Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. I expected Conversations with Women to be about women through a male gaze. I expected to grimace at Campbell’s attempt to capture the female experience. Both expectations were to be proven false within the first few pages. Campbell provides an outlook which is original and unique; an outlook which challenges … Continue reading Review of Conversations With Women, Cebo Campbell
When S. K. Nicholas announced the X and I snippets on his blog were to become a novel, I stopped reading them. I knew at that moment I wanted to read the novel as a whole; I wanted as much as possible to be a surprise. I knew it would be beautiful. What I did … Continue reading Review of X and I, S.K. Nicholas
For The Sender by Alex Woodard is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Through letters, prose and songwriting, Woodard reveals how he unravelled his own journey of growth and healing by trusting the process and listening to other voices telling their stories. The letters from Emily, Kim, Alison and Katelyn cover a myriad of feelings … Continue reading Review of For the Sender, Alex Woodard
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Rain and Embers by Ali Nuri is one of the best poetry collections I have read in a while. His talent lifts each page and the words situated on it to tell a vivid story about identity, belonging and displacement as well as exploring love and what it’s like to live … Continue reading Review of Rain and Embers, Ali Nuri
A GIRL IS A SHAPESHIFTER is Higgins’ debut poetry collection - pieced together alone and across six months, it follows the voice of a young woman intent on loving herself fiercely and making a mark on the ever-widening world around her. From the opening poem, ‘nice to meet you’, I was in love with Higgins’ … Continue reading Review of A Girl is a Shapeshifter, Jasmine S. Higgins
Bray’s debut novel A Song for Issy Bradley is a beautifully written tale about how a Mormon family chooses to grieve and move on from a tremendous loss. Throughout, Bray weaves stunning images which capture how differently a mother mourns to her seven year old son, or her deeply religious husband. The story is also … Continue reading Review of A Song for Issy Bradley, Carys Bray
The President’s Gardens is a heartbreaking tragedy which spans generations, following the lives of Abdullah, Ibrahim and Tariq in a small village in Iraq. The cyclical narrative unravels a story of loss, love and brutality, within which three men suffer greatly as well as their families. Before reading, Iraq was a country I knew very … Continue reading Review of The President’s Gardens, Muhsin Al-Ramli
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Sassafras by Trish Heald is a stunning debut. I laughed and cried as Heald expertly told a story about healing and family (whether tied by blood or friendship). When Champ’s wife, Pat, dies, both he and his family lose their peacekeeper and grief, as it so often does, slips its fingers … Continue reading Review of Sassafras, Trish Heald
Last year was about making time to read and by the end of 2018 I had read 43 books. For me, it was a success. It also lit a fire in my belly - I wanted to read more. This year, via GoodReads, I set myself a target of reading 50 books. I read 100. … Continue reading Top Ten Books of 2019
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Shoukry’s writing is candid and pleasant to read and follow. There is no attempt to complicate his thoughts and feelings or frame them in more academic language; he simply tells his story as it happened. I enjoyed how his account was interspersed with thought provoking chapters on Pain, Death and … Continue reading Review of It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt, A.I. Shoukry
