Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sáenz

September 13, 2015September 7, 2020 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBT fiction

First Published: February 21st 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Dante can swim. Ari can’t. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari’s features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.

But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.

This cover is beautiful, the characters are beautiful, the writing is beautiful. This entire book is beautiful.

I don’t know where to start with this book. There are a thousand words and not one does it justice. There is a reason why the cover is covered with awards (though it’s kind of a shame because the cover is so stunning!). It was just amazing.

Taking a moment to think about it, there is not really a plot to this novel. This is not a bad thing. It flowed better than many books I’ve read with well thought out, detailed plots. This book is simple: Two, completely different characters on a journey of self-discovery. Nothing more is needed.

I adored both Aristotle and Dante. Okay, I know that I say “the characters were likeable” or something similar a lot but no. This is different. I wanted to give them hugs and tell them both everything will be alright and sit and chat and chill and watch the stars with them both. (Why are they only fictional?!) They were so different, yet similar, and I loved them both.

I put off buying this book for ages, I don’t know why. I regret it. I read this in less than a day and loved and cherished every poetic word on every single page. It wasn’t particularly fast paced, but it wasn’t slow either – because there isn’t really a plot it just flowed and I didn’t take note of the story pace. I just read.

I loved the focus on family that featured throughout this novel, and also the way Dante’s family accepted Ari even though he had a rougher background and Ari’s family accepted Dante. The love was so clear and honest and I wish that more books would include such caring family relationships because it was a pleasant change from reading about broken families or parents that don’t pay attention to their kids (not neglecting them, just not exactly showering them in affection either).

I must admit, when I first started and realised that it was written from Aristotle’s perspective I was surprised and wondered how it would work well. I think you may be able to tell that I loved this book by now and yes, it worked. It was so much better than I originally anticipated, but so was the story (although I have no idea what I was expecting!).

I feel like I’m running out of words to say about this book (I had very few to begin with). I would heartily recommend this to whoever wants a heartwarming contemporary about two completely different guys, their friendship and loving families.

110 percent 5/5 stars.

The Secret Fire – C.J. Daugherty and Carina Rozenfeld

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ 1 Comment

Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA, Paranormal

Publication Date: September 10th 2015 by Atom

Format: ebook ARC from Little, Brown Book Group UK via Netgalley (Thank you!)

French teen Sacha Winters can’t die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.

Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.

There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

They have eight weeks to find each other.

Will they survive long enough to save the world?

(From goodreads.com)

Wow. When I started this book, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I know I wasn’t expecting what was delivered though. But my, was it a good surprise! Although a little slow off the mark, this book was full of action and mystery and it was incredible!

I think I’m going to start off by talking about the plot. So many things happened, I could only just keep up (this was a good thing – I did keep up and it was extremely fast paced). It also took so many unexpected turns that shocked and scared me and kept me wanting to read on and find out what happened next because like, I needed to know. There were a couple of parts which took a more sinister turn which added to the story, but I’m that girl who can’t even listen to horror movie trailers with her eyes shut. I get so jumpy about these things for some reason, so some parts I found a little scary. (The majority of the population will probably find them creepy at most!)

I loved that this novel was set in both England (Oxford and a town I guess isn’t far away) and Paris. This added a depth to the story and made things a bit more complex for the characters due to them being in different countries. I also love Paris (who doesn’t?) but it didn’t just focus on the gorgeous centre, Sacha visited many parts of the suburbs and the areas where tourists don’t get to see, the non-romantic, rougher areas of Paris. This, in my opinion, made it more realistic and believable, as a character like Sacha would not have spent all of his time in the centre. I think that part of this comes from having the two authors, one being french.

The novel focused on two main characters: Sacha and Taylor. I especially liked Taylor as I could identify with her and a lot of the things she said and did (especially the spending a lot of time on her studies and everyone gets annoyed with her). I know some people didn’t like Taylor because of this (reading other reviews on Goodreads) as I guess that not a lot of people study as much as Taylor does but I think I can say that I do prioritise studying and books over a lot of things (and like Taylor I have no regrets!) so I liked having a character I could genuinely relate to as it’s uncommon to have one like this. Sacha I found to be quite an angry character at times but I liked the way he changed as events unfurled and I really did like him as the book progressed.

The focus changed usually after every chapter to the other character, which enabled me to keep up with what was happening to both of them, rather than it being narrated in two separate parts. Both were in third person, which worked well as it allowed descriptions that would have been held back in first person as the character didn’t understand what was going on whereas this could be explained in third.

One thing that I didn’t like was that the other characters in this novel were somewhat underdeveloped. The exceptions being Taylor’s Grandfather and Louisa. Georgie and Tom (Taylor’s boyfriend) were very basic, for want of a better description. Georgie is a strong character, attractive and rarely studies, Tom is basically obsessed with rugby. That’s all I really got. I know they didn’t feature a lot in the story (Georgie more than Tom) but they were important when they did appear and it would have been better if there had been a bit more to them.

The magic that is included in the novel really kept me interested as I find the concept of being able to control energy (or something similar) extremely intriguing in books. I also found the idea that it’s something that has to be refined and doesn’t just come perfectly a nice touch because I’ve read books with similar concepts and the person with the power has just been in control from the moment they realise they have it and I just find that a bit unbelievable (yes, I know, I’m talking about having the power to manipulate energy – because that’s believable, but I’m sure you know what I mean)!

Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would. I really enjoyed it, which did surprise me as there were times when I was contemplating putting it down because creepy people appeared (I’ll say no more, don’t worry) and they really freaked me out… As I said, I just can’t deal with horror / anything remotely creepy. (I wouldn’t call this a horror novel at all!) On the other hand, I am going to sit here impatiently waiting for the sequel because I desperately want to know what happens next!

Rating: 4 / 5.

Fans of the Impossible Life – Kate Scelsa

September 6, 2015October 6, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ 1 Comment

Genre: YA, Contemporary, LGBT, Mental Health

First Publication Date: September 8th 2015 by Balzer + Bray

Format: ebook ARC received through NetGalley from Pan Macmillan (Thank you!)

Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby.

Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye.

Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.

As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don’t understand their quest to live for the impossible.

(From goodreads.com)

First of all, this book includes everything. Mental illness, LGBT themes, drug use, broken families, bullying. Which makes it sound so morbid. Believe me, it wasn’t. This book had me laughing and dealt brilliantly with all of the mentioned issues. The mental illness was included with empathy but it wasn’t sugar coated either, the same goes for the bullying (and everything else really)!

The way that the characters interact is so natural and yet so extraordinary and I really enjoyed this aspect. Some of the things they did were odd (in a quirky, good way!) but nothing was unrealistic! Each one had their own story to tell and each of these stories were told as the book progressed. They stood out in their own right, and I noticed that even the side characters were clearly well thought out and had a background to them (which become clear in the book). A very strong side of this book is the character development. Although at a glance it seems that Jeremy goes through the most development (in my opinion), they all do in reality if you just pause and register it for a moment, particularly the main three. Which is another thing; I liked that there were three main characters – it added variety (as they were all so, so different) and resulted in the story taking all sorts of different twists.

One thing I found to set this book apart from others were the multiple points of view throughout. I know you’re probably questioning me now, thinking “loads of books have multiple viewpoints”. Well, for each character, the narrator was different. In simple (understandable) terms: Jeremy was first person, Sebby was second (this I particularly liked as I am a fan of second person and it really worked in this novel) and Mira was third. This helped me to distinguish easily between each character. I know this has been found confusing by some, but I thought it to be a unique and successful feature. The use of second person especially I found to be an interesting choice. As I’ve said, I particularly like it (I’ve used it in two pieces of creative coursework at school, just to give you an idea of how much I like it) and it was great to see it used in a novel which I do not doubt will be extremely popular. Thankfully it wasn’t overused, and thus it retained the novelty and impact that it was undoubtably supposed to have. I also found Sebby the most difficult to understand and these parts in second person really helped to straighten things out and allowed me insight into his character that no other narrative voice could give.

The plot was fast paced and exciting, even when negative things happened to the characters. As I said, the issues I mentioned were incorporated well and without glamourising them, as some books do. This book took a realistic stance, and though not blunt, it spoke about things plainly and simply and I appreciated that, as I’m sure many others will too. Issues of sexuality and acceptance, mental illness and bullying, should be incorporated more into YA novels (and others too, not just YA) and this book, I believe, is proof that several of these can be included – not just one – and result in a novel with a rawness and depth that is difficult to achieve.

