What have you been reading this week?

I went to take some photos yesterday and couldn’t find one of my latest reads. It’s not the first time that it’s happened but I’m normally able to find it after a bit of rearranging. I could not find this book anywhere. So, I decided to start organising my books. Starting with collecting ones that I could get rid of. I admit that I’m a bit of hoarder when it comes to books. Even if I don’t like a book or am unlikely to reread it, I’ll hang onto it for all my life. I have books from university that I still own for no reason. I’ve always lived in a house full of books and it just feel natural to keep them. But I was ruthless and managed to get the first box full of stuff I didn’t need. Here’s hoping I can keep this momentum going and get my madness down to a less chaotic level. Oh, and I did find the book eventually. It was inside a little pouch that I’d recently bought along with my Kindle. Past Laura really isn’t really my favourite person right now.

Weekly Blog Posts

• BOOK REVIEW – Strange Weather In Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

This was the book that has caused me so much pain and suffering today. It was this month’s book club read and one that I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Longer than I first realised it turned out. I bought the paperback before discovering that I’d had a copy of the Kindle version since 2016. Was it going to be worth the wait? You’ll need to head over to my review to find out.

• TUESDAY REVIEW – The Mitchells vs The Machines (2021)

Last weekend, I forgot to watch a film for my Tuesday review, which meant that I had to find something quick to watch on Monday. Luckily, Netflix had a new animated film from the producers of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The trailer hadn’t exactly wowed me but I figured that I might as well check it out. How bad could it really be? Head over to my review to find out.

• BOOK REVIEW – Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

I needed a quick read to finish in time for this review, so I pulled out another Agatha Christie. I started listening to this audiobook when I was working and it worked better than I expected. When I was working from home, I would often listen to audiobooks because there was nothing to distract me. Now I’ve got people around me and talking to me. Plus, it really does depend on what I’m doing. If I’m writing a lot then I can’t listen to a book or I’ll just start dictating. And I guess it also depends on the book. You need to find the perfect book for the occcasion. Was this one right? You’ll have to check out my my review to see.

Just Read

• Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Another Agatha Christie to get me through my week’s blogging. Although, I’d been meaning to read this books again for ages and I couldn’t think of a better time than now. I’ve always loved how unique her approach is here. That’s why this book stands out. I definitely think it’s up there with her best.

• Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie

I’ve read a lot of Agatha Christie books but I’ve still not read them all. This is one of the books that I hadn’t read before. Mostly because it’s not a Poirot or Miss Marple and they were my favourites growing up. So, when I was looking for something to listen to at work, I decided to give this one a chance.

Currently Reading

• You by Austin Grossman

My final read of the book is necessary to complete my Spell the Month challenge, so I need to get a move on. It’s the longest book that I’ve picked up in a while, so it feels like a lot of work. Thankfully, it’s a bank holiday weekend and all I have is time.

Book Haul

I bought a few new books this week and there will be more. Thanks to Waterstones and their double points weekend. I hate that I fall for it every time.

• Jokes for the Gunmen by Mazen Maarouf – A short story collection from 2019 that sound incredible. All the story revolve around war zones and I think they’re going to be incredible. Well, it was Longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize.
• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam – This is going to be an upcoming book club read and I’m getting ahead of the game. I’ve been wondering about this for a while, so we’ll see how it goes.
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – After loving Daisy Jones when it came out, I found it disappointing that I have no interest in her latest book. It just doesn’t sound like my thing. This one does.
• The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami – I already bought The Nakano Thrift Shop so I decided to carry on getting her other books. If nothing else, it’s a beautiful collection.
• The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century by Olga Ravn – Shortlisted for the International Man Booker Prize this year, I’m interested to see how this one turns out. It sounds intriguing.

Recently Watched

• TV:
  • 24– There is so much on Disney+ that I still need to watch but what am I doing? Rewatching old seasons of 24. I just love Kiefer Sutherland’s face that much. If Jack Bauer didn’t enjoy torture so much then he’d be the perfect guy.
• Movies: