Funny Story by Emily Henry – ARC Review

 

Title: Funny Story

Author: Emily Henry

Genre: Romance

Publishing House: Viking (Penguin General UK)

Synopsys (from Goodreads): A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Rating: 4/5 stars

 

A huge thank you to the publishing house, Viking (Penguin General UK), for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for this book and for providing me with an E-Arc through NetGalley.

All opinions, however, are completely my own.

 

TW: toxic parents, emotional abuse, absent father

 

This review will be completely spoiler-free

 

Hey there guys, today I’m here with a review of a book from one of my favourite authors ever: Emily Henry. I know this book has come out a month ago, but life got in the way, so better late than ever, here we are with my review of Funny Story.

I have read every single Emily Henry’s romance book, and I love her writing style, her wittiness and her plots. I always say that she’s for me in romance literature what Taylor Swift is for me in music, since they both touch a lot of emotions that I feel with all my heart.

Henry’s books have always been 5-stars reads for me (with the exception of Book Lovers, which still remains my least favourite one). I have to say that sadly this one wasn’t a 5 star for me either. I expected a bit more from it, and while this was still better than most books I’ve read this year, since it is Emily Henry, it didn’t blow my mind. I would still read Henry’s grocery list, though, there’s no doubt in that.

This book is very fun (no pun intended) in its premise, since it follows Daphne, who was dumped by her ex-fiancé. He wanted to get together with his best friend Petra, who was Miles’ girlfriend. Miles is our other main character. In an act of compassion, and equally hurt by what happened to them, Miles offers Daphne, who’s temporarily without a home, to go live with him. You can imagine what happens from there.

I really liked Daphne and Miles’ characters, they had all of the characteristic I search in an Emily Henry’s novel, they were witty, they were still searching themselves, and their banter was top notch. I truly think no one can write a dialogue like Miss Henry. But I didn’t believe in their romance like I believed the other ones in her books. If I have to choose one couple from Henry’s books who probably has broken up after the epilogue, I’m sad to say… this one would be it. I just didn’t feel their tension, or a big chemistry. I felt a lot of affection between them at the end of the book, but I don’t know if it was love yet.

Also, there was a fake dating trope that lasted for the span of literally two seconds, it was thrown there, and it was never picked up again.

But while the romance didn’t totally convince me, what really got to me, and that even made me shed a tear or two was Daphne’s relationship with her father. Henry’s always got the best side-plots in romance books, and that’s something I really appreciate. The love story between the two main characters is not the only focus, and she got, also in this book, to examine some family dynamics that were heavy to read, but I think really formative for the growth of our main character. At the end of the book, I think Daphne found a little bit of the hope she had lost of the beginning of the story and that was beautiful to see.

Okay guys, that was my review for Funny Story by Emily Henry, I highly recommend it if you are in search for a romance with good banter and a good side plot.

Thank you so much for reading,

Watching Books – April 2024

Hey guys, how are you? I cannot believe that it’s already May, the warm season is upon us and I couldn’t be happier about that, sunny days are upon us, and with that, we have also some bookish adaptations news I want to discuss with you. We had some exciting ones last month, so get ready, and let’s get started!

 

• The first news for the month regards the movie based on the book Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. It will be released in theatres on December 6^th of this year. The movie is directed by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood) and Amy Adams (American Hustle, Sharp Object) plays the main role in it.

 

 

• A massive and exciting news if you like the Dune franchise: the third movie Dune: Messiah, based on the novels by Frank Herbert, is officially in development at Legendary. This movie is supposed to have a 12-year gap in the plot from the events of the first two movies, and the director, Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) revealed that the screenplay is still in the early stages of development.

 

 

 

• We have the first promotional picture of Sam Claflin (Love Rosie, Daisy Jones and the Six) in The Count of Monte Cristo .  It is of course based on the classic story by Alexandre Dumas.
  This one is supposed to come out in September of this year, and it will supposedly debut on the Italian channel Rai 1 (a commissioning broadcaster of the project).

 

 

 

• We have the trailer for the movie Maxton Hall, based on the book Save Me by Mona Katsen. The boarding school/romance movie will come out on Amazon Prime Video on May 9^th. You can watch the trailer here.

 

• And speaking of Amazon Prime Video projects, we heave the first promotional pictures of the TV series based on the book My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows. We also came to know that the series will debut on June 27^th I’m so excited, I love historical TV shows, and this seems to have romance, humor, a wonderful aesthetic, all of it.

 

• Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy) is going to produce an adaptation of the novel The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. The sci-fi novel is following two boys from enemy countries and the rescue mission they’re going on together. Oh, and love is also involved. It seems really cool.

 

 

• While we are all waiting for our beloved Polin season (at least I sure am), we came to know that season 4 of Bridgerton, based on the historical novels by Julia Quinn, will begin filming in June, and it should follow Benedict.

 

 

• Three amazing casting news for the third season of Heartstopper, based on the famous comics by Alice Oseman. Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Fellow Travelers) has joined the cast in the role of Jack Maddox, Eddie Marsan (Hancok, The Illusionist) will play Charlie’s therapist, Geoff and Hayley Atwell (Christopher Robin, Agent Carter) will play Nick’s aunt, Diane.

