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Elinor’s Bookshelf

Hi, I have been reading since my mum introduced me to books as a young child. This is my bookshelf - my thoughts and reviews about books I have recently read. I hope you feel as comfortable in this place as I do. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions and many thanks for visiting. Until next time... Elinor

The Vanishing Trick by Jenni Spangler

- March 04, 2021

My rating: ★★★★☆

Step into a world of cards, magic and miracles!

This made for an enjoyable, suspenseful read with stolen children and magic tricks. Or are they?

View all my reviews

I read this book as part of the UNO-2021 Challenge on GoodReads (team Mystic Pizza).

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Sue's Big Book Summer Challenge - kick off post

- May 30, 2021 6 comments

Well, I've been MIA here for a while and have recently caught up on posting my latest reviews. Time does fly and it's already that time of year again - Sue from https://bookbybook.blogspot.com/ is hosting her #BigBookSummer challenge again this year and I can't wait to get started. Check out the link below if you would like to join too - it's a really laid-back challenge so don't sweat it! But before I do, here are the books on my shelf that qualify for this year's challenge - 19 altogether (and that's my shortlist!). There is no way I can read all of those this year, so I'd love thoughts to help me choose! Here are the books I'm considering for this year's challenge. The English and their History by Robert Tombs At a whopping 1012 pages this history book definitely qualifies for the challenge. It's been on my shelf for a while - I guess I am daunted by its page count and the fact it's non-fiction. This one is in my grey zone at t...

Big Book Summer Reading Challenge 2020

- May 23, 2020 4 comments

When I learned Sue at Book by Book was launching her 2020 Big Book Summer Reading Challenge (also on GoodReads ), I thought about it for a couple of days, then realised I shall be reading books with 400+ pages anyway. And who am I to turn down the opportunity for a giveaway for doing something I love and am planning on doing anyway? So, down to the nitty gritty details: Sue says any book with 400+ pages fits the bill, and one book is all it takes to qualify. These are my current contenders for this year's Big Book Summer Challenge: “Americanah” by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie (477 pages) Ah, now this! This, I have been wanting to read for absolutely ages. Chimanda Ngozi Adichie having left Nigeria at the age of 19 to go to the US, I can imagine how the book’s blurb and her own personal experience of going to America will mingle throughout the book. ...

Becoming by Michelle Obama

- September 06, 2020 4 comments

My rating: This book was a chance to get to know Michelle Obama, graciously voicing her opinions in this memoir from birth up until the end of her second term as First Lady. This book is insightful on so many levels it’s difficult to describe. It is a timeline deftly peppered with sometimes amusing, sometimes heart-breaking stories. It’s about « Miche » and all she has come to represent: an African American woman, a successful student from a working-class background, a feminist who believes in the young and understands that Hope is the key to continuous progress – that you just have to trudge through the downs to enjoy the ups. Written with heart, authenticity, feeling, and tons of open-mindedness, Becoming shed light on the Obama’s up until the moment they handed over the White House to the Trump administration. If anything this book comforted me in my respect and awe of the Obama’s who not only served America during their terms, but the whole world. We need more of these kind,...