Natalie Tipping

Review: Contempt | Michael Cordell

For anyone who, like me, gobbles up true crime dramas on TV, was hooked on Netflix series Making a Murderer and has been looking for something truly gripping to read during lockdown, let me present Contempt by Michael Cordell. Published by TCK Publishing, this book is touted as a ‘legal thriller’, but is so much…

Review: The Handmaid’s Tale | Margaret Atwood

This is another one of those books that I asked for one Christmas because there’s an episode of Gossip Girl named after it, and have never got round to reading. I’m a firm believer in the practice of reading a book before you watch the TV show/film that’s based on it, and I insisted on…

Review: My Map of You | Isabelle Broom

It’s not often that after reading a book I immediately pick something else up by the same author, but after reading A Year and a Day by Isabelle Broom, I couldn’t help myself, and went straight on to My Map of You. Another Broom novel mostly set abroad, much like A Year and a Day,…

Review: Far from the Madding Crowd | Thomas Hardy

The only Thomas Hardy novel I had read prior to reading this was Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which was prescribed reading for my GCSE English Literature qualification. To be honest, after that, I didn’t want to pick up another Thomas Hardy book anytime soon. But my best friend has been insisting for years that I…

Review: Burial Rites | Hannah Kent

This novel was one of the books I received as part of a Willoughby Books subscription, and what a great choice it was. Following the aftermath of a gruesome murder at a farmstead in Iceland, this book mainly focuses on Agnes Magnusdottir, who is jointly convicted of the murder of Natan Ketilsson and Petur Jonsson….

To Be Read: June

I can’t believe that’s another month gone! I’ve read some brilliant books (reviews to come), and somehow May turned out to be a bit of a female empowerment themed month, despite me not necessarily meaning for that to be the case. The books I read in May all followed female struggle and power in one way…

Recipe: Lasagne

This is one of my go-to meals when I want something filling, scrumptious, and comforting. I absolutely love Italian food, and pasta is one of the main staples of my weekly meal plans, but I have to say, lasagne tops everything for me. Whenever I make a lasagne, or indeed a bolognaise, I like to…

Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns | Khaled Hosseini

A difficult book in many respects, for lovers of The Kite Runner, this book is no disappointing follow-up. It is in fact a searing examination of the role of women in Afghanistan through the late 20th and early 21st century. It made me smile, cry, question my own outlook on life, and most of all,…

Review: A Year and a Day | Isabelle Broom

I’m going to start this review by saying that yet again, it was a book I absolutely loved, which I devoured in the space of a weekend. Isabelle Broom is one of those authors who will make you want to travel, if you didn’t want to already. And if you did, you’ll love soaking up…

Review: Bonjour Tristesse | Francoise Sagan

Quick confession before I launch into the review of this – I do own it in French, but I chose to read it in English because I’m the laziest French degree grad ever. I’ve wanted to read this book for ages, and originally bought it because I thought I would study it during the final…

To Be Read: May

So after running through my April books at a rate of knots, I’m really looking forward to devouring a few more books from my ever-growing TBR pile over the course of May. Here’s what I’ve got planned! The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood I got this book for Christmas way back when in like 2012…

Review: The Note | Zoe Folbigg

The first thing I have to say about this book is that if you’re looking for something to devour on the beach this summer, this might be just the thing. Personally, I read it over the course of a very rainy few days in the North of England, but I still enjoyed it just as…

Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Brownie

So this is something my family have been asking me to make again for WEEKS. Now that I have, I thought I’d share the recipe with you. Originally a Rachel Allen recipe from her book Food for Living, I’ve adapted this over the years to make it extra decadent and scrummy! Ingredients 200g dark chocolate…

Review: A Little Life | Hanya Yanagihara

I don’t even know where to begin with my review of this book, it really is a life-changing read. If you don’t believe me, or even if you do, I urge you to give it a read and see for yourself. My friend Cerys bought me this book after reading it herself, and I know…

Review: The Versions of Us | Laura Barnett

Seeing that this book was partially set in Cambridge, I bought it for a friend who lives there for her birthday. Turns out, she’d already read it – but I’m so glad I got to take it home and devour it myself. This is one of those books you just can’t put down, and with…

Recipe: New York Cheesecake

Okay so don’t shoot me, but I’ve honestly never been a fan of cheesecake. That all changed a couple of weeks ago however when I made my first New York style baked vanilla cheesecake and LOVED it. I loved it so much in fact that I thought I’d share the recipe with you here. Ingredients…

Review: Wilde Lake | Laura Lippman

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love To Kill a Mockingbird. While school friends complained about the hours spent reading this in class and writing essays on it for GCSE, I was falling in love with the characters, the plot, and the clever criticism of society woven into its pages. So why am…

To Be Read: April

Even though I love to read, I’m definitely one for buying books and then letting them sit on my shelf for weeks, months, sometimes years, unread. A few weeks ago I wrote an inventory of my books and worked out how many I owned, and how many I hadn’t yet read – the results were…

Recipe: Sausage and Lentil Stew

Oh my god I looooovvvveeee this dish! I have to start with a slight apology for the fact it doesn’t look very appetising, but my god is it delicious! I came across a recipe for this on BBC Good Food and decided to give it a go in an attempt to give my immune system…

Beauty wishlist: Skincare

I’ve always been a bit up and down with my skin, some days it’s so clear and it makes me feel so great, and then two days later I’ll have a major break-out and I’ll feel gross. There doesn’t seem to be an in between. One of my main New Years’ resolutions for 2018 was…