A Reading Journal

(Fiction)

Chose because: I loved other books by the same author.

Quote: ”..but I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”

My Thoughts: The third John Green I have read and probably my favourite.While I am beginning to feel Green’s book are rather formulaic - geeky boy meets strong, exciting girl who turns out to have hidden insecurities - this does not make any of the books any less enthralling. Looking for Alaska is so incredible that I found myself wanting to leave the last few pages unread so I wouldn’t have finished it and my experience of it would remain present-tense. I could live inside this book and I feel genuinely bereft that it is over.

Themes; friendship, school, geek, pranks, depression, romance

4 months ago

1 note

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Paul Torday

(Fiction)

Chose because: A friend recommended it.

Quote: “I suppose shopping in Tesco on Sunday morning is in itself a sort of meditative experience: in some way a shared moment with the hundreds of other shoppers all wheeling their shopping carts…”

My thoughts: A book in the form of emails, letters, diary extracts and transcripts. I did not know what to make of it to begin with, the first chapter opens straight into emails detailing the practicalities of introducing salmon into The Yemen, but after a short while it became about the lives of the people involved in the project. This peaceful, ponderous novel can at times seem slow, or rather dry, but as the story develops a great deal of emotion is weaved into the communications that make up the text. Overall, perhaps not as deep or groundbreaking as the author intended but still worthwhile.

Themes; communication, relationships, belief, religion

4 months ago

An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

(Fiction)

Chose because: I loved Paper Towns by the same author.

Quote: “You don’t remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened.”

My thoughts: A classic John Green novel, beautifully crafted with complicated, genuine characters. As with Paper Towns, Green focuses on the idea that people present themselves differently for different audiences, but this did not feel repetitive as the plot and characters are not at all alike. It’s the details that make Green’s writing so unique and memorable; the way Colin and Hassan say “fug”, Lindsey’s thumb biting and Colin’s anagramming. I find that I feel a sense of loss when finishing a John Green book, as they are so absorbing and all encompassing when you are reading them. I look forward to reading Looking For Alaska.

Themes; romance, family, friendship, geek, genius, popularity, friendship, adventure

4 months ago

39 notes

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson

(Fiction)

Chose because: Amazon recommended it.

Quote: “There are only two things I can do better than most people. One of them is to make vodka from goats’ milk, and the other is to put together an atom bomb.”

My thoughts: A really fun book with a story that moves quickly and brings you along for the ride. The narrative switches between present day action and recollections from the protagonists life, which through a string of coincidences involves some dangerous and some hilarious situations involving Stalin, Kim Jong Il and Harry Truman among many others. A little like Forrest Gump, this is a tale of a simple man who quite by accident becomes significant in many historic world events. A very original novel with witty writing that I would definitely recommend.

Themes; war, escape, coincidences, luck, history

4 months ago

1 note

The Red Garden - Alice Hoffman

(Fiction)

Chose because: I loved Illumination Night by the same author.

Quote: “He dreamed the bear was his father. That was when he gave up being human. He gave her up as well.”

My thoughts: Unlike Illumination Night, which was instantly captivating, I found this book very difficult to get into. The story is made up of many parts, set in the same place but across a long period of time which in my opinion made the novel feel very disjointed. Also the short amount of time spent with each character/ group of characters made it hard to develop real empathy for any of them. I will read other books by this author as I enjoyed Illumination Night so much, but this one was a disappointment for me.

Themes; settlers, villagers, family, magic, travellers

5 months ago

3 notes

Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

(Fiction)

Chose because: I never got round to reading this when I was younger and I’m a great believer in adults reading children’s books.

Quote: “That’s the duty of the old, to be anxious on behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old.”

My thoughts: A classic, mystical fantasy adventure, this is a great book for a cosy Winter’s night. Northern Lights is a wholly enjoyable read, with a feisty central character who would surely be anyone’s ideal childhood best friend and set in an alternate world that is like our own in some ways but very different in others. I was spellbound by the concept of daemons, the living embodiment of each person’s character and emotions - you quickly learn that the form and actions of a daemon tell you a lot about the person. This novel is pure, indulgent escapism and I will definitely read the rest of the series.

Themes; adventure, fantasy, friendship

5 months ago

2 notes

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender

(Fiction)

Chose because: I had read a little about it and thought it sounded interesting.

Quote: “But I loved George in part because he believed me; because if I stood in a cold, plain room and yelled FIRE, he would walk over and ask me why.”

My thoughts: The book started off very realistic, I thought of the central character’s ability to “taste” feelings in food as a kind of synaesthesia. I found my interest waned as more undeniably magical things occured. I also found that what started as a pleasantly poignant, thoughtful story of an unusual family with many facets and mysteries became simply depressing later in the novel, perhaps the author was aiming for contemporary nihilism but missed the mark. A couple of interesting characters (Rose’s Grandmother, her brother’s friend George) are introduced but their story lines are not really developed or resolved in a satisying way. Overall a promising start that gave way to disappointment.

Themes; childhood, family, emotions, secrets, senses

5 months ago

2 notes

Why We Broke Up - Daniel Handler

(Fiction)

Chose because: I saw a good review of it.

Quote: “I’d ruin any day, all my days, for those long nights with you, and I did.”

My thoughts: This is a cool, unusual piece, I was unsure of it at first but once I got used to the off-beat style and almost rhythmic prose I really liked it and got more and more involved as the pace picked up. While the basic story of a young relationship is nothing new, the way it’s told is completely original. I loved the references to old movies that are sprinkled throughout, and such beautiful metaphors as the following on the first realisation that one is in love: “Doomed like a wineglass knowing it’ll be dropped someday, shoes that’ll be scuffed in no time, the new shirt you’ll soon enough muck up filthy.” Also, the book itself is aesthetically pleasing, small and solid with gorgeous artwork embedded in the narrative.

Themes; relationships, friendship, break-ups, individuality

5 months ago

4 notes

Paper Towns - John Green

(Fiction)

Chose because: I had heard a lot of good things about the author.

Quote: “The fundamental mistake I had always made - and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make - was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. she was a girl.”

My thoughts: Reading this book is a real experience, a few pages in I paused to text several people to tell them they just had to read it. This is the kind of novel I could live inside, beautiful prose studded with those perfect sentences that make you stop, re-read, ponder, maybe copy out for future reflection. The story arc reminded me of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, but the writing is of a much higher quality. One of the best elements of Paper Towns, for me, is that Margo Roth Spiegelman is not the typical “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” archetype that is ordinarily called into play for any female character with an interesting personality. Instead the person Green has created is much more strong, vibrant and three-dimensional than the usual “kooky” female character. In this book Green presents some interesting ideas about perceptions and how people present themselves to different audiences.

Themes; high school, youth, identity, adventure, friendships, mystery

5 months ago

3 notes

The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson

(Non-Fiction)

Chose because: I read some excerpts in a newspaper and was very interested to read more.

Quote: “She was interviewing a psychopath. She showed him a picture of a frightened face and asked him to identify the emotion. He said he didn’t know what the emotion was but it was the face people pulled just before he killed them.”

My thoughts: Ronson is a humourist as well as an investigative journalist and this story of his “journey through the madness industry” is at times hilarious as well as fascinating. Most people know the term “psychopath” but many do not have a full understanding of the term and how it differs from mental illness. This book provides a very thorough study of one of the most interesting, and at times frightening, areas of psychiatry. In the course of his journey Ronson meets some intriguing and even some dangerous people, including forming a bond with a resident of the most secure section of Broadmoor Psychiatric Asylum. For me one of the most memorable things about this book is the Hare Checklist - a test used to identify psychopaths by their character traits, which the reader cannot help but mentally check themselves (and others they know) against.

Themes; madness, psychopathy, anxiety, criminality, conspiracy, scientology

5 months ago

4 notes

Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott

(Instructional)

Chose because: I had heard that it is one of the best books on writing.

Quote: “I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. all right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much.”

My thoughts: This book contains invaluable instructions for approaching the task of writing but is also a good read in and of itself, with entertaining personal anecdotes and forays into a fascinating family background. It is the kind of book that I want to carry with me at all times, in the hope that the inspiration and drive I feel when reading it radiate through the covers. I can see myself re-reading this book repeatedly, making lots of notes in the margins and recommending it to anyone I know with an interest in writing.

Themes; writing, authors, books, creativity

6 months ago

1 note

Oh Dear Silvia - Dawn French

(Fiction)

Chose because: I like Dawn French and wanted to give this book a chance even though I wasn’t impressed with her first book A Tiny Bit Marvelous.

Quote: “He becomes aware that for the first time in a very long time, he feels irrefutably more alive than her.”

My thoughts: This novel is more advanced than French’s first, with a more developed plot, though her literary devices are still quite obvious and I do not feel that she is a natural writer. An interesting element is that the central character is both absent (in a coma for the duration of the book) and also seems inherently unlikeable. There are some gems in the story in the form of beautiful, poignant confessions by some of the characters but these are sadly outweighed by the cringe-worthy stereotypes portrayed in the Jamaican nurse and the Indian cleaner. I wouldn’t re-read this book but I will read French’s next book and hope that it continues to show her development as an author.

Themes; relationships, secrets, family, confessions

6 months ago

4 notes

Room - Emma Donoghue

(Fiction)

Chose because: It is widely acclaimed.

Quote: “Before I didn’t know to be mad that we can’t open Door, my head was too small to have Outside in it.”

My thoughts: This is one of those books you read in one sitting because you just can’t step away from the story. The novel is written from the view point of a five year old boy who has never known the world outside the room he shares with his mother. I don’t usually enjoy books with such a “dark” storyline but Donoghue does not revel in the voyeuristic details that the plot creates potential for. It takes a very talented writer to write through the eyes of a young child, especially about an experience that so few people could even imagine.I agree wholeheartedly with the praise this book has received.

Themes; childhood, motherhood, trauma, kidnapping, escape

6 months ago

1 note

Trains and Lovers - Alexander McCall Smith

(Fiction)

Chose because: I enjoyed other books by the same author - particularly the 44 Scotland Street series and the Sunday Philoshophers Club series.

Quote: “Journeys are not only about places, they are also about people, and it may be the people, rather than the places, that we remember.”

My thoughts: A thoughtful book, McCall Smith uses the setting of strangers on a train to explore themes of love, fate, loss. The “novel in four parts” is not groundbreaking or gripping but is a very pleasant, easy read. The story rather trundles along and seems to primarily be a platform for the author’s philosophical musings, but is still interesting and compelling enough to be a very worthwhile read.

Themes; love, relationships, family, fate, travel

6 months ago

3 notes

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson

(Fiction)

Chose because: I loved Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by the same author.

Quote: “It is not the one thing nor the other that leads to madness, but the space in between them.”

My thoughts: This novel is heavily based on Winterson’s own life, unfortunately having already read Why Be Happy… , her more recent, non-fiction, book about her life the story was too familiar for me to really be absorbed by it. The narrative often breaks for short, fable-like stories which are extended metaphors for realisations Winterson has come to about life. While this is an interesting literary device I often found them quite tiresome and was keen to return to the main narrative. While I can understand why Oranges is such an important and popular novel, in my opinion it doesn’t hold a candle to Why Be Happy and if you only read one of these books I urge you to choose the latter.

Themes; childhood, religion, homosexuality, mental health