audiobook Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘Etta Lemon: The Woman Who Saved The Birds’ by Tessa Boase

I’ll admit that I came to this book for perhaps strange reasons – I’d heard that it was originally published as ‘Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather: Fashion, Fury and Feminism’ and that sounded right up my street. I didn’t know who Etta Lemon was, but I settled in for a good read about suffragettes and their fancy outfits.

It was kind of half what I expected, but all fascinating!

Non-Fiction Audiobook Recommendations

Regular visitors to my blog know that I’m an insomniac with an audiobook habit! Here’s some of the best I’ve listened to recently…

Book Review: ‘Femina’ by Janina Ramirez

I’m a big fan of Janina Ramirez on Twitter and TV but new to her writing – thanks to NetGalley for granting me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise for this book – a kind of re-evaluation of what we think we know about the middle ages and a reinstatement of women within that historical narrative. Ramirez starts from the idea that actually we do know about some powerful and influential women from this time period, but that the dominant narrative of kings, battles and manly Vikings have erased them. When I saw ‘we do know’, I really mean that Ramirez knows – I didn’t have a clue and was pleased to be introduced to some of history’s forgotten women.

Fantastic Non-Fiction

I read a lot of non-fiction – probably something that makes me a bit different from a lot of book bloggers who (quite rightly) focus on the wealth of glorious fiction out there. I love fiction, read fiction and spent my academic life on (classic, modern and feminist) fiction.

But I have insomnia and a night-time non-fiction audiobook habit!

With this in mind, I thought I’d update on some of the brilliant non-fiction books that I’ve listened to or read recently.

May 2022 Wrap-Up and June TBR

It’s been a very slow reading month for me – life got in the way and I only managed 6 books, putting me behind in my Goodreads Challenge on 46/120.

Still, onwards and upwards! I’ve now got many half-read books that I hope to finish in June along with some new additions to the TBR.

(Audio)Book Review: ‘A Marvellous Light’ by Freya Marske

I’m so sorry it took me so long to read this!

The story is about a young baronet, Robin Blyth, who takes on a mysterious commission within the British government, not realising that he is expected to be the point of liaison between his world and the magical one. Given that he doesn’t know that magical society exists until he meets Edwin Courcey, his sexy-but-hostile magical colleague, this proves a challenge to say the least. Robin and Edwin find themselves thrown together in some dangerous situations…and working to uncover a plot that threatens the very existence of magical society.

(Audio)Book Review: ‘Square Haunting’ by Francesca Wade

Another book that I’m shamefully late in reading – but very glad that I did.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review – I also bought a copy of the audiobook from Audible and so my review reflects my experiences of both.

This book centres on Mecklenburgh Square, an address in Bloomsbury, London that was home to five groundbreaking and fascinating women during the interwar years. It’s an interesting idea, that this little corner of London famous for its thinkers and writers, was the shared address of these brilliant women – even though they didn’t live there at the same time and were often resident at very different points in their lives. For all of them, Mecklenburgh Square proved to be the ‘room of one’s own’ (in Virgina Woolf’s words) that gave the women the freedom to develop their careers independently.

(Audio)Book Review: ‘Madhouse at the End of the Earth’ by Julian Sancton

I’m quite obsessed with Antarctica and love historical non-fiction, so this was an obvious choice for me. The book’s subtitle – ‘The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night’ sold it to me instantly!

(Audio)Book Review: ’24 Hours in Ancient Rome’ by Philip Matyszak

I love an Audible bargain and this is one of my best purchases of recent times!

The book covers 24 hours in the life of Ancient Rome, with each ‘hour’ focusing on a different person who lives in the city. We see a diverse selection of people over the course of the day, as well as learn a lot about how the inhabitants of Rome lived. This is clever and entertaining social history.

January Wrap-Up and February TBR

January was both approximately four years long and very busy at work.

Despite the endlessness of the month, I only managed to read 13 books – a totally respectable number, but I wonder what on earth I did with the rest of the eternal days and weeks!

This puts me on 13/120 for my Goodreads Challenge for 2022.

All links are affiliate ones - as always, thanks so much for any purchases as they are really sppreciated and help pay for my blog!