POP GOES THE WEASEL By M J Arlidge

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I put this on the bottom of my reading pile.There was no doubt about the fact I was going to read it; after all the first one was amazing and I knew I was going to read the next one. It's funny how we sometimes do things like that.

Anyway, as you may have guessed, this is a book read from the 'bottom' of my reading pile. In reality, since my reading pile has no bottom, the fact it was not the top of the pile will have to suffice.

After the last set of events with Helen's psychopathic sister, the entire world is now aware of every single detail in the life of Detective Inspector Helen Grace, and there is little that she can do to stop it, other than keep her last secret under lock and key and change the password every time she opens it up. But these seem to be the least of her problems as a new killer is on the loose, luring family men away into the dark and slaughtering them. Exposing these good, church abiding family men for what they really are; the life blood of Southampton's prostitution front. Cutting out the victim's hearts and sending them to either work or home, this is a mouse who certainly enjoys teasing the cat.

Can I begin with the awesome opening to the book? The first chapter is so mind boggling that you believe you are looking through the eyes of the killer instead of the victim. Arlidge sets out an entire new outlook of how men pine and crave for sex in an environment where it's either lacking or lost. The author's talent is clear right from the off and I could not fault the opening chapters of this book one way or another. The second chapter is equally puzzling with the body of a white female trapped in the book of a car. Is this the killer, is it the woman the first victim was going to see, is it a red herring, what is it?! But you aren't left confused and disorientated, just longing to read more.

My friend and I spent a good hour discussing the first five chapters alone, talking about what we thought was going to happen and I'm tell you know, even as seasoned crime readers, we didn't see this ending coming.  There are so many twists and turns which are perfectly weaved together to create an amazing read which is gripping and attention seeking and just freakin' awesome!

The only slight element that I didn't care too much for was Helen's initially hostile relationship with Charlie, I found this a little harsh and upsetting and totally uncalled for, yet I suppose it illustrates how we all react to trauma differently and it sets Helen apart from the rest of her colleagues as we have seen time and time again in EENY MEENY. I was immensely pleased when reconciliation took place and the friendship was repaired. I genuinely don't know what I would do without Charlie.

The other really important note I need to make, is that although reading the previous book does enlighten some of the references in Pop Goes The Weasel, it is not essential. I know people who have only read the latter and have still understood it perfectly and enjoyed it just the same.

I am planning on reading number three as part of my reading challenge, however as I have pre-ordered part four, I am forcing myself to spread the story out a little bit. September is a long while off and as much as I want to read three I don't know if I can wait that long. Two smaller waits will be easier me thinks. :)

I don't need to tell you to go out and read this but I'm going to anyway: GO OUT AND READ THIS! you wont be disappointed.... ever.... :)

LOGAN'S RUN By William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

"The terrifying novel of the 23rd century!" Read for the category, A book set in another country, Logan's Run is set in futuristic American where it's a utopia for some, and a dystopia for other; and nearly everyone has second thoughts on Lastday.

Logan 3 is a Sandman; a Deep Sleep Operative. It's his job to send people to 'sleep' as soon as their palm flower turns black; when they turn 21, however Logan isn't as keen to send himself to sleep when his own palm flower starts blinking black and he knows he's on Lastday. The last runner he chased muttered the word 'sanctuary' just before he died, and Logan begins to believe there might be some truth in the old urban myth. Refusing to end his life at 21, Logan 3 begins the journey to find sanctuary, that's if it even exists.

I have been waiting years to read this book! For three, four years now, I have been trying to find a copy of this elusive book which was actually affordable for my student budget, and finally I have found one.

Everything about this book sets it apart from other sci-fi, dystopian novels. It's like 1984, Brave New World, Handmaid's Tale and every other dystopian novel rolled into one magnificent novel. So easy to read and deeply satisfying when finished.  I love it. I've heard people talk about it negatively, but I honestly cannot see where those opinions can be formed on such a book. It's unique, its original, it's captivating, it's satisfying, what more can I say?

