The last week I have been away and didn't have any internet, which meant I got to do a bit of reading which was so much fun! So here are the books I've read over the past few weeks:
A tiny bit marvellous- Dawn French
Everyone has a junk room/ area in their house (even Monica from Friends had one, so this is a scientific fact... obviously) but these holidays my parents decided to clean it out and go through the boxes of stuff we have accumulated over the years. Anyway, that is a completely different story, but what I was getting at, is that we have a lot of books. Like a lot of books, as I'm from a family who loves reading and it just so happened that I stumbled across 'A tiny bit marvellous'. I have been a massive fan of Dawn French, having been raised on watching 'The Vicar of Dibley', so I was instantly intrigued to read her novel. As she is a genius of skits with her partnership with Jennifer Saunders, it was hardly a surprise to find that Dawn French is a talented writer.
Written through the eyes of three characters: Mo (mother going through a mid-life crisis), Dora (moody teenager, soon turning 18) and Peter, aka Oscar (younger son, who is obsessed with Oscar Wilde), each point of view is impressively written with three very distinct voices. The events that take place during the novel itself are just the motions of everyday life, with work, school, personal crises, however it is an insight into the dynamics between members of a fictitious family.
6.5/10
Me before you- Jojo Moyes
I've referred to this incredible novel a couple times when I talked about my existential reading crisis as well as the From Page to Screen, however, there is nothing wrong with giving a novel such as this with endless praise. Written in the first person, I became so emotionally involved in the life of Louisa and her relationship with her employer Will. Louisa is a 26 year old, newly employed on a six month contract to be the carer and companion of Will, who after being the victim of a motorbike accident, is a quadriplegic. At first it appears that Will absolutely resents her presence, but as time progresses and they get to know each other better, a friendship forms as Louisa becomes desperate to show him that life is still worth living. A definite must read, as it is heartwarming as well as heartbreaking and I encourage to read it when you're not in public so you can not feel embarrassed when you start to cry.
10/10
The Single Girl’s To-Do List- Lindsey Kelk
I read this straight after 'Me before you', so it was a tough act to follow, but Lindsey Kelk's novel was so much fun to read (especially after the tear jerker of Moyes novel). It was light and entertaining, about list loving Rachel who unexpectedly gets dumped by her boyfriend of five years. She has never been single and with the help of her two best friends, they create a list to help Rachel realise her potential at being independent. From having a makeover, getting a tattoo, bungee jump, travel to another country, writing a rude letter to her ex, etc. the group of friends that Kelk has created, leave you feeling satisfied with your read. I wanted to read other books she had written. I also liked the extra touch at the end of the book where there are people's 'Single Girl's to-do list', which I actually found really inspiring, as it just allows people to figure out what they want to do in their lives and to challenge themselves and take risks.
7/10
The End of Summer- Rosamunde Pilcher
Sometimes we read something and at the end of it you’re like “well, that was pointless”. I didn’t enjoy reading ‘The End of Summer’ and the only reason why I finished the book was because it was short and thought I may as well read to the end. It wasn’t because the quality of writing was bad that I didn’t like it, it was I personally thought the content and characters were boring and quite flat. I also thought the protagonist was a weak person who came across as an anti-feminist, in the sense that she was perfectly fine with being dependent on her dad, didn’t want to go out and get a job to claim her independence, but instead had the ambition to find security by one day finding a husband and look after him… this was written in the late 20th century, so I think this mentality is very outdated, and it may just be my own interpretation, but it impacted on my overall opinion of the book. I just was very underwhelmed and unimpressed.
3/10
Wait for you- J Lynn
Okay, I’m going to be very honest. This year I made a new years resolution: "to have no dramas this year." That sounds like a really odd resolution, but you need to trust me when I say, the last few years have been a bit crazy with dramas. But I decided that this year I wasn’t going to get involved in things I shouldn’t and focus on my final year of studies instead. At the beginning of this resolution, there may have been a few hiccups but I was really good at doing a bit of maintenance and now I feel like I’m beginning to get my life together with plans after I finish this degree.
What has that got to do with ‘Wait for you’, you may ask. Well, since I have been living a drama-free life, it is relatively boring compared to the drama filled chaos that I’ve been used to. Now I’m living vicariously through other people’s stories, one of which is J Lynn’s book. It’s sad, but it’s true, I really enjoyed reading this book because it filled a gap in my life that I have been avoiding this year. Yep, as I said, I am being very honest, embarrassingly so, because this book is so well written that it has the ability to make your heart race and become breathless.
