Today I finished the first of my three giants - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. There are so many reasons why I'm glad I picked this one up first, even though at 864 pages it is a proper weight of a book that was so wide it wouldn't fit in my handbag. Admittedly this is probably more handbag issues than book size issues...
Generally I'm a little intimidated by books that clock in at that many pages. But somehow with this one, once I had started it didn't even occur to me, mainly because it has been an absolute delight to read. First up I should have probably told you that The Secret History, her first book, is one of my all time absolute faves - the copy that I have has been read so many times the spine is almost threadbare - so I was really excited to finally get around to this one. And it hasn't disappointed at all.
You know the drill by now, I'm really not good at these book review things, but I so like to share that I keep on trying! I would describe this as a pretty epic tale really, spanning a life from a shocking tragedy at 13, taking something that you really shouldn't have and the consequences of it all throughout the rest of your life. How's that for a rockin' description?! I'll bet you're rushing off to the library right now to order your own copy...
Ahem. Maybe instead of trying to do the whole review thing we should just call these posts "Claire says you should read this", post a picture and have done with it?
So in that spirit. I say that you should definitely read this. It is 100% worth the 864 pages and you will thank me for it.
And when you're done with it, ask me if you can borrow The Secret History. And hope that it doesn't fall apart as you read it cos that spine really is looking a little bit fragile now...
I'm not calling this a challenge as such, but I decided that this year I have to read these three books:
Partly I think it's because I actually bought them. New. They're not out of the library, they're not borrowed from anyone else, they're brand spanking shiny and new. And all very large. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a little bit intimidated by them. Also very indecisive - I can't choose which one to tackle first!
I picked up the Kate Atkinson and the Donna Tartt in one single shop - I know! What was I thinking? Other than being massively swayed by the fact that I have loved every other book that both have written, of course.
As for the third, I've seen/read/heard very good things about it and decided to give it a try. Without realising quite how large it is. Maybe people who recommended it read it on Kindle so it didn't seem quite as...hefty?
Anyway, decisions decisions. I tried putting it out on social media to see which might get the most votes but the comments are all over the place too! Maybe the best way will be to mix them up, close my eyes and just pick one!
I'll keep you posted...
I really wish I was one of those people who could write amazing book reviews. You know the ones that you read in the big Sunday papers that totally inspire you to rush right out and get the book or your life will never be the same again. If I could write those type of reviews, I would do it for 'All the Light We Cannot See'.
Sadly I'm not one of those people so instead I'll have to try to put into my simple style why you absolutely have to read this book.
It's beautiful. Like seriously beautiful. It's not exactly the most lighthearted story and it deals with some really serious subject matters but every word, every chapter is quite simply beautiful - the writing, the descriptions, the vivid images that he draws for you to soak up and throw yourself into completely...
The characters in the book, oh, I can't even begin to describe them - I so wish I could. Can I say beautiful again? For me there wasn't one weak character, they were all just so absorbing. It's one of those books that you don't want to end because you know you're going to miss everyone in it. Days later and I still feel like that.
It catches you off guard. One minute I was reading along and then I'd turn over the page and be so totally and utterly overwhelmed that tears just sprung out of nowhere...and then something else would happen to distract you away from the tears...
I don't want to put you off. I only cried three times and it's a pretty hefty read. And ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I'm a big cry-er when it comes to books. And films. And television. And adverts. Just sayin'
The most satisfying thing of all is that it has a proper ending. Hallelujah! So many times lately I've committed to a book, it's had me gripped the whole way through and then the ending has been hurried and felt incomplete somehow. But not this, absolutely not this, yep I'm going to say it again - beautiful.
I cannot urge you enough to pick this up. And if you have read it, please let me know in the comments what you thought. I want to talk about it with everyone!
I recently organised a display in libraryland to introduce all of our readers to the library staff. I did a nice little blurb about everyone and then I set the ultimate challenge: pick your top 5 books of all time. For some people, this caused almost as much angst as the idea of having a photo on the info sheet so that people would be able to recognise us. Not so much of a problem for me, as somewhat geekily, I always have this top 5 running in my head...just in case anyone ever asks me (sidenote: they never do).
Featuring in my top 5 is probably my most favourite book ever: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The first time I read it I was 16 and in my final year of big school. I remember absolutely loving it and since then, almost every year, I have read it over and over again. As I have aged, along with my very battered copy, I seem to get something different out of it each time I read it, but no matter how many times it remains my all time favourite. Which is why I was kind of nervous about picking up Go Set a Watchman. What if it was so awful that my favourite character of Scout would be ruined forever?!
Well it turns out it wasn't that awful...but it also wasn't that great. My overwhelming reaction was a kind of lazy shrug. I loved revisiting all my favourite characters and it was interesting to see how they might be as they aged, but other than that nothing really happened. Nothing of any great consequence anyway, which is a real shame as there was obviously a massive amount of hype about this when it was published.
I think the key with this book is to just read it as any other book. Don't look upon it as a sequel or even a companion to the original, it's just another book in the pile by the bed. That way you won't be disappointed or frustrated at how different it is; at most you might join me in a lazy shrug and an oh well, I've finished that book now. I can however say with absolute certainty that it won't be making it into my Top 5 list anytime soon...
I'd like to say I have this super intelligent way of deciding which book to read next, but I have to put my hands up and confess that I pick them by the book covers. I know, I know, the saying even goes, don't choose a book by its cover but I can't help it! Mainly it's the stark white ones with some weird illustration or pattern that will be the ones I'm drawn to first, but then if there's anything remotely quirky or odd about it my eye will go there next. Which is kind of what happened with this one.
I was looking at the Top 25 list of young adult books and as soon as I saw that cover I knew I would be adding it to my already groaning bedside table of books to read.
Let me introduce you to 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio. I actually finished reading it over a week ago now but I can't stop thinking about it. Still! And I've probably recommended it to at least five people in that time too. You all know by now that I'm no good at doing the whole what it's about thing, but there's a boy called August, he used to be home-schooled but he goes to school for the first time ever and it's all about his experiences, the people he meets, his family, his dog...and as you've probably guessed by the front cover, August doesn't really look like all the regular kids which adds to the whole middle school experience thing.
What did I love about the book? I loved the characters soooo much, August obviously, but especially his sister Via and her boyfriend Justin. It was funny, tender, heartbreaking, and full of love - friendship love, family love, pet love, a whole load of everything if you will. It had cool little chapters so was absolutely ideal for dipping in and out of, and when I only had a few pages to go and had to go back to work - oh! As soon as I got home that day I dropped all my bags and plonked down on the sofa to finish it off. And with all honesty, since finishing, I have thought about it every single day, more so I think as one of my work buddies is reading it now so I keep seeing it in the staffroom.
It's been a while since I've had so much love for a book, not since 'A Man Called Ove' I think, which incidentally I also recommend to people all the time, and the same work buddy has just finished reading!
Any recommendations for what I should read next? My self-imposed ban of bringing any more library books home is almost over as I only have three left on the pile. Hit me with some titles below!
As in 'bucket list' - do you see what I did there? No? Moving on...
When you're faced with a whole library of choice for reading material, it's actually quite overwhelming. Which one do I pick? Where should I go next? Do I start at A and work my way through the alphabet by colour? But what happens if I pick a doozy and it ruins my reading mojo? I can't even.
I am reaching out to you, dear readers, to throw some suggestions my way. Let me know a book or two that you've just finished, or one of your all time favourites, that I absolutely have to read. Share the book love! Or point me to your Goodreads account so that I can stalk your virtual bookshelf.
I am considering going non-library (shocker!) for my next one: either The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt or Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Should I? Which one first? They're both pretty meaty looking, a bit intimidating, and are definitely going to add some weight to my handbag.
Decisions, decisions.
Throw a girl a lifeline, my 'book'et list needs building!
I would say I am totally open to reading any book, from any genre, but science fiction is something that I have rarely dabbled in. A long while ago I read 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' by Philip K. Dick but I think that's probably it, until I picked up 'The Martian' by Andy Weir. I half knew about it from a book You Tuber I follow and had seen a review or two on Goodreads, but had no idea what it was about really when I decided to add it to my groaning-under-the-weight-of-books-I-just-fancy-trying bedside table.
So it's about an astronaut, who is stranded on Mars. In order to survive he decides to grow potatoes. Through sheer resolve and determination he finds ways to communicate with NASA and well, I don't want to give the ending away, so if you want to find out what happens you'll have to read the book. Which is very easy to read. And very funny! This I was not expecting at all. I found myself chuckling out loud several times. Mark Watney (the main character) is a funny guy! Although there is a lot of science-y stuff in it, it's pretty easy to skim over those parts, unless you're a total science geek of course, in which case, knock yourself out.
