Well hello there, dear readers. It’s been an age and a half since I’ve written that. As you may or may not have noticed, the weekly Coffee Time Tuesdays died down for a while.
That’s because I was on holiday all throughout September (and October, a little bit), and coming back to work ended up being quite overwhelming, so I had to drop a few responsibilities and focus on myself for a while.
The other reason why I haven’t written this column in weeks is that my reading has gone downhill completely since our last update. I haven’t finished a book since September. And I’m admitting that shamefully.
I’ve been reading, don’t get me wrong. Just in a chaotic way that has left me with about six or seven current reads, none of which I’m anywhere near the end of.
My 2022 reading challenge will be an enormous failure, but I’ve come to terms with that. Reading shouldn’t be about numbers. I’ve only read 38 books so far this year, my aim being 55. And while I still have time to make that happen, I’m hesitant to say it will.
But enough self-pity. I’m back, and now Coffee Time Tuesdays are a thing again, I’m sure I’ll be inspired to read more. Special thanks to my dear friend, Amanda Kay Oaks, who has recently launched a column herself, for giving me the push I needed to start writing this column again.
If you’d like to read Amanda’s new column, Book News Corner, check out her introduction post on Your Book Friend:
What I’m Reading
My current reads are a bit of a buffet. I’ve started everything, in a desperate attempt to find something that sticks. Firstly, I’m re-reading The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune, the first two books being some of the most uplifting and wholesome books I’ve ever read. The third and final book in the trilogy, Heat Wave, came out in August and I’d love to read it, so I’m refreshing my memory by re-reading the first two.
Then, in desperate need of a moody, autumnal read, I started The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, a dark academia murder mystery I hoped would be the light at the end of my slumpy tunnel. It’s not there yet, but the beginning sounds promising and I am interested to know where the story is headed.
My non-fiction (and audiobook) of choice this month is Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story by Julie K. Brown. The author is the journalist who broke the Epstein story and whose coverage finally got the infamous child sexual predator behind bars.
It’s an incredibly interesting story — from a purely journalistic point of view, but it’s very difficult to digest. Some of the details are truly harrowing, so if you’re triggered by any kind of mention of sexual harassment and paedophilia, skip this one.
The one book that’s really got me hooked and might be my saving grace is the Forward Book of Poetry 2022. You may not know this, but I’m a poet. Like, a legit one. I have two published collections and I’m working on my third.
And although I managed to make a name for myself on the Romanian poetry scene, I’m determined to put my foot in the door on the English poetry scene, so I need to familiarise myself with some contemporary poets. The Forward anthology is a gem and one I’ve been savouring this past week.
And finally, I went to a conference in dreamy Edinburgh two weeks ago and that’s where I started Matrix by Lauren Groff. It’s a story of feminism, queerness, female strength and friendship, set in England in the 12th century. Not at all in my comfort zone, but I love the writing style and dark atmosphere.
Shiny New Release
Today’s shiny new release actually came out on 6 October, but bear with, I’ve been absent for a while, so I’m catching up. I could have simply chosen a November release but I really wanted to feature this debut, which looks stunning and sounds even better.
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli is a debut about love, loss, suicide, race, and coming to terms with grief when you’re the one left behind. Here’s what the publisher says:
Here are three things you should know about my husband:
1. He was the great love of my life despite his penchant for going incommunicado
2. He was, as far as I and everyone else could tell, perfectly happy.
3. On New Year’s Eve, he killed himself
And here is one thing you should know about me:
1. I found him.
Bonus fact: No. I am not okay
Eve is left heartbroken by her husband’s unexpected death, but everyone around her — her friends, her boisterous British-Nigerian family, her toxic mother-in-law — seems to be pushing her to move on. Unable to face the future, Eve begins looking back, delving through the history of her marriage in an attempt to understand where it went wrong. So begins an unconventional love story about loss, resilience, and a heroine bursting with rage and unexpected joy.
I’m writing a novel about a similar female protagonist, who has to deal with the unexpected death of her partner, so this book sounds like it will resonate a lot with me and the story I’m building. I love that it’s called a love story, so we might expect Eve to fall in love again. Finding joy after grief is a difficult feat, so I’m curious to see how this new author will portray that journey.
And that’s it for today’s Coffee Time Tuesday! I’m so happy to get back into writing this column. Let me know what you’ve been reading!
Coffee Time Reviews 