If Not Now, When?

I have wanted to read a book by Primo Levi for some time now. One of my teachers at my University frequently spoke about him and his works during a class I took last year. Ever since then I have been curious to see what his books are like. Then, by chance (as if the Book Gods were smiling down on me) I managed to find If Not Now, When?. It didn't take me long to see why my teacher was so impressed with Levi...

Primo Levi was a Holocaust survivor who wrote books about WWII and what it was like to be Jewish at that time. One of his most famous books is If This Is A Man which is about his time in Auschwitz. He is known for being one of the leading writers of the Holocaust because he is able to lay bare the terrible tragedy that occurred and talk about it in such an honest way.

If Not Now, When? follows a group of Jewish resistance fighters as they attempt to sabotage the German army during WWII. Along the way they overcome many struggles such as persecution, hunger, cold, relationships, and loss of faith. I have to say that I really loved this book. I think Levi does a really good job of allowing the reader to feel part of the group. We learn about their hopes and dreams, we laugh with them, we cry with them, we fear for them when things start to get hairy, and above all, we want them to succeed. Because of this, the events and the characters within the novel stayed with me long after I had finished reading it.

Another intriguing thing about this novel is that it is both humorous and devastating at the same time. Here's a prime example of this:
There's a part in the book where a character (called Leonid) dies but the reader, like the rest of the characters, doesn't have time to dwell on it because other, and more serious, action is occurring. Then a few pages later, after the action has ceased, another character, Mendel, makes it known that everyone in the camp has forgotten about Leonid's death. This instantly made me feel both sad and guilty because I too had forgotten about poor Leonid. But then on the next page the characters at the camp start discussing and joking about circumcision and I found myself laughing. I think it's very clever the way that Levi can make you bitterly sad and contemplative one minute, because the story itself is so poignant, and then make you laugh the next. This is an aspect of the book which I found to be the most unique and the most interesting.

I think that most people associate WWII novels with being depressing and miserable. There are times in If Not Now, When? where you do feel depressed and miserable. Yet, at the same time, the novel is filled with hope. There is joy and laughter amongst the tragedy and despair, and that's what makes it such an interesting and informative read.

Bad Science

Reading Ben Goldacre's book, Bad Science, was such a contrast from the usual books I read. To start off with, it's non-fiction (say what!) Now don't get me wrong, I like a bit of non-fiction every now and then (being a history buff and science enthusiast, it's nice to sink you're teeth into something 'factual' once in a while) but I am, primarily, a fiction fiend. So when I finally sat down to read this book (it's been on my book shelf for like three years now!) I was pleasantly surprised. It's brilliant!

First things first: Goldacre is hilarious! His book is about science (which you have probably noticed from the title, I'm just stating the obvious) and the terrible stuff people are willing to believe about science when they don't have any reliable evidence to support their claims. In the book, he discusses topics such as the ridiculousness of homeopathy, pointless diet fads, and how good the media is at distorting science facts. He backs up all his points with cold hard evidence, but tells it all in a funny way which appeals to both the science-y and not so science-y ones among us. Even though he is an exceptionally witty writer, Goldacre never shies away from the message of his book: people need to demand to see the evidence behind scientific claims, look at things with a more critical eye, and to stop believing in things just because it's written down somewhere!

As a science major, I've always appreciated the ability to question things and to not take everything at face value. I find it important to research things and to look at several sources in order to get the big picture. And if one source contradicts another, I don't throw it in the bin, I try to find out why it is contradictory and what this adds to my perception of the 'bigger picture'. This all just seems logical to me, so why doesn't everybody else do it? That, I think, is what's so scary about this book: the fact that there are people out there who just believe in everything they read and they don't think for themselves! That may make me sound a little naive. I know that not everyone is like me (I'm a huge nerd and I'm aware of it) but reading some kind of 'science fact' in a crappy newspaper and believing it wholeheartedly just seems beyond ridiculous. And more importantly, how do these crappy newspapers, like the Daily Mail, get away with telling people that things such as aspirin and honey cause cancer! (Take a look at this video from one of my favourite comedians, Russell Howard, to see what else the Daily Mail claims causes cancer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFfWykH05Gw)

One final comment about Bad Science...One of the most shocking things about the book were the chapters on how scientists and pharmaceutical companies 'fiddle' with data (they don't necessarily make numbers up, but they get rid of evidence that does not support their claim and that's almost the same kind of thing) so that they can sell their products. This is so ethically wrong and it makes me furious! These are the people who are testing medicines and supplying them to us, but they don't actually care if these drugs make us better or not as long as they're filling their pockets!

