November 2024

Sadly, I have to start off this entry with a clarification. In my last post, I said that my friend Clare was responsible for us going to Coffee with a Bookseller at Topping’s in Edinburgh. It was actually Sara who told Clare about it in the first place. Sara, I am deeply sorry.

Now that that’s been cleared up, does anyone else feel like they’re some kind of slug that’s trailing its way toward the end of the year? I got over my post-viral fatigue, only for it to be replaced with some kind of malaise and need to hibernate. I’m so bloody tired and it feels like everyone I speak to is feeling the exact same way!

With this in mind, I basically did no reading in November, so this one will be short. I’m also in a bit of a music funk, so my playlist isn’t great. Despite all of this, my overall state of mind is quite positive. I’m in wintering mode, I’m eating a lot of red meat and stews and drinking countless cups of tea. I’m getting excited for some proper down time. There’s also lots of exciting things coming for me in 2025, namely going to see Lana del Rey in Anfield. Life is truly delicious.

Anyway, onto the books.

Think Again by Jacqueline WilsonKeen readers will remember that I read all of the original books in preparation for reading this one. While it was a fun nostalgia trip, I was ultimately disappointed. Loads of details were incorrect from the original books, which I usually wouldn’t mind except that everything was fresh in my mind from having just read them. Magda and Nadine felt a bit 2D, I didn’t really get the story arc with Ellie’s dad and the queer storyline was a bit last minute and random? Anyway, I did enjoy it cos it was nice to see what ultimately became of all the characters, but I don’t think I’ll read it again.

The Whittiers by Danielle SteelThis may actually end my series of Danielle Steels, because I think I’ve listened to all of the audiobooks that are available through my library. Devastating! Anyway, this one is about a really rich family (like they own a house as opposed to an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan) with five kids. Tragedy strikes (of course!) and when their parents die in a freak skiing accident, the adult children have to figure out what to do next. Accidental pregnancies! Closeted gay guys! Autism! This book truly has it all. She’s done it again you guys! I wish I had a house on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but I digress.

Women by Chloe CaldwellThis one came highly recommended and it blew me away. It’s a short one (144 pages) and tells the story of our narrator and her first same-sex relationship and the realisation it awakens in her that she is gay instead of straight. Finn, the object of her affection, is older, coupled and far more experienced than her, but their odd and mutually-destructive affair will be familiar to many people. It’s a beautiful study into Sapphic love and desire, as well as the relationships that are difficult to walk away from. I already want to read it again

I finished Women on 4 November, started a new book, and didn’t finish that until the start of December. I had aimed to read 104 books in 2024, or two a week. I’m currently at 94, so let’s see where December takes us. As usual, my Spotify playlist is below.