Wants to read Catch-22
book
Rated Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls 8/10
Fun stuff. I didn't realise this was the sixth novel of a series, but it really didn't matter - and almost added more depth since the characters had a lot more backstory.<br/><br/>Robert Rankin's writing is really fun too. Lots of quick wit throughout the book, the kind that I wish I could come up with in my daily life!<br/><br/>The story is a kind of comical farce whereby history has somehow shifted and things aren't quite what they're supposed to be.<br/><br/>I'm not quite sure if the story is supposed to have a single protagonist or whether it's more of an ensemble. It certainly _mostly_ follows Jim, John and Soap (great…weird, name!). Then there's multiple side characters that I half suspect might have more story in other Brentwood books. <br/><br/>All the same, it was really fun to read a book that clearly had a wide range of characters with more stories to tell.
Wants to read Akata Warrior
Rated The Dead Fathers Club 6/10
The story of an 11 year old boy after his father dies. The story uses a unique story telling device where it's told from the boys mind (or imagined diary), but the result is a stream of consciousness, littered with rule-breaking authoring techniques. <br/><br/>I can imagine this method coming off as forced or trite. But Haig's book manages to execute really well.<br/><br/>There's some vivid scenes of loss that touch my own personal childhood, remembering my own mother in the early chapters. <br/><br/>The boy himself believes he's being visited by his deceased father who asks him to enact revenge for his recent death. <br/><br/>The boy, Philip, struggles with his own confused feelings of being a boy, being 11 and starting to see more of the world, and being thrown into a new family structure. It's all too much for him.<br/><br/>Being inside his head you can understand his actions, and it makes me wonder about how we judge someone from the outside who behaves so oddly or "badly".<br/><br/>Ultimately we're left to decide for ourselves whether the boy is really seeing ghosts, though one thing is clear by the end: he'll need counselling to get through the next 15 years.<br/><br/>A good, fast, little read, perfect for holiday reading.
Wants to read Akata Witch
Rated Stories of Your Life and Others 10/10
I absolutely loved this collection of stories. Inspiring, beautiful, not-so-sci-fi that it was disconnected from our world. <br/><br/>What I also loved about these stories is that they made me think about my own world and and I wanted to share these conversations and thoughts with those around me.<br/><br/>I _think_ my favourite story was 'Story of Your Life' (made in to the film The Arrival) closely followed by 'Tower of Babylon'. But even the _short short_, 'The Evolution of Human Science' was superb, right down to the very first opening paragraph!
Rated Wishful Drinking 6/10
Very easy and quick read (for me). The writing is extremely conversational (which makes for a nice change). <br/><br/>It does occasionally feels a bit here and there, rather than centred, but I kept reminding myself that the book started as a one woman stand up, so it's understandable. <br/><br/>None the less, the book is littered with (genuinely) laugh out loud moments (took me a good few minutes to stop laughing at the hearing-aid anecdote), and beautiful insights as well as kind words for those (of us) with mental illness.
Rated Ma reine 10/10
Une histoire très facile à lire, d'une délicatesse incroyable, émouvante et prenante. On comprend ce que le protagoniste vit malgré son 'handicap', le monde tel qu'il le voit. L'auteur décrit à merveille ce que ressentent ceux qui ne pensent pas comme le commun des mortels. Une histoire prenante pour laquelle j'ai versé une larme. Vous ne verrez plus les personnes un peu 'bizarre' de la même manière après ce livre.
Reading The Dragon and Her Princess
Added Sorcery and small magics to Currently Reading