You'll laugh at this but I accidentally downloaded this book thinking it was about the struggles of a trans-gender child! In actual fact this is a booYou'll laugh at this but I accidentally downloaded this book thinking it was about the struggles of a trans-gender child! In actual fact this is a book about bullying, and one bully in particular, Bradley Chalkers.
I think we all knew a Bradley Chalkers when we were at school. You know, that kid with the tall tales that was always topping whatever you'd done. The bully that really wanted to be good and have friends. The kid that was too scared of failure to try.
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom is a story of hope, it leaves you feeling like no matter how shitty your actions may have been in the past, you still can turn your life around with a little bit of help from your friends. Yeah, this is a kids book, but who hasn't messed up from time to time? Who hasn't wanted a new start? It's just as relevant for adults.
Quite simply this book is gorgeous. It's the kind of book that makes you fall in love with reading all over again - love, hope, tragedy, loss, joy - aQuite simply this book is gorgeous. It's the kind of book that makes you fall in love with reading all over again - love, hope, tragedy, loss, joy - all depicted with language so vivacious and alive that I could practically feel the story in my gut.
I'm not massively into the classics, I haven't read The Iliad, on which this book is based, but of course I know the story of the Trojan War, or at least I thought I did. The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is beautifully portrayed, and is just as relevant today as it was back then. Heck, even in 1200 BC there were controlling mothers in law.
I won't go into the story itself, because I'm assuming most of you will know it, but you won't find a better re-telling. No wonder Miller has won countless awards, I stayed up well into the night with this one. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I just couldn't put it down, and that's the hallmark of some great storytelling.
Warning - DO NOT pick this book up if you're planning on doing anything other than reading and peeing, with an occasional hasty snack, in the next 24 hours. ...more
I wanted to like this book, I really did, I even convinced myself on a few occasions that I was actually enjoying it. Truth of the matter is the main I wanted to like this book, I really did, I even convinced myself on a few occasions that I was actually enjoying it. Truth of the matter is the main motivation I had to carry on reading wasn't to find out what would happen, but just to get to the end.
The thing is, on the face of it I should really like this book. I generally enjoy dystopian fiction and the plot seemed vaguely familiar to the Hunger Games, which I loved.
Heartless soul that I am, I felt zero empathy for Richard the main character, to be honest I almost DISLIKED him. And you know you're off on a bad foot when you can't even relate to the person you're meant to be rooting for.
Luckily The Running Man is fast paced and I got into the action from the start, something was always happening to keep me turning the pages and the short and snappy chapters helped too. As an action book this is superb, but for me to enjoy a book there has to be more than this. I love getting to know the characters, their relationships, their ideas, their lives. I like feeling wrapped up in a story and practically being able to taste the world the author has created. I got none of that here. In fact I found it all incredibly predictable.
What a miserly review of my first Stephen King. I was honestly looking forward to reading him and it was quite a disappointment.
So to sum up my review of The Running Man - things happen. I didn't give a shit.
Any book that can keep someone with glandular fever up for half of the night to finish it has to be pretty good. There's one thing I just don't get thAny book that can keep someone with glandular fever up for half of the night to finish it has to be pretty good. There's one thing I just don't get though, I didn't find it particularly romantic, which is pretty odd considering its marketed as a romantic book. Don't get me wrong, there's romance in it, but the majority of the book is about Lou growing as a person and trying to help Will enjoy his life as a quadriplegic.
It took me a while to get into but I love Jojo Moyes style of writing, it's easy and natural to read and before you know it an hour has slipped by and the dinner has burnt again (okay, maybe that's just me). I enjoyed the character building, both Lou and Will seemed like real people, although I have to admit Lou's boyfriend pretty much came across as an asshole from the beginning and I have no idea why she didn't dump him sooner!