I do realise that this has been my most angry post thus far. This is just a topic that is close to my heart and this book has given me a lot to think about! I hope that this blog post has encouraged you to continue being (or start being) critical about the things you read, science related or otherwise.

Frankenstein

I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for one of my literature courses last year and I wasn't very impressed by it. So when it cropped up as reading material for a different class I'm taking this year, I jumped at the chance to try it again and to hopefully change my opinion of it.

Unfortunately that didn't happen exactly as I would have liked it to. I still dislike it as a whole, but I think reading it a second time around has allowed me to notice things I didn't notice before, and thus I can safely say that I appreciate it a lot more (you don't have to like something to appreciate it do you?)

My main issue with this book is the writing style. I feel like Shelley writes really slowly. That probably doesn't make much sense to you, so let me try to explain what I mean...
The concept of the plot (a mad scientist creates a terrible monster and shit goes down as the body count goes up!) initially sounds so exciting. However, it takes so long to get to the juicy, exciting bits that by the time we reach them, they don't pack a punch and I've lost interest. During the novel the monster kills some of the characters (should have warned you, but *spoiler alert*) and even that didn't feel as exciting as it should have! We, as the reader, do not experience the killing from the monster's point of view, we only hear about it from the narrator. That was disappointing for me because I really wanted to see them! (What does that say about me I wonder?) But I guess that since the narrator wasn't there, we are not either. The novel is often labelled as a gothic horror story, and so as I was reading it I really expected (and wanted) to feel scared, but it just fell a little flat.

Yet saying all that, as I read the novel a second time I was able to notice, and pay more attention to, the social commentary that Shelley provides. One of the main themes of the novel is technology and the abuse of it. Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster, is obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge (remind you of anyone...Faust perhaps?) He is fueled by his own pride and personal gain. He can not see the consequences of creating such a monster until it is too late. Maybe we can see some parallels between how Victor uses science and technology in the novel and the way we use it now? Many people feel that science today has gone too far. It defies and manipulates the laws of nature into things that are obscene, just like Frankenstein does when he creates life. Perhaps Shelley is warning us against getting too carried away with our desire to control and manipulate the natural world and the natural order of things. Otherwise Frankenstein's downfall could be our own...

And with that dark thought, I shall end this blog entry. Until next time!

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray for the first time a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. I read it again last week and was reminded with why I fell in love with it in the first place!

To start with, it's so wonderfully written. Wilde's writing style is so fluid and elegant, it's such a pleasure to read. And the story itself is so gripping! Young and beautiful Dorian Gray accidentally (and unwillingly) sells his soul so that he can stay young and beautiful forever. Instead, a portrait of him absorbs and reflects all his wrong doings. Dorian uses this to his advantage and begins to experience things of a more unseemly nature (particularly for a 19th century audience). Before long the portrait looks demonic and is forever tainted, whilst Dorian remains looking pure and never ages, but he is far from innocent!

The novel primarily addresses the theme of aestheticism. Within the narrative, Wilde touches upon the absurdity of beauty, as well as how destructive it can be. The novel also contains Faustian elements; Dorian surrenders his moral integrity in order to live a life of pure pleasure, with little disregard for others. The character of Lord Henry represents the Devil of Faustian mythology. It is Lord Henry who encourages Dorian to act on his impulses and desires without fear of consequence. He corrupts Dorian's initial purity and innocence by tempting him into a life of hedonism.

The development of Dorian's character allows the reader to be sucked into his world. We are able to witness his corruption and destruction which keeps us gripped in the narrative. Wilde is very good at causing readers to simultaneously sympathise with Dorian (because it is clear that Lord Henry manipulates him) and yet hate him at the same time (because he has little disregard for other people.) And it is this aspect of the novel, in my opinion, which makes it so unbelievably great!