I’m sure you can tell that I adored this book. The characters were each special and individual, with their own quirks and mannerisms, and I really appreciated this as I read it. There was a surprising amount of humour included and quite often I’d find myself giggling (usually at Sebby’s antics)! I would definitely recommend this book because it was incredible and I honestly loved it so, so much! I cannot wait for more from Kate Scelsa!

Rating: 5 / 5.

Extraordinary Means – Robyn Schneider

August 30, 2015August 28, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ 2 Comments

Genre: Contemporary, YA, Romance

First published: May 26th 2015 by Katherine Tegen Books

When he’s sent to Latham House, a boarding school for sick tennis, Lane thinks his life may as well be over.

But when he meets Sadie and her friends – a group of eccentric troublemakers – he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn’t have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure.

Extraordinary means is a darkly funny story about true friendships, ill-fated love and the rare miracle of second chances.

This book sums up society’s reaction to illness perfectly. Like with the ebola crisis, the TB outbreak in this novel is treated with fear and isolation. This novel is set in the modern day and is the story of Lane, a regular teenager who studies a lot and suddenly becomes ill with a drug resistant strain of tuberculosis, or TB. He is then sent to an isolation unit in the middle of the countryside so that he, along with the other teenagers there, cannot infect the general public.

I realise that this sounds apocalyptic, like it could take the route that the whole world becomes infected and turn into flesh eating zombies or something. But it doesn’t. It takes a realistic look at TB, at the effect it can have on those ill with it and the public view. I liked the way that this novel focused more on the relationships Lane builds at Latham House, rather than him being ill with TB. This is why I like YA contemporary novels; they take serious issues and deal with them in a way that retains humour and fun. Some novels could take the issue and dwell on it and drag it out.

However this book doesn’t and you get to see Lane’s comic side. All of the characters were likeable in this novel, even the ones you weren’t supposed to really like, you liked. I particularly liked the way that every character was different – in the way that they looked, their hobbies and their personalities. Robyn Schneider did not fall into the trap of making characters really similar, which made it so much more enjoyable and interesting. That characters were normal and well, human. So many authors create ‘perfect’ characters with ideal looks but this isn’t the case. I do think part of the reason that the characters are so normal is that they are all so different.

I also loved the writing style of this novel. I’ve read Robyn Schneider’s other novel too and loved it. She brings the characters and the locations to life and this was something I particularly liked. Personally, it’s difficult to imagine being in the situation that the characters are in – under constant scrutiny etc – yet Schneider makes it understandable and clear.

This book has a quick pace, with a lot of things happening. Many of these things are completely unexpected (I won’t say what they are because of spoilers!) and they kept the story interesting and flowing. A lot of the things that did occur were things that in any ‘normal’ situation would be seen as boring, I guess. But given the characters’ situation they added to the feel of them just wanting something they cannot have because of being ill.

Throughout the novel, the narrator alternates every chapter. You get Lane and Sadie’s perspectives, which are both completely different as they are completely different people and have had different experiences of TB. I found this drew me further into the novel as you got two differing views which both varied as the novel progressed.

Again, something I feel that I shouldn’t mention (but of course I will) is how much I love the cover design. I particularly like covers with tree imagery – I don’t know why, I’m just weird like that. This cover (the UK paperback edition) uses trees in the shape of lungs (as shown in the picture!) and I think this is such a lovely image and perfectly relevant to the book as the woods and lungs both feature strongly throughout.

Overall I would totally recommend this book. I love the work of Robyn Schneider and look forward to more books that she produces as they are fantastic.

Rating: 5/5.

The Wrath and the Dawn – Renée Ahdieh

July 30, 2015August 27, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Historical fiction, romance

First published: May 12th 2015 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

One life to one dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad’s dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vow vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she’d imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It’s an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this place of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid’s life as retribution for the many lives he’s stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

Oh my. This book is so unlike anything I have read before, so I was apprehensive before reading it. Why? I do not know. It was amazing. Considering I don’t really read fantasy I loved this book. Everything about it was incredible. I need to stop rambling and start reviewing…

Renée Ahdieh is some sort of genius. The writing in this novel is perfect – her writing style is almost poetic, in a way – it’s beautiful. I was completely at ease reading this book, seeing as it’s set in a world / place so different from what I’m used to reading (being mainly a contemporary reader). I sometimes find it harder to connect with a character when the novel is written in third person, but not with this. It was like you could understand the reasons that each character had for his actions without needing them explained in detail.

