In the mood for Irish misery porn? Yes, always.

Last week, my Goodreads buddy, David, remarked on my reference to ‘Irish misery porn’ – I don’t think I coined that phrase (although a quick search suggests that the most frequent use of the phrase is on this blog…hmmm) but for the purposes of this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, I’ll claim it as my own.

Irish misery porn refers to those particular types of stories that involve bleak childhoods, mams full of woe (usually with husbands that spend the money on pints of Guinness rather than pints of milk) and relentless rain. I love them.

Family Life by Akhil Sharma

Family Life by Akhil Sharma – a book with the best last line* I’ve read in decades**.

4/5

Six Degrees of Separation – from Wild to The Heart Broke In

It’s time again for my favourite meme. Based on the concept of six degrees of separation, Emma Chapman and Annabel Smith have created #6DEGREES, where bloggers share links between books in six moves. Check out the rules if you want to play along.

I haven’t read this month’s starting point – Wild by Cheryl Strayed – but I do know that Strayed penned the memoir after her mother’s death and her failed marriage prompted an epic hike along the US Pacific coast.

Top Ten Tuesday – Don’t Forget About Me!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new ‘top ten’ challenge is posted – anyone can join in.

This week’s topic is ‘Top Ten ‘Older’ Books You Don’t Want People To Forget About’. It’s a terrific topic because so often we’re attracted to the latest, shiniest new release, while some ace books gather dust on the shelves (or worse still, go out of print).

I’ve picked ten books that I remember really enjoying when I was reading them – you know the kind of book you don’t want to end? They may not necessarily finish on your ‘favourite books of all time’ list but they have the perfect combination of memorable characters and a gripping plot. In no particular order, here’s my top ten –

1. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers – exactly as the title suggests.

Top Ten Tuesday – Setting the Scene

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new ‘top ten’ challenge is posted – anyone can join in. This week’s topic is ‘Top Ten Most Vivid Worlds/Settings In Books’. It made me really think about books that have been memorable because of the setting. Here’s my ecclectic list: