BookReview DIARY OF A VOID by EMI YAGI #DiaryOfAVoid

ABOUT THE BOOK

A prizewinning, thrillingly subversive debut novel about a woman in Japan who avoids harassment at work by perpetuating, for nine months and beyond, the lie that she’s pregnant

When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job in Tokyo to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that, as the only woman at her new workplace–a company that manufactures cardboard tubes–she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can’t clear away her colleagues’ dirty cups–because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant.

Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata rests, watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. But pregnant Ms. Shibata also has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Helped along by towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app on which she can log every stage of her “pregnancy,” she feels prepared to play the game for the long haul. Before long, though, the hoax becomes all-absorbing, and the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.

A surreal and wryly humorous cultural critique, Diary of a Void is bound to become a landmark in feminist world literature.

PUBLISHED BY VIKING

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

Drawn in by the cover, I knew nothing of this book before I bought it but have found it to be a wonderfully quirky and absorbing little read on the roles of women and the feeling of loneliness in trying to ‘fit in’ and be accepted in a society that places labels on people.

Shibata is at the heart of the story – the only female in an office and that means she’s expected to carry out all the menial tasks no matter what she has on her plate. But that changes when she takes a bold step in pretending she’s pregnant. Immediately the male attitudes towards her change and more care is taken to spread the tasks round – the lengths you have to go to for some respect and courtesy eh!

As she envelops herself in her ‘role’ you get to see the other side of her life, one that is quite regimented and looking for acceptance. She feels part of the ‘mummies to be’ brigade and finally feels less invisible. It’s such a quirky concept that the lines are blurred often as to whether she is pregnant or not, but it really just adds to the charm of this book and gives you that wider look at society and how women have to fit certain criteria before they are even seen…

I loved this book and the gentle way her story was told. It’s not packed full of action but it is more relatable and emotion invoking because of it’s approach.

★★★★

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#BlogTour BAD HABITS by FLYNN MEANEY @penguinplatform @The_WriteReads #BookReview

Delighted to be with you today to share my thoughts on BAD HABITS by FLYNN MEANEY – all part of a wonderful Blog Tour put together by The Write Reads!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hilarious, bold, sparky and surprising, this is the funniest feminist book you’ll read all year.

Alex is a rebel from the tip of her purple fauxhawk to the toes of her biker boots. She’s tried everything she can think of to get expelled from her strict Catholic boarding school. Nothing has worked so far – but now, Alex has a new plan.

Tired of the sexism she sees in every corner of St Mary’s, Alex decides to stage the school’s first ever production of The Vagina Monologues. Which is going to be a challenge, as no one else at St Mary’s can even bear to say the word ‘vagina’ out loud . . .
published by Penguin Books

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Flynn Meaney is the author of The Boy Recession and Bloodthirsty. She studied marketing and French at the University of Notre Dame, where she barely survived the terrifying array of priests and nuns, campus ghosts, and bone-crushing athletes who inspired Bad Habits. Since completing a very practical MFA in Poetry, she works for a French company and travels often between New York (when she’s in the mood for bagels) and Paris (when she’s in the mood for croissants).

MY REVIEW

This was the much needed lighter read that I needed in these darker times we find ourselves in!  Alex is a fun and funky character who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘conforming’ and is desperate to do things her own way – no matter the consequences!!  She’s standing up for her rights but that isn’t always going to be well accepted at her very straight laced boarding school!!
You do feel sorry for her as a person as the school has become her family – her own parents are way too busy to do the ‘parenting’ thing so have shipped her off to a Catholic Boarding School – so you can understand why she’s desperate to rebel.  She wants some attention and she doesn’t care how she gets it!  Wanting to perform the Vagina Monologues with her Feminist Club isn’t going to have too many fans amongst the staff, but they set her a challenge and she is ready to accept that challenge!!
There’s lots of the normal teen stuff in this book that you can always relate to – friend issues, teen angst, boys being boys – and it made for a really entertaining read to follow her on her quest for success with her play!  This is no Mallory Towers though and this is a book of the times, with buzz words galore!!
Alex is a character who is not backwards in coming forwards, and I loved her attitude and ‘can do’ attitude! A funny and pleasing story!

★★★★

#BlogTour THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES by ALIX E HARROW @Tr4cyF3nt0n @orbitbooks #bookreview

A huge delight to be the lastest stop on the Blog Tour for the magical THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES by ALIX E.HARROW. My thanks to the author, publisher and Tracy of Compulsive Readers for putting the tour together and letting me be part of it all!

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.

