Bookstoker Young Readers
White Rabbit Red Wolf
Fiendishly clever thriller makes YA Book Prize shortlist
The I Wonder Bookstore
Quirky and charming Japanese bestseller
Welcome to Bookstoker!
We’re here to help you find that book that you can’t put down, the book you’ll push on all your friends, the book that’ll change your life.
We read literary fiction, non-fiction, classics and children’s books, all genres and styles embraced in our aim to share the love. You’ll also find fabulous Bookstagrams and literary news.
A world of bookish delights!
Kirstin and Julie
Top 100 Book Blogs
Netgalley Member
Review by Julie
Notes to Self
Writing as therapy
Writing can be therapeutic and for Emilie Pine, who has had her fair share of problems, it was the only way to deal with them. Notes of Self by Emilie Pine, were meant to remain just that, but then her partner found them lying around and convinced Pine to bring them to a publisher. The result is this strangely addictive little collection of essays. It’s a brave and brutally honest book dealing with the raw reality of Pine’s father’s alcoholism, her struggles conceiving and her teenage rebellion. Sounds depressing? You bet, but there’s also something hopeful and optimistic about these stories which teach us something about human resilience.
Review by Julie
The Parade
Light and funny trademark Eggers
In a faraway country torn apart by civil war, two men are paving a new road that will reunite the north and south. The job is dangerous, employees of large international companies are attractive targets for kidnappers, so the men are known by their code names Four and Nine. They are polar opposites as far as personality goes. Four is a risk-averse pedant, Nine a careless hedonist. The stage is set for chaos. I’ve always enjoyed the way Eggers throws characters into unchartered territories, a fertile ground for comedy, and here he does it again. The Parade by Dave Eggers is not his best book, but as a light, funny read it’s very enjoyable nonetheless. (The Parade will be published in the UK on 21st March.)
Review by Julie
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
Be careful what you wish for
Now, a book about a mermaid might sound a bit ridiculous, but suspend belief and dive into the sumptuous, sexy and exuberant historical novel The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar and enjoy! Despite its 486 pages and tome-like appearance, I raced through this light, entertaining read and loved every second of it.
News by Julie
The Little Free Library movement
In part 2 of our occasional bookish delights series, we’d love to shine a light on the fantastic work of the Little Free Library movement. It’s now almost a decade since Todd Bol created the very first Little Free Library, in honour of his late book-loving mother.
News by Julie
Happy International Women’s Day!
We’re delighted to share with you our top picks of inspiring, visionary female authors of fiction and non-fiction from the blog. Click on the cover to see full review. Happy International Women’s Day!
News by Julie
World Book Day – If you read one book this year, let it be…
…Milkman by Anna Burns, the 2018 Man Booker Prize winner. First of all, don’t get turned off by the subject matter – the conflict in Northern Ireland during the 1970s. Sure, it’s serious stuff, but the way it’s presented here, makes it far from dreary. In fact, it’s one of the funniest books I read over the past year. It requires a bit of effort this book – it’s written in a stream-of-conciousness style, with no names – but is all the more rewarding for it. This book made me laugh of loud and admire some truly original, inspiring fiction writing. Go for it!
Read full review of Milkman here.
Bookstoker Young Readers
The Catcher in the Rye
Insightful 1951 classic brilliantly captures the adolescent outsider
Happy Poems
Big smiles for World Poetry Day this March
On the Come Up
Hip-hop is power in this unmissable YA read
Review by Jane
The Shardlake Series
Page-turning series featuring a 16th century detective
Set in Tudor England, The Shardlake Series by CJ Sansom is a series of (currently) 7 books featuring the lawyer Matthew Shardlake and a cast of both real and fictional characters. Packed with mystery, murder and intrigue and a wealth of fascinating historical insights, I admit I have become a bit obsessed. Forget taxing literary fiction, here is your new guilty pleasure.
Review by Julie
Territory of Light
A quietly powerful story of separation
Our nameless narrator’s husband has just announced he is leaving her. Adrift with a three-year old daughter she attempts to rebuild a life, but 1970s Japan is an unforgiving place for divorced women and shame, sadness and responsibility weigh heavily on her. Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima is a strange little book; its quietly powerful, sparse language perfectly captures despair and isolation in the wake of separation.
