Books I Read in 2013 (Part Two)

Morning lovelies,

I can't believe it's Friday again already. Where did the week go? 

Where has January gone, more to the point? This year is already passing so fast! It's madness.

It's already been a week since my last book review post and I'm back today reviewing some more of the books that I read in 2013. Today I'm looking back on three novels I enjoyed reading last year: Instructions For A Heatwave by Maggie O' Farrell, Joyland by Stephen King, and Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz.

Instructions For a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell

Basic Plot: It's July 1976 and London is gripped in a stifling heat wave. One morning, Robert Riordan tells his wife, Gretta, that he is going to the shop for a newspaper, but he doesn't return. His disappearance brings their three estranged, grown-up children- Monica, Michael Francis, and Aoife- home to try to work out where he might have gone. It doesn't occur to the siblings that the answer may lie with their mother.

The book goes back and forth between the voices of Gretta, Monica, Michael Francis and Aoife. Their stories slip from their present day and in to their pasts, as they try to make sense of Robert's disappearance. We learn about the feuds that have distanced the siblings from each other and their over-bearing mother, and the problems each of them are facing in their everyday lives. Monica has relationship problems, Michael Francis' marriage is falling apart, and Aoife is struggling with her secret dyslexia. As the story progresses, the characters journey to face their differences and to find out where and why Robert has gone.

Thoughts: Maggie O' Farrell has a real talent for story telling, and although Instructions For A Heatwave isn't her best, it's one of those books that has to be devoured in a single sitting. She is so wonderfully descriptive that she really pulled me in to the story, and urged me to keep reading. The siblings, although so different, were each very likable, while their mother, Gretta, was perfectly irritating, as intended. At the same time, it was hard not to pity her as the story unfolded, and the search continued. It was an enjoyable summer read.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit. Rating: 3.5 / 5

Joyland by Stephen King

Basic Plot: College student, Devin Jones, takes a summer job at an amusement park called Joyland, trying to forget the girl who broke his heart. He's given the role of Howie the Happy Hound, dressing up in a dog character costume to entertain kids who visit the park. He soon learns about a mysterious murder that happened at the amusement park in the past, and makes it his quest to discover what really happened.

Thoughts: Stephen King is my favourite author, so naturally when his new novel came out last summer, I had to buy it. While I enjoyed Joyland, I kept waiting for the excitement to happen, but I felt it was a bit of an anti climax. The story remained on the same gear throughout, and I wasn't particularly overwhelmed with the story or the ending, which is very unusual as I'm a big Stephen King fan. It promised horror, but didn't deliver. It wasn't a bad novel, but in no way was it his best. If you want to read a great Stephen King, go with The Stand!

Genres: Fiction, horror, thriller.  Rating: 3 / 5

Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz

Basic Plot: Joe Carpenter's wife and daughters died in a tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of all three hundred aboard, and devastated by grief, Joe has given up on life. On the anniversary of the crash, Joe heads to the beach with a few beers, hoping the waves and alcohol will pacify him before a visit to the cemetery. Instead, Joe learns that he is being watched. From that moment on, Joe is thrust in to a world of physical danger as he learns that the official story of Flight 363 is a treacherous lie. They said it was an accident. It was not. They said there were no survivors, but then Joe learns of a woman who walked away unscathed. A sole survivor. She has a secret that will change the world, and with reason to believe his daughter may still be alive, Joe journeys  to find out the truth.

Thoughts: This book was fast paced and full of action, I couldn't put it down! Perhaps I'm biased as I am a fan of Koontz's books, but I thought it was well written. The main character's grief was well portrayed, and it was difficult not to pity him. As the story goes on and he clings to the possibility of his daughter still being alive, it was impossible not to hope along with him. The twists and turns were unexpected and set this book apart from other stories written around a plane crash. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'd recommend checking this one out if you like Stephen King novels, thrillers, and disaster.