My main gripe with the book is a tiny one, but it irked me. At the start of the book Lou seems like a happy person with a lovely family and a comfortable life, although she hasn't travelled the world or been to uni she seems well adjusted and despite not really knowing where her career is going (not uncommon at 26) she is content. Will seems to think there is something wrong with that, that in order to be fulfilled she has to be like he was with a big job, travelling the world and moving away from her small home town (which actually seems quite nice!). Don't get me wrong I think it's great she gets to travel the world and start a career doing something the loves, but it also seemed a bit derogatory of him to think that his way of living is the only way to live. So what that Lou finishes work and after a long day goes home and reads a book. I mean what's wrong with reading a book after work as a way to relax and broaden your mind? There's such an emphasis placed on Will's choice in this book that I just wish he'd have realised other people have a right to choose too. If everyone is the same it would be a pretty boring world.
Oh, and in case you wondered, yes, I did cry a bit at the end...Definitely one for the tissues!...more
I'll start this off by saying that I'm probably one of the few people in book land who has never read anything by J K Rowling before The Casual VacancI'll start this off by saying that I'm probably one of the few people in book land who has never read anything by J K Rowling before The Casual Vacancy. I've always wanted to read the Harry Potter books, my ex-boyfriend even gave them me for Christmas a few years ago, but we split up and I forgot to take them with me. I will get round to them eventually, maybe when I have children of my own. Anyway, I digress.
First of all I've got to say the synopsis for this book really doesn't do it any favours and neither does the cover. I'm guessing Rowling wanted to go with a very "adult" looking cover to emphasise this definitely isn't a children's novel, but there's no excuse for the dreary description. It put me off the book a little but I was so determined to read a J K Rowling that I disregarded this and I'm very glad I did.
This book is about so much more than a local election. It's like a rich tapestry illustrating the living, breathing life of a small town and the relationships of its colourful inhabitants. In reality there's good and bad in everyone (albeit different ratios) and the Pagford residents illustrate this superbly. No-one is simply "good" or "bad", Rowling explores the characters past, their motives and reasons for acting the way they do.
My favourite character is Krystal Wheedon, a 16 year old with a drug addict mother and absent father who is holding her family together by a thread. Despite some of her actions I really felt for her, she is the kind of person society needs to help, yet instead she is vilified by a lot of the Pagford residents and thought of as almost a second class citizen. The way Krystal was treated really made me feel disgusted and there is a powerful message in the book of tolerance. You might think you understand someone, but really you have no idea. At least not in J K Rowling's world.
For the first 75 pages or so I was quite disappointed, all that had really happened was the death of a local councillor and it's retelling to various Pagford residents and their reactions. At the time I found this quite dull, but looking back I see how necessary this character building was in order to learn the history of the characters, their allegiances and their enemies. So please, if you're just starting this book and don't find it to your taste PERSEVERE, it does get better!
By the end of A Casual Vacancy I was fully embroiled in Pagford life and local politics. I really didn't want this book to end and read the last 200 pages in one sitting well into the night. The story really is spell-bounding and I loved how the separate threads all link together in the end and leave a very satisfying conclusion. ...more
I hate it when an author is writing for a YA audience and they dumb it down, make it obvious, predictable and cliché. It underestimates the intelligenI hate it when an author is writing for a YA audience and they dumb it down, make it obvious, predictable and cliché. It underestimates the intelligence of the reader and is quite frankly patronising.
I picked The Declaration up as Amazon's Deal Of The Day because the idea looked quite interesting - a society where people can live forever with the help of longevity drugs, but children are not allowed, and if they are born they have to live a life of servitude as a "surplus". Yes, on the face of it this could have been an exciting Orwellian-esq adventure, pity it didn't turn out that way.
There's nothing much to say about The Declaration except it was predictable. There were a few twists at the end, but all were very obvious ones you could see from a mile away.
Okay, there's character development, at the start of the novel Anna is an obedient surplus who "knows her place" and through her relations with Peter she changes her view on the world to realise she has as much right to exist as anyone else. But lets face it, we ALL saw that coming right?
