#YouDunnit | Book Review (NO SPOILERS)

Title: #YouDunnit
Author(s): Nicci French, Tim Weaver & Alastair Gunn
Originally Published: October 2013
Page Count: 107 pages
Genre: Crime / Thriller

#YouDunnit is an interesting experiment with crime fiction. Penguin teamed up with Specsavers and twitter followers to come up with an interesting idea. They asked three crime writers to write their own short story based on plot devices thought up by twitter. Whilst the concept was basic and fairly ludicrous, the authors seemingly made it work.

There are three different short stories, but each revolves around followers of a particular twitter account getting murdered.

WHAT BOOKS TO TAKE ON HOLIDAY!

Hey guys, Rob here.

So I know I've completely missed my opportunity to be helpful to any of you readers out there going away for the summer because summer is kind of over. Gutted! Everyone has been on holiday and now is the time to go back to school / uni / work / life and get on with things. So instead of this post being what books you should take on holiday with you, I'll be showing what books I plan to read on my holiday because SUMMER ISN'T OVER FOR ME... just yet.

On Sunday I head to Salou, Spain for a week with 11 uni friends. To say I'm excited is an understatement, and I'm sure those who have been lucky enough to holiday abroad know of such excitement. I intend to spend many days by the pool / sea / cocktails, reading. So here are the books I plan to take away with me and read whilst I'm there.

Updates & the #CatchUpReadathon.

Hi everyone, welcome back. 

Today I thought I'd give a little update on my blog before I go and bombard you with posts that haven't been properly explained.

THE EDGE OF REASON by Helen Fielding

Title: The Edge of Reason (Bridget Jones #2)

Author: Helen Fielding 

Genre: Chick Lit / Humour
Originally Published: 1999

Page Count:424 pages
Published by: Pan Books

Date Read: 10th July - 14th July 2014

This sequel carries on right where the previous one left us. Another year; another diary. Again it follows Bridget's life, her career, her love life, her mishaps, and for the most part it is funny, but I couldn't help feel the whole novel was redundant. 

The novel is kind of an exact replica of the first one. The events that happen to Bridget in life don't seem to be very 'life-changing' even though a lot of them certainly would be. I don't understand. She begins the novel happy because *slight spoiler from book one* she has a boyfriend. Wow. Well done, Bridget. But as soon as life loses its equilibrium of romance, Bridget is of course desperately trying to live life as a singleton, which naturally, for her, is the worst thing in the world. The only character I really love is Shazza, she's hilarious and tells Bridget when she's being pathetic. 

The novel does have its really funny moments. There's a part in which she gets to interview Colin Firth (a bit ironic, haha), and I just found it hilarious and relatable. I would probably act the same way if I had to interview, say, any of these men:

WOW! Isn't that a work of art? 

Now I may be looking at this too critically but one thing that really frustrated me about these two books in the series is Fielding’s characterisation of her gay characters. If we look at the gay people in the novel, they are either: sexually deficient and therefore shag anything that moves and whore themselves out there, incredibly pretentious and stuck up, or some form of older sexual piranha whose prey is the younger generation. I realise that Fielding exaggerates stereotypes throughout the novel for comic relief, but I just hope these stereotyped characteristics stay in the nineties, and with her 2013 sequel, Mad About The Boy, we find some level of maturity and character growth when it comes to Bridget’s perception and the author’s writing.

I find it rather of low wit to rely on exaggerated stereotypes for cheap laughs and it did kind of annoy me that it was that in which the author relies to make comedy. Of course Bridget's tribulations were sometimes hilarious themselves, which really made the novel great in the end. 

I seem fairly negative about this book, but how can I stay negative when there's that beautiful picture up there. Just stare at it. It's nice.
Anyway, I ended up rating this a 3 stars. It's decent, but I don't think I'll carry on with Bridget. I hope she finds some happiness and isn't a depressed single again, clinging to some form of respectability by having a boyfriend. Note to anyone reading this, as Jude says, being single is good. Amen. But damn, those men up there.

