Tuesday 30 June 2015

Library Haul!

library haul books

Ahhh, just look at that wonderful library haul! Granted, a couple are renewals, but they still all belong to that excellent library pile :) I may have maxed out my library card (damn you ten item policy!) but it was totally worth it!

Friday 26 June 2015

True Confessions of a Reading Addict

So, I'm reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King at the moment (which if you've read The Shining, I highly recommend, and if you haven't read The Shining then I suggest you read that first, and then read Doctor Sleep,) and there's some stuff in there about alcoholism.

So that got me to thinking about addictions and all that jazz, and I thought about how our (because I assume the vast majority of you reading this post are in the same boat as me and long may it continue,) addiction actually is  an addiction - just not one that requires much intervention unless you combine it too aggressively with book-hoarding and can't find your furniture. In which case you probably need more shelves and the occasional trip with a big box to the local charity shop, or else general help with hoarding.

Anyway, back on point (sorry, too much coffee,) we are kind of addicted - or at least, I am (and not just to the coffee.) Let's think for a sec. - if there were no books left in the world (I know, calm, deep breaths,) then I'm pretty sure I would go into something which very very closely resembled withdrawal. I read every single day. I'm the person who inadvertently reads the cereal packet when preparing breakfast (I know it's a cliché, but it's actually true.)

Last night, I decided to read a page or two of Doctor Sleep before bed - twenty or so pages later there was a musical interlude (OK, not musical, but still,) before Part Two so I could finally stop and get some sleep. (No matter how much I want to, it's not a good plan to read all night. I need my sleep or I have limited resources to beat back depression with. It senses your fuzzy thinking and drowsy mood and pounces when you don't have the energy to fight it. Plus, it makes you tired all on its own, without adding sleep deprivation to the mix.)

But if there were a bookaholics anonymous then it would make for some pretty interesting meetings...hmm...a theme for a future post maybe.

It's a much safer addiction than many we could have though - it's not drink or drugs, it won't take our money as quickly as gambling, won't destroy our relationships and lead to as many lewd jokes as sex addiction, won't make our environment as unstable as hoarding, won't get us in debt as much as shopping (providing we be careful about the amount we're spending on books,) won't be as life-threatening as extreme sports, and won't be as all-consuming and violence-promoting as video games (I mean excessive video-gaming, all things in moderation!) If we have to have a thing, books are about the best we could have: in fact, it's an addiction which, if anything, is good for us and for our general well-being.

So, I guess when they were handing out addictions and obsessions we were the lucky ones; after all, the reader lives a thousand lives...

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Reviewing the Evidence Time! - Diary of a Wimpy Vampire

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Vampire (US Link)
Author: Tim Collins
Genre: ya, paranormal, humour, vampire
Series: Wimpy Vampire

A few starting notes:

This looked fairly entertaining, and I'm a sucker for vampires (pun only slightly intended.) So I figured, why not give it a try? It's very much aimed at the teenage/ya market.

Premise:

Nigel is a vampire. Vampire's are always romantic and sexy and all that cool stuff - but not Nigel. Nigel had the misfortune of being turned at the awkward age of 15, just in time for an eternity of homework, acne, school politics, and being awkward around girls. So, will Nigel ever reach his target of getting his first ever girlfriend before his 100th birthday?

Best bits:

This book is fun. Like fun. Think of all the diary-form teenage books there have been over the years. Then add an awkward teenage vampire - see? Fun.

The pictures are actually a really fun touch - like something that a teenager would actually use to try and illustrate their hyperbolically serious diary. And I love Nigel's parents; they are, quite awesomely, mental.

The tone and pace of this book is quick and light, making it perfect for reluctant readers (you may even be able to trick the dreaded challenge of the teenage boy into reading it - though I can't guarantee it.)

Not so great bits:

Sometimes the plot has a slight tendency to feel on the thin-side. This isn't too much of a problem because the tone is so light, but it can occasionally get irritating.

There are some light references to issues that might affect teenagers - poverty, self-harm, suicide, anorexia, bullying - but these aren't laid on too thickly so the majority of young readers will be able to cope.

Verdict:

A fun and quick read with an awesome and quirky premise. Perfect for reluctant readers, or just those who like something different every now and then.

Friday 19 June 2015

Reviewing the Evidence - Ban this Filth!

Title: Ban This Filth! Mary Whitehouse and the Battle to Keep Britain Innocent (US Link)
Author: Ben Thompson
Genre: non-fiction

A few starting notes:

This was picked up in a library haul and seemed pretty interesting. For those who don't know, Mary Whitehouse was the leader of the National Viewer's and Listener's Association and the Clean-up TV Campaign from the 1960s onwards.