This is the first of a series. I don't think i'll be bothering with the rest. ...more
I picked this up for free on my kindle as the title interested me, and well, it was free. To be honest I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, I meanI picked this up for free on my kindle as the title interested me, and well, it was free. To be honest I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, I mean if the book is being given away for nothing its best not to have high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Methos has a masterful way of building suspense and I found the themes explored in the book to be really interesting. I love a good disaster story, but only if its done right and constructed in a believable way. And this was. I found myself imagining what would happen if the same thing happened today, a seemingly unstoppable worldwide epidemic. That's the thing that gets me about Plague, it really could happen. As Methos points out 99.99% of all the species that have ever existed are extinct. What makes us think that we'd be any different?
My main criticism is the ending, it's like you're driving along and everything is going great, then BAM, the next thing you know you've hit a brick wall. And that's it. It's over before it should be, no finality, no goodbyes, no nice clean cut ending, just a rushed few pages...more
If you want a book that will take you on an emotional roller-coaster, dash you against the rocks, and leave you feeling happy and grateful for all youIf you want a book that will take you on an emotional roller-coaster, dash you against the rocks, and leave you feeling happy and grateful for all you've got, then you need to read The Girl You Left Behind.
I'm not normally a fan of books that move from the past to the present, I often find them difficult to get into but Moyes develops both worlds so well that you don't feel like you're reading two separate stories, it flows like one cohesive whole.
William Styron once said "A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading" and this couldn't be truer than with Moyes latest novel. France in the first world war and present day London are described vividly, the characters are enigmatic and well developed, I found myself rooting for Sophie and Liv, hoping for them like they were real people and not characters bound within the pages.
This is much more than a love story, it's a life story that shows the reader what it is to be a human being. I cannot recommend this book enough,
These are just my initial thoughts, i'll do a more thorough review when I have more time, but thank-you good reads for my free copy! ...more
I heard somewhere that Murakami is the favourite to take away the Nobel prize for fiction this year, and naturally I wanted to see what all the fuss wI heard somewhere that Murakami is the favourite to take away the Nobel prize for fiction this year, and naturally I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn't disappointed.
Imagine a literary version of David Lynch, that's probably the best way to describe Murakami. After Dark isn't so much a story as it is an experience.
Set on a winters night in central Tokyo, After Dark follows several individuals whose paths criss-cross over the proceeding 7 hours. The stories are slowly merged chapter by chapter until they form a cohesive whole. The result of this process illustrates in turn, both the dichotomy and harmony between the individual and the collective.
I read After Dark mainly at night, which definitely suited the mood of the book and added to its charm. Murakami has an enviable ability to make the mundane come to life. A winters night becomes a magical playground full of experiences, meaning and realisation. Maybe anything can be interesting if you look at it in an abstract enough way.
This is my first Murakami but definitely won't be my last....more
Whilst I appreciate Woolf is a literary great and introduced the stream of consciousness technique and many other wonderful things, i HATE this book. Whilst I appreciate Woolf is a literary great and introduced the stream of consciousness technique and many other wonderful things, i HATE this book. There isn't really a proper storyline, it just jumps from the thoughts of one person to another. Its difficult to follow, dull and quite frankly I would prefer to gauge my eyes out with a spoon than read another page!
I know im in the minority when it comes to Mrs dalloway. I was really looking forward to it and was expecting a similar style to Plath, who I adore. After 2 days of what felt like hitting my head against a brick wall I gave up. I read books for enjoyment not for a lesson in linguistics....more
Player One was originally written as a series of week long one hour lectures, hence the novel is split up into five "hours" and is written in real timPlayer One was originally written as a series of week long one hour lectures, hence the novel is split up into five "hours" and is written in real time.
This is the first Coupland book I've read in years, I have a vague recollection of skimming through Generation X in my teens and dismissing it as pretentious intellectualism. It would be interesting to re-read it now and see what I think as I really enjoyed Player One and Coupland's unique style of writing.
When Coupland describes a character he gets to the nitty gritty, into their soul and thought process. The novel alternated between the point of view of a preacher turned thief, an ex-alcoholic bar tender, a beautiful autistic teenager and a 40 year old divorcee. Then throw into the mix a self help guru, an indiscriminate killer, a MILF hunter and an awkward internet hook up, and you have Player One's unlikely cast. Whilst each character has a distinct personality Coupland points out"we run out of things that make us an individual very quickly; all of us have more in common than we do not have in common". And he's right of course. In a world overpopulated with 6 billion people, how is it possible to be truly unique? Yet everyone wants to feel they are different, everyone wants to count, as Luke puts it "I want a Wikipedia page. I want Google hits. I don't want to just be a living organism that comes and goes and leaves no trace on the planet". So many of us can relate to this. Or at least I can. Yet in wanting fame, or infamy as the case may be, we become just like everyone else.