 

 

 

 

• We have the first promotional pictures from the movie based on the acclaimed novel It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. It will premiere on the 21^st of August of this year.

 

 

 

• And last, but certainly not least, I’m so excited to say that we have the first trailer for the movie based on the book This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. I loved the book, and this trailer seems so, so, so good, I can’t wait to watch it. The movie will premiere in UK and Ireland on the 3^rd of June.

 

Okay guys, these were all the news for this month, I hope you enjoyed them, and please let me know your favourite in a comment down below.

Thank you so much for reading,

 

Books as Songs from The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift

Hey there guys? How are youuuuu? How are we all holding up? I’m literally so overwhelmed because yesterday “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift came out, and are we kidding? And she also put out a double album? I’m writing this with tears in my eyes, I’m so freaking overwhelmed. I like it soooo much through my first listens. It’s very different from what I expected but it was so good, I definitely enjoyed it a lot. And now, we are going to pair these songs with some books. And also, I hope you don’t mind, I’m so sorry guys, but this time I won’t give long explanations as to why I chose every book, there are literally 31 songs, I could be here all day and night. You will have to just go with the lyrics for this one, and my brief comment, I’m so sorry again.
Oh my God, are we ready? Let’s go.

1. Fortnight by Post Malone

“And for a fortnight, there we were

Forever running to you

Sometimes ask about the weather

Now, you’re in my backyard, turned into good neighbors

Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her”

Book: Everybody here is lying by Shari Lapena

It’s giving murder in a small neighbourhood and cheating to be honest.

2. The Tortured Poets Department

“And who’s gonna know you?

If not me

I laughed in your face and said, “You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith

This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel, we’rе modern idiots”

And who’s gonna hold you?

Like me”

 

Book: Alone with you in the ether by Olivie Blake

We love a torturous moment and a torturous book, not gonna lie.

3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys

“My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

I’m queen of sand castles he destroys, oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

‘Cause I knew too much, there was danger in the heat of my touch

He saw forever so he smashed it up, oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh”

Book: Happy Place by Emily Henry

The saddest Emily Henry’s book, I said what I said.

4. Down Bad

“Fuck it if I can’t have him”

“I might just die, it would make no difference”

Down bad, waking up in blood

Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up

Fuck it if I can’t have us

I might just not get up”

 Book: The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

You just have to trust me on this one, she was down bad, and then something changed, if you like romantasy give it a go.

5. So Long, London

“Thinking how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me?

Oh, the tragedy

So long, London

You’ll find someone”

Book: Atonement by Ian McEwan

London, tragedy and sea references, I swear I have it all.

6. But Daddy I Love Him

“And I’m running with my dress unbuttoned

Screaming, “But daddy I love him”

I’m having his baby

No, I’m not, but you should see your faces

I’m telling him to floor it through the fences

No, I’m not coming to my senses

I know it’s crazy”

Book: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Do I even have to explain this one?

7. Fresh Out the Slammer

“And no matter what I’ve done, it wouldn’t matter anyway

Ain’t no way I’m gonna screw up, now that I know what’s at stake here

At the park where we used to sit on children’s swings

Wearing imaginary rings”

 

Book: A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Listen, I really don’t want to say that I see Taylor’s personal experience in this one (I would never Joe), but starting to breathe again after a relationship that felt wrong is a strong theme in this one.

8. Florida!!! Ft. Florence and The Machine

“So I did my best to lay to rest

All of the bodies that have ever been on my body

And in my mind, they sink into the swamp

Is that a bad thing to say in a song?”

Book: Weyward by Emilia Hart

Witchy vibes, disregard for men, a haunting melody, what could you possibly want more? This is my favourite song, I think, you guys.

9. Guilty as Sin?

“These fatal fantasies giving way to labored breath taking all of me

We’ve already done it in my head

If it’s make believe

Why does it feel like a vow

We’ll both uphold somehow?”

Book: Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

I’m so sorry about Joe Alwyn for this one, I know the irony of it all, but just, this book was just so good for this song.

10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

“So I lеap from the gallows and I levitate down your street

Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream

“Who’s afraid of little old me?”

I was tame, I was gentle ’til the circus life made me mean

Don’t you worry folks, we took out all her teeth”

Book: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Literally I think this horror and haunting novel could go well with this song, it is one of my favourites in the album, the build-up is just so good.

11. I Can Fix Him (No Really, I Can)

“His hands so calloused from his pistol softly traces hearts on my face
And I could see it from a mile away
A perfect case for my certain skill set
He had a halo of the highest gradе
He just hadn’t met me yеt”

Book: Reckless by Elsie Silver

Listen, my brain is completely gone by this point, this just gives me bad cowboy vibes, so what better choice than this one?

12. loml

“If you know it in one glimpse, it’s legendary

What we thought was for all time was momentary

Still alive, killing time at the cemetery

Never quite buried”

Book: In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Do you want to cry as you were doing while listening to this song? Don’t worry besties, I got you covered.

13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

“Cause I’m a real tough kid

I can handle my shit

They said, “Babe, you gotta fake it till you make it” and I did

Lights, camera, bitch, smile

Even when you wanna die”

Book: When in Rome by Sarah Adams

If you want popstar with a broken heart finding love in a small town romance, this is the one for you, I enjoyed it a lot.

