Macbeth Almeida Theatre Review| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- Macbeth
Writer- William Shakespeare

Theatre- Almeida Theatre, London

Running Dates- final performance November 27th. Tickets are sold out, but you can watch this at home via a livestream until October 30th (this is how I watched it)

Running Time- approx 3 hours and 5 mins, including an interval 

Cast- Saoirse Ronan, James McArdle 

Genre- Classic, Shakespeare, Tragedy

Rating- 4/5 stars 

Plot

Yaël Farber directs James McArdle and Saoirse Ronan, in an elemental production about a world in transformation, the shadows in all of us, and one couple’s spine-chilling quest for power.

Olivier Award-nominee James McArdle plays the title role of Macbeth. His highly acclaimed theatre roles include Louis in the National Theatre and Broadway production of Angels in America, Peter Gynt, Platonov and James I in The James Plays (National Theatre). His screen work includes HBO’s Mare of Easttown, Ammonite, Mary Queen of Scots and Man in an Orange Shirt.

Four-time Academy Award-nominated Saoirse Ronan makes her UK stage debut as Lady Macbeth. She made her Broadway debut as Abigail Williams in The Crucible on Broadway in 2016 to glowing reviews and has been celebrated throughout her career for her performances in films including Atonement, Lady Bird, Brooklyn, and Little Women.

Yaël Farber is an internationally acclaimed director and playwright, whose recent work includes Hamlet (St Ann’s Warehouse, New York); Blood Wedding (Young Vic), Knives in Hens (Donmar Warehouse) and Les Blancs (National Theatre).

Taken from the Almeida website.

Opinions

It's been an age since I did a theatre review on here and I'm really happy I can start making this content again. With COVID, I haven't been to an in person performance since March 2020. So, I've been watching a lot of livestream theatre. I was desperate to see this production of Macbeth because I love Saiorse Ronan and James McArdle. I was planning on seeing it in London in November, but due to the COVID rates in the UK and me having to travel to London to see it, I decided it wasn't safe so I was very happy when they announced these livestream dates. 

Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle were phenomenal in the lead roles. This is my third Macbeth production, but this one really stood out to me. Unlike previous productions, these versions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth felt human. They started as a normal couple, then they descended into the madness/power obsession. I actually felt sorry for them as you could see they regretted their actions and wanted no part in what they had done towards the end. Lady Macbeth is often portrayed as manipulative and pushing Macbeth to do these deeds, but in this version, she was a wife supporting her husband. There was genuine love between them. You understood why she went mad with guilt and grief, why she died. I think Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle brought out a softer side to these characters that we haven't really seen before. This was a motif carried by the rest of the cast, including the actor that played MacDuff. His grief when he lost his wife and children was palpable. He was sad and didn't set out for revenge immediately. It was a very strong cast.

This was one of the grittier versions of Macbeth I have seen. I loved the set and costume designs. The use of "we'll meet again" gave it this old wartime feel, which made it feel timeless. The staging was quite simple, with plastic screen dividers used to create different rooms. The costumes were also quite simple, with a lot of monochrome being used. I think the only time we saw colour was in the camouflage military uniforms or the blue of the royal outfits worn by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It gave the play a spooky undertone, which it should have. The lighting was good, but at times didn't translate well to viewing it at home as the shadows were too dense, which is something I'll talk about later. I really liked the creative choices they made for this version. 

The music was another incredible part of this production. They had a cellist and a singer, who were also performers in the play. The singer had this beautiful voice that created haunting music. In the more intense scenes, when characters died it was like their pain had been turned into music. The music was just as a stand out as the rest of this production. It was never over the top or got in the way of the performances, it enhanced them.     