BOY21 by Matthew Quick | Book Review (SPOILER FREE)

Title: Boy21

Author: Matthew Quick

Genre: Contemporary / YA
Originally Published: 2012

Page Count: 277 pages

Published by: Headline

Date Read: 10th July 2014

*Note: Book sent by publisher through Bookbridgr for review. All thoughts & feelings 100% genuine*

Boy21 is a multi-layered Young Adult contemporary novel, in which we follow the protagonist, Finley, a high school basketball player. Finley's life is a combination of looking after his 'Pop', sitting on his roof with his girlfriend, Erin, and basketball. When his Coach one day asks him to reach out to new student, Russ, as a favour, Finley's life gains a shadow and a friend who continues to go by the name 'Boy21' and believes he is from outer space and has a mission to complete. As the two boys develop a friendship in their town of gangs and racial divides, it becomes clear that their friendship is beneficial for both, as they both hide a past that they are refusing to confront. 

While the synopsis may sound a tiny bit ridiculous when I put it like that, the novel was infact quite breathtaking. I've never read any of Matthew Quick's work and I'll tell you straight away that I will be picking another of his novels up as soon as possible! It's so short and wonderful that I read it in an afternoon. 

There's more than just that synopsis I put together, there's the wonderful characters. (Note-to-self: Stop saying wonderful). Anyway, Finley is wonderful a breath of fresh air as a protagonist. He's a very quiet individual, but one who is always present and never judging. His growth in the novel is outstanding and you can't help but sympathise with him. Russ, or Boy21, was fantastic also. He was so imaginative and caring, there was definitely a sense of connection with the two boys. And finally an ode to Erin, for she was hilarious. Her interactions and mannerisms were so beautiful, you couldn't help but want to be best friends with her. 

The plot itself is intriguing. It can become clear that basketball was the centre of this novel, and that sport gave each boy a drive in their life when they needed it. In reality, however, its their friendship that drives this novel. The time they spend together, unjudging of one another, and discovering each other is what drives this novel and it was great that, although the love interest plays a big part of this novel, friendship was the glue that held together this YA novel, something which I feel is forgotten about with some of my recent YA reads. 

If you get a chance, pick this book up, it's much more powerful and warm (can a book be warm? I'm saying it can) than I first thought and I'm so grateful that Bookbridgr gave me an opportunity to read it. Definitely check it out. ★★★★☆ (4.5)

WE WERE LIARS | Book Review

Title: We Were Liars
Author: E. Lockhart
Originally Published: 2014
Published by: Hot Key Books
Page Count: 225

"We are the Liars.
We are beautiful, privileged and live a life of carefree luxury.
We are cracked and broken.

A story of love and romance.

A tale of tragedy.

Which are lies?
Which is truth?" 

(Source: Goodreads)

It's no lie that this book is huge right now. It has seen growth through the great marketing campaign by Hot Key Books, who have really utilised the power of social media. The #LiarsLiveRead gained trending status on twitter, and there have been countless reviews by booktubers and book bloggers alike. But what is the book actually about?

Like everyone, I feel it would be an injustice to the book to give you any direction of where it's going. All that I will say is that its genre lies within the contemporary side, with tropes of mystery thrown in there for good measure. 

The book is filled with lies. And instead of telling you any of them, I'll note vaguely what I liked/disliked, so you can get a sense of what I thought and whether this is the book for you.

Liked: 

1. The characters, while some are temperamental and incredibly confusing, each person was more than the one dimension they appeared to be in the beginning.
2. The setting was a great choice. 
3. The writing style was fragmented and genius. 

Disliked:

1. I felt the family and setting were not described well enough, it relied way too heavily on the map and family tree at the beginning.
2. The love interest - you knew it'd be in here, it does work well as it fits the nature of the characters but I just can't stand YA romances.

I can be quite critical of YA but this was one of the best YA books I've read. Give it a read this summer, I'm sure Hollywood will get the rights to it. Personally, i'd love it to be made into a small independent film, it would blend perfectly. 


