A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles
5/5
Sphere Paperback Feb 2006
Daddy's Bookclub

I rarely think about the "book of the year" award I give in May before I get there. But this book is definitely in the running. So much did my dad believe that I would love this book, he actually posted it to me to prevent any more delays or arguments.
I absolutely loved the story, a gentleman under house arrest in a large hotel in Moscow and how he copes. As a gentleman we see that he has no real world skills in terms of a career, but his ability to work with people is his triumph. Soon he has his hand in all sorts of areas in the hotel, and feels ownership of his life and situation. His resourcefulness is amazing! What would you do if you were trapped in a hotel for life?
The relationships between the characters is lovely to see develop. Despite the book spanning 3 decades the passage of time is clear and well handled, it doesn't drag or skip too many chunks. The writing is divine and fun to read. 
I've seen it in the window of Waterstones, so it is definitely a recommended read for Christmas, I may even re-read it my self. 

May Reviews

Mythos
Stephen Fry
4/5
Michael Joseph Hardback November 2017
Birthday present from Alan.

As always my Birthday present from Alan was a beautiful edition of Mythos, shiny, embossed hardback. It just doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait, it can because it's by Stephen Fry and there are Gods. Having grown up on the more popular stories of: Athena, Arachne, Echo, Narcissus and Diana, to name a few; it was great to get to grips with the foundations of the creation story.
The Greek myths do not really have a time line, which results in some confusing bits when you try to think of the gods as a family house. They jumble together and all happen at roughly the same time "eons ago".
Stephan Fry gives voice to all of the characters and conjures up depth from the two dimensional originals. and gives them the texture of real people. It's given a more narrative time line and the story unspools without the: x begat x begat y begat z which can sometimes come with pseudo historic texts. I really enjoyed this book and it was a delight to read. I wish it had existed in my teens, I'd have felt much more knowledgeable.

The Cows
Dawn O'Porter
3/5
Harper Collins Kindle / April 2017
Recommended on the Guilty Feminist

I really enjoyed reading the cows, I thought it was well written with a solid voice and style differentiation as the author moved between characters. I liked that each of the female characters had varying motives and levels of sanity and although things drifted into the extreme, it seemed to happen so gradually that the believably wasn't lost.
It was great to read a book about the varying roles of women in society and how that is changing or not as the case may be. However, although my experience of reading The Cows was very positive and I was engrossed and then immediately advised others to read it. I now cannot remember much of what happens. The actual plot has not stuck with me as I expect it to and I think that is the mark of a good book. I would still suggest people read it, but I think I might have to revisit with a more critical mind next time.

Reading Time

Have you ever felt that there is not enough time? I feel like I am squeezing everything I can into a few daylight hours and craving more and more rest time. One of the reasons I love reading as a hobby is that it is a luxury in time. I have to find those minutes and hours in the day to dedicate to reading and nothing else. It serves the same purpose as meditation for me, turning my brain off and worrying about nothing over my lunch hour and my commute, even though I know I should be doing those little chores like getting shoes re-heeled or going to the bank.

I think people find it difficult to find the time to read because it feels like a decadent activity, suddenly reading becomes wasted time in a busy life. We know that it is not healthy to be so stressed and rushing to the next thing. It is healthy to devote time to doing nothing. Finding time to squeeze in some reading can make me feel so much better about my week. 

If reading is not something that you enjoy then of course, why waste time doing something that you do not enjoy. Luxury should not be arduous or a chore. Everyone has a way to switch off: playing video games, running, exercise, meditation, cooking. This time is where you're not brooding over a problem or on your way somewhere or socialising. This empty beautiful time is so good for our mental health and it is easy to forget how good it makes you feel. Opening a book is like buying time away from my seemingly endless to do list and clearing my mind to disappear into another world. 

If you've slipped out of your reading habits because you "don't have time" I urge you readers to find that time again. In my darkest days I could not read, my depression had taken away my enjoyment of reading, and when I came back to it after turning a corner for the better, the relief and help I got from picking up a book again was so much better than any meditation app. Don't waste time by NOT reading, and make time for that mental luxury. Enjoy. 

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." - Bertrand Russell

9 Re-readable books

For the writing
Her, Harriet Lane
One of my favourite books that I've read in the past few years. The story completely blew me away and the writing was very clever. Similarly to her first book the flawed protagonist is weirdly likeable and terrible at the same time and I loved reading it.