Genres: Fiction, thriller, disaster, action. Rating: 5/5

I'll be back with the some more book reviews next week!

Have you read any good books lately? What are you reading at the moment?

Books I Read in 2013 (Part One)

Last year, definitely wasn't my best in terms of reading. Well, that's not entirely true; what I mean to say is last year wasn't my best in terms of reading books. Fiction, or non-fiction. I certainly did my fair share of reading blogs and articles online! I guess that was the issue; I spent so much time blogging, I didn't dedicate enough time to my hobbies off screen in 2013, which is why I only read 13 books in full over the entire year. Pitiful, oh, so pitiful!

Especially considering I'm already half way through my fourth book of the year!

From January until around September or October, I just couldn't find the patience to read. I was too restless to concentrate on what I was reading, so reading was slow. It was only when I began to reread The Hunger Games books on my Kindle in the Autumn that my hunger to read returned, and I whizzed through more than half of the thirteen in a couple of months.

I never did get around to reviewing most of them, so I thought I'd review each book I read in 2013 over a few posts, and then start afresh with this year's reads. I'm splitting the reviews in to three of four posts; with a separate post (perhaps two) for books I read on my Kindle to follow soon.

I read just six 'real' books last year, most of which I picked up cheaply in supermarkets. Today I'm briefly reviewing three of them.

An English Man in Auschwitz by Leon Greenman

Basic Story: An Englishman in Auschwitz is a Holocaust testimony written by English born, Dutch raised Greenman, a Jewish man who remarkably defied the odds and survived life in no less than five Nazi concentration camps. This book is his story, beginning with his childhood and life before the war, before going on to focus on the occupation of Holland, and life in the concentration camps. He talks about life in these camps, the suffering which he and others endured at the hands of the Nazis, and how he survived in the face of real adversity. You can read my full review of the book here. 

Thoughts: I went through so many emotions as I read Leon's accounts of life under the Nazi reign, and tears were shed. It was horrifying to read at times, but morbid curiousity kept me turning the pages, willing him to survive. His story is one of the most fascinating Holocaust accounts I've read, and it would be unbelievable if it wasn't true.

Genres: Autobiography, Holocaust Testimony. Rating: 5/5.

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

Basic Plot: The year is 1914 and a magnificent ocean liner suffers an explosion en route to New York City. The passengers who are fortunate enough to secure a seat in a lifeboat have abandoned the sinking ship, and the story begins with the passengers of lifeboat 14 distancing themselves from the ill fated vessel. The story follows newly married Grace Hunter and the occupants of lifeboat 14 as they sit side by side in the life boat over the course of three weeks, fighting to stay alive and praying for rescue. It is apparent from the start that the boat is over capacity, and the occupants soon learn what they will do in order to stay alive.

Thoughts: I purchased this book because the blurb shared a few distant similarities to the Titanic tragedy, which is also my favourite film. If the occupants of the Titanic's lifeboats hadn't been rescued hours later, I imagine they could've faced a similar fate to those in lifeboat 14, and at times I did imagine the story to be leading on from the famous sinking. It was hard not to considering the similarities. but it also made it easier for me to imagine the scene. It's hard to believe that a book about a group of people sat in a lifeboat for three weeks could be interesting, but I became extremely engrossed in the story, and devoured it in a couple of sittings. The book is full of twists and turns, strong main characters, (both likeable and unlikeable) and it's well worth a read!

Genre: Adventure.  Rating: 5/5.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I'm personally not the biggest fan of chick lit... and even less of a fan of Nicholas Sparks' work, as much as I love the movie adaptions of his novels. I read The Notebook years ago, and I don't think I've ever hated a book more in my life. I powered through it, but it was extremely dull. However, I fell so much in love with the movie of Safe Haven last year (well, hello Josh Duhamel!), that I decided to chance the book.