Since I have always found Wilde to be so very witty and enlightened, I thought I would end this blog post with some of my favourite quotes from the novel:

• “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
• “Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.”
• “Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had known how to laugh, History would have been different.”
• “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”
• “Some things are more precious because they don't last long."
• “Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” 

Hopefully they've inspired you to give the book a go!

The Bard and Me

I usually write about novels, but today I have decided to write about plays, Shakespeare's plays! I personally think his plays are great but I feel that he is widely misunderstood. A lot of people are terrified of reading Shakespeare. They find his plays difficult to understand and interpret. They feel that the plays are not necessary to read because the language is so different and so old fashioned. I disagree wholeheartedly. Even though the language can be difficult to understand at times, Shakespeare is so applicable to today; his stories are timeless! They discuss themes such as love, family feuds and friendship. They even reappear in popular culture. I bet you didn't know that the movie 10 Things I Hate About You is actually based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew!

                                                      

My mum enjoys watching Shakespeare's plays but she finds them difficult to read. I can totally understand that, especially since English is not even her first language. She thinks that part of the reason why I enjoy reading the plays as much as I enjoy watching them, is because I've been 'taught' to read them. Coming from the UK, we pretty much study Shakespeare religiously. The first play I remember reading was Romeo and Juliet. My English teacher was incredible. He would give us all a part to read and we would even be allowed to act scenes out in class. He also encouraged us to analyse the plays in terms of their context and their significance to us, as modern students. I think that this is when I fell in love with Shakespeare. I realised how clever Shakespeare was, how he embedded sonnets into certain scenes (in particular the ones about love, since sonnets are regarded as romantic poetry), how he used humour and wit and how he invented many new words.

My favourite play is King Lear. I love the character of Edmund so much! He's a Machiavellian villain and he's so evil! This is what makes him interesting (I'm really not a fan of soppy, romantic, wet characters) and he has to be one of my favourite characters of all time. Interestingly, in terms of Shakespeare's characters, I also like Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet and Iago from Othello, who are both also Machiavellian villains. I think there's something attractive about a selfish and ambitious character, maybe because their behaviour is rather removed from anyone I know in real life. And I think I must have a masochistic streak in me because I much prefer tragedies to comedies. I think King Lear is my favourite Shakespeare play because I found it so devastating. In the beginning of the play, King Lear decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. He declares that he'll offer the largest share to the daughter who loves him best. However, his youngest, and favourite, daughter Cordelia refuses to play her father's game because she says that there are no proper words that could possibly express the love she has for him. She speaks bluntly, but honestly, to her father. Because of this, Lear  becomes angry and banishes Cordelia from the kingdom. Lear's need for his daughters' affections become his downfall as things turn from bad to worse, and by the end of the play, most of the characters are dead. As well as this, there is a sub plot with Edmund and his half brother Edgar. Edmund is a bastard son (his parents were not married when he was born) and so when his father dies, Edgar is the only one who will inherit (due to the ancient law of primogeniture). This makes Edmund understandably angry and he comes up with a clever, but evil, plan to get his fair share. However, by the end of the play, he too meets a sticky end.
I think this play is so exciting. So much goes on and the character interaction is great. There are several points when we, as the audience, know things that the characters do not which adds to my appreciation of the play. If you haven't really read many Shakespeare plays before, then maybe you should leave this one till a bit later because I did find it a bit difficult to get into. I think that Shakespeare's comedies are much easier to read than his tragedies, even though I do prefer the latter.

Hopefully this post has made you think about picking up a Shakespeare play soon. Even if you're not a fan of reading plays in general (I understand that's it's quite hard because plays are meant to be watched, not read) maybe you can try watching a play either on stage or on the screen. There are many great movie adaptations. The Hollow Crown series for instance covers Shakespeare's second tetrology (which contains: Richard II, Henry IV Part 1 and 2 and Henry V.) This series has amazing reviews and brilliant actors, so definitely look into it if you can. 

You haven't read a book by Ray Bradbury? Well, what are you waiting for?!

