NORTHANGER ABBEY By Val McDermid

Hey folks! Now I know what you're thinking - 'Didn't Jane Austen write Northanger Abbey?' And you are right. Miss Austen did in fact write the original novel named Northanger Abbey. McDermid wrote this as part of 'The Austen Project' which, although researching it a little, I seem unable to really pinpoint what this project is. As with most books, I found this while doing some shelving at work and decided to see whether or not this fancy orange book was deserving of its title.

If I'm honest, I had no trouble reading the book and I finished it relatively easily yet, things didn't quite seem to fit together as they should. The blurb on the back of the book is very misleading. I genuinely thought I was in for a good vampire novel with some dark romances and a bit of drama on the side. That was the impression I got from the blurb and to be honest, I couldn't have been further from the truth. It was only when I found the actual blurb tucked away on the inside cover that I actually got the hang of what was happening.

Basically, Cat lives in a small isolated village in Dorset. She has been home schooled, thinks little about the future and longs to see something outside of the Piddle Valley. (Yes, she lives in the Piddle Valley, lol). When she gets invited to spend a month at the Edinburgh Fringe with their neighbours, she thinks this is the break from reality and her chance to see the real world she has been waiting for.

Cat seemed a little too naive, even for someone who has lived a sheltered life, and I just found her character to be a little too unbelievable for my liking. Her relationships with other characters seemed predictable and almost as if the writer had to force them fit how she wanted them to.

The other odd thing was that Northanger Abbey itself only appears in the books once you get about two thirds of the way through and even then there is nothing special about it, it is merely a location for the story to take place. There's nothing particularly special about it at all.

Of course there is a very clichéd happy ending and everyone gets what he or she wants apart from the father who is portrayed as the villain.

I'm not really going to recommend it. Its not a book you're going to find me raving about, but hey, if you find yourself with nothing else to read on a rainy day, its not going to be the worst thing you could pick up.

RED DUST ROAD by Jackie Kay

Here we go!! First blog post from my new desk and new writing chair... very exciting! :)

I read this book for the category A Memoir. This is a very beautiful and insightful book, and i am glad to have read it.

Red Dust Road is Jackie Kay's (Famous Scottish author and poet) story of how she one day realised that her parents had a different skin colour to her and that maybe there was more to her family than she first thought. This is the journey that Kay takes to track down her birth parents, her Nigerian father, and her mother from the highlands of Scotland. In this brave and honest book, Kay talks about the experience of meeting her biological parents for the first time and the excitements and disappointments she is met with along the way.

Before I say anything else, I am glad I have read this and it is a wonderful, beautiful story which illustrates the true meaning of family, as well as being an interesting insight of racial differences from a time period different to our own. The only slight issue I may have to raise about this is it is quite repetitive and I feel that this book would be just as powerful, even if were half the size.

I know this is a short one, but I'm not entirely sure what else to write other than this is a lovely book about a women trying to find herself in her family, and find out where she came from. A book I would certainly recommend to those looking for a heart warming and poignant yet fairly easy read.

TAMPA By Alissa Nutting

Before I begin... let me warn you that the content of this book is extremely graphic and inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18 (and probably some people over it!) This is an adult novel and should be read by an adult and mature audience, and not for the squeamish and faint hearted... ...

Now that I've got the warning bit out of the way, let me introduce my sixth book for the POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge. I have chosen this one to be read for the category of 'A book set in high school'.

Celeste is a 26 year old high school teacher who feels a desire to be a little more intimate with her 8th grade students than should probably be permitted. This is the story of how she seduces Jack Patrick, a 14 year old boy, into becoming the embodiment of her fantasy. Obviously, as soon as his voice breaks and he begins to grow body hair, the whole illusion will be broken and he will be no good to Celeste's needs. However after about a year of this horrid affair, things stop going to plan and disaster strikes for Celeste, Jack and everyone else they know.

I've got to admit, I'm not entirely sure what made me pick this book up. I saw a review that one of my good friend did on this book, and still, despite knowing the basic content of the book, I still took it to the counter and borrowed it from the library. The whole point of this reading challenge is to read things that you haven't read before, or to pick up something you normally wouldn't read. I certainly hadn't read anything of this nature before, and I don't think I will be doing so in the future. I think I have to put this book in the same league as E L James' Fifty Shades of Grey, however I must say that technically, Tampa is much better written.

On the positive side, I thought it was an interesting look into false and failing relationships, and how they outside look of a couple can be incredibly deceptive. I felt sorry for Ford (Celeste's husband) and the awful way she treated him. I also found it interesting the way that Nutting presents this almost as an issue of mental health, rather than just a fantasy taken too far.

All in all, I don't know if I can honestly call this a good book, maybe I'll stick with 'alternative'. Tampa is an 'alternative' book, and I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to give this one a try.

THE END OF MR Y By Scarlett Thomas

Well, that started the 2014/15 Six Book Challenge of with a bang didn't it?

This is the story of a young PhD student / part time teacher at the university who happens to come across one of the rarest and possibly most cursed books in the history of literature. Did I mention that the author of said book, was also Ariel's favourite author and subject of her PhD? Now all things considered, what would you do? Read the cursed book of course! She spends every penny to her name on this book, her supervisor and tutor has been missing for over a year and she figures she has nothing to lose. As it turns out, love, time-travel and having the ability to read other people's minds isn't as great as you would initially think so.

This has been a phenomenal book, and if there was a Fandom for this book, I would consider myself par of it. It was amazing and being an English language student myself, I was amazed and overwhelmed (in a good way) by this world that had been created entirely out of language, science and the science of language.

Initially I was a little confused when it first switched from narrator to the first extract of the book because there was very little to differentiate between the two. No font change or subheading, not even a chapter change in some case, and I was very confused by this, but Thomas has done a very neat job of tying this up quickly as Ariel continues to explain about how reading this particular book doesn't allow her to switch between herself and the character, she feels as if she is or should be the character in the book and therefore the mix of narratives are totally in the right place and let the reader experience as much as they can of Ariel's confusion while maintaining clarity in the bulk of the novel.

I thought that the presentation of the girls school was very interesting, and I'm even sure why if I'm honest. I only remember being particularly interested in the way that part was written and it stood out to me possibly more than any of the rest of the book did. What do you think?

I love Adam's character, he's just so lovable and stoic. Initially, I just overlooked him a little, but towards the end I genuinely felt that I wanted him back as much as Ariel did. Although; without giving anything away too much, I feel that the last few pages spoiled Adam a little for me. I feel that he strayed too far from his roots, but ultimately I think that was what Adam wanted, to stray as far away from his own life as possible, until he found something that made him happy, or at least content with his life.

I am genuinely struggling to find the words to rave about this book to the extent that it deserves!

I just love this book for its complexity, yet despite it being complex, it really isn't that hard to follow. I think the hardest part it trying to remember how to pronounce some of the scientific jargon. (just reading about quarks made me feel intelligent :P). The End of Mr Y. is a fantasticly academic book which I would recommend to most people, however:

I would just like to add a note onto the end of this here review to recommend that this book is not read by children or even 'young' adults. This is definitely one for the more mature readers due to its graphic sexual content.

Find out more about the Six Book Challenge here >>>>>  http://sixbookchallenge.org.uk/

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

Well I must say that I think I was definitely correct in my prediction of this phase. In my last Tess post I suggested that this would be an action packed out-working of the previous phase and boy was I right!

Can I just say that if I didn't hate Angel Clare before, I most certainly do now. I'm sorry Mr Hardy... but how can you write a book where you hate all the characters, but love the book? It just doesn't seem possible. The whole incident with Brazil made me furious to the point of wanting to put the book down.

One thing that I did find very interesting was the way that Hardy reintroduces a number of different characters from earlier on in the book. These include Alec, Izz, Marian, Farmer Groby and a few other minor characters. All of these have an expected, individual effect on Tess, but what I'm most interested in is the collective result they have on Tess and the future that she was trying to write for herself. All these people are from Tess's past and we know that, in going to Talbothoy's and marrying Clare, she decided to move on and make an effort to change the future society had set for her. The re appearance of these characters makes it seem as though fate is purposely forceing Tess to relive her past and not move on into the future. I think this is Hardy showing us just how important the judgements of society can be.

I think I've made my main points about this section of the book, but as it getting closer to the end of the book; only two phases left, its getting increasingly difficult to talk about the book without giving spoilers.

Sorry it's a short one. x

THE 100 By Kass Morgan

I first came across this book after watching the first few episodes of the new series on TV. While browsing in the local book shop, I noticed that the original book was on offer and decided to give it ago and I am more than pleased to say that I have not been disappointed in any way at all. In fact I've read the entire thing in less than 24 hours. I think I've only ever managed that with one other book before (The Fault In our Stars by John Green). The 100 is totally gripping and makes it impossible for the reader to put it down. The only regret I have is that the book finished. I just want to pick it up and start reading it again.

Now I don't want to make this a comparison between the TV series and the book, however if you have seen the TV version and are debating whether or not to read the book, go for it! Do it! The TV adaptation is so far different to the book. So many characters have been added and taken out to make it more appealing to a television audience. In fact the only characters which are consistent between the two are Clarke, Bellamy and his sister, and Wells and his father.

I like the book more because it gives insight into the everyday live of the people on the ship, parallel to the people who have been sent to earth. You also get to see the same event from two different perspectives, such as the passing of the comet.

This isn't the first time that I've been drawn to a book about younger people being left to fend for themselves in an effort to survive. Similar themes can be seen in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and also in Gone by Michael Grant. We seem to be living in a world at the moment, where we are obsessed with the possibilities of what would happen if there were suddenly a lock of law and order, who would take charge, who would survive. It seems to be quite a grim obsession we have currently, but definitely one that seems to be selling books. (which is always a good thing)

There doesn't seem to be anything mega special that jumps out at me when I think about this book. No important message forced at me by the author, no life changing epiphany which means I'll never look at life the same again. But maybe that's what make this book so awesome. It's just a darn good book without all the paraphernalia that makes reading books nowadays such hard work. Sometimes less is more.

Read it! You know you want to.

THE RAW SHARK TEXTS By Steven Hall

First things first, I think that the idea and the potential behind this book is amazing. I am all for people writing about mental health and the extreme effects it can have on people. Although when I  initially read the blurb I didn't get that it was about someone suffering extreme memory loss, I was expecting it to have more of a Left-4-Dead kind of feel to it. I was really excited to read it and out of the three I borrowed from the library, this one was at the top of the list to read, however I am a little sad to say that I sincerely doubt I will finish it.

Although the story, ideas and characters are all really, really good, I found it a little difficult and heavy to read, slightly tough to push through, and the when I put the book down, I didn't quite feel drawn back to read it again and I have found myself going more than a week without even thinking about picking it back up again.

Though the biggest sign for me is the fact I have gotten to chapter five and I'm still not entirely sure why I'm continuing to read it.

Now as I always say, just because I didn't finish the book this time, doesn't mean I wont come back to it and try reading it again. Circumstances in life change and what is easy to read at one point in our life may be difficult to read three, four years down the line. Never write a book off first time, try it at least twice before you decide you don't like it. Times and opinions change and there are a lot of really fantastic ideas going on in this book.

I know plenty of people that would enjoy this book, however, at the moment, I just don't think this is the book for me.

FOR SYDNEY BECHET (Poem) By Philip Larkin

For Sydney Bechet is a poem written by Larkin in tribute to one of his favourite jazz musicians; Sydney Bechet. Not only was Larkin a poet and a librarian, but he was also a jazz critic, writing numerous reviews for The Telegraph. Many of Larkin's poems suggest that his love of music was far greater than his love for women, in essence this is one of the most emotive love poems Larkin ever wrote, only this one wasn't for the ladies.

This love and adoration for music is played out beautifully at the end of stanza three/beginning of stanza four where he describes mainly the performing women and the atmosphere of the jazz clubs as 'priced far above rubies'. Here Larkin shows a hint at some biblical knowledge, as this is a quote from the Bible: Proverbs 31:10 says this - 'Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies' (KJV). Only here, in the context of Larkin's poem, he has personified the music and believes that the music is the one with the value greater than rubies. Also by using the scripture reference, the poet suggests that the relationship he has with music may not just be earthly. It could suggest that the love goes beyond that into dedication to and worshipping music. Music is the thing that keeps him going and keeps him alive.

'On me your voice falls as they say love should'. It is clear that here, the persona/Larkin is getting from music, the same thing that everyone else is getting from love. His security, his energy, his reason to live does not come from the love of a woman, or a wife or partner like everyone else. Music is the lover who keeps making sure he gets out of bed in the morning, keeps him working and enjoying the life that he has been given. In fact, not only does the music give him these things, but it also scatters 'long-haired grief and scored pity'. It takes away the pain and fills the hole with something good and whole. Throughout the entire poem, Larkin's lexicon is that of love and adoration, with the use of words such as 'natural', 'legendary', 'reflected'. Not only do most of these words suggest the complete and utter all embracing passion he has for music, but many of them are words which have strong connotations of the natural world, which would suggest that the Persona's relationship with music is not forced like some child who was strapped to the piano stool and forced to play from as soon as he has enough strength to hit the keys. This love is natural and organic, it grows and changes with the music. Just as jazz musicians are encouraged to improvise, so is there nothing rigid or definite about the relationship. There are no right or wrongs. It flows in a way that only real love can do.

It amuses me slightly that Jazz music allows him to be himself, but at the same time allows him to be whoever he wants to be. He talks about people who 'pretend their fads' and 'scholars manques'. People who are not in fact scholars but in the presence of the music, they can be whoever they dream of being. The example used in the poem is of regular workers being able to imagine and believe they are rich, intelligent scholar for just a sweet, short while.

This is the first poem I have studied where Larkin is not clearly set on being alone and in solitude. It is the exact opposite of silence and loneliness which is what you will usually find Larkin's other works flooded with. In this poem, Larkin writes multiple times in the second person, directly addressing the music as if it were a person 'that note you hold', 'you're voice'. He speaks kindly to the music and welcomes it into his personal space. A complete and utter reversal of Larkin's attitude in his other work.

WILD OATS (Poem) By Philip Larkin

In the scheme of things, Wild Oats is a poem quite different to the other poems that I have studied by Philip Larkin. This is one of the few poem where he talks directly about relationships with women.

As usual, Larkin begins with a very descriptive beginning: 'About twenty years ago / Two girls came in where I worked - " It really doesn't get more descriptive or more narrative than that. The entire poem is particularly descriptive through out, riddled with extra thoughts and metaphors, unlike Larkin's other poems which are usually well structured and follow a strict pattern of: description, thoughts and then ultimately revelation/epiphany.

In many ways, Wild Oats is an incredibly cheesy love story, where the persona end up dating second best, not actually getting the one that he wants. in the second stanza, the persona reveals the reason why he ended up with 'her friend in specs' rather than his 'bosomy English rose'. He only ever met with her, and took her out on a date twice, both of which, he was left with the impression that she was trying not to laugh at him.  This appears to have been the catalyst that sent him into developing the resignation that we see at the end. All in all, one can only conclude that he decided to date the woman in glasses because it was as good as he was ever going to get. Maybe he thought that if he couldn't begin a relationship with the woman he really genuinely loved then, by dating her friend, then he could at least spend time with her; a possible shot in the dark, another attempt to get closer to what he wanted.

On thought that comes to me is the saying 'Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all', and the impression I am getting from this poem in particular, is that Larkin/the persona's ideas about romance, are about as far from this as you can get. He would rather learn from it and, never date a woman again rather than have to go through the embarrassment, and disappointment of being laughed at and not quite getting it right. In the last stanza, the persona's resignation to the entire affair becomes apparent. Talking about how the whole event of this affair and the things it taught him were 'useful to get ... learnt', and 'that I was too selfish, withdrawn'.

I think the biggest revelation that the persona has at the end of this poem is not actually about realising that he will never get the woman he wants, although this is something that definitely crosses his mind. The real revelation is that he is 'easily bored to love'. In fact he is not overly wanting of human love or relationships, but rather he is happier with his love of music, thinking and writing. They are the things that he really loves, not women at all. I think that this is not a poem about relationships and romance, I think it is far more likely that this is a poem about the persona realising his true loves in life.

TALKING IN BED (Poem) By Philip Larkin

Talking in bed isn't the love poem that you would initially expect it to be, it is a poem that; although it is about love and relationships, it is about the love and relationships between older people who have been married a long time. They are not newly weds, and they are not young people. This is a poem, more about enduring love rather than falling into it.

Right from the beginning, Larkin hints that this is not a poem about the younger generation. The attitude of the persona does not suggests the same enthusiasm and energy that you would expect in a young couple in a romantic relationship. In the second line of the first stanza, Larkin describes how the notion of the two people 'lying together there goes back so far'. This is the first concrete evidence for the 'older couple'.

In the second stanza, he talks about how inside the room there is nothing but silence, but the lack of communication isn't written as to make it appear awkward, which would suggest that these people do still love each other very much, but they have reached the stage where they see very little need to speak to each other, they all ready know each other too well. another idea is that this suggests that Talking in bed is a poem about falling out of love, ending something that was once passionate and alive. I don't think that this is the reason the couple are not talking. I think if this were the case, Larkin would have made this silence sound harsh and awkward. Also we have seen in many of Larkin's other poems, that silence is precious to him and he thinks highly of it.

It is interesting that before we are even half way through the poem, Larkin leads us out of the room with the couple and into the outside world, with the 'winds incomplete unrest' and the 'dark towns' that 'heap up on the horizon'. This contrast between sweet silence and 'incomplete unrest' shows us just how peaceful and beautiful the relationship is between the couple who are lying together, side by side in bed. Also when the persona describes how nothing outside cares for the people inside, this shows us that they are definitely happy together, because in their silent bedroom, they have something that the outside work lacks; care for one another.

