Hello!
November wasn’t such a good reading month for me but what I did read I really enjoyed. I have completed my Goodreads reading challenge for the year now so that I really good.
Statistics
Books
Pages: 260
Format Read: Hardback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
Old Book
Pages: 455
Format Read: Hardback
Dragon Rating: 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲
Review to follow
New Book
Goodreads Challenge: 51/50
Old Books: 1
New Books: 1
Happy Reading
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the week so far.
My chosen book to feature this week is a nonfiction book that has been sat on my TBR since I last went to Bath.
Unfortunately, She Was A Nymphomaniac by Joan Smith
Bookshop.org | Ebook | Harper Collins | TG Jones | Waterstones
Writer, activist and journalist Joan Smith has worked for years to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. And has been instrumental in bringing the innate misogyny of the police to public attention. Her new book will reinterpret the bloody, violent story of imperial women at the hands of (in no particular order) Nero, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula – and others. These imperial mothers, daughters and wives – were the most privileged women of their time but their lives were overshadowed, dominated and controlled by these men. Raped, killed, ripped apart from their children, and mostly airbrushed from history, Joan Smith brings these women back into light and into focus, offering an account of their extraordinary and tragic lives.
In Unfortunately, She was a Nymphomaniac, Smith pieces together the stories of these women, showing how they struggled for control of their lives at a time when both the law and culture were stacked against them. It is not a conventional history but an interpretation of the original texts informed by what we know now about the mechanics of domestic abuse. There are no ‘nymphomaniacs’ here but the picture that emerges is one of spirited, inspiring and sometimes reckless resistance to male authority. The way these women have been misrepresented for two thousand years speaks volumes not just about ancient misogyny, but the origin and persistence of attitudes that continue to blight women’s lives today.
Happy Reading
Hello!
I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far. I have had a good weekend of Etsy orders and bookmark making.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
I only have a few pages left of Jane Austen’s Bookshelf and I must admit I will really miss it because it has been such an amazing read.
Happy Reading
Medusa by Rosie Hewlett
Bookshop.org | Ebook | TG Jones | Waterstones
Blurb
You know her name, you know her story. Just not the right one.
Within the depths of the Underworld the formidable snake-haired Gorgon has finally had enough. Tired of being eternally and unjustly brandished a villain, Medusa has found the courage to face her tragic past and speak out. Determined to expose the centuries of lies surrounding her name, Medusa gives unparalleled insight into her cursed life, from her earliest memories and abandonment at birth, right through to her tragic and untimely death at the hands of the hero Perseus. Through telling her story, Medusa finally reveals the lost truth behind antiquity’s most infamous monster.
Review
Medusa is one of my favourite characters from the ancient Greek myths so I am always excited to read a retelling. Hewlett has chosen the Roman poet Ovid’s version of Medusa to base her retelling on.
This version of Medusa is an interesting take on the story because Medusa is telling her story from the depths of the underworld. She is putting the story straight after centuries of being unjustly portrayed as the villain. I would have liked to know why she chose now to put the story straight but sadly that is never explained. She starts at the very beginning and tells the reader her whole life story.
The first thing I realised with this story was that for a whole life story the book is rather short and I found this a shame as I just felt there was potential for a lot more detail in the book. I think it could have easily been another 100 pages and it would have explored Medusa’s personality in greater detail. The other thing that I found rather jarring was the modern language that Medusa used. Even if Medusa has been in the underworld for thousands of years I doubt she would be using the type of language she does at times and I just found it rather unbelievable.
I liked that the story included Medusa’s mother Ceto in the book as the retellings I have read in the past only mention Ceto as her mother and we never hear of her again. I would have liked to have seen more of Euryale and Stheno because they are an important part of Medusa’s life but their characters weren’t really developed and we didn’t see much of them or how the relationship between the sisters developed over the years.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but I just found it way too short and lacking detail. The characters needed more development and the relationships between characters needed exploring more. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Rosie Hewlett is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of MEDEA and MEDUSA.
Having secured a First Class Honours degree in Classical Literature and Civilisation at the University of Birmingham, Rosie Hewlett has studied Greek mythology in depth and is passionate about unearthing strong female voices within the classical world. Rosie currently lives in Kent with her husband and is now a full-time author spending her days lost inside her favourite stories from mythology.
Rosie’s first traditionally published novel, Medea, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Her self-published debut novel, Medusa, won the Rubery Book of the Year award in 2021 and is being re-released in hardback for the first time in autumn 2025.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Bookshop.org | Ebook | Harper Collins | TG Jones | Waterstones
Blurb
The story’s unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henry’s mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art.
Review
I first read this book back in 2002 and I must admit it wasn’t my favourite Austen novel and is one of the reasons I never bothered to read it again. However, I decided to give it another go this year because I remembered part of it is set in Bath which is one of my favourite places. I absolutely loved the descriptions of places I love in Bath and kept telling my husband where the characters were.