Ray Bradbury has to be one of my favourite authors. I discovered him purely by accident before I realised that he is a really popular author, particularly in America. A lot of American High School reading lists include Bradbury's books, but, having grown up in the UK, I had never heard of him! I first heard about it when I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds (I can't remember which episode exactly.) In the episode, a dead man was found, covered in tattoos. One of the main characters (Dr Spencer Reid to be precise- if you watch CM then you'll know who I'm talking about, and if you don't it doesn't really matter for the purpose of this blog post) then talked about how the victim reminded him of Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man. The book was about a man with tattoos which become animated and tell stories.This sparked my interest and before I knew it I was on Amazon and had purchased the book! It didn't disappoint! The book itself consists of short stories which are tied together by the frame device of the illustrated man. The stories all have a science fiction theme (which I absolutely loved because I'm quite the sci-fi fan) and are rather frightening in places, but that's what appealed to me the most. I'm usually not a big fan of 'scary' things, but I really enjoyed this book. I think that Bradbury has a real talent of making things 'not as they seem' as each story really interrogates the issues of technology and the psychology of individuals. Several of the stories focus on the relationship people have with technology and how this relationship has changed and shaped them. I found this so very interesting because even though the book was written in 1951, so much of it is applicable today as we live in such a technology dependent world! I think that this book was the perfect start to my Bradbury obsession...

Since I enjoyed The Illustrated Man so much, I was eager to read more from Bradbury. Then I found Fahrenheit 451. This book has often been regarded as Bradbury's best novel and it's part of the dystopian genre so I knew that I would love it! However, I initially found it a bit difficult to get into. I felt that the beginning was a little confusing and disjointed and I wasn't so sure of where the story was going. That quickly changed though and I fell in love with the book! The novel is about a time in the future when books are banned. Instead of putting out fires, firemen have become book burners and it is their job to ensure all books are destroyed. The novel centers around one of the firemen who becomes curious about all the books that he has to burn. He decides to read a few (illegally of course) and his life is never the same again. Once I had finished the book, it was very easy to see why this is seen as Bradbury's best work. It's such an amazing read! The novel acts as a warning against censorship and highlights the importance of being an individual. It explores the evil that is mass media and how mass media can influence and suppress societies. These kind of messages, I feel, are very important, particularly now as we live in an era that is dominated by the media. Therefore, I would recommend this book to everyone as both the prose, and their morals, are too good to pass up.

Fun fact: the title of the novel refers to the temperature in which paper will spontaneously ignite (for all you non Americans out there, that's about 233 Celsius.)

The last book I want to talk about is called Something Wicked This Way Comes. This book was equally as exciting, equally as beautiful and equally as frightening as the other two. It's about two boys, Jim and Will, who experience a travelling carnival. But the carnival is not what it seems. It is hellish and holds many secrets! The boys discover these secrets, at a price of course, and their friendship is put to the test. There is an air of mystery that surrounds this novel, and that's what makes it so exciting! Again, there were some scenes which I did find a little scary but I still really enjoyed the book. I found the relationship between Jim and Will to be very touching because it is their friendship which saves them in the end (saves them from what? I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to read the book.) Here's one of the quotes that stuck with me: "That’s friendship, each playing the potter to see what shapes we can make of the other." I really like this quote because it's so true! It's such a lovely image to think that friends shape each other into the people that they are. Which brings me on to my next point: the book is so beautifully written with such poetic imagery. This is something that I really enjoyed. And so, with its lovely literary style and its Gothic plot line, this novel is a must read!

I hope this blog post has inspired you to go out and read some Bradbury novels. Trust me, you won't regret it! They will/might (depending on the type of person you are) make you scared, they will keep you entertained and, above all, they will make you think!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's not just for kids you know!

One of my favourite books in the whole wide world is Road Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! I've read it more than 100 times (when I was quite young I used to get to the end of the book and then start it all over again) and it still never fails to make me laugh out loud.