14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

“And I don’t even want you back, I just want to know

If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal

And I don’t miss what we had, but could someone give

A message to the smallest man who ever lived?”

Book: Acts of Desperation by Megan Dolan

Tortured poets and girls being ghosted all over again, I think this is a perfect fit for this track.

15. The Alchemy

“So when I touch down

Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team

Ditch the clowns, get the crown

Baby, I’m the one to be

‘Cause the sign on your heart

Said it’s still reserved for me

Honestly, who are we to fight thе alchemy?”

Book: The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

 

Me and Taylor both love some football romance for us. First of a long list of football songs we’ll have in the future guys, here we go.

16. Clara Bow

“You look like Stevie Nicks in ’75

The hair and lips

The crowd goes wild at her fingertips

Half moonshinе, a full eclipse”

Book: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Oh Daisy, you would have loved The Tortured Poets Department. And this song was written for you.
Also can we talk about “You look like Taylor Swift, in this light, we’re loving it?” Cause I might go crazy if we don’t.

17. The Black Dog

“I move through the world with a heart broken

My longing state unspoken

And I may never open up thе way I did for you

And all of those best laid plans

You said I needed a bravе man”

Book: Normal People by Sally Rooney

Do you know when you see your ex out living his best life and you start thinking about what you had? Exactly.

18. imgonnagetyouback

“Whether I’m gonna be your wife, or

Gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet

But I’m gonna get you back

Whether I’m gonna curse you out, or

Take you back to my house, I haven’t decidеd yet

But I’m gonna get you back”

Book: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

She really said “I’m gonna give a song to all the second-chance romance girlies out there”. And girlies is gender neutral.

19. The Albatross

“And when that sky rains fire on you

And you’re persona non grata

I’ll tell you how I’ve been there too

And that none of it matters”

Book: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

This book still haunts my mind even years after I read it, and this song will too, I think my favourite in the second part of this album.

20. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

“So if you want to break my cold, cold heart

Say you loved me

And if you want to tear my world apart

Say you’ll always wonder”

Book: Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

Ill-fated lovers? A story of a meant to be love that never seems to actually have a realization and it is not meant to be? I think this could be it (also this is our May book club read for the month and I am EXCITED).

21. How did it end?

“Come one come all

It’s happening again

The empathetic hunger descends

We’ll tell no-one

Except all of our friends

But I still don’t know

How did it end?”

Book: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

The autopsy of a relationship that’s dying is the main theme of this book, and also of this song, so win-win.

22. So High School

“Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me (Kill me)

It’s just a game, but really (Really)

I’m bettin’ on all three for us two (All three)

Get my car door, isn’t that sweet? (That sweet)

Then pull me to the backsеat (Backseat)

No one’s evеr had me (Had me), not like you”

 

Book: Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Classic high-school romance, I loved this book, it’s so sweet and fun, just like this song.

23. I Hate It Here

“Secret gardens in my mind

People need a key to get to

The only one is mine

I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child

No mid-sized city hopes and small-town fears”

Book: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

She literally says it in the song, so I guess this was the reference for this piece of work. I love when she combines music and books.

24. thanK you aIMee

“All that time you were throwin’ punches, I was buildin’ somethin’

And I couldn’t wait to show you it was real

Screamed “Fuck you, Aimee” to the night sky, as the blood was gushin’

But I can’t forget the way you made me heal”

Book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I was a bit struggling for this one, but I think both this song and this book have a strong theme of bullying, so I think this could be a good choice.

25. I Look in People’s Windows

“I look in people’s windows

In case you’re at their table

What if your eyes looked up and met mine

One more time”

Book: One Day in December by Josie Silver

This book follows someone who sees another person one time at a bus station, and then she believes to be in love, so I saw the resemblance.

26. Prophecy

“Hand on the throttle

Thought I caught lightning in a bottle

Oh, but it’s gone again

And it was written

I got cursed like Eve got bitten

Oh, was it punishment?”

Book: The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

I can’t even begin to describe what this song did to me, I was a crying mess. I know this book talks about a woman who’s cursed, same as this song, and I just love female rage, what can I do?

27. Cassandra

“So, they killed Cassandra first ’cause she feared the worst

And tried to tell the town

So, they filled my cell with snakes, I regret to say

Do you believe me now?”

Book: Cassandra by Christa Wolf

Sometimes it’s just as simple as that, but I’m a Greek mythology girly, so I love all these references, and this song is so beautiful.

28. Peter

“And I didn’t wanna come down

I thought it was just goodbye for now

You said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me”

Book: Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise

Oh my, I love a good retelling, and this seems to focus on the character of Wendy so well,  so I think this could be a wonderful fit for the song.

29. The Bolter

“All her fuckin’ lives

Flashed before her eyes

It feels like the time

She fell through the ice

Then came out alive”

Book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Sometimes I think I’m funny, but bless you Amy March, you would have loved The Tortured Poets Department, the woman that you are.

30. Robin

“You got the dragonflies above your bed

You have a favorite spot on the swing set

You have no room in your dreams for regrets”

Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This is a sweet ballad about the innocence of childhood, so I could only pair it with my favourite childhood book of all times, this is so sweet.

