What I've been reading: July and August
Another couple of months of reading, and once again I've read some excellent books.
Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee is one of my Dad's favourite books and years ago he bought me a copy to read. For some reason, I never did (I think for some books you have to be in the right place for them) and then decided that this summer was the right time. It's a lovely account of the author growing up in rural England. I didn't love it, but am glad I can say I've finally read it!
My Mum gave me Unless by Carol Shields for my birthday, always a bit of a risk buying books for me, but she did well here. Reta is an author, and quite happy, until her eldest daughter drops out of college and starts to beg on a certain street corner in Toronto. It's one of those books where not a lot seems to happen, and yet it does. I loved it, and it's already been passed on to a friend.
Caitlin Moran has been of of my favourite journalists for years, I loved How To Be a Woman and I thought she was brilliant when I heard her speak a few years ago. I also enjoyed How To Build a Girl (funnily enough, exactly three years ago) also it was quite divisive - I know a lot of people didn't enjoy it, and many of the music references were lost of me. I was wondering if that would continue in How To Be Famous* as Dolly is now a full time music journalist. Thankfully, it wasn't entirely lost on me (although I did have to do a bit of googling every now and then) and I enjoyed it much more than HTBAG. Sex, drugs, adolescence, parents, friends, boyfriends, there is so much going on and yet it all fits together. Once again, though, if you're not a fan of Caitlin Moran generally, then this won't be for you.
I am trying to be a bit more diverse in my reading, in terms of what I read, but also in terms of who I read. I chose Belonging by Umi Sinha on a visit to the library simply because I'd never heard of the author, the blurb sounded intriguing and the cover is gorgeous. The story is told through a grandmother's letters, her son's diary and her granddaughter's narrative. There's handily a family tree at the front and whilst the book jumps back and forth, it's never disjointed. It covers a period of time through British colonial rule in India and also the First World War. I admit that my knowledge of India around this time is scant (to say the least) but everything is explained well that I could follow what was happening. Some of the book is set in Sussex just a few miles down the road from where I live - so quite the contrast. The story had my attention throughout and for a random pick, it did well!
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry was purchased from a charity shop, simply as I'd heard so many good things about it over the last 18 months or so. Set in Victorian England, Cora is a wealthy widow (and not terribly upset about this) who ends up moving to Essex. She is interested in science, and exploring nature. She meets William, a rector, and his family. Their village is being haunted (terrorised?) by a mystical serpent, and Cora and William try together and separately to find answers to their questions as to what, or who, this serpent is. I thought it was an excellent book, I took it to work to read during my lunch break and had it on my desk, where it was pounced on by a colleague, so it's got a new home already!
Crank, Glass and Fallout by Ellen Hopkins were 50p each in a charity shop - it's a series I've not heard of before and they intrigued me as they're written as poetry - each book is very long, but there is not much text on a page, so they're quick to read - I read the first two each in one day. They tell a semi-autobiographical account of the author's daughter who becomes addicted to crystal meth ('crank' and 'glass') and how this impacts on her family. I enjoyed the first two more than the third (which is set several years later when the children are roughly the same age their mother was when she started using drugs): I didn't know if I'd enjoy the poetry format, but I really did - it worked so well with the subject material and showing who was talking. They're not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but they were worth the £1.50 I spent on them!
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell was another 50p purchase. I've heard a lot of people talking about it, and I wanted to like it, I really did. I did enjoy it, at the beginning, when twins Cath and Wren head off to college (as someone who works in a university which is preparing itself for the new students arriving in a matter of weeks, it resonates quite well right now!) but then it all got a bit wishy washy. Cath and Wren are massive fans of the Simon Snow series of books (which to me seems a very close copy of Harry Potter) and Cath especially has written a lot of fanfiction, which has been very popular. But I got bored with all the characters, didn't like the stories within the story and the ending disappointed me. I think I can see why other people have enjoyed this, but it wasn't for me.
Vox by Christina Dalcher* is set in the near-future, where women can only say 100 words a day - any more, and they receive an electric shock through a bracelet. The more you say, the stronger the shocks. Jean, a scientist, tries to protect her family, especially her daughter. It's quite scary how believable some of the behaviour and attitudes in this book are.
