March 2016 Wrap Up Part 1

This was a pretty good reading month! I suppose the 2 week holiday helped a lot - although, as all adults know, holidays are really time off from paid work to catch up on work around the house. And then, as all teachers know, it is also time to get a head start on the following term's work. But all that aside, I managed to read 13 books!

First off, although this is a cheat because I actually finished this at the end of February, is Speaking in Bones, the 18th book in the Temperance Brennan series, by Kathy Reichs. Once again, Tempe has to solve a crime with random body parts. Look, I will be completely honest here. These books are pretty formula: Tempe follows random clues, until it gets to the end, where she will go and do some daft investigating on her own, get into a dangerous situation, and get saved by Ryan or some other cop, depending on whether the story is set in Canada or the US. Then there is the on-and-off again relationship between her and Ryan. This book is no different. But, having said that (which all sounds negative), there is something to be said for these books. There is always something one can learn. In Bones are Forever this was too much the case - I was not interested in mining in Alaska, or was it Canada - I can't remember. But usually, there is just the right amount of information for a reader to glean off the pages. If you happen to like programmes like Bones or CSI (or any one of the other gazillion choices out there), then these are probably books you would enjoy. Nothing spectacular as far as writing goes, but then, it is not trying to be a literary work of art. Just your regular run of the mill crime novel.

Next up, and also a cheat because I finished this in February too, is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. This was a children's book that I picked up at the school's travelling book shop (they had nothing much older than this, even though the school goes all the way through high school). It was a book I had heard about and I was curious to see what happened in it. It started slowly. In fact, this is another of those books where the first 100 or so pages becomes irrelevant because of the synopsis on the back, which does make one question how necessary those pages were. It was all right as a read. I liked the concept of being able to read characters out of books (sorry, that spoiler is on the back of the book). It is also a book that definitely caters to an audience of book lovers, which I did appreciate too. I don't know if I will be continuing with the series. At the moment, I can think of a gazillion other books I would rather read.

My first real book for March is Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin. I did not know what to expect going into this. I thought it would be long and heavy reading - which it wasn't. But now, one month later, I am finding it hard to sum up what I thought about this. This book follows Toru Watanabe, a university student, trying to find love and his place in the world. I was not really a fan of how women were portrayed in this. They were props to benefit the main character's journey in the year or so that we follow him. I know in my original review, I used the term 'manic pixie dream girl' and I stand by that. I also feel that the protagonist was far too perfect and understanding. Is that a cultural difference, perhaps?  I have other Murakamis on my shelf, so I will see what I think of him once I have got through those.

Because the end of every term is marred with a hideous amount of admin, I wanted something light - yet grown up. The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty was exactly the type of book I was looking for. It is a fun urban fantasy novel, that has everything in it, from vampires to zombies. Zoë Norris, the protagonist, finds a job in New York, putting together a travel guide for the coterie - or monstrous fantasy creatures, as we otherwise call them. She is a fun, capable female character, who is game to save the world - or at least New York. I will probably pick up the second book in this series the next time I need something light to read (and go book shopping).

Dorothy must Die by Danielle Paige is up next. It is getting close to the time where I have to select new books for the high school library, so I suppose that means that I need to read some more YA. In this book, Amy Gumm is hauled off in a tornado to Oz, where she has to face Dorothy, the queen bitch, and try and figure out who is good or wicked, or if such a distinction is possible. This read very quickly - always a good thing when selecting books for the library (I teach kids with barriers to learning, and they view reading like adults view a root canal, so the books I select are always fast, action packed and exciting). I just hope that the 2nd book is as good as this one. Oh, and just in case you missed this in my review, don't read the synopsis on the back. It really is a spoiler, as it tells you everything Amy learns in the penultimate chapter. ANNOYING!

I can finally say that I got around to reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, the next book completed for March. This is a story of revenge, and if I could create a genre for it, it would be anti-romance (which leads me to wonder why it is constantly being referred to as a romance in other books I read). This is a fascinating read. I could not draw my eyes away. I liked how everything we learn throughout this book is told from the point of view of someone removed from the situation. It really leaves things open to interpretation. This has to be one of the best written books I have read so far this year. It isn't bogged down by detailed descriptions, but has just the right amount to create a clear image of the setting. And those characters! Wow! They felt real! I am so pleased to have finally ticked this one off my should-have-read list.

Next up, and to start the holidays off in the right spirit, was The Wee Free Men, the first in the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett. This was another hilarious and clever book by the master of fantasy. Tiffany Aching, a young girl living on the chalk downs, has to find out what is behind all the strange things that are happening. Tiffany. A brilliant character. She values intelligence, she is a critical thinker, she is brave, and she is coming to be one of my favourite female characters. I would highly recommend this one for young girls to read. It has a feminist approach to fantasy, and a lot of commentary on the typical fairy tale. And did I mention the humour? This book is hilarious!

And that is where I am going to leave this wrap up. It is becoming far to long and I am only half way through. I will post part 2 very soon.