31. The Manuscript

“The only thing that’s left is the manuscript

One last souvenir from my trip to your shores

Now and then I reread the manuscript

But the story isn’t mine anymore”

Book: Writers and Lovers by Lily King

A book about how writing gives the main character something to live for is what I thought could be best for this wonderful song that closes this very, very, very long album.

Okay guys, we have come to an end and I really hope that you liked this article cause I spent so much time on it, I’m not even kidding.

Please tell me if you liked The Tortured Poets Department, and which was your favourite song at first listen.
Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll talk to you soon,

Watching Books – March 2024

Hi guys, I’m so sorry for being so late, but I’m finally here with the March latest news about books and movies and tv shows adaptations. We have a lot of exciting news, and a lot to talk about, so grab something to drink and to eat, cause we’re going to have fun.
Let’s get started!

 

• The very first news is a really exciting one: we have the first cast news about the We Were Liars TV series based on the book by E. Lockhart. The Amazon project will star Candice King (The Vampire Diaries, After We Collided), Mamie Gummer (True Detective, Ricki and The Flash) and Caitlin FitzGerald (Succession, Station Eleven). Gummer will play Carrie Sinclair, the eldest daughter, FitzGerald will play Penny Sinclair and King will play Bess Sinclair, the youngest of the sisters.

Actress Mamie Gummer attends the 2009 Lucille Lortel awards at the Broadway Ballroom at The Marriott Marquis on May 3, 2009 in New York City. 2009 Lucille Lortel Awards The Broadway Ballroom at The Marriott Marquis New York, NY United States May 3, 2009 Photo by Jemal Countess/WireImage.com To license this image (16715782), contact WireImage.com

 

• The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty will become a TV show. Production company FlipNarrative wants to develop it as a multi-season TV series and as a gaming platform. The book follows a retired pirate, who has to get the crew back together for one last adventure. It seems really interesting.

 

• A series adaptation of the Harry Hole book series by Jo Nesbø will be adapted by Netflix. It will be directed by Øystein Karlsen (Exit) and it will follow detective Harry Hole, who’s just been abandoned by his girlfriend and has to partner with an unlikely partner to investigate the murder of a woman.

 

 

 

• Jessica Biel (Playing for Keeps, Truth abheartstoout Emanuel) will produce and star in the Peacock series The Good Daughter based on the thriller book by Karen Slaughter. The miniseries will follow two sisters trying to get their life together after they were fractured by a single night of violence some time before. It seems very chilling.

 

 

• Amazing news, we came to know that Heartsopper season 3, based on the comics by Alice Oseman, will come out on Netflix in October of this year. It’s a lovely news, and we all can’t wait for it.

 

• Amazon Prime Video has unveiled the first images of the adaptation of the book The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, in which Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, Saltburn) also stars.

 

• Wonderful news, at least for me: Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, The Crown) is in talks to star in Luca Guadagnino’s (Call Be By Your Name, Bones and All) new movie, based on the novel Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli. The story follows an Italian writer in his thirties that decides to go to Munich, his late boyfriend’s hometown. Listen, we’re gonna cry, we all collectively remember the Visions of Gideon sequence in Call Me By Your Name, we know what Luca can do, let’s just be ready.

 

attends ‘Chiamami Col Tuo Nome’ on January 24, 2018 in Rome, Italy.

 

• Universal TV has acquired the rights of the romance series Rebel Blue Ranch by Lyla Sage, the first book being Done and Dusted. Each book follows a different couple, but they all have in common that they are small town romances. I’m always a big fan of these types of shows and books, so I can’t wait to know more.

 

• This month we also had the first trailer for the film adaptation of John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down. It seems really nice, and the movie will debut on Max on the 2^nd of May. You can watch the trailer here. 

 

Okay guys, this is all for this month, I can’t wait to know which one was your favourite news, I will talk to you soon.

Thanks for reading,

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson – Bookish Playlist

Hey there,

Every two months we host a book club on our Instagram page and at the end of the month I will bring you a bookish playlist to go with the book we just finished reading.
Book club pick for the month of March 2024: An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

(The moodboard credits are mine. Please give rights if you use it. The singular photos are not mine, all credits to the owner)

PLAYLIST

–  Dinner and Diatribes by Hozier
“Now that the evening is slowing
Now that the end is in sight
Honey, it’s easier knowing
What you’d do to me tonight”

– ilomilo by Billie Eilish
“Hurry, I’m worried
The world’s a little blurry
Or maybe it’s my eyes
The friends I’ve had to bury
They keep me up at night”

– Fire on Fire by Sam Smith
“Fire on fire would normally kill us
But this much desire, together, we’re winners
They say that we’re out of control and some say we’re sinners
But don’t let them ruin our beautiful rhythms”

– Staying Power by Allie X
“Don’t want to be a victim, but I want your sympathy
Don’t want to be religious, but life brought me to my knees
I’ve got so much to say to you that I want you to know
But I don’t wanna scare you off, I don’t want you to go”

–  Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo
“I should’ve known it was strange
You only come out at night
I used to think I was smart
But you made me look so naive
The way you sold me for parts
As you sunk your teeth into me, oh
Bloodsucker, famefucker
Bleedin’ me dry, like a goddamn vampire”

