International Women's Day

Hello lovelies!

Not only is today International Women’s Day, but its Women’s History Month — it’s a time dedicated to highlighting the contributions and achievements women have made in history and around the world, and to remember that there is so much further to go when it comes to women’s safety and gender equality. I am lucky to be surrounded by women who are driven, motivated and work hard to achieve their goals and every day I am proud and honoured to be a part of their lives.

This year’s International Women’s Day Theme is #breakthebias —

Imagine a gender equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women's equality.

Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Thank you to all of the women before me that broke down barriers and thankyou to those women around me who inspire me and challenge me. May we keep rising, supporting one another and challenging each other to reach greater heights.

In honour of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, here are some books recommendations that feature strong female characters and that I personally loved ✨

The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout is a young adult fantasy-esq series that follows the incredibly badass Alex, a half blood (half descended from the Greek Gods) in a world full of daimons, politics, and hunky guys. A must read!

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper is a book I can’t stop raving about and you should all definitely read! The Wolf Den follows Amara, a girl brown to a middle class Greek family who finds herself as a prostitute in the brothel of Pompeii. This book is full of female friendships and women supporting women, as well as a look into the lives of women in Ancient Rome.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a story loosely based off the life of Elizabeth Taylor, and recounts the life of Evelyn Hugo and her seven marriages. Hugo is such a strong, determined protagonist, this book really took me by surprise with how much I enjoyed it.

Swallow’s Dance by Wendy Orr is a middle grace novel set during the volcanic eruption of Thera in the Bronze Age Aegean. The story follows Leira who was beginning her Learnings to become a woman before her life was thrown into chaos. This is truly a coming of age story, and an incredibly heartwarming one set during my favourite time period!

The Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E. Schawb is one of my favourite series, and a lot of that is to do with Delilah Bard, one of the main protagonists of the series — an aspiring pirate and professional pick pocket. Her growth throughout the series is a pleasure to read, and hearing that this series is getting more books makes me so happy!

As you all should know by now, the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is one of my all time favourite series and is genuinely an important part of my personality. Much of my love for the series has something to do with Annabeth Chase, one of my favourite female literary characters of all time — working hard to inspire young girls to be incredible badasses every. damn. day.

The last female character I want to highlight in this post is Alex Jennings from Lynette Noni’s Akarnae series. Alex is thrust into a brand new world and faces all sorts of challenges both physical and emotional, and honestly, she growth throughout this series makes me so proud. Such an enjoyable young adult series that I cannot recommend enough!

So, that’s probably enough from me! Let me know your favourite female literary characters in the comments below, or on my International Women’s Day post over on Instagram ✨✨

June Wrap Up and July Hopefuls 2021

I cannot believe I am actually writing this right now, I swear I still have two more weeks left of June?? Honestly, this month has passed me by so fast, I thought I had more time to get things done. Sorry it’s been a bit quiet over here, apparently, I was really busy in June? With all that being said, I still read some books this month (yay!) so let’s get into the wrap up for this month, and what I am hoping to read in July.


June Wrap Up

*Audiobook not pictured, it doesn’t deserve to be in the company of these two beauties*

*Audiobook not pictured, it doesn’t deserve to be in the company of these two beauties*

This month I finished 3 books (yay me!) and started about 10 AHAH. So, standard Kelly reading habits pretty much. The first book I finished was the audiobook of The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L Armentrout, and boy was it a letdown. This book simply was not good. It was too long, the plot (if you can find it), was poorly executed, and I am literally only invested in, like, one character. Apparently, Jennifer didn't have a proper editor work on this book, and boy can you tell! There was so much repetition in this book, it honestly felt like I was listening to the same page over and over again. The audiobook went for over 25 hours which is TOO LONG for a book that is a part of a 6 book series. And, if it had to be that long, why couldn’t something exciting actually happen? There was definitely not enough action and interesting events in this book to keep me interested. Poppy was actually less annoying in this book, but in saying that, I literally could not care less about what happens to any of these characters (apart from Kieran, ily). I usually get VERY attached to the main character and especially the main couple of books, but BOY do I simply not care about Poppy and Casteel. Anyway, I wouldn't be wasting my time with this series, and would recommend you pick up JLA’s Covenant Series. THAT is an MC and main couple I will stan for the rest of my days. I gave The Crown of Gilded Bones ★★☆☆☆.

★★★★★

★★★★★

The next book I finished was Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which I am pretty sure I read in less than 2 days. This book was exquisitely written, and so unique I couldn't put it down. Once you get used to the layout of this book (it’s in journal entries), it absolutely draws you into the story and doesn’t let you go until the last page. From the beginning of this book, you get the weirdest sensation that there is something off about the House, which is the world that Piranesi and the Other live in. The story progresses, and as it does, the sense of eeriness increases. It was honestly, one of the best books I have read this year. The whole concept of the book was fascinating, and the underlying whisper of cultures, people and beliefs long past is subtle yet essential to the entire aesthetic of the story. Honestly, do yourself a favour and read this book (and I would recommend sitting down and reading the whole thing in one sitting, to get the full effect).

