Órla
@orlabaz.bsky.social
Cancer survivor, feminist, taphophile, & proud nerd. Coffee addict who writes a lot of to-do lists. Find me with my nose in a book. She/Her
12: May All Your Skies Be Blue. Another heartbreaker. A group of friends across 2 timelines - teenager & early 40s. It combines coming of age with wrong place, wrong time really effectively. Love, loss, regret, family, obligations are all explored. Very good read.
February 27, 2025 at 12:53 PM
12: May All Your Skies Be Blue. Another heartbreaker. A group of friends across 2 timelines - teenager & early 40s. It combines coming of age with wrong place, wrong time really effectively. Love, loss, regret, family, obligations are all explored. Very good read.
11: Nesting. A truly difficult read about a woman who is homeless & ends up in emergency hotel accommodation because of an emotionally abusive, controlling husband. It was difficult because although the book is fiction, its the reality for thousands of people in ireland. 💔
February 22, 2025 at 2:01 PM
11: Nesting. A truly difficult read about a woman who is homeless & ends up in emergency hotel accommodation because of an emotionally abusive, controlling husband. It was difficult because although the book is fiction, its the reality for thousands of people in ireland. 💔
10: Same as it Ever Was. A multi generational sage that focuses on motherhood, friendship and relationships. A key theme is finding what binds us together. Not gonna lie, I found this quite boring and at 500 pages - a slog
February 12, 2025 at 7:26 PM
10: Same as it Ever Was. A multi generational sage that focuses on motherhood, friendship and relationships. A key theme is finding what binds us together. Not gonna lie, I found this quite boring and at 500 pages - a slog
9: She’s Always Hungry. The weirdest, intense & sometimes grotesque short story collection. Her writing is so visceral & other worldly. Loved
February 9, 2025 at 3:06 PM
9: She’s Always Hungry. The weirdest, intense & sometimes grotesque short story collection. Her writing is so visceral & other worldly. Loved
8. Brotherless Night. Set during the Sri Lankan Civil War, this book follows one young woman as she comes of age. The war rips her family apart & she struggles with the complexity of war, the role women play & how there is no simple good and bad. Such a good book.
February 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
8. Brotherless Night. Set during the Sri Lankan Civil War, this book follows one young woman as she comes of age. The war rips her family apart & she struggles with the complexity of war, the role women play & how there is no simple good and bad. Such a good book.
7: Real Americans. A really interesting take on the fragility of lives of immigrants in America. It follows three generations of Chinese Americans & explores the role of luck & genetics on success, prosperity, permanence & legacy. Loved it.
January 22, 2025 at 6:18 PM
7: Real Americans. A really interesting take on the fragility of lives of immigrants in America. It follows three generations of Chinese Americans & explores the role of luck & genetics on success, prosperity, permanence & legacy. Loved it.
6: Mornings in Jenin. As the authors note says, the characters are fictitious but Palestine & the horrors it has endured are not. This book is heartbreaking. Entire generations of Palestines, their land, their history & culture continuously destroyed by Israel over decades. An excellent read.
January 19, 2025 at 9:45 AM
6: Mornings in Jenin. As the authors note says, the characters are fictitious but Palestine & the horrors it has endured are not. This book is heartbreaking. Entire generations of Palestines, their land, their history & culture continuously destroyed by Israel over decades. An excellent read.
5: Greta & Valdin. I am fully obsessed with this book. A Russian Māori brother sister duo navigate their queer love lives & mad, complicated family in the most enjoyable way. As a former Auckland dweller, I loved all the local, Kiwi references. A true joy of a book.
January 13, 2025 at 6:56 PM
5: Greta & Valdin. I am fully obsessed with this book. A Russian Māori brother sister duo navigate their queer love lives & mad, complicated family in the most enjoyable way. As a former Auckland dweller, I loved all the local, Kiwi references. A true joy of a book.
