One of the things Insurgent makes harder to ignore than Divergent ever did is this: the faction system is not just restrictive – it is actively violent. Not always in loud, obvious ways. Not only through executions or faction wars. But through the constant, grinding demand that people reduce themselves …
Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Title: Insurgent (Divergent #2) Author: Veronica Roth Dates read: 27/12/25 – 19/01/26 Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) Publisher: HarperCollins Number of pages: 576 Fiction or non-fiction: fiction Subject or genre: dystopian, romance, science fiction, young adult Book blurb: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has …
Book Review – A Bit of a Stretch: The Diaries of a Prisoner by Chris Atkins
Title: A Bit of a Stretch: The Diaries of a Prisoner Author: Chris Atkins Dates read: 15/06/25 – 12/01/26 Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5 stars) Publisher: Atlantic Books Number of pages: 402 Fiction or non-fiction: non-fiction Subject or genre: memoir, true crime Book blurb: Where can a tin of tuna buy you …
Nostalgia Isn’t the Same as Happiness
One of the things The Time Hop Coffee Shop does particularly well is sit with nostalgia without romanticising it. Nostalgia is seductive. It smooths edges. It filters memory through warmth and familiarity, making the past feel safer than the present. We remember how things felt, not how they actually were …
Book Review: The Time Hop Coffee Shop by Phaedra Patrick
Title: The Time Hop Coffee Shop Author: Phaedra Patrick Dates read: 02/01/26 – 07/01/26 Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) Publisher: Aria Number of pages: 352 Fiction or non-fiction: fiction Subject or genre: contemporary, magical realism Book blurb:
The Door That Closed: Grief For The Worlds That Almost Were
There’s a particular kind of grief that Every Heart a Doorway understands instinctively: not the grief for something that died, but for something that was real and is now unreachable. A world that fit. A version of yourself that made sense. A door that opened once – and then closed. …
What I’m Reading and Thinking About
This week’s reading stack feels very deliberately split between intensity and comfort, which honestly says a lot about where my head is at right now. On one side, I’m continuing with Insurgent. It’s fast-paced and emotionally charged, full of difficult choices and escalating consequences. I’m always struck by how much …
Book Review: Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Title: Every Heart A Doorway Author: Seanan McGuire Dates read: 30/12/25 – 03/01/26 Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) Publisher: Tor Number of pages: 176 Fiction or non-fiction: fiction Subject or genre: contemporary, fantasy, lgbtqia+ Book blurb:
Book Blogger Hop: Genres in the New Year
The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013. Check out the hop here! Each week the hop will start on a Friday …
Book Review: The Lamplighter’s Bookshop by Sophie Austin
Title: The Lamplighter’s Bookshop Author: Sophie Austin Dates read: 06/03/25 – 11/12/25 Rating ⭐️.5 (1.5 stars) Publisher: Harper360 Number of pages: 368 Fiction or non-fiction: fiction Subject or genre: historical, romance Book blurb: