So this was book number two for our Book Club - and I wasn't holding out much hope since the recommendation came from someone who left our workplace a few years back and I regarded as someone I had nothing in common with whatsoever. Nevertheless as I set off to Felixstowe on the train one Sunday afternoon to meet up with a friend for drinks, I popped this into my bag and thought I'd give it a whirl. Within a few minutes I had decided that I loved the book, and 15 minutes later I was disappointed to arrive at my destination!
When Good Was A Rabbit is a very quirky unsual book, and is told from the perspective of Eleanor as she moves from childhood to adulthoood. Eleanor is a bit of a strange character but comes from a loving and protective home, and is extremely close to her brother Joe throughout the book. Despite this the book only focuses on the key moments of her life - many of these being quite shocking or sensational. This was one of the talking points at Book Club, with some of the other members annoyed by what they viewed as a sensationalised life story. However I like the way all the dull inbetween fluff was left out.
It is a very busy novel, with many big themes, such as love, family, identity and bereavement. At times it is funny (the street party and nativity play) and at times it is bleak (sexual abuse and the 9/11 aftermath). It is these times when I felt the book showed weaknesses as they were dealt with in an odd manner.
At book club this book caused much debate, from whether we thought the story was believable and whether we liked the characters, to whether we would recommend this to others, and I guess if a book causes this much discussion it surely must be a good thing.
In answer to those three questions, I voted yes for all three. A cracking little book!
4/5
Thursday, 28 February 2013
This Thirtysomething Life - Jon Rance
As a big fan of diary style literature I was very pleased to stumble across this Kindle bargain, and seeing an appreciative tweet aimed at Jon Rance from someone I follow on Twitter bypassed it to the top of my reading pile.
This Thirtysomething Life is about a bloke called Harry who is coping badly with hitting thirty and settling down properly. It is written over a period of nine months as Harry sturggles to cope with impending fatherhood.
As with most diary style novels, like Bridget Jones and Adrian Mole, Harry is an unfortunate individual who seems to bounce from one disaster to another. However I didn't find Harry as likeable as those characters, primarily down to his profession. Harry is a teacher and an incredibly lazy and incompentent one at that, therefore I found him really annoying at times, and at others I just found him to be a bit of a cock! However I think the fact that in real life as a teacher I have no tolerance for idiots like him (having worked with many over the last few years), therefore this started to cloud my views about the book.
Despite this I still found this a really enjoyable read, yes Harry's a twat, yes it's probably not the best written books ever, but it's funny and makes you want to read in one sitting, and I was disappointed that it was only written over a period of nine months.
Good work for a debut novel!
3/5
This Thirtysomething Life is about a bloke called Harry who is coping badly with hitting thirty and settling down properly. It is written over a period of nine months as Harry sturggles to cope with impending fatherhood.
As with most diary style novels, like Bridget Jones and Adrian Mole, Harry is an unfortunate individual who seems to bounce from one disaster to another. However I didn't find Harry as likeable as those characters, primarily down to his profession. Harry is a teacher and an incredibly lazy and incompentent one at that, therefore I found him really annoying at times, and at others I just found him to be a bit of a cock! However I think the fact that in real life as a teacher I have no tolerance for idiots like him (having worked with many over the last few years), therefore this started to cloud my views about the book.
Despite this I still found this a really enjoyable read, yes Harry's a twat, yes it's probably not the best written books ever, but it's funny and makes you want to read in one sitting, and I was disappointed that it was only written over a period of nine months.
Good work for a debut novel!
3/5
Eleven - Mark Watson
I absolutely love Mark Watson - he's one of my most favourite comedians so I was very excited when I heard about this book. I was even more excited when it appeared in a lovely email from Amazon a couple of weeks ago saying in was the Kindle Daily Deal - bargain!
Eleven is a tale of fate and a series of consequencs spiralling out of control (or the multipler effect as my geography teacher brain prefers!), starting off when our main character, Xavier, a late night radio DJ (which incidentally starts at 11pm), fails to intervene in a school boy fight.
I absolutely loved this book, although it did confuse me on occasions. It is a really clever read - Eleven is about 11 characters whose lives are intertwinned by this school yard incident through a series of knock-on effects, with their stories told over 11 chapters. Xavier fails to intervene in a bullying incident, this makes the boy's mum who is a food critic angry, leading her to write a scathing review of a local restaurant, this angers the drunken restaurant owner who sacks an overweight pot washer, who then goes on to mug an estate agent as he needs money to pay for his gym membership, the estate agent is then given a rubbish replacement phone with which he accidentally sends a rude text message to his boss, and so on before escalating with a big shocking twist at the end.
