Whilst I appreciate a genre label as much as the next person, as a mood reader I also like to think about how a book might make me feel, especially after I have finished. These are the catagories that make sense to me – they don’t necessarily refer to the story or plot of a book but rather how I remember the experience of reading it.
History & Memory
Books layered with time. Stories shaped by the past, by personal or cultural history, or by the traces people and places leave behind.
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The Book of Memory — Petina Gappah
Race, family and incarceration in Zimbabwe
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The Kindred by Octavia Butler
An unflinching look at slavery in a genre defying novel
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House of Doors by Tan Twen Eng
A Poigniant review of memory in Colonial Malaya
Place & Presence
Books where the location or landscape are a main charcter and linger beyond the final page. Might be a real place or an imagined one.
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The Essex Serpent by Sara Parry
Gothic contrasts in Essex.
Quiet & Reflective
Books that have a sense of stillness about them. Where things happen quietly and the reader can slow down and contemplate.
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The Blue Castle by L. M Montgomery
A quietly radical, funny story about choosing to live.
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Exit, Persued by a Bear by E.K Johnston
A thoughtful, survivor-centred story about reclaiming control.
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Field Service by Robert Edric
A review that reflects on some of the first world war stories not told
Sharp & Searching
Books that probe, question or even unsettle. They might be tense or acedemically curious but will always encourage thought.
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The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler
Historical mystery against backdrop of 15th century pogroms.
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Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie
A sharp, crowded novel about criticism, power, and who gets judged
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Family, Family by Lauren Frankel
A story about the families we chose to make
Wide & Expansive
Books that point outward. Those that have big broad ideas, or are wide in scale and imagination. They take the reader beyond.
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Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King
A review of Renaissance ambition and architectural genius
Joyful Escapism
Books that are light yet absorbing. Reading that carry you elsewhere for the sheer pleasure of it. These books delight and entertain.
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Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Beautiful Ugly is a twist-heavy thriller built around an unlikeable, unreliable narrator, executed with confidence and pace. It’s absorbing and often clever, but its pleasures depend on how willing you are to accept a healthy dose of melodrama. … Read more