A definite read for both sci-fi kings and novices alike.  The journey beginning at chapter 10 and finishing at chapter 1 is an incredible journey which you can't help but read on, and Nolan's use of characters is a spark of genius which proves that not everyone is who you think they are.

AN ACT OF LOVE By Alan Gibbons

I know, I know.... technically it isn't based on a true STORY, but the story does follow a real life series of events that did really take place in the UK.

This is the heart breaking story of two little boys who come from very different families. One is a white British family, the other is a committed Muslim family. The relationship that these two boys have a children is amazing and a true weapon against a world full of racism and discrimination. However as the two boys grow up and the so called 'war against terror' begins, each boy gets caught up in their own countries battles and are eventually separated. One becomes a British front-line soldier, the other becomes a extreme Islamist soldier, and a beautiful friendship is torn apart.

This is an incredible, thought provoking and poignant story which really does highlight the way that prejudice can split families and communities, and also how easy it is for one person, or group of people to drum up enough support to start a war.

The main puzzlement that the book presents is that it is an older children's book. Personally, I found this emotionally difficult to read as an adult, so I'm not sure how a child would do with it. Never the less it is a really good book and one that I would recommend to more mature younger readers, as it is a brilliant vehicle for telling young people about recent history which they were too young to remember happening. This war was a big event in modern British history which we need to learn from, and I believe that this is a book which we can use to help us do that.

Give it a place on your reading list and share it. Everyone.

THE SKIN COLLECTOR By Jeffery Deaver

Good book. Really good book. Definitely a perfect contender for the Mystery/Thriller category of the reading challenge.

Picked this one up in the supermarket on special, I'm terrible for buying books on special offer, I really am.

This is the story of Lincoln Rhyme; a paraplegic, independent criminalist and consultant to the NYPD and this time, he's got a slightly different case to solve. A perp is taking happenstance victims, sedating them, and tattooing messages on their stomachs. Only, the killer isn't using ink... after all what's the fun in that? No. This perp is tattooing with poison.

I really liked this book a lot. It is incredibly well written, twists and turns on every page; enough to keep you entertained but not so much that you get confused and lose the thread of the story. Even without the amazing writing of Jeffery Deaver, the unusual choice of murder weapon is enough to catch the eye and make this a book you're going to remember having read.

I've got to admit, that towards the end, I felt that there were places that Deaver could have ended the book and I was a little unsure as to whether i wanted to risk reading on in case he had ruined the end of the book and tried to hard to end it, but I should have had more faith in him. He delivered amazingness throughout the entire book and the ending was no exception. I

I've read so many crime novels now, that I can usually tell you did within the first few chapters, but Deaver kept me thinking and rethinking all the way through!

An excellent book, but definitely not one for the faint hearted. In fact I'm kinda glad the book hangover was minimal...

PERSEPOLIS By Marjane Satrapi

I was a bit unsure about what I was going to read for the graphic novel category as I've never really found any interest in graphic novels. I tried to avoid manga graphic novels, not because they're bad because many people enjoy them, but because I wanted to see if there were any other forms of graphic novel that never really go any notice. I chose this one because; on the shelf, it looked the most like a normal novel rather than a comic book or annual. Uncertain of whether I would enjoy it, I pick up another one that looked different so that I could give them both a go. in the end, I didn't need the second one, Persepolis was more than interesting to read.

Persepolis is the story of a young Iranian girl who is the grand daughter of a Prince who was thrown out of power and a rebellion started in the country. Marji attempts to fight in the rebellion and encourage her parents to do the same. This is a story of how a young girl's religious and political views are chopped and changed rapidly as she grows up in a world that no one would ever wish on their children.

This was not at all what I had expected from a graphic novel. I was expecting romance and teenagers along with drama and relationship crisis'. In no way did I expect to be reading a book that really ought to come with a health warning.