It's time to talk about the only thing I didn't like about this production and it wasn't even a fault of the production. The way it was filmed meant at times certain scenes were lost. Like there was quite an intense fight scene between Banquo and the assassins who kill him, and we at home only saw Macbeth's reaction. I would have loved to have seen the fight. At times the cameras were trying to get close ups, but kept on catching other cameras in the background and would have to move quickly to get out of the way. They would try and avoid getting camera shadows in shot, which made for clunky filming. I think if there had been a bit of variety in the shots, it would have worked so much better. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this production and I now wish I was seeing it live in London as I think that would have been a totally different experience. I think the whole creative team did a wonderful job at bringing this show to life and changing certain elements for the better. I gave it 4/5 stars, as while I enjoyed it, I really struggled with some of the filming choices.

What did you think of this production of Macbeth??

My Favourite Halloween Entertainment- Books, Films and TV Shows| CarenzaOnBooks

Back in the day, when I first started this blog, I used to do something called Spooky Week. As the title suggested, for a week, I would post spooky related content. I did it for two or three years, but for various reasons I stopped. However, I still love making Halloween content. In today's post, I thought I would share my favourite/ultimate Halloween entertainment guide. I am going to pick one book, film and TV show to share and talk about how much I love them. These are just my personal preferences, but these are guaranteed to put my in a Halloweeny mood.

Book- Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

You are probably sick to death of me talking about how much I love this book and this series, but that's not going to stop me from talking about it. I believe Serpent and Dove is the perfect Halloween/autumnal series because of two things- witches and a gritty/dark tone. These books aren't perfect, they have their flaws, but they're so entertaining. If you love an enemies to lover romance, witches and witch-hunters, iconic characters and a beautiful magic system, then look no further. 

Shoutouts for other books that could have featured in this category are The Diviners series, The Once and Future Witches, The Devil and the Dark Water and If We Were Villains. 

Film- The Nightmare Before Christmas

Taken from Google Images

I am one of those people where it isn't Halloween unless I've watched this film. The story is great, the songs are great, the characters are great, the art style is great. In summary, it's great. It can also pass for a Christmas film, so you can watch it twice a year. I've watched this so many times I've lost count. Having now seen Schitt's Creek, I refuse to believe that the same person who played Moria Rose, also played Sally and one of the spooky kids. My brain can't cope.

TV Show- The Living and the Dead 

Taken from Google Images

This is probably the most unknown on this list as it's a criminally underrated show. If you like historical fiction, supernatural things that go bump in the night and Colin Morgan, then you'll love this show. It was a BBC show that got cancelled even before it aired, so the ending leaves you wanting more, but sadly you'll never get it. I have watched this at least once a year every year since it came out (in 2016). Some of the things that happen in it are genuinely quite scary and it's one of those shows I have to watch with the light on because it kinda terrifies me. It has a wonderful story, with a beautiful soundtrack and incredible performances. It is on BritBox or you can buy it on DVD. If you take anything from this list, then please take this show because I need more people to watch it. 

What are your go to Halloween entertainments??

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- The Thursday Murder Club

Author- Richard Osman

Series- The Thursday Murder Club series

Published- 2020

Page Count- 396 pages (UK paperback)

Publishing House- Penguin

Genre- murder mystery, cosy crime, crime 

Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Author

Richard Thomas Osman (born 28 November 1970) is an English comedian, producer, television presenter, writer, and the creator and co-presenter of the BBC One television quiz show Pointless. He has also presented the BBC Two quiz shows Two Tribes and Richard Osman's House of Games and has been a team captain on the comedy panel shows Insert Name Here and The Fake News Show. He has gained recognition for his appearances on many British panel shows.

Osman worked at Hat Trick Productions alongside Ben Smith before becoming creative director of the television production company Endemol UK, producing shows including Prize Island for ITV and Deal or No Deal for Channel 4. He is the writer of the 2020 novel The Thursday Murder Club.

Taken from Wikipedia

Plot

THE FIRST BOOK IN THE #1 BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY TV PRESENTER RICHARD OSMAN

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Taken from Goodreads

Opinions

Prior to me reading this book for my second pick of the Spoopathon, I had listened to members of my book group talking about their feelings on it. I think I was the only person who hadn't read it and there were some mixed feelings. Some liked it, others didn't and there was one individual who passionately didn't like it. It just so happened that I was about to start reading it that evening. I was interested to see where I would fall on the wide spectrum of readers. 