Blackberry Wine - Joanne Harris
One of her less famous books, I don't know why blackberry wine captivates me. But this is a book that I've read several times and travels with me to every home I move to. If this one isn't on my shelf I feel like it's not my bedroom. I think it's earned a re-read for its loyalty.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin
Obviously. A childhood favourite for the story and a new favourite as I only read it for the first time in the last few years. I will never be able to read it as many times as I've seen the BBC TV series or the film adaptations... but I can give it a damn good try.

For the memories
Outlander - Diana Gabledon 
The book I took on my gap year and which consequently has completely come away from it's bindings and is impossible to read comfortably at the moment. I would love a new copy of the full set of Outlander books, once Diana finishes the series. Then I intend to read them all again.

Max's Millions
Amazingly, I actually couldn't even find the author of this book and it maybe that I have not remembered the title correctly. I've read this book about 9 times at least. It's a short book for young teens about a boy who builds a video game while he's off school and on bed rest. He makes a million and it's all about what he does with it. Brilliant and cosy.

The Little White Horse - Elizabeth Goudge
One of the best proposals in the history of literature. A bit weird as it happens between characters that I perceive as children, but it is gloriously sweet and genuine. This book captures the imagination with love and myth and magic and is beautiful to read and read again.

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Although one of the more recent books I've read, I read EPL at a very difficult time in my life and it was incredibly inspiring. Yup, I am one of those people! But it is true and it is definitely a book I would pick up again. I love the film and I loved reading it and I can see it helping me in the future.

For the social commentary
The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood
The more this book is in people's consciousness the better to be honest. It is harrowing and well written and well thought out. I think it's important to read books like this one and see how these things start out and gradually devolve. It's a very human book and that is what is so terrifying, I can see it happening because the drives are based so clearly in the characters.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett
I would love to take another look at this. It's incredibly funny and holds a mirror up to the life styles of rich Americans and the black labouring classes. It highlighted the ingrained racism that most people don't even realise goes on and even with the best of intentions.

May 2017 Reviews

The English Patient
Michael Ondaatje
4/5
Bloomsbury 1992 Paperback
Mummy's Library

An improvement on the first book of his, I think it helped that I knew the story from the film. I enjoyed the beauty of the writing and the intricacies of the narrative. Like Anil's Ghost the story leaped around in time, which could be confusing at times. But It was better handled with more in depth characters. 

I loved the sections with moose, which was explored more thoroughly in the book than in the film. The relationship between Kip and the Patient and Hannah is also more detailed and interesting. In fact I'd say Kip was the most interesting character in the book. What was a nice detail that the film captured in a more nuanced way was the musical aspect of the Patient's personality and the use of music in the film is expertly applied. That's more difficult to get across in the book and actually there was far more of a focus on the books and reading that he had done than the music. I'm into that...

Very enjoyable read. I'd say the style is still a little flowery for me, but it calmed down to carry a great story. 


Dirty Great Love Story
Richard Marsh and Katie Bonna
5/5
Bloomsbury 30/4/2013 Paperback
Birthday gift from Z

Fabulous. I read it in about 2 hours and absolutely loved it. In fact I wanted to read it DURING my own birthday party and got told off. It's a transcript of a play that we went to see, a two man show that tells the story of Katie and Richard and how they met.

The experience of reading it was very different from the performance, but I think it helped that I was able to imprint the voices of the actors as I was reading. Similarly the pauses and visual gags which I remembered as I read it again. Not only is this is brilliant play as itself, its such a good gift because I have the memory of the night out with the girls as well.

The play is written in rhyme and is modern and funny, with clever ways of invoking scene and atmosphere. It's a two person production which is dealt with brilliantly live. The actors each play at least two other characters in the story which is done physically and vocally on stage. In print this is easier to get across as the character name changes. I loved rereading this and as the play is no longer touring I recommend reading the play version.

Joining the Mainstream

The key danger of jumping head first into the rushing torrent of mainstream reading is accidentally smashing your brains against the spiky rocks of spoilers. Standard procedures apply, if you're looking to avoid spoilers of your new favourite obsession avoid Twitter and Instagram and pretty much unfollow your friends and favourite authors on every platform. However, some of the responsibility lies with the Spoilererer - the one carelessly throwing out spoilers at the water fountain and live tweeting the latest episode. We expect that these people should at least warn us slow pokes by placing in giant capital letters that there is a SPOILER ahead.