– Sparks by Coldplay
“My heart is yours
It’s you that I hold on to
Yeah, that’s what I do”

–  No Body, No Crime by Taylor Swift (ft. HAIM)
“I think he did it but I just can’t prove it”
I think he did it but I just can’t prove it
I think he did it but I just can’t prove it
No, no body, no crime
But I ain’t letting up until the day I die”

– When I Kissed the Teacher by ABBA
“I was in a trance when I kissed the teacher
Suddenly I took the chance, when I kissed the teacher
Leaning over me, she was trying to explain the laws of geometry
And I couldn’t help it, I just had to kiss the teacher”

– Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode
“Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who’s there
Feeling unknown
And you’re all alone
Flesh and bone”

– Too Sweet by Hozier
“I’d rather take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You’re too sweet for me”

–  Kill for you by Skylar Grey
“Even if you are wrong, you are right
Even if it’s a terrible crime
It’s alright, ’cause I got your back, and I know you got mine
I belong to the church of your name
Sing a song, ’cause I worship the ground you walk on”

–  Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine
“And the arms of the ocean are carrying me
And all this devotion was rushing out of me
And the crashes are heaven for a sinner like me
But the arms of the ocean delivered me”

–  Lilith by Halsey
“You got me thinking that I was too mean
Well, everything that I say I believe
Tuck a knife with my heart up my sleeve and
Change like a season
Reason for nothing
I am disruptive
I’ve been corrupted
And by now I don’t need a fucking introduction”

The Swan’s Nest by Laura McNeal – Blog Tour (ARC Review)

 

Title: The Swan’s Nest

Author: Laura McNeal

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publishing House: Algonquin Books

Synopsys (from Goodreads): A tender and engrossing historical novel about the unlikely love affair between two great 19th-century poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett

On a bleak January day in 1845, a poet who had been confined to her room for four years by recurrent illness received a letter from a writer she secretly idolized but had never seen. “I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett,” Robert Browning wrote, “and I love you too.”

Elizabeth Barrett was ecstatic. She was famous for her poetry but completely cut off from the kind of international travel that Browning used to fuel his obscure, unsuccessful, innovative poems, one of which was written from a murderer’s point of view. They began an affectionate correspondence, but Elizabeth kept delaying a visit. What would happen when he saw her in person? What was Robert really like? Could she persuade her father and brothers that he was honorable, even though she had never met his family? And what would happen if she gave in to Robert’s wild proposal that they go to Italy to see whether the sun could cure her?

McNeal brilliantly tells the story of how Robert and Elizabeth fell in love with each other’s words and shocked her conservative, close-knit family and the literary world. Sensitively and lyrically written, as rich as the lovers’ own poetry, The Swan’s Nest will sweep up readers in the triumphant story of two people forced to choose between a safe, stable life and the love they felt for each other.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publishing Date: 12^th of March 2024

A huge thank you to the publishing house, Algonquin Books, for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for this book and for providing me with an E-Arc through NetGalley.
All opinions, however, are completely my own.

TW: serious illness, slavery, death, racism (typical of the time)

 

This review will be completely spoiler-free

 

The Swan’s Nest by Laura McNeal is a very interesting book if you have a passion in literature and poetry, and if you like to read fictional stories about real-life people. This one in particular follows the love story that happened between two of the most famous English poets of the 19^th century, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. Their story was one I didn’t know anything about, and it was very interesting getting to know more about these two well-known poets.

I have to admit, though, that even if I am quite knowledgeable in English literature, I didn’t know a lot about these two figures before reading this novel, and I think the author does a good job in recounting their story to people who don’t know a lot about them, or who even know close to nothing about Barrett and Browning.

Their story was, like I said, interesting to read, but I cannot help but say that at times I felt bored by the all of it. My main complaint and issue with this book are that for a book about Barrett and Browning… for the first 60% we see so very little of them, and the main focus is on the side characters. While it was insightful to see how their family was and what were their influences in how they behaved in life, I still think the main focus shouldn’t have been on them. For this reason, I wasn’t really invested in their love story, for the simple fact that I haven’t seen so much of them to grow close to their growing affection and I didn’t get why their love was so great. While it was good to see other famous poets and artists of the time make an appearance, as, like I said, I very much like English literature, in a book sold as a great love story, I would have liked to see a bit more of the love story aforementioned.
When we finally got to it, I was simply underwhelmed and not very interested anymore.

One thing that was nice to see were the various mentions of Italy, since I live here, and also of places I know so very well such as Pisa, since Browning used to come here in Italy to find inspiration and bask in the wonderful landscape of this country.

An aspect not quite as beautiful, but that I was still glad it was touched upon in this book is the criticism of slavery and the racism typical of the time. The condemnation of colonialism was quite strong, and I appreciated every single second of it, it was also interesting to see it through the eyes of the actually colonized people, since there were some side characters from the oppressed part that could give their insight. It was an aspect I didn’t expect in this novel, but that I was glad it was inserted in the plot.

To conclude this review, I have to say that I understand that the author has done a lot of research for this story, and I really appreciate it. Even if in the end I wasn’t blown away by it, I still recognise the work and care it was put in recounting this story.

