Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

First Published: 1813
Date Started: 2nd August 2013
Date Finished: 8th August 2013
Genre: Classic/Romance
Read For: Casual/1001 Books
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This well known and beloved classic of English literature tells the story of the 5 Bennett sisters in their quest to find a suitable husband to marry. Dealing with issues like marriage and morality, this early 19th century novel is a book that was loved when first released and is still loved now, both by academics and by people who just enjoy a good book.
The famous couple of the book, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, is one that has been written into the history of English literature and whether or not you have read the book, chances are high you have at least heard of them.

As well as these two characters, the opening of the book is one that is recognized to literary lovers all over the world.

Pride and Prejudice had been one of those books that I started and read a few pages of but then put down and never read again. This time I was determined to get through it all. One problem that I had though was that after I had read Northanger Abbey, I was a bit put off reading any of Austen's other works as I worried that I wouldn't enjoy it.  I can happily say that I was wrong.

The relationship between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy was what kept me going to read the book. I had an idea that they got together in the end, yet when reading the book I was kept intrigued due to all the events and the nature of these two characters, as well as the surrounding ones. How they got together in the end, I felt was truly representative of them and makes Pride and Prejudice the love story that it is.

I'm not declaring myself a 'Janeite', who relies on Austen related things in order to breathe and live, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate on reading another of her books. Perhaps I might re-read Northanger Abbey one day and have a different view, however I'd have to wait and see.


 

August TBR

We're 3/4 quarters into 2013 already and it's gone so fast! I can already say that this has been a good year of reading, but who knows what I'll have read by the end of it. If you have any recommendations, please comment below and I'll be sure to reply back.

To make sure I become more of a dedicated blogger, I'm going to start doing a monthly TBR (to be read). If you watch book review videos on YouTube from well known 'booktubers', you'll be well in the know of what that means.
By doing this, for me, that means I know what I'll be reading and I'll want to tell you what I think of them. For you, it means you know what can be expected. I will follow each one up with reviews (I'm not too entirely sure how/when I'll be doing this though, so stay tuned).

So, here is my August TBR:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
• Walking Home by Simon Armitage (2012)
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

For  now, it is only short but maybe as the months go by, I'll know what I'm capable of doing. Maybe I'll manage to read even more than the three above. 

Umbrella by Will Self

First Published: 2012 by Bloomsbury (London)

Date Started: 27th June 2013

Date Finished: 8th July 2013

Genre: Historical Fiction

Read For: Casual

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Audrey Death suffers from Encephalitis Lethargica, an illness from the end of World War I, and has since been in a coma at Friern Hospital in London. In  1971, maverick psychiatrist Dr Zack Busner arrives. In his attempts to bring her back to life, he will have memories that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Umbrella opens up with a quote by James Joyce, 'A brother is as easily forgotten as an umbrella', and when reading the book, it's understandable as to why Will Self used it. It may seem strange to think that 'a brother is as easily forgotten as an umbrella', but upon reading this  it seems true, although strange to imagine.

Written in a contemporary form and displaying traits of modernism, the book can be a bit of a challenge to read. The protagonist can switch at any moment, there is hardly any paragraphs which make it look clunky, and there are no chapters whatsoever. Yet the way it's written blends well with the story. It's almost as if the reader is shifting in and out of consciousness between the protagonists, like Audrey herself does with her past life and her present life in the hospital.

 Umbrella was a nominee of the Man Booker Prize 2012. Although it's not a light read it's a book that should be read. It's difficult to get into it at first, and the constant switching of protagonists can be confusing at times, but if you want to read a good book, this is one that I can recommend that you should read.

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson

First Published: 2012 by Black Swan (London)
Date Started: 16th June 2013
Date Finished: 18th June 2013
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Read For: Casual
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Memory is something Christine Lucas hasn't got. Every time she wakes up, she has no memory of her present life. She has to trust the man she is in the same bed with each time she wakes up, who claims to be her husband, Ben.
This thrilling story follows Christine in her attempt to find out why she has no memory and if she can ever get it back. It's also a story about trust, and when you have no memory who can you really trust?

I absolutely loved reading this book. I like how it is written from her point of view in the present tense and in the past from her diary entries. By reading her diary entries, it allows the reader to see how Christine develops. You get to see how her memory changes and how more and more each day she wants to find out why she has no memory.

The theme of trust is really something that helps to keep the reader engaged. I found myself at times changing back and forth with the characters who I could trust. With Christine having little or no memories of characters, it's engaging to find out who is telling the truth and who is lying. Although she does have flashbacks, the diary entries are the only thing Christine can trust, but at times, she doubts herself as to whether she is telling the truth or making stuff up. The only way she can find out is to follow through and hope for the best.

This is one of the books that you just have to keep on reading. I would highly recommend it to anybody who loves a good book.



*A bonus to this book is that there is going to be a film of it directed by Rowan Joffe and will star Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth, which will hopefully be realised sometime in 2014.

Grace by Grace Coddington

First Published: 2012 by Chatto and Windus (London)
Date Started: 12th June 2013
Date Finished: 16th June 2013
Genre: Autobiography/Memoir
Read For: Casual
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Grace Coddington has always played a massive part in the making of US Vogue magazine. Putting her all into her creative shoots, she helps to make the magazine what it is. Since the documentary, The September Issue, was realised, Grace has become known all over the fashion world. The documentary showed how Grace could be when working, but this book demonstrates who she really is.
From living in wartime Anglesey to being creative director of Vogue, her book tells the fascinating story of how she made it to where she is today.
Filled with funny stories and her own illustrations, this is a book for all fashion lovers all there.

