I'll confess I picked this up purely because I thought the front cover was gorgeous; I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but in this instance, can you blame me!? I honestly didn't even read the blurb so I had no idea what to expect, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised at how the book unfolded. It's written from the author's perspective, detailing her journey from a life of alcoholism in London, to moving back to her childhood home on the island of Orkney in the Scottish Islands. I found the writing style just beautiful; it's that kind of poetic prose that really speaks to me and I loved reading it. I'll definitely be looking out for more of Amy Liptrot's work.
"We are mirror images, both at the edge of our worlds."
My Son's Not Rainman | John Williams | ★★★★★
This was an impulse order, despite already having a teetering heap of books I've not yet read; I stumbled across John Williams's blog, My Son's Not Rainman, and discovered he'd written a book by the same name. It's the tale of a young boy, referred to throughout the book as The Boy, and his Dad, the narrator. The Boy is autistic, and the story takes the reader on a whistle-stop story of what life is like for the two of them - from the highs of 3-D screenings of Dr Who, to the lows being turned away from school after school. It's a book I found hilarious and heartbreaking in approximately equal measure - it's a life that is so difficult to imagine and, as Williams so rightly points out, it's not a story about autism, it's a story about a boy who happens to have autism, but nonetheless I found it really insightful.
xo
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I absolutely love reading but time is my issue. I've got a few days off in the summer so I'm aiming to put my feet up in the garden and read a bit more! Thanks for the details on these!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get chance to put your feet up and enjoy a good book then, Lauretta! xo
DeleteI really want to read the My son's not rainman. I have 3 children with asd and i always find books about the topic so interesting, so thank you for introducing me to this book :) i shall take it on holiday with me
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it Lynne! xo
DeleteI'd not heard of either of these but they sound fab. I may pick My Son's Not Rainman to take on holiday over the summer as it's the only chance I seem to get to sit and read! :)
ReplyDeleteLouise x
It can be so hard to find the time to read can't it?! xo
DeleteOoh I haven't heard of either of these books before. The cover is stunning! I will keep an eye out for the autism book, I think I would enjoy that x
ReplyDeleteYes I found it a really enjoyable read! :) xo
DeleteI want to buy and read 'My sons not rainman' now! I'm autistic and I like to read books that relate to autism in some way
ReplyDeleteAh I hope you enjoy it if you do pick it up Jenni!! xo
DeleteI try not to judge a book by its cover either, but sometimes a really pretty cover can just draw you in! These books sound great for my summer reading list x
ReplyDeleteThat's true! I really enjoyed it as well so at least it wasn't just a pretty cover ;) xo
DeleteThese look really interesting. I like the sound of the second book, I have some friends with children with autism and I'd love to know more about it from a parent's perspective.
ReplyDeleteI really like the sound of the my son's not rainman, sounds really interesting. And I will have to go and have a look for his blog too
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny, before I even read your post I thought those covers looked so nice! Glad they were decent reads too!
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