Hello friends!!

Time for our third 75 booked check in.

I had a migraine this week which means I had two days that were basically a write off. While I hit my reading targets on the other days, I’ve been scrolling more than I want at night time which I’m going to try knocking on the head this week. I have managed to keep up my physical journalling, which leads me to again observe how surprisingly good low stakes writing of a couple of lines and maybe adding a cute sticker is for my mental health. (I read something recently about how good physically writing things (in any context) is for your brain compared to typing. I’ve been trying to write more in my daily life and I do think my brain feels better. How interesting!)

How has this week gone for you?

I read the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist and this is what I thought:

🔦Flashlight by Susan Choi - 5 stars Louisa and her father are walking by the beach, when she wakes up on the sand, he is gone. We follow her and her family over the decades as they deal with grief and loss and family secrets. I absolutely loved this book. There was one part that completely blew my mind. The characters were complex and their relationships were challenging. The historical backdrop and politics of Japan and Korea in the late 20th century was informative and linked seamlessly to this one family.

😍Heart the Lover by Lily King - 5 stars It is a literary love story, focusing on romantic relationships but not a romance novel. The first half follows a college student in the 80s as she is swept up in love and, in some ways more importantly, friendship. The second half looks at where she is now. It reflects on how important relationships follow us through our lives. Make sure you have tissues ready because this book will make you cry! It is beautifully written and the characters are so lovable. I can see why this book already has so much hype!

👶The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson - 4 stars Mercy is a child of Jamaican immigrants in 1960s London, dealing with abuse, poverty, and racism. Writing from the point of view of a child - from birth - is a risky way to write, but I think she pulled it off. You have to suspend the logic that an infant can think so clearly, and just go along with the story and the feelings that are being portrayed. I really enjoyed this book and thought it shone a new light on a family experience.

✉️The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - 4 stars I've seen so much love for this book. It was really enjoyable. An epistolary novel done well, with some great characters. and it made me cry! I liked it a lot but it wasn't love for me

🕊️Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly - 3 stars A story of a man in two relationships, one seemingly ending, one seemingly beginning. There was nothing wrong with this book, but it didn't really engage me. I could see the emotions but I couldn't feel them. Even though it was written in first person it felt very distant.

🐍Dominion by Addie E Citchens - DNF I really expected to enjoy this but I did not. I found the writing dense and convoluted and disliked the narrative voice. I couldn't distinguish the characters.

The winner will be announced on June 11! Who is your favourite? Who do you think will win?