Premise:

This is a selection of the letters and documents from the Mary Whitehouse archive (yes, there is apparently such a thing,) and a running commentary by Mr Thompson.

Best bits:

This is quite an interesting book - I only had a sketchy knowledge of Mary Whitehouse before reading (her peak was a bit before my time,) and am always interested in the issue of censorship and the issue of offensive material in the media.

Ben Thompson's commentary is chatty and engaging, and clearly thought through, making the book charming enough to keep you reading. He also does well in framing the many paradoxes of a complex character who became a symbol of right-wing censorship while raising some fundamentally important points along the way.

Not so great bits:

I have to admit that at some points I found Thompson's defence of, and sometimes admiration and affection for, Mary Whitehouse a little wearing. Yes, believe it or not, she occasionally made some good points, but I would've liked a bit more of an acknowledgement that whatever good points she made cannot excuse her blatant homophobia (not to mention other statements made by herself which were more offensive than the stuff she wanted censored.) 

The structure of the book - with chapters focussing on a them - could've benefitted from said themes being more juicy. I would've far rathered reading more about the objections she had to things which have since become national treasures (Dr. Who, The Beatles,) than reading about her in-fighting with other Christian organisations such as the Anglican Church. A bit more social context for those of us not born at the time would also have not gone amiss.

Also, and this is not really the book's fault, the jacket was covered with quotes from British reviewers who clearly need to get out more. Yes, the book was amusing in places, but in no way was it 'hilarious' or 'shockingly funny.'

Verdict:

A fair effort to discuss the paradoxes and life of Mrs Whitehouse using the incredibly interesting resource of her own archives. There were minus points to this book, of course, but at the end of the day it is a competent portrait of the work of a woman who was trying (forcefully) to get back to an innocent, idealised, version of this country that never really existed - except perhaps in the minds of people like her.

Monday 15 June 2015

Do you read an audiobook?

I'm wondering how you describe audiobooks - do you read an audiobook? Or just listen to it? But then, I like to count audiobooks towards my Goodreads total - so isn't that reading? But somehow my brain won't accept "Oh, I read that audiobook before and..." as valid. Is it just me?

I know a lot of people can be a little sniffy about audiobooks in general - and certainly, I (read? - you see my problem!) audiobooks less than I read printed books with all their word-y-ful wonderment which allows me to actually touch the print (I know, but don't judge me!) But I still kind of like the odd audiobook (by which I mean occasionally listening to an audiobook rather than the audiobooks I listen to are slightly odd - which may also be true, but wasn't what I was getting at.) I think that, maybe weirdly, maybe not, listening to classics in particular in an audiobook format works really well.

Hear me out here! - a lot of classics were published in instalments in magazines and newspapers etc., still more were designed to be read out by one member of the family to the others, or to be read at a formal reading by the others. As such, they were practically made to be listened to and/or read out loud. There was no TV in the 19th Century, so lord knows you had to follow the dramas somehow. Someone in the family would read a chapter or two out loud in the evening as pretty much the only form of at-home entertainment, save playing music or games of cards - so trust me, classics in audiobook format work. (And, if you're skint, try LibriVox - all classics, all free.) And, as ever, if it gets people interested in reading and books, then why ever the hell not? #ShameTheShamers

Tuesday 9 June 2015

Reviewing the evidence again - Notes From a Small Island

Title: Notes From a Small Island (US Link)
Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: non-fiction

A few starting notes:

Notes from a small islandWritten about 20 years ago, this nevertheless was on my tbr list simply because I thought that it would be interesting to see how a nominal American (with a strong adoptive link to the UK) would see Britain. Plus Bill Bryson always makes me laugh.

Premise:

Before nipping off in a move back over the pond with his kids to give them a taste of American life, Bill Bryson decides to do a tour of the UK to say farewell to a land he has come to love.

Best bits:

This is the Britain that is truly British. Forget all the British values Bulldogs and Union Jacks nonsense that Mr Cameron is intent on fabricating, this is the true UK - the UK I grew up in. This is the land of queuing and Panda Pops and eccentrics - this is the real Great Britain. Now, I'm no happy-clappy Welsh nationalist (even if I was so inclined they'd never let me because my first language is English and I think that Cymdeithas yr Iaith need to think twice before vandalising historic buildings for ridiculous campaigns of inanity,) but like many, I have most definitely felt over the past few years that the English view of Britain only really includes England. After all, giving the same title of Prince of Wales to both Llewellyn the Last and Old Charlie Boy is down-right insulting, but thus it has been for centuries now without ever asking us what we think. This though showed me that I truly am British - it made me feel included again without resorting to God Save the Queen and Big Ben.