Avery is in her first year of university, attempting to leave behind her past and family and starting afresh in a place where no one knows her. But the past still haunts her, and when she literally runs into Cam, the perfect guy, she at first is nervous and jittery. As time goes by and they become closer and things get quite passionate between them, she begins to confront the past and move on with her life, learning to trust Cam. And he really is the perfect guy: beautiful, funny, easygoing and he bakes her food! I very happily was living vicariously through this book, so if anyone else is planning on having a drama free year like me, tick of approval goes to this book.
8/10
A tiny bit marvellous- Dawn French
Written through the eyes of three characters: Mo (mother going through a mid-life crisis), Dora (moody teenager, soon turning 18) and Peter, aka Oscar (younger son, who is obsessed with Oscar Wilde), each point of view is impressively written with three very distinct voices. The events that take place during the novel itself are just the motions of everyday life, with work, school, personal crises, however it is an insight into the dynamics between members of a fictitious family.
6.5/10
Me before you- Jojo Moyes
I've referred to this incredible novel a couple times when I talked about my existential reading crisis as well as the From Page to Screen, however, there is nothing wrong with giving a novel such as this with endless praise. Written in the first person, I became so emotionally involved in the life of Louisa and her relationship with her employer Will. Louisa is a 26 year old, newly employed on a six month contract to be the carer and companion of Will, who after being the victim of a motorbike accident, is a quadriplegic. At first it appears that Will absolutely resents her presence, but as time progresses and they get to know each other better, a friendship forms as Louisa becomes desperate to show him that life is still worth living. A definite must read, as it is heartwarming as well as heartbreaking and I encourage to read it when you're not in public so you can not feel embarrassed when you start to cry.10/10
The Single Girl’s To-Do List- Lindsey Kelk
I read this straight after 'Me before you', so it was a tough act to follow, but Lindsey Kelk's novel was so much fun to read (especially after the tear jerker of Moyes novel). It was light and entertaining, about list loving Rachel who unexpectedly gets dumped by her boyfriend of five years. She has never been single and with the help of her two best friends, they create a list to help Rachel realise her potential at being independent. From having a makeover, getting a tattoo, bungee jump, travel to another country, writing a rude letter to her ex, etc. the group of friends that Kelk has created, leave you feeling satisfied with your read. I wanted to read other books she had written. I also liked the extra touch at the end of the book where there are people's 'Single Girl's to-do list', which I actually found really inspiring, as it just allows people to figure out what they want to do in their lives and to challenge themselves and take risks.7/10
The End of Summer- Rosamunde Pilcher
Sometimes we read something and at the end of it you’re like “well, that was pointless”. I didn’t enjoy reading ‘The End of Summer’ and the only reason why I finished the book was because it was short and thought I may as well read to the end. It wasn’t because the quality of writing was bad that I didn’t like it, it was I personally thought the content and characters were boring and quite flat. I also thought the protagonist was a weak person who came across as an anti-feminist, in the sense that she was perfectly fine with being dependent on her dad, didn’t want to go out and get a job to claim her independence, but instead had the ambition to find security by one day finding a husband and look after him… this was written in the late 20th century, so I think this mentality is very outdated, and it may just be my own interpretation, but it impacted on my overall opinion of the book. I just was very underwhelmed and unimpressed.3/10
Wait for you- J Lynn
Okay, I’m going to be very honest. This year I made a new years resolution: "to have no dramas this year." That sounds like a really odd resolution, but you need to trust me when I say, the last few years have been a bit crazy with dramas. But I decided that this year I wasn’t going to get involved in things I shouldn’t and focus on my final year of studies instead. At the beginning of this resolution, there may have been a few hiccups but I was really good at doing a bit of maintenance and now I feel like I’m beginning to get my life together with plans after I finish this degree.
What has that got to do with ‘Wait for you’, you may ask. Well, since I have been living a drama-free life, it is relatively boring compared to the drama filled chaos that I’ve been used to. Now I’m living vicariously through other people’s stories, one of which is J Lynn’s book. It’s sad, but it’s true, I really enjoyed reading this book because it filled a gap in my life that I have been avoiding this year. Yep, as I said, I am being very honest, embarrassingly so, because this book is so well written that it has the ability to make your heart race and become breathless.Avery is in her first year of university, attempting to leave behind her past and family and starting afresh in a place where no one knows her. But the past still haunts her, and when she literally runs into Cam, the perfect guy, she at first is nervous and jittery. As time goes by and they become closer and things get quite passionate between them, she begins to confront the past and move on with her life, learning to trust Cam. And he really is the perfect guy: beautiful, funny, easygoing and he bakes her food! I very happily was living vicariously through this book, so if anyone else is planning on having a drama free year like me, tick of approval goes to this book.
8/10
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