Having never read and not even knowing the basic premise of A Thousand and One Nights (something I now want to read) didn’t create an issue, which I was worried about. In fact, I had no idea whatsoever as to what to expect and so I went into this book with an open mind. I did find the world enthralling, the way the souk (outdoor market), the palace and all of the locations were described created vivid images in my mind’s eye. Colour features a lot in this novel, and I didn’t realise this until afterwards. Shahrzad’s outfits are always vibrant and I could picture them clearly and I want them – they sound so beautiful!

The plot of this novel was clearly well thought out too – a lot happened, yet it was not all crammed in like some books end up being when the author wants to include too much stuff. No, this was a fast-paced intriguing plot that kept me interested throughout. It included magic where magic worked well with the plot, yet it didn’t include it unnecessarily either. I didn’t find myself getting lost when I was reading either; I knew what was happening, to which characters and in which location. Always a good thing when you get confused as easily as I do! (This is probably why I read mostly contemporaries – they’re set in a world that I know so I avoid any confusion that a fantasy world may create!)

The characters throughout this novel were likeable too, which was a good thing. Shahrzad I could imagine getting on some people’s nerves, but I really liked her and her feisty attitude. Also Khalid, although depicted as a monster, I liked him; there was something about his character that I couldn’t quite place, but I felt that there was a sort of underlying softness about him. I don’t know – I can’t really explain it!

There is something about this book that I want to talk about, something that probably shouldn’t be mentioned because this is a review of the book and writing, not the aesthetic. But this book is gorgeous. Sorry, but the cover is absolutely beautiful and at the beginning of each new chapter the first page has a border and it is just so elegant this book! The cover design (and the chapters) completely fit the location and the theme of the book and as books go – this is one of the most beautiful I own. I know, I know, but it is stunning.

If you’re still questioning whether I’d recommend this (I’d go back and read the review – the answer is in the first paragraph)… YES. Oh my days this book was amazing and it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I can’t sing its praises enough (and not just because I can’t sing). It was captivating and magical (literally – it included magic) and just perfect. The ending was just- The only bad thing I can think about it is that the sequel is not out until 2016… A definite pre-order – I need it in my life as soon as possible.

(Easily a) 5 / 5.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Genre: Contemporary, fiction

First published: May 30th 2013 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

What if you grew up to realise that your father had used your childhood as an experiment?

Rosemary doesn’t talk very much, and about certain things she’s silent. She had a sister, Fern, her whirlwind other half, who vanished from her life in circumstances she wishes she could forget. And it’s been ten years since she last saw her beloved older brother Lowell.

Now at college, Rosemary starts to see that she can’t go forward without going back, back to the time when, aged five she was sent away from home to her grandparents and returned to find Fern gone.

I picked this book up solely because of the reviews. And I liked the cover (don’t judge me like I judge books by their covers – I do, we all do, we just deny it). I knew absolutely nothing about it, apart from the short amount I’d read on the back cover (see above). I found the blurb (I really hate that word for some reason) intriguing and so finally picked it up one day in Waterstones.

The writing in this novel was incredible. Sometimes I found that the story was being dragged out but I didn’t want to stop reading because of the quality of the writing and I still felt drawn into the tale. Karen Joy Fowler has a way with words that makes her characters sound normal, whatever their circumstances. Yes, the writing does come across as quite blunt at times, however it is a novel written in first person and Rosemary is quite often a blunt character; she says what she wants to say and nothing more.

The novel is written in several parts, each containing at least one major event in her life. I didn’t really see the significance of the parts and to be honest, I still don’t really understand the reasoning behind them. I guess that if I reread the novel and considered it I’d realise a pattern though.

One thing that really ought to be mentioned regarding this novel is that the research behind it is clearly thorough. I don’t know what is fiction and what is fact because I am not really interested in science and psychology is not an area I’ve really ever thought about (except in a philosophy lesson when we studied Freud as a criticism to Kant’s moral argument, and psychoanalysis is not covered in this book). It’s difficult to talk about this novel though without including spoilers (which I won’t do) as there are so many plot twists and to even give a hint would ruin the entire thing.