4.5 stars.

BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY | Book Review

Title: Bridget Jones's Diary (Bridget Jones #1)
Author: Helen Fielding
Originally Published: 1996
Published by: Picador
Page Count: 336 pages

I think we all know the story of Bridget Jones by now, but if not, the novel is essentially the thoughts of Bridget, a 30-something singleton, desperate to quit smoking, lose weight and gain a boyfriend. It's all very simple.

The format of the book, obviously, is a diary. The novel is divided into months and each month has a collection of entries throughout that month. The entries can be at times monotonous and contrived. Bridget is so desperate for one man, Daniel (her boss), to take notice of her that many consecutive entries are simply: why hasn't he emailed me back? why doesn't he notice me? why won't he flirt with me? where is he? - One side of me was screaming inside: Get Over It! Why are you so desperate? You don't need a man! But to be fair, Bridget is a pretty good depiction of a lot of people. I have, and I'm sure most people have, spent minutes, hours, days, weeks (maybe - hopefully not), pining over someone to get back to them, to take notice of them. It may be pathetic but sometimes, that's life.

With that aspect of life does come some startling realisation that they're not worth it and your friends have been right this entire time. Which brings me to the characters. Bridget, aside from being desperately single, is incredibly funny. She talks about 'fuckwittage' and things being 'v.g.', she is actually quite interesting to study at times, as I'm sure she is real in many shades of each of us. She messes up, climbs up fireman's poles instead of sliding down them, she's infectious. Her friends are brilliant, albeit stereotyped and one-dimensional at times. Her gay best friend, Tom, epitomises the gay lifestyle that has so been characterised on television. In a way it's insulting but in a way it's also truthful and provides comic relief and sound advice. Bridget's other friends are hilarious, having terrible boyfriends or husbands, and succumbing to the new fad in self-identity and spirituality. They're people you know and people you can laugh and relate with. 
Bridget's mum was a personal favourite, probably showing the main reason Bridget is v. desperate. Her mum's overbearingness is tragic yet relatable (AGAIN!) - I'm sure this is an autobiography and not fiction. The lead male characters of Daniel and Mark are pretty boring. Daniel's a chauvinist, which is good because the novel made me hate him. Mark Darcy is a bit boring and isn't as likeable as one would think. 

I've rambled far too much. Often like Bridget. Her diary extracts do become very narrative-like, with whole conversations put in with speech marks and everything. It's definitely not a realistic diary, but to be fair, I don't think it'd be half as interesting if some conversations weren't transcribed. 

In the end I did enjoy this, it was at times stupid and monotonous but the initial opening became very funny and [trying to find a word that isn't 'relatable']... relevant (?). I don't know. I enjoyed it mostly, but the ending was predictable and boring. I may read the sequel if I need some easy reading. 3.5 stars.

ALLEGIANT | Book Review

Title: Allegiant (Divergent #3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: YA / Dystopian
Published by: HarperCollins Children's
Originally Published: 2013
Page Count: 526 pages

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

(Source: Goodreads)

First of all, I don't want to spoil anything really and didn't want to publish the real blurb here incase anyone stumbles upon this review and finds out plot points to the first and second book, so I'll keep it simple.

The writing of this book was one that we've come to expect and enjoy with Roth. Her writing is effortless and just keeps you turning the page as she has definitely found her writing style. The characters in the book become slightly more developed, especially in regards to Four. We finally get Four's perspective in the book, allowing entry into his thought processes, and into how he sees the conflict going on around him. He does at times come across as petty, which I feel was Roth's intentions but it fell a little flat at times. Tris has continued to grow throughout the novels. The first novel really saw her develop, the second saw her make mistakes, and this final novel sees Tris learn from her mistakes and essentially become a really strong person, let alone a strong protagonist. We are introduced to new characters from whom, come answers. The whole of the series has been based on the faction system that has dominated society, separating you into either Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless or Erudite, depending on how your mind works and how you view society. Tris, finding out she's 'Divergent' in book one, and that she doesn't fit into either of these still has much relevance in the third book as it did in the first. I feel like what Roth did is what many writers fail to do, especially with dystopian, and that is explain how everything came about and what everything meant. 

