I thought that because we’d be without the internet for 2-3 weeks, I’d more than exceed my list for November. As it turns out, I completed it but that was about it. Moving house takes up a lot of time. Reviews below…
The Vorhh (Book One) – Brian Catling
I don’t often get book recommendations. My Mum and a friend are usually the only time I get personal recommendations. I do keep an eye on a few literary folks on Twitter though and due to my time buying Kindle books, Amazon like to recommend me things too. Which is how I came across The Vorrh. I probably would have stumbled across it eventually, I like the fantasy genre, but not as quickly.
I’d put this down as one of the most wild, original novels I’ve read this year. Any fantasy novel has to wear its influences on its sleeve (there’s always somebody ready to say it’s ripped off X by X or anything Tolkien) so for one to still feel original is always an extra added layer to enjoy. I’m not sure how to sum this book up. It’s set in post-World War 2 Africa and follows various characters whose paths all cross. The titular Vorrh? It’s a forest, or is it more, that’s behind the title. It’s a prominent character in its own right.
Catling takes a different stance on fantasy there. There’s recognisable tropes but without the usual imagery that accompanies them. The characters are recognisable with their human traits despite the supernatural or charmed elements. I’d recommend this but I’d also struggle to give it the full five or ten stars. It’s incredibly ambitious and sprawling, but as much as I enjoyed it, certain chapters did feel like a chore and as though we were going around the houses a little. It’s world building though, leading us on to a further two books that will expand. This is good news as there’s oh so much more to know about the Vorrh and its inhabitants. There’s a lot of weird, a lot of uncomfortable and enough to make me want more.
The Roanoke Girls – Amy Engel
Another book I’d been meaning to read for a while, finally got it for 99p and then it had to patiently wait it’s turn for me to get to it in my Kindle list. It’s a novel that comes with rave reviews. It’s Engel’s first book for adults, her previous efforts targeted at the younger generation.
The material is pretty dark and makes for grim reading in some moments. It balances this by being interesting enough, with curious characters, that you want to unravel the secrets and the mysteries.
When did I know I was hooked? Page one. I’m a sucker for a great opening line, or punchy short chapter to draw you in. This has both. Tell me you read “Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die” and don’t immediately want to devour the whole thing.
I read this over the course of two days, always telling myself ‘just one more chapter’, which obviously meant five or ten instead. It’s easy to do this. It’s structured into three types of chapter. A Then, a Now and then one short chapter for each Roanoke girl. These are interspersed cleverly throughout as the secrets unravel and the waters get muddier. The quiet, but hot, rural setting seems perfect and while I thought I know what had happened, it does keep you doubting your own ideas.
Given the unsettling subject matters, they’re handled with care. The characters feel true to the situations and the outcome felt necessary too. I’ll be looking out for more by Engel.
Scrappy Little Nobody – Anna Kendrick
I’ve written about, talked about and watched Up In The Air so many times. It’s the film that really introduced Anna Kendrick to me, like many others. I love her in that as Natalie and I hunted down other things she’d been in. I like her as an actress so I was curious about this.
If you’ve followed her on social media, or seen interviews, you know she’s funny and pretty candid. You get more of that in this. It follows her life so far, her career and general musings. There were plenty of bits that made me smile or chuckle and a lot more I could relate to than expected.
A book to race through and nicely presented. It features various photos of Anna throughout her life that illustrate chapters or paragraphs. Written as though you’re having the conversation, I liked the informal, chatty style of it. It’s something different for me, I don’t read many books by or about real people, or celebrities. What this book will mostly do is reaffirm what it was that first made you like Anna and want to follow her on social media.
Midnight Cowboy – James Leo Herlihy
I’m still not sure what I made of this book. It’s great but it didn’t quite click with me and I cannot figure out why not. It’s incredibly well written and Joe Buck makes for a compelling lead. It didn’t take me long to race through this despite not always connecting with it. I’ll admit the sadness and loneliness it’s tinged with did make me empathise with and feel sorry for Joe. Now I just need to watch the film.
Pax – Sara Pennypacker
This is an absolutely gorgeous, charming book. The target audience is somebody a lot, lot younger than me but I was drawn to it by the cute fox on the front and I regret nothing. If you can get your hands on a physical copy, do it. Some books just would not be done justice by Kindle and this is one of them.
Peppered with delicate, black and white illustration that compliments the narrative, it’s a timeless story. It takes the usual man and dog story and adds a twist. Instead we get Peter and his fox. Things aren’t quite so simple, or necessarily happy either. It’s a realistic book. In this world, war is threatening everything and for a kid, everything is changing. War may not be something we can all relate to, but things changing definitely is. All kids go through some kind of change and it’s never easy.
Pax, our titular fox, is caught up in this change and what follows is powerful, emotional and it genuinely moved me. I thought the ending was fitting, if not a little rushed and frustrating, and I read this in one sitting. It deals with big themes, depending on the reader age, it may not hit all readers in the same way.
What’s planned for December?
Carrion Comfort – Dan Simmons
Brooklyn – Colm Toibin
The Man in the High Castle – Philip K. Dick
Hellblazer Volume 4: The Family Man – Jamie Delano
Advertisements Share this:
