Blame My Shelf

A story told in reverse, you meet Emily and Robbie, the dreamy, fateful couple that any good romance novelist would dream of. We quickly realise that, whilst they are fated to be together, there is a secret of some form which both drives them apart and binds them throughout the novel. At the inception, in the present day, they live in their idyllic coastal home, content and happy with their respective seafaring and obstetrician careers and two sons. We work backwards, and see a story of infertility and infidelity, alongside battles fought with alcoholism in Maine, Florida and Cambridge.   Importantly, as a reader, you do not have to wait for the final reveal that occurs in the last few pages, as everything is not as it seems. Cohen has displayed dexterity in this technique, where it seems as though the facts have been presented, but quickly, Cohen leads you to scratch the surface beyond this. Quickly, the characters endear themselves to you, and I tore through this book due...

Today, two fantastic non-fictions, a genre I previously would seldom reach for, however these writers have me changing my mind. Moranthology by Caitlin Moran ….everyone should remember that this is the very same reasoning that led more than 60 per cent of the female population to get Alexa Chung-style fringes last year – fringes that we all regret now, don’t we, ladies? This was Caitlin Moran’s first foray into column collation, and I can’t believe I left it this late to read it. I had already read How to be a Woman and Moranifesto, and therefore knew I would like this one. Moran covers everything, from growing up poor and inventing the cheese lollipop to critically analysing the sexiness of Benedict Cumberbatch. The charming quality to this book is that it does widen your mind – Moran does not shy away from complex social and political issues, however this is countered with humour pieces on why her new nickname should be puffin, thereby softening the approach and making ...