The Christmas period is always a great time to get loads of reading done. The days and nights always seem really long and I always find myself staying up until the early hours of the morning working my way through my latest book. And of course there's the fact that with Christmas comes a ton of new books too! So here are the books I read over Christmas and into January:
Jodi Picoult | A Spark of Light
This wasn't my favourite Jodi Picoult book. I was lured in by the idea of the timeline being set backwards but I found that took away from the impact of the book. If the events have been written in chronological order then the 'ending' might have been more shocking. Instead there was no time to get to know the characters and love them before we found out their fate so the blow had much less of an emotional impact than it could have. That being said, it did raise some interesting stories and viewpoints surrounding abortion and I think it's quite an important read in that aspect.
Lily Allen | My Thoughts Exactly
I loved this. I devoured the whole thing in two days and would happily read it again. I've always liked Lily Allen - her songs are fun and I've always found her funny when she's been on panel shows. I think it's her laugh that does it, it's weirdly infectious. Her book is the story of her journey through the music industry, how it impacted her family life and her ongoing battle with the media. She tells some brutally honest stories but they are so interesting and she shows herself to be this really strong, courageous person - an inspiration and a real cry for all women to be those things too.
Haruki Murakami | The Strange Library
I have tried to read a Murakami book before and never quite made it to the end. The Strange Library is a quick read and has a lot of graphic novel features to it. It's dark and weird and nonsensical and probably completely out of my depths. I didn't love it. It might be one I need to hide away on my book shelf for a few years down the line.
Nicholas Sparks | Every Breath
The last Nicholas Sparks book I read (Two by Two) was one of my favourites and believe me, I have read them all. This one fell short. The opening of the book promises this spectacular, unbelievable story but not much really happened. As far as Sparks' books go, and if you've read any of his books before then you'll know what I mean by this, it lacked the drama and tragedy that trademark his stories. It left me feeling flat.
Aside from Lily Allen's book, it has been quite a disappointing month for reading. Not that I regret reading any of these books but hopefully February will bring me something I love. My first pick for this month is Romesh Ranganathan's autobiography. It's great so far!
What have you been reading lately?
xo
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