Linking back to the idea of this being a poem about falling out of love, there is a small amount of evidence in the fourth stanza to support this. the persona describes 'It becomes still more difficult to find / words at once true and kind'. This could hint at a deteriorating relationship, but it could also merely be a case of them not being able to find anything to say that hasn't already been said. But it is the last two lines together that really makes the biggest and hardest suggestions about relationships.

'Words at once true and kind / or not untrue and not unkind'. At the beginning of a relationship  it is really easy to find things to say that are both 100% true and 100% kind. You are just getting to know each other,  and may not know the full story. Likelihood is that you'll know the majority of the other person's life story, but even husband and wife keep things from each other. I feel what Larkin is trying to say here, is that the older we get, the more we find our about are spouse and the harder it gets to find things that are both 100% true and kind. Its just never going to happen.

MIDWINTERBLOOD by Marcus Swedgwick

I have been wanting to read some of Sedgwick's work for quite a while now and the funny this is, is that I didn't even realize who the author of this book was until I had got it home and had read the first chapter. All I can say at this point is that I will definitely be reading some of his other work in the future.

The crops have failed three years in a row and numerous sacrifices have failed to restart the growing of crops and the people have no alternative than to sacrifice their king, King Erikir in a hope that this will please the gods and cause the crops to grow again, torn from his beloved wife he promises to live seven times and to find her in each life and love her like never before. Midwinterblood follows Erikir on his journey through his seven lives, searching and loving his beloved Merle until his final life as Eric Seven.

I was hooked into the book after the first page and found it incredibly difficult to put down. Seen as the book is split into seven parts and and epilogue, I tried to ration myself to a part a day, so that I wouldn't get so drawn into the book that I would have no time left for my homework, however instead of reading just part three on the third day, I couldn't tear myself away from the book to such an extent that I read parts three through seven and the epilogue as well.

MIDWINTERBLOOD really is a fascinating book; as it starts in the year 2073 and with every section of the book, moves back a number of years until the final part which is set in some unknown time before the tenth century. At first I was very skeptical about how this would affect the book and its narrative, but I found that I had nothing to fear because as well as making for an incredible read, it really developed the story in a way that could not be done by a conventional linear narrative. what Sedgwick has done is very rare and I think quite risky but I am pleased to say that I believe that he has done himself proud and produce a novel that is worthy of the award it has been nominated for (Cilip Carnegie Medal 2013). The other thing I found that these backwards time movements caused was a shift in genre, initially it started out as a modern day love story, then a war tale and the further back in time we went the more fantastical it got until we were reading about vikings and blood sacrifice, superstition and witches.

MIDWINTERBLOOD, is like seven separate stories that are all connected un some way: Eric, Merle, The hare, they all lead to the same point and each one has its own characters which reflect those in the initial part, like when you read a book and all the characters have an uncanny resemblance to someone you know.

It is not often that I become attached to the main characters of the story, normally I look into the side characters who normally get overlooked however in this book I definitely attached myself to Merle, also Eric, but not as strongly as Merle. I think this is because I could see that Merle knew the secret of her past and she knew Eric from before in their other lives, but right from the start I felt a connection between the two of us.

I am really pleased that Sedgwick chose for Eric and Merle to appear in each other's live as different people rather than just lover (mother and child, Brother and sister etc...) not only because I think had they constantly found each other as lover's it would have been predictable and less emotive, but I think that fact that they found each other in so many ways, really symbolizes the depth of their love for each other, a love that goes deeper than romance.

I really liked the motif of the hare that Sedgwick has used throughout the entire book. It is subtle but obvious at the same time, it doesn't stand out and shout at you but you always know it is there through out the book.

Out of the seven lives that Eric and Merle live I think the one that the author titles The Artist is my favourite. I really felt moved by the chapter and I though it was really emotive and sweet. I recognised part of myself in the child; Merle and I remember that when I was young I spent most of my time talking with adults just as she does in this life. I think that is why I found this chapter so relatable.

The final thing that I am going to leave you with is the thought of the dragon orchid and its importance in the book. Although it does not seem to be focal point, and not even the reason that King Erikir was killed in the first place, but that flower is the reason why the island is how it us and without it, there would be nothing magical and nothing special about the Island of blessed, but maybe there's more to the flower than first meets the eye.

This is a book that I would highly recommend to everyone, the individual parts are so unique that there is something for everyone to enjoy in this magnificent book my Marcus Sedgwick. I have nothing for this book other than very high praise. Next time you get the chance, grab a copy and dive in. Its a quick and easy read that will keep you turning the pages.