Meg Moore - The Literary Blogger

Book obsessed English Teacher 📚 Currently reading: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro www.tiktok.com/@theliteraryblogger

[theliteraryblogger]

Hey everyone! I’ve finally joined Instagram and TikTok as @theliteraryblogger! Give me a follow and let’s chat about books!

[theliteraryblogger]

A gorgeous book display table that I stumbled across the other day… How many of these have you read?

[theliteraryblogger]

The prettiest purse from Well Read Company - and one of my favourite titles too! Absolutely in love with this little gem 📖🤍

[theliteraryblogger]

Just some of the titles I’ve read recently by black authors that I found incredibly informative and moving. I have studied (and personally love) the work of Jesmyn Ward, and also recommend Citizen by Claudia Rankine (not pictured above). Citizen is a great text that looks at microaggression and the experiences of black people witthin the United States through poetry. I also recently ordered ‘The New Jim Crow’ by Michelle Alexander and am constantly working to educate and inform myself of both my own privelige and the racism that persists in today’s society - so if you have any other book recommendations, please leave them in the comments! Let’s work together to share resources, books and knowledge to educate ourselves to try and resolve this problem, because Black Lives Matter.

[theliteraryblogger]

I finished my undergraduate degree in English Literature and Drama today! 🎓

[theliteraryblogger]

next on my reading list is ‘Milkman’ by Anna Burns, can’t wait! This cover is so gorgeous too ✨

[theliteraryblogger]

Vigaro Modern Classics 40th Editions - celebrating female writers ✨

[theliteraryblogger]

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

Rating: 8/10

I was really torn on what to score this one, somewhere between 7 and 8 but I settled on 8/10 when I remembered how much this book touched me and left me feeling even weeks after I’d finished

For those that haven’t read the book or seen the movie, this novel is a beautiful story about a summer romance between two men that touches both of their lives so deeply and how they developed such a strong love for each other. This book came to me at a time in my life where I had recently ended a relationship and it was such a great book to help with the healing and emotional process that I was going through. The story follows the life of Elio, a young boy who’s parents host an academic each year at their summer home in Italy to stay with them and work on their work, and along comes Oliver. The relationship between Oliver and Elio is one built on stolen glances and rooted in suppressed desire; reading the way in which these two characters interact with one another, as well as how they struggle to come to terms with both their feelings and denial is one that is not only gripping, but beautiful.

The way Aichman depicts this story between the two men is so touching and had such a lasting impact on me - I found myself thinking over different passages and interactions in the days and weeks following finishing the book. Without spoiling too much for those who are yet to experience Call Me By Your name in some capacity, the book really does communicate this idea of ‘the forbidden love’ as well as the element of true love as a reality.

This book was both painful to read, as well as a complete pleasure. The way Aichman describes Italy as a place, as well as the hidden references to mythology and literary classics made this such a joy thread - funny, clever, considerate and at times downright scandalous. I don’t think I’ve read a modern novel quite like it before.

A gorgeous story that’s skilfully written and allows for complete escapism and emersion into the love story between Elio and Oliver - and the ending completely shattered my heart. A must read for any hopeless romantics, or even those looking to get lost in a wonderful journey of navigating love.

[theliteraryblogger]

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Rating: 6/10

I’m surprised it took me so long to read this book, I’ve had it on my bookshelf for a couple of years now but never had a moment to sit down and really get into it. I had zero expectations of this book and had heard very little in relation to what it was about or what people thought of it - so it was so nice to read a book and just let it take me on its narrative journey without any initial idea what it was about!

The way Plath describes New York in the 50’s just makes me wish I could have seen it for myself! There is a sense in the book that you are really living through the main character and it’s very easy to feel quickly engrossed and connected to the character and story line. The way she described the city, the fashion, the dinners and the architecture genuinely make me feel like I was born in the wrong era!

Without revealing too much, this book is fantastic - the way the writer really toys with your emotions and expectations of the book too. Set in New York, the book follows Esther, a young woman trying to figure out her future and how to make her mark on the world. The book touches on themes of femininity, sexuality, women’s rights and most notably mental health. Before I read this book I already knew about Plath’s own mental health story and so when reading this book made very close links between her own story and Esther’s. Plath caught me completely off guard, and the end of the book was so moving and left me with so much to think about. Set a time when liberation for women was occurring, it really is heartbreaking to read this book as a modern woman and compare how different my life is compared to the characters within the novel.

A read that will definitely lure you into a false sense of comfort and completely break your heart! I gave it a 6/10 purely when comparing it to other books I’d read recently that were more fast paced - this book can feel like the storyline doesn’t really progress within a whole chapter, but that being said I still loved it! I definitely recommend it, an absolute classic!

[theliteraryblogger]

Newcastle, United Kingdom ✨📚

[theliteraryblogger]

“not all those who wander are lost” ~ J.R.R Tolkien

[theliteraryblogger]

Evening Primrose by Kopano Matlwa Rating: 9/10

This was such an interesting read, I was honestly really pleasantly surprised by hw much I enjoyed this book. If you’ve been reading my review for a while, then you’ll know that the thing I hate about reading is expectation. If my expectations are too high because of a ‘hype’ then I’m always disappointed - so my outlook is to always go in with low expectation. But this book really took me by surprise. I was kindly sent a copy of this book by Hodder & Stoughton, and I don’t know why, but I’m always a little hesitant when I get sent books by publishing companies and feel a lot of pressure to read them. But I decided that this would be one of my holiday reads…little did I realise that it would be so profound.

The novel is in the form of diary entries, so follows the life of the narrator from when she’s very young through into her adult life in South Africa - her education as a teenager, training as a doctor, her relationship with her mother. But most importantly, the novel also comments on a number of socio-political events and attitudes within South Africa. Throughout the book there’s a lot of commentary on the divide within the community between light and dark skinned South Africans, as well as xenophobic attitudes towards individuals from North African countries and the discrimination that they face/faced.

There are so many interesting comments made throughout the novel, without giving too much of the novel’s plot away (as to prevent spoilers), its interesting to read about the inability to speak out against a majority view or ideology. I became so engrossed in this book that I managed to start, and finish it in a matter of hours. Due to the length and layout of the book, it was very easy to just power read, but the cliff hangers and content also helped keep me hooked too.

I’m so so in love with this book and everything that it discusses and the way it brings taboo subjects into the forefront of narrative, you’d be a fool not to read it. Completely and utterly deserving of its 9/10 rating, Evening Primrose is a touching and thought provoking novel that will leave you completely stunned - a must read this summer.

[theliteraryblogger]

Perfect reading spot 🌿

[theliteraryblogger]

Here’s a huge thank you to Rare Birds Book Club 📖 they’re a lovely subscription service that aim to make reading fun, focusing on female writers and publishers! I can’t thank them enough for my package in the post! Go check them out! 📚

[theliteraryblogger]

[theliteraryblogger]

Some classics ✨ insta: @theliteraryblogger

[theliteraryblogger]

My little collection of Clothbound Classics ✨

more on my instagram @theliteraryblogger 📚