The only way to truely avoid the disappointment and pain of reading or seeing a spoiler is to opt out of mainstream culture entirely. Unfortunately, that does mean that you are left on the riverbank quietly reading a book that no one else has ever heard of and watching true crime documentaries on YouTube. While this has a hipsterish appeal of liking what you like and not following the bend of any trend, there is a loneliness to not reading the one book everyone is talking about.

Furthermore, if you resist the pull of the latest big book/book everyone read in school, then before you know it a studio will pick up the TV or Film rights and you end up having to avoid watching it until you've read the book! It's the ultimate spoiler and those pesky Hollywood studios just keep doing it! A classic case of this for me is The Handmaid's Tale.

I never read it at school and all of a sudden everyone was talking about it because of the new MGM series. The title had appealed to me for a number years because so many authors have Atwood as a key influencer, particularly for dystopian or feminist books. It had mildly been on my TBR and suddenly it rocketed to the top of my list, as well as the best seller lists in America in the lead up to Trump's inauguration.

All of a sudden I was faced with the dilema read the book before I start watching the series? Dip a toe into the first episode and see if I'm hooked enough to read the book? Binge the whole series and then read the book after? Or just binge the series and forget about reading the book entirely. In the end I went with option 3. I devoured the whole of The Handmaid's Tale series and then ordered the book once I'd finished. Personally, this did not affect the reading of the book at all, but if you're fussy about adaptations I wouldn't recommend this method. However, it meant that I am now able to stand at tea stations and recommend both to everyone.

My advice is to avoid this whole mess by reading the popular book alongside everyone, because you'll only be behind when the inevitable series or movie comes out (if it is really good). I had mere weeks to read Gone Girl before the film came out. For years I'd turned my nose up at the popular fiction everyone seemed to love but I'd decided I wasn't interested enough in it. Meanwhile, agents were furiously penning contracts behind the scenes.

The thing is, when it comes to big best sellers and pop culture of any kind... most people are right when it's good. That's why recommendations are so important to readers. Trust the hive mind and get behind the latest sensation and get on the good side of the spoilers. Plus the good bit of all of this is talking about books without worrying about spoiling it for others. I think everyone just needs to jump on the band wagon and avoid the danger completely by gently floating along with the mainstream peeps and enjoy the gems. :)

April 2017 Reviews

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Leslye Walton
3/5
Candlewick 25/3/14 Hardback
Internship Haul

Since I tried to read one hundred years of solitude I tend to stay away from magical realism. But unlike the unreadable mess that is OHYS the Ava Lavender story is the stuff of true imagination. It's a beautiful story of love, or acceptance and of strange brutality. I was captivated by this book. The madness of the events is smooth and although the characters talk to ghosts or turn into canaries or don't talk at all, I believe that all of the characters have so much human depth.

It's aimed at teenagers and was a fairly quick and easy read. I read it at the start of my holidays and it was perfect for that half asleep reading that might happen on a plane.  It's beautiful for younger readers and capturing imagination, just the sort of thing I would have read at 15 or 16 and loved. I think I could find my self rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of some of the story which is why it only got 3 out of 5.


A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara
4/5
Picador 21/5/15 Kindle
Amazon

I can sum up this book in one word. Powerful. I finished the last 400 pages at once and spent the whole day in bed to finish it. If you don't cry while reading this book, that would be surprising because it is overwhelming. The Man Booker podcast said that people might find A little life to be a difficult read. I interpreted that as very highfalutin writing, but actually they meant in terms of harrowing story line. It follows the friendship of four friends throughout their lives. But largely focusing on the character of Jude. If you've read Jude the Obscure, or any Hardy novel you'll know its one awful thing after another and I'd say apply the same expectation to this.

It should come with a trigger warning on it for sensitive issues and I did find it quite upsetting. Its a very raw story. Overall, I think it is worth reading the Man booker prize winner. It's long and moving and well written. I'd probably want it to be a couple of chapters shorter, but then you don't get the level of set up that I think was wanted. I found my self skim reading some of it to get to the juicy emotional stuff, which was plentiful. It that way it was a little bit like live plastic surgery, you can't really look away, but the gruesome bits are the best.