I'll start with the positives. I found this book very easy to read. I read it in three days. Despite the problems I had, which I'll discuss later in this post, there was a part of me that wanted to find out what happened next. It moved at quite a natural progression and I didn't mind moving between the characters. I'm glad that it was an easy read as that's one of the things I gave it stars for. 

Another positive is that I didn't mind the characters. Let's talk about the main four. They were an odd bunch, but they seemed to work well. I have seen a few comments that said Ibrahim was only included to have a more diverse cast and to some extent I have to agree. Elizabeth was the most interesting out of them as she had the most layers to her characters. Joyce was okay, as was Ron. I felt that in some of the side characters, the hairdresser in particular, there was a very fine line when it came to stereotypes. The hairdresser being gay and loving gossip just felt a bit cliche. I realised quite early on that I was not the target audience for this book, but I thought the characters were okay.

Let's get into my main problem with this book. I personally felt the writing was bad. I think this is a case of a celebrity getting to write a book as the quality of the writing wasn't great. It made it hard for me to follow the plot of what should have been a quite simple book. Things kept on being revealed that weren't linked to the two main crimes of the story, which has left me confused as to who committed which murder and why. Going back to my point about the characters, PC Donna was a great character, but one I only realised was a person of colour after reading about her for a while when someone specifically said it. It felt like it was just a throw away comment. I know this is a fiction book, but some of the things that happened were unbelievable even for a murder mystery. The police wouldn't just give away information the way these characters did. It just frustrated me to no end. 

It probably won't come as a surprise, but I won't be reading the sequels to this series. I can see why people like it as it's a unique premise and certain parts of it remind me of my own relatives, who live in a residential home. Sadly, it's just not for me. I am planning on giving my copy to my grandma as I think she'll like it.

What did you think of The Thursday Murder Club??

The Power of the Readathon| CarenzaOnBooks

This post is inspired by the Spoopathon, which is a readathon I am currently taking part in. If you want to know more about it and what I'm reading for it, then click here. In today's post, I want to talk about the power of readathons and how they've made me motivated to read.

Prior to this, I have taken part in one or two readathons during my time in the book community. I like the ones where you can fit whatever books you want to read to prompts, rather than having a specific group book to read. In recent years, there hasn't really been a readathon that has captured my attention. Either the timing didn't work for me or the premise wasn't one I was interested in. Then Spoopathon came along, created by the wonderful Holly from @spoopyhol. A Halloween themed readathon? Sign me up. What was great about this one was that I could already fit my TBR plans for October around the prompts. The prompts are very generous and you can get quite creative with how you pick books for them. 

Since taking part, I've noticed that I am more motivated to read. In the first week of October, I read three books. I don't remember the last time I read that many books in one week. Compared to normal months, where I'm just reading for me, I'm more likely to pick up a book. I think that's because of two reasons. One, I have a goal to complete and two, I want to collect points for my teams. This is the first readathon I've taken part in where there's a bit of a competition element. It feels like I'm working towards something and that at the end, there's going to be a reward. 

Readathons are a community event. I know for this one, there are reading sprints you can take part in at certain times, where everyone reads at the same time. There's teams and obviously, you want to see to see your team win. You can interact with other people and see what they're reading or what content they're making around the readathon. I think the community spirit created around readathons makes them a wholesome event to take part in.

The Spoopathon isn't finished yet, but I'm certain I'd take part in more readathons in the future. I've had so much fun challenging myself to read more this month and it's given me a chance to create content that's a bit different from what I normally do. Readathons are very powerful and lovely events. I'd recommend taking part in one. 

These were my short and somewhat ramble-y thoughts on readathons.      

