Rating: 2

I’ve always been interested in horse racing, so when I came across this book in the publisher’s catalogue, I was intrigued, especially since I know next to nothing about anything else than flat racing. I hoped for some insights, biographies and delightful anecdotes of trainers and their horses. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got …

When it comes to poetry, things get complicated. I have a very specific idea of what poetry should look like. Alas, this is probably why Great Goddesses didn’t work for me because I don’t consider this poetry and my brain just automatically turns off being annoyed …

I fell in love with this book the moment I lay eyes on it. The cover that is. As much as I wanted to love the content, it made it its mission to drive it up the wall. This is one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. It got so bad I had to put it down a couple of times to give myself a break. It certainly had potential but it left me hot and cold in all the wrong places …

I actually never meant to read this book. I wasn’t interested in it at all. But then I read her second novel, In Search of Us, for work, which I really liked, and decided to give this one a try anyway – and off I was on a reading odyssey. I borrowed the audio book online from my library but had to discover that it ended rather abruptly. Too abruptly and on a rather sad note for a YA novel. So I did some research and found out that a quarter of the book was missing. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a paperback copy from a colleague to finish it. I’m glad I did, though this book wasn’t really for me …

A book about bookshops – what could possibly go wrong? Apparently, more than I thought. In the end, it left me pretty disappointed. It was too UK-centric, too jumbled, too repetitive, and sporting some outrageous omissions …

I noticed pretty early on that I liked the concepts: inherent darkness taking strange and sometimes perilous shapes by miracles that have to be overcome, a radio station on wheels that holds the key to so many lives, the complicated relationships between the characters, the desert setting. However, I also realised I wasn’t sure whether I would come to like the book. In the end, I didn’t. In fact, it bored me so much I was very close to giving up on it …

As someone madly in love with Ireland, I just had to pick up this book when I first came across it, expecting a funny, joyful, maybe even educational read. Unfortunately, in the end, it wasn’t for me …