As soon as I was finished with the book I knew I had to see the film to see how it was done. Matt Damon plays Mark Watney, and it's directed by Ridley Scott, so it already had a pretty good head start; it didn't come as too much of a surprise that I loved the film. I thought Matt Damon was amazing - his transformation from buff astronaut to skinny astronaut waiting to be rescued was actually quite visually shocking, and overall I thought his performance was outstanding. I loved the way that Mars was depicted - it was stunning and very red. The music added so much and was used in such a clever way that it made me laugh out loud a couple of times. The various spaceships and vehicles were amazing and I wondered out loud to Dave how much it must have cost to build them all for the film (or were they borrowed from NASA? Would they really allow a spaceship to be taken apart and dropped to the floor...? I think not but feel free to correct me if you know better!) The only downsides for me were the added bits at the end - those pesky film-makers never can resist from meddling! But it didn't at all spoil the film, which I thought was ace. Definitely recommended.
Maybe I need to try more science fiction. Any recommendations?
I'm on a bit of a book roll at the moment! After the soggy fish of J.D. Robb I decided I needed something with a bit of oomph and picked up "The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k" by Sarah Knight. This book appealed to me in so many ways. I'd first seen it via a blogger I follow and was intrigued, and also kind of amused as one of my good buddies was called this very name before she got married (she's not the actual author); but mainly I liked the attitude and the sass.
I galloped through it. It's quite a short read anyway but I think I finished it in 2 days. It was funny, definitely sassy and full of attitude, but also offered some genuine advice to people who worry too much about all kinds of things. You can think you're as cool as a cucumber but I'm sure that deep down, every one of us is a bit of a nervous nelly about some thing, usually of the social convention kind. Her advice, as the title suggests, is that you need to stop giving all the f**ks, whilst remaining polite and avoiding being an arsehole, or you'll end up with no friends. Tricky? Undoubtedly. Achievable? I think so.
Since I hit my 30s, I started not giving too much of an eff and jeff what people thought of me. I wear what I want and do what I want and don't worry much about what people might say about me behind my back - their problem, not mine. In the book, Sarah Knight (still weird), made a list of the things she doesn't give a f**k about, and I'm going to do that too.
10 things I don't give a f**k about:
1. What people think of me: I apply this to all walks of my life from work to home to anywhere else I might be. If you like me, great, if you don't like me, not bothered, your loss. I'm polite to people if I don't really like them that much but I won't accept your friend request on facebook and I won't go out of my way to be your buddy, no matter how hard you try. I will also wear what I like and do what I like, it's my business, and not for you to worry about.
2. The age difference between me and Dave: it's 18 years in case you were wondering. It reads like a lot on paper but I know that it is simply numbers and means nothing. There's only been that one time when someone called him my dad... (we still chuckle). Love me, love my man.
3. How much I weigh: I haven't weighed in single figures since I was 13. In fact the number 13 is probably about what I weigh now, give or take a few pounds either way. Some people call this fat and do the horrified face. Whatever.
4. Exercising: I will never be a gym person. Or really any kind of exercise person. I dabble in and out occasionally and I do enjoy a good stretchy exercise like yoga or throwing some hand-weights around every once in a while, but mainly I am content to be. I do two dog walks a day, work in an active job, and go build stuff at a theatre twice a week - I'm not just sat eating cake and pastry, well not all the time...
5. Size 16: that's my clothes size. I have a big arse. The labels only exist in people's heads. How I present myself and my confidence in my clothes makes me feel good. I would always buy the bigger size than try to squeeze myself into smaller clothes as that just looks bad and feels hugely uncomfortable.
6. Going to the theatre: I hate it. I know, I know, I'm in a theatre group, what's that all about? I love going there - we build stuff, we paint stuff, we use power tools, and create beautiful things. But being cramped into those tiny seats with no leg room and watching the live stuff? Not my bag at all. I'd take the cinema any day - more leg room and better sweets.