I really liked that fact that this focussed on a war which wasn't the first or second world war. This was a much more recent war which impacted many of the community still alive today. Why is it that was seem happy to talk about the horrors other generations had to face, but we wont talk about our own? This is an important portrayal of how war doesn't just affect the people on the front line.

I did enjoy reading it although I would never have picked it up if it hadn't been for the reading challenge. I enjoyed the experience of reading a graphic novel more than expected to. I can't say that the GN section in the library will be my firs port of call from now on because that would be a lie, but I do think that I may be a little open-minded to the world of comic style and graphic novels.

LOOKING FOR ALASKA By John Green

This is the second of John Green's books that I have read, the first being The Fault in Our Stars (Which incidentally earned itself a place on my Book of the Month list in January of this year), which I loved and therefore it would only make sense to enter this book for my reading challenge under that category of 'A book by an author you love but haven't read yet'.

Having previously read The Fault in Our Stars, and being absolutely blown away with it, and it hitting the top of my all time favourite books list in the skip of a heart beat, I'm not going to lie, I had high hopes for this one, and is I expected, the awesomeness that is John Green delivered again! I can't say that it hit the same level as TFIOS, because I don't think anything every will, but that is in no way at all, me saying that this is not a good book. It is! It is an amazing, gripping, perfectly poignant book which everyone should read.

This is the story of Miles Halter, a boy with few aspirations, a knack for learning famous last words and soon to become Pudge to his new friends, as he starts a new life at Culver Creek Boarding School where he meets the infamous and beautiful prankster, Alaska Young.
Pudge does exactly as his parents tell him not to, gets involved with smoking, sex, getting into trouble, the whole shebang, but his heart is broken after a terrible 'accident' which leaves the entire school without Alaska.

This is an amazing story which really shows how death can tear us apart as much as it can bring us together. As the reader you are forced into choosing sides between characters who are friends with each other, friends with you. Its a fact of life that everyone with die eventually, but it doesn't make things any easier when it finally happens to someone you know and love.

I would recommend this to any one of the age to read Young Adult fiction, due to a small number of graphic scenes and a running message of alcohol abuse and smoking. This is a funny and yet heart breaking book which will stay with you for an awfully long time to come.

Mr Green...  I salute you. 

THE THREE By Sarah Lotz

Well, here we are again! This time I've been reading The Three by Sarah Lotz who you may remember as being on of the authors of The Ward. I must say that I was left a little confused and disappointed with it. I am not adding this to the list of my 2015 Reading Challenge as I didn't actually finish the book.

I really like the idea behind the book but I found it difficult to keep up with characters as Lotz kept changing the point of view. Don't get me wrong,I enjoy books which are told from different points of view, but I thought that repeating the same event from five or six people's perspective before moving the story on got a little tedious after a while and it made it difficult to follow and read.

I was expecting more after reading The Ward and I had kind of gotten my hopes up that this was going to be an amazing book. I  apologies to anyone who really enjoyed this book, I understand that this is a popular book with many people and there are probably people who disagree with me, but I'm afraid you can't like every book you ever pick up.

For a review from someone who really did enjoy this book, head over HERE

THE METHOD By Juli Zeh

Okie dokie! Here we are with the fourth book I have read for the POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge. This time I've read a book to fill the category 'A book originally written in another language'. The Method was originally written in German and the translated into English by Sally-Ann Spencer.

Mia is a scientist in the world run by The Method. Everything about this world is completely health based. Everyone is required to submit various blood tests and urine samples to The Method in an attempt to create an completely illness free human race. Things begin to get a little heated when Mia stops submitting her data. She is now technically a criminal and could be facing a fate worse than death.

Ermm.... I'm not really sure where I should start with reviewing this book. It had the weirdest effect on me, no word of a lie. I found that while reading this, I wasn't particularly hooked, I wasn't gripped to the story line, I didn't even find the book overly special or interesting, but something kept the pages turning. I'm not entirely sure what it was. It could have been the fact that I wanted to make sure it ended right, or I had a slight hint of hope that it might get a little more gripping.