It does become pretty complex at times and you become pretty unsure on who are actually 'the good guys' as there are many different groups in turmoil with each other. It does seem like one conflict after another. Yet this conflict provides some brilliant metaphors for today. I feel that Roth perfectly conveyed how corrupt society can become by trying to change someone, trying to fit them into a box of what you see as normal. It's something that's been done many times yet Roth did make it very interesting. 

With the dual perspectives the novel found some flaws. Tris and Four are together for a massive portion of the novel, and the chapters continue to switch between the two of them. With Roth having her identifiable writing style, it was sometimes hard to determine whose chapter you were in until it referenced the other protagonist. It became unnecessarily confusing and often tedious. It's when the pair aren't together that this really works and you get to see both sides of their stories and of the action that novel provides (although, comparatively little in regards to the first two books). 

I must note how slow the middle became, I feel the only reason I was continuing was because I was on a high from seeing the film that had just come out. 

The ending was brilliant, all answers had been provided, all loose ends tied up. And although it was a predictable ending it's one I enjoyed and thought was very powerful. A little slow at times, yet still a good ending to a great series.

4 stars.

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN | Book Review

Title: The Five People You Meet In Heave
Author: Mitch Albom
Genre: Fiction / "Inspirational"
Published by: Time Warner Paperbacks
Originally Published: 2005
Page Count: 208 pages

The novel's protagonist is an elderly amusement park maintenance worker named Eddie who, while operating a ride called the 'Free Fall', dies while trying to save a young girl who gets in the way of a falling cart that hurtles to earth. Eddie goes to heaven, where he meets five people who were unexpectedly instrumental in some way in his life. While each guide takes him through heaven, Eddie learns a little bit more about what his time on earth meant, what he was supposed to have learned, and what his true purpose on earth was. Throughout there are dramatic flashbacks where we see scenes from his troubled childhood, his years in the army in the Philippines jungle, and with his first and only love, his wife Marguerite

(Source: Goodreads)

There's something about this book that just immediately appeals to me. It's such an interesting concept that one would probably love to actually happen. Wouldn't it be great that once you die you meet 5 people connected to you in some way, who explain your life and with that you learn about yourself and about how the world works? I think it's fascinating.

Unfortunately, I felt the premise was far greater than anything achieved in the final print.  The characters were just uninteresting. I didn't really care for anything that happened to them. Yes, we know Eddie, the protagonist, is bound to die; the opening pages are marked with a countdown to his demise. But do we actually care what happens to him, do we care about the people in his life? If I'm being honest, I wanted it to be more sentimental. I was expecting some heart-wrenching story about Eddie, I was expecting some philosophical (do I say crap?) statements that are completely ridiculous but also have me weeping and feeling ashamed with myself for doing so. But we don't get this. Instead we get a series of events of a quite boring man being told that his life had some sort of purpose. 

I don't know if it's the cynic in me but I just couldn't connect with the emotions that the book was trying to unearth. The person who lent me the book said they cried their way through it; the closest I came to feeling any emotions was towards the ending, which kind of had the shred of sentimentality and philosophicalness that I so desired. Maybe my issue with this is that I want to be philosophical but my mind just refuses to be.

Overall, it wasn't a waste of my time. I enjoyed aspects such as the messages that the book seemed to possess but I just didn't get what I expected and for that I was sort of let down. 2 stars.

ONE DAY | Book Review

Title: One Day
Author: David Nicholls
Genre: Fiction / Contemporary
Published by: Hodder 

Originally Published: 2009
Page Count: 435

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? 
Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

(Source: Goodreads)

My relationship with this book is a rather fond one. It will from now on remind me of long soaks, train rides, and my time in the Lake District last summer. I've been reading it for so long in theory; having had to put it down after I initially started it as it belonged to the cottage I was staying in. 

