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.... :)

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.

THE EDIBLE WOMAN By Margaret Atwood

I was unsure which book I should choose for a famous author's first book and it took me a while to sus out who I wanted to read, but finally I decided... or rather I was looking through the college library and just happened to come across Margaret Atwood's first novel, so I decided why the heck not and gave it ago. If you've been following my blog for a while, you will have seen that about a year ago I did a series of blog posts analysing The Handmaid's Tale, but is probably one of Atwood's most notable novels. As much as I 'enjoyed' reading The Handmaid's Tale, (I'm not sure enjoyed is the right word to use), I found it quite thick to plough through and it took a certain mindset. Going from my previous experience, I set myself plenty of time to read this book. As it was, I finished it in about a week.

The Edible Women is a story of Marian, and the strange effect her recent engagement has on her. When the last of her boyfriend Peter's friends get married, he finds himself lonely and depressed, finally coming round to the idea that he should propose to Marian and get married himself. Of course Marian says yes and everything looks peachy. However shortly after getting engaged Marian finds that she starts struggling to eat certain foods and eventually goes completely nil by mouth. Meanwhile she starts an affair with Duncan although she has no idea why or what grounds the affair is based on. The only thing she really knows is that Duncan is using her and she begins to wonder if she is using him in return, though what she is using him for remains a mystery.

While all this is going on Ainsley, Marian's flat mate, decides that men are over rated and purposefully gets herself pregnant to prove that a mother can raise a child better on her own that with a father figure beside her. Everything was going to plan until, at a pre-natal class, Ainsley is told that boys born without a father figure will almost certainly grow up to be homosexual, and with this Ainsley's whole objective changes. Now she must find a husband.

This is a very bizarre book. I found it much easier to read than the previous Atwood I had read, but I also found that what I was reading wasn't actually very much. Nothing really happens in the book, although lots does, if you get what I mean. A lot of the feminist attitudes that Atwood is famous for can be seen very clearly even in the first of her novels, but still the actually events in the book are a little underwhelming.

I would have liked to have a little more explanation and reasoning to what happened to Marian. The main points in the book seemed to take place with little or no though to cause and effect leaving you unable to concentrate on the rest of the book because you're still trying to work out what happened in the last part you just read.

One thing I did find very effective (Once I worked out what Atwood had done) was the way the parts 1 and 3 were in the first person, while part 2 was in the third. This was effective in showing how the events of the novel had almost separated her from herself and she didn't really feel part of anything. You really understand, that in the middle section of the book, Marian feels as if she is an observer to her own life rather than the person living it. At the end of the book, the narrative returns to first person and you get the impression that she has found who she is again and has found peace in her life. She can direct and live her own life.

Although I'm not to sure about this one, I did 'enjoy' reading the Handmaid's Tale and I think that I will in fact read 'Oryx and Crake' which is sat on my desk at home. as you would expect, there are plenty of pointers that this is a debut novel, written by an author who, now, has honed her gift to near perfection.

As always, just because I didn't particularly get this book, doesn't mean you wont. Give it a shot, see what you think. If we all enjoyed reading the same books then life would be very boring indeed.

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.

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 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.

TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES By Thomas Hardy (PHASE THE SEVENTH)

Alas! It is finished. To be honest it all seemed to end rather quickly and I can't decided whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. All the way through, despite enjoying the book, and I've been longing for it to finally finish, and now that it is finished, it's sort of left me with a bit of a book-hangover. I genuinely never expected Tess of the d'Urbervilles to give me book-hangover. For those of you who are unaware of the term book-hangover here it is:

Even twenty four hours after finishing the book, I still don't really know how I feel about the ending. Its really difficult to explain without giving too much away, although with it being a classic, everyone probably knows how it finishes anyway.

I knew what was coming and I knew it was going to be awful,but I never envisaged it to be like this. In fact, this has been the only section of the book when I haven't been furiously angry with the author, the characters and everyone else involved in the book. Hardy wrapped everything up and tied all the loose ends incredibly quickly, leaving you with a sense of almost lostness and almost defencelessness because for so long you have had these characters and their personalities to keep you going and now it all ends so quickly that you don't really have time to say goodbye properly. In addition to this, I find that Tess becomes very harsh and impulsive in the final chapter of this book, which is understandable once she meets Angle again but, before hand it seems a little odd that she has gone so long living in the hope that her husband would return that you never expect her to suddenly up and leave to go somewhere else.

I found that once Angle returned to the country from Brazil, I didn't hate him nearly as much as I did before he left and what was more was that I wasn't upset with myself for not hating him either. In fact the tables turned a little and I felt really sorry for him and I was so please that he had finally come to his sense, but even Angle seems to follow the same metaphor as everyone else in this book: Too little too late.

