Books I read in April 2021

Klara and the sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (new read, physical book)

‘From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.’ (Klara and the Sun synopsis)

I was excited to hear that this what coming out as I loved Never Let Me Go and hope to read more of Ishiguro’s books. I love that Ishiguro’s writing is almost plain and simplistic but very compelling too, it was really refreshing to have such an easy literary fiction experience, especially after the brain frazzling world of Murakami. It was so interesting to have Klara as a narrator and see the world from her perspective, as it creates elements of mystery for the reader and made me curious and eager to learn more. Klara’s relationship with the Manager and the Sun were really interesting as they almost take the form of a mother and a relationship with a God. As with Never Let Me Go, something in the writing style stopped the book for being as emotive for me as lots of people find them, but that hasn’t stopped his books from being favourites. I like feeling almost distance whilst still being engaged as this doesn’t often happen, and I think this leaves me more space to really reflect on the philosophy and the questions posed. I also loved how quick this book was to read and feel like I get the most from his books when I read them in just one or two go’s.  I’d definitely recommend this and Never Let Me Go, but please try to learn as little as possible about them before reading! 😊

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow (new read, audiobook)

‘The Other Bennet Sister shows another side to Mary. An introvert in a family of extroverts; a constant disappointment to her mother who values beauty above all else; fearful of her father’s sharp tongue; with little in common with her siblings – is it any wonder she turns to books for both company and guidance? And, if she finds her life lonely or lacking, that she determines to try harder at the one thing she can be: right.’ (The Other Bennet Sister synopsis)

I really liked the idea of this book, and the writing was amazing; at no point did it feel like fan-fiction or take you out of the world, it honestly felt like a companion to Pride and Prejudice. I enjoyed learning more about Mary and reading about her perspective, however, at times the extent of her self-deprecation and melancholy made this feel like quite a long book to get through. I understand that this was necessary, as Mary has experienced so much neglect and emotional abuse throughout her life. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy this book, I just felt that it was too long for me to feel that I loved it. Also, I just reread Pride and Prejudice at the end of last year, and due to the amazing writing style, this felt so similar that it was maybe too soon for me to listen to this book and get the most from it. I did find that I was more invested and interested in the later chapters, which I listened to over a couple of days. I always feel this way about audiobooks; listening to them frequently and quickly usually means I enjoy the book more, and for this reason I don’t really feel like my opinions are always truly reflective. Overall, I found this interesting and really enjoyed being back in this world, reading about a character who really didn’t get enough time or credit in Pride and Prejudice. I would recommend this, although I did feel it to be a little long at times.

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (new read, physical book)

‘Normally when you turn sixteen you get a really cool present. But, being sixteen and the son of Poseidon can never be that simple. So instead, I get a prophecy that says the fate of the entire world on my shoulders. Great. On top of that, Kronos, Lord of the Titans, is attacking New York City and the dreaded monster Typhon is heading our way. So, it’s me and forty of my demi-god friends versus untold evil. Happy birthday to me!’ (The Last Olympian synopsis)

Somehow, after reading (and loving) the series for the first time last year I managed to forget to read the last one hahaha. I didn’t remember too much before going into this, but for once that meant I was thankful for the middle grade trait of constantly recounting the previous books in the first chapter. I love this series, the characters are funny, kindhearted and a bit chaotic, the plot is always interesting (although I’m too lazy for fight scenes haha so I’d genuinely just prefer a book of them all dancing about camp half blood) and the myths are woven in so well for children, interesting enough that it never feels like a school lesson. I know that Percy has dyslexia and ADHD, which is something Riordan has written for children to relate to. I was thinking about this while reading, and I’ve noticed that these books and constantly full of twists, turns and actions; I think this was done purposefully to engage children with ADHD who would maybe otherwise find reading to be a chore. I think this was such a clever idea! I think this series is particularly good as I often find middle grade boring, but I was interested throughout despite reading these aged 24/25. 😊 Having read Harry Potter countless times throughout childhood, I definitely feel a stronger connection to those books (although I’m having trouble with she who must not be named), but I think Percy Jackson is such a good engaging and exciting series for children. 😊

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes (new read, physical book)

‘Married to brothers Johnny, Ed and Liam Casey. Three very different women tied to three very different men. Every family occasion is a party – until the day the secrets spill out.’ (Grown Ups synopsis)