7. Bob the Dog photos: there's loads. I know. I don't care. I love the big hairy mad dog/horse he's turned out to be. I've never had a dog before and had no idea you could ever feel like this about an animal. He makes me laugh every single day, even when he's nearly crushing us with all 34.95 kilos (and counting!) of him. The loyalty and the love is quite overwhelming and he's part of the family now. If you don't like the photos just unfollow me, I'll never know.
8. Getting married: Dave and I have been together for 8 years this year. A lot of people (mainly my sister) don't understand why we just don't get married. It's me. I have no interest in the marrying thing. I don't want to be a bride, I've never wanted to wear a giant dress that you can't have a wee in, I hate being the centre of attention, and most of all? There's absolutely no need. We're very happy as we are, thanks for asking.
9. Having kids: More than once, when I've admitted this, I've had judgement to deal with. I even found out once that a group of people had been talking about my not wanting kids at a night out, like it was their problem to solve (I mean, can you even?!) I don't judge you for having them, don't judge me back by being honest about not wanting them. My choice. Your choice. Each to their own.
10. How much screen time I enjoy: sometimes Dave and I just want to crash out on the sofa, be crushed by our giant dog, and chill with our iPads. Some of my favourite things to do are via the screen, catching up on blogs for one. I love it. Maybe it's not healthy but refer to point 4 about exercising and get over it.
And there you have it, my list of f**ks that I do not give. Do you identify with any of them? Will you own up to it...? It's a cracking read if you're feeling like you need to be pleasing yourself rather than others. Read it, don't read it, right there is a f**k not to be given.
It's kind of inevitable when you work in libraryland that at some point you will start talking about books. When I first started at my new place they asked me what I liked to read and I gave a few examples - to be honest I'll pretty much read anything. I have no bias towards one genre or another and embrace them all. Some are winners, the majority fall somewhere in the middle, and then there are the massive losers: step up J.D. Robb and the Eve Dallas series.
"Oh you have to read the Eve Dallas series - so good". This was the majority statement from most of my new work colleagues. Duly noted, I looked up the first in the series, Naked in Death, (hello, Fantastic Fiction, you rock!) and added it to my bedside reading pile.
What a load of hoo-ey old granny pants! Rubbish! Loser with a capital L. I properly took against it.
First of all, it's set in the future. Erm, what? No-one told me this in their recommendation so it was a huge surprise from the first page to find it set in a time when there are flying cars, coffee doesn't exist, and everything is controlled by machines that you speak in to when you want something to happen.
Second of all, the so-called hot romance between Dallas and Rourke is about as sexy as soggy fish. I am not a prude in any way shape or form, but the shagging scenes mainly made me feel uncomfortable. As did the swearing. So much swearing. But not really in context, almost just thrown in there to try to be edgy and all down with the kids. When you look at her other books, when she is Nora Roberts, they are all the colours of the pastel rainbow and sound a bit soppy/sappy. I don't get it at all.
The storyline was hardly page turning either. Basically the whole experience was like a soggy fish to me - unappetising and a bit stomach turning.
Lessons learned from this experience:
1. My new work colleagues like to read strange books...
2. ...and we probably don't share the same taste in books
3. J.D. Robb will not be featuring in any more of my book reading pile
4. Nor will Nora Roberts
5. Soggy fish are not sexy
Anyone else out there read this series? I'd love to know what you thought - do you stand with the fish or the libraryland peeps?
It's a rare occasion when I give up on a book. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've done it in the past few years. I guess I'm a bit of a slogger and will keep at it, even when there's no enjoyment to be had. This past year has been a bit of a revelation though and I've given up on two books! Two! The first one was by Ali Smith and I just couldn't. I tried and tried but I was so confused and what's the point when you just don't know what is going on? The second one was this beast:
Step up The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. Actually, it could probably be used as a step as it's over 800 pages!! (double exclamation marks definitely required)
It was on my to read list but I had no idea of the size of it and frankly, it was a bit of a shock when I picked it up from the library. Is there really any need? I have to be honest, I kept on putting it off and pushing it further down the pile on my bedside table, but eventually it came round to it. I had no choice. I was going in.
It got the better of me quite quickly. It's just so intimidating! It's heavy, it nearly breaks your shoulder when you put it in your handbag to carry around, and the writing is really small. I took it back to the library the next day so that it wouldn't taunt me from my bedside table #wuss
The real truth? I reckon it would have taken me about 5 weeks to read, possibly longer, and I'm approaching the end of my book challenge and it would seriously have held me back! I'm determined to have one successful challenge this year, determined!
