of a what's next, who's doing what with who and a 'future developments' kinda girl. But honestly, if you love history then this is a great read. I also am a sucker for a nice book cover so the fact that there wasn't one took off a couple of points, as well as the lack of 'blurb' as I like to call it. A paragraph that tells you a little about what the story is about. I pretty much went into this book blindfolded not knowing what it was about (probably should have googled it). Although it was kinda nice in a way. All in all, a nice read. It was thought provoking, complex, nostalgic and bittersweet. To check out Ford Road by Amy Kenyon for yourself, Click Here for Amazon Books.

Rating 10/10 This is definitely in my top 3 books of 2018. Talk about an emotional roller-coaster !! What. a. book. So I first came across this book while scrolling through Insta on Oprah's page for her book club, y'know I gotta follow all my celeb books clubs! She absolutely loved this novel and raved about how amazing it was. I happened to be staying at one of my girlfriend's house over the weekend and she had this book. So I gave myself the ultimate challenge to try finish it in a day before I left, and I totally did. So did she btw! We both read it in a day. Like it's that good. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones follows a young newly married couple Celestial and Roy, they live in the south in the sort of hip part of town. It's an up and coming area and they're pretty much the perfect example of a young, dynamic all American married couple. Celestial is an aspiring artist on the cusp of discovering her exciting future career, and Roy is a hard working executive. They have great lives, they're very much in love and they're just settling into their new married lives together. Out of the blue, Roy gets arrested for a crime no one believes he committed. He gets sentenced to 12 years in prison which completely turns their world upside down. While Roy tries to hold on to their marriage while imprisoned, Celestial begins to feel detached and adrift from Roy and seeks the comforting company of her childhood friend Andre. Who is also a close friend of Roy's and was best man at their wedding. The longer Celestial and Roy spend this time apart, the more she is unable to stay in love with Roy. After five years in prison, Roy gets some good news that he is now released from prison, and his conviction is overturned. He returns to his home in Atlanta ready to continue life as it was, but it turns out a lot has happened since Roy has been incarcerated. I will leave it at that! (Don't want to be a spoiler) This book was an absolute gripping, juicy, powerful, emotional read. Tayari Jones really knows how to tell an incredible story, that much is true. This novel goes to the core of a young marriage, loyalty, its complexities, and the relationship between these three characters. The way it unfolds is very realistic and relate-able. It delves in the past, present and future of their lives and makes you think of what you would do in such circumstances. It makes you think about love, human nature, passage of time, relationships and responsibilities. Even beyond that, it questions the American Justice system and racial based injustice in American prisons. It highlighted the fact that most cases like Roy's, would most likely happen to young black men. Which is very much true in most criminal cases in America, it's a sad problem that still goes on and I like that Tayari Jones shone a light to it. You felt for the real wives that go through this, their mothers, daughters and grandchildren. Even though the actual story is not about this, it was still great that she included it in the book. An American Marriage is told from the points of views of Andre, Celestial and Roy which I loved. It's funny because you don't particularly love all of the characters and their characteristics but after knowing their story, you don't mind that they're unique in their own right. It's a stellar written novel and it will keep you wanting more! I could not put this book down and was hanging on every single word. You really did not know where the book was headed. From beginning to end it keeps you gripped all the way through. I was totally emotionally drained after it but was so worth it. It's written very well, not a single sentence goes to waste, and is easy to read. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Couldn't say that enough. It's so good that I'm going to read it again when it comes out in paperback. #memories Gotta say the cover is absolutely gorgeous! And love the title of the book too. Very fitting for the story. Shout out to Nicole for letting me read her precious hardcopy. xo Oprah- you sure know how to pick em ! Tayari Jones- you are amazing. Y'all better buy this book! Click Here for your own copy of An American Marriage by Tayari Jones on Amazon books.

