Kate Eveleigh

Sarah Moorhead: The Treatment

I read The Treatment for my September reading challenge because although this novel crosses several different genres, I do not often read dystopian fiction. I think this is because I sometimes struggle to become immersed in a world which doesn't resemble the one in which I live. However, this was not a problem for me here. Sarah Moorhead is a fantastic writer and she has created an environment that I could easily visualise and characters with whom I could relate and sympathise. 

I found the premise of The Treatment to be very interesting and particularly relevant to current issues in society, given the scrutiny of the justice system in the news at the moment. It definitely gave me something to think about as I was reading, and this added extra depth to the novel for me. 

The protagonist of The Treatment is Grace Gunnarsson. We see straight from the prologue that she is a character with a complicated background, and it's clear that this influences her behaviour and decisions throughout the novel. She is a character with whom I found it easy to sympathise and I rooted for her as the story progressed, particularly as the two different parts of her life started to come together. 

There is so much going on in The Treatment: the novel has several layers and I was engaged by every single one. I love how the tension escalated and there was a definite sense of danger which kept me hooked until the final page. The ending does have some surprises and I was keen to find out how the situation would be resolved. 

I am looking forward to reading more by this author in future! 

Rob Cowen: The Heeding

Sarah Wynn Williams: Careless People

Careless People is the author's account of her time working at Facebook. As part of her job, Sarah Wynn Williams is involved in Facebook's activities in countries all over the world, and I was fascinated to learn about how Facebook operates in different countries, and how the laws and political situations in different countries affect the business policies they are able to implement. I'm not familiar with a lot of foreign politics, but I found Sarah Wynn Williams’ writing accessible and engaging throughout her account. 

 I think everyone knows that Facebook isn't as ethical as it should be, but there are many aspects of its practice that I found truly shocking and genuinely eye opening. I admire Sarah Wynn Williams’ incredible honesty and openness, particularly with regard to her own personal situation and the life of her family, throughout Careless People. The personal elements of this book allow the author's words to hit with increased impact. There are some very interesting, and often humorous stories in the book that involve her family, and these provide some light moments alongside what is ultimately a difficult experience about which to read as it unfolds. 

Careless People has definitely made me think more deeply about my own Facebook use, and how I read into their public image and understand the messages that they project to the world, and whilst it wasn't always comfortable to read, I am now glad that I have done so. 

Francine Toon: Bluff

Although Bluff isn't a book I chose specifically for my September reading challenge, it does fit the bill as it was chosen for my local book club by another member, and it's probably not a book to which I would have been immediately drawn if I was choosing for myself. I am, however, glad I read it and I did find it mostly enjoyable. 

Francine Toon is a fantastic writer and I love the gothic undertones of her work. The small town of St Rule, in which the novel is set, feels quite isolated and most of the characters have secrets that they are hiding. From the outset, I could see that Erin and David, in particular, may not be all they seem, and I was always wary of their behaviour throughout the novel. The tension that Francine Toon built up through her writing is immense and it makes the story really compelling. 

Bluff  is told from three different perspectives: Cameron in 2023, Joanie in 2013 and extracts from an account of an incident written by Joanie in 2012. I found this intriguing, as I wanted to know how the earlier events were connected to the more recent ones. I loved the element of mystery that runs through the novel.

Towards the end of Bluff, there are a number of revelations and unfortunately I found them underwhelming. I did not feel they did justice to the tense atmosphere that had been created throughout the novel. Despite this, I would be interested to read more from the author in future. 

Andy Burnham & Steve Rotheram: Head North

I chose Head North for my September reading challenge because politics is out of my comfort zone! It affects all of us, but I often worry that political content will be too dry or go over my head. I'm pleased to report that Head North confounded neither of these worries, and I actually found it an accessible, insightful and interesting book on many levels. 

Head North opens with accounts from both authors of their experiences of the Hillsborough disaster, one of whom was present at the match and the other who was living near Liverpool in the aftermath. This disaster is one with which most readers will be familiar, and of which some will have memories, so I found this an accessible way into speaking about the issues with Westminster protocol and the legal system, which I had not fully realised previously. 

Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram both come across to me through this book as down to earth people who are proud of their roots and grateful for the opportunities they have had. This is an important part of the book for me in terms of being able to relate to it and be receptive to the ideas within it. 

As a resident of the North (although not the areas represented by the authors) I am aware of the North-South divide, but had not fully understood why it existed or the ways these authors had attempted to address them during their time in office. I found their analysis of the situation fascinating and they make some really compelling arguments for the way in which it could be improved for people in the North. 

Head North was published in March 2024, since which time there has been a change of government and Andy Burnham is now Prime Minister. This ages the book slightly, but I'm interested to see how much of his vision he is able to implement. I imagine he doesn't have much time to write an update chapter now! 

Lauren Roberts: Powerless

In keeping with my September reading challenge, fantasy isn't a genre of which I read much, and to be honest, I've always found it difficult to stick with fantasy novels. But a challenge is a challenge, so when I asked a friend to suggest some fantasy novels that are accessible for beginners, Powerless became the next book in my challenge. Initially, I did feel a little intimidated, but the world in which Powerless is set is described quite concisely, whilst still maintaining a lot of detail, so I was able to become invested in the world quite quickly. Despite being part of a genre I haven't previously enjoyed, Powerless has lots of the elements I love in a novel: it's fast paced, full of action and there are plenty of emotional scenes to tug on my heartstrings. 

The central characters of Powerless are Paedyn and Kai, and they narrate alternate chapters. This often allows the reader to view the same scenes from different perspectives, and this really helps to understand how they were both feeling. Lauren Roberts conveys each of their emotions really well, and this made me root for them romantically, despite their relationship being seen as forbidden. I warmed to these characters, especially Paedyn, really quickly and I really wanted her to succeed in the Trials. I must also mention Paedyn's friendship with Arena, which is absolutely beautiful and heartwarming. 

The Trials gave me all the tension and jeopardy I love in a novel. There's a constant sense of danger and this kept me hooked the whole way through. I was mesmerised by the tricks the characters played on each other and I loved all the twists and turns as the story progressed.

The epilogue sets us up brilliantly for the next book in the series and I will definitely be reading it! 

Kate Foster: The Maiden

My challenge.

I'm so excited to join the September Reading Challenge. It's taken me a while to decide how to approach it but this is my plan. 

Each participant sets a personal challenge for themselves, and this is something with which I've struggled. As a blogger, I read quite a lot anyway, so I wanted to set a challenge that would push me and encourage people to donate. My reading has really slowed down this year so I will be aiming to read 1000 Kindle locations every day. However, I want to challenge myself further and read from genres that are outside my comfort zone. I haven't written a list of specific books as I would for 20 Books Of Summer, but I have received some suggestions from friends, which includes horror, science fiction, fantasy, children's and Young Adult, historical fiction and non-fiction. I'll try and read as much from these genres as I can over the month.

Thank you so much for your support!