The Stranger on the Bridge by Jonny Benjamin* tells Jonny's story about his mental health and his quest to find the stranger who spoke to him when he was standing on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide, so he could thank him. This became a documentary which I saw a couple of years ago and found very moving.
A varied couple of months once again - I think I'm doing reasonably well at being more diverse in my reading choices, which I'm quite enjoying.
*This copy was given to me via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.
Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee is one of my Dad's favourite books and years ago he bought me a copy to read. For some reason, I never did (I think for some books you have to be in the right place for them) and then decided that this summer was the right time. It's a lovely account of the author growing up in rural England. I didn't love it, but am glad I can say I've finally read it!
My Mum gave me Unless by Carol Shields for my birthday, always a bit of a risk buying books for me, but she did well here. Reta is an author, and quite happy, until her eldest daughter drops out of college and starts to beg on a certain street corner in Toronto. It's one of those books where not a lot seems to happen, and yet it does. I loved it, and it's already been passed on to a friend.
Caitlin Moran has been of of my favourite journalists for years, I loved How To Be a Woman and I thought she was brilliant when I heard her speak a few years ago. I also enjoyed How To Build a Girl (funnily enough, exactly three years ago) also it was quite divisive - I know a lot of people didn't enjoy it, and many of the music references were lost of me. I was wondering if that would continue in How To Be Famous* as Dolly is now a full time music journalist. Thankfully, it wasn't entirely lost on me (although I did have to do a bit of googling every now and then) and I enjoyed it much more than HTBAG. Sex, drugs, adolescence, parents, friends, boyfriends, there is so much going on and yet it all fits together. Once again, though, if you're not a fan of Caitlin Moran generally, then this won't be for you.
I am trying to be a bit more diverse in my reading, in terms of what I read, but also in terms of who I read. I chose Belonging by Umi Sinha on a visit to the library simply because I'd never heard of the author, the blurb sounded intriguing and the cover is gorgeous. The story is told through a grandmother's letters, her son's diary and her granddaughter's narrative. There's handily a family tree at the front and whilst the book jumps back and forth, it's never disjointed. It covers a period of time through British colonial rule in India and also the First World War. I admit that my knowledge of India around this time is scant (to say the least) but everything is explained well that I could follow what was happening. Some of the book is set in Sussex just a few miles down the road from where I live - so quite the contrast. The story had my attention throughout and for a random pick, it did well!
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry was purchased from a charity shop, simply as I'd heard so many good things about it over the last 18 months or so. Set in Victorian England, Cora is a wealthy widow (and not terribly upset about this) who ends up moving to Essex. She is interested in science, and exploring nature. She meets William, a rector, and his family. Their village is being haunted (terrorised?) by a mystical serpent, and Cora and William try together and separately to find answers to their questions as to what, or who, this serpent is. I thought it was an excellent book, I took it to work to read during my lunch break and had it on my desk, where it was pounced on by a colleague, so it's got a new home already!
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell was another 50p purchase. I've heard a lot of people talking about it, and I wanted to like it, I really did. I did enjoy it, at the beginning, when twins Cath and Wren head off to college (as someone who works in a university which is preparing itself for the new students arriving in a matter of weeks, it resonates quite well right now!) but then it all got a bit wishy washy. Cath and Wren are massive fans of the Simon Snow series of books (which to me seems a very close copy of Harry Potter) and Cath especially has written a lot of fanfiction, which has been very popular. But I got bored with all the characters, didn't like the stories within the story and the ending disappointed me. I think I can see why other people have enjoyed this, but it wasn't for me.
Vox by Christina Dalcher* is set in the near-future, where women can only say 100 words a day - any more, and they receive an electric shock through a bracelet. The more you say, the stronger the shocks. Jean, a scientist, tries to protect her family, especially her daughter. It's quite scary how believable some of the behaviour and attitudes in this book are.
The Stranger on the Bridge by Jonny Benjamin* tells Jonny's story about his mental health and his quest to find the stranger who spoke to him when he was standing on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide, so he could thank him. This became a documentary which I saw a couple of years ago and found very moving.
A varied couple of months once again - I think I'm doing reasonably well at being more diverse in my reading choices, which I'm quite enjoying.
*This copy was given to me via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.
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