Mail Order Minotaur - Lilith Stone

 45%

13.06.24

Yes, I know. Not my normal fare but I thought it was funny that the hunky-minotaur-sex-worker-who-loves-his-family had the same name as my husband. I didn't dislike it but there wasn't much of a story or conflict - will their families accept their relationship? (Spoiler) Yes, straight away. There were hints of some intriguing world building that would have been interesting to explore. But I suppose people don't read this sort of book for its story...

Upstairs at the Party - Linda Grant

48%
09.08.20

This self-indulgent novel makes a huge metaphorical meal of an unsympathetic narrator (just for a change) and her boring friends going to university and then leading disappointing lives. I have rather less sympathy for the Boomers here than for the lost Millennials in Queenie, though neither set of characters is particularly likeable.

Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams

56%

05.08.20

The reviews say it's a hilarious award-winning tale of the misadventures of a young black woman. It's actually a depressing account of her sexual and racial abuse and the way society has disempowered not only women like her but a whole generation. As a novel, it's fine but, like the reviews, didn't know what to make of itself.

Normal People - Sally Rooney

Didn't finish

A couple with no discernible personality traits other than self-absorption have lots of sex. That's it. I was waiting for something to actually happen but in the end I couldn't be bothered to find out if anything ever did.