Top Ten Tuesday- 8th August 2017

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a different topic that one of their bloggers answers, and they invite others to join in, by posting their answers as a comment or by creating their own blog post.

It’s the final week before Top Ten Tuesday starts back again, so I thought I’d look at an earlier topic: Top Ten Books You Loved But Never Wrote A Review For. It seemed like a fitting topic as I’ve been debating whether to review the last book I read. It’s made me wonder what other great reads have fallen through the blogging cracks!

REVIEW: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

“Hard is trying to rebuild yourself, piece by piece, with no instruction book, and no clue as to where all the important bits are supposed to go.”

Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down (2005)

In Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down four individuals meet under unusual circumstances. Its New Year’s Eve when Martin, a shamed TV host, Jess, a teenage delinquent, Maureen, a guilt-ridden single mother and JJ, a failed American musician, find themselves at the top of a tower block in London all considering the same question: whether to end their lives or not. In spite of this they couldn’t be more different, but having unintentionally interrupted each other’s plans they agree to meet again in a few weeks’ time to reassess the situation. Their shared experience starts an unconventional friendship.

Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)

BOOKISH FINDS: Charity Shop Treasures

Sometimes the best books are the ones that sneak up on you. I haven’t been into any charity shops in a while but, as my bookish desires were growing stronger, I decided to pop into a couple whiles I was milling around town. The Oxfam on Bold Street in Liverpool has a really great selection of books helpfully arranged by genre and a great selection of vintage clothing and records to. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re ever around the area. I almost bought a beautiful copy of Maurice and Howards End by E. M. Forster, but there are only so many books you can carry. Here’s what I did pick up:

1. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
2. 31 Songs by Nick Hornby
3. Selected Poems by Sylvia Plath
4. The Giver by Lois Lowry