What I've been reading

So, I've just realised how long it has been since I wrote a bookish post or a review! I have updated my 2012 list, and will give you a quick run down of my favourite books over the last couple of months.

Fantasy

I have discovered that I actually really like some fantasy books! I seem to like what I believe are called urban fantasy that have quite a grounding in reality. Or as I like to call them "here with a hint of fantasy".

I have really enjoyed books by Ben Aaronovitch, Paul Magrs and Jasper Fforde.

I have read all three of the books in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch and have absolutely loved them. In order, they are Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Underground.They follow Peter Grant, a young Police Officer in the Met as he discovers a new magical world right on his doorstep in London and ends up joining the wizarding division of the Met. He meets a whole host of creatures whilst investigating a series of imaginative crimes and mopping up the mess they leave.

It sounds a bit like what would happen if Harry Potter grew up and joined the Police force, but is much more witty and clever than that. All three books are truly works of genius full of brilliant characters and give a real sense of place as they describe the detail of central London. They are really fun, very tongue in cheek and definitely not children's books! I would highly recommend the series.

I have also read the first in the series of the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair.

I had been meaning to read this for ages and was recommended it by a friend when I couldn't decide what to read from my ever growing TBR pile!

The plot is based in an alternative world to where we live now where fantasy is reality and the dodo are being kept as pets. I really enjoyed the alternative reality element of the book as it mentioned a variety of historical events which ended up with very different endings including an independent, but very scary Wales!

Thursday Next works for what is in effect, the book police. Her job is to investigate literature based crimes and she ends up working on a case where the bad guy gets a chance to travel into classic works of literature and change the story, or threaten worse!

I thought the story was fast paced, with a lot going on, but was written in such a way that it was easy to keep up with the characters and events. I found it quite similar to the Rivers of London books, but also very different. I am looking forward to reading more from the series, and more from Jasper Fforde!

New writers

I discovered this book purely by chance as I saw it in a shop and was drawn to the cover. I know this is a very shallow way to choose books, but it tends to work for me (most of the time!).

The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen is a book about a young girl who lives in what seems to be the South Wales Valleys in the 1980s with her widowed father.

Judith is a ten year old girl who is seen as being different by her school mates, due to her "strange" ways and the fact that her and her father are immersed in an unnamed non-denomination religion. Judith is confronted with strikes at the local factory, bullying, vandalism and other major events which she believes are being caused by the model town she has made from old rubbish in her bedroom. I really connected with Judith as she reminded me of myself as a child.

I loved the way that this book was written and was actually very surprised that it wasn't longlisted for the Man Booker this year. I am looking forward to seeing more from this new writer and would highly recommend this book.

I have read more than this, but these are my top picks! I have also enjoyed some chick lit from Talli Roland and Jane Costello, and some humour in the form of the "Queen"'s diaries, Gin O'Clock.

I have listed all of the books I have read this year on the 2012 page, and will do my best to review at least some of my books for the rest of the year! I also rate and review over on goodreads. If you are on the site, please feel free to look at my shelves!

Sex sells

So, apparently sex sells. Not only does it sell cars, chocolate, perfume and music, but now it has crept unannounced into the world of literature to sell its seedy wares.

Books have suddenly got sexy, and erotica is now nothing to be ashamed of. I’m fully for people reading things that they enjoy and if a book gets people reading, then that’s great. But why does it have to be something so seedy?

An example of book porn

Personally, I think this upsurge in naughty books has been fuelled by the ebook phenomenon and the rise in self publishing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-Kindle, I am a proud owner of a device myself. I am also not against Indie writers as I have read some brilliant Indie writing.

The Kindle has given the opportunity for people to read what they like, without those around them being able to see and judge. When I’m in London, I do like to see what people are reading on the train or the tube, but I also feel a pang of pride when I see someone reading on a Kindle as they are walking along, risking their life at the edge of the platform as in some ways I see Kindles as a mark of a dedicated reader and in some cases a true book lover.

I suppose some people must get a kick out of reading some “erotic” fiction in a public place, but it is not for me. The Kindle chart is now full of erotica with the types of names and descriptions I would imagine you would find on some sort of snuff movie. When does fiction become porn? Just because it doesn’t have pictures does that make it any less pornographic in reality?

This latest book craze has moved into the paperback arena too. The Fifty Shades series is topping sales charts and I have seen that many book shops have sold out of the trilogy. I am seeing people talking about it on social networks constantly and giving it rave reviews.

I did wonder if it was just me being strange and prudish by not wanting to read badly written porn, but I have discussed this with my good friend Elaine and she wholeheartedly agrees with me. And has even written a blog post about it herself. Go check it out. You’ll like it!

So when you are looking for a book to read, and fancy downloading something new, just say no to the covers featuring naked torsos and manicured talons. Try something a little different. There are plenty of good books out there, and there is plenty of great chick lit if you fancy something a bit lighter with a hint of sex.

Down with the book porn! 

Book Review: Pear Shaped

Pear Shaped by Stella Newman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had read some good things about this book and managed to get it fairly cheap on the Kindle.