I am so pleased I decided to give this book another go because I absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down. Northanger Abbey is a hilarious coming of age and satire novel of the gothic genre. Instead of finding Catherine annoying which I did in my first read I found her adorable, funny and when she let her imagination run away with her I cringed for her but also understood where she had come from. Catherine loved reading novels especially novels by Ann Radcliffe so how could she not help imagining crazy gothic mysteries around every corner. When I read The Mysteries of Udolpho I also saw the potential for gothic mysteries everywhere.
Henry Tilney is definitely a new favourite character of mine from the Austen novels. He loves reading novels and doesn’t dismiss Catherine’s love of reading gothic novels like the pompous John Thorpe who I really could not stand. Tilney is a true gentleman, he takes time with Catherine, he listens to her and enjoys her company. He also forgives Catherine’s mistakes.
Isabella Thorpe is a character much like her brother but it doesn’t become clear straight away. In fact the Thorpe family were just terrible full stop and I could easily see how Austen had been influenced by people she knew in society. The people in society she clearly disliked and had little time for.
I loved this book and would happily read it again and again. I really appreciated this book more now that I am older. I give this book a massive 5 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Jane Austen born 16th December 1775 died 18th July 1817 was an English novelist known for her six major novels. Austen’s novels are known for social comedy and accurate depiction of human relationships.
Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. Today has been another busy day of teaching so I am looking forward to some reading later.
My chosen book to feature this week is one that has sat on my TBR pile and Goodreads TBR for a very long time. It is a new author for me but the storyline looked really interesting.
Bookshop.org | Ebook | TG Jones | Waterstones
The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown
1645. When Alice Hopkins’ husband dies in a tragic accident, she returns to the small Essex town of Manningtree, where her brother Matthew still lives.
But home is no longer a place of safety. Matthew has changed, and there are rumours spreading through the town: whispers of witchcraft, and of a great book, in which he is gathering women’s names.
To what lengths will Matthew’s obsession drive him? And what choice will Alice make, when she finds herself at the very heart of his plan?
Happy Reading
Hello!
My blogging this week has been a lot better and I even managed to get some reviews done. I have so many books to review and I really want to get them all done before Christmas but I’m not sure I will manage it.
Blog Posts
Currently Reading
I really don’t like having 3 books going at once but somehow it has happened but at the moment I am quite liking the combination.
Happy Reading
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Marlene of Reading Reality. It is all about sharing the books that you have recently added to your bookshelves. These books can be physical books, ebooks and of course audiobooks.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. I have managed a little bit of reading today as well as a bit of book sorting.
I am really getting back into my classics at the moment and I ordered this on Tuesday and I have already started reading it. I was not expecting it to be over 1000 pages though!
Happy Reading
Just Out of Jupiter’s Reach by Nnedi Okorafor
Blurb
Tornado Onwubiko is one of seven people on Earth paired with sentient ships to explore and research the cosmos for twenty million euros. A decade of solitary life for a lifetime of wealth. Five years into the ten-year mission of total isolation comes a a temporary meetup among fellow travelers. A lot can happen in a week. For Tornado, who left a normal life behind, a little company can be life-changing.
Review
This is the fifth book of The Far Reaches collection and my first book by Okorafor. I also think this book is my favourite of the collection. I would have loved this to have been a full length novel as I just wanted to know so much more.
The first thing I loved about this short story was the science and technology involved in the living ships called Miris. The ships really reminded me of one of my favourite TV shows Farscape. I really found the Miris fascinating and I would love to have learned more about them. I loved how each Miri adapted to whomever lived in them and made things comfortable for them.
Each captain of the Miris is on the ship on their own although some do have pets, they also have AI on board to help them. I loved the story and found the characters unique and interesting. There were a couple of scenes that I found quite sad but they also just added to the story. The story might only be 45 pages long but it really packed a lot in and I enjoyed Okoafor’s idea of what humans travelling the universe would be like and what they might encounter. I really enjoyed this short story and I will definitely be reading more by Okorafor in the near future. I give this story 5 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Nnedi Okorafor is a New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism, both terms she coined and defined. Born in the United States to two Nigerian (Igbo) immigrant parents and visiting family in Nigeria since she was a child, the foundation and inspiration of Nnedi’s work is rooted in this part of Africa. Her many works include Who Fears Death (winner of the World Fantasy Award and in development at HBO as a TV series), the Nebula and Hugo award winning novella trilogy Binti (in development as a TV series), the Lodestar and Locus Award winning Nsibidi Scripts Series, LaGuardia (winner of a Hugo and Eisner awards for Best Graphic Novel) and her most recent novella Remote Control. Her debut novel Zahrah the Windseeker won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. She lives with her daughter Anyaugo in Phoenix, AZ.
WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
The rules are answer the questions below and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.
Hello!
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have had a lovely day of reading.
What I am Currently Reading
I am about half way through Jane Austen’s Bookshelf and I am really enjoying it. However, it is giving me loads of books that I want to read so my wish list is growing and growing. I have just started a reread of The Hobbit and I am thoroughly enjoying it.
What I have Recently Finished Reading
I finished my reread of Northanger Abbey and I absolutely loved it!
What I Think I will Read Next
I am still thoroughly enjoying my nonfiction reading so I’m hoping to read one of these next.
Happy Reading
Lady Book Dragon 