As a huge fan of Kate Davies novel ‘In at the Deep End’, I was pleased to be granted a review copy of ‘Nuclear Family’ by NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review – as always, opinions are entirely my own.
The book opens with Lena buying a DNA kit as a Christmas present for her dad (Tom) and her twin sister (Alison). She thinks it will be fun – plus there was an offer on the kits, so they’re a bargain! However, it forces Tom into the confession that Alison and Lena were conceived using a sperm donor – something that neither were really ready to find out in their thirties. Both respond very differently – but the impact on both is lasting as they reconsider their relationships, thoughts about having their own children and what it means to be family.
I’m delighted to take part in the blog tour for the paperback of Fern Brady’s brilliant memoir, ‘Strong Female Character’.
Thanks to Random Things Tours and Octopus Books for inviting me on to the tour and for my copy of the book for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.
From the Publisher:
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘I tore through this hilarious, smart, sad, revealing book’ – Bob Odenkirk ‘Funny, sharp and has incredible clarity’ – Jon Ronson ‘An absolute riot. I’m literally going to read it again once I’ve finished, and I’m a miserable bastard…it’s a belter’ – FRANKIE BOYLE ‘A set text for all of us in 2023’ – DEBORAH FRANCES-WHITE
A summary of my book:
I’m diagnosed with autism 20 years after telling a doctor I had it.
My terrible Catholic childhood: I hate my parents etc.
My friendship with an elderly man who runs the corner shop and is definitely not trying to groom me. I get groomed.
Homelessness.
Stripping.
More stripping but with more nervous breakdowns.
I hate everyone at uni and live with a psycho etc.
REDACTED as too spicy.
After everyone tells me I don’t look autistic, I try to cure my autism and get addicted to Xanax.
REDACTED as too embarrassing.
‘Fern’s book, like everything she does, is awesome. Incredibly funny, and so unapologetically frank that I feel genuinely sorry for her lawyers.’ – PHIL WANG
‘Of course it’s funny – it’s Fern Brady – but this book is also deeply moving and eye-opening’ – ADAM KAY
‘It made me laugh out loud and broke my heart and made me weep…I hope absolutely everyone reads this, and it makes them kinder and more curious about the way we all live’ – DAISY BUCHANAN
‘Glorious. Frank but nuanced, a memoir that doesn’t sacrifice voice or selfawareness. And it has brilliant things to say about being autistic and being funny’ – ELLE MCNICOLL
‘Strong Female Character is a testament to the importance of self-knowledge.’ – Rachael Healy, The Guardian
‘Fern is a brilliant, beautiful writer with a unique voice and even more unique story. Astute, honest and very, very funny.’ – LOU SANDERS
‘So funny and brilliant’ – HOLLY SMALE
‘Witty, dry, and gimlet-eyed, Strong Female Character is a necessary corrective. Brady offers a compelling, messy, highly resonant portrait of what masked Autism feels like.’ – Devon Price, author of Unmasking Autism
My Review:
I was so glad I was invited onto the blog tour for this book – I’d picked it up a few times in bookshops and weighed up whether it would be too sad, too challenging, too harrowing for me. I know Fern Brady is a comedian, but still…
This is the third book in the Emmy Lake series, following on from ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ and ‘Yours Cheerfully’. This is a series that is charming, cheerful and funny – even as the realities of World War II continue to have their impact on the characters’ lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for my opportunity to read this book and apologies for the late review.
In this third look at wartime Pimlico, we rejoin Emmy and her colleagues at the offices of Woman’s Friend, a publication packed with helpful tips on cooking, affordable fashion, and the general art of making do and getting by under rationing. One of the most popular sections is Emmy’s advice column, offering an invaluable lifeline to women trapped by their domestic situations, wartime problems or overwhelming worries. When a new owner takes over the publication (the titular Mrs Porter), Emmy and the team have to fight for the things that make their magazine unique and treasured by its readership.
Happy publication day to ‘The Christmas Appeal’ – 26th October, 2023.
I absolutely loved Janice Hallett’s ‘The Appeal’ so it was a joy to be given access to ‘The Christmas Appeal’ – a chance to rejoin the Fairway Players as they grapple with a pantomime, plus an unexpected dead body!
Happy publication day to ‘Grave Suspicions’ by Alice James. This is the third in the series to feature Lavington Windsor, everyone’s favourite estate agent by day and necromancer when the sun goes down!
I was incredibly lucky to be gifted a copy of this book by the author after I raved about the previous books in the series – you can read my reviews here. Anyway, you know the deal – opinions are still entirely my own, no matter how I got the book.
Today, I’m delighted to join the blog tour for Mhairi McFarlane’s latest romcom – thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me to join the tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Long-time readers of my blog might remember me raving about a book called ‘Grave Secrets’ a while back – if you missed it, my enthusiastic ramblings can be found here.
I totally fell in love with the sassy, funny, feisty necromancer Lavington Windsor at the heart of that book – so I was delighted to be gifted a copy of the sequel, ‘Grave Danger’, by the author. Regardless of how the book got into my hands, opinions are entirely my own.
The tagline for this book totally won me over – who doesn’t want to read about ‘gay gods, Sapphic saints and queerness through the ages’? Add in a back-cover mention of Lestat and Louis from ‘Interview with a Vampire’, Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando’ and (more classical and more what I expected from the book) Achilles and Patroclus from Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and I’m sold. Sign me up!
‘The Miseducation of Evie Epworth’ was one of my books of 2021 – I couldn’t wait to see how Matson Taylor was going to follow up his impressive debut novel. Thanks to NetGalley for granting me access to this sequel in exchange for an honest review.
This novel picks up a way after the first one finished with 1960s Evie heading for London. She’s now 10 years older and living the high life in 1970s London – until a surprising and unfortunate incident involving Princess Anne ends her BBC career a little prematurely. Faced with a number of possibilities, Evie picks herself up and tries some different paths with the help of her friends.