I enjoy chick lit as long as it's not too fluffy and has a good story. This was exactly this. It has a few underlying storylines which work well with the main plot of the romance. The main character is well formed and likeable, even when she was doing things that you knew wouldn't turn out too well.

The story is well paced and kept me wanting to read more. I believe Stella Newman is good enough to be up there with Marian Keyes, Jane Costello and the other chick lit greats.

I would definitely read more of her work as it has everything I like in a good piece of chick lit, humour, romance and a bit of a serious side.

View all my reviews

Creative writing: Men

I don’t need men. I can get on better in life without them. No trouble or stress. And it’s cheaper to pay someone to do the odd jobs when you factor in the injuries and mistakes usually made.

I went along to the local hardware shop to see if Mr Jones knew of any reliable handymen (tsk, I know, a reliable man!) and he gave me the number of David.

When I called him he agreed to come straight round to have a look at all of the jobs that had been bodged by my ex.

When I opened the door, I was speechless. He was beautiful.

I needed this man and was going to make him mine. I asked him a few questions whilst leaning across the table as he drank his tea.

The gist of it is that he isn’t single and “her” name is Geraint. Bloody men.

Book review: Horse Play

I've just finished reading the latest installment in Jo Carnegie's Churchminster series and enjoyed it, although I wouldn't say it was my favourite in the series.

It's another chick lit style bonkbuster (I love this term!) where we meet some new characters and get reunited with old friends in the village of Churchminster.

I like the fact that this series is so enjoyable and can be read at face value. And the fact that Heat magazine has described it as "the new SATC - Sex and the Countryside".

The new characters were fun, although I found this book a little harder to get into than the rest of the series, and at around 600 pages it was a tiny bit long for this type of book. But both minor things as I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to Jo Carnegie's next book (which I have read is set in a new village with new characters).

I would recommend this book to chick lit fans who don't mind books being a bit sexy (but don't worry, it's not a full on graphic Mills and Boon style novel!). In places it was hilariously funny and in others I had a tear in my eye. A good book for a bit of escapism from the normal day to day stuff!

Book Review: Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts

This Christmas novella was a freebie on Kindle and my first foray into e-book reading.

The story being set in a new museum really grabbed me as anyone who knows me knows how I love museums. I used to work in an open air museum with about 50 buildings set out as if the people who lived there had just popped out so I loved the ideas for the exhibition in this book. I digress!

The main character Rose is really likeable and she becomes the assistant curator at the Museum of Broken Hearts, even if she was the last choice of the owner, Heath.

Even though this was only a short story, it is written in the way that the story could easily be turned into a full novel or be used a prequel for further stories about these characters.

It was heartwarming and enjoyable without being over the top romantic and I really enjoyed it! I will definitely read more by Talli Roland and have downloaded another of her books to make a start on in the New Year.

Book Review: Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married

I've just finished reading Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes and I really enjoyed reading it.

The book is about a girl called Lucy Sullivan who visits a fortune teller and is told that she is going to get married within the next year. The story that follows this follows Lucy as she goes for the wrong type of men on her quest to meet Mr Right and has to deal with her alcoholic father and her own demons in the form of depression and cripplingly low self esteem.

This part particularly struck a chord with me as how she felt about herself and described her depression was in a way a little too close to home for me. I'm glad that Marian Keyes has written this and that it obviously reflects her own experiences. It's just another small step to showing that it's nothing to be ashamed of and is just an illness which affects a lot of people and you need to learn to live with.

I found the ending of the story a little predictable, but hey, this is chick lit and this is why we love it!

All in all, I really enjoyed the book. The story itself was engaging and the characters were really vivid and easily imaginable, which I liked.

I would recommend this book to any Marian Keyes fans and I can't wait for her 2 new releases in 2012!

Book Review: The Other Side of the Story

I'm a little late posting this but I finished reading The Other Side of the Story on the weekend.

I really enjoyed reading it and was really engrossed in the character's stories! It was based around 3 main characters and they all featured in the books in separate sections. I liked this as it was easier to keep track of each character and also was a bit like reading 3 books in one. I also liked that this book was a book about writing books and really inspired me as I'm starting my Creative Writing course in January (still need to mention about this!).

My favourite character was Gemma as she was the funniest and the person I could identify with the most.

I was a little disappointed with the ending as it was a little predictable but the book was tied up nicely at the end and you knew what everyones future would be. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to Marian Keyes fans!

Chick lit

I'm not sure how other people feel about chick lit but I've become quite partial to reading a bit of chick lit now and again. It didn't used to be my type of thing, but I quite enjoy the stories and they are generally a bit of easy reading. I like to think of chick lit as a bit of a palate cleanser between reading more full on books.
I'm not into mills and boon or Jackie Collins or other "bonkbuster" type books. I prefer Marian Keyes and Jo Carnegie and other similar authors.
I've just finished reading Sleeping Arrangements which was written by Sophie Kinsella but published under her real name, Madeleine Wickham. It was enjoyable enough but the storyline was a bit weak. It was a good mind clearer before starting on my next pile of books - the Man Booker shortlist.
I have uploaded a picture of my cat Bruce sitting on top of Sleeping Arrangements whilst he was watching tv. He's a cutie but a pain in the bum!