I don’t know if every country has an Asda, but it’s always one of my favourite places to buy books, they have such good deals on and I come out with incredibly random selections of funny warm hearted books. I enjoyed this book as it was really easy to read and I liked the characters who were written too be liked as well as disliking those who weren’t. I would love to learn more about Ireland and visit it, and I enjoyed the Irish words and humour throughout (some is very similar to Glaswegian!). However, at times this book felt a bit long (I feel like I’m saying this about lots of things recently, maybe it’s just my pandemic mindset haha). I also think it’s really important to mention that this is advertised as funny and light-hearted; quite a significant plot point follows a character suffering from an eating disorder, which I really didn’t realise going into it. Family members close to me have dealt with eating disorders and I find it really difficult to read about them. I think it’s therefore important that books advertised in such a way acknowledge the triggers as I felt very upset and a bit overwhelmed whilst reading. Saying that, I acknowledge that I read lots of books with dark themes, many of which others may find triggering, and my emotions whilst reading this book probably wouldn’t be felt as strongly by some others. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about in the marketing of books. Anyway, this is otherwise quite funny and an easy read, so I’d recommend it for anyone who enjoys family themes.

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll (new read, physical book)

‘A Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?’ (A Kind of Spark synopsis)

As I said above, I sadly don’t really enjoy middle grade or children’s books unless I read them as a child. I can find these books quite boring at times. For this reason, I like to focus on how I feel the intended reader may find these books instead. I bought this book to read to my classes in the future and to pass on to children who enjoy reading, and this book was chosen for a number of reasons- the narrator is an autistic female and is this book is very importantly written by a neurodivergent author. Very little is known about autism in girls and the ways in can present in some individuals due to a lack of research and girls tendency to be very good at masking. I therefore think this book is so important in reading diverse voices, especially for children. The plot is interesting and touching, and I’m excited to have lots of conversations with my older classes regarding the themes of this book. I should also say I’m always more intrigued to buy anything Scottish, I am pretty biased haha! I’d definitely recommend this book for children, and adults who enjoy middle grade. 😊

Thank you for reading, I hope you’re well! 🙂 Please let me know what you’ve been reading. Also, please recommend anyone who writes like Ishiguro, I love his writing 🙂

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November books

The Aeneid- Virgil: Robert Fagles translation (physical book, new read)

‘’Robert Fagles’s latest achievement completes the magnificent triptych of Western epics. A sweeping story of arms and heroism, The Aeneid follows the adventures of Aeneas, who flees the ashes of Troy to embark upon a tortuous course that brings him to Italy and fulfills his destiny as founder of the Roman people. Retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, this powerful blend of poetry and myth remains as relevant today as when it was first written.’’ (The Aeneid synopsis)

I’ve never studied literature or classics so I definitely don’t get as much from books like this as others, however, I’ve finally binge read enough mythology retellings to be able to read and keep up with The Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid. I knew little about this book, but I found it interesting and fairly readable, although I did prefer the early chapters with Dido and the underworld, and I began to feel a bit restless by the end of the story as wars and battle scenes are not my favourite unless I’m extremely invested in characters. The most striking thing I did find was the parallels between ASOIAF, particularly Aeneas and Daenerys and to a lesser extent Jon (unsurprising as Dany/Jon’s stories parallel in themselves). I’m extremely interested in ASOIAF mythology parallels and already made a blog post about some Greek/Norse parallels if you’re interested 😊. I recently bought the illustrated Game of Thrones (I do enjoy wasting money hahaha) and I’d love to reread the series (maybe one character at a time?) analysing anything that interests me and looking for parallels. I think next year (woohoo goodbye 2020) I’ll definitely give this a go and incorporate it into some rambly blog posts in a way.

Important/meaningful quote:

“Do the gods light this fire in our hearts or does each man’s mad desire become his god?”

