I did not expect to have such an awesome reading month in May. May is my worst month for work. I had twelve exam papers to set (my memos are 25 pages for the lit exams!!!) and I still had to try and do that thing called lesson planning. And that is not even touching on the admin! So how did I read so many? Just as most of you book lovers out there do, I resort to reading to keep my sanity - or bookshops (but that is a whole other mess I will discuss at the end of this post - or not. It is rather long already).
I got through ten books, or 3162 pages, in May. (Apparently my sanity really felt threatened.)
Bout of Books 13 started me off well. In that week I finished Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I found that a highly entertaining read and thought that the characters were well rounded and very realistic. They were not dumped into boxes of 'good' and 'bad', but were pleasant (dare I repeat the word 'realistic' again) combinations. Although the content is fairly mature, I think this is a valuable book for teens to read - which is probably the last thing I should have said.
In the same week I finished To Kill a Mockingbird for the fourth year in a row (I teach it). What more can be said about this one? Everyone is rereading or reading it at the moment for the release of Go Set a Watchman later this year. (I am nervous for that. What if it disappoints? What if it knocks Harper Lee off her pedestal? Should I get it the day of the release or should I risk being spoilt and wait to hear whether I want to read it or not? What should I do?) I should probably NOT mention here that, in an essay I marked today, one kid called the author Happer Lee... *le sigh*
Still during Bout of Books, I finished The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker. I think this book might have suffered as a result of the rather disrupted pace in which I read it. It came across as rather drawn out. I think that was my fault though, and not the book's. The plot was interesting and I did enjoy how suspense was kept throughout as I was given tidbits of the past to keep me curious as to what had happened. I also appreciated the two main characters (and come to think of it, the supporting cast was rather good too) and how they were not human, but trying so desperately to fit in.
The last book I read during the readathon was Room by Emma Donoghue. This is my favourite book for the month! It was written on such a dark topic but yet the choice of narrator made it light and charming. I think people who enjoy adult books that have child narrators (such as To Kill a Mockingbird) would probably enjoy this one too. I found myself sifting through my mental filing cabinet on things I learnt in Sociology and Psychology to support this book. I really thought it was ingeniously done.
After Bout of Books I finished Morality for Beautiful Girls, the third book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith. I usually read these books in one sitting and I think that usually adds to the enjoyment of them. I couldn't do that in May, and I think that might have been why I only rated this one a 4 star book. It was still good though, so don't be put off if you would like to try some literature set in Africa about African characters (written by a white man - yes, not perfect, but the books are still great reads and diverse in comparison to most reading lists).
Next up was We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I thought that the hype had died down enough and that I would have a more realistic view of the book. That was probably a good decision as I probably would have been horribly disappointed had I read it a year ago. The book was entertaining and I did enjoy reading it, but it was not earth-shattering. I think that also knowing about the ending (not that I was spoilt, but I knew that something happened) also ruined it quite a bit as I was expecting something. It wasn't even the most original something either. It was still good though and I think the kids I teach might get a kick out of it. Great use of metaphor too, I must say. Perhaps a little over the top in places, but I like the idea of bashing the kids over the head with the stuff occasionally.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. Personally I think she is quite deserving of the hype she is getting. I think Dark Places is my favourite book of hers, now that I have read all of them. This one had everything that a good old-fashioned thriller needs and a bit more. I would suggest saving this for a day where you can just sit and devour it in one sitting. I don't think it would be as amazing dragged out. I would recommend this one to people who enjoy thrillers, or those who have a penchant for the dark and twisted.
I read From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury next. This one was a bit confusing and only made sense after I had read the afterword by Bradbury, explaining that the book was a collection of pieces that had been published in a magazine (I forget the title of it now, and to unearth the book is going to take more energy than I have at the moment). As I so poorly and repetitively explained in my review below, I was expecting a book with a continuous plot line. As a result, the book did not make much sense. I also felt a bit frustrated that new characters would pop up late into the book when they had never been mentioned earlier. Of course, it all made sense much later - perhaps too late. Bradbury writes really well though. I think folks who enjoy classics and books that require that level of though while reading are more likely to enjoy it than the average book fanatic.
What was next? I am the Messenger by Markus Zusac. Although I have sworn off reading YA for a while (apparently very unsuccessfully) there are some YA books that I want to read for myself and not for ideas and recommendations for the kids at school. I loved The Book Thief by Zusac so I wanted to give this one a go too. I though it was very good as well - good enough for a 5 star rating. I think that the message in this book was very worthwhile and I liked that the characters were very real people. I am not going to go into more detail, as I think this is a good one to go into blind.
And FINALLY, I saw the end of The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton. Oh my word! I had been on this book since the 15th of January! I did not enjoy it (REALLY? Bet you didn't guess that.) While the actual robbery and the planning that went into it was impressive, the book was written like a wikipedia entry. Info dumping? It was info diarrhoea! It just never ended and I can't say it was written in any way that was even remotely entertaining. Now, I am sure there are people out there who would find this book fascinating and brilliant. I, however, am not one of them. I am glad I finished it, and, should I ever get over my dislike of being in front of cameras and volunteer for a tv programme like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, at least I have some facts about the robbery in case it is the million buck question.Not Completed in May
I began Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman during Bout of Books. It was nice to sit and take a quick reading break from work with a short story. I am dragging this one out for a bit though, as I am enjoying a short story randomly here or there. I don't want to rush the collection as I feel it might detract from the stories. Some of the stories have been absolutely brilliant though. I enjoy how Gaiman has structured some. One story (although I can't say it was my favourite) was only written is one side of an interview - no questions. That was fun to read!Totals for May
Read: 10 books
Books started: 1
Books cleared from my TBR pile: 9
Books added to my TBR pile: 11 (Oh dear! I still have 7 coming that I ordered too! I must find a new place to shop for groceries! I cannot walk past my favourite bookshop and go and buy boring things like toilet paper and milk without popping in!)
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