Rating 10/10 What a page turner! Action packed, thrilling, bold, sexy, vivid, mysterious...the list goes on. It's not often I give a full on 10/10 rating but this book totally blew my mind. I loved it. The Song of Achilles is set in Ancient Greece during the age of heroes, wars and adventures. The story follows two main characters Achilles, and Patroclus. Achilles is a demi-god, and a basically perfect human being. In the physical sense, seeing as he's been #blessed with the God-like gene pool. He is Greece's hero according to most people in the story and is bold, heroic, strong....the list goes on. Achilles is in his prime y'all. Patroclus is an ordinary prince who ends up being exiled to King Peleus's court/castle, King Peleus is Achilles' father. In reality, these two should have never crossed paths, but by chance, Achilles ends up choosing Patroclus and all his issues and takes him under his wing as his sort of companion. Which btw is something that was normal to have in those days. They spend all their time together and grow into young men learning all sorts of valuable life lessons like, the art of fighting mostly for Achilles & medicine. They start to form a strong bond with each other throughout the years to which Achilles's mother who is a cold sea goddess is not fond of. Later on, news spreads that Helen of Sparta, the most beautiful woman in all the land has been kidnapped and is being held captive in Troy. Achilles decides to venture on this epic journey to Troy to be the hero that he is destined to be, and Patroclus joins him as he is now part of Achilles' life. Patroclus is torn between fear of and love for his companion. Thus begins the most EPIC adventure story ever!! The Song of Achilles is this immense story about war, gods, battles, glory and kings, but it's also essentially a love story between Patroclus & Achilles. Madeline Miller was inspired by the story of the two men in Homer's Iliad. This story of Achilles and Patroclus goes way deeper than what Iliad did. It didn't try to hide the fact that they were lovers and had deep feelings for each other. Especially when you get towards the of the end of the book, you really feel the emotions and love between the two characters. I was blown away by how beautiful this relationship was in the story. Talk about your LGBTQ book, it was saucy as fudge !! But not vulgar or crass at all, the character development was excellent and you were truly pulled into the story of Achilles and Patroclus and their journey to Troy, as well as the legendary drama of being at war in Troy. It's basically a Romeo and Juliet tale, beautifully done. I absolutely loved The Song of Achilles. Whenever I wasn't reading it I found myself looking forward to reading it a lot. It literary has everything. It's thrilling, sexy, romantic, adventurous, & the storytelling is incredible! I could visually see all of the characters right in front of me and felt like I was right there with them. Also, I have to say that Miller's take on this book is so necessary. It completed the story, you really get to know both characters so well and their complex relationship for each other blossoms so patiently through the years. I would say that if your a fan of Greek Mythology, and have watched movies/TV shows like Hercules, Troy, Gladiator (Roman period), dude you gotta read this. This is right up in that alley but like wayyy better! But also if you just love a good adventure story then add this to your list. I loved all the crazy names in Greek Mythology too. Madeline Miller is an incredible storyteller, this book is very easy to read and it really captures your attention. Fun fact about Madeline Miller.* It took her 10 years to write this book plus it was her first novel. #lifegoals She also won the Orange Prize for Fiction for this book in 2012. I seriously cannot wait to now read Circe, her 2nd novel released in 2018. It is literary everywhere and on everyone's reading list. Plus this time it's about a heroine, and y'know I'm all about that girl power! The Song of Achilles = Epic book! (And an awesome book cover too) To Buy 'The Song of Achilles' for yourself, CLICK HERE for Amazon Books

Rating- 4/10 After reading a super intense but awesome book, I was after a summery easy breezy novel and remembered I had this cute covered book on my shelf. It sounded like it would be a good light read so I thought, why not. Also the lovely Nadine gave me this book along with a few other books that I've loved reading in the past. Hi Nadine! The Little Paris Bookshop is set in Paris on a beautiful restored barge on the seine. The boat is a bookshop referred to as 'A literary Apothecary', because the owner has a special gift of sensing which books will soothe their issues and troubles souls. It is run by the main character Monsieur Jean Perdu. Unfortunately, he can't seem to be able to cure himself. For 21 years, Perdu has had a broken heart. The love of his life fled Paris and left him a hand written letter which he never dared to read until now. Upon reading the letter, he meets an exiting young writer named Max. Perdu decides to leave his eccentric crazy neighbors and apartment on Rue Montagnard and unlocks his boat to set off for Provence in search of his long lost love, joined by the eager writer. From then on the story begins to unfold. I won't give too much away as I hate spoilers. In some ways The Little Paris Bookshop is actually kind of nice, it has some meaningful phrases and quotes but beyond that, it just didn't do it for me. I actually was really bored reading this book, it took forever for me to get into it, I only enjoyed the last 100 pages of the book the most. The rest of it was a bit meh.. and struggled to get through it. I did like the idea of the book, having a bookstore on a barge, packing up and sailing off into the unknown, trying to find a long lost love and the meaning in life typa thing. Those aspects were okay. I also liked that the characters were a bit older, as in not in their 20s/30s like every other romance book, but in their 50s, a love story for the older generation. The scenic routes they took were good too. Also the cover of the book is really really pretty! Having said that, I found it hard to connect with the style of writing of the book, and didn't feel like the words flowed well in my mind. It didn't really reach into the depths of my soul or anything, and I'm pretty sure I'll forget about this book in about a week. It's one of those books where you'll either love it, or hate it. No in between. Obviously for me, it's more on the hate side...but that's not to say that it's a terrible book. It just wasn't for me. I also think that the story could have been told in about 150 pages lol 340 pages was a little much. But I had to finish it.. I cannot leave a story hanging! If you are into books set in France or enjoy a book about books then you may well love this! Also it is a love story for an older generation which is lovely to read, it gives me hope for when I get older :) That's the message that I took from this. Anyways, y'all can check it out for yourselves. Click Here for The Little Paris Bookshop on Amazon books.

