Review: Post Office

Post Office by Charles Bukowski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first time reading Bukowski and I'm glad that I finally gave it a go as I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to! It read very much like someone was just sitting you down and telling you a selection of stories from their life and their experiences of falling in and out of work at the Post Office and the characters that they meet both in the offices and on their mail routes, plus his experiences at the race track. The main character Henry wasn't really a likeable chap, but you still find yourself routing for him as everyone around him seems to be unreasonable. Will read more.

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Review: Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord

Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I'm giving this one 4 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, witty and charming story. Yes, I always do baulk at the idea of reading out and out romance stories, but then realise that there is also so much more to it than a bit of bodice-ripping and flexing of muscles! There is a completely valid and engaging storyline (our heroine runs a "safe house" for women who need help/somewhere safe to stay and is running out of money to keep it going), strong characters (again a heroine who isn't a vapid, sappy, weak-willed sop, she is strong minded and independent plus a swoon-worthy hero who isn't full of alpha male bullsh*t) as well as wit and humour - in fact Book Riot have published a great article here today about romance novels which explains things a lot better then I can.

This is the second Sarah MacLean novel that I have read, and fully intend to read more!

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Review: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half blog is one of my 'go-to' favourite reads if I am ever in need of a chuckle or pick me up, so I can't believe that I have left it so long before reading her book. Depending on my mood at the time, various stories literally have me laughing and crying to myself, making me look like a loon to those around me. From her retelling of her childhood love of cake, to her dog to her battle with depression, Allie is very insightful with a dark humour that is always right on par. Love this so much.

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Review: Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ

Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A funny, entertaining and informative look into our guts (literally!) and all the little bacteria that live within. I certainly learned a lot about how to look after and protect my precious innards and admit that things did get a tad icky in places.

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Review: We Should All Be Feminists

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought that it was about time that I actually got around to reading this essay, which is basically a summary of Chimamanda's TED talk from back in 2012, especially as it has been all over the news recently after Sweden has decided to make it compulsory reading for all 16 year old students. It is a very brief insight into life in Africa and modern day attitudes towards women and the societal pressures placed on both males and females and how this needs to change. Insightful and humorous, it has also encouraged me to read more of the author's work as well as think about my own views on feminism and human rights.

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Review: Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery

Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun romp with a group kick-ass female adventurers who make up your traditional role-playing group consisting of a cleric (who in this case in atheist), dwarven tank (who shaves her beard), elven magician and halfling (smidgen) thief called Betty who was my personal favourite with her love of booze and candy. Throw in some fantastic warcrys ("Rat Queens! Put the sexy back in large wholesale slaughter!") and swearing ("fucktarts!") and this was a great way to spend an afternoon where my brain was mushy due to being in the throws of a nasty cold and lack of sleep. This volume collected the first 5 issues of Rat Queens, but I found that just as I was getting into the swing of the reading and involved with the stories, it ended all too quickly. I will definitely look into inventing in future issues.

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Read Harder Challenge 2016

And here we are with another year and another challenge list!  Courtesy of those kind people over at Book Riot here is a list of this year's very cunning Read Harder targets.  Lets see how we'll do this year!

1. Read a horror book 
2. Read a nonfiction book about science - Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated organ
3. Read a collection of essays 
4. Read a book out loud to someone else 
5. Read a middle grade novel 
6. Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography) 
7. Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel 
8. Read a book originally published in the decade you were born - Post Office by Charles Bukowski
9. Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award 
10. Read a book over 500 pages long 
11. Read a book under 100 pages - A Case of Spirits by K J Charles
12. Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender - All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
13. Read a book that is set in the Middle East 
14. Read a book that is by an author from Southeast Asia 
15. Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900 - Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean
16. Read the first book in a series by a person of color 
17. Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years - Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe
18. Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie - High Rise by J G Ballard
19. Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes - We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
20. Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction) 
21. Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction) 
22. Read a food memoir 
23. Read a play 
24. Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness - Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Read Harder 2015 - Fail!

Well, I have updated my original post here to show what I did and didn't manage to do this year.  Whilst I didn't achieve everything I was aiming for, it certainly encouraged me to read outside of my comfort zone and read things that I wouldn't normally have picked up so I have to thank the challenge for that.

In fact, I will probably try this again next year as even though I didn't complete every single point it still made me more aware of what I was reading which can only be a good thing?!

Here's to plenty more reading in 2016!

Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! by Richard Feynman

It's really really hard to rate a book when its a memoir (or collection of transcribed conversations/lectures in this case) as it is someone telling you about their life, and who are we to say whether we enjoy reading about someone else's stories or not?!! Its a weird thing to do, in my opinion.  But hey ho, this was a fascinating insight into a brilliant man who had an incredible thirst for knowledge, passion for learning and curiosity about the world around him.  I love to watch videos of Richard Feynman talking as his sheer joy in explaining things is contagious, even when he is explaining why he can't explain something to you (see here for an example). I actually alternated between the audiobook of this and a physical copy and thought that the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job in mimicking Richard's vocal mannerisms, and just think it is a shame that he couldn't have told the stories himself.

Giovanni's Room

One of those few rare books that gave me lots of feels, this was beautifully written and heartwrenching to read. This is the story of a man unable to come to terms with his sexuality and then finding someone with whom he has a true connection but letting his own deep set prejudices plus the stigma of the times cloud his feelings.  I cannot begin to think about how this must be for someone, bearing in mind this is set in the 1950's where society wasn't quite as accepting as it is now (in most places anyway). 