It's also exceptionally funny - I love Bryson's sense of humour, and his admiration for the beauty of Britain. He writes well and draws you along through the book. This is something that shows even more in non-fiction, where sometimes you can be stalled by stodgy writing and excessive details.

Not so great bits:

There's little to offend here, but there are a few off-key jokes which may offend some (including one about Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll's predisposition for little girls, for example,) but they are done in the time honoured tradition of dark humour. There's also much swearing.

This was written 20 years ago - and while it still feels pleasantly fresh in most places, there are moments relating to current events and politics which snap you right back to the fact that you're reading this with a time delay. It's not too much of a negative, but it's occasionally noticeable. 

Verdict:

This is a fabulous book. I spent pages smiling for no real reason. I advise anyone who lives in, has seen, has been to, or has ever been interested in the UK to read it. It's worth the effort.

Sunday 7 June 2015

Time to Review the Evidence - A Dreadful Murder: The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard

Title: A Dreadful Murder: The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard 
(US Link)
Author: Minette Walters
Genre: crime, historical fiction
Series: Quick Reads

 
A few starting notes:

Another of the awesome Quick Reads series (which as always deserves my commendable praise for trying to get everyone reading) this is a fictionalisation of the real 1908 murder of Mrs Caroline Luard.

Premise:

Mrs Caroline Luard is found dead - shot - in the rural Kent town of Ightham. The neighbours suspect her husband - Major-General Luard, a local JP and well-off snob. But did he kill her? Or is there another explanation?

Best bits:

The pace and depth both pick up from about half-way through, as the author seems to get into her stride. It's from this point - where there's more of the fiction and supposition, rather than the fact, that the book becomes more involving.

The whole story is edible in bite-size chunks, and the atmosphere of early 20th century secrets and poverty is captured in an intriguing and encapsulating way.

Not so great bits:

As always, there are some issues here which may upset some readers - murder (obviously,) poverty, alcoholism, suicide, and domestic abuse are all touched on at various points. If this is a major problem for you, then obviously, read with caution.

The tone sticks a little in places, but not enough to really bother you all that much.

Verdict:

A very readable, short, and digestible fictionalised account of an intriguing and mysterious crime. Perfect for a bit of detective-ness in the middle of your everyday life. 

Tuesday 2 June 2015

Reviewing the evidence - Under the Never Sky

Title: Under the Never Sky (US Link)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Dystopian
Series: Under the Never Sky

Under the Never Sky

A few starting notes:

This is the first book in the 'Under the Never Sky' series by Veronica Rossi (not to be confused with Veronica Roth - author of the Divergent series.) I picked it up randomly at the library. I warn any fangirls/boys amongst you that it may well drag you into a new fandom, complete with ships and potential otp (I have a feeling this is going to suck me to fandom levels, I already want to read the rest of the series. I will resist becoming obsessed while it's still possible.) To non fangirls/boys - ignore that last sentence and try to not to get sucked into the fandom vocab, the less you know the more likely you are to continue in your somehow fandom-free existence.

Premise:

Aria (pronounced like the song) has lived in Reverie her whole life. She's never even been to the outer pods. She has the Realms - the virtual worlds all Dwellers live in, in ignorance of the cracks beginning to show in the aging Reverie. Aria's world is about to change forever.

Perry is an Outsider. He lives outside the pods, with the other Outsiders. He's Marked - he has special abilities: ultra-sharp eyesight and the ability to smell feelings. Perry's world is about to change forever.

Somehow, their going to have walk the balance between Reverie and the Outside, together.

Best bits:

The dystopian system is well thought-through - you can tell that there's a history to this place that the author knows but also knows isn't relevant to the plot. Rossi walks with ease through the different facets of her world, as if she's actually been there.

The concept of the Realms is frighteningly realistic - it's only a short step from what we already have, and it's an unnerving prospect used to excellent effect.

This book is a real page-turner, it grabs you and carries you along. Even with the recent glut in dystopian fiction off the back of series like The Hunger Games, this manages to feel fresh and relevant, despite walking some well-trodden paths.

Not so great bits:

There's some weighty issues here - parental neglect, child abuse, family betrayal,  and sexual assault (starting to think that there's sexual assault in pretty much every book I read.) There's also a bunch of gore, death, and a touch of cannibalism. This is dystopian fiction - this tends to result in an absence of fluffy bunnies.

You can see the romance coming a mile off - thing is, you kind of want it. The irritating part is that it doesn't come soon enough! I hate it when books make you wait around for something that's obvious from the first chapter.

Verdict:

This manages to bring fresh air to a recently saturated genre. It will keep you reading, keep you hoping, keep you guessing. It's sure as hell a great novel - and I can't wait for the rest of the series!