Friday Reads including Women's Prize shortlist | Your True Shelf

[@RovingReader]

Those plants are so so cute!

[@YourTrueShelf]

I know, such a great gift!!

[@alldbooks9165]

Love the new cactus. Hope May is another good reading month for you.

[@YourTrueShelf]

Thanks Doris, and likewise for you too! X

[@josmith5992]

Oh I love that seventies Railway Children movie with Jenny Agutter 😍 I’ve not been as restrained as you and probably would have spent that voucher already, love the crocheted cacti!

[@YourTrueShelf]

That's the one! It was such a cute film and lovely to re-watch it, it was a childhood fave :) xx

[@TooManyHeathers]

Awww those cactuses are lovely!! 😭😍 Holy crap I had no idea Giovanni's Room was so intense 😳. Love at First Psyche sounds cute! I'm going to add it to my list! xx

[@YourTrueShelf]

They're so cute aren't they! Love at first psych or any of her books are great when you just need something to make you feel better 😊 xx

[@amy8458]

Hi Sarah Will check out The RailWay Children.

[@YourTrueShelf]

It's so sweet Amy, I think you'll really enjoy it.

[@amy8458]

@@YourTrueShelf I put it on my TBR.

[@OliviasCatastrophe]

I remember reading the railway children back when I was a child. I have giovanni's room waiting for me on my shelf as well, so I am glad to know his writing is so beautiful. I've read some of his essays but none of his fiction as of yet. Good to have a heads up on the sexism though. Ooh, glad to hear night bloom is so brilliant as that is one I have waiting for me on my shelf! I really had a fun time with daisy jones and the six and it felt like the characters were really realistic, almost like real people. And I became invested in the music industry and bandmates drama :D Great friday reads!

[@YourTrueShelf]

Thank you!! I loved night bloom so much! I've finished Daisy Jones now, I felt it was so similar to Almost Famous. I couldn't get as invested in the characters because it was all interview style, but I thought it was cleverly done.

[@pastorytime2683]

Hi Sarah! 👋 Re. James Baldwin, I've had to dnf other novels by him because of the misogyny.. He's a great writer, but I do think that the characters in Giovanni's Room are reflections of the author's views in some ways. Bert x

[@YourTrueShelf]

Hi Bert, that's really helpful, thank you :) What a shame! x

[@AaronReadABook]

I've got a trial with Audible at the moment so I might try Cara Bastone. I never read The Railway Children, but I remember the film was always on around Christmas. I'm sad that the one book i read from the woman's prize didn't make it so I might have to check out Brotherless Night.

[@YourTrueShelf]

I can see you liking Brotherless Night. Whether you'd like Cara Bastone I'm not sure, I don't think I've seen you read any romance that I can remember? But good to give new things a try! Seatmate was probably my fave by her so far.

[@AaronReadABook]

@@YourTrueShelf I'm pretty new to modern romance, I loved The Flatshare which I read earlier this year. I love the old stuff like Austen and Heyer.

[@YourTrueShelf]

@@AaronReadABook oh yes the flat share, that was so good!! I've read 3 Beth O'leary books now, but that's still my favourite.

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

I love the crochet cactuses! Great selection of books and good to hear how much you enjoyed the two WP books. I’m back to listening to River East River West after DNFing it the first time around before the shortlist. I still don’t like it very much. I just don’t like either of the main characters at all. Oh well, I’m going to try to finish it anyway so that I have read the whole shortlist. 😊📚

[@YourTrueShelf]

They're lovely aren't they! I am listening to River East on audio, maybe that helps. I am interested in the characters now, just not the mum at the moment! But I'm still fairly early days, I need to get a move on!

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

@@YourTrueShelf I’m also on audio, I absolutely can’t stand the mum. She makes the other two seem better by comparison but there’s still no one I care about. 🫣

[@YourTrueShelf]

@@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf that's a big no in a book for me, if I don't care about the characters at all or I don't like any of them.

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

@@YourTrueShelf and for me. I’m going to finish it but it has a lot to do to make me like it at the moment.

[@YourTrueShelf]

I'm about 3h20m in and to start with I thought I wouldn't enjoy it at all as I couldn't connect to either Alva or her mum, but I like Lu Fang's story and also that Alva is going through a teen rebellion. So I'm getting more invested.