Over all I have very much enjoyed reading Tess of the d'Urbervilles and I would not at all mind reading some other works of Thomas Hardy. Hardy is a very successful author who definitely knew how to get a response out of his audience and how to make them feel exactly what he wants them to feel. I admire him and his work and would recommend that most people should read his work if they get the chance.

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 SUICIDE CLUB By Rhys Thomas

When I picked this book up at the library, I had really high hopes for it. The blurb and front cover pulled me in like a child to a sweet shop and I couldn't wait to get started. However, I'm sad to say that I have been quite disappointed. This book just didn't deliver what it had promised to me on the shelf.

I found that while I had the book in my hands, it was easy enough to read. But it was far to easy to put down for my liking, and once I had put it down, I found very little in the way of anything pulling me back to read any more. I'd happily read this if there was a lack of other texts, but with so many other great books out there waiting to be read, I feel bad concentrating on a book I'm not totally enjoying.

Of course, try it for yourself. As I've said many a time, what I write here is purely my opinion and it should never be a list of things you should or shouldn't read. For all I know, this may be the best book you have ever read and in that case, I am glad you enjoyed it. We all have the odd book that we struggle to love now and then, and unfortunately this was one for me.

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

Well, that's another phase of this interesting book read. in someways I found this phases to be much simpler and also much easier to read and to concentrate on. Not sure what made this so much easier going, but I think it might be down to the addition of a larger; not large, but larger amount of dialogue than the previous phase which I found got quite monotonous in places.

In this phases I felt that Tess began to blend in with the other characters a little more than she has done in previous phases and chapters. She becomes closer to people than we have seen her done before and yet Tess is trying to distance herself from the other people in the story even more than we saw her don previously. Where as before she generally just avoided spending time with people, in this phase, Tess actively tells people that she is no good woman and that there a far better woman to love and befriend than herself.

This really shows the effect that society has had on Tess's mental health as they down just have a downward opinion of her, but now they have finally managed to convince Tess to have a bad opinion of herself. If she can't even love herself how can she ever expect other people to love, appreciate and want her. Her actions and speaking patterns with other people become almost child-like and yet her thoughts and reactions are more adult and complex than you would expect a young woman like Tess to have to feel. The three women also have quite childish emotions concerning Mr Clare, this could represent how women were expected to be seen in society. No real intellectual thought and opinion, only basic, black and white feelings, with little depth and exploration.

Anaphora and cataphora are used quite a lot in this section of the book, in particular referring back to what has happened. As if Hardy is forcing us to remember what has happened to Tess, just as society is forcing her to remember her horrific past. Throughout there are hints and reminders of what has been, and equally clues as to what this will lead to.

I must say that Phase the Third has been a definite surprise to me and I wasn't expecting this from the book at all. I feel now that this book is a little less predictable than I originally thought it was and I am excited to see what else Hardy has hidden in his work for you.

SKY RUN By Alex Shearer

After reading The Cloud Hunters by the same author, I assumed that this was the sequel. However I was wrong. Sky Run is a completely separate novel which is merely based in the same world as the other. When I found this out, I was a little dubious about reading it and I was afraid that I wasn't going to enjoy it was much as the first book I had read, set in this wonderful world. I was worried that I was going to miss the characters I had come to know and love in The Cloud Hunters and still have to battle through the same world without them.

However I have really enjoyed this book. I cannot say that I enjoyed it more or less than the last one as they were totally different story lines and ideas. However I did really like the homage to the other book, when Alain talks about meeting the other Cloud Hunter boat which was carrying the boy without the scars and he talks briefly about his feelings concerning the event.

Although the two books can be read totally independent of each other, I would recommend reading the two together as they really do enlighten you about the world and the situations that the characters are living in. Each book gives you extra background information about the other book which, although you wouldn't miss it as such, you certainly would benefit from reading.

I must say that for some reason I found this story less repetitive than Shearer's other sky themed novel. I found it easier to read without becoming confused or lost in the same words over and over again.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has read The Cloud Hunters and equally I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't. I have reviewed The Cloud Hunters  previously. Click here to see what I had to say about it.

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.

RED DRAGON By Thomas Harris

I've been dying to read the Hannibal Lecter books for a while and I am more than pleased to say that I was not disappointed! Not exactly what I was expecting, but nevertheless... if we always got what we expected then the world would be a very disappointing and boring place indeed.

If I'm truly honest with you, I was expecting it to be a lot more graphic than it was, unless I've just read too many crime/thriller books and I've become used to the grime and the gore?? Maybe.... it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.

I like the idea of the main protagonist being a retired agent rather than a working one. This want you get a sense that Graeme really wanted to catch the killer, he didn't have to come out of retirement, but he felt a need and an urge to do something