Hi reader,
Happy Sunday! I hope you’re having a great weekend. I was trying to decipher where I got the idea to start this post with a direct address to you and it has just come to me that I am stealing from the beginning of the ending chapter of Jane Eyre (a fantastic classic).
My younger sister came home from university last week and scored herself an internship at Willis Towers Watson. Usually, she takes up a waitress job in Nandos when she comes home for her university breaks so it has been nice to actually have the weekends to see her and catch up with her. On the downside, she is no longer bringing home free treats.
I decided to do a book tag this week. I’m still getting to grips with this whole blog thing and whilst I’m happy with how my introductory blog post set the tone with who I am and how I developed a love for reading, I read the books I mentioned in the post when I was in primary school. Most certainly some of my fondest memories come from playing make-believe in a bottle green uniform with pigtails in my hair, however, I’ve gone to university and got a job since then. Those books were my life 10 years ago. Definitely an important part of the scrapbook, but I need people to know I left Mallory Towers alongside Darrell Rivers – I’m not still there!
I scoured the internet for a book tag and I found one on Reading Ladies Book Club, which you can access here. Her tag was published nearly 18 months ago.
How many books are too much in a series?
This doesn’t answer the question by any means but The Famous Five has 21 books and I read every single one of them as a child. Blyton’s works have been subject to a lot of criticism in recent years, a recurring comment being the repetition within the novels. Admittedly, I liked this with The Famous Five. I enjoyed the novels where the three siblings went to stay with George in Kirrin far more than I did the ones of them caravanning or on Bank Holiday hikes. I became enthralled with the beach and cottage setting and envied how George could say she owned an island. I’ll always remember my favourite being Five Fall Into Adventure, the ninth book in the series. George and Timmy get kidnapped and Julian, Dick and Anne are told they’ll never see her again unless they hand over Uncle Quentin’s latest scientific discovery. It isn’t the first novel in which George gets kidnapped, nor is it the first novel where criminals try to obtain George’s father’s latest findings. Nonetheless, to me, the novel was thrilling.
I’ve reread the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia series more times than I can count and I’m currently going through the audiobooks of the former. They both have seven books each. I haven’t reread The Hunger Games since I was in year seven however, and there are only three of them. I’m glad I read them when I did, as the savagery between the Capitol and the districts went over my head completely. If I get teary eyed rereading Sirius Black’s death now Goodness knows what Mockingjay would do to me now.
So, to actually answer the question: I don’t know. From the examples I’ve used, it would appear the setting of a series entails whether I love the saga enough to read them again. Catch the Hogwarts train? Yes. Visit a cottage on a beach? Of course. Enter a wardrobe and enter a magical alternative world that is in fact an allegory of Heaven? Absolutely. Participate in the bloodbath that is The Hunger Games? No, no thank you.
How do you feel about cliffhangers?
I prefer them in television. Saying that, my favourite literary cliffhanger is probably the one in Atonement. Oh Ian McEwan, why must you break my heart twice?
Hardback or paperback?
Both have benefits; hardback because of the smugness that comes with owning a hardback book and paperback because paperbacks fit more comfortably on the shelves. And the cover that comes with a hardback book always causes a lot of faff, especially if you read on public transport.
My favourite book?
It’s a tie between The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the latter of which I apparently share with the Alexa dot sat next to me as I type this. Truthfully, I read both of these books for university – I didn’t purchase them on my own accord. I certainly would have read them had I not studied English though. The former novel (spoiler alert) has one of my favourite ever plot twists – I never anticipated that Dorian, who despite being a narcissist prior to ever meeting the dandy Lord Henry, would ever become a full fledged murderer.
My favourite aspect of Frankenstein is Shelley’s illustration of the monster, which at points, leads you to forget he is a monster (again, spoiler alert). He reads the likes of Fitzgerald to familiarise himself with English and becomes almost infatuated with a family living in the forest, discreetly collecting them firewood. He is devastated when the family finally see him and are frightened by his appearance. The creature is far more relatable than Victor; he harbours an understandable desire to belong and have company. I felt the monster’s defeat at the end of the novel profoundly, more so than I did Victor’s grief over Elizabeth’s death.
Yes, I am aware that I have the Wordsworth copy of Frankenstein in my photo below. I was ridiculed enough for it by my lecturer, thanks.
Least favourite book?
I read Moll Flanders for my second year at University and Good Grief. What on Earth was that?
Love triangles, yes or no?