The Colour Purple
Alice Walker
4/5
1982 Paperback
Mummy's Library

Great book. From the start Walker will have you hooked. There are subtleties in the writing which are genius. at the start the language is halting and colloquial, but but the end there is a confidence in the voice.

I had seen the film before I read the book but I was absolutely carried away with the narrative the loops of which I think are simplified and left unexplored in the film. Plus of course the book goes further into their lives after the climax.

It got my tear of approval, I don't think it is possible to read this book and not cry at some of the most harrowing or uplifting moments. The relationships between Celie and everyone she interacts with are nuanced and detailed and give a real insight into the character's thoughts and opinions. I actually think it is the kind of book I would pick up again.



The Sultan's Organ
John Mole
3/5
Fortune 26/4/12 Paperback
Mummy's library

What a fun and interesting little book. An edited almost original manuscript of someone who thought to document their voyage to Istanbul. Complete with misadventures and too much wine eventually the delivery of the organ is made. Actually there wasn't nearly enough focus on the organ itself or people's reactions except that the sultan was pleased. Unfortunately the organ itself was destroyed by the sultan's brother who took an axe to it. Which is a real shame.

The history of this gift is very interesting, but the book doesn't quite do it justice. It is also a shame that none of the original organs by the same maker have been preserved and so there is no comparison to visit in the UK. Luckily I had an interest in the subject having listened to a podcast about the relationship between England and Istanbul in the 18th century. It's a quick easy read (1.5 hrs) but a little too much focus on the voyage rather than the events in Istanbul.

Full Reading Record

Recently I took a look at my side bar and realised that my Reading Record was getting a little chunky. I've decided to keep the record here and will add it to BLOG EXTRA to keep as an archive  and trim off that list to just include the most recent year.

2014
May - American Psycho, The Bone Season, Gone Girl
June  - Popular: A Memoir, The Land Where Lemons Grow, Throne of Glass, Macbeth, Don't Tell The Boss
July - Dead Ends, What Was Promised, How to be a Woman, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Eat My Heart Out, Patient
August  -We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Behind The Beautiful Forevers, The Shock of The Fall
September - After Me Comes The Flood
October  - Heir of Fire, The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein
November - Her
December - Three Men In A Boat, There Will Be Lies

2015
January - The Minaturist, How To Win Friends And Influence People
February - An Echo In The Bone, Maggot Moon, The Secret Garden
March - Written In My Own Heart's Blood, Smoke and Mirrors, Rasputin's Daughter
April - The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year
May - Pride and Prejudice, Trigger Warning
June - The Architect's Apprentice, Birds Without Wings
July - Chickenhawk
August - The Moor's Account
September -The Life I Left Behind, Burnt Paper Sky, Chimes
October - Orlando, Vathek
November - The Bone Clocks
December - Sense and Sensibility, The Mistress Contract, The Poet's Wives

(24)

2016
January - Sea of Poppies, Umbrella
February - Lila, Emma
March - Shantaram
April - The Help, Americanah
May - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
June - The Old Mann & The Sea, Queenie, The Signature of All Things, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society
July - The Moth, Binge, The Widow, Armada
August - The Man in The High Castle, Eat Pray Love, Leaving Atocha Station
September - Look Who's Back, Queen of Shadows
October - The Box of Delights
November - Blackass
December - Love Letters to the Dead

(25)

2017
January - Captain Corelli's Manolin, Othello, Playing with the Grown-ups
February - Half of a Yellow Sun,

Secret Life of a Book Blogger Tag

Remember the 5th of November. Well bonfire night does call for something a little different. I'm going to do the Secret Life of a Book Blogger tag! I'm also still recovering from my trip to Hong Kong, so thought I'd do some thing different and when I saw So Little Time For Books tag anyone who wants to do it, I thought I would.

1. How long have you been a blogger?
In this incarnation, it's been about 18 months. I started in May 2014, I had a blog before that which is defunct now that had some of my creative writing on it.

2. At what point do you think you'll stop blogging?
I'm really not sure, as I said I have a dead blog already, maybe one day this one will fizzle out as well. But actually what I hope will happen is that as I go through my life, my blog will change, because this is as much an opinion blog as it is a book blog. It covers so many aspects of my life so as that becomes more colourful and exciting, so will my writing!