Rating- 9/10 Hauntingly beautiful, raw, and digs deep into your soul. That's how I would describe Sing, Unburied, Sing by the very talented and award winning author Jesmyn Ward. I'm not one to judge a book by its cover and but I could not help but fall in love with this book cover y'all...it really reaches into your gut and pulls you in and begs to be read, begs to be heard and demands you to listen. What a cover. Kudos! Sing, Unburied, Sing is a novel about a portrait and dynamics of a family based in Mississippi. Leonie is a young mother struggling to cope with raising two young children Jojo a young teenager & Michaela an adorable toddler. Leonie struggles with the aches and pains of life, she is in constant battle with herself and is a drug user and pays more attention to herself and her boyfriend than she does to her own children. Jojo is 13, young but also on the cusp of being a man, he's at the tender age where he begins to see life's hurdles and struggles and comes to know what it means to be a man, learning everything he can from his wise grandfather (Pops). This book is about life and death, love, life's struggles, fathers and sons, and the dynamics of a dysfunctional family living in turbulent times. The father of the children, Michael, is white and the mother Leonie, is black. I mean, you can only imagine how hard it would be for them in rural 21st century American time. Back in the day when racism was very much alive. (Not that it's not now! But y'know what I mean.) It's a raw, and tender book. It even plays a lot on spirituality and ghosts of the deceased which definitely took me by surprise. It is done very well, the almost poetic language used is so amazing. It's lyrical and very vivid in descriptions throughout the whole book. I really didn't want to put it down, especially towards the end. After reading this I found myself thinking about the family and hoping they would be okay...it totally sticks to your gut this book. It's not one those where you close the book and boom, chapter done, life goes on. Nope, your sort of left there wondering how they're getting on and that life for this family still goes on and will not be easy ride. It's pretty heartbreaking but also very beautiful. I loved the character developments too, and how each chapter told the story from the different character's points of views. I liked that element a lot because you could really get to know each character well and where they were coming from. I also loved the southern African American language too you get from these types of books. You've gotta read it for yourself, it took me a while to read this book because I found myself having to digest some chapters and think on it as it's definitely not a light read. It's a short book but packs a punch. Written amazingly well, and makes me want to read more of Jesmyn Ward's books. The only criticism about the book was the ghosts actually, I really wasn't expecting that aspect to play such a strong role in the story. Part of me found it hard to believe the book in a way, but that being said, it brought the book together so I'm totally torn on that issue. Pretty great book though if your into spirituality and ghosts. Which i'm kind of into! Ha. But with that said, I pretty much loved it, hence my high rating! A big thanks & shout out to Nicole, my fellow book worm for lending me this beautiful book. Jesmyn Ward was short listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2018 and also won the National Book Award for Fiction. So y'know it's gonna be a good read! Very well respected and powerful writer. Check out Sing, Unburied, Sing for yourself HERE on Amazon Books!

