So, the first month of 2015 (it still feels strange writing a 5 at the end..) is over, and it's been a really mixed month for me, but that's not what I want to talk about today. I want to update you on my reading challenge! For those of you who don't know, i'm attempting to read 50 books this year! (i'm crazy, i know..) I wrote a full post on it, which you can read here. I actually read quite a lot in January, because I had a lot of free time before I went back to university on the 18th. I managed to read a grand total of 6 books this month, and I would like to talk to you about my opinions on them, while trying not to give any spoilers.
Okay, so the first book, I may have cheated a little, as I started it before 2015, but i'm still going to include it. It's "The Child Bride" by Cathy Glass. if you haven't heard of Cathy Glass, she's an author/foster carer who tells real life stories of children she's fostered. She has loads of books out, and I have read most of them, but I believe this is the newest one. Most of her books are very moving, and emotional, and this one was no different. Throughout the book many more disturbing elements of this poor girl's (Zeena, her name was) life were revealed, each more upsetting than the last. I love the way Cathy Glass writes, and this book was no different. I cried at this book, but overall, I really enjoyed this.
The second book I read was "Secrets Of The Tides" by Hannah Ritchell. I have read one other book by this author called 'The Shadow Year', and it's one of my favourite books ever, so I was really excited to finally get my hands on this one, and I was not disappointed. Much like 'The Shadow Year', this book tells the story of 3 different people, all in different timezones (two present, one past) and they all link together, and eventually overlap. Without spoiling anything, there was a 'tragic event' that the main characters (Dora, Carrie and Helen) are all involved with, and they each have to face the consequences of their actions. It's hard to explain this book without spoiling it, but I really do recommend this book, I loved it! I actually read it in 2 days because I couldn't put it down. It's definitely a page turner.
The next book I read is a controversial book that i'd seen all over the internet, and reading the blurb, I wasn't that sure I wanted to read it, so I didn't. However, after it popped up in a magazine I was reading recently, I had a look online again, and curiosity got the better of me, and I bought it on a whim. The book i'm talking about is "Tampa" by Alissa Nutting. If you haven't heard about this book (where have you been?) it's had very mixed opinions, understandably. It is about a female teacher called Celeste, who grooms boys. 14 year old boys in particular. She takes a fancy on a boy named Jack, and the book is written from her point of view, meaning you get a real insight into her perverted mind, as she sets out to groom Jack. Let me tell you, this book is very graphic. And I mean very. I think it needs to be like this though, to get the point across that these things happen. It is definitely a book that makes you think. I was thinking about it for days after I finished it. It also made me feel very uncomfortable, and I honestly absolutely hated Celeste. I thought it was really unusual reading the book from the point of view of the bad person, but I liked it none the less. This book is definitely not light hearted, and it will leave you with confused opinions, as on one hand I thought the book was really cleverly done, but on the other, I really didn't like it. This is a book I cannot make up my mind about.
I also read the highly praised, and really popular book called "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. Now.. where do I start with this? Well, I thought it was brilliant. I absolutely loved it. It is one of those books where you'll be confused for the first bit, but then become so engrossed in it that you literally can't put it down. It's really hard to say anything about this book without containing spoilers, but there is such a big twist in the middle, that completely threw me, and messed with my mind, but I loved it none the less. It made the book so much more interesting. However, if you've read the book, you will have opinions about that ending. Personally, I absolutely hated the ending. i was so annoyed at it! But I guess it keeps you thinking about it, eh? Overall, this is a book that is a definite must read, it is up there with my top books ever, I highly recommend it.
However, the next book I read, I have to say I really didn't enjoy for the majority of it. It was "Swimsuit" by James Patterson. My mum actually recommended it to me, and I was excited to read it, as usually my mum has pretty good recommendations. It's about a supermodel called Kim who goes missing on a shoot, and the main point is finding out what happened to her. Sounds okay, but wasn't my cup of tea, which is a shame, as I usually love crime thrillers (which is what this book is supposed to be.) I just found this book quite boring (except the middle bit-it was okay!), not easy to follow, and I feel like the characters were underdeveloped. This book was really difficult to finish in my opinion, but I hate leaving books unfinished! So i'm afraid I won't be reading this book again.
And the last book I read in January was actually one i've already read quite a few times, but only on ebook. I got the paperback for Christmas and I decided to re-read it. It is "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. It's one of my all time favourite books (and the film based on it is one of my favourite films, it's beautifully done.) So as usual, I was not disappointed. It's kind of hard to describe this novel, but i'll give it a go. It's described as a 'coming of age' book. The main character, Charlie, writes various letters, describing his experiences 'growing up'. He leads a difficult life, and he, like many young adults, made many mistakes. He's very shy, and he isn't popular at school, but that all changes when he met Sam. (Sounds like a love story, it really isn't.) Amazon describes Charlie as being "Caught between trying to live his life, and trying to run from it", and this is completely true. However, this book has a really deeply effecting plot twist to it, which never fails to make me cry, no matter how many times I read it. I 100% recommend this book. It's a really short read, so no excuses, pick it up if you can!
So that's all the books I read in January, 6 down, 44 to go! What have you been reading? I'd love more recommendations! I have a couple ready to start, but i'm always looking for more!
Thanks for reading.
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