I really, really liked the idea and the structure of the world that Zeh created and I think there is a lot of potential for this to have been a really good book. I felt that the relationships between characters were very confused. As a reader, on many occasions, I wasn't sure whether the writer wanted me to like a character or not.

Over all I think it was an interesting book and a good idea that maybe could have been written down better. Whether or not the German manuscript read better or not, I don't know and unfortunately as I don't speak German, I will never know. I didn't not enjoy this book but I didn't particularly enjoy it either and unfortunately I don't think I'll be reading an of this author's other books in a hurry.

As usual I don't like telling people what they can an can't read. We all have different preferences and this blog is purely my personal opinion. If the synopsis sounds like something you would like to read, go for it. It's only a short book. What have you got to lose?

THE MAZE RUNNER By James Dashner

Here we go with my second book for the 2015 POPSUGAR reading challenge, this one is heading for the category: A book by an author you've never read before, and it's true! This is the first of Dashner's novels I have ever read, and I must say that after this I wouldn't mind reading a few more.

I've got to admit that I hadn't heard about this book until I say they poster at our local cinema for the new film that recently came out last year. Then browsing through the bookshop I stumbled across a copy, (or rather thousands of copies) and I very nearly didn't buy it. I love the hunger games and when I saw the plug at the bottom about how its 'a must for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES, I was worried that I would be disappointed that it would be a non-story. Compared to the Hunger Games so that it would sell more copies but I thought What the heck and took it to the counter and paid for it.

However I now stand here with my hands held high in surrender and apology to all you Maze Runner fans out there... you were right. This book is amazing and it has indeed left me with a book hangover to such an extent, that I don't know when I'll be able to start the sequel.

Just like it says in the blurb, we begin the story just as confused as Thomas and we stay as confused as he is until starts fighting back and asking questions. From the moment the box open, and Thomas is spewed into the Glade, to the moment he falls asleep at the end, you feel everything that he feels. Basically Thomas has somehow been made to live in a huge concrete square surrounded by walls that seem to be impossibly tall. There are four 'doors', on in each wall but all that seems beyond them is black. We soon learn that the Glade, as it's more commonly known, is the centre of a giant, seemingly unsolvable maze. He is trapped in there with 50 - 60 other teenage boys and there is only one rule: Solve the maze or die. The people before Thomas arrived have been trying to solve the maze for two whole years, so why should his arrival make any difference?

Firstly, I thought that this book was incredibly well written. The idea of creating lab rat style humans is almost unthinkable and I cannot begin to think where I would have started if I were the writer of this book, but Dashner has done an incredible job of making it realistic and believable. There was not a single moment when I stepped back and said 'Whoa! this ain't real'. The author here has managed to find the perfect balance between reality and fantasy, a sometimes very difficult thing to do. As a slight aside, I love the way that each boy is nicknamed after a famous scientist, that tickled me. I loved it.

As usual I talk a little bit about my favourite character so that what I'm going to do now. Newt. Favourite character has to be Newt. He's strong, he's a leader, he's hot and I just think that if I had to be stuck in a giant hostile maze with anyone, it would be Newt. I kinda liked Chuck as well in that annoying little brother sorta way but Newt definitely had to be the one for me.

Certainly one I would recommend to all people great and small who enjoy a good book, and most definitely a book for people who think that reading is ponsey and for girls, because this book could not be further from that assumption. Give it a read, see for yourself and see if you would be strong enough to solve the maze.

LEVIATHAN By Scott Westerfeld

A good friend of mine recommended this book, but in my awful judgemental ways, I assumed that because my friend is slightly older, that this book would also be a more adult book. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I opened the cover to start reading a teen/young adult book.