Pride and prejudice- Jane Austen (audiobook, reread)

‘’Pride and Prejudice is one of the most cherished love stories in English literature; Jane Austen’s 1813 masterpiece has a lasting effect on everyone who reads it. The pride of high-ranking Mr Darcy and the prejudice of middle-class Elizabeth Bennet conduct an absorbing dance through the rigid social hierarchies of early-nineteenth-century England, with the passion of the two unlikely lovers growing as their union seems ever more improbable.’’ (Pride and Prejudice synopsis)

I read this in a very strange format, because I listened to Jen Campbell reading the book aloud. For those who don’t know, Jen is a writer with a youtube channel focusing on books. Over lockdown, she read Pride and Prejudice aloud and turned it into a youtube audiobook. This was a really interesting way to read this book! I’ve always loved the film, but I didn’t really have strong thoughts towards the book the first time I read it, around 6 years ago- I read wee bits at a time over a few months which made if feel a bit disjointed. I loved it a lot more this time around, I think with classics, audiobook can be the way to go for me to really bring the characters to life 😊. I’m sure everyone knows what this is about or has read it, but if you haven’t, I’d recommend giving it a go 😊. I love Lizzie as a character and the feminist themes throughout, particularly interesting due to the time period of the story. Also, not relevant to the book, but I’d recommend listening to the films score, especially ‘Your hands are cold’, it’s so beautiful.

Important/meaningful quote:

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”

Great Goddesses: Life lessons from myths and monsters- Nikita Gill (physical book, new read)

‘’Wonder at Medusa’s potent venom, Circe’s fierce sorcery and Athena rising up over Olympus, as Nikita Gill majestically explores the untold stories of the life bringers, warriors, creators, survivors and destroyers that shook the world – the great Greek Goddesses.
Vividly re-imagined and beautifully illustrated, step into an ancient world transformed by modern feminist magic.’’ (Great Goddesses synopsis)

I read this at the start of the month and my memory is fading haha, but I found it interesting 😊. The writing style is lovely and I’m glad that I found it enjoyable as I don’t always love poetry. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, I’ve already stolen an idea to try and paint hahah. Again, it got me wanting to find more asoiaf parallels, such as Arya and Artemis, Stannis and Agamemnon. It’s a very engaging feminist retelling, however, there are trigger warnings for themes of rape and assault. The intention of these accounts is to shift the blame back to the men and Gods carrying out these horrific assaults, supporting woman to overcome trauma, however, it could nevertheless be triggering so it’s important to know going into the story. I would say, I enjoyed this book more before they started bringing the Goddesses into our modern world- apart from Percy Jackson, this seems to be a theme within my reading experiences of mythology, I don’t really enjoy reading about the Gods and Goddesses within the modern world.

Important/meaningful quote:

“Every woman is both match and spark, a light for each other from the dark.”

Athena’s Child- Hannah Lynn (physical book, new read)

‘’Gifted and burdened with beauty far beyond that of mere mortals, Medusa seeks sanctuary with the Goddess Athena. But when the lustful gaze of mighty Poseidon falls upon her, even the Temple of Athena cannot protect her. Young Perseus embarks on a seemingly impossible quest. Equipped with only bravado and determination, his only chance of success lays in the hands of his immortal siblings. Medusa and Perseus soon become pawns of spiteful and selfish gods. Faced with the repercussions of Athena’s wrath Medusa has no choice but to flee and hide. But can she do so without becoming the monster they say she is?’’ (Athena’s Child synopsis)

I can’t tell who this book was aimed for as it was interesting and fast paced but something about it felt young, it sometimes felt like YA but I’m not certain. Either way, it would be a good place to start in terms of myth retellings. This is a very glum story, but I enjoyed learning more about Perseus and his story (I knew quite a bit about Medusa already), particularly learning about his mother and I previously only knew what I’d read from Percy Jackson haha. I mentioned Jen Campbell earlier on, she has been discussing the use of disfigurement in characters as a negative trope being associated with ‘ugly’ or ‘evil’ characters, I’d recommend looking up her Instagram and reading her article. This is a very prevalent issue in stories and this book definitely equated disfigurement with ugliness and becoming evil or losing humanity in some way. This is not Lynn’s fault as this stems from early mythology itself, however, when retelling these stories, I think authors could be more conscious about this and use the opportunity to rewrite these tropes.

Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold- Stephen Fry (audiobook, new read)

‘’The story of Troy speaks to all of us – the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against that great city, to which they will lay siege for ten whole and very bloody years. The stage is set for the oldest and greatest story ever told, where monstrous passions meet the highest ideals and the lowest cunning. In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore, that still speak to us today.’’ (Troy synopsis)

I loved listening to this, you can feel Fry’s interest in the subject and his enthusiasm makes it even better to listen to. This was my favourite listen of the trilogy as I’ve always been slightly more interested in the Trojan War and the people involved than the stories of the Gods alone (and I’ve never been particularly interested in the heroes, I can never seem to retain much info about Hercules/Heracles despite reading lots). This trilogy is definitely a great place to start with mythology and I enjoy the humour and input from Fry throughout. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading the story of the Trojan War, I enjoy the different perspectives of each writer and I was happy to see Achilles/Patroclus mentioned as lovers in this account as this is the version of their story that I prefer. I’ve mentioned this before, but I love that in every single myth retelling that I’ve read (including the Iliad), Patroclus is consistently a genuinely good compassionate person (there are few others that I can say the same about, except Briseis and some of the Trojan women).

Love lessons- Jacqueline Wilson (e-book, reread)

‘’Fourteen-year-old Prue and her sister Grace have been educated at home by their controlling, super-strict father all their lives. Forced to wear Mum’s odd hand-made garments and forbidden from reading teenage magazines, they know they’re very different to ‘normal’ girls – but when Dad has a stroke and ends up in hospital, unable to move or speak, Prue suddenly discovers what it’s like to have a little freedom.

Sent to a real school for the first time, Prue struggles to fit in. The only person she can talk to is her kindly, young – and handsome – art teacher, Rax. They quickly bond, and Prue feels more and more drawn to him. As her feelings grow stronger, she begins to realise that he might feel the same way about her. But nothing could ever happen between them – could it?’’ (Love Lessons synopsis)

I wanted to finish my nostalgic Wilson binge with another book that I loved as a child/teen. This is another of her older, darker books with themes of authoritative fathers (potentially verbally abusive) and heavily features a grooming type scenario between a 14 year old student and her art teacher. I’ve always found the tone of this book to feel far different from Wilson’s other books, you definitely get the sense of alienation Prue feels around others her age and the strain within her family and environments. Again, I appreciate Wilson’s approach to discussing heavy topics and would recommend this book if you enjoy her others.

Office Girl- Joe Meno (physical book, new read)

‘’Set in 1999 – just before the end of one world and the beginning of another – Office Girl is the story of two youths caught between the uncertainty of their futures and the all-too-brief moments of modern life. Odile is a lovely 23 year-old art-school dropout, a minor vandal, and a hopeless dreamer. Jack is a 25 year-old shirker who’s most happy capturing the endless noises of the city on his out-of-date tape recorder. Together they decide to start their own art movement in defiance of a contemporary culture made dull by both the tedious and the obvious.’’ (Office Girl synopsis)

I don’t want to spend much time on this as I found it incredibly pretentious and want to roll my eyes even thinking back now. I can barely remember how it ended, the characters were manic-pixie dream girls and boys and the themes were so dull and pretentious, I bought this from a charity shop not knowing anything about it and the only reason I finished it is because it’s a quick read and I have a compulsive need to finish books haha. I’m genuinely getting annoyed thinking about it. I also mentioned the representation of disfigurement earlier, I can’t remember the specific quote but there was a disgusting comment from a character that was very anti-disfigurement. I would not recommend this book; I will be trying to forget it.

I hope you’ve been reading lots of good books recently, please let me know if you’ve read any of these and liked them! 😊 I’m currently on 91 reads this year so I now feel a compulsive need to reach 100 before 2021. I’ll see what happens because I’m lazy haha, but December is usually filled with childhood rereads. Anyway, Merry Christmas month!

Goodreads 50 books to read before you die (part one)

I really liked doing this challenge for amazon books and people seemed to like reading it- it was really fun looking at the comments to see how many everybody has read!- so I’ve decided to do it again, it’s always fun to see if I’m influenced to read classics or popular books 😊

1. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
2. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

I have read this book, but as I think I mentioned before this is one of the rare occasions where I enjoyed the film more (blasphemous hahaha but I do love the film). It wasn’t my favourite classic that I’ve read which is strange because I love the sisters, however, I think it felt a bit too long with sections about side characters that I didn’t really care about. Maybe if I reread it one day I’d enjoy it a little bit more.

3. Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte

This is maybe my favourite classic that I’ve read, I really like the story and enjoyed Jane as a character. I’d also like to mention here that I loved ‘The Crimson Petal and the White’ which is loosely based on Jane Eyre, I’d recommend it!

4. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald

I swear there is a ghost in my house because I read half of this book in the bath, came out of the bath and it was never seen again, I have searched my entire house and this book is gone hahaha. I will get it and finish it one day.

5. Lord of the Flies- William Golding

6. Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War- Sebastian Faulks

7. 1984- George Orwell

8. The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank

This book is very impactful and emotional, however, the main thing that stuck out whilst reading this was the depths of kindness, love and positivity in Anne’s writing, she was incredibly hopeful despite her horrific circumstances and this is a loving, relatable book about growing up and family.

9. Brave New World- Aldous Huxley

10. The Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck

11. The Picture of Dorian Grey- Oscar Wilde

I really want to read this one day, this is high on my list of books I always say I’ll get to soon!

12. Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte

This was not a favourite of mine hahaha, I struggled through this book. I was very intrigued by the intensity of Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship and I enjoyed the concept of the story, however, it dragged a bit without any ‘goodness’ or humour to balance. Again, I’m blasphemous and a very bad reader when it comes to classics, but I’d like to see a new big-budget film based on this book, I think I’d enjoy the story far more as a film.

13. The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath

This book was difficult to read due to the themes and heavy depression weighing it down, however, I think this is an important book to read to understand mental illness and I would recommend The Bell Jar if you are okay with heavy themes.

14. The War of the World- H.G. Wells

15. The Quiet American- Graham Greene

16. The Catcher in the Rye- J.D Salinger

I really enjoyed this book, I read it this year and found it really easy to read and interesting (a few books are coming up that I’ve already mentioned in a blog post so I’m trying not to repeat myself too much).

17. A Passage to India- E.M Forster

18. Catch-22- Joseph Helle

19. Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy

I listened to a fair chunk of this audiobook but then I forgot about it (and the narrators voice annoyed me haha, I can be fussy with narrators). I would like to finish the book, but it’s been long enough that I’ve forgotten everything so I’d have to start from the beginning and make sure I read this book at a time when I can really concentrate on the story.

20. Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

This is another book that I read half of before stopping, I was sad because it’s such a well-known book but I just couldn’t keep going. I have such a thing about death and corpses, dead bodies etc so the creation of the monster in this book made me feel a bit ill hahaha, I honestly couldn’t keep reading. I’ve always been like this, I can’t read or watch anything with zombies without feeling sick.

21. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time- Mark Haddon

This is an unusual and interesting book, I’ve never read a book where the narrator has ASD and I found it very insightful. I’ve read a couple of Mark Haddon’s books and enjoy his dark humour and sarcasm.

22. Life of Pi- Yann Martel

I knew very little about this book and if you haven’t yet read it I’d go into it knowing nothing if you can. This stayed with me for such a long time and I felt almost a haunted feeling after reading it, it’s a very philosophical book, particularly around religion, and I’ve never really read anything like it.

23. The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas

24. Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad

25. Rebecca- Daphne De Maurier

I really enjoyed this book, the characters are a lil bit crazy and I didn’t necessarily feel for any of them but the gothic themes make it interesting and really envelop you in the plot and time period. I remember reading a wee short story called ‘The Drowned Rose’ for English in school and looking back I’m not sure if it’s based on Rebecca because there are lots of similarities. Please let me know if you’ve read it and know anything!

I’ve read 9 of 25 books and plan to read more, I really liked this list and I think I’d recommend all of the books I’ve read 😊 Please let me know how many you’ve read and if you’d recommend any, I loved reading the comments last time. Also, I’ve been thinking about diversity in reading as I think lots of us have at this time. There are several books on this list that I haven’t heard of so I’m unsure of the diversity of authors and characters on this list- based on gender, race and sexuality- but I look critically at lists like these in thinking about how books are chosen and the opportunities authors have. If you have read most of these books please enlighten me a little bit more about the spread of diversity.