3. What is the best thing about blogging?
I love when someone picks up a book on my recommendation and lets me know. Actually, since this blog is mostly for my own entertainment, it makes me happy if anyone reads it, even just friends and family. It's not about a huge audience for me, it's about cathartic writing and debriefing my reading with SOMEONE even if it's with the void.

4. What is the worst thing?
Trying to come up with ideas that are new or even vaguely new. Another thing that's tough is just sitting down and writing them. You've had the idea, and now you have to implement it?! Sharing the blog so that someone will read it. I don't think I have any followers that would check in on a Thursday to check my new post, which one day I might have...but generally no one will read it if I don't share my own work on Twitter and Facebook.

5. How long does it take you to create/find pictures to use?
Almost no time at all. I almost only use book covers which link through to Amazon or I use my own pictures.

6. Who is your book crush?
James Fraser from Outlander. Even when he's an older man in the later books, still inspiring, still amazing.

7. What author would you like to have on your blog?
I'd love to interview Diana Gabledon Or Elizabeth Gilbert. I find both of them such interesting people and I feel like the interview would descend into the most fascinating discussion. Actually, I just want to meet them...

8. What do you wear when you write your blog posts?
Recently I've had to plunge right into writing my blog as soon as I'm home from work while I cook dinner. I might have changed into my slippers, but mostly just my work clothes.

9. How long does it take you to prepare?
Anything from an hour to weeks. From the idea, building a draft, sketching out the structure and what books I'm going to feature, it could take a while. especially since some drafts would fit better around holidays, I will take my time whittling away at that one and mean while dash of a quick post for this week.


10. How do you feel about the book blogger community?
I think it's great. I don't know much about it...I knew I want to blog, but because I love what I read and didn't want to forget things. My reading record is a tiny list at the side of the page and it's favourite part of my page. Anyway, I don't know many other book bloggers, I don't visit blogs for reviews on books, I'm more interested in reader's lives, so I like tags like this etc that goes beyond the books.

11. What do you think one should do to get a successful blog?
I have no idea as I don't have one. My favourite blog isn't a book blog its about AMWF couples and culture and it is diverse every week and very well written. I check in with it all the time. So I think that's the answer, not posting a review every single week would be my advice, but that's because that's the kind of content I like. For successful blogging, check out some of the lovely writers I've tagged below.

I tag...
Books, Biscuits and Tea; Bookables; The Queen of Teen Fiction and Fangs, Claws and Wings

Thank you so So Little Time For Books for tagging EVERYONE and giving me a chance to do a blog tag!

Six Inspiring Movies

Talking of staying focused on reading schedules, here is a perfectly fair distraction. Almost as much as I love reading I love movies. I've always enjoyed films and love going to the cinema or snuggling up to watch an old favourite on VHS! I thought it would be a good idea to combine my two loves with a list of movies that inspire me to read some more.

Pride and Prejudice
Top of the list, front and centre is the brilliant Pride and Prejudice. I'm cheating a little here because I'm actually talking about the 1992 BBC TV series, so it's not technically a film, but I've never watched it in episodes and have only devoured it as a single mammoth film. While the emphasis on books is not as obvious there is a subtle current all the way through that we should all be broadening our minds "with extensive reading."  Cue swooning and picking up a book to flash at the boy you fancy. See this? I'm broadening my mind. If reading can land Lizzie Bennett a husband that's good enough for me. The whole film has shots of the sisters reading and their father spends most of his time locked up in his library wish a book in hand.

Iris
One of the most beautiful films in the world that never fails to make me cry. Author Iris Murdoch died of alzheimers and the film shows the process. I've never read any of her books, but I have just added one or two to my wish list for Christmas. It combines a few things that are dear to my heart. Biopics, Authors, Books, Kate Winslet and Judie Dench, Alzheimers. I was blown away by the film and it always makes me desperate to read, live, and love. It's based on her husband's book about the situation, Elegy For Iris.

Ink Heart
How to explain Ink Heart. It's about a man who when he reads aloud, his characters come to life, which means he could read out a villain and read IN people from the real world. Which is just what happens. HE and his daughter, who has a similar gift, travel the country looking for another copy of the book that his wife was read into. It is fantastical, it has Paul Bettany in it and is a bit of a whirlwind movie. It's good fun certainly and is all about books and reading and oral traditions and writing.