The world is at war, however this world war is nothing like we would remember it. The Germans and their allies, have developed their Clanker machinery. Tanks, and walkers and mobile military units! Meanwhile, the Brits and their allies have created a vast army of Darwinist fabricated beings. Living warships and ferocious warriors. What would ever happen if these two sides were ever to meet? Well when Austrian Prince Alek has to go on the run after his royal parents are killed, and Deryn disguises herself as a boy to join the British air force, the two meet and things get interesting.

I really enjoyed reading both sides of this story, but the storyline that stood out to me the most was Deryn's. Who doesn't love a young girl disguising herself to achieve her dreams? Yeah the ideas a little corny but sometimes, its the things we know and love that make the best story. I found her character easier to connect to and more relateable. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to empathise with a young prince who has just lost both his parents and is heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, but a young girl whose dreams of flying are squished my society? That's a little more real.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Alek and his story. Sometimes you need something completely separate to your one circumstances to get you through the day. However, this time round, I needed something a little closer to home and for me, that just happened to be Deryn.

I really, really, really enjoyed the whole Science Vs Nature argument throughout this book and over all it made me think, is there such a big difference between the two? The Natural world is made up of chemical reactions and scientific equations, and surly it is only natural that we should want to invent and build things to make us more powerful and efficient at humans? Yes this is a YA (young adult) book, but maybe its more than that... Maybe its a simple commentary on the similarities of nature and science and the two put together. After all is it not the two sides coming together in the end that makes them more powerful than the enemy and enables them to escape?

I think the only thing I have left to say is that I've ordered the next two books in the series from the library and I can't wait till they arrive. This is definitely a book I would recommend to any reader of any age. And adults, please don't dismiss a book just because its in the Young Adult section! Read everything!!

THE CRYING TREE By Naseem Rakha

Firstly, please let me tell you what a beautiful book this is. It is a stunning work of literary fiction.

When Nate Stanley came home from work one day to announce the family was moving to Oregon, no one in the family really knew why. When he explained he had a job promotion, they assumed that was all there was to it. They never imagined the secrets that he was hiding from his family. However moving doesn't solve their problems and Irene and Nate's son is shot dead in their own home.

We join the family nineteen years on, just a month before the scheduled execution of their son's killer. However, secrets come to light that no one dared speak of till now, and they could change everything.

I am so glad that I decided to read this book. Ever since it arrived in the post as part of a winter reading selection I found on line, it seemed to be calling me. It caught my eye first out of all those other books and it did not disappoint in any way shape or for. In fact, it exceeded ALL expectations I had for it.

When I started reading this book, I never for one moment thought that its main message would be forgiveness. I imagined it to focus on pain and loss, depression and separation, and a number of other miserable emotions we expect from a novel where a parent loses a child. This was not the case!

A while back I wrote an article about the difference between literature and 'good reads', and the conclusion I came to was that good literature was something that would leave a lasting impression and would, above all, teach you something about yourself and/or the world around you. This book certainly does that and I would definitely class it as literature.

Normally I try to write about my favourite character(s) in the book but on this one I'm stumped. there never seemed to be one character that stood out more than the other all of the time. At one point Shep was my favourite, at another point Bliss, and even Robbin at some parts of the book. Everyone took their turn in the emotional lime light and everyone had a story to tell. I was really impressed and mesmerized by the way that Rakha wove so many stories into one narrative plot stream. I really is genius.

This is a hard hitting book in places and one to make you think, but I would certainly recommend this to everyone. It is a brilliant read and delivers an important message in a friendly and non-intrusive way. A five star rating really doesn't seem quite good enough for this one. Not nearly good enough at all.

THE WHISPERING SKULL By Jonathan Stroud

GOOD PEOPLE OF EARTH! ITS FINALLY HERE!

I've finally managed to get my hands on a copy of The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud, the waiting list at the library was not far off enormous.

Now, if you've been following my blog, you will remember that a while back a read the predecessor to this wonderful novel, The Screaming Staircase. I remember ranting and raving about how amazing that book was and as I brought this one home just three days ago, I felt that Stroud had indeed, set himself an incredibly high standard.