It was one of the first books I packed when I moved to university. Whenever I feel like I'm having a bad day I just re-read and it cheers me up immensely. I've even started to recommend it to some of my closest friends (I've actually been forcing them to read it, but you know, potato, poh-tato). And I suggest that if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely get your hands on a copy and read it soon! You won't regret it, trust me :)

I'm such a big fan it's unreal. I've seen both movies multiple times (I grew up with the Gene Wilder version but the Johnny Depp one is a closer adaptation of the book, so I still haven't decided which one I like better.) I've even been to see it on stage at the theater. I also quote from the book during conversations with friends. You'd be surprised about the number of conversations we have about chocolate...

I think that I keep going back to it because I love the characters so much. Charlie's the best! He's pure of heart and innocent, and his home life is so crappy that you can't help but feel ecstatic when he finds that golden ticket. The other children are hilarious. Augustus, Violet, Veruca and Mike are all completely beastly and totally horrid and so it's extremely funny when they all meet a sticky end. The Oompa Loompa songs help too. Each one is absolute genius! I have a habit of reading the songs aloud to myself (this gets a bit awkward when I'm in a public place), which adds to the whole reading experience if you ask me. 

I also feel that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also has the potential to teach children a lot, and maybe this is why it appealed to me when I was a kid. There is a clear divide between good and evil in the book. Charlie is good. He suffers in the beginning but because he is a good child, he is rewarded in the end. The other children are bad. They are bad all the way through and are punished by Willy Wonka. And after their punishments, you get a sense of forgiveness and that they have repented their bad behaviour. There is also the issue of poverty. This is explored in the book through Charlie's character, because he is so dismally poor, and also the other children. But in particular, Veruca, because she is so ridiculously rich. Yet Charlie triumphs, even though he is so poor, because being a kind and honest child is the most important thing of all! And so, not only is the book absurd and extremely funny (cows that give chocolate milk! edible pillows! square sweets that look round! a chewing gum meal!), but it also has some pretty important take home messages as well. Also, I recently found out that the book has it's own Sparknotes entry and it made me so happy! If you want to find out some more about the intricacies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory then look it up :)

Here's one of my favourite quotes from the book:

"So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away.

And in it's place you can install,

A lovely bookshelf on the wall."

It's from Mike Teevee's Oompa Loompa song. This is my favourite song in the book because it highlights the importance of reading, and encourages people to read in a very humorous way. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the only book that I've read over and over again, and I will continue to read it forever!

Insurgent and Allegiant (part of the Divergent series)

So I've finished the Divergent trilogy... *WARNING* SPOILERS UP AHEAD!

The second book, Insurgent, was rather good. It was exciting and compelling and I just had to keep reading. But, as I predicted, it contained a lot more 'lovey-dovey' scenes between Beatrice and Tobias. However, they didn't annoy me as much as I thought because I was too preoccupied with the story as a whole. There were some really good surprises within the plot and the story line itself was a good progression from what happens in the first book. At the end of Insurgent there was an even bigger cliffhanger than in Divergent (well in my opinion anyway) and I was even more eager to start reading the last in the series...

The last book, Allegiant, was also brilliant but extremely emotional.
The book answered a lot of questions that were left hanging in the first and second books. But the ending took a lot out of me because (and this is where you need to stop reading if you don't want to spoil the ending)....Beatrice dies!

After reading some reviews of Allegiant online, I realised that Beatrice's death was written in a  very plausible way and that it fit well within the whole plot of the series. I think that because she is one of my favourite female characters (see previous Divergent blog entry) I took her death rather hard and it angered me. But at the same time, with the amount of risks that she took and the danger that she got herself into, it was just a matter of time before she ended up getting killed. The end of the book was written in a way that allowed both the characters and the reader to gain some closure over the events and deaths that had occurred, so even though I was sad, I smiled a little when I finally finished the book.

All in all, I have to say that even though I thoroughly enjoyed these books they did disappoint me a little. I thought that Divergent was amazing and so I had high expectations for the rest of the series, and after completing the series I feel like these expectations were not met. But having said that, I did really enjoy reading these books and I think that they contain a wonderful and exciting plot.

DIVERGENT!

This book is unreal! I became so addicted to it and I just couldn't put it down! I'm sure you have heard of it since it has been made into a film which will be released in March. The trailer of the movie looks amazing, I just hope that it does do justice to the book.

