I know I never finished my November wrap up but it’s a new year now, we just have to move on from it. Maybe one day I’ll talk about those five forgotten books but for now here’s all my thoughts on the things I read in December, including crime, historical women, and a couple of rereads of my very favourites. It’s been a good reading year, aside from the last week where I haven’t picked up a single thing, but the year’s ending on a high and I have big hopes for everything I’ll come across in 2018.
A Model World // Michael Chabon ★1/2
I can’t really explain my relationship with Michael Chabon. After falling in love with The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay in 2013, I’ve been working my way through the rest of his work ever since, collecting the very pretty editions, falling in love. But — it’s been a bit hit and miss. I adore some, I force myself through others, and this is very much of the latter. It’s a collection of short stories that I was wary about anyway since I didn’t like Werewolves in their Youths, his other collection, and I’m a bit funny with short stories anyway. There wasn’t anything inherently awful — they all just fell a bit flat and a bit all over the place, lacking the impact his later work has given me. I think I have three left, including his newest one, and, as ever, my hopes and my love remain resilient.
And Then There Were None // Agatha Christie ★★★★
I keep persevering with Agatha Christie because I love a quick and easy crime book and she has plenty of those. This one was made into a BBC adaptation a couple of years and has had my interest every since, as well as it being voted the nation’s favourite of her many many books. It started a little flat, too many characters introduced at once so I had to match them up with their actors for the tv series, and it really took me a while to get into it. I had a confusing moment when I accidentally flipped to the last page, saw a spoiler, and then got very very confused when more events unfolded and nothing added up. But I did enjoy it in the end.
The Roanoke Girls // Amy Engel ★★★★★
I loved this!! It was this years overly hyped book, this years ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Girl on the Train’ despite not really having anything in common with either. It screamed pretentious mystery about a wealthy family with a history of missing girls and I bought it cheap and sat it on my shelves for a few months until I was dying for a bit of crime and settled in for what I thought would be a slog of eye rolls and impatient flipping towards the end. But I loved it! It’s creepy and there’s a whole lot of dark and disturbing secrets lying within the family that make you uncomfortable and sad and yet you can’t put it down. I also really liked the romance aspect. You know when you have such low expectations the only way you can go is up? That is me and this book. It unexpectedly caught my heart.
It Only Happens in the Movies // Holly Bourne ★★1/2
I’ve heard a lot about Holly Bourne who has been touted as the new queen of British YA and none of her books really appealed to me until now. This follows a girl whose dad left her family for a new one and whose boyfriend dumped her and how these two events have made her cynical and bitter over romance and every trope found in a rom com. She starts working at a cinema with an attractive, funny, boy and, well, you know where it’s going. It was okay. Her voice was kind of annoying and, for an author I thought was very outspoken about feminism, it falls into a couple of tropes that made me raise my eyebrows. I quite liked the ending, though.
100 Nasty Women of History // Hannah Jewell ★★★★
This is my third historical women collection in as many months. And I think it’s my favourite. I had heard of literally one of these 100 women before I started reading so it was refreshing reading about many many different women from all throughout history and from all over the world and it was clear the author had done a lot of research to make the collection as varied as possible. On top of that the writing was funny and the tone was conversational which made it even easier to read and to take in new facts.
Gone Without a Trace // Mary Torjussen ★1/2
I requested this from the library solely based on a review saying it had a huge plot twist that had them talking about it for days. So, what happened was I spent the whole time impatiently waiting for this big giant plot twist and, yes, it fell flat when I finally got there. It follows a woman whose partner has disappeared, taking all his things with him and making it look like he’d never been there. The protagonist panics and spirals into a panicky mess, which is understandable, but, man, she was very annoying. Every single character was annoying and horrible and, again, the twist did nothing to improve my enjoyment.
Girl Trouble // Carol Dyhouse ★★★
I got this last Christmas, kept putting it off because I was convinced I was going to adore it and it never seemed like the right moment, and then I realised it was almost a whole year since I got it and now it really was the time. It wa s a bit of a letdown. The information was interesting and the subjects covered were a bit different but the writing was just too descriptive and it felt too academic, It felt like something I had to read for uni — incidentally, there was a cheater on WW2 that would’ve been perfect for my dissertation. If only I’d picked it up sooner, right?
When God Was a Rabbit // Sarah Winman ★★★★★
One of my all time favourites!! This was something like my fifth reread and do you know what? It makes me feel all the same things every single time. I’ve talked about it a couple of times on this blog already so I won’t bore you but it’s sweet and funny and talks so matter of factly about family and about relationships and about huge events, both personal and worldwide that you can do nothing about. This time around I really noticed the father a lot more and his mindset and the way he feels so strongly. I love this book so much I can’t find the words to describe it above gushing.
To Kill A Mockingbird // Harper Lee ★★★★★
I was going to Edinburgh for a flat viewing last week and took Ready Player One with me which I hated after half an hour. Not being able to struggle through that for the 3 hours left of my journey, including the return, I ran into WH Smith when I was changing at Glasgow and this was the only book that interested me, despite having three copies at home and having read it twice already. But this cover is very very pretty and I was having a long day so I threw my money at it and had a delightful time falling back into this very famous story of Scout and Jem and Atticus and Boo Radley. It really is almost a cliche to say this is your favourite book but I really think it’s true. There’s something so sweet and so clever about the writing and the way everything comes together and just the descriptions of Maycomb that I adore.
Also, I read this alongside When God Was a Rabbit and there’s a very similar feeling threading through them, both stories of disaster and unfairness told by young girls with big imaginations and a lot of curiosity.
A Book of Book Lists // Alex Johnson ★★★★
I was given this for my Christmas and, having been ill all week, was the only book I could really focus on. It’s an interesting idea, taking all these different famous lists and categorising them, and it was a fun way to spend an hour. It ranges from Charles Dickens reading list to Bin Laden’s to mentions of the Rory Gilmore challenge and a whole host of other things in between. It’s a bit of fun for someone who reads books and I kept pausing to look at my own bookcase and wonder what it might say about me.
Like I’ve mentioned, I also started Ready Player One and put it down after 50 pages. It’s just not for me.
I have no idea what to read next. There’s always a strange nervousness and expectation of the first book of the year to make sure you’re starting the year off right. I’m currently reading four books at the moment but my hearts not fully in any of them just now. For now I’m going to lie in bed, maybe finally get rid of this cough, maybe feel a little less hungover, and watch a few episodes of That 70s Show, my comfort show. Oh, and Netflix added Friends today so that’ll do wonders for my reading.
How was your December reading? Have you read any books you got for Christmas yet? Let me know!
Until next time,
Sacha x
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