But never fear because, the genius author of The Lockwood and Co. series has done himself proud and gone over and beyond the standard he set himself last time.

I think the best thing about this novel is that as well as being a separate novel that can be read independently of the first, it takes one element of the previous novel and expands in, explains it and takes it to a whole new level. That tiny little side mystery that you never really get to see much about? well this time Stroud's written an entire novel on it. The other thing I think is brilliant things is that it isn't just a copy of the first book with different side characters and storyline. He has taken the supernatural and dystopian element from his work, and very cleverly woven into it a clear crime/detective style sequence of events making this book open to an even wider audience than it was before!

All the way through, I was on the edge of my seat, I was shocked and horrified as I was the darker side of characters whom I thought were just kids bent double with bad-luck, and all in all I don't have a bad word to say about it.

But one thing I will say is this: Mr Stroud, you better get writing, because that cliff hanger you left and the end almost killed me!

EENY MEENY by M J Arlidge

OH MY DAYS!!!!! Read it! Read it! Read it! Read it!

And to think that I very, very nearly returned this book to the library without even starting it!!! I would be kicking myself now if I had done.

This is the story of DI Helen Grace as she tries to capture the serial killer who is taking pairs of people and locking them away with only one instruction. One person must shoot the other. One dies, the other goes free...

This book is so, incredibly gripping and twisting in so many brilliant ways. It keeps you hanging on right until the very last page, the very last word even. You think your just getting the hang of the story when it takes another brilliant turn in a completely unthinkable direction! I've read crime novels with a similar final target to this before, but never have I read one so unique and different!

Each and every single one of these characters is so deep and well written that they become almost real to the reader. My personal favourite (Other than Helen) being Charlie. But even the other, more minor characters such as Bridges and Sanderson, had enough material written into them that they had real emotion and story, that you can't help but remember them in the way that you remember an old friend from school. Not always at the front of your memory and mind, but still always, definitely there somewhere.

Mark was an incredible piece of work in my opinion. So very often, the cops are always the people who have over come everything and become what they are today, but I think Arlidge's take was very interesting. It's really rare to read about a cop who is still going through his life changing events while at what appears to be the top of his game.

Wow this is an easy book to write about!

This does does contain adult, mature and graphic content and is very likely to leave you thinking what you would do in that situation, who you would be with etc... This is a very gripping book, that moves at such a pace it is unbelievable.

I would definitely recommend this book at all maturer readers, but make sure you keep arms and legs inside the car at all times as you're in for a bumpy ride!

TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES By Thomas Hardy - PHASE THE SECOND

Despite Phase the Second being the shortest of the seven sections of this book an awful lot happens to our protagonist. She returns home, we find out she's pregnant, she has the child, the child dies, she tries to find work, and she makes an attempt to try and fit back into society.

I think the reason that Hardy squishes all of this into four, relatively short chapters, is because he wants us to understand the way Tess is feeling. Tess doesn't want to dwell on this section of her life, and Hardy doesn't want us to either. He wants us to move on with Tess and realise that such a small section of her life, should not have such a massive impact on her future. This would have been particularly important to the audience Hardy was writing for, as he would have been writing for people who would have hated and loathed Tess for the situation she had supposedly gotten herself into. He wants them to move on as well and follow his and Tess's lead. I feel that Hardy is trying to convince us that purity (he describes Tess as: a pure woman) goes beyond the physical and is more importantly about the heart and the mind.

I found this section of the text rather difficult to plough through if I'm honest, but I feel this is because of the lack of speech and the greatness of all the details Hardy writes into the text. Both of these things, although making it a little hardy for the reader, play an important role in helping us to understand the character.

The lack of verbal communications with other characters helps us to begin to understand how lonely and isolated Tess is feeling. There is no one she feels she can talk to and no one seemingly willing to comfort her and treat her normally. This leads onto the effect of the masses of description. Because Tess is so lonely and isolated, she has more time to ponder on things and to pick at the fine detail in her life that she may not have noticed otherwise. We get to see deeper into Tess's perspective, while at the same time, getting a clear sense of setting and context.