Although the storyline is one of cliché, I still enjoyed it immensely. The character of Emma is incredibly likeable and reminded me of myself a great deal. It's scary at how much, I just hope I don't have the shitty jobs she seems to end up in, although, I feel that is an inevitable part of my upcoming future. She was fresh and witty, with strong emotions and a definable personality. She has an identity crisis, almost, at the end of the book, which shows how life changes you. Dexter was infuriating at times and sometimes a boring cliché, it was a little predictable the paths he would take. Dexter probably typifies the male lead in this genre of romance or chick lit, but because I've not read much of this genre he's predictable but not something I have encountered often. I can see why avid romance readers are a bit bored of the Dexters in romantic fiction. 

The writing was colloquial and perfect. It wasn't overly pretentious or stupidly simple, it had the right balance that related well to its protagonists. The main issue I had with the book, inevitably, was its premise. It is 'one day' of this couple's life, the same day, year after year. And like normal people, not every day is interesting, it becomes tedious and sometimes infuriating that we did not get to witness the immediate impact of the events. The chapters that stood out came at the beginning and the end of the novel. The book is split into five parts and the last part was brilliant, if not a bit too sentimental. 

Overall, a fun read for someone uneducated in the genre. 4.5 stars. 

FAHRENHEIT 451 | Book Review

Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Genre: Dystopian / Sci-fi
Published by: Harper Collins
Originally Published: 1953
Page Count: 211


Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down these dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

(Source: Goodreads)

I've wanted to read this book for a long time. Mesmerised by its beautiful cover and interesting premise it's been a book I've wanted to own since I heard about it. 

The characters in this book are fascinating, while I would argue there is too much detachment from the characters, they still upheld my interest. Montag is a fascinating protagonist, he questions things, his constant paranoia, and his relationships with other characters were interesting. His wife, Mildred, epitomised the typical person that this dystopian world was trying to create, someone who didn't ask questions, someone who absorbed themselves in the world around them. While, the station's chief was also brilliantly written, there was an element of unhingedness that kept me reading. 

The writing was beautiful, it'd be kind of insulting to call it prose due to its poetic nature. It felt rather bizarre to read such a beautiful book in which the characters were actively trying to destroy such a medium of expression. Sometimes I felt the novel didn't quite attain the balance of speech and thought/description, it seemed rather long-winded in its attempts to describe a situation, but juxtaposed to this it also had scenes that were abrupt, which I believe were completely the author's intent, though it still threw me a little bit. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience reading this. It didn't live completely up to expectations, but what does? A modern classic that has given me the drive to finally attempt George Orwell's 1984. ★★★★☆

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER | Book Review

Title: The Yellow Wallpaper
Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Originally Published: 1890
Page Count: 21 pages (on kindle)

As a history student it is rare that I get assigned fictional books to read, so when my module for American History (1865-1989) had this as seminar reading I was so excited to finally be able to fully engross myself in the seminar work for once in my life. Even though I study history I do often respond more to fiction. It gives a sense of author's perspective but more poetically and metaphorically, it gives a sense of time, a sense of emotions, and I think a lot of history professors/lecturers overlook that. 

Back to the book - this is a short classic novel documenting one woman's entrapment in a rented-out house's nursery. The character is kept in the room to help her rest and relax, but the story has increasingly creepy elements to it. 

There's only so much one can say in a short metaphorical piece of literature and Gilman seems to do it effortlessly; she offers a stream of consciousness that not only can be seen as one woman's descent into madness or depression but also as a metaphor for feminism. The character is repressed, none more so by her husband, John, a physician. The character begins to see things in the ugly wallpaper, she believes there's a code to it, and suddenly she cracks it and is desperate to break the chains and bars that hold her in place.

The whole metaphor of entrapment and emancipation is documented in its final sentence, an ambiguous yet fitting end. 

I've seen a lot of people wanting to read many 'bigger' books this year, people wanting to read a certain amount of books, and yet my aim is also to read more of these shorter books, especially if they're classics. I want to be able to immerse myself more in 19th and early 20th century literature and appreciate them because it's something I've rarely done before.