Amazon 100 books to read in a lifetime (part two)

Again, I’m going to highlight the books I’ve read and write a lil bit/ramble about them. 😊

34. Kitchen Confidential- Anthony Bourdain

35. Life After Life- Kate Atkinson

36. Little House of the Prairie- Laura Inglass Wilder

37. Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov

I think I read this when I was 17, it was definitely a while ago. Whilst disturbing and an unsettling subject matter, I did find this book interesting. I think Nabokov’s beautiful descriptive writing style and elements of black humour from the narrator contrast with the horrific themes to make this an incredibly engaging and unusual book. These contrasts create an unsettling atmosphere that matches the story. It’s hard to think of examples because I read it so long ago, but I remember this contrast standing out, and I’d like to read more by Nabokov to see if these elements are included in the writing style of his other novels.

38. Love in the Time of Cholera- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

39. Love Medicine- Louise Erdrich

40. Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor E. Frankl

41. Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris

42. Middlesex- Jeffrey Eugenides

43. Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie

44. Moneyball: The Art of Winning and Unfair Game- Michael Lewis

45. Of Human Bondage- W. Somerset Maugham

46. On the Road- Jack Kerouac

47. Out of Africa- Isak Dinesen

48. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood- Marjane Satrapi

49. Portnoy’s Complaint- Philip Roth

50. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

This wasn’t my favourite classic to read- I preferred Jane Eyre and Little Women- but I loved the story and the majority of characters. I LOVE Lizzies character and the way the romance is built up through small significant elements and almost suspense rather than dialogue and large gestures. I also love the distinct personality of each sister and the relationships between them, as well as the overarching feminist themes in the book. Also, I do moan when people talk about films over books, but I love the 2005 film, if you don’t have time to read the book I’d recommend this. 😊

51. Silent Spring- Rachel Carson

52. Slaughterhouse-five- Kurt Vonnegut

53. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

54. The Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton

55. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay- Michael Chabon

56. The Autobiography of Malcom X: As Told to Alex Haley- Malcom X and Alex Haley

57. The Book Thief- Marcus Zusak

I love this book, I love the unusual narration and the decision to focus on Liesel’s story rather than an adult’s perspective- it brought certain elements of light, hope and positivity that the book needed (I love the positive kind spirit that children have that I sometimes feel can sadly be lost a little bit by adulthood). That said, this book is incredibly touching and sad, but it’s beautiful too. I love Liesel’s relationships with the other characters (all of them, but particularly with Papa).

58. The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao- Junot Diaz

59. The Catcher in the Rye- J. D. Salinger

I read this book most recently in one sitting and I loved it- although enjoyed is not the word for this story. I found that this book flowed very well and it was easy to get into Holden’s mind/see things through his perspective throughout the story. The subject, characters and angst reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I feel like Chbosky must have been influenced by this book because it doesn’t feel coincidental. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is probably one of my favourite books, so I was undoubtedly going to enjoy this. I’d like to read more by Salinger as I enjoyed how easy this reading experience was.

60. The Colour of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother- James McBride

61. The Corrections- Jonathan Franzen

62. The Devil in the White City- Erik Larson

63. The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank

I doubt there are many readers who haven’t read this book, or at least heard of it. It’s incredibly touching, heart-warming in many ways despite its extremely sad subject matter. I feel like young people now reading Anne’s diary will relate to elements of her feelings and thoughts process throughout this story despite the incredibly different circumstances, and this might reflect the popularity of this exceptional story. I hope to visit Anne Franks house one day and experience this part of history.

64. The Fault in Our Stars- John Green

I’m not sure what it is about John Green but I don’t really like his books and I didn’t like the Fault in Our Stars when it came out. I understand why Green’s books are so popular, but I feel that the writing style is quite pretentious which puts me off the story. I also had similar concerns with this book as with A Little Life (which I ranted about quite a lot haha)- I often read stories about harrowing subjects such as loss and grief as I feel they are important, however, The Fault in Our Stars felt a little bit exploitative to me, maybe because of the pretentious writing style.

65. The Giver- Lois Lowry

66. The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials- Philip Pullman

I still haven’t read these books; I feel like I’m missing out on a childhood experience! I do own this book so I’ll read it soon (there is literally no better time).

12 out of 66 so far, still not the best- although a few are classics so I’m giving myself credit for that haha. Have you read any of these, and if so would you recommend them? 😊