I've found this phase and interesting one to read, if slightly slow. Nevertheless, I shall be looking forward to seeing what Phase the Third has to offer.

THE HIT By Melvin Burgess

I must say, this has been a really enjoyable and interesting book to read. There are so many different themes and ideas packed into this book and yet it doesn't seem complicated or over crowded in anyway shape or form. I love it! Then again, I'm all for any book that has some sort of moral, especially one that makes you think about, and appreciate it more than you do already. There were a number of times while reading this book when I genuinely found myself thinking about what would be on my bucket list if I found myself under the influence of Death, or equally I might have found myself wondering whether or not I would have chosen to take it.

I think it was quite brave of the author to take on a topic like drugs and gang violence, because these are covered a lot in novels now-a-days and it can be difficult to write about it in a way that makes your story stand out from the others. But I'm am pleased to say that I think Burgess has done an incredible job and has definitely written a novel which tackles common but important themes while making it stand apart from everything else at the same time.

A brilliant book and one that I would definitely recommend, I'm looking forward to reading some of Burgess's other work.

THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE By Jonathan Stroud

Wowser! I can't remember the last time I got so engrossed in a book! Five days it has taken me to read this and had it not been for college, it probably would have taken a lot less. Stroud is a genius and has left me clinging onto the edge of my seat for September to come around when the sequel comes out.

I am no stranger to ghost stories and tales of things that go bump in the night. In fact one of my many favourite series, is The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, set in Lancashire (My home county, in fact it was set in the town next door!). I was familiar with the iron and salt and other remedies for ghosts and such like, but The Screaming Staircase seemed different. Whether that was because it was a different setting, or because of the differences in the ghost themselves, I'm not sure but I tell you now, September cannot come quick enough!

From the moment I 'laid eyes on him', I was in love with Lockwood. I'm pretty sure that this is what Stroud would have wanted and certainly, you can do nothing but love Lockwood. His humour, his smile, even his rebellion, everything about him is perfect, yet still you can see the underlying dark secrets that we never get to know about. I think this is what makes him so appealing. Despite this, there was no love interest between the main characters which to be honest, I liked. It was nice to read something that wasn't about the protagonists and they're relationships, you can probably tell, I'm not one for the romantic side of things. The small element of romance (if you can call it that) was confused and ambiguous which made you appreciate it more in the end when it was finally confirmed and revealed fully.

There is such a uniqueness to the Stroud's supernatural characters, he has taken something so well known and so stereotyped and turned it into something new and something brilliant. My favourite being a group of ghosts that work together as one and manifest differently in three different places. They are working as one yet they are separated.

I could write about this forever but I really don't want to give any of this away! I would recommend this book to everyone (Unless you're a little faint hearted, but even then you should be fine ;) ). It is a work of pure genius and as soon as I get the chance, the second in the Lockwood & Co. books will be in my hands and the pages will be turning! Read it! Read it! Read it!

Oh, and you might want to leave the light on...

AMBULANCES (Poem) By Philip Larkin

At first glance, Ambulances seems to be a poem very different to Larkin's other works, however once you get into the actual words of the poem and the meanings behind these words, it becomes quite clear that this poem follows the same themes and thoughts as most of Larkin's other poems. I also found this poem a little odd at first as the only people who really tend to talk about ambulances are young children.  But of course, by now, we know that Larkin is one for talking about the taboo subjects and bringing up the tender topics of conversation.

Right from the opening phrase, 'closed like confessionals' we are being fed a different view of Ambulances and what their purpose is in our society. I think that this phrase really opens the poem well by stressing the importance of ambulances. The first parallel I made between ambulances and confessionals is that they both carry someone who is believed to be able to save you, in an ambulance, you find a paramedic who will try and offer physical salvation. They will try their hardest to save you from whatever ailment or injury you are suffering with, they will not stop until they are sure you are safe. Equally, in a confessional, you will find a priest, whom catholics believe can forgive you of your sins and offer you spiritual salvation. Both of these 'boxes' are places where life is tried to be saved and death, whether it be spiritual or physical, is push away and stopped before it claims the person seeking help.

