#scottishbookclub

[bibliobethblog]

Ginger and Me is the brilliant debut novel from Elissa Soave and was one I read as part of the #scottishbookclub run by the lovely Natalie from @scottiesandbooks ⁣ ⁣ It goes without saying that it felt like a little slice of home reading this book having been resident in England for some time now, but it also felt super nostalgic reminding myself of my own (extremely awkward!) teenage and young adult years. ⁣ ⁣ The Me in the novel is Wendy, a nineteen year old young woman who has struggled since losing her mum to cancer for some time, but with the help of her social worker, she is buoyed to increase her interactions with people and ends up joining a writers group. ⁣ ⁣ It is gently insinuated that Wendy falls somewhere on the spectrum but as her confidence in social skills increases, she meets a fifteen year old girl called Ginger who she begins an intense friendship with. Wendy feels at her most comfortable with her scheduled bus route and regular passengers she has got to know as a driver. ⁣ ⁣ With the addition of Ginger, her writing group and a local author on Twitter, Diane Weston, whom she admires (and who sometimes likes Wendy’s tweets!) completes her small circle of trusted people in her life. However, as Wendy learns more about Ginger and the way in which Ginger is trying to escape her life, she has no idea of the mess they are going to get into as she continues to broaden her horizons. ⁣ ⁣ Ginger and Me is certainly an impressive and memorable novel. Instantly, I became quite attached to Wendy as a character and felt protective over her, especially at the points in the narrative where she makes certain decisions that I just wanted to pull her away from! The author is not afraid to illustrate the darker moments for both Wendy and those that she connects with, which only makes it a more emotional and authentic reading experience. ⁣ ⁣ This is a beautiful coming of age story, exploring hardship, neglect and the difficulty of interacting in the world if you’re a little bit different. I’ll certainly be looking out for more books by Elissa Soave in the future. ⁣ ⁣ Four solid stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cngfs-zLQ4-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday! My first day back at work went much better than expected and it was nice to get back in the swing of things. Here are all the books I’m #currentlyreading (most are on my Kindle for those who think I’ve calmed down in these past two weeks!) 🙈🤣 I’m still making my way through Voyager in the Outlander series and my Life After Life re-read. I’m over halfway through both now and really enjoying them. I’ve made a small dent in my nonfiction read, Sapiens and it’s started off well. The Count Of Monte Cristo is going less well as I’ve really fallen behind with the buddy read. Hoping to catch up a little this weekend. I couldn’t take it on holiday with me as you can see, it’s quite the chunkster! I’m also doing well with Light Rains Sometimes Fall which I’m reading with Mr B until Feb 2023. New books I’m reading: Far From The Madding Crowd. I finished my re-read of Return Of The Native before my holiday and Mr B picked this Thomas Hardy for me to read next. I’m very excited as I haven’t read this one before! A Passage North - shortlisted for the Booker prize in 2021 I’m only 50 pages through this but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far! Kingdom Of Ash - this is the last book in the Throne Of Glass series and I don’t want it to be over! Again, behind with the buddy read 🙈 but about 300 pages in. On my Kindle: Larry’s Party by Carol Shields. In the middle of making sure I’ve read all of the @womensprize winners. This won in 1998 and I’m hoping to finish it tonight. Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister - buddy reading with my sister @chrissireads should finish this in the next couple of days Ginger And Me by Elissa Soave - reading this with the #scottishbookclub and hoping to finish tomorrow night. Loving it 😍 The It Girl by Ruth Ware - not very far through this buddy read with the #bitcrackbookclub at all 😅 but hoping to catch up after I finish the above three. Listening to: The Best New True Crime Stories:Serial Killers edited by Mitzi Szereto. Just started this tonight so too soon to have an opinion So that makes 13 if my count is correct! I’d love to know all your thoughts in the comments! https://www.instagram.com/p/ClmUrD5LGBk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

This was my first read with the #scottishbookclub and we really did start off with a cracker! I hadn’t been aware of the author’s @kirklandciccone work before, although I notice this is his first work for adults but I really look forward to whatever he does next. ⁣ ⁣ Set in Cumbernauld, a small working class town in Scotland, this story follows Walter Wedgeworth who grows up there in the 1990’s. Walter is one of a kind - who else would be brave enough to wear their gran’s old fur coat to school in 90’s Scotland where sometimes it’s easier to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out?! ⁣ ⁣ Of course I loved the individuality of Walter from the very start. When we first meet him, he has found a dead baby in a cardboard box (which would be harrowing for anyone of any age) but from this moment we really learn a much about Walter as a character. As he continues to grow and learn about the world, particularly regarding his own sexuality (asexual), he approaches life with kindness, candour, understanding and thoughtfulness, despite a difficult home life. ⁣ ⁣ There were so many moving moments in this novel, particularly in regards to Walter as he comes of age and, more than anything, this book burst with authenticity. It discussed real people in real situations with real and very difficult problems. It reminded me of struggles I’ve had and made me grateful for how I had got through them. It also shone a new and very important light on being yourself, not being afraid to express your own unique personality and that amidst darkness, there’s always optimism and light if you can search hard enough for it. Wonderful book and I can’t wait to read more! ⁣ ⁣ Four solid stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #scottishbookclub #scottishbookstagrammer #scottishbooks #bookssetinscotland #happinessiswastedonme #kirklandciccone #readingonmykindle #workingclassscotland #booksthatmakeyouthink #asexualcharacters #buddyreads #bestbooksforbookclub https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgw3jtMI0Kk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

Morning from the UK everyone! Bit of an early post from me today as I’m scheduled to get my thyroid out this morning 🫣 obviously I had to share a book haul with you first though!! The House With The Golden Door is the second book in @elodielharper Wolf Den trilogy and I buddy read it with the beautiful Cath from @sandladysbooks review coming soon but I loved it! Set in Pompeii, this trilogy reimagines the lives of women often overlooked. Carrying on along a similar line, we have a short story by Madeleine Miller, one of my favourite authors. This tells the tale of a gifted sculptor in Ancient Greece who is blessed by a goddess when his sculpture comes to life. Now his wife, Galatea is expected to be obedient and humble but she soon learns to use her beauty to her advantage. Her husband locks her up to keep her under control but she has a daughter to rescue and is determined to escape, whatever the cost. Finally, it’s the second book by Douglas Stuart, Young Mungo after the success of Shuggie Bain and winning the Booker prize. It tells the story of two young men, Protestant Mungo and Catholic James who should be sworn enemies but end up best friends and fall in love. This is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by so many queer people and the dangers of loving someone too much. I’m due to read this soon with the #scottishbookclub and I can’t wait! I’d love to know your thoughts on any of these books or authors. Let’s have a chat in the comments! #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #bookfiend #booklover #lovemybooks #thehousewiththegoldendoor #elodieharper #wolfdentrilogy #galatea #shortstories #greekmythologyretold #youngmungo #douglasstuart #bookssetinscotland #scottishbooks #bookhaul https://www.instagram.com/p/CgTgTESAkKt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=