Becoming Jane
Another favourite that comes to mind is Becoming Jane. Partly for Anne Hathaway and James MacAvoy, arguably the best looking couple in cinema. Still they talk about books, and writing and definitely inspires reading to me. Its a fictional depiction of Jane Austin's life where we see the inspiration for several of her novels peppered through the story. I love the film and will instantly transport me into the kind of dreamy reverie that Jane Austin always delivers. I might even pick up one of her novels after watching it.

Dead Poets Society
It wouldn't be a movie list without Robin Williams featuring. One of the most fun films about teaching enthusiasm and joy for reading. If you're not reading poetry by the end of it your heart must be made of stone. It's such a powerful and sad film and is full of fun. I always want to pick up a book after I watch it so it's perfect for this list.

The History Boys
Definitely worthy of the title of inspiring. If only to put your nose into your books and love them. It's also so well crafted in terms of script, the way that they all talk is just fabulous and might make you a bit of a difficult person to be around for a few hours as you try to emulate them. See what I mean? Anyway, there is love of films, poetry, books and culture all wrapped up in this film and if you're not inspired to read anything they suggest, it inspires me to do what I love, which is to read.

Little Free Library

This idea has been around for a while now, I remember seeing it online a few years ago and I think it's a great idea. These Little Free Libraries are springing up in residential areas. I know of two within walking distance of my house! They are little boxes with books inside which are free to take and exchange.

I think this is a brilliant way to get people interested in reading, particularly children. If I were a parent and I were to stumble upon a miniature library I would be letting my children rifle through the books for something they wanted. Most of the books are for children or teens, and I think that's probably the best thing.


It's such an intriguing thing to see, these little glass fronted boxes perched on the front garden wall full of books. As with all book exchanges, the quality of the books varies and I think it pays to go back and revisit one of the less promising ones a few weeks later because the books change. To combat the problem of the quality of the books, the only thing to do is donate your own better quality paperbacks, even though that doesn't solve the problem from your end if everyone has a similar philosophy, the whole community ends up with the occasional gem.

Talking of quality, charity shops won't include damaged or soiled goods, they've got to be resellable, I think the same has got to go for Little Free Libraries, A tea stain or a wrinkled bottom from the bath is probably alright but some of the donations I've seen are falling apart to such an extent that it would be impossible to get through without losing a chunk of the pages. It's something to bare in mind if you're thinking of donating a book.

Since finding that there is a community of book swapping going on in my area has given me yet another outlet to clear off my shelves. I am in the process of disposing of some teen books left over from my previous job and as soon as they are all accounted for I will have a few left over which could potentially go to both of these Little Free Libraries. (I might include a little card that recommends the website) If I'm not able to donate those then I will just start collecting books I think would be good to donate. Who knows I might even find something for me to read!


You can find out about setting up your own Free Little Library here and find out a little bit more about the whole thing!

The Actual Man Booker WINNER 2015

Marlon James, has won the 2015 Man Booker prize with his novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings. Congratulations to his achievement.

The judges accept that some people might struggle to read the book because it's hard work and hard going. But it is a testament to the power of this prize that if you type 'Brief' into google right now, it auto fills with the rest of the book title.

It's an exciting time of year for me because there are so many prizes to follow, and my favourite is always Man Booker because I love original fiction.

I won't be picking up this year's winner. It's not my kind of book, and I think that Man Booker is becoming something different from what it was when I first got excited about it four years ago. What I would consider winning fiction, is no longer what the judges look for. BUT they came to a unanimous decision in two hours, so Marlon James has pulled off something incredible.

Congratulations again, and to all of the shortlist that didn't make it as well!

The Underground Bookclub - September Reviews

I've talked about Books on the Underground before on my blog because I love the idea so much. Imagine my DELIGHT when I found out about the Underground bookclub which runs on Mondays once a month. I have been swamped recently with preparing for dance championships in Cardiff and then Hong Kong and have had to make my excuses for two book clubs so far. I am so desperate to join one though! I hope that the Books on the Underground team won't ostracise me quite yet for failing to attend.

The start of  September kicked off with two incredible crime novels both of which I received from Books on the Underground. They always use recycled envelopes to send their books and I once got a little note saying: "We're saving the planet one envelope at a time" I was sold, what a brilliant company.

