Books I'm loving: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

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🍬Do you loan your books?🍬 ⁠ ⁠ I gleefully pressed this into the hands of a friend, but can't remember who it was, and I've missed it on my shelf ever since. So when I recently ran across it in a charity shop, I snapped up another copy because I loved it so much!⁠ ⁠ From the description: Rosemary's young, just at college, and she's decided not to tell anyone a thing about her family. So we're not going to tell you too much either: you'll have to find out for yourselves, round about page 77, what it is that makes her unhappy family unlike any other.⁠ ⁠ Rosemary is now an only child, but she used to have a sister the same age as her, and an older brother. Both are now gone - vanished from her life. There's something unique about Rosemary's sister, Fern. And it was this decision, made by her parents, to give Rosemary a sister like no other, that began all of Rosemary's trouble.⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Dec 30, 2019 at 10:29am PST

Books I'm loving: Ordinary People by Diane Evans

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Oh my, the writing in this book is phenomenal! It's rich, nuanced, complex. It's a black forest gateau of a book: an indulgence to savour slowly rather than to fly through on a binge. ⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Jan 2, 2020 at 10:29am PST

Books I'm loving: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

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Now that I've read this as well as The Testaments, I'm not sure that the Booker Prize should have been split... Evaristo's telling of the women's stories is rich and varied, with beautiful writing and characters that I cared very much about. I would have been happy to see her take the 2019 prize alone. ⁠ ⁠ What do you think? Have you read it as well as The Testaments? ⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Jan 15, 2020 at 10:30am PST

Books I'm loving: If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

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I love that this is #romcomfebruary (thanks to @notinjersey for suggesting it!) ⁠ ⁠ And thanks to HarperCollins for my copy of If I Never Met You. I've loved Mhairi McFarlane's writing ever since I read her debut, and If I Never Met You didn't disappoint! With her signature humour, McFarlane tells the story of recently dumped Laurie and serial cad, Jamie, who hatch a plan to make everyone think they're in love. If it works then Jamie gets the promotion he's after and Laurie will win back her ex. Except that real (fake) life never runs that smoothly, does it? ⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Feb 6, 2020 at 10:29am PST

It's US publication day!

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🎉🍹 HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY TO ME! 🍹🎉⁠ ⁠ The day has finally come, when my little book meets its US readers, and I hope you'll love it 💛💙💛 ⁠ ⁠ 🔗Amazon link is in my bio. ⁠ ⁠ SHE NEEDS A GROOM. HE NEEDS A GREEN CARD...⁠ ⁠ When rising social media star, Nelly Roberts, is left in the lurch with not just a wedding but also the country’s biggest magazine feature on the line, she has no choice but to substitute one groom for another. Luckily, Rafael Moreno Cortes needs a visa, so they make a deal: act the perfect couple for as long as it takes to get them both what they want. The catch? Absolutely nobody can know the truth.⁠ ⁠ With the magazine following their every move, Nelly’s ex re-emerges with a change of heart just as her pretend feelings for Rafael start to be anything but pretend. What could possibly go wrong?⁠ ⁠ 👀 It's $2.99 for the rest of this month before going back up to the regular price of $9.99. 👀⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Feb 12, 2020 at 10:36am PST

Books I'm loving: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

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I've seen so much praise for this book, but have only now read it, and part of me wishes I hadn't, because I want that feeling of love love LOVING it all over again! This is one of my top reads of the past few years. I even took the big hardback on holiday with me, in my hand luggage; THAT's how much I wanted to keep reading. ⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Feb 13, 2020 at 10:29am PST

Books I'm loving: Less by Andrew Sean Greer

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I SO enjoyed this book! I was excited to read it when it first came out, but then saw very mixed reviews, so I prioritized other books first. I’m really glad I finally got to read it! I thought the writing was excellent, and was intrigued by the main character, Arthur Less. The author gave me snippets of history throughout the current story, and that really pulled me along. Read the first chapter and decide for yourself whether it’s one for you. ⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Feb 19, 2020 at 10:04am PST

Books I'm loving: Louis and Louise by Julie Cohen

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❤ Wow, this blew me away! ⁠💙⁠ ⁠ If the incredibly original and thought-provoking premise of this wasn't enough to keep me turning the pages, then Julie Cohen's wonderfully impacting prose was. ⁠ ⁠ The story of a single baby born but two lives lived, one as a male and one as a female, and the ways their lives were different as a result, or weren't, was so deftly interwoven throughout, and I especially loved the 'spot the difference' element running through the narrative. ⁠ ⁠ It took me a few minutes to grasp why the stories diverged (because of course there are knock-on consequences to every action in one's life), and thinking about the implications of those was one of the many many joys of this book. ⁠ ⁠ I HIGHLY recommend reading this book!⁠

A post shared by Author | Reader | Cake Lover (@michelegormanuk) on Feb 22, 2020 at 10:29am PST