I have no idea how many times I have watched The September Issue. Before I watched the documentary, I had never heard of Grace. When watching it, I loved what she did. I thought her shoots were amazing to look at as if they were a piece of art. She became someone who I looked up to and aspired to be. When I heard about this book, I knew I had to get it.

One of the great things about the book was that it didn't just talk about her work. She talks about her personal life including friendships, romance, and her family. It all builds up to where she is now. Photographs and illustrations help make the book even more fun to read.

Now that I've read the book, I've learned just how amazing Grace really is. Fashion lover or not, she's someone who can be looked up to. She's a hard-working and passionate woman who stands up for what she believes in.

My Life in Books (So Far)

Whilst eating my lunch today, I wanted to watch something on TV. After a bit of channel flicking, I saw a programme on BBC 2 called My Life in Books. I had never heard of it, but the title of it got me hooked on watching it straight away. The programme is hosted by Anne Robinson (who by the way, still does her classic wink face when ending the show, just like in the Weakest Link) and has two well known guests on. The guests sit on one sofa whilst Anne sits opposite them on another. Anne interviews both of them, switching back and forth, asking them to talk about the books they chose for the show with questions like why they chose them, what is there importance to them, and sometimes asking them to read a short extract from one or two of the books they chose.

After watching the show, I began thinking about what my life in books was like. I am only young but books have always played a big part in my life. In a way, this blog post comes in brilliant timing as next Monday is my 19th birthday, and so it allows me to look back on what books have made a mark on me in my life. So here it is, my life in books (so far):

Double Act by Jacqueline Wilson

"Ruby and Garnet are ten-year-old twins. They're identical, and they do EVERYTHING together, especially since their mother died three years earlier - but they couldn't be more different. Bossy, bouncy, funny Ruby loves to take charge, and is desperate to be a famous actress, while quiet, sensitive, academic Garnet loves nothing more than to curl up with one of her favourite books. And when everything around the twins is changing so much, can being a double act work for ever?"

Double Act has got to be my favourite book by Jacqueline Wilson. I was a huge fan of her when I was younger and I have to say now that she was probably the author who got me into reading. I did read a lot of her books but this one was the one I remembered liking and reading the most. I also loved, and still do love, Nick Sharratt's illustrations. They're so simplistic in how they are drawn and are so great to look at. Only a few years ago did I realise how she could write about real life issues in a way that children can understand and enjoy reading about. 

Jacqueline, if there ever is a chance that you read this, or if I ever get to meet you, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting me into the beautiful hobby that is reading.

War Trash by Ha Jin

""War Trash" is the unforgettable story of Yu Yuan, a young Chinese army officer sent by Mao with a corps of volunteers' to help shore up the Communist side in Korea. When the Americans capture Yu, his command of English propels him into the role of unofficial interpreter in the psychological warfare that defines the POW camp. Desperate to return to his beloved fiancee and widowed mother, Yu is trapped by both barbed wire and politics."

This is just one of those books that have been written well and is extremely engaging. I remember that I got this from my local library as I just wanting something to read. I had no idea this existed and I had never really read anything like this before. This was one of those books that as soon as I woke up the next morning, I couldn't wait to continue reading it. When I go to the local library when I'm back home, I try to look for it on the shelves and hope that it's there. I haven't been in a while so maybe when I go there next, I'll try and find it again. By reading this book, it made me understand that trying out books that I don't usually read is a good thing to do as it allows me to be opened up to new experiences.

A Train in Winter: A Story of Resistance, Friendship and Survival by Caroline Moorehead

"On an icy dawn morning in Paris in January 1943, a group of 230 French women resisters were rounded up from the Gestapo detention camps and sent on a train to Auschwitz - the only train, in the four years of German occupation, to take women of the resistance to a death camp.The youngest was a schoolgirl of 15, the eldest a farmer's wife of 68; there were among them teachers, biochemists, sales girls, secretaries, housewives and university lecturers. The women turned to one another, finding solace and strength in friendship and shared experience. They supported and cared for one another, worked together, and faced the horror together. Friendship, almost as much as luck, dictated survival. Forty-nine of them came home. Caroline Moorehead's breathtaking new book is the story of these women - the first time it has been told. It is about who they were, how and why they joined the resistance, how they were captured by the French police and the Gestapo, their journey to Auschwitz and their daily life in the death camps - and about what it was like for the survivors when they returned to France. A Train in Winter covers a harrowing part of our history but is, ultimately, a portrait of ordinary people, of bravery and endurance, and of friendship."

I've always loved history. I love reading about it and I loved studying it (I did a GCSE and A Level in it). What I loved about this book was that not only did it tell in detail about the lives of the women before, during, and for those who were lucky, after , it allowed me as a reader to truly understand the value of friendship. The book showed how strong women back then could be and it emphasised how women were during the war, not just letting the men do all the fighting. As a woman, it taught me that I can fight for what I believe in and that it is possible to win. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this. I did only mention 3 books, but as I said, I'm only young. Perhaps I'll do another one of this post sometime ahead in the future. Let me know what your life in books is in the comments below.

Summer Hols.

Hey all, so sorry that I haven't posted anything in a long time. I've been really busy with uni coursework and sorting out a house for my second year. All my coursework is done now and the housing is more or less done (hopefully), so I should be back to blogging on a regular basis. I'm off for a glorious 4 months so I have loads of time to get some blogging done. I may be getting a job or volunteer work depending if I can find anything, but I hope that it doesn't effect this too much.

Thank you for you patience :)