And because of that and the story's fantastic writing, there is only one rating I can award it, and that's: ★★★★★

Friday Reads | 10th January 2014

So the last Friday reads post that I wrote up was a complete fail. I remain on page 300 of 'The Lost Hero' by Rick Riordan due to my attention wavering and action lacking. 

However, I haven't been that bad this week, having read 'Sharp Objects' by Gillian Flynn and 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin - both excellent novels!

But this Friday I shall be reading: 

'Never Coming Back' (David Raker #4) by Tim Weaver is the fourth in a series of crime novels, following David Raker who deals with finding missing people and bringing them back into the light.

I haven't actually read any of the other novels in the series but I'm hoping that I can find my place easily with it. So far it hints at a past to the characters, one I'm not sure was explored in the earlier books but I'm guessing it was so. I'm keeping up, though.

This novel follows Raker after a woman called Emily Kane comes to him after the disappearance of her sister and her family. It becomes evident that there's something more sinister at play here, and it's up to Raker to find out what. 

It has an interesting premise, i'm on page 46 at the moment and so far it's had a great start. Hopefully I'll stick to this read. 

Thanks for reading and i'll talk soon, 

Robert.

SHARP OBJECTS | Book Review

Title: Sharp Objects
Author: Gillian Flynn
Genre: Crime / Thriller 
Published by: Phoenix
Originally Published: 2006
Page Count: 321

If you've read my blog or watched my youtube, it's definitely clear that my love for Gillian Flynn's books is a strong one. She writes in such a gritty and macabre fashion that you can't help turning the page till you reach the intense finale the novel has to offer. 

This novel follows Camille Preaker, who after escaping her sad childhood has moved to Chicago to write as a reporter. Whilst there, her boss informs her of a shocking story that has tongues wagging in Camille's hometown; the death of a child who was found strangled and with her teeth pulled out. Now another child is missing, and Camille returns home to uncover the truth and astound her readers. 

The novel works from this basic premise, we've seen it before, I'm sure. Yet something feels entirely different. Camille hints at a darker past; her sister died when she was young and the novel's title 'Sharp Objects' takes on a meaning that becomes incredibly compelling and interesting. 

Flynn's writing style is one to be desired as always, she shocks the reader but it doesn't always feel like she's writing it for that purpose; it's to gain a sense of character. I've said it before and I'll say it again, she definitely understands her characters. From the protagonist, who is oddly likeable in comparison to Flynn's other protagonists, to the over-sensitive mother, right down to the brother of the murdered child. Everyone has a certain psyche that as a reader you want to explore. 

The plot itself is astounding. There's some tried and tested plot points like the sexy cop, the bitchy popular girl, and the whole idea of a woman returning to her hometown to uncover secrets of her past is incredibly generic. Yet, it all accumulates to present an intense finale.

The mystery itself is by no means unsolvable, but that's not the point. The point is the story, the arc of the characters. The psychology of the murderer, of Camille, of the whole bitch-infested town. Yes, every woman in the town seems like they know everyone else's business and try to exploit it in such a way. Some may say a tired cliché, but it's one that definitely adds to the novel, and once you reach the conclusion to Flynn's debut novel everything becomes clear and sickening.

The novel is, to use a cliché for thrillers, gripping. The final few chapters were very tense, something that after reading Flynn's later novels is something she's established very well as an author. I don't think this is Flynn's best work. Dark Places and Gone Girl show an author developing her ideas and putting lessons into practice. Sharp Objects is not the best novel I've read, but the themes and sickening characters make you want to return to Flynn for more. Sadly, I've read all Flynn's published thrillers and I have to wait for more books to be published or for the Hollywood adaptations that are coming away in the next year. GONE GIRL HAS A DATE IN OCTOBER! 

Overall, an astounding debut novel for Flynn with the final Epilogue being the best ending to a Flynn thriller I've read yet. It was emotional and poignant, and has overall made me very unnerved. Fantastic!  - ★★★★★ -