And here we are at the end of this review, I hope you enjoyed, thanks again to Algonquin for inviting me in the blog tour, it was an honor. And thank you so much for reading.

Til next time,

Choose a The Tortured Poets Department cover variant and I’ll recommend you a Dark Academia book

Hey there guys, how are you? You very well know that every time something Taylor Swift related comes out, I’ll be ready to talk about it. And maybe recommend you some books in the process.
Today we’re doing a fun little experiment, since I decided to recommend a Dark Academia book for every cover variant of The Tortured Poets Department that Taylor has announced.
Since of course the album will be out on April 19^th and therefore I still haven’t listened to it, this article will go on vibes alone (hence the Dark Academia) and I will write a different book recommendation type of article with every song and bonus track when the album will be out, so keep that in mind.

 

Variant #1: “The Manuscript”

The very first variant, the one that sent the Internet into a frenzy, the one nobody expected, and for this one I decided to go with THE Dark Academia book, The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It’s solid, it’s the classic, there’s a reason it is considered the pillar in this genre, and I still agree this is one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. And TTPD is giving classical, it is giving literature, and it is giving masterpiece. A win-win.

 

 

Variant #2: “The Bolter”

The Bolter variant to me is softer in vibes, but it’s giving more “thinking about what makes one person sad” kind of vibes. This one strongly gives me The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton vibes. Sadness and anger, and what triggers the both of them, are very strong themes in this book, and it also depicts a very deep-felt insight about female rage, which I’m sure Taylor is also going to include in her new album.

 

 

 

Variant #3: “The Albatross”

This is maybe the variant I’m most excited about, will it be Coleridge adjacent, or will it be Baudelaire? And most importantly, will it have the same themes as the lyrical masterpiece that is Weight of Living (Part 1) by Bastille? We just have to wait and see. And for this one, given the sea vibes, the lighter aesthetic and the cover, I decided to go with one of my favourite novels of the last years: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It’s such a tender depiction of youth, friendship and humanity and I recommend keeping a box of tissues next to you.

 

 

 

Variant #4: “The Black Dog” (The Sirius Black Variant)

In my eyes this is the saddest and darkest variant of them all, and I’m sure its bonus tracks will make us cry our hearts out, but going with the vibes alone (as that is the theme of this article) I think this one goes well with the book I’m currently reading, An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson. It’s a fantasy tale of vampires, lust, blood and wanting to be the best in every aspect of your life. It also deals with a poetry course at university, and you know, The Tortured Poets Department and all that, I think it’s quite fitting. I still haven’t finished it, but it’s an enjoyable read, even if it’s not blowing my mind.

 

 

 

Okay guys, these were my options for the four variants that Taylor announced for her upcoming album. I hope you enjoyed them, and please let me know your favourite variant. I think mine is a tie between The Manuscript and The Albatross.

 

Thank you so much for reading,

 

Watching Books – February 2024

Hey there guys, how are you? I hope you’re doing fine. We are here again, like every month, talking about our favourite topic ever: books to movie/tv series adaptations. And this February we got a lot of news about them, so I’ll say we’ll just dive into it, what do you say?

 

• HBO has acquired the rights to Gillian Flynn’s “Dark Places” and it will turn it into a limited series. Flynn herself will be the writer, co-creator and co-showrunner on this adaptation. The story follows Libby, a girl that when she was seven years old contributed with her testimony to put her fifteen-year-old brother in prison. But now, years later, someone is convinced of his innocence and this doubt starts to creep up Libby’s spine too.

 

 

• Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, The Goldfinch) will star in a new adaptation of the sci-fi comic “Rogue Trooper” by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. Beside Aneurin, we will find Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter, Howards End) and Jack Lowden (Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots). I love this mini Dunkirk reunion a lot!
  
  
  

  

 

• The movie adaptation of “Nightbitch” by Rachel Yoder, starring Amy Adams (Enchanted, Arrival) will come out this fall. The thriller story will for sure keep us on the edge of our seats.

 

• Natasha Lyonne (Ad astra, Russian Doll) has joined the cast of the “Klara and the Sun” adaptation. The novel is written by Kazuo Ishiguro. The movie is set to premiere in theatres in the Fall of this year.

 

 

 

• “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” by Rupi Thorpe will be adapted by Apple+ and it will turn into a TV series. It will star Elle Fanning (Maleficent, The Great) and Nicole Kidman (The Others, Moulin Rouge!). They will both be exec producers of the series. The book is set to be a “dive into the world of OnlyFans with a wrestling twist” (Deadline).

 

• If you are a fan of the TV series “Interview with the Vampire”, based on the books by Anne Rice, I have good news for you: the second season is set to premiere on May 12^th of this year on AMC and AMC+. Another good news is that we have some casting news: David Costabile (Suits, Breaking Bad) will play Leonard, Roxane Duran (Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, Marie Antoinette) will play Madeleine and Bally Gill (Sherwood, Slow Horses) will play Real Rashid.

Pascal Bünning Pascal Buenning

 

 

• We have the first trailer for the “Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch. The tv series will debut on Apple TV+ on the 8^th of May. You can watch it here.

 

• A great great news is that “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” based on the fantasy series by Rick Riordan has been renewed by Disney+ for a second season. I can’t wait to watch it, I really really liked the first one to be honest.