Sex Education Series Three TV Show Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Google Images

Title- Sex Education

Creators- Laurie Nunn

Cast- Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Aimee Lou-Wood, Connor Swindells plus an ensemble cast

Genre- teen drama, comedy, drama 

Length- three series of eight episodes

Platform- Netflix

Rating- 4/5 stars

Plot

Sex Education primarily follows Otis Milburn, a student at Moordale Secondary School. Otis begins the series ambivalent about sex, in part because his single mother Jean is a sex therapist who frequently has affairs with male suitors but is unable to maintain romantic relationships.

Brief summary for all three series taken from Wikipedia 

Opinions 

In case you didn't know, Sex Education is one of my favourite shows of all time. When it first dropped in 2019, I watched the first series four times in a row because it was that good. This series has been anticipated for a while because of how series two ended and because of how long we've had to wait because of COVID. I have more to say than I can fit into one blog post, so I've picked what I think are the key points/things I want to talk about. My very brief summary is that compared to the first two series, this one was weaker but still good. I wasn't disappointed or bored, I just didn't quite have the same connection as I did to the first two. I easily gave the first two 5 stars without a second thought, but this one gets 4 stars because it just missed the mark for me. 

Taken from Google Images

I think the main storyline was the love square that we had going between Otis, Maeve, Ruby and Issac. I am not a big fan of love triangles or any other shapes, but this one kinda worked. Let's talk about the Otis and Ruby romance first. I was quite surprised by it, but after the events of series two, it did work. It allowed us to finally get to know Ruby better after only getting small insights in the first two series. It was inevitable that the two would break up as they weren't 100% compatible and it would have been cruel of Otis to lead her on when he didn't love her. I hope we get to see more of Ruby following her breakup with Otis as she faded into the background after their relationship ended. This then leads us to Maeve and Issac. I think they work wonderfully as friends, but not as romantic partners. They understood what the other had been through and they brought the best out in each other. A romance would have complicated that. I never hated Issac, I thought that while his actions were wrong, he was just trying to protect his friend. I would like to see them just as friends for the next series. Finally, let's talk about Otis and Maeve. We've had this big "will they, won't they" plotline going since series one and we've still got it going. I am getting a bit tired of it at this point, but if they don't get together properly at some point before the show ends, I will revolt. 

Taken from Google Images

One of the things I really didn't like about this series was how they treated Eric. His actions throughout just felt completely off character. The way he treated Adam was appalling. As someone who had struggled with coming to terms with his own sexuality due to lack of support, Eric should have been much more supportive of Adam and his journey. They've turned Eric into someone who will cheat on his boyfriend without a second thought. He isn't the same character as in series one, he isn't even recognisable as that character. I was very disappointed with his storyline this series. 

Speaking of Adam, he has had one of the best, if not the best, story arcs throughout the shows run. We got to see that he wanted to become a better person, not just for those in his life, but for himself. He's slowly beginning to accept his sexuality and he wants to do better at school. We get to learn why he is so quick to violence and why he struggles with his emotions. One of the things that bugged me a bit was how the media reported Adam's journey with his sexuality. They called him gay, when he has clearly stated he was bisexual. This could have been such a good chance to have some strong bisexual rep and it fell a bit flat for me. I hope they return to the topic of Adam's bisexuality. The final episode made me smile and cry for him. He has become one of my favourite characters and Connor Swindells deserves an award for his performance as it was incredible. Michael's storyline was just as beautiful and very similar to Adam's. Series two did him a bit dirty as he wasn't a textbook villain. We got to see that just like his son he wants to change and undo the years of damage by his own father. They were some lovely scenes, especially the ones when he stood up to his arrogant brother. Their storylines were probably my favourite this series and were the ones I found the most interesting. 

