December Books List

Sunday 30 December 2012

 

(1) Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I've been neglecting old classics recently, so when Northanger Abbey was chosen for a book club read, I decided to pick it up.  Sadly, no matter how much I try to read Austen, I always find that I'm easily bored with the archaic language and overplayed Gothic literature references that I remember studying in English Lit class.  I'm sure many of you will disagree, but Austen novels are just not my thing and Northanger Abbey was no exception.  I can however appreciate it in a historical context when I think back to when it was originally written, and the social attitudes of the time.  [2/5]

(2) The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The Dog Stars is one of those books that can be described as both heartwarming and thought-provoking.  Our protagonist, Hig, is one of only a handful of people who managed to survive a massive flu outbreak which killed off most of the world's population.  He lives with his dog Jasper and a sociopath neighbour at a tiny airport that they guard against the'others'.  Hig is also a pilot, but his plane has limited fuel and is only used for short trips to check for intruders around their encampment.  The prose is simple but beautiful as Hig recounts what he has lost in his life and whether a future can ever be planned again.  Dog-lovers will especially love this book as the story certainly reaffirms that old saying of a dog being man's best friend.  [4/5] 

(3) Gillespie And I by Jane Harris
An enjoyable novel that has all the very best elements that I like from historical fiction in it, combined with a good dose of black comedy.  The story is centered around an elderly lady named Harriet Baxter who is looking back on her life and starts to write a memoir about her time with a young artist called Ned Gillespie.  There are some interesting plot twists along the way which kept me fully engaged in the story, but the ending wasn't quite what I expected.  [3/5] 

(4) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
A beautifully written and illustrated children's book that deals with the subject of death in an original and inspiring way.  Conor is a young boy who has been having a recurring nightmare of a monster coming ever since his mother began to have treatment for cancer (as an adult reading it, you can probably guess what the 'monster' is or refers to).  Instead, a different monster comes walking in the form of a yew tree and begins to help Conor come to terms with what's happening.   Utterly heartbreaking, I was crying like a baby at the end!  [5/5] 

(5) The Leaderless Revolution by Carne Ross
After reading so many dense, and frankly dull, books based around activism and politics this year, The Leaderless Revolution felt like a breath of fresh air.  It's an easy to read and fully accessible book for anyone new to activism who is looking for a few pointers on how to get the ball rolling, whether through individual choices or collectively (though the problems of trying to do things on your own are briefly discussed).  I also enjoyed the interesting background info of Carne's previous life as a British diplomat which is present throughout the book and made it even more pleasurable to read.  [5/5]

(6) The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway 
I've lost count of the amount of times this book has been recommended to me.  It's utterly brilliant and hilarious in a bizarre/offbeat/unconventional 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' meets 'OK-let's-just-roll-with-it' kinda way.  You really have to just dive straight into the book and not look back or worry about where it's going!  The story is split up into flashbacks of the main protagonist's life, and then these are interwoven with the current events that are threatening to break apart the world.  If you love books where you can be completely absorbed by their science-fiction/dystopian world, but don't mind spending about a month reading it (it's a long one), then this could well be for you.  [4/5]

What books have you been reading this month?

[Follow me on: BlogLovin' - Hello Cotton - Twitter - Pinterest - GoodReads]



Next Post Next Previous Post Previous

15 comments

  1. I use to read lots but got out of the habit since starting my blog. I like the sound of The Dog Stars .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you can find time to pick it up again if you'd like to :) The Dog Stars is a lovely book x

      Delete
  2. oh gosh I really want to read A Monster Calls x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's really sad but beautifully written for a children's book. Love the illustrations in it too x

      Delete
  3. I always love your book reviews! Will have to add a few of these to my "to-read" list :) x

    ReplyDelete
  4. I totally agree with you about Jane Austen - I try to read her books but I just can't get into them. I don't seem to have as much time as I used to for reading which is something I want to change! I'm currently reading 'Maze Runner' by James Dashner - highly recommend it if you like the dystopian theme. x

    http://missjaynebecca.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad it's not just me! Maze Runner sounds great, definitely adding that to my to-read list thanks :) x

      Delete
    2. Have you read the other two books of the trilogy? I just finished the last one, but thought he would have been better off only doing 1-2 books? (Absolutely loved the first one though)

      Delete
  5. I think The Dog Stars would be perfect for me! Thanks for the recommendation! X

    mademoiselle-lala.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a lovely book, hope you enjoy it as much as I did! x

      Delete
  6. I think I would love Nick Harkaway's book~ sounds like he is similar to David Sedaris who I love for his on point observations!

    Love,
    -Lauren at adorn la femme
    http://adornlafemme.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen a couple of reviews linking both of those two authors so I think you're right! x

      Delete
  7. I've just come across your blog, I love that you blog about the books you read, I'm always looking for good reviews. I've just read "The Sense of an Ending" where not that much happened, but I actually really enjoyed it. Have you read it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I haven't read that one but I'll have a look for it in the library :)

      Delete

Thank you for your comment! For a faster reply you can tweet me @beautywolfgirl

Powered by Blogger.