Absorbing and beautiful.

Still Here!

Hi!

Sorry for being so pants and not updating for a little while, been a little busy at work, life etc. and generally been rubbish at doing things like updating blogs!

I'm still reading as much as I can, and have updated my Read Harder list as appropriate, although I have read lots more that don't fit into those categories.  Still, it gives me some challenges to complete before the year is out.

I will try harder to update more often, but for now I'll leave you with a little music, with Notre Dame...

Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey

Fascinating memoir from a girl who develops a light sensitivity so severe that she is unable to leave a completely blacked whilst being covered layer upon layer of special clothing. Confined to this half-life of darkness she has a trusty radio and audio books for company, plus her boyfriend in whose house she is confined as she would be unable to function on her own some days.  There is an interesting psychological perspective into how she finds ways to survive her situation and to cope with those days where dark thoughts creep in and she has to decide if it is worth carrying on.  There are good times too - we have almost heart wrenching memories of the life before and holidays with her partner, and the small advances that she makes, the joy of being able to stand on her back garden at night to look at the stars.  It also made me stop and think about what I would do if that were to happen to me, how would i cope if things that I loved were suddenly beyond my ability - reading, listening to music, even the internet and gaming. Would I be as strong and resourceful as Anna?

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Not quite the story that I had imagined it to be but was still an interesting tale set during the 17th century Dutch Golden Age, a setting that is so far removed from where I live now.  It was scary to read people's reactions and beliefs at the time and prejudices that were around.  I just wish there was more involvement with the Miniaturist, or maybe that was the whole point of their being, to cause our heroine Nella to think more about the choices she makes in her life.  There were some nice touches to details, such as lack of sanitation, lack of heat and the scandal that could be caused by a woman wandering through the streets of Amsterdam alone.  It was also interesting to read about the different personalities and ambitions of the various female characters, some happy to be wedded and looked after, Nella who was very young and naive and married off by her family to a rich merchant, and some who were more of a force of nature who did not have the desire to be tied to a man but happy to be an independent woman (not an easy task in the 17th century apparently). Plus more reminders that religion can be scary thing...

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn

This is another one where I would love a 'half-star' rating system.  Set in the 1920's Delilah Drummond is an American socialite living it up in Paris when she is embroiled in one scandal too many and exiled by her family to newly colonised Africa.  Here, she is to spend some time away from the headlines until things calm down, but it seems trouble follows Delilah wherever she goes.  Staying light hearted, it briefly touches on the conflicts between the colonists and the natives, the impact upon nature and politics of the time, but mostly the story focuses on delightfully witty and headstrong Delilah who tries her best to make the most of a less than ideal situation.  She is sharp witted, modern and fiercely independent, especially for the period and admits herself that she is broken.  It was refreshing to read a strong female lead who has many layers to her and obviously delighted in her freedom as a woman.  A touch of romance too that I was expecting to have more closure to it, but turned out perfectly in the end.

3/5 stars

Read Harder

As you will be able to tell in time, I like to read and seem to be stuck in the realms of fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi.  Whilst I love these genres, I thought that this year might be a good time to start diversifying slightly and came across this year long book challenge set up by the guys over at Book Riot which might just encourage me to step outside of my comfort zone and try some new things.  This is what I hope to achieve this year, aiming for 1 book per task but preliminary planning shows that there will be some cross-overs:

1. A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25 - difficult as as a rule I just pick whatever I fancy next on my Kindle without looking at the age of the writer involved. Didn't manage to do this to the best of my knowledge

2. A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65 - Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! (yes, I'm including this one for this category as it was published when Richard Feynman was over 65 and technically it is all his own words, just collated by someone else!)

3. A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people) - I have a couple of collections on my 'to read' list but didn't get around to actually reading onw

4. A book published by an indie press - Again, something I don't pay attention to, to my shame :(

5. A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ - Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

6. A book by a person whose gender is different from your own - Changes by Jim Butcher

7. A book that takes place in Asia - Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

8. A book by an author from Africa - Nope

9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.) - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

10. A microhistory - Yes, kinda, I mean I read Confessions of a Sociopath and Life Moves Pretty Fast which both should count, I think!

11. A YA novel - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

12. A sci-fi novel - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

13. A romance novel - A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn

14. A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade - The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (Specsavers National Book Award Winner Books Are My Bag New Writer of the Year 2014) 

15. A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.) - Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi (Snow White re-telling)

16. An audiobook - How To Be A Woman by Caitlan Moran

17. A collection of poetry -  I dabbled in a few but didn't read one all the way through 

18. A book that someone else has recommended to you - To Kill A Mockingbird - by Harper Lee

19. A book that was originally published in another language - ah yes, The Complete Persepolis i think counts but I included it for point 20 ...

20. A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind (Hi, have you met Panels?) - Persopolis by Marjane Satrapi

21. A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over) - Quite a few but then realised that nothing should be a 'guilty pleasure' it if is enjoyed!

22. A book published before 1850 - Nope!

23. A book published this year - Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey

24. A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”) - Not really.

and see the original post on Book Riot introducing the challenge here: The Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge

Will update this list as I go and also have a shelf set up over on Goodreads.