Everything I Know About Love
Where. to. begin. Dolly Alderton is absolutely one of the most stellar, influential, and noteworthy female writers of our generation. It is truly a wonder and a gift to exist in the same era as her, and to know that she has still more to create and share with us. Speaking of, her new novel, Good Material, is coming out this autumn, and I am SO excited. I want to read Ghosts before then, and it’s just so exciting to know that I will be able to devour her two novels in what’s left of this year.
I can’t remember where this saying is from, and it’s going to be so funny if it turns out to be something Dolly has said, or written, or referenced (and this is going to be the worst paraphrase of all time), but there are some writers with whom you fall in love with immediately. The love affair begins as soon as you read but a few words that they have written, and it is for life. I can say, wholeheartedly, that I felt this magic just about instantaneously when I opened EIKAL up, and I feel so lucky when I think of all that she could potentially have yet to share in both our lifetimes.




here’s what i shared over on my bookstagram:
dolly aldertonās EIKAL was utterly perfect. it was choc full of rich allusions, and diverse, enjoyable humour. the more tender moments were punctuated by nuggets of wisdom, and the discussion of self was genuine, raw, and incredibly relatable.
though dolly and i would likely disagree, in some respects, on the meaning of life, seeing as how as a believer, i concur with the truth that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, what dolly remarks on in this matter is certainly what i would view as the effusions of said chief end.
itās always refreshing when i find i can agree with a contemporary thinker or author who does not believe as i do. though we might disagree on the primary solution, human nature is constant, and common grace allows all of us to acknowledge the reality that life is about loving others and being loved by themāsomething very much in keeping and on bar with dollyās main themes.
Anne, books 1-3



Oh, Anne girl, you wonderful, whimsical, magical thing. My friends and I had planned an Anne read-along that was meant to conclude over summer, but of course, life has had other plans. We’re basically just reading at our own pace and popping in with thoughts to the gc when we have the time and wherewithal to do so haha.
In any case, it was a joyous delight to step back into Avonlea and Green Gables all over again. I was thrilling over the foreshadowing so replete in Anne of Avonlea, and I was in raptures over the closing chapters of Anne of the Island. I am very much looking forward to finishing this series up in what’s left of the year, and am actually planning on picking up Windy Poplars sometime this week!
The Chronicles of Narnia (of course), books 1-5





Nothing of note to share, other than the fact that I am reading all books from my full-colour collector’s edition for the very first time this yearš„¹ My dad bought these for me at the end of last summer, and I have been looking forward to this since then, and so far, it has been nothing short of magical!
The Poppy War Trilogy



There is so much to say that I can’t say it all, so here’s this: THIS TRILOGY WAS SO GOOD. A historical-fiction-fantasy series??? Two of my favourite genres blended together so perfectly??? I could not put these down aT ALL. It’s been awhile since I picked up a new book/series that has had me sacrificing sleep, and this trilogy was gloriously that for me!
Children of Dune





From bookstagram, again:
Children of Dune was such a wonderful experience. as a friend of mine said, itās like it returned to so much of the feeling of the original Dune. in plot, in stakes, in characters, in feint within feint within feint.
frank herbert had the remarkable ability of slow-burn tension building. three books and decades of dune-universe in, you are still left questioning the motives and loyalties of various characters. is the lady jessica for good or for self? what about gurney halleck? who is the Preacher? is Abomination really an abomination?
you are never sure, as the reader, where exactly the book will end up. there are so many moving and immersive threads and you eagerly follow each one, marvelling at the dimension found in characters new and old, wondering how all these stories will culminate in the endāand when they do, you are left blown away.
I really cannot wait to read God-Emperor, and I will most likely do so in the remainder of this year!
The Dutch House
I’m a huge fan of inanimate objects acting as characters in novels. The One Ring in LOTR, essentially all of nature in any given Anne book (I guess nature is not inanimate, but it’s more than just imagery in Anne; it’s a true extension of Anne’s person, and it reveals, constantly, how Anne sees the world), and more. I loved that the Dutch House itself was a character in this novel. All that it represents, and all that it really was not, that is, all that Danny and Maeve projected onto it, was fascinating to unravel as the plot unfolded.
Despite all efforts, Danny ended up being a lot like his dad—and even: a lot like Andrea. Maeve was such an Eldest Daughter/Sibling, and I absolutely loved her character. Where she chooses to not go, how she elects to spend her life, these are such interesting points that say so much, and I am sure that I cannot do that justice here (especially because I waited too long to write about this haha).
Mothers were the measure of safety, which meant that I was safer than Maeve. After our mother left, Maeve took up the job on my behalf but no one did the same for her.
Ann patchett, the dutch house
Time: the falseness of human memory; the way our perception changes as we grow and age and acquire wisdom; the circular, cyclical nature of all that life entails in good and bad—all of this was so expertly explored and conveyed in The Dutch House. I very much enjoyed it.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue






Addie was pleasant! It was rather a bit repetitious in the first 100 pages or so, but once Addie met Henry, I was very much sold. (It was a lot easier to put down before this happened.) I liked the ending, and it hopefully isn’t a spoiler to say that it was non-conventional and fit this story and Addie very well, in my opinion. I look forward to reading more V.E. Schwab in future!
The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy
I didn’t actually ever intend on reading this series. When I watched season one of the adaptation, I didn’t feel the need to read them, especially since my sister said the writing wasn’t necessarily anything to write home about. (Haha.) However, I was influenced by the old tikkytokky, and all of the Conrad quotes going around had me on my knees, so I decided to read them, and I am genuinely glad I did!
āWhen did you know you were in love?ā I didnāt have an answer to that question. There hadnāt been one specific moment. It was like gradually waking up. You go from being asleep to the space between dreaming and awake and then into consciousness. Itās a slow process, but when youāre awake, thereās no mistaking it. There was no mistaking that it had been love.
Belly’s pov in We’ll Always have summer
I haven’t read YA in awhile, and I haven’t read any YA contemporary/romance whatsoever, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in terms of the tone and mood. These definitely met my expectations for what that would feel like, but I was certainly pleasantly surprised by the stories as a whole and rather enjoyed the straight forward nature of the writing. I am a Conrad girly through and through, so I LOVED his pov in book three. I actually think I would reread these at some point, and as the queen of rereading, this is the highest praise I could dole out!
When Conrad Fisher told a girl he loved her, he meant it. A girl could believe in that. A girl could maybe even bet her whole life on it.
Belly’s pov in We’ll Always have summer

I finally said it. The actual words, out loud, to her face. It was a relief, not carrying it around anymore, and it was a rush, actually telling her. I was in an elated sort of daze, on a high. She loved me. I didnāt need to hear her say it out loud, I knew it innately in the way she looked at me just then.
Conrad’s pov in We’ll Always have summer
Fin
ātwas a lovely summer of reading. I enjoyed it immensely and already miss it so dearly. At the same time, I can’t wait for the cosy months that lie ahead, the books that I will read curled up in a blanket, with pumpkin spice in the air, and eventually, Christmas lights all around. Here’s to happy reading in what’s left of 2023!