So, how can you join the Underground bookclub? Visit their website here and follow the instructions. I can't tell you more, it is meant to be Underground after all... #mystery.

The Life I Left Behind
Colette McBeth
Headline 1/1/15 Paperback
4/5
Books On The Underground

It gave me a particular thrill to leave behind, The Life I Left Behind on the tube once I'd finished it for someone else to enjoy. The story was very well written from the perspective of a victim of attempted murder and the voice of the victim of a successful murder. The story follows the historical attempted murder through the investigation of the successful one. I have to say, the pace was absolutely spot on. This was a real page turner, and rather than petering out at the end it got really exciting right up until the final pages. McBeth certainly has a real talent for crime. I'd read another of her books and would recommend reading TLILB. There are some who won't enjoy the 'lovely bones' style ghostly narrator, but I thought it was well done and definitely a gripping yarn.

There were a few problems I had with it: one was that I thought that all of the men were demonized pretty badly. While the female characters were nuanced and well thought out the men seemed extremely simple in contrast. Perhaps the depth of the female characters just completely dominated them. Initially I found the original victim to be a simpering and tiresome character, one review on amazon has called her 'Moaning Melody' which could not be more apt...As the story developed however, her history and her reactions changed and I absolutely fell in love by the end. Another thing I didn't like was that when the murder victim is discovered and its all public the original victim looks at her picture and instantly decides she likes her, and imagines them both as friends. I thought that was a bit obvious and made Eve seem a bit like the innocent angel, which no one is. I thought it was very well done.

Burnt Paper Sky
Gilly Macmillan
Piatkus 27/8/15 Paperback
4/5
Books On The Underground

If you like Gone Girl...you might be disappointed with this one. Burnt Paper Sky is an excellent read, that much is certain, I didn't see the ending coming, I kept turning pages and I liked the different view points from the mother and within the police department. The story follows a mother after her son is taken from the woods without a trace. Dealing with the press and projecting the wrong image (reminiscent of Nick in Gone Girl...) was an interesting thing as from the readers perspective you feel on the mothers side, to show the public opinion the story is also peppered with blog posts and news items and police bulletins with comments.

I felt that the book was very good, I had particular interest in it as I was around at the literary agent when the manuscript was sold so I felt very excited about reading it. It WAS perhaps too reminiscent of Gone Girl with a different spin and unfortunately I thought it was a shame that the two were so similar as it detracted from BPS' own style. I do think it is worth a read for crime fans, particularly parents I think would relate more with the story as it involves child abductions. I also found the inclusion of statistics to do with missing children to be very interesting. The family history down the sister's storyline was a bit of a bum note for me, I thought it was unnecessary, as did many other reviewers. Overall I enjoyed it, but it was not as memorable as I wanted it to be, maybe my expectations were too high.

The Chimes
Anna Smaill
Sceptre 12/2/15 Kindle
3/5
Amazon Kindle

Ambitious is what I would say about Chimes. I thought it would be a brilliant change to spice up the Man Booker list this year which was looking a bit dower. It didn't make it to the shortlist and now, having read it, I can see why. It was an incredible idea which really ought to be a series. I thought the second half seemed rushed to cram the story in and it got a bit lost after that. The move from London to Oxford in a re imagined world was a bit too close to the Northern Lights and The Bone Season ideas and unfortunately isn't nearly done as well. I will now deal with a minor spoiler. For those in the know: the relationship between Simon and Lucien which takes a turn...was an utterly unnecessary plot point that adds nothing and appears to be there to do something to make the two characters more of a team, which honestly was pointless. It was also done with a rather blunt style and painted a rather ridiculous relationship.

It definitely was a beautiful read to begin with, although the history eventually began to come out I honestly wasn't that interested. It was difficult. On the one hand it's a mamoth story with a mamoth style to go with it and was rushed into a single narrative and it suits it to stay within that style and just keep getting more mad. I thought the idea could have been handled more simply and been a smaller story beautifully written and nuanced but I think Smaill just had to run with what she had. It's a shame; I think she has incredible potential as a writer but the narrative was rushed and not thought out well enough to build a single good book.



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Sticking with your reading

I love reading, I love talking about books, I love spending time in book shops and reading on the train, the car, in bed. But sometimes I know that I am falling behind with my book. There are so many other distractions which pull me away from reading at the moment. I love how busy I am but it does mean squeezing my reading in between everything else.