This is a great concept, my only bugbear is that a few of the characters were glossed over, which meant that occasionally I had to flick back through the book to remind myself who that person was, and the huge life changing event for Xavier, which resulted him in moving to the other side of the world and changing his name, didn't really play a huge role in the book.
A really refreshing read and definitely one of the most enjoyable reads I have had recently!
5/5
Eleven is a tale of fate and a series of consequencs spiralling out of control (or the multipler effect as my geography teacher brain prefers!), starting off when our main character, Xavier, a late night radio DJ (which incidentally starts at 11pm), fails to intervene in a school boy fight.
I absolutely loved this book, although it did confuse me on occasions. It is a really clever read - Eleven is about 11 characters whose lives are intertwinned by this school yard incident through a series of knock-on effects, with their stories told over 11 chapters. Xavier fails to intervene in a bullying incident, this makes the boy's mum who is a food critic angry, leading her to write a scathing review of a local restaurant, this angers the drunken restaurant owner who sacks an overweight pot washer, who then goes on to mug an estate agent as he needs money to pay for his gym membership, the estate agent is then given a rubbish replacement phone with which he accidentally sends a rude text message to his boss, and so on before escalating with a big shocking twist at the end.
This is a great concept, my only bugbear is that a few of the characters were glossed over, which meant that occasionally I had to flick back through the book to remind myself who that person was, and the huge life changing event for Xavier, which resulted him in moving to the other side of the world and changing his name, didn't really play a huge role in the book.
A really refreshing read and definitely one of the most enjoyable reads I have had recently!
5/5
Saturday, 16 February 2013
Stuart: A Life Backwards - Alexander Masters
I stumbled across this book whilst I was being dragged around a garden centre by my other half - it was £2 and I can't resist a bargain. The review on the front, written by one of my favourite authors, stated that it was "bollocks brilliant".
Unfortunately when I recommended it to Book Club that review didn't seem to cut the mustard and my fellow readers were not keen, so it got pushed to one side. At the next meeting whilst we were discussing what to read I wheeled it out again, we had just been discussing how we wanted to embrace different genres and this book certainly was like nothing we had read before. And I already had the book so I was keen to read it rather than buy something new, or trot off to the library.
The book follows the unlikely friendship between Stuart, a homeless drug addict, and Alexandra, a stuffy Cambridge academic. The book is really interesting, however it is annoyingly written (following the advice of Stuart!), telling the story of his life in reverse. This doesn't sound that bad, but Masters' writing style isn't great and the book seems to jump around at times, and is also full of odd little drawings that add nothing to the book itself.
I found myself feeling really sorry for Stuart at times, and at other times thinking he was a horrible excuse for a human being, and certainly didn't like Alexander - I found him patronising and homourless. I also found their relationship difficult to understand as they clearly don't like each other - so I guess I thought of him as a bit if an annoying do-gooder.
Stuart's story is a tragic one - the history of his family is interesting and horrific at the same time, and half way through the book we learn of events in his past which have probably led to how he is in adulthood, but Masters just glosses over these in favour of far less interesting stories. However, there are some very funny bits in the book - I loved the newspaper clipping telling of Stuart and his friend's botched robbery attempt, which says how his friend went off the rails after a brief spell of fame following a Guinness World Record with bubble gum blowing.
The ending is annoying - I thought suicide was predictable, however we don't actually know whether he was hit by a train on purpose or not - this caused much discussion at Book Club as we all had different theories on what had happened.
Overall it is an odd book - really interesting and a good read but I definitely wouldn't read it again and I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone (although Book Club didn't hate it as I feared!).
3/5
Unfortunately when I recommended it to Book Club that review didn't seem to cut the mustard and my fellow readers were not keen, so it got pushed to one side. At the next meeting whilst we were discussing what to read I wheeled it out again, we had just been discussing how we wanted to embrace different genres and this book certainly was like nothing we had read before. And I already had the book so I was keen to read it rather than buy something new, or trot off to the library.
The book follows the unlikely friendship between Stuart, a homeless drug addict, and Alexandra, a stuffy Cambridge academic. The book is really interesting, however it is annoyingly written (following the advice of Stuart!), telling the story of his life in reverse. This doesn't sound that bad, but Masters' writing style isn't great and the book seems to jump around at times, and is also full of odd little drawings that add nothing to the book itself.