Taken from Google Images

Aimee's storyline was another powerful one. It showed her slow recovery from her sexual assault. I liked that they didn't gloss over it and say that she was magically fixed after the bus scene. Her interactions with Jean during her therapy sessions were so strong. The fact that we get to see her hear being told that what happened wasn't her fault was another important moment. Aimee Lou-Wood 100% deserved the BAFTA she won for playing Aimee in series two and she just goes from strength to strength in her performances. Her friendship with Maeve finally saw a few bumps in the road, which is what it needed for it to progress. They are very different people but they are able to fix that and still love each other. It is one of the best relationships in this show. As sad as it was for her to breakup with Steve, I think it needed to happen. It will be nice to see Aimee without a boyfriend. 

Taken from Google Images

I genuinely cried when I thought they might kill Jean off after she experienced complications with her labour. The idea of Otis and Joy not having a mum was so sad. Her overall storyarc was a bit dull. She did have some great lines, such as shouting at the tea and the doctors at the hospital. The show just wouldn't work without her. I am excited to see who could be the father of her baby as it clearly isn't Jakob. My theory at the moment is that it's motorbike Dan as we saw him outside the hospital and we wouldn't have seen him unless it was a clue.  

Taken from Google Images

I think one of my problems with this series was that there were too many characters, which resulted in too many storylines and it felt diluted. There are so many characters that I have't even touched on, like Lily's storyline was heartbreaking. Ola didn't really have one and I found her a bit annoying this series. We didn't get to see some characters, such as Jackson's other mum and Remi Milburn this series. Speaking of Jackson, he just felt like a background character and didn't really have a storyline. The same went for Viv and they were great characters with an iconic friendship. The new characters didn't really add much, other than for Cal to be introduced as a non-binary character and for that to be their sole personality trait. They had one good scene with another non-binary character and that was it. I didn't mind Hope as the villain. I felt that she was under a lot of pressure and that it had damaged her own morals. The parallels with her needing total control in her professional life compared to her lack of control over her body was a strong one. I'd like to see her return, but then her storyline also felt complete. Compared to previous series, there's was just too much going on, but not enough big events.      

I am of the belief that series four should be the final one. Have the students finishing their time as secondary school pupils and go off to university. I think a fifth series wouldn't work. We've already reached a point were there are too many characters and therefore too many story arcs to resolve. The writing, performances, directing and overall production were great. This show should go out on a high while it still can. 

Here is a list of things I would like to happen in series four:

• Otis and Maeve get together properly
• Adam and Michael to fix their relationship or work towards it, plus Adam competing in dog shows
• Eric figuring out what he wants in a boyfriend and not cheating on them
• Either Mr Hendricks or Miss Sands becoming the new headteacher of Moordale 
• Aimee continuing on her journey of recovery 
• Ruby to become a more developed character outside her relationship with Otis
• A strong ending of them going to university, with Otis training to become a therapist and Maeve studying English Literature

I could probably list a lot more things, but these are the ones I really want to see. What did you think of Sex Education series three?? 

Bookshops I'd Like to Visit| CarenzaOnBooks

I love a good bookshop. I often have to be dragged away from bookshops by friends and family because I could easily spend hours in them. This post is inspired by my bookshop trip to Oxford, which you can read about here. There are so many bookshops I want to visit so I have compiled a list of some of my top destinations!

A bookshop from my Oxford trip 

Daunt Books, Oxford

This was one of the places on my list when we went to Oxford, but unfortunately it was too far out of the city centre for us to visit. I know that this is a beloved bookshop to those based in Oxford and from the photos I've seen, it's very pretty. I really like how they organise their books by author nationality, so you can read outside of the usual UK-USA authors, which is something I'd like to do.

Daunt Books, London

Yes, another branch of Daunt Books is making an appearance on this list. This is the one I see on my Instagram feed frequently and it is stunning. By far, one of the prettiest bookshops I've ever seen. Do I partly want to go so I have an Instagram worthy photo? Yes. But like it's Oxford counterpart, I am excited to try and find some authors from outside my usual reading taste. 

Topping&Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Again, this may be another one I want to visit because of its Instagram worthy status, but it also just looks like a stunning bookshop. The one in Edinburgh has sliding ladders! A bookworms dream. I know they also have a large selection of signed and first editions of books. My only experience of Edinburgh bookshops is Blackwell's, where I would get a book after every time I went to the Fringe Festival. Edinburgh is a place I adore and can't wait to go back. 

Shakespeare&Company, Paris

The fact that I have been to Paris twice and not visited this shop is just a tragedy. It's a well known spot for book lovers and writers. I believe when it first opened, writers would stay to work on their novels and help out at the bookshop. This is now known as being a "tumbleweed" and one day, it is a goal of mine to do this. They have a selection of English and French books too.

The Strand, New York

The Strand feels like one of those bookshops you have to go to as some rite of passage as a bookworm. The tall shelves filled with books. A selection of bookish themed merch. It just looks like you'd have a great time wandering around. If I ever get to New York, this is on the top of my list of things to do. 

Gay's The Word, London

This is the UKs only, exclusive gay and lesbian bookshop, so naturally I want to go there. I actually ordered some books from them during the Pandemic, so I know they have a great selection of LGBT books. I think it's great that there are bookshops like this, with a focus on a specific type of writer/subject. When I next go to London, whenever that is, it's on my to visit list. 

The Tree House Second-Hand Bookshop, Kenilworth

The final entry on this list and this one is the closest to me. The reason I want to go here? They do Christmas Book Advents. 24 books hand picked and wrapped for you to open throughout December. It is literally my dream advent calendar. I also love a good second-hand bookshop. This one is part bookshop, part local arts centre. Another cosy place to browse books.   

So those are some bookshops I'd like to visit. I'm sure I'll add more to my list, so at some point in the future, I may do a part two. What are some bookshops you'd like to visit?

The Foundling by Stacey Halls Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- The Foundling

Author- Stacey Halls

Series- N/A

Published- 2020

Page Count- 383 pages 
Publishing House- Manilla Press

Genre- historical fiction, feminist  

Rating- 3/5 stars 

To read my review of Stacey's other book, The Familiars, click here.  

About the Author 

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale, Lancashire. She studied journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and has written for publications including the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, The Independent, The Sun and Fabulous. 

Her first book The Familiars was the bestselling debut novel of 2019. The Foundling is her second novel.

Taken from Stacey's website.

Plot

A mother's love knows no bounds. . .

London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London't Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never really known. Dreading the worst - that Clara has died in care - the last thing she expects to hear is that her daughter has already been reclaimed. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl - and why.

Les than a mile from Bess' lodgings in a quiet town house, a wealthy widow barely ventures outside. When her close friend - an ambitious doctor at the Foundling Hospital - persuades her to hire a nursemaid for her young daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home and her life. But her past is threatening to catch up with her - and will soon tear her carefully constructed world apart.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Georgian London, 'THE LOST ORPHAN' explores families and secrets, class and power, and how the pull of motherhood cuts across them all. 

Taken from Goodreads. 

Opinions

I read and adored The Familiars by Stacey Halls in July, flying through it in about four days. It had a compelling plot, an interesting main character and historical period/setting I was very interested in. I read it while on holiday in Devon and was so in love with it that I immediately bought her second book in paperback in Devon. I was sure that this was going to be a book I loved. Sadly, I was wrong.

I think having the dual perspectives after only having one in her previous books didn't work for me. I didn't mind Bess' POV. It was similar to Fleetwood from The Familiars and I liked her. I felt that she was an interesting main character, with the mystery surrounding how she became pregnant and her lower class background. If the book had been entirely from Bess' POV, I think this would have been just as interesting as The Familiars. Bess was fierce, she had great friends and other characters to interact with. She felt down to earth and real. I'll now explain the other POV and why it didn't work for me.