Which leads me to talk about the plot (or not, for fear of spoilers). There are so many events in this novel that you just wouldn’t guess. Normally I would say that I’m quite good at guessing what may happen next, but with this novel, no. Nope. Did not guess. It took me completely and utterly by surprise, which was good as I haven’t been so surprised at a novel for a long, long time.

The characters I liked, although I can see why some people would hate them; they were the kind of people you either love or hate. I disliked the father though, at first for reasons I could not say – I just disliked him! Also the mother in parts I found could be irritating. However Rosemary I particularly liked, she’s an honest person and I always find that if a character is honest I like them. If they try to lie to themselves or someone else, they automatically get on my nerves.

It is quite a slow placed novel, despite the fact that a lot happens throughout it. I’m not entirely sure how to explain it. However, I did enjoy it and one way of describing it would be “thought-provoking” because it made me think… A lot. It gives you insight into something you don’t really want to know about (I won’t say because, well, spoilers) but at the same time when reading I just wanted to know more, I wanted to read the stories. Even if the tales included are made up for the benefit of the novel, there is an element of truth to them; similar things will have happened and probably will continue to happen. The main events of this story are unique or at least very uncommon, but some of the smaller events, mainly those surrounding her brother, are almost certainly the opposite.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Zac and Mia – A. J. Betts

June 13, 2015June 13, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Illness

First Published: July 24th 2013 by Text Publishing

“When I was little I believed in Jesus and Santa, spontaneous combustion, and the Loch Ness monster. Now I believe in science, statistics, and antibiotics.”

The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn’t – couldn’t – be friends with her.

In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note – then a friendship neither of them sees coming.

You need courage to be in hospital, different courage to be back in the real world. In one of these worlds Zac needs Mia. And in the other Mia needs Zac. Or maybe the both need each other, always.

I really don’t want to mention The Fault in Our Stars here, but I probably have to. Scanning through the reviews on Goodreads, there were a large number of people comparing this novel to it and that annoyed me. They are different novels and should not be compared.

Anyway, we shall not dwell on that. I do not want to compare them, I just thought that I’d mention that because not once do I get the feeling that this novel is trying to imitate TFIOS. Yes, some of the themes are the same, but how different are they going to be in a novel about teenage cancer?

Which brings me onto the honesty about this book. Zac and Mia are both completely open throughout this novel and one thing that is striking is Zac’s resignation to his treatment. To me, he has this “just get on with it” attitude, which completely contrasts with Mia’s view of her situation.

I know that some people found Mia particularly irritating throughout this novel, however I didn’t. I think I interpreted her bitterness and anger as her response to the cancer, rather than her personality in general, due to her change later on in the book. I got the impression that her behaviour was one way that someone may respond to a situation like hers, and Betts contrasts this with Zac’s approach to show how cancer affects people in different ways. This was something I particularly liked as it made it realistic. There weren’t the stereotypical positive ‘let’s change the world’ sort of attitudes, instead they were real and gritty, which actually made it a more pleasant and interesting read.

The plot of the story is actually quite fast paced, with many things happening. I find slow moving books with lots of explanation quite dreary and difficult to read and so this book kept me interested as it went on. There were also many twists and turns that weren’t expected, but they worked logically in the plot and kept it flowing.

The novel is split into three parts, which are narrated differently. Part one is narrated by Zac, during part two it alternates every chapter and part three is narrated by Mia. I particularly liked the way this was done because sometimes I find that if the narrator changes every chapter throughout the entire novel it doesn’t always flow that well, so this way you still get both characters’ perspectives, just without the constant changing. It also enabled me to understand how the characters were impacted, due to being in first person. If it had been narrated solely from one characters’ point of view then I think a lot of the story would have been lost as it is about them both and their own experiences and how they need support, rather than it being about one of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There was something refreshingly honest about it and the emotion that is conveyed. I do feel that some books either take cancer and romanticise it or they do the opposite and portray everything negatively. However this book took what I’d imagine to be a realistic stance; being positive where possible, but not forgetting the awful impacts that cancer can have.