I found myself feeling really sorry for Stuart at times, and at other times thinking he was a horrible excuse for a human being, and certainly didn't like Alexander - I found him patronising and homourless. I also found their relationship difficult to understand as they clearly don't like each other - so I guess I thought of him as a bit if an annoying do-gooder.
Stuart's story is a tragic one - the history of his family is interesting and horrific at the same time, and half way through the book we learn of events in his past which have probably led to how he is in adulthood, but Masters just glosses over these in favour of far less interesting stories. However, there are some very funny bits in the book - I loved the newspaper clipping telling of Stuart and his friend's botched robbery attempt, which says how his friend went off the rails after a brief spell of fame following a Guinness World Record with bubble gum blowing.
The ending is annoying - I thought suicide was predictable, however we don't actually know whether he was hit by a train on purpose or not - this caused much discussion at Book Club as we all had different theories on what had happened.
Overall it is an odd book - really interesting and a good read but I definitely wouldn't read it again and I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone (although Book Club didn't hate it as I feared!).
3/5
How To Be A Woman and Morantholgy - Caitlyn Moran
I had heard the hype about How To Be A Woman and had read various good things tweeted, I also follow Caitlyn Moran on Twitter and love what she has to say. So I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to reading the book. But once I spotted it on a friend's bookshelf I had to steal to read.
I think I was I initially a bit scared of the book - I regard myself as a bit of an independent woman and have many feminist ideologies but at the same time am sometimes quite insecure and I love shopping - so surely this book would laugh at me and my silly ideas?
It was so not what I expected - I didn't expect it to be an autobiography (I have no idea why not though!), but straight away I could identify with lots of her childhood experiences, despite having far less humble beginnings myself. There were lots of cultural references which I loved and I found myself remembering reading her column as a teenagers and watching her on TV - without making that connection 15-20 years later she is that same person who I love reading!
There are lots of really parts throughout this book, and yes there are some slightly ranty feminist bits which went over my head slightly, but on the whole I found myself agreeing with most things she had to say, whilst at the same time thinking what lucky lady she is in terms if falling into an amazing career!
3.5/5
So on this basis I decided to read Moranthology straight afterwards. It's a totally different book - this time she's gone for a collection of her columns about TV and celebrities. These are the types of columns I love to read anyway, particularly when they are written by someone witty and intelligent - and as I don't read her column regularly this book was a bit of a treat.
This book proves that Caitlyn Moran doesn't just have strong views on feminism, in fact she has hilarious views about many things, but at the same time writes beautifully about personal experiences, such as holidaying in Wales and growing up on benefits.
The book is quite bitty, but I didn't mind that, in fact I found that I was often checking forward to see if the next section was short enough to read quickly as I was so tired and really really did need to go to sleep! I also like this format as there were the odd columns which didn't really interest me so I could skip through them - sorry Caitlyn I can't read 10 pages about Doctor Who no matter how well it is written!
Overall a cracking read - and I will definitely be making more of an effort to read her columns more regularly.
4/5
I think I was I initially a bit scared of the book - I regard myself as a bit of an independent woman and have many feminist ideologies but at the same time am sometimes quite insecure and I love shopping - so surely this book would laugh at me and my silly ideas?
It was so not what I expected - I didn't expect it to be an autobiography (I have no idea why not though!), but straight away I could identify with lots of her childhood experiences, despite having far less humble beginnings myself. There were lots of cultural references which I loved and I found myself remembering reading her column as a teenagers and watching her on TV - without making that connection 15-20 years later she is that same person who I love reading!
There are lots of really parts throughout this book, and yes there are some slightly ranty feminist bits which went over my head slightly, but on the whole I found myself agreeing with most things she had to say, whilst at the same time thinking what lucky lady she is in terms if falling into an amazing career!
3.5/5
So on this basis I decided to read Moranthology straight afterwards. It's a totally different book - this time she's gone for a collection of her columns about TV and celebrities. These are the types of columns I love to read anyway, particularly when they are written by someone witty and intelligent - and as I don't read her column regularly this book was a bit of a treat.
This book proves that Caitlyn Moran doesn't just have strong views on feminism, in fact she has hilarious views about many things, but at the same time writes beautifully about personal experiences, such as holidaying in Wales and growing up on benefits.
The book is quite bitty, but I didn't mind that, in fact I found that I was often checking forward to see if the next section was short enough to read quickly as I was so tired and really really did need to go to sleep! I also like this format as there were the odd columns which didn't really interest me so I could skip through them - sorry Caitlyn I can't read 10 pages about Doctor Who no matter how well it is written!
