10 Quick Book Reviews

At the start of the year, I set myself the target of reading 20 books in 2020 and I'm officially halfway there!

Given that most countries in the world are facing lockdown at the moment, I thought I would share some honest reviews of what I've read so far to inspire your quarantine reading lists.

#1 The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Thanks to my Secret Santa, this year's reading was off to a good start with the follow up to Atwood's 1985 novel - The Handmaid's Tale. If you're not familiar with the story, The Handmaid's Tale is based in a dystopian America, known as Gilead, whereby women's rights have fallen and "Handmaids" are assigned to a high ranking family and ordered to produce children for them.

Whilst The Handmaid's Tale follows the story of one character, The Testaments features intertwining stories of three very different women associated with Gilead. I found myself getting attached to the characters and feeling their frustrations, fears, and fighting spirit. Each chapter made me excited to read on and I just couldn't put this one down!

#2 Are We Nearly There Yet? by Lucy Vine

⭐ ⭐ (and a half)

This is a really simple book about a woman who, having just turned 30, decides to quit her job and go travelling. Although I found myself cringing in parts, there were some moments that had me laughing. This is definitely a good book for reading by the pool on your holidays in your garden or at the park whilst maintaining an acceptable social distance from others.

#3 The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (and a half)

A group of friends from Oxford Uni set off on a trip to a remote lodge in the Scottish Highland to celebrate New Year's Eve (or Hogmanay as it's referred to in Scotland) after a decade apart. Tensions start to set in, secrets are revealed and on New Year's Day, one of them is found dead.

This is a classic whodunnit, with some wild characters and shocking twists. Despite the fact that none of the characters are particularly likeable, the short chapters kept me interested and wondering who the suspect could be.

#4 The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Since murdering her husband and being placed into a psychiatric ward, Alicia hasn't spoken a word. Theo, her new psychotherapist is convinced that he is the one who can make her talk again.

My partner's mum actually posted this one to me because she thought I would like it and you know what? She was right. My go-to genre of book is definitely crime or thriller and this one is probably the most original and gripping that I've read. I got completely engrossed in it and finished it within a couple of days.

#5 Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

A work of non-fiction, Invisible Women highlights a global problem of data bias. Typically, the data used to guide decisions excludes women which causes problems for them when it comes to building cities, creating drugs and even programming your Alexa's and Siri's.

The book is broken down into areas of research and provides an array of alarming statistics. As a woman, I found this to be frustrating and disheartening, but also incredibly insightful and eye-opening. The global approach to the book allowed me to be better educated on the issues faced by my fellow females across the world.

Everyone, regardless of gender, should read this.

#6 Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (and a half)

Originally written in Spanish, Fever Dream is a short story centred on a dying woman and a young boy at her bedside. The story tells us how she got there, but it's ambiguous, mysterious, and leaves you questioning what is reality.

Fever Dream is creepy and almost has a sense of dizziness to it. It's only 150 pages long and with no chapters, parts or breaks, it's best consumed in one sitting.

#7 Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

An easy and enjoyable read, Such a Fun Age follows the story of Emira - an African American woman who is the nanny for a wealthy white family. One evening, she is accused of kidnapping the child she looks after which sets off a turbulent string of events with her employer, Alix.

Alix and Emira's relationship is ultimately altered and becomes more intense, especially when Emira's latest love interest is added to the mix.

Such a Fun Age brings to light issues of class and race in modern day America, but does so through light language and humour.

#8 The Outsider by Stephen King

⭐ ⭐(and a half)

Like most of King's novels, this was a slow burner with some exciting and twisty moments.

The Outsider centres on Ralph Anderson - a detective investigating a gruesome murder case where the prime suspect is a beloved local sports coach. However, the compelling DNA evidence and series of eyewitness testimonies are thrown by a solid alibi that he was miles away when the incident occurred.

The tale goes down a strange and supernatural route, with plenty of surprises along the way.

Unfortunately, whilst I have read quite a few of King's novels, this one was probably my least favourite. Towards the end, I found it getting a bit too far-fetched (I know they all do, but this one was particularly wild for me) and I was left disappointed in the ending. However, I wouldn't write it off completely and think it would be a good read for those who enjoy supernatural and ghostly tales.

#9 Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

An absolute classic, Farenheit 451 is set in a dystopian world where books are banned and burned.

It really got me thinking and empathising with the main character - Guy Montag - a fireman whose job it is to burn books found in houses. It felt quite mysterious and open to interpretation in some parts which I do enjoy in a book.

#10 Cows by Matthew Stokoe

⭐ ⭐

To be really blunt, this book is so disgusting that I was considering not including it here as that basically admits that I had read something so abhorrent. It follows the tale of Stephen, a 25 year old recluse who works at a slaughterhouse. With added abuse, sex, murder, bodily fluids and talking bovines, this book is not for those with a faint heart or vegetarian diet.

From the reviews, I knew it was a bit gruesome, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to set my eyes on. There are parts of this book that I wish I could un-read as they are quite literally vomit-inducing.

I understand that it's going for the shock factor, but it was definitely to the extreme. The obsessive gore in every chapter took away from what could have been a decent read about deprivation and insanity.

If you were looking for some reading inspiration, I hope this has helped! I'm still ploughing ahead to reach my target of 20 books this year and will add another similar post then.

Lyns x