Rating: 4/5

What I Read on Holiday

June 8, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ 3 Comments

Whenever I go on holiday to somewhere sunny (that makes it sound like a regular occurrence – I wish!) I like to take books that are lighthearted and not too heavy. Having returned from Cyprus in the early hours of this morning, I thought that I would share the books that I read whilst I was there.

The Spectacular Now – Tim Tharp

This is the story of Sutter, who lives in the ‘now’, drinks a lot and has had numerous girlfriends and Aimee, who is the complete opposite. Sutter decides to ‘help’ Aimee and they end up in a relationship, to keep it brief. I was probably the most excited to read this book out of all of them, however it turns out that this is my least favourite due to the narration style reminding me of that in ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, which I greatly disliked. The narrator appears to me as quite self-obsessed and it irritated me, as well as making me feel desperately sorry for some of the other characters. I think that this is partially why it reminds me of Catcher, because the narrator is very impersonal and spontaneous, moving from one thing to another with a careless attitude. I didn’t feel that the ending really completed the novel at all and as a result left me feeling slightly disappointed more than anything. I felt as though there were a lot of ends left open which the author could have tied up and told the reader what happened because I didn’t feel as though the novel had actually finished! Overall, this book left me feeling more confused than I would have liked and asking questions that I felt should have been answered in the novel. However, despite my personal distaste for the narrator and his attitudes, the fact that this book isn’t too sad or heavy does make it a good summer read if you don’t want to have to focus too much.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour – Morgan Matson

The title implies what this book is about; Amy’s mother moves from California to Conneticut leaving Amy alone to move once the school year has finished. The original plan is for Amy to fly however in order to get the car across she ends up having to drive across the USA. Amy doesn’t drive (for reasons that are disclosed in the book and to say would be a spoiler) and so her mum enlists the help of family friend Roger (who is a year or two older than Amy) to drive. They decide that they don’t like her mum’s planned route and so make their own route, taking them through several states. This book is such a great summer read as it talks about travelling which makes it a perfect to read on holiday. There are images scattered through the novel that are part of the diary Amy writes in which helped to keep track of their journey and made the book extremely easy to follow. The characters were both likeable. Yes, Amy could be a little frustrating at times but other than that it was a good story, especially on holiday. There are parts that are slightly heavier but to be honest, they added to the storyline and so made the book more interesting. The one thing that did irritate me slightly was the fact that some of the main information (trying not to give spoilers here) about why Amy doesn’t drive is not given until near the end of the novel. This is a good feature as the reader really wants to find out, however I did find it rather annoying at times because I just wanted to know! But then again, it did has its desired purpose and made me want to read on, so I guess it worked!

Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins

Anna finds herself being forced to move to a boarding school in Paris for her final year of school. Here she finds herself feeling isolated due to the language barrier and not knowing anyone. However she quickly forms friendships, in particular with Étienne St. Clair. I would have to say that this is most definitely chick-lit and very much a romance. It is very ‘sweet’ and although I’m not always into books which are solely romantic (usually there has to be some underly ‘deep’ theme). Obviously there are a few twists and turns throughout the novel, it’s not completely upbeat and positive throughout, though these are not frequent and therefore I found this book to be really enjoyable when sitting, relaxing and doing nothing! Being set in Paris, this novel has a slightly exotic feel and made me desperately want to visit again (I fell in love with the city when I visited it last year). Some of the places mentioned I had been to so I was able to relate more and it seemed even more real. This is one of those books that I would reserve for holidays and times when you want to escape stress because it is a really easy and relaxing read. Of the four books that I read, I’d say that this book is the most lighthearted and the easiest read and therefore the most summery. I found it easy to like all of the characters (except the ones that you are supposed to dislike) which made the novel far more enjoyable as it is always good to have a novel where you aren’t frustrated about not liking a character you’re supposed to!