I think I'll come back to it again in the future. The story seemed to have a lot of potential and I remain intrigued by it. But I might have to build up my shoulder first by lifting some weights, and perhaps build a book prop for when I'm reading in bed? I'm sure Dave could do that no problem...
I love Lena Dunham. I loved Tiny Furniture and I am a huge fan of the TV series Girls. I am in complete awe that someone in their 20's has achieved so many amazing things. She writes, she directs, she stars...some days I can barely even achieve a couple of hours in front of the computer...but she's an all round whirlwind of massive talent and busy-ness and I admire her massively for it. I was desperate to read her book, Not That Kind of Girl, and finally picked it up a few weeks ago.
And it's brilliant.
It's honest, funny, witty, dirty, and raw - kind of like how I imagine she is in real life. Or would like to think so, because of course we would be friends if ever our paths should cross...
It's the kind of book you can dip in and out of, which comes in very handy when you're on jury duty, like I was last week. (On a side note, I kind of want to write about the experience (not the case obviously), but an overview of how it was but I'm not sure if a) I'm allowed to talk about it and b) if anyone is interested. If you would like to read about it leave a comment below).
I wish I'd had this book when I was 20. When you're floundering around and not sure of anyone or anything. But even at 40, when I've long gone past that giving a shit what people think stage of my life, there's such a lot to take from it. As I said in my previous post, I'm really not very good at doing book reviews so I won't even try. I will just say, this is definitely a book worth reading.
I like it.
A lot.
I remember the first time I ever read a Patricia Cornwell book. I was living in just one of the many grotty flats that I experienced in London, my flatmate was permanently grumpy, we had to wash up by candle light as the kitchen light was broken and the landlord was evil and wouldn't fix it, and I was so skint that I could hardly afford to get to work, much less travel into London for some fun times. There's never been a better time for a book recommendation. Roll up 'Postmortem' by Patricia Cornwell - the first in the Scarpetta series. I hardly drew breath as I wolfed it down like a fine meal, followed very quickly by the next book, and the next, and so on.
Kay Scarpetta was just this awesome character. She could do everything, quite literally. The characters surrounding here were so fascinating and the story lines so gripping that I clocked up many hours, way past bedtime, just reading one more chapter. As time went by, it reached a point where I couldn't wait for the paperback version to come out and would order the hardback with baited breath, waiting for the thump on the doormat as it arrived. That my friends, is dedication to an author right there.
Somewhere along the way it all went wrong for Patricia Cornwell. It all started when she killed off one of her major characters, who then might have turned up a few books later. Not quite coming out of the shower like Bobby Ewing (Dallas flashback anyone!) but in a manner that was equally as ridiculous. Then she changed the way she wrote the books. I know! Barmy or what? She went from writing in the first person to this strange third person narrative that made no sense, was incredibly hard to read, and just made no sense. Why Patsy, why? Being a dedicated fan I stuck by her, hoping that she would eventually come to reason and go back to what the fans wanted. After another 2 books like this I gave up the ghost. The love affair was over. It's not you, it's me...
Until last week. I was browsing the library shelves and saw 'Red Mist' and thought okay, let's give her one last try. Well that try is over, and once again, I have reached the painful decision that we are too. By we, I mean me and Patricia Cornwell/Kay Scarpetta (let's face it, they are both the same person!). That early excitement that gripped me is weighed down by the paranoid misery that Scarpetta has become. I waded my way through the 500+ pages quite quickly as the reading is still pretty easy but just so disappointing. There's nothing worse than disappointment.
I was interested to read after submitting my own review to Goodreads that many of her fans feel the same. Yet they are all sticking by her in the hope that she returns to the glory days. This my friends, is how you continue to make money as an author, even when your books are shoddy. Hopeful fans who yearn for the Scarpetta that once was. Nice one, Patsy. You're onto a winner there. But us? We're through. Over and out. I can't bear it any longer. My farewell to Scarpetta is done. One fan down, but I can't imagine it will make much of an impact.
Now, in some sort of foolish being hard on myself, I'm doing the same with Kathy Reichs, but I fear she and Tempe Brennan are heading the same way. I'll keep you posted...