PUBLISHED BY ORBIT BOOKS

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

hive.co.uk

blackwell’s

MY REVIEW

It’s witchy and it’s wonderful!! Buy it!!! 

How’s that for an easy review haha!! I absolutely adored every single second I spent in the company of the Eastwood sisters – all very different and not even in each others lives for a number of years UNTIL they are drawn together to fight the unfairness of a world that seems set on destroying women wanting to be heard.  Seen but not heard seems to be the order of the day but for these women that is not how they want things so despite their differences they come together to form a united front in fighting for what is right.

This is a story of strong women, of overcoming adversity and for standing up for what you believe in.  Their lives haven’t been easy and there are grievances between them but in fighting this common battle they grow closer together again and it was just such a wonderful story to read.

Many in New Salem want the past of their town forgotten and will do whatever it means to keep the old ways gone, but changing times are upon us so June, Beatrice and Agnes are at the centre of the efforts of the women’s movement. It’s an angry book, but inspiring and beautifully written from the  slow pace at times, to the revelations of the past and I just completely lost myself in the world created.  In the 3 main characters, Alix has conjured (sorry!) up such fascinating and polar opposite characters – you can see yourself in all of them – but they have that determination to keep fighting for what is right despite the obstacles put in front of them and the danger they put themselves in.

 I loved her previous book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, but think I loved this even more!! Definitely one of my books of 2020!!

★★★★★

#BookReview THE SISTERS GRIMM by MENNA VAN PRAAG @ThePigeonholeHQ

ABOUT THE BOOK

The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman.

Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .

As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.

To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.

So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.

PUBLISHED BY  BANTAM PRESS

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon UK

hive.co.uk

whsmith

MY REVIEW

I read this via THE PIGEONHOLE app.

I loved the mix of female characters, fantasy and the modern world in this compelling story, and it’s one of those books that you really lose yourself in! And that opening is a brilliant way to lead you into the Sisters Grimm world – very inspiring!

The 4 sisters are struggling with their own problems in their day to day life, but there’s always that feeling that there’s something more going on with visions and dreams and it was so rewarding seeing how the story built up when these ‘sisters’ are reunited approaching their 18th birthdays – when a whole new life is ahead of them and they have to choose their paths! This is a coming of age of a different kind for them all!

My favourite sister is Goldie as I just found her story easier to connect with and the introduction of Leo added the romance element which I really enjoyed. But all the sisters had their own interesting stories and the way the story was told really worked for me – I liked dipping in and out of each of their timelines while strange things started to happen and they were trying to work out why these things were going on.

It was magical and mystical, filled with dark and light moments and the struggles each girl faced made them much easier to find a connection with for me as a reader. These girls aren’t perfect – they’re torn, they have fears and doubts, life doesn’t always work out for them as they hoped and there’s always that element of wondering whether they are going to go down a darker path. It’s a story about finding your place in the world and that’s a very easy thing to relate to! A fabulous fantasy read – and I’m hoping there’ll be more from this Grimm world!

★★★★

#BookReview The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill

About the Book

Deep beneath the sea, off the cold Irish coast, Gaia is a young mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. On her first swim to the surface, she is drawn towards a human boy. She longs to join his carefree world, but how much will she have to sacrifice? What will it take for the little mermaid to find her voice? Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale is reimagined through a searing feminist lens, with the stunning, scalpel-sharp writing and world building that has won Louise her legions of devoted fans. A book with the darkest of undercurrents, full of rage and rallying cries: storytelling at its most spellbinding

Publisher  – Scholastic

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Hive.co.uk

Book Depository

MY REVIEW

Five stars for the cover alone!! I just wish the story inside was as powerful as it could and should have been! I was really looking forward to a re-imagining of The Little Mermaid and was hoping to have gone on a journey following Gaia in her quest for love, empowerment and dealing with a world that was extremely sexist, both in the water and on dry land.

BUT, what I think ended up happening with this story was that the author tried too hard to deal with all the sexist behaviour and injustices in the world within a few characters which lead to many of them being very hard to like, and that included Gaia and her prejudices too! It became far too preachy, far too contrived and I found myself wishing that the author had chosen another way to portray the story in certain places, other than ‘men are all pigs’ whether they live in the sea or are human!

I did enjoy the side of the story that underlined what women have lost in the way that they see themselves, and the lengths they go to betray who they really are, just to fit in and get the guy that they think they love! This is the kind of message I hope readers – especially young girls – get when they pick this up as it’s a powerful message to them to take back their own destiny and not to conform to what society expects. I will pass this book on to my niece and hopefully she will gain a valuable insight into the world and how it portrays women and how men see them through this story.

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