EMMACATHERWOOD
Reads
For full updates on what Emma is reading following her goodreads page
February passed in a blur—I barely read at all, deep in edits on Gypsy King’s Daughter. But this novel, discovered in January, lingered long enough to become a clear highlight of my reading year.
As both an actress and a writer, I’ve always been drawn to scripts. There’s something extraordinary about the economy of language they demand—the way a single line can carry weight, atmosphere, and unspoken depth. It’s a difficult, often underappreciated skill: to evoke the richness of a full-length novel in just a few carefully chosen words. Only true artists make it look effortless.
This book reminded me of that discipline at its very best. The prose is lean yet evocative, never wasting a word, yet somehow brimming with imagery and tone. Every sentence feels intentional, every detail sharpened to its purpose.
Gritty, immersive, and quietly powerful—it’s a read that proves just how much can be said with so little.
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Sirens is one of those rare novels that lingers long after the final page—not because it resolves neatly, but because it resists easy categorization. I found myself unsure whether I truly liked it, and yet I couldn’t deny its originality or the way its imagery seemed to echo in my mind hours later.
Hart leans fully into atmosphere, crafting a world that feels both intimate and unsettling. The imagery is, at times, strikingly beautiful, but there’s an undercurrent of unease that runs through it—something almost tidal in its pull. Certain scenes feel less like they’re being read and more like they’re being experienced, which speaks to the strength of her descriptive language.
Liz Moore's writing is a masterclass in plot—not in the sense of constant twists or spectacle, but in the careful, deliberate unfolding of information. She understands exactly what to reveal and when, trusting the reader to sit in uncertainty while quietly building tension beneath the surface.
Most striking, though, is her use of the narrator as a central plot device. The story is shaped as much by what is withheld as by what is shared, and the narrator’s perspective becomes the lens through which everything is filtered, distorted, and ultimately clarified. It’s a reminder of how powerful point of view can be—not just as a stylistic choice, but as the engine that drives the entire narrative forward.
The result is a novel that feels both intimate and expansive, grounded in character yet propelled by a deeply controlled sense of momentum. It’s the kind of book that makes you pause, not just to absorb the story, but to admire how expertly it’s been constructed.
Fourth Wing introduced me to Romantasy as a genre. For that I am ever thankful to Rebecca Yarros (who shares a name with my bestie!). The first installment was a whirlwind, the second I was hooked like an addict for the sex scenes, but the third needed another round of editing. I can't imagine the pressure she was under to ride the wave of success, and I hope she fights to take her time with the final novel.
July 2025
Wow. I fell into V.E. Schwab's magical world of twisted villains and dubious heroes. I was recommended this book by my editor after she read the first draft of my adult fantasy, The Gypsy King's Daughter. Apparently, she pitched it as pirates, thieves, sadist kings, and violent magic-y stuff. Which, as someone desperately working on the perfect pitch, is a delightful reminder to loosen up.
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One Book a Week Challenge...4th May
Setting myself the challenge of reading one book a week for the month of April revealed how the reading time I used to treasure had been replaced with watching TV and reading social media sites – Facebook, Instagram, Dailymail (I didn’t say I had taste)...it was a disappointing revelation. No huge surprise, dissappointing none the less. The upside is that I'm not one to take a revelation lightly, and have begun the process of starting my MA in Writing and Literature - that'll keep me focused and away from trash (I really don’t need to know what Gigi Hadid wore to get coffee…do I?)
This challenge not only worked out the grey flab of my brain, it probed deep into aspects of my life I didn't know had issues - most significantly my relationship with myself. I guess I began this journey two months ago when I gave up alcohol and coffee, and I have to tell you the combined effects of reading these books sans vices have been staggering, particularly socially. I don't know about you but I suffer social anxiety, it can be debilitating, sometimes compensated with drinking too much, and usually followed by a morning-after full of evening replays, guilt and embarassment - all over stupid nonesense that no one but me cares about. In its place has grown a connectedness to the person I am talking to, and a grounded feeling that is literally felt in my legs and feet.