 

 

• We finally get to see the first pictures of the adaptation of “Turtles All the Way Down” by John Green. I read this book a very long time ago, so I don’t remember a lot, but the promotional pictures seem really good. It is scheduled to release in the spring of this year on Max.

 

 

 

• One adaption I’m really excited for is “We Were the Lucky Ones” based on the historical novel by Georgia Hunter. We finally have the first trailer (you can watch it HERE) and it will come out on Hulu on the 28^th of March, so the waiting is almost over.

 

• Christian Bale (The Prestige, The Dark Knight) has officially joined the cast of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s (The Lost Daughter) “Frankenstein” adaptation. It is, of course, based on the classical novel by Mary Shelley. The famous actor will play Frankenstein himself.

 

• We have the first pics of the adaptation of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson. They seem really good. There has been no release date yet, but the series is coming presumably this year on BBC.

 

 

Pip Fitz-Amobi (EMMA MYERS);Ravi Singh (ZAIN IQBAL),*FIRST LOOK* ,Moonage Pictures,Screengrab

 

• Good news for my Italian fellow friends: Francesco Piccolo (Siccità, Il Colibrì) is writing a TV series adaptation based on the book “Memoirs of Hadrian” by Marguerite Yourcenar. The book is narrated by the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s adoptive grandson and eventful successor Mark, who will become Marcus Aurelius. I honestly can’t wait to watch the tv show and read the book.

 

 

• We have the trailer for the adaptation of the Italian bestseller “The Tearsmith” by Erin Doom. You can watch it here. The movie will come out on Netflix on April 4^th.

 

• We also have the first trailer for the Peacock series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” based on the historical fiction novel by Heather Morris. The trailer looks really good and the show will premiere on Sky Atlantic and NOW on the 2^nd of May.

 

• Last but surely NOT least news for this month is one I’m very excited about: Wiip has optioned “Babel” by R.F. Kuang for screen adaptation. The book is set in 19^th century Oxford where the Royal Institue of Translation (also known as Babel) has its site. The main character in the novel Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan, is accepted into the institution and from then on the story starts to unfurl.

Okay guys, we have finally come to the end of this Watching Books. I hope you enjoyed, so let me know in the comments your favourite news. Thanks for reading.

Talk to you soon,

 

The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers by Sarah Tomlinson – ARC Review

 

 

Title: The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers

Author: Sarah Tomlinson

Publishing House: Flatiron Books

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six and Almost Famous, a gripping debut about the complicated legacy of a legendary rock band and the ghostwriter telling their story

Three Rock & Roll icons. Two explosive tell-all memoirs. One ghostwriter caught in the middle.

Mari Hawthorn has just landed the biggest job of her ghostwriting career. Anke Berben, the legendary model and style icon, needs someone for her hotly anticipated memoir. In the 1960s, Anke reveled in headline-grabbing romances with three members of the hugely influential rock band The Midnight Ramblers. The band became as famous for their backstage drama as for their music. Outside of the bandmembers themselves, Anke is the only one who fully understands the tangled relationships, betrayals, and suspicions that has elevated the Ramblers to mythological status. That could not be clearer than in the enduring mystery around the death of Mal, the band’s lead singer and Anke’s husband, in 1969.

In the decades that followed, rumors have swirled about Mal’s demise, but Anke and the surviving members of the Ramblers have all kept silent. Until now. As her ghostwriter, Mari must ingratiate herself with Anke, coaxing out the stories she needs to write a memoir worthy of such an important band. Mari is deft at navigating the fatal charms of the rich and famous, having grown up with a narcissistic, alcoholic father. But she soon stumbles upon secrets more explosive than anyone could have imagined. It’s now not just about celebrity tell-alls–this is about redemption.

Rating: 2.25/5 stars

Publishing Date: 13^th of February 2024

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house, Flatiron Books, for providing me with a digital ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions, however, are completely my own.

 

TW: alcohol, drugs, mentions of suicide, mention of sexual assault, cheating

 

This review will be completely spoiler free

 

What do you do when you get the chance to accept the work of a lifetime as a ghostwriter and you have to pen the memoir of the most famous muse who ever existed?
That’s the question that Mari rushes to answer, and of course she says yes, when she’s given the opportunity to work with Anke Berben, a legendary muse of the most famous 70s band, The Midnight Ramblers. She’s a charismatic figure, and she carries the secret of how her husband, Mal, the singer of the aforementioned band, died. His body was found at the bottom of their swimming pool, but is it really all there is to this mystery?

As soon as I got the chance to collaborate with the publishing house to write a review about this new release, I was so excited. Fictional memoirs about fictional bands are some of my favourite things to exist (see Daisy Jones and The Six, for example), but I’m sad to say this book did not quite land for me. From the synopsis I was expecting a glamorous tale about a band at the top of the world in the 70s but sadly that’s not what happened.

This is of course not a bad book, but it’s just something very different from what I expected. The tale takes on a turn that resembles a thriller story, with Mal’s death becoming the main center point of Mari’s life, and so also of the reader’s reading experience. She becomes obsessed with this band, and that is quite interesting since she’s ghostwriting a story about them, but her wanting to discover this secret at all cost, at some points felt very out of touch and repetitive in my eyes.
The music aspect is somewhat non-existent, and that quite bothered me, since the main theme of the book revolves, again, about what was described as one of the biggest bands of the days past.

