23) Finding My Voice 24) The Maze Runner

23) Finding My Voice by Jonathan Veira

I bought this book after seeing Jonathan in concert and being very impressed not only by his capacities as a singer, but also by his comic genius. I have to say that it's not the most well-written book I've ever read: occasionally the language is a little awkward or there is an overuse of exclamation marks; but it was immensely enjoyable to read about all the funny experiences that Jonathan has had throughout his career, and quite enlightening about the world of opera. I really don't have much experience of reading autobiographies, but I would recommend this one if you enjoy Jonathan's music.



24) The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I loved the concept of this book, with its undertones of Greek mythology, and although the writing struck me as a bit clumsy, the plot made up for it, keeping me intrigued throughout. There are so many questions to be answered: what are these boys doing in the centre of this maze? How do they get out?  What will happen if they do?

Having already seen the trailer for the film, I picked the book up  at Healthy Planet, a great little shop that seems to have just sprung up near where I live  which gives books away for free! I'm now considering buying the sequels, my hesitation only really coming from a fear of not being able to put them down and do my uni work!

21) Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves 22) The Mill on the Floss

Two posts in two days? I know, it's crazy, but I haven't been binge-reading, I was just rather behind in my posts :) So here goes:

21) Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse

This being the second Wodehouse I had read, I was jolly well ready for some spiffing stuff, and I was not disappointed. I hugely enjoyed watching Jeeves and Wooster as a child, and the witty dialogue comes across as well on the page as it does in the series, if not better, as it is accompanied by Bertie's inward musings and revelations. The only thing which slightly disrupted my enjoyment of the book was Bertie's tendency to use single letters to replace words, for example: "I sank forward in my chair, the f. buried in the h.". While it's clear to anyone familiar with English idioms what he means, it rather pulls you up short, but this may, in fact, be the effect that Wodehouse is going for: a slight annoyance on our part at Bertie's laziness, while equally enjoying his ridiculousness.  

22) The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot 

Alternately diverting and dull, this novel is not something to be undertaken lightly, and I must confess that I may not have reached the end had it not been for the fact that I'm studying it. Just to give you an idea of its length: if you were to listen to the audiobook, it would take thirteen hours. I think it actually took me longer than that to read, as my mind had a habit of wondering off, and so I was often forced to read the same page several times. 

I don't want to be too harsh on Eliot, she (yes, she's a woman!) created some extremely interesting characters and surprising character development, it's just a rather slow book to take off (although much better than Robinson Crusoe, don't even get me started) and goes off into philosophical musings too often for my liking (did anyone else force themselves through all the philosophy in Sophie's world just to find out the answer to the mystery?). All in all, a book to read if you have a lot of patience and time on your hands.

19) The Magic Toyshop 20) Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

19) The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter

Having been recommended Angela Carter books on a number of occasions I've been intending to read one for some time now, and having this on my reading list for The Girl in the Book  has prompted me to finally do so.

Virginal Melanie comes round full circle in this fantastically disturbing and beautifully written book; draped in a white dress, pretending to be someone else. Other characters loom in the gloaming between perturbing and enchanting, and a childish obsession with puppets turns out to conceal something much darker. 

Finn (for here again is a book where one of the main protagonists goes by that name) presents an unlikely love interest: reeking and dirty, with yellowed teeth and a disquieting knowledge of unspoken things;  and yet it is this contrast to Melanie's perfumed naivety that makes their relationship so raw and interesting, and difficult to predict.       

My first forage into Carter's works has been an encouraging one, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future, especially The Bloody Chamber, an adaptation of Bluebeard that I've heard a lot about, although it may be something that I want to read when it's still light outside...


20) Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson 


" 'The Devil himself is a drunk.' (Sometimes my mother invented theology)."

I think that this quote sums up the tone of this book quite well; a humorous, but worrying, look at the extremes of religion, and what they can do to people.

An interesting forage into what it's like for a lesbian to grow up in a strict evangelical community, this book was intriguing and dispiriting by turns, and mostly enjoyable to read, although I have to say that I wasn't very keen on the postmodernist meta-fictional elements, which  jarred with me, especially those involving Sir Perceval.