They’re a pretty overused troupe - even at 12-years-old, I found the love triangles between Peeta/Gale/Katniss and Bella/Jacob/Edward exhausting to read. I didn’t even read past the first Twilight book. A love triangle that I did enjoy however was the three-way between Nina, Tim and Rafael in More Than Words by Jill Santopolo. Tim and Nina have the classic old school love and are childhood sweethearts. He is the son of her father’s business partner. However, after Nina’s father dies and Nina learns more discovers the secrets he has been hiding, it is Rafael, her boss, who she finds herself turning to.
A book you couldn’t finish?
My sister very sweetly purchased a poetry anthology for me for Christmas. I really struggle to read the daily poetry, especially after a long day at work. However, when I do, it’s the highlight of my day.
A book you’re currently reading?
I work in Marston Green, a 15-minute walk from the local station. Birmingham International is about a 5 minute drive away and there’s a station there also. One of my Directors very kindly offers me lifts to the latter station which I always accept – not because I dislike the walk, but because I enjoy talking to him in the car.
I got dropped off at International the other day and since all the trains were delayed, I popped into WHSmiths.
The 10 minute delay meant I purchased this, which I started today.
Last book you recommended to someone?
The last time I know of someone actually reading a book I recommended to them was just after lockdown. I recommended Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer to my school Careers Coordinator (hi, Gemma).
I discovered Brigid unexpectedly – someone was selling a book bundle on Depop which included two of her novels, Letters to the Lost and Call it What You Want as well as Simon vs The Homosapien Agenda and Our Stop. I’ve always been afraid of purchasing clothes on Depop in case they didn’t fit, a shortcoming you don’t need to worry about with second handed books.
I read all four books within days - Letters to the Lost was far and away my favourite. In the book, Juliet is struggling with grief after her mother’s death and frequently leaves letters by her mother’s grave. She is stunned to one day see a response, unbeknownst to her, from her classmate Declan, who is completing community service in the local graveyard. The pair eventually trade emails and write to each other, both providing an outlet to the other for their grief and struggles; Declan after the death of his sister and his father’s subsequent arrest, Juliet with her mother’s passing.
I fell head over heels in love with Rev and Dec, so much so that I ordered the sequel, More Than We Can Tell, seconds after I finished it. Dec is Rev’s best friend, an individual who carries the nickname of The Grim Reaper within the school due to repeatedly donning dark and full sleeved hoodies in the summertime. He has a heart of gold, however, and is respectful and warm towards every single character. His abusive father attempts to contact him and Rev is at a loss; he doesn’t tell his adopted parents nor Dec initially, however, he strikes up an unlikely bond with Emma, a girl in the year group below him.
I messaged Brigid after I'd finished the books and thanked her for writing them. Her characters provided me with an amazing escape during 2020. She responded and said thank you with this lovely message.
I recommended both books, amongst many, to Gemma. And I got an email back a few weeks later saying the book spoke to her soul and that she wished she’d had something like that to read back when she was a teenager. I couldn’t have agreed more.
Oldest book you’ve read?
I undertook a ‘Literature at Sea’ module in my final year of University, the first text we studied being The Odyssey. It took me about 3 weeks to finish during the summer break. From what I can remember, the Greek poem is the story of Odysseus’ attempt to return home after the Trojan War, the events of which take place in The Iliad. Odysseus encounters seemingly endless obstacles in his journey home, so much so that the journey takes 10 years, the same amount of time as the war itself. Amongst these obstacles are his enemies, such as Posedion, the God of the sea.
I did a quiz on the book today and scored a 6/10. Yes, I am going to pat myself on the back for that result.
Newest book you’ve read?
Is this asking for the most recent book I read or the last time I purchased a book the day it came out? Well, I don’t think I’ve done the latter for a very long time. For the former, I finished Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland and it’s only by writing this have I discovered that she is Australian and currently lives in the UK.
I loved the book. I wouldn’t put it on the Letters to the Lost or even Eleanor & Park level of young adult drama but it deserves a round of applause for the characterisation of Henry Page alone. I find a lot of authors rarely accurately captures how a teenager would react to certain situations. Krystal succeeds in what I find John Green (I’m sorry) fails to do. His characters all seem to have the mentality of a middle-aged male and use vocabulary that teenagers of today simply don’t use. Hazel Grace and Miles Halter could take a page out of Henry’s book. Or, his newspaper.
I’m going to leave the rest of the questions for a future blog post.
Thank you for reading – I hope none of you are experiencing the Sunday blues. Take care of yourselves. Enjoy your evening. Goodnight xx