I also had quite a bit of a problem with the main character, and that is also connected with the obsession she comes to have with this unsolved mystery. I think she is very unlikable, but not in a way that you feel the writer wants her to be unlikable (at least that’s what I gathered from it), it’s more like her mind is completely taken by this that she forgets about the people around her, and really nothing else matters beside her work. She comes off as someone who would do anything to reach her fame, and while she forms some connections with some members of the band, at the end I never found her motivations selfless. And again, her compulsion about Mal’s death was just too much, considering she didn’t even know him. She was just quite murky to me.

The aspect that I came to enjoy the most was the dive into the ghost-writing world, something I’m not familiar with, but that I found fascinating, not in the method acting way Mari seems to adopt, but in general. I was curious to get to know more about it and I would have liked to read even more about this particular topic.

In the end, I think sadly this book wasn’t the best one I read on this topic, but if you feel like you might like a bit of a memoir about fictional rockstars mixed with a bit of a thriller aspect, you might still want to pick this one up.

And with that, we have come to the conclusion of this review. I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you so much for reading,

 

 

The Fairy Tale Book Tag

Hey guys, how are you? I haven’t done a tag article in so much time, so I felt like it was time to do so, and to unite two of my favourite things, fairy tales and books. There’s nothing I love more than a classic fairytale retelling, the tropes, the atmosphere, the drama of it all, everything just calls out to me.
This tag was created by Rachel Reads on Youtube and I will leave her channer here.
I hope you enjoy it and let’s get started.

1. Rapunzel – A long book you gave five stars (over 450 pgs).

This is very easy for me, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, one of my favourite books of all time, and the blueprint for the dark academia genre. It’s so compelling, you won’t even feel the 559 pages it is composed of. It’s a lyrical masterpiece, and a compelling story I will think about forever.

2. The Little Mermaid – A book that took your breath away

Literally The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I don’t read a lot of mystery books but when I do, I try to search the ones that could appeal to me more, and I loved this book to pieces. Most of all, the plot twist really shocked me, as I didn’t see it coming at all. Sometimes I still think about it and how good it was. Really mind-blowing.

3. Swan Lake – A book with the theme of sacrifice

I literally don’t want to sponsor this author on this blog, so keep in mind I stand apart from everything J.K. Rowling says or does as I could not be more far from her way of thinking, but I can’t help but think about the Harry Potter series. What I want to get from these books, and what I want to remember them by are the mesmerizing acts of love that the characters put in act in order to save the ones they love. And that’s all I have to say.

4. Rumpelstiltskin – A book that changed you

This is a huge question to which I have a simple answer, since it can’t be everything else for me: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It mesmerized little 12-year-old me and made me see literature in a way I had never seen it before. I always loved to read and to discover new stories, but that one made me want to study this subject for real in my life, and I still think about the very gentle lady that recommended me this book in the bookshop. I hope she’s good and I’d love for her to know she changed everything for me, and I will forever be grateful.

5. Cinderella – A book with a self-sufficient character (but not snobby)

I’m not sure I get this question 100% but I’ll go with Feyre from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. She is used to do everything on her own and to provide for her sisters, she’s literally the rock in the family and she deserves everything.

6. The Twelve Dancing Princesses – A long series you love (or) a book with a lot of characters

Why not both? And why not another Sarah J. Maas book series? The Throne of Glass series is one of my favourites of all time and I grew so close to all of the characters (and they are a lot). They feel like real people to me and in those seven books I grew so attached to them, it’s insane to think about. I’d gladly read another seven books of their lives.

7. Sleeping Beauty – A book with a slow plot

For this one I for sure have to say one of my most recent reads: Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare. I usually love her writing, but this book was just too slow, and the plot really started at the 70% of the novel, and that is just too late in my mind.

8. Mulan – A book with a lot of action

I usually do not read a lot of action-packed books, so my first answer is for sure The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, a book I read when I was a teenager, and the most popular in that dystopian phase the editorial world had for a while. It for sure is full of action, and it’s never boring.

9. Aladdin – A book that transported you to a whole new world

Love the song reference in this question. And for this one I would say every Sarah J. Maas’ book, but for the sake of variety, I will say The Cruel Prince trilogy by Holly Black. I loved the fairyland, Elfhame, and its lush atmosphere, it really seemed to be there, and I love everything remotely folkloristic.

10. Alice in Wonderland – A frabjous book with a great cast of side characters

For this one I have to go with Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the main character is Daisy for sure, but it reads like a choral novel, where each and every single one of the other characters has literally its own voice and a great role in the overall plot. I will forever love this book with my whole heart.

11. Wild Card – Your favourite fairy-tale retelling couple

It is a mostly unknown book, but I’ll perish on this hill and say that Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge is the best Beauty and the Beast retelling to this day, so the main couple in this book is my answer for this. They are dark but fit to the story in the real way a fairy-tale couple should be, and the book per se is amazing.

Okay guys, these were my answers to this tag. Let me know if you enjoyed it and please let me know which is your favourite fairy-tale in the comments.

Thanks for reading,