I could go into the intricacies of the plot but a Coupland novel is much more than this. It's food for thought. It's liberation. And most importantly it made me think about so many things I'd never normally consider. I feel a better person for reading Player One, like I learnt something intangible yet important. I will definitely be reading more from him. Whilst the characters are different they all speak with Coupland's voice and give you a unique glimpse into a future I hope we never have to witness.
The only thing I would say that errs on the negative side is that this is not a books you can read when you're sleepy and about to go to bed. It requires full concentration, if you daydream through a paragraph you will lose the thread entirely and need to re-read it. As i'm the kind of person who likes to read before I go to bed to relax this was hard going at times. Player One a relaxation book that i'd take to the park to chill out with, it's a thinking book that challenges you, and whilst I honestly do love this, after 250 pages I felt like i'd earned a well deserved rest!...more
I don't normally read travel books, but this isn't your normal travel book.
First, a bit about the author. Karl Pilkington is a born and bred MancunianI don't normally read travel books, but this isn't your normal travel book.
First, a bit about the author. Karl Pilkington is a born and bred Mancunian with a frank sense of humour that will leave you in stitches. It's not that what he says is in itself hilarious, he just comes out with the most bizarre things, and when you think about them, they make sense! For instance here is Karl talking about Easter - " I don't know why we celebrate with an egg. Bit odd that it's all about Jesus being crucified and giving up his life, and then years later we give him respect for what he did by eating a chocolate egg..with a small bag of Smarties inside". See what I mean?
In an attempt to broaden Karl's mind professional funny-man Ricky Gervais (that guy in the office you want to punch) decides to send him off to see the 7 modern wonders of the world. For those of you like me, who don't know your wonders, these are : The Pyramids, Great wall of China, Chichen Itza (the only one i've been to yet still can't spell!), Machu Pichu, Taj Mahal, Christ the Redeemer and Petra.
Despite being a travel diary I'll give you a bit of a warning , there is as much here about toilets, bugs and Monster Munch crisps as there is about the wonders. At first it's funny, but after a while it does start to drag. I even started to resent Karl a bit, having the opportunity to visit all these wonderful places and then doing nothing but moan about them! I know it's hot, the food is different and you can't sit down on the toilet, but come on, you're being PAID to visit the 7 wonders of the world, at least show a little enthusiasm? Hmm, maybe i'm missing the point of this book. It is funny, and a light entertaining (for the most part) read, but I would have loved a bit more travel and a lot less complaining! It was only 20p on kindle though, so well worth a look at! ...more
Reading this book is like going on a long journey where you're not sure if you'll reach the end, or if you want to. I went from loving this b2.5 stars
Reading this book is like going on a long journey where you're not sure if you'll reach the end, or if you want to. I went from loving this book, to being bored of it, putting it down, forcing myself to read the last 100 pages and being disappointed by the ending.
Lemon Leaves follows Julian, an 80 year old former Nazi war prisoner who receives a letter from his friend Salvo asking him to visit, as he believes he has discovered the whereabouts of a group of ageing Nazi war criminals. Upon arriving at the care home in Spain where Salvo lives, he is informed of the sad news of his death. Determined not to give up and return home he attempts to find the Nazi's himself. He meets a surprising ally in Sandra, a young pregnant woman who is unknowingly befriended by the Nazi circle, she helps discover the secrets of the "brotherhood" by infiltrating them and living with 2 of the leading Nazi's.