Alexandra was the other POV. She was Charlotte's adopted mother and to put it bluntly, I didn't like her. I found her POV confusing, at times I thought her parents were alive, others it was clear they were dead. It was very clear she didn't want a child and spent a long time talking about how she wasn't fit to be a mother. I felt no sympathy for her. I was just irritated by her and wanted to get back to Bess' POV. Her ending with giving Charlotte back to Bess and somehow ending up in a relationship with the doctor felt off. We just didn't click and that's part of the reason why I gave this book a lower rating than The Familiars.

Asides from the characters, I didn't connect with the plot as much. For one thing, the big reveal of how Alexandra came to have adopted Charlotte was fairly weak. Alexandra's sister just happened to be there when Bess was dropping Charlotte off. It felt a bit too convenient. Just like Alexandra's sister having to leave for the country as soon as Bess was hired. The romance between Bess and Lyle felt a bit out of the blue, but it was nice to see her have a happy ending.

I did like that it highlighted to conditions of Foundlings in the 1700, many of whom were left by their mothers for better lives. I think Stacey Halls is great at highlighting important issues to women. This book was about motherhood and what it meant to be a good mother. I just struggled to connect with it as much as I did her previous book. I did find it easy to read and flew through it again. I'm now unsure if I want to read her third book. I may give it some time and then pick it up, but before this I would have said Stacey was one of my auto-buy authors. This book has made me unsure how I feel and I might need a third book to determine my thoughts.    

What did you think of The Foundling??

My Spoopathon TBR| CarenzaOnBooks

I know we're a few days into October, but I thought I'd share my TBR for the Spoopathon readathon taking place this month. In case you don't know, this is a month long readathon hosted by @spoopyhol on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The aim is to escape the haunted house by completing reading prompts which give you points. The points go towards your team. This is a very brief summary and you can find more information on the @spoopathon Twitter account. I am a member of Team Order of Spies and I am super excited to take part. Without further ado, here is my TBR and the prompts they will be completing.   

This also includes some non Spoopathon TBR books for the month

Gifted to You

My first book of the readathon completes the "gifted to you" prompt as this was a birthday present from my best friend back in August. I have wanted to read The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse for some time. I keep on seeing it around and know that quite a lot of people like it. I don't actually know what this is about other than it can make people quite sad. It's a graphic novel and it's on the short side, so I thought it would be the perfect book to start with. 

Autumnal Cover

For the second prompt, I have chosen The Thursday Murder Club. This has a fox on the cover and I would say foxes are very autumnal. Again, this is another book I have heard nothing but great things about. I love a good cosy, murder mystery, so this sounds like it should be something I should enjoy. 

500+ Pages and Team Colour

I really enjoyed Stuart Turton's other book, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, so I cannot wait to read his latest book. This comes in at just over 500 plus pages and it very subtly features my team colour of yellow as the chain on the cover is yellow. I may be stretching it to fit the prompt, but I think that is a shade of yellow and therefore, it counts. 

Bonus photo of my cat Mac with my TBR!

Diverse Rep and LGBTQIA+ Rep/Author

It seems I have picked books that I've heard a lot of good things about and so my next pick is Mina and the Undead. I love a good YA urban fantasy and this one has vampires in it, so it should be good. The diverse rep in this book is that it's written by a female author (which I checked does count for the prompt) and that one of the characters is LGBT+. Part of the reason I want to read this is that I saw James Marsters, who played Spike on Buffy, saying some really nice things about this book and that made me want to read it more,  

Read it After Dark and Spooky Book 

My final book for the Spoopathon is Wakenhyrst, which is a gothic historical fiction. I bought it almost a year ago, really wanting to read it and here we are a year later. I've really gotten into historical fiction in the past year and would consider it one of my favourite genres. Add in some gothic, spooky elements and well, you've got my attention. 

That concludes my TBR for the Spoopathon. I've only pledged to go around the house once because I want to enjoy the books and I don't want to rush myself, plus I think this is quite an ambitious TBR as is. I can't wait to help lead Team Order of Spies to victory!