You can watch the trailer here

But anyway, this is a blog about books so lets get back to it... Divergent is a type of distopian novel, set in a world where factions, or groups, exist. There are five groups which all value certain personality traits: Amity values kindness, Candor values truth, Dauntless values bravery, Abnegation values selflessness and Erudite values intelligence. On their 16th birthday each child must sit a test to determine which faction they are most suited for and then they must choose to either leave the faction they grew up in, or to stay. The protagonist, Beatrice Prior, is different however. She doesn't just have an affinity for one faction, she is potentiall suited for three. In this dystopian world, such results are rare. People are afraid of those who are divergent and so Beatrice must keep her test results a secret and choose one faction to join. However when war breaks out amongst the factions, it is clear that Beatrice's divergence may have more of an impact in society than she originally thought...

I have to say that I loved Beatrice. She is such a stong female character but she also has a lot of flaws, which makes her even more likable. The novel focusses on Beatrice's development from being a shy, quiet girl into a strong, calculated young lady. That's why I enjoyed the book so much; it never stops being an adventure from page one! There are also a lot of surprises within the plot, things that turn out to be false when you believed them to be true. This adds to the excitement of the novel as a whole. I think that Beatrice has to be one of my favourite female protagonists. I love how she is inteligent and brave and selfless and strong all at the same time, which I guess is the whole point since she is divergent and does not have an affinity for only one character trait. Since the novel is written in first person, from Beatrice's point of view, it is really exciting because we as readers are not able to see the whole picture, we only know what Beatrice knows. It also allows the readers to become emotionally attached to Beatrice because she confides in us and we are able to see how she truly feels and thinks. She can hide things from the other characters but she can't hide them from us.

Here's a quote that a dear friend sent me that I feel really sums up my love for Beatrice:
"When reading, we don't fall in love with the characters' apprearance. We fall in love with their words, their thoughts and their hearts. We fall in love with their souls."

Readers are inspired and encouraged by the characters that they read about in novels and I think that Beatrice definately has the abilty to inspire and encourage young ladies (and gentlemen too of course) out there with the certain positive character traits that she has :)

Within the plot there is also some romance elements, which brings a nice relief to all the violence that goes on. But even though this didn't play a major role in the plot, I am worried that in the next two books their relationship will become more of a focus and it might turn out to be a little Twilight-esque. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

The novel ended on a juicy cliffhanger and I really can't wait to see what the world of Divergent has in store for our heroine. I just hope that the rest of the trilogy is as good as beginning was :)

You can get Divergent from Amazon by following this link

Electronic Books vs Real Books

Last year my mum bought me a Kindle for my birthday. She made sure to ask me if it was something that I really wanted because she knew how dead set against the idea of electronic books I was. When they were first released I turned up my nose to the whole concept. Part of the reading experience is being able to hold a book and turn the pages (also, books smell lovely! And a Kindle...doesn't). Furthermore, I was slightly concerned for the future of 'real' books, I mean, if everyone has an electronic book then people will no longer need real ones and they will stop being made...a real travesty :(

But nevertheless my mum thought that it would be a good thing for me to have, both because I am a book fanatic and the fact that I would be able to get so many books for free! Also it takes up less space and she constantly gets annoyed when I buy more books because my shelves are literally bursting. So before she bought it I decided to have a trial period and use my sister's one for a couple of months to see if I would be able to get used to the idea of reading on a screen.

Even though I much prefer to read 'real' books, I have to say that the Kindle was actually ok to read on. The fact that I can't turn any physical pages doesn't annoy me as much as I thought it would. Also there are so many free books on Amazon that I could download; when I first got it I was like a kid in a sweet shop! As well as all that, it's also very handy to carry around whilst traveling because it's super light. I also haven't stopped acquiring 'real' books, much to my mother's annoyance, but I can't help it, it's a serious addiction :)

In conclusion, I do still really prefer to read 'real' books but I also don't mind reading on my Kindle. I mean, as long as I'm able to read, who cares about the format of the book!