I was really struck how sinister the early part of this book was. The way the tension builds up is subtle yet quite unnerving in places. Despite this as I read on I became more and more frustrated. Once you've got over how horrible it is that these scum bags are living relatively normal, happy lives it doesn't seem to develop much further. I'm all for karma and these people getting what they deserve, even at this late stage of their lives, but that didn't happen. I know life isn't like a fairy story but Julian had enough evidence to send them all away to prison for the rest of their lives, but instead he leaves them to die of old age. It just didn't seem like justice.
Throw into the mix one of the most poorly developed "love" stories I ever read and it's pretty hard going in places.
The relationship between Julian and Sandra was well developed, but I disliked the way that the author replayed the same scene from both perspectives. It was dull to read and didn't seem to add a great deal to the story.
Maybe i've been a bit too negative here. I love the originality of the idea, the creepy sense of foreboding and the development of the relationship between the 2 characters but it's just not enough. Something is missing here. I'm not sure what exactly, that spark that makes you want to turn the pages.
Bed is almost too good. Every once in a while I read something so special and unique to me that I want to hide it away from a world of prying eyes, crBed is almost too good. Every once in a while I read something so special and unique to me that I want to hide it away from a world of prying eyes, criticism and make it mine. Despite being long listed for the Desmond Elliot Prize this novel hasn't got the critical acclaim it deserves, and it's 3.19 rating on Goodreads is quite frankly a disgrace.
So what went wrong and why is this book so misunderstood?
Bed is about Mal, a discontented 25 year old who hounded by an unbearable ennui, decides he's going to bed, and staying there. After 20 years laying naked in bed doing nothing but watching TV and eating food cooked by his over-zealous mother he weighs 100 stone. But this isn't a book about being fat and if you're reading it in the hope of an insight into obesity then you should look elsewhere.
Bed is a book about love, the bonds between family, how one persons selfishness can bring people together and at the same time tear them apart. Told from the perspective of Mal's younger brother (we never learn his name) he describes Mal as a planet which the family are orbiting. An ambitious young man, Mal left school telling the careers officer he wants to change the world, but like so many of us 2 years later he finds himself working a 9-5 office job with a steady girlfriend. This isn't the life Mal wants, he hates the banality of the weekly grind but feels that there is no way out.
I view Mal as the ultimate individual, a man with a voracious appetite for the extraordinary who is unable to find fulfilment in the real world outside his dreams. So he goes to bed. The only rightful protest he can make against the cruel disappointment of living in a society that raises its children with an expectation of future greatness, and fails to deliver.
You may not like Bed, a lot of readers hated the graphic descriptions of Mal's obesity. It's certainly not a book for the squeamish and some scenes will probably shock you. But if you can get past the imagery and read Bed with an open mind it will repay you in buckets. Some books feel like they can tear a fissure in your life leaving an invisible before and after, it's an unsettling experience but also quite mind blowing. I love this book, a day later i'm still reeling. ...more
This is the perfect book to curl up with beside a fire on a cold winters night. That said, I read it in the middle of summer and it was still a joy.
OuThis is the perfect book to curl up with beside a fire on a cold winters night. That said, I read it in the middle of summer and it was still a joy.
Our heroine is working in Monte Carlo for an elderly lady when she falls in love with recent widower Maxim De Winter, the owner of the spectacular Manderley estate. Just as she is due to leave to accompany her employer to America Mr De Winter proposes, and after a brief honeymoon in Italy she is whisked off back to Manderley to begin married life.
Despite being in love with Maxim the new Mrs De Winter feels in the shadow of his former wife Rebecca, who was well loved by the staff on the estate. In particular the housekeeper Mrs Danvers shows her disdain for Rebecca from the first time they meet. As a young girl in her early 20's our heroine is quite insecure and was born into a much lower class than Mr De Winter. Everyone knows this and she has a prevailing sense of inadequacy that Mrs Danvers is happy to encourage. Everything in Manderley seems connected to Rebecca and the constant reminders are putting strain on her marriage and making her feel more and more insecure and out of place. But soon it becomes apparent that everything is not as it seems and there is more to Rebecca's death than a sailing accident...
Du Maurier is masterful at building up suspense and tension. There are dramatic plot-twists and a creeping sense of anxiety and unease overtook me whilst I was reading this novel. I stayed up most of the night to finish it and wasn't disappointed. I loved the character development of our heroine, from an insecure wallflower to a confident, strong willed woman.