One thing that helps me want to read is a good book. When I'm reading something that interests me it is easier to pick it up at every opportunity. Those are the days that I will roll over on a Sunday morning and refuse to leave my bed until I finish every page. Sometimes the book I'm reading isn't a cliff hanger read that forces me to return again and again and I end up spending my days listening to podcasts or music and playing candy crush because the story doesn't pull me back.


If that is the case, should I even be reading that book? I would argue that yes, I should be reading that book, even if I am struggling to fit it into my schedule. This is where my 50 page rule comes up AGAIN I feel indebted to the author and industry to read the whole book if I was sucked in by good writing at the start.


Another way I reconnect to my books is by actually looking at them. Reorganising my shelves and paying attention to what I actually want to read is my favourite way to get inspired to read more. Because there are always more books waiting to be read.


There has been a recent suggestion by a friend to start a vague bookclub so that we can talk about books together. And that has been a huge motivation to 'crack on' with my book and start talking about it with friends. It's something I really miss from university, when we were all reading the set text, getting to bitch about it for hours was brilliant and I think I might be about to get that back. The group of colleagues I have my tea break with are all avid book readers or students of literature and although we have very different tastes there is a ton of bookish discussion that has started, mostly by the Man Booker long list being announced.


Finally the last reason I keep reading is for this blog, it's a real motivator to finish a book by the end of the month so that I can write my reviews. Twitter is the main place I post about my blog, so if I am marketing my own writing I quite often have my eye on what publishers have coming out and what books people are blogging about. It's exciting to read about books and to write about them, so I have to do some of the primary research too and actually READ.


On that note, I have a book to finish.

July reviews

Chickenhawk
Robert Mason
Corgi 24/08/1984
4/5
Borrowed from S



I'll start by saying that I am proud to have stuck with this book to the end. It did pass my initial 50 page test, which generally means that I ought to persevere. It has taken a full month to get through which should suggest that it isn't one that directly pulls me in to read it. What I mean is, if I love a book and it is really up my street, I make reading my number one recreational activity. Everything takes a back seat to curling up with that brilliant book. With Chickenhawk, I had to force my self to pick it up.


That is not to say that once I was reading I didn't enjoy it. The story follows Bob Mason in Vietnam from his initial training to fly a helicopter, a sweaty, and frustrating couple of opening chapters which surprisingly held my attention despite all of the details about helicopter controls. It speaks for the writing that something so alien can become dramatic and interesting to anyone.


My worry about this review has been that this is my dad's favourite book. Its my boyfriend's ONLY book and it has to be considered a 'boys book'. It's about war, it's non-fiction, its machines and guns and helicopters and death. Sadly there is no female that I would be okay with suggesting this book to. Even if I praised the excellent writing, the easy reading, the amazing and captivating story, I just know that it's unlikely that any of my female friends would take the time to read this book. So I'm in this strange place, I wouldn't recommend it to girls, because I don't think they would enjoy it, BUT I did enjoy it and I surprised myself by enjoying it so maybe I should be recommending to men AND women.


I feel like I am being sexist by suggesting that this isn't a book for girls and it is only the fact that I desperately needed a book one night and got sucked in that I read it. I struggled to pick it up with the lure of other books winking at me and the only reason for that is because the subject matter just isn't what I would usually go for, I just don't find it that fun to read. Its a huge bundle of contradictions. It's a great book, I'm glad I've read it, but I don't immediately need to read it again.


Chickenhawk is an incredible true story that makes the Vietnam war more interesting than ever before. Its strength comes from the authentic memories of the author and the detailed and nuanced writing that makes each combat flight a cumulative build up of one mans experiences. There are some really hair raising moments and they're brilliant to read. It takes a talented author to introduce characters in such a way that immediately invests the reader and through each character we see the brutal and harrowing nature of war.


Of course war and killings and an under equipped army and politics and gorilla warfare is disturbing, you cant walk away from some of the images that Mason relays in his book. But the story is also an incredible experience, the men are so incredibly funny and their relationships have a depth beyond the wise cracking veneer.


I'm sorry it took me so long to read it, revealing my general struggle to read out of my comfort zone. I assume most girls wont want to read this book, but I think that women, and men SHOULD.