Rating- 8/10 This is a legit book y'all. What I would call a complete book. It's a slow but good burner, has great character developments, suspenseful, hits the climax and keeps your gripped till the very very last page. It's thrilling, moody, dark, twisty, gothic, and romantic too. I completely went into this book blindfolded and had no clue what it was about or even what genre it was. I thought it would be a bit sappy and dated/classic literature style where not much happens, but boy was I wrong! My good friend Jenny Lee gave me this book to read for my blog, she raved about how awesome it was, and how she wished she'd never read it she could re- live it again. Well Jeny Lee, you were damn right about this book. Rebecca is a thriller novel by Dame Daphne Du Maurier and was published in 1938. It's set in a beautiful fictional mansion estate in the West Country called 'Manderly', in Cornwall, England. Manderly, what a name eh?! The book begins with an epic line that goes- 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again...' - The second Mrs de Winter. The book begins in a smouldering Monte Carlo, where the main character or 'meant to be' main character who we never learn the name of btw, is working as a lady's maid. She's young, naive and an orphan and doesn't have much going for her till she meets the dashing Maximilian de Winter. A wealthy widower who happened to be in Monte Carlo as well. After a few days of courtship (hanging out), she's completely swept off her feet and Maxim proposes marriage to her which she obviously accepts. I mean, who wouldn't ?! She learns he has a very famous estate and is super wealthy which adds on to his charm and dashing demeanour. They return to Manderly together and thus begins the drama. Once she becomes the new 'Mrs de Winter' of Manderly Estate she soon learns the ghost of the past, 'Mrs de Winter' is very much alive in Manderly Estate. Even the long serving house maid 'Mrs Danvers' does not make things easy, and the ghost of Rebecca, a.k.a- the late 'Mrs de Winter', threatens to ruin her new life with Maxim and marriage from beyond the grave. I'm going to leave the plot at that because you have to read this book for yourself, It's pretty awesome. I loved how the plot became better and better as I read on, there's so much suspense and mystery. This is a delicious curl up next to the (imaginary) fire in a blanket kinda book. I liked all the characters too, and included a lot of good female lead roles which was awesome for a book of its time. I also loved how crazy English this book was!! Not your average 2018 posh but 1938 old school posh. If your after a classic English period drama sorta book then add this to your list. I found myself reading this in my (American accent) brain with the poshest English accent I could find in my mind haha. They kept saying things like 'looking glass' instead of mirror, I think I'm actually going to begin calling it a 'looking glass' from now on (see quote below), 'I turned away, and began combing my hair again before the looking glass..' and 'shan't' instead of can't. I love how they used to speak back in the day, it's oh so quite polite. 'I say, I'm getting infernally hungry. What on earth is happening to lunch..' The setting of the book was amazing, the descriptions are very vivid and you could literary imagine yourself in that estate, it's rich in detail. The language as well is beautifully written, it's descriptive and really gets your brain juices flowing and feeds the mind with colourful imagination. That's why I said it's a legit book, it's a strong 428 pages long so it does not hold back. It's one of those books that you totally get immersed in, like I basically was living in Manderly for the past 2 weeks with my long summer frock sipping warm tea in the peaceful garden with little jasper (the dog), and now I'm not anymore...sad times guys sad times. If you want a real and classic book to read then add this to your reading list. Fun fact- my friend Rosie, who's English, told me that they had to read this in school and do essays on it so surely that means it's a well respected and great book. One that you can appreciate for many years. I would most definitely read this again in a few years, it's a very indulgent book indeed. Also, it's never gone out of print! Not since it was published- pretty cool eh? Do not judge this book by its cover peeps, it's definitely worth the read. Very exciting and thrilling! To check out Rebecca for yourself on Amazon Books, Click Here!

Rating 8/10 If you are into poetry and music, this one is definitely for you. Unwritten Stories is a collection of poems and lyrics from Brandy Row's music. Brandy Row is a London based, solo artist, songwriter, poet, composer & film-maker. He constantly creates new material, plus regularly performing live in London, Europe & the USA. He has been heavily into music especially from the 60s, 70s & 80s since the age of 12, and has carried on with this direction to become a regular performing artist internationally. This is one of those books that you'll want to have in your home and can read over and over again. Each poem & lyrics are very unique and have very different hidden meanings in them. If you appreciate language and have a have a thirst for beautifully written words then this book is for you. I also have to say that I love the gorgeous artwork and photography too, it's visually stimulating which is always nice to have in a book. One of my favourite poems/lyrics comes from the title- Sweet Tranquility 'The killers of virtue only honour the brave Elites heed the cause when there fortune be made The structure of power only the ruthless can win Tickets to the ivory tower then lock themselves in I want to run run so far away I want to run run into a better day Transition Taking hold of me Transition Into sweet tranquility Follow me ..... Can you hear the whispers In the wind of change The perception of a brand new world' For me, this poem is very current with our political climate. The great things about poems is that you can interpret them in so many ways and that's the beauty of this book. Some hit you in the heart and some reach your core being. It's excellent! Also Brandy is the nicest soul you will ever come across. He's a very talented musician and is always doing live shows, for more info check out his website HERE! Click here to check out Unwritten Stories by Brandy Row for yourself.