Ask the Passengers – A. S. King

This is the story of Astrid, who is discovering and questioning her sexuality. She finds solace in talking to the passengers on the planes that fly overhead as she feels that they do not judge her. Some of the characters in this book were too easy to dislike, although I got the feeling that I should actually like them. Dee, for example. At times she comes across as a really sweet person (nearer the end mainly) whereas as other points she shows Astrid little respect and I found that irritating. Astrid’s mother is also one of those characters who instantly got on my nerves, although I think this is supposed to be the case. However, I actually liked Astrid herself and though she could come across as whiny and a bit selfish at times, she also was portrayed as honest and down to earth, making her a relatable character. This book has a central focus on philosophy, as that is Astrid’s favourite class. As I actually study it myself I understood some of the references made in the novel, but I did find that they were sufficiently explained in the simplest way. I kind of wish that I’d read it before my exams as its summaries would have been so useful! I’m not sure that I would read this again if I’m honest, mainly because of my dislike for some of the other characters, however for a summer read I did find this a really good choice because it wasn’t too serious, despite the events that in reality would be deemed so. Having said all of that, I did enjoy this book and read it pretty quickly because I didn’t want to put it down. There are a large number of plot twists throughout the novel to keep you interested which is something that I would consider extremely important, especially if the characters are slightly lacking.

The Shock of the Fall – Nathan Filer

March 8, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Genre: Contemporary, Mental Illness, Alternative.

Target age: Adult.

First Published: May 9th 2013 by HarperCollins

‘I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.’
There are books you can’t stop reading, which keep you up all night.
There are books which let us into the hidden parts of life and make them vividly real.
There are books which, because of the sheer skill with which every word is chosen, linger in your mind for days.
The Shock of the Fall is all of these books.
The Shock of the Fall is an extraordinary portrait of one man’s descent into mental illness. It is a brave and groundbreaking novel from one of the most exciting new voices in fiction.

This was a different book for me; normally I enjoy the simpler, less gritty novels. However something about this grabbed my attention and I picked it up. I read it on holiday and I think because I was relaxed it helped as it could be a hard-going novel if you’re stressed. On the other hand, I thought the storyline, although simple, had its fair share of plot twists to keep it interesting, though it was the alternative narration style that I particularly liked. It is completely different to any other book that I have read, which is why I took to it – I like alternative, experimental styles of writing. Also, it enabled me to understand the reader’s location as he didn’t give a huge amount of information and thus this means I could understand the narrator’s emotion. This book was hard-hitting, but it helped me understand and emphasise with those who suffer from mental conditions, as it is written in first person narrative and it taught me a lot about what it is like to live with mental health issues. The narrator is an interesting character and I felt as though I got to know him extremely well, which is something I particularly enjoyed, as I feel that if you can get to know a character really well, then the book is so much more readable – and enjoyable too! I’ve already recommended this book to someone who I know enjoys reads that are slightly alternative to your average novel and I would be sure to do so again, as this really was a great book.

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece – Annabel Pitcher

January 31, 2015February 21, 2015 ~ Natalie Cotterill ~ Leave a comment

Genre: Young adult (but the type of book anyone can read and enjoy).

Target age: I would say anyone.

Summary: ‘My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece’ is about a young boy, Jamie, who is learning a lesson about grief from his parents who are mourning their daughter’s (his sister) death. He is trying to understand what is going on in his family and why his parents act in certain ways.

My opinion: This is one of those heart-warming books which can bring out all sorts of emotions. Jamie is such a loveable character and he’s so innocent. I absolutely adore books that are written from a young child’s perspective, hence I loved this book. I read it a while ago – last summer – but it’s one of those books that I will definitely go back to and read again as it made such a big impression on me. Annabel Pitcher is an author who I’d heard so many good reviews about, but I’d never read anything she’d written, so last summer I saw this book and bought it… Now her other book “Ketchup clouds” is sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read. I love the narration of this novel; it perfectly captures the ten-year-old innocence, the confusion, the anger and all of the other emotions. It’s not a long book – I read it in a day – but I was on holiday, with nothing else to do other than sit back and read, so that’s probably why. It was a good holiday read though; I guess if you want something mindless and not at all heavy then this isn’t the best choice, but it’s not a bad one either. If you don’t want to read it on holiday, I would definitely say read it when you get home! I think there are some books that are aimed at a target audience, such as young adult, like this one, however they can be read and enjoyed by anyone of any age. This is one of those books for sure. Whoever you are, if you want a book to read, then give this a go. I really did enjoy it.

Rating: 4/5.

Natsbythesea

Books, dogs, and a new life by the sea.

Book Reviews