Recent Reads

Joanne Harris is one of my favourite authors.  So when a new book comes out it doesn't usually take too much to persuade myself to get it.  I love Chocolat and the follow up Lollipop Shoes; Coastliners was the first of her books that I read followed quickly by 5 Quarters of the Orange and Blackberry Wine.  All so good.   Some of her stuff I just can't get on with though.  Jigs and Reels, a compilation of short stories was ok, The Evil Seed, a revisit of a very early novel that had not previously been published, was ok, I finished them both. Gentleman and Players, I never got past the first chapter.    

So on to Blueyedboy.  I did read it all, it had me gripped insofar as  it was mostly based around internet entries by blueyedboy himself, of his life, his fantasy life and the lives of those around him.  He posts various explanations of the recent deaths of people in his life, his brothers, a young gifted child, a professor and various cronies of his Mother.  All involve murder but each retelling is from the point of view of somebody different being the murderer.  It's impossible to tell whether it's all fantasy or whether there is some truth in there somewhere, so  I had to read it to the end to see just how it was going to finish.  And it was a surprise. But I didn't particularly enjoy it.

You can't always tell what a book is going to be like from a review or three.  I seem to go through phases where I buy books that I really enjoy, then have a spell where the books I buy are just really naff.  So with my two most recent purchases.

The first is called Nine Lives by  David Fox.  I saw this advertised on Facebook, and followed the link to Amazon, read three glowing reviews so bought it and was really looking forward to reading it.  First thing I noticed when it came was that it was one of those 'self-published' books - you can tell the kind with their glossy covers and seamless spine.  That's ok though, it got great reviews so though I was sure to enjoy it. 

Bluegh - the formatting is all over the place, as is the grammar - self-published in this instance obviously meant skipping the use of a proof reader or an editor.  It was hard to get into the story itself because of the way the sentences had been constructed.  One sentence ran for 5 lines, without a comma, semi-colon or full stop.  Nightmare. 

The second book is 'How to Be a Woman by  Caitlin Moran.  Now let me add at this point that I didn't buy the book for advice on 'How to Be A Woman'  I sussed that one out many years ago.  Its partly about her growing up, partly decrying how feminist ideals have slipped over recent years and a call to arms to not be sucked into the fake-tanned, primed and airbrushed role models which are so prevelant at the moment.  I want to like the book, I agree with so many of the thing she has to say, but what her admirers call funny, I'm just finding to be on the wrong side of crude (for my tastes anyway) so the jury is out until I finish it.