The Twelfth Night Before Christmas by Keri Lane

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Romance, Christmas, Short Stories

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Definitely an interesting twist on a Christmas romance. Viola and Duke are such big and well thought through characters who work so well together that by the end you really end up rooting for it to work. I did feel for Duke at a few points as the situation with the twins left him questioning himself and I found myself hoping Viola would trust him at those points but the way it actually came out was much more dramatic which naturally leads to a much more dramatic and heartwarming ending. It took me a while to figure out who Olivia could be but at the first proper hint I figured it so I was also hoping for them to figure it out before the end and at one point checked the pages to see if they had enough pages for it. I also liked the way in which Viola’s toxic relationship was handled as it highlighted the toxic behaviours which may help some readers feel less alone and maybe even escape like Viola finally did themselves.

Favourite Quote:

“Christmas cheer, as it turns out, isn't just a concept, it's a mutable force that swells with the excitement of every child who comes to sit on my lap and with every parent whose eyes well up with tears as the camera clicks. By lunchtime, Christmas cheer permeates the village so much that I could almost reach out and grab it.”

Comments

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

Broken Glass by Sarah Kay

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This collection is mixed for me, some of the poems were really good and all were definitely emotive but I think so many poems on the Hamas attack and subsequent war which is highly politically charged a little difficult to tackle. Favourite Quote: "What good is it to open my heart when in the end, you will stab it in the back?"

Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is definitely a difficult read and it took me quite a while to get through it for that very reason. It is split up into 17 different peoples experiences with a foreword and afterword. It’s definitely an important read for many as these practices are still legal in many countries, including my own, and without knowledge of the damage of the practices many may not join in the protests or sign the petitions to try to get laws in place. As a member of the community myself I found some of these stories such as the ‘Sniffing the Gay Away’ and ‘Convert’ especially difficult to read and reminded me just how lucky I was to have such a supportive and loving community around me. I appreciated that the afterword highlighted the limitations of the collection such as having little to no religious, geographical or racial diversity but that they did try to ga...

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