Steady rhythm, joy
Recommendations #8
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I’m not normally captured by songs but Innocence and Sadness by Dermot Kennedy helps me with any mood - I promise this won’t turn into a music blog (maybe I have been affected by Deep Cuts more than I realised, see below!). All this to say, I think the lyrics to this song are some of the most beautifully written words, hence todays title “steady rhythm, joy”*. A mantra that reflects springtime perfectly.
I was at an event last night where our Queen, the Patron Saint of Millennial Women, Dolly Alderton interviewed Emma Jane Unsworth for the release of her latest novel Slags. I went into the evening intrigued by the book and left super excited to read it! Slags flips between a 15 year old Sarah and a 41 year old Sarah which sounds like a fabulous set up to me.
I adored Animals and Adults by Unsworth - if you like reading about the ever-changing nature of female friendships when navigating different life choices, you will too! - so I can’t wait to dive into Slags.
Currently reading: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry**
COSY & COMFORTING
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum (Author) Shanna Tan (Translator)
Published: Feb 2024
Summary: This book lives out a real life fantasy, the quit your job and buy a bookshop one. It envelops you into Yeongju’s life and you root for her success the way you would an old friend. Yeongju not only quit her job but also divorced her husband so she is *really going through it* but not in a panicked “what the F have I done?!” way but in more “that was tough but I know I’m on the right path” way. This book is gentle, earnest and wholesome. Plus, who doesn’t love reading about the comings and goings of a bookshop!
LOVE & BEING HUMAN
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Published: Mar 2025
Summary: Right, this book has just been released and (1) already has a cast of incredible actors attached to it, namely Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler, (2) is being heralded as “The biggest new literary debut of 2025” and (3) is being defined as a cross between Normal People, Daisy Jones & The Six and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow! Talk about hype.
I was pumped going into it and even though (as stated above) I am not a music connoisseur, I wasn’t put off by all the music chat and I did really enjoy it. But, and I’m going to whisper this, I don’t think I liked Percy at all. And I don’t think I bought their chemistry. Now, I don’t ever want to be like my one friend who told me Bridesmaids (arguably the most wonderful, hilarious film) is “actually really sad because Annie is clearly depressed and everyone is being mean to her” and ruin this for you, so maybe just approach it as another good book and ignore everyone screaming “IT’S GOING TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE”… Please read it asap so we can talk about it. Thanks!
INTENSE & REWARDING
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
Published: Sept 2018
Summary: A non-fiction recc! As a dabbler in the non-fiction world the books I do read really have to grip me and boy did this book have been by the horns.
Follow Gordievsky, a double agent who was a senior KGB officer working for MI5 from 1974-1985 (during the cold war). “No spy had done more to damage the KGB.” It’s told like a crime thriller not a text book, so you are on the edge of you seat at every hand over and breathe a sign of relief at each safe house and then you remember THIS REALLY HAPPENED. Huge kudos to Ben Macintryre’s research, what a feat! Plus Gordievsky only died last month at the age of 86… RIP and thank you for your service.
I stand by every single 5 star review it gets on goodreads (there are 50,000 of them!). Yours will be next.
PICK ‘N’ MIX
All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
Published: Sept 2020
Summary: This book almost defies description. Trent Dalton is a hugely famous Aussie author who’s Boy Swallows Universe blew up on Netflix (at least it did in Australia). I haven’t read any of his other work as I feel like a year between each book is needed to really let it land. It’s funky. Like nothing I’ve read before. Totally encapsulating. Riveting. Mesmerising. And a bit witchy.
Join Molly on her quest (it’s way more than an adventure) to remove a curse from her family. This makes it sound like sci-fi/ distopian novel and it’s not. Molly is a child who genuinely believes there is a curse on her family and will do anything to remove it. It is set in 1942 Darwin (the middle top of Australia). It’s hot and a bit trippy, but very very good. You really just have to dive in and roll with it.
As ever, happy reading xo
* Other stand out lyrics include“working on the karma but it takes time” and “lost inside the forest by it feels fine”.
** Emily Henry is an enigma to me.
If you’d like to read more of my recommendations see my previous posts here:
Or if you want to see a full overview of all the books I’ve recommended see this full list here.
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