4: Wild Houses. Set in rural Mayo, the Ferdia’s kidnap Doll English to get a drug debt paid by his brother. Although the book is a caper with lots of humour, it’s serious rather than silly and I LOVED the writing. A great book.
January 12, 2025 at 9:31 AM
4: Wild Houses. Set in rural Mayo, the Ferdia’s kidnap Doll English to get a drug debt paid by his brother. Although the book is a caper with lots of humour, it’s serious rather than silly and I LOVED the writing. A great book.
I think about it every time I am in a queue, which less face it, is often! Such a brilliant concept. I absolutely loved it. Biased, but correct!
January 12, 2025 at 9:25 AM
I think about it every time I am in a queue, which less face it, is often! Such a brilliant concept. I absolutely loved it. Biased, but correct!
3: The Truth About Melody Browne. Melody Browne has no memories from before she was 9 but then a night out at a hypnotist changes all that. And it turns out her life was pretty dramatic. We slowly uncover the truth about her complicated life. A decent read but a bit drawn out.
January 7, 2025 at 3:26 PM
3: The Truth About Melody Browne. Melody Browne has no memories from before she was 9 but then a night out at a hypnotist changes all that. And it turns out her life was pretty dramatic. We slowly uncover the truth about her complicated life. A decent read but a bit drawn out.
I think you’re right. Its like he wanted the break up, the valuable art pieces etc but the build up wasn’t super believable.
January 4, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I think you’re right. Its like he wanted the break up, the valuable art pieces etc but the build up wasn’t super believable.
2: Frankie. The story of a life well lived. How Frankie went from an orphan in West Cork to an old lady in London via New York. A gorgeous story with lots of love and heartache. Another lovely read.
January 3, 2025 at 8:18 PM
2: Frankie. The story of a life well lived. How Frankie went from an orphan in West Cork to an old lady in London via New York. A gorgeous story with lots of love and heartache. Another lovely read.
1. I Hope This Finds You Well. A very fun easy read. Jolene gets secret access to all her colleagues emails & chat messages& uses it to her advantage to navigate the social complexities of the modern workplace. It was dark, funny but also very sweet.
January 1, 2025 at 10:57 AM
1. I Hope This Finds You Well. A very fun easy read. Jolene gets secret access to all her colleagues emails & chat messages& uses it to her advantage to navigate the social complexities of the modern workplace. It was dark, funny but also very sweet.
My mum used to put all our presents in boxes for easy wrapping. she put a blank label over the brand if you weren’t actually getting what was on the box. I dont think I sufficiently recognised her genius at the time!
December 23, 2024 at 3:26 PM
My mum used to put all our presents in boxes for easy wrapping. she put a blank label over the brand if you weren’t actually getting what was on the box. I dont think I sufficiently recognised her genius at the time!
I know you’re all on tenterhooks…. Excellent dates. And last trip to Tesco was done this morning. I. Am. Ready.
December 23, 2024 at 11:15 AM
I know you’re all on tenterhooks…. Excellent dates. And last trip to Tesco was done this morning. I. Am. Ready.
Highly likely that the worst bit of hosting Christmas will change as the week progresses.
December 22, 2024 at 11:56 AM
Highly likely that the worst bit of hosting Christmas will change as the week progresses.
Operational planning on Christmas holidays is not the one.
December 21, 2024 at 9:36 PM
Operational planning on Christmas holidays is not the one.
Im hosting Christmas for family & at the starting to throw money at the problem stage. They arrive on 23rd and leave on 27th so trying to stockpile.
December 21, 2024 at 9:32 PM
Im hosting Christmas for family & at the starting to throw money at the problem stage. They arrive on 23rd and leave on 27th so trying to stockpile.
this show continues to bring me joy. A commentator says, ‘I think they might use a special tactic here. Its called the maul push’.
December 21, 2024 at 8:45 PM
this show continues to bring me joy. A commentator says, ‘I think they might use a special tactic here. Its called the maul push’.