The ending leaves as many questions as it answers, but all in all this is a charming Gothic novel that should be on everyone's shelves....more
I got an email through from Amazon saying this book was deal of the day, and so picked it up for just a pound on my kindle. I must admit I wasn't expeI got an email through from Amazon saying this book was deal of the day, and so picked it up for just a pound on my kindle. I must admit I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. Of course, i've seen the movie, but after reading the book there didn't seem to be much similarity between the two.
I rarely find myself laughing out loud at a book, but whilst reading this I must have been giggling away conspiratorially to myself as my boyfriend even asked me what was so funny. There's something about the quirky things Bridget does that every woman can relate to on some level. She's a walking contradiction, a woman who wants to be strong and independent yet at the same time is desperate to be loved.
I must admit I was annoyed by her at first because it seemed almost like she was one of those awful women whose life is defined by the man she's dating. I guess in some ways she is, but she doesn't want to be. She's a unique spirit, and it was quite lovely to see a man fall for her because of all her imperfections rather than in spite of them.
I'd wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants a bit of light relief. You can easily chomp through the pages in a day or two and it leaves you with a real feel-good vibe. Looking forward to reading the next one!...more
The Midwife's Here! chronicles the early years of Linda's career as a nurse and midwife. As an aspiring midwife I bought this for the midwifery elemenThe Midwife's Here! chronicles the early years of Linda's career as a nurse and midwife. As an aspiring midwife I bought this for the midwifery element so was quite disappointed that this didn't actually start until halfway through the book. The first half, describing Linda's training at Manchester Royal Infirmary was interesting in places but quite protracted and I found myself willing her through her nursing degree just so I could get to the midwifery part of the book!
The second half of the book was really enjoyable though, particularly reading about the births and picking up knowledge of midwifery as I went along.
Linda is obviously a great midwife and this really shines through, but if you are reading for entertainment I would really recommend Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth instead.
Well, lets just say you have to be a tad open minded if you want to enjoy this book, but suspend your disbelief for long enough and you might find youWell, lets just say you have to be a tad open minded if you want to enjoy this book, but suspend your disbelief for long enough and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by 172 Hours On The Moon.
I didn't enjoy the first 50 pages or so that much, the whole idea just seemed so silly. I mean if I can see that sending three teenagers to an abandoned moon base is a bad idea, why can't the heads of NASA?
Even worse, the three chosen teens didn't seem fit for a job at McDonalds, let alone the rigours of a space mission. Harstad explains the names are picked out randomly by a lottery, but honestly, would NASA really let a rebellious punk, a lovesick stalker and a harajuku girl go to the moon? Of course not.
It's at about this point I decided that I wouldn't enjoy this book if I looked at it too critically. After all I'm a 27 year old space nut, this book isn't written for someone like me.
The turning point came about halfway, when the lunar module had landed and things start to take a turn for the worse. I realised I wasn't reading a sci-fi book anymore, the focus had shifted to that of a dark, unsettling horror.
Harstad ramps up the tension as the mood of mission quickly descends from hopeful scientific exploration to a fight for survival. I became enthralled in a race against time where deceit and conspiracy threaten the lives of not only the crew, but the whole of mankind.
Verdict: 172 Hours On The Moon flops as a sci-fi, but it's a pretty good horror. The plot is original, the main character develops with the story and most of all it does what a horror is supposed to do - freak me out! I could imagine this as a Micheal Bay movie, fast paced with lots of action, but a bit lacking on the intellectual side. It's still a lot of fun though.
An important little book (50 pages) that you just cannot afford to miss. It was written in the '30s for an American audience in an attempt to depict tAn important little book (50 pages) that you just cannot afford to miss. It was written in the '30s for an American audience in an attempt to depict the rise of the Nazi's in Germany and open the eyes of the nation to the growing problem in Europe. Written as a series of letters between old friends (a German Jew living in America and his business partner, who moves back to Germany) this book is small but packs a powerful punch....more
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