Basic Plot: Erin is trapped in an abusive relationship, and after some careful planning, she finally makes her escape when her husband, Kevin, is away on business. She boards a bus and eventually ends up in a small Southern town (in America), where she starts afresh with a new identity, adopts the name 'Katie', and does her best to lie low. She finds a place to live, gets a job, and saves her wages in case she needs to flee. She is befriended by her elusive neighbour, Jo, and slowly gets closer to a local widower, Alex, and his two children, Josh and Caitlin. All the while, Katie is terrified of being found by her husband- and she knows it's just a matter of time. Her policeman husband will stop at nothing to find her.

Thoughts: It wasn't the best written book I've ever read in my life, but I did enjoy it. It was a pleasant, easy summer read that required little effort and I think at times this is exactly the type of book a girl needs. Unapologetic, simple romance that can be read in a day, while sunbathing on the beach of lounging in the garden on a summer's day.

Genre: Chick lit, Romance. Rating: 3/5.

If you read just one book from this post, I would recommend and urge you to try The Lifeboat.

I hope you've enjoyed these brief book reviews- do you enjoy reading posts like these? Would you like to see more book reviews on the blog in the future? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

I'll be back with some more book reviews next Friday.

May 31 Day Blogger's Challenge: Day 31- Current Obsessions

So the last topic of the May blogging challenge is...

Something I'm Obsessed With at the Moment...

 I often have multiple obsessions at the same time. I'll admit I've always had a bit of an obsessive personality; I easily become passionate about things I love, and can never get enough of it. I like to do things properly! Many of my obsessions do last a life time, though; be it music, style, books, movies, celeb crushes or whatever.

I'm currently obsessing over Dorothy Perkins dresses, midi dresses... (hell, any dresses!), bird prints and accessories,  Stephen King novels, Titanic, my Kindle, and The Big Bang Theory!

These are the bird print dresses and tops in my collection. You've seen photos of me wearing most of them already this season. They're all (unintentionally) from Dorothy Perkins, except for the bird cage design in the first photo. What can I say? They have had so many beautiful clothes in recently that I really haven't needed to look elsewhere for pretty new things, which I normally would do. I normally shop around a hell of a lot more.

These are some of my bird necklaces, and my DP toucan t-shirt. I love flamingos, toucans and parrots. I always get drawn to accessories designed around these creatures.

I was once lucky enough to do work experience in the bird gardens at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park for a week and I loved the experience. I got to hold the macaws and African greys that came to them as ex-pets, fly a Harris hawk, and be around all sorts of exotic birds. The good memories have always stayed with me and perhaps a reason why I love them in fashion, too.

These two bright and colourful necklaces definitely have a childish, nostalgic way about them. They're certainly accessories I would have loved as a child- maybe that's why I love em...

I just realised there are also birds on my bedding and curtains!

Away from fashion and style, I love to read, and Stephen King is easily my favourite author. Before my injury, I never had any time or energy to read as my job was exhausting. I'm making up for lost time now and am trying to get through each of his novels, apart from the Dark Tower saga as I'm not  a fan of the genre.

I had The Stand on my shelf for a couple of years and put off reading it because it had so may pages. I downloaded it on the Kindle (my new favourite thing!) in January and found I couldn't put it down; it's easily one of my favourite books now and I highly recommend it if you enjoy end of the world type stories. I think I have 18 unread Stephen King's on my book shelf, and a handful to read on my Kindle as well as some by other authors, too. I'm currently just over half way through IT but I'm a little bored. Under The Dome and The Tommyknockers are great novels, too, and I really enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

I seem to share the Stephen King obsession with Rachel, whose style is also similar to mine! She has flawless taste!

I've also been obsessed with Titanic since I first went to see it as an eleven year old all those years ago. I keep going back to it time and time again, but recently I've been putting it on in the background an awful lot. I could recite the entire film back to you. Sad, but true.

I've had so much fun taking part in the blogging challenge, and have loved seeing everybody else's posts each day. I'm a little sad that it's all come to an end!

Back to the drawing board for June it is!

What are you obsessing over?