The Eights by Joanna Miller, rated 3.75 out of 4 stars, explores the lives of four women at Oxford in 1920 as they navigate personal loss, identity struggles, and the aftermath of war. While the novel showcases brilliant character moments and a satisfying conclusion, it occasionally drags, making it a mixed experience for the reader.
Tag Archives: Book Reviews
2026 Book #8: The Bluest Eye
Book: The Bluest EyeAuthor: Toni MorrisonRating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Completed this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt #16 (A book less than 260 pages). Ohio in the 1940s. This is the story of the lives of a poor Black family – Cholly, Pauline, and their children, Sammy and Pecola. Pecola – who is considered ugly – grows enamouredContinue reading “2026 Book #8: The Bluest Eye”
2026 Book #7: Birnam Wood
Book: Birnam WoodAuthor: Eleanor CattonRating: 🌟🌟🌟 1/2 Completed this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt #1 (A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot) and the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge Prompt #9 (featuring a natural disaster). Korowai Pass, New Zealand. A guerrilla gardening group called Birnam Wood led by ecological rebelContinue reading “2026 Book #7: Birnam Wood”
2026 Book #6: Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts
Book: Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts Author: Josie Shapiro Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Completed this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt #39 (a book about a character who runs a marathon) and the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge Prompt #18 (provokes strong emotion) Mickey Bloom had the makings of a misfit from childhood. Short, dyslexic andContinue reading “2026 Book #6: Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts”
2026 Book #5: To Be Taught, If Fortunate
Book: To be Taught, If FortunateAuthor: Becky ChambersRating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Completed this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt #5 (a book about women astronauts) and the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge Prompt #11 (requires suspension of disbelief). It is the end of the twenty-second century, and human spaceflight is now possible further and further away with theContinue reading “2026 Book #5: To Be Taught, If Fortunate”
2026 Book #3: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
A young adult story of survival amidst a revolution which is heartbreaking and beautiful, though the romance is a bit over the top. Still, an important read.
2026 Book #2: The Family Remains
Book: The Family Remains (Sequel to The Family Upstairs) Author: Lisa JewellRating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 DCI Samuel Owusu (never Sam, always Samuel) finds himself in the centre of a cold case investigation when a bag of bones is discovered in the river. He connects the case back to a strange house where a suicide pact took placeContinue reading “2026 Book #2: The Family Remains”
Book Review: Just Another Day
It’s always nerve-wracking to read a close friend’s writing – and especially so when it is writing that has just been published. Fortunately with Piyusha Vir’s “Just Another Day”, I needn’t have worried at all. This collection of three short stories, Vir’s debut book, is available on Kindle, and did not disappoint.
Scribblemarks 