★★★★★

★★★★★

The final book that I have finished this month was another brilliant read, and the was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Another spellbinding read, but in a completely different way. The entire time you’re reading it, you know that Evelyn Hugo is going to drop a bomb that will turn Monique against her. You find this out in, like, the first 5% of the book. And so, as Evelyn is telling Monique every detail of her life from her first husband to her seventh, you’re equally enthralled, fascinated and slightly judgmental about the life Evelyn has led, and you just want to know the secret she has been hiding. I never wanted to put it down, and the way you get to hear about her life as she is telling it after the fact, you get both the story, and Evelyn’s thoughts and feelings in the current moment which added another layer of complexity to her character. Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise that I loved it so much, but I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone.

July Hopefuls (and books I started in June)

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As I mentioned, I started a BUNCH of books in June that I am taking my time with. These include The Poems of Catullus, Tragedy, the Greeks and Us by Simon Critchley, Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess by Bettany Hughes, A Game of Fate (audiobook) by Scarlett St. Clair and an uncorrected early edition of THE REAL VALKYRIE: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown. I am slowly taking my time with The Poems of Catullus as well as Tragedy, the Greeks and Us. I am picking up The Poems of Catullus and reading a couple alongside a guide whenever I feel like it, and Tragedy, the Greeks and Us is an incredibly dense read, so I have a feeling I’ll be reading it for a while. I’m loving Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess, it is a much lighter read than I was anticipating. Bettany has started at the very beginning of the development of the goddess that is probably best known today as Venus, and she is moving through time and using archaeological evidence, as well as literature from antiquity to track the goddesses development and movement through the ancient world. I am really, really enjoying it. A Game of Fate has been a really enjoyable read so far (although it took me a while to get used to the narrator. The story is the same as A Touch of Darkness which is the first in Scarletts Persephone x Hades series, except this one, is from Hades point of view. I love that we are getting SO much more information on the way the gods live in this urban world, and we get to see a lot more of the gods in this one which has been wonderful. I also love getting to know what was going through his head. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has read Persephone’s point of view but not Hades’ to definitely pick this one up! Finally, I have started reading THE REAL VALKYRIE: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women which I am reading for work, and will be reviewing here and over on World History Encyclopedia, as well as hopefully interviewing the author which will be wonderful! Another book I have popped onto my hopefuls (since I’d like to finish a couple of these this month) is House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. I have a feeling I will probably pick up if not this book (which sounds so intriguing), but another fiction or two books to break up the non-fiction!. What has been your favourite read of June? What are you most excited to read in July? Let me know down below or find me over on Instagram @kell_read ✨

Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book was an easy ★★★★★ and I am feeling very spoilt with the quality of books I have been reading lately. I love it when a hyped book actually lives up to the hype.


What’s the book about?

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This book is so multifaceted, it actually blew my mind. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is all about Evelyn Hugo who was an acclaimed actress in the Hollywood scene of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Everyone she loves has died, and so she has reached out to Monique, a writer for the magazine Vivant. Evelyn was one of those actresses who had the face and the body to achieve all of her dreams in the acting industry, but she is ready to show the world who she is underneath the dyed hair, the one sided articles and the decades she has spent doing everything she can to keep her secrets safe. Throughout this story, Evelyn divulges her entire life story from her first marriage to the death of her final love still alive, and it is a truly breathtaking and heartbreaking tale.

My scattered thoughts

This book exceeded every single one of my expectations. It was written in a way which provided both the action as if it was happening to Evelyn, and also her thoughts and feelings towards her life at the same time. It was such a fascinating way to write this story, and having her narrate her life as well as comment on it after the fact added another level to the story, and to her character which I thought was brilliantly done.

Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.

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Evelyn Hugo has to be one of the most complicated and multifaceted character I have ever read. Just you began to like her, she would do something that made you want to yell. Every decision she made was thought through in detail, and even then, she made so many decisions which, in hindsight, she now recognises were not the correct ones. She has seven husbands, and from each of them she got something different out of it. This book was a journey, for Evelyn, for Monique and for the reader. This story really resonated with me, because underneath the title of ‘Seven Husbands,’ the story is fundamentally about the way in which women live their lives vs. the way way men do. Every time Evelyn went through a divorce, it was a scandal for her and she was the talk of the gossip columns, but the men got through it unscathed. This book portrays the hardships women went through 50 + years ago, and highlights the ways the world has changed, and all the ways it has not, both for women and lgbtqi+.

You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until somewhat stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.

Overall, this book stunned me. The style and format of the book was different, and absolutely perfect for telling this story. The inclusions of gossip columns and bulletins added yet another layer into the world and identity of Evelyn Hugo. The way in which Evelyn’s stor progressed, and simultaneously affected Monique in ways she didn't even realise until after the fact was incredibly subtle, yet entirely believable. This book is wonderful, and I would definitely recommend it. If you have read this, please leave your thoughts down below, or come find me on Instagram @kell_read (and I have just started a TikTok @kell_read4 so be sure to check that out!) ✨