KJK Reads

Rating: 2 Stars Themes: Short Stories, Fantasy, Dystopia, Science Fiction Thoughts: I thought this book was a bit strange overall. The final premise about talking to each other, killing being subjective on the side you fall on and killing based on survival needs were really well done. However, it’s rare to read a short story and feel like some of the paragraphs are more like filler than essential to the story but I kind of did with this one. Favourite Quote: "There are moments when everything changes. It’s like you’ve been asleep and you wake up, and you can’t remember where you are or how you got there. It’s like you’ve just been let in on a secret that everybody else knows but you."

Rating: 3.5 Stars Themes: Short Stories, Later In Life, Friendship Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a cute and cozy short book. I liked the older in life approach to this book, tackling some of the issues later in life (being written off community) in a more lighthearted way and I thought showing the characters coping with lockdown too was a really great idea. I loved the cute bond that Lovage had with Bubs and thought the characters were both wholesome.  Favourite Quote: "I've been showing solidarity with women's issues my whole life. There's always been some hot topic that all the girls was dying to talk about. When I was a kid, it was when you'd have your first period, although we didn't hardly know what a period was. We chatted a lot about our new breasts, because big or small, nobody was content with what nature sent them. First bras was a very big deal. Once we'd got our boobs unde...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Fiction, War, Historical Fiction, Childrens Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I was apprehensive picking it up and being about unicorns but I have read Michael Morpurgo before and know he’s good at what he does so I decided to give it a go and I am very glad I did. The story is a great way to introduce the difficult realities of war at a young age and it was beautifully done. I also found the illustrations gorgeous and a great contribution to the overall beauty of the book.  Favourite Quote: "It was a time when wicked people ruled the land, wicked people who were frightened of the magic of stories and poems, terrified of the power of books. They knew, you see, that stories and poems help you to think and to dream. Books make you want to ask questions. And they didn’t want any of us to think or dream, and especially they did not want us to ask questions. They wanted us only to think as they thought, to believe what they believed, to do as we were told....

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction,  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Some of the photos in this collection were amazing and it’s a great documentation of the changing times. The experience of the same streets across time gives a more personal description of gentrification for readers and I personally loved the LGBTQ+ elements, especially Florence’s first pride march and refusing to ride with the other gay seniors as it was her march. However, I found the timelines a bit disjointed and the collection itself jumpy. Favourite Quote: "I wanted to take a picture - not because it was so old or exotic-looking, but because I wanted to capture just one last portrait of my childhood before it disappeared into thin air."

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, True Crime Thoughts: This is a good, factual collection of murder cases ranging up to modern time. I appreciated that the book managed to stick to the facts and avoid over sensationalising the cases (especially already sensationalised cases like Nicole Brown Simpson and Reeva Steenkamp) and the dedication to being respectful to the victims.   Favourite Quote: "It is an unsettling fact that while the crimes of murderers repulse and shock, they also hold an endless fascination, as we seek to understand just what could have inspired such evil and make people commit the ultimate taboo."

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Mental Health, Trauma Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was an amazing read. I have to admit I never really thought too much about the experiences of women in military training and their long term effects so this was a real eye opener for me there. While I know more about trauma and the wars it was still great to read Gemma’s experiences to see how the two were interwoven. The later half/third of the book tackled her experiences of PTSD and not only how she handled it but how many others treated her due to it such as the military doctors being dismissive to protect the institution to the mans wife after the first invictus who told her that old teammates claimed she was always ‘unhinged’ and even those in the BBC who failed to provide long term support to the veterans who were bearing their prior trauma for their show.  Favourite Quote: "Disposing of my anonymity has been...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Poetry, Spirituality, Relationships Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great short collection of poetry. The poems explore relationships, their spirituality, parental love and the complexity of femininity. The images are also simplistic and beautiful in a way that complements the poems well.  Favourite Quote: "But now the pain has subsided Because I know the only truth is that everything must change"

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Parenting, Autism Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is full of important facts and useful strategies to implement. Loveson handles Autism delicately, she suggests a wide range of methods to use for each issue raised (such as school life, parental well being and life transitions) while acknowledging that every child is different so having many strategies for different types of children is great. I also liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter as an extra and sweet touch.  Favourite Quote: "Still, amidst those clouds of uncertainty, there was hope."