Reading Challenge

In January of 2013 I decided to record all the books that I read within the year, just because I was curious to see how many I would manage to get though, and also because it would be fun to look over the list (well fun for me anyway). In the beginning of 2014 I tallied all the books up and the grand total was 44, which may not seem like that many, but as an extremely busy university student I was rather impressed with myself. So my only New Years resolution for 2014 was to try and beat that total, to try and read more than 44 books by 2015.

Now it's February and I've read three books so far: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams and Utopia by Thomas More.

More's Utopia was really very interesting. The book was first published in 1516 and so I was amazed and astounded by how progressive it was. The novel discusses the fictional country of Utopia, a place where there is no poverty or war or crime. It is, as the title suggests, a utopia. The novel itself almost reads like a manual, a 'how to' guide to creating such a place.
There were many concepts within the book that greatly impressed me, considering that it was written in the 16th century. This included: a welfare state with free hospitals, euthanasia permitted by the state, the fact that divorce is allowed and the tolerance of other people's religion. On the other hand, the Utopians seemed like quite limited people without enough free will (in my opinion) as their day to day lives are strictly regimented and structured. As a whole I found the experience of reading Utopia rather eye opening and compelling (even though it doesn't read like a traditional novel). So if you're up for something that will make you think and question the society we currently live in, then I suggest you give it a read.

Mostly Harmless is the last official book in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I say 'official' because Eoin Colfer (the amazing author of Artemis Fowl) wrote a sixth book after Adam's death to round off the series. So the sixth book, titled And Another Thing, is part of the Hitchhiker's series but is not actually written by the guy who wrote the rest of the series in the first place. It, like the nature of this delightful collection of books, is all very confusing. Mostly Harmless, like the books that came before it, is absolutely hilarious! It's very fast paced (took me about a day to finish reading it) with a plot that is a random as it is funny. Even though I did prefer the first book in the series (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Mostly Harmless was incredibly entertaining.   

Dracula was also a pleasant surprise. It started off very slowly because nothing much really happens at the beginning. But then it got increasingly better. The whole story is told in the form of diary entries and letters which I thought was a rather interesting literary technique. This definitely helped to pick up the pace of the novel because different characters are able to tell their side of the story in short bursts, and so it begins to flow more nicely. I was mostly surprised by the plot itself. I had heard a lot about the story of Dracula before reading the novel (I mean he is probably the most famous vampire in the world, even more so then that bloody Edward Cullen!) and so I assumed that it would be quite a terrifying read. But it wasn't really. I guess that at the time it was written (1897) readers would have been frightened by the idea of a blood sucking shape shifter, but I wasn't so much. I was more fascinated by the historical significance of the novel. Two of the most interesting concepts for me was the whole vampire legend itself (Stoker pretty much defined the idea of the 'vampire' that we know and love today), and the role that women played within the novel. One of the main characters, Mina Murray,  is not what I would call a typical Victorian woman. She is very clever and resourceful and she has a crucial role in helping to track down and kill Count Dracula. Even though she is often left at home whilst the men do all the 'dirty' work, I still regard her as a progressive character and a strong women, considering that the novel was written in 1897.
However, after all that I did find the ending slightly disappointing as it was rather anti-climactic, thus, a little bit of a let down. Overall, I did really enjoy the book but I don't think I'll be reading it again any time soon.

I hope you didn't find this post too long :) and that it gives you a little bit of an insight to my eclectic reading tastes. 

I made it!

I finally have a blog! After a year of being entertained and educated by other people's blogs (mostly those of my incredibly talented friends) I finally have one to call my own. So to start off this rather exciting (and a little terrifying if I'm being honest) journey, I thought that I should probably stick with what I know and with what I love. Conveniently, there is one thing that fits into both of those categories...books!

I love to read...a lot. I don't particularly have a 'type' of book or genre that I stick to (although I do enjoy sinking my teeth into a good dystopian novel), I just pretty much like to read anything, and everything, I can get my hands on!

Since being at university (I'm half way through my second year already, can you believe it!?) I have developed new literary interests and discovered so much in terms of literature and how amazing it is. This is why I've decided to start a Book Blog; a place filled with (hopefully) interesting and insightful comments and reviews of literature. The aim is, I guess, to share my reading journey with others and to try to inspire more people to pick up a book and read!

So I guess I better get started... :)