Overall, I recommend reading this novel this novel with an open mind, and finding your own answer as to what oranges represent.


   



 

17) L'étranger 18) What I was

17) L'étranger (The Outsider) by Albert Camus

 

I'd been meaning to read this book for ages but somehow never quite got around to it. In the appropriate setting of my job as an English teacher to French teenagers I finally bit the bullet and did it. I have to say that I don't regret it. I can see why it's such a classic; it reminds me of "Catcher in the Rye" with its strange honesty and trains of thought. It's disconcerting seeing the world through Meursault's eyes. He is so detached, so unbothered by life's daily trials that he seems alien. The worrying thing is that I can't tell if he has some kind of learning difficulty or mental illness, or if he's just someone who refuses to meet societies' expectations. Whatever he is, he's fascinating.

18) What I Was by Meg Rosoff

 

A young adult book that I picked up off the shelf of my family's holiday house, this book explores teenage sexuality without any sex, and teenage love without any declarations. In a way, this is frustrating; we, the readers, feel like we are being promised something that never comes to pass; but in another way it is quite refreshing, especially given the secret revealed at the very end. It is sort of ironic, that the main character, who we feel so close to, is nameless to us, yet Finn, the aloof Finn, is named but mysterious, never quite letting us in. 

I found this book enjoyable, despite a slight skepticism about the age of the main protagonist, who is supposed to be sixteen, but often seems much younger. This may, however, just be  because I don't remember well enough what it was like to be sixteen...I am getting old ^^

15) Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy 16) The Night Guest

15) Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding


This is the first book in a while that has made me laugh out loud, to the curiosity of my fellow passengers on the train. Having enjoyed the first two books in the series, it's interesting seeing both how similar and different Bridget is in middle age, to when she was in her thirties; she's still messy, late and obsessed with her weight (a bit of accidental rhyming there), but she's also maternal, nurturing and tries really hard to do the best for her kids.  

I'd recommend this book for a fun, enjoyable read that also tugs on your heart strings and doesn't let you put it down.







16) The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane




Having only really read one thriller before (Before I Go to Sleep, by S J Watson, which I thoroughly recommend), I didn't have a lot to compare this book to, so I had to take it at face value. Bewitchingly disturbing, this is a book that invitingly sits you down and makes you a cup of tea, then before you know it, you're bound to the chair and you've burnt your tongue. After reading it I felt hollow and paranoid; like the words had crept under my skin and possessed my senses. The gradual decline is so beautifully done, so subtly implemented, that it take both us and Ruth by surprise.

Given the recent and ongoing care workers' strikes, this book seems very on-topic and I congratulate McFarlane for an amazing debut novel, which looks into important social issues in a new, and worrying, way.

13) To Kill a Mockingbird 14) The Other Boleyn Girl

13) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This is one of my set texts for uni this coming year. Having already studied it at secondary school for GCSE, I'm enjoying being able to read it again from  a more adult perspective. It is, and always has been an amazing book, with an important message about equality and open-mindedness. While nominally told from Scout's perspective, rather than being about her, this is a novel about her father, and his struggle for justice. It seems to me that Atticus Finch, one of the best, if not the best father in literature, is suggested to be so because of the following attributes:

1) He  is reliable and keeps his word.

2) He stands up for what he thinks is right.

3) He loves his children unconditionally.

He is a solid, constant presence in the children's lives, and throughout the narrative, reassuring us that everything will be ok, even if the world isn't a fair place to live.


14) The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

I loved this book. I find non-fictional history really dull, and struggle to retain it, but  give it a narrative and not only do I find it interesting, but I remember it. This book tells the story of Mary, the "other Boleyn girl", and how she and her sister competed for for Henry VIII's favour.

Having just read "To Kill a Mockingbird", in which Scout is a valued member of her family, this book provided a bleak contrast on the position of women, which is summed up nicely by Anne's words: "One Boleyn girl or the other...We might either of us be the queen of England and yet we'll always be nothing to our family." Both Anne and Mary are just puppets in their father and uncle's plans, important only in increasing the family fortune, no matter what it may cost them, and cost them it does.