Overall a cracking read - and I will definitely be making more of an effort to read her columns more regularly.
4/5
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Me Before You - Jojo Moyes
At the start of this academic year, and after a year off on maternity leave, I decided to embrace Book Club. For three reason: (1) I absolutely love reading (I am the sort of person who goes on holiday for 2 weeks and has read all of their books within the first 3 days); (2) To make some new work friends and stop just sitting out on a limb in the filthy Humanities office refusing to talk to anyone else; and (3) To actually talk about something other than the kids!
So when a colleague sent around an email before the summer holidays saying she was setting up a book club I jumped at the chance to sign up. We were set the task of reading Me Before You over the summer holidays. It was a book I had never heard of, written by an author I had never heard of. However the signs on Amazon were good!
After the first few pages I have to admit I wasn't holding out much hope - I am a big fan of easy to read 'chick-lit' but was hoping for something a bit more interesting to discuss. We first meet Will, who is a bit of a man about town arsehole, with beautiful girlfriend and fantastic job - until he has a life changing accident.
Cut to Lou - she is in her 20s and is still living at home looking after her parents, stuck in a rut with a useless boyfriend. She loses her rubbish job early on and applies to become a full-time carer of a quadriplegic man.
This is where our two main characters meet - Will's mum employs Lou to look after him. Obviously it doesn't go according to plan as he is difficult and moody, and she is incompetent and just one in a long line of carers who have failed. Sounds dull and predictable doesn't it? The story suddenly gets a bit more interesting when we learn about the deal Will has struck with his parents - he wants to fly to Switzerland to end his life, but his parents have six months to persuade him otherwise.
The next couple of hundred pages focus on Lou trying to persuade Will that he can still embrace life, while at the same time he embarks on an improvement programme for her - trying to mould her into a better person. Some of the disasters that occur will make you laugh, while others will make you cross, and if you are anything like me you will be a bit disappointed by the predictable love story that emerges.
However the end of this book stands out - despite everything that happens in the book the ending is not what you think (which upset many of my fellow book club members, but pleased me as it would have been too easy to end with the predicted happy ending). Despite all of her hard work and planning Lou hasn't worked a miracle and Will hasn't decided that he's okay without the use of his legs after all.
That's why I enjoyed this book so much, despite the slightly predictable love story. This is a serious issue that we hear more and more about in the news - and who knows how we would feel in the same situation - reading this book should make you feel grateful for everything you have. And the book itself? Well, it is well written, and a definite page turner, which I am sure one day will make it onto the big screen.
4/5
So when a colleague sent around an email before the summer holidays saying she was setting up a book club I jumped at the chance to sign up. We were set the task of reading Me Before You over the summer holidays. It was a book I had never heard of, written by an author I had never heard of. However the signs on Amazon were good!
After the first few pages I have to admit I wasn't holding out much hope - I am a big fan of easy to read 'chick-lit' but was hoping for something a bit more interesting to discuss. We first meet Will, who is a bit of a man about town arsehole, with beautiful girlfriend and fantastic job - until he has a life changing accident.
Cut to Lou - she is in her 20s and is still living at home looking after her parents, stuck in a rut with a useless boyfriend. She loses her rubbish job early on and applies to become a full-time carer of a quadriplegic man.
This is where our two main characters meet - Will's mum employs Lou to look after him. Obviously it doesn't go according to plan as he is difficult and moody, and she is incompetent and just one in a long line of carers who have failed. Sounds dull and predictable doesn't it? The story suddenly gets a bit more interesting when we learn about the deal Will has struck with his parents - he wants to fly to Switzerland to end his life, but his parents have six months to persuade him otherwise.
The next couple of hundred pages focus on Lou trying to persuade Will that he can still embrace life, while at the same time he embarks on an improvement programme for her - trying to mould her into a better person. Some of the disasters that occur will make you laugh, while others will make you cross, and if you are anything like me you will be a bit disappointed by the predictable love story that emerges.
However the end of this book stands out - despite everything that happens in the book the ending is not what you think (which upset many of my fellow book club members, but pleased me as it would have been too easy to end with the predicted happy ending). Despite all of her hard work and planning Lou hasn't worked a miracle and Will hasn't decided that he's okay without the use of his legs after all.
That's why I enjoyed this book so much, despite the slightly predictable love story. This is a serious issue that we hear more and more about in the news - and who knows how we would feel in the same situation - reading this book should make you feel grateful for everything you have. And the book itself? Well, it is well written, and a definite page turner, which I am sure one day will make it onto the big screen.
4/5
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