I also really like the metaphor of the thread that Larkin uses to describe how the ambulance works. I think that this can be taken in two different ways. The first being that Larkin is referring to the idea of someone's life 'hanging by a thread'. The thought of being on the very edge of death and needing an ambulance to stop death from claiming you. This idea is also continued later on in the poem when he talks about the ties of life beginning to loosen, this idea fascinates me and I'll come onto that shortly. The second way that this 'thread' metaphor can be taken is much more positive and makes for an overall, more pleasant read of this dim poem. I think that the idea of the ambulance as it 'thread / loud noons of cities', is saying that slowly but surely, ambulances weave and 'thread' their way through the cities, stitching it back together and making things better for the people that live there. Sewing up to wounds in the towns and cities and fixing society. Personally, I like to think of the second one myself, however this is Larkin and this is one of his ambiguous thoughts that he leave to us to decide what we'll make of it.

Finally for the first stanza, the last line of the stanza is very real and I think what Larkin/Larkin's persona is trying to tell us is that as 'all streets in time are visited' by and ambulance, so do death come to us all, no matter how hard we try to avoid it.

After this first stanza, we move into the middle section of the poem which focuses of looking at the lives of the ordinary people in the city who are having to witness the ambulance and its works, and how they are reacting to this. The description of the 'children strewn on the steps or road' suggests that they have been affected by this as much as the patient. Once the ambulance drives away, they are thrown back into their everyday lives, trying not to remember the tram they have just witnessed. Even if it is somebody you do not know, seeing someone so ill they have to call for an ambulance is bound to leave an impression. The trauma of the incident is 'strewn' across the surrounding streets and the people with it.

Larkin talks about 'women coming from the shops' and this just reminds be of the natural instinct that humans have, we are drawn to drama. If something unusual or exciting happens, we want to be there and be a part of it. Naturally we want to see things for ourselves and not settle for a secondhand account of what happened. But then this liveliness of the people and the energy they show in wanting to see whats going on is juxtaposed with a 'wild white face'. White or pale faces are usually associated with people who are ill and/or have died. Is this the 'wild white face' of the person being treated, or is it the face/s of the people watching, being saddened and shocked by what they are seeing.

Someone I know suggested that 'the red stretcher-blankets' could represent the red carpet laid out for someone special. Almost like the ambulance is welcoming in each and every patient as a unique and special individual who needs tailored treatment, and in someways i feel that this welcomes us into the back of the ambulance with the patient. The last three stanzas of the poem are really quite ambiguous. They could be interpreted as a description of either the patient or the onlookers, however personally, I feel that at this point the narrative and the persona have travelled into the back of the ambulance with the paramedics and the patient and has moved onto the thoughts and the effect of what is happening to the patient themselves.

'A sense of the solving emptiness'. To solve something, is to find an answer to it. I think that here Larkin is revealing to us what death is. Its a solution, and answer to all of lives problems. For here onwards, death becomes a very clear and obvious thought in the persona's mind. Especially when Larkin writes; 'the unique random blend / Of families and fashions, there / At last begin to loosen'. This links into the point I made earlier about life hanging by a thread. When you get right to the point when your life hangs in the balance and you are inches from death, all that ties you to this life becomes of little values to you and those ties 'at last begin to loosen' you come to the point of realising that you have reached that 'sense of solving emptiness'. Family, friends, pets, memories, hobbies; none of that matters anymore because you have finally reached the ultimate answer to all of life's problems and sufferings: Death.

So as I said at the beginning, Ambulances seems a very different poem to what we are used to for Larkin, but once you get past the choice of topic, you can see that this is indeed a very deeply thoughtful and philosophical poem, just like all of his others.