I am A Wild Woman, a woman who likes awkward questions more than simple answers, who knows that in order to live authentically it's vital to be in tune with your instincts, to remove vices, to seek out the deeper meaning embedded within our conversations. And, here’s the hard one… to protect ourselves from negative persons and if need be…cut them loose!
I stumbled across the right books for my life at the right time. There is no such thing as coincidence.
This next month is dedicated to editing “Max and the Spracketts” ready for publication. I highly recommend the One Book a Week Challenge to anyone seeking a new perspective. The right books will find you.
5th January 2025
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I am a huge Nora Roberts fan. I devoured her Year One Chronicles, The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, and The Dragon Heart Legacy. With her penchant for trilogies, and terrifying ability to churn out material at such a rapid rate, I'm hooked.
Nora Roberts https://noraroberts.com/
January 29th 2025
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So, I have a book club of delightful, intelligent ladies, and this is our pick for February. So far, I'm enjoying the first-person narration immensely. I'm also reading Demon Copperhead, another first-person novel. The latter is more pondering, the writing I'm enjoying, but I wouldn't say it's a page-turner for me. More of an 'It lingers in my mind when I'm not reading, and I wish it didn't.' There's no doubt I'll finish it just to satisfy that part of my brain. However, I began Hello Beautiful last night, and it's compelling, the voice accessible, funny, and in a wry manner.
One Book a Week Challenge...25th April (a week late, but who's counting!)
I wish I knew how many times this book has been recommended to me. I don't know about you but I feel I'm told all the time, "You have to read the book I just finished!" "OMG this book is amazing!” Lots of over enthusiastic lauding from well-intentioned friends and family. Then we have social media ramming the "10 Books to read before you die." "How many of these classics have you read?" down our throats. Then you have people like me hijacking your social media with my drivel :)The reason I remember this one, is largely due to the wide range of people who have recommended it - men, women, directors, actors, family, air stewardesses, there doesn't seem any type. Which is always appealing when it comes to literature. The way I found it was very Celestine Prophecy esque - Last week, strolling around New York we stumbled across some second hand bookstalls. Hidden beneath some rather obscure titles, I found this! A meant to be. We purchased the more obscure too and some old Atlas collections (my husband loves maps).
"Within every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. She is the Wild Woman, who represents the instinctual nature of women. But she is an endangered species. In Women Who Run With the Wolves, Dr. Estés unfolds rich intercultural myths,
fairy tales, and stories, many from her own family, in order to help women reconnect with the fierce, healthy, visionary attributes of this instinctual nature. Through the stories and commentaries in this remarkable book, we retrieve, examine, love, and understand the Wild Woman and hold her against our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine. Dr. Estés has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche. Fertile and life-giving, it is a psychology of women in the truest sense, a knowing of the soul."
One book a week challenge...(10th April)
Insightful and brave dissection of not only the Exodus story but of how we really need to question what we read, especially when it comes to religious texts. Rabbi Fohrman, doesn't hold back. He is intriguing, at times shocking, in the extent he questions the very foundations of Passover. He forces us to reconsider what we have been taught in an amusing and unflinching narrative voice. A voice that is exuberant, youthful, and pretty smart. Definitley read it again next year.
That being said, Passover combined with a week in New York resulted in a 2 week read...hey ho. Onwards and upwards.
One book a week challenge...(3rd April)
Seeing my life through the lens of the Celestine insights definitely brought a new perspective this week but most of all it reminded me to be patient with others and myself. This is no coincidence (pun intended); this time round I resonated with the Eighth Insight.
Every time I read this book I find myself drawn to a different insight, that's just how this spritual stuff works I guess. The Eighth concerns itself with how we can give energy to another in order to manifest their highest self. This is especially important when in a situation of conflict. Think about it, by giving the person we are in conflict with energy, they no longer feel the need to steal our energy through their childhood drama (Fourth Insight). We then open the dialogue to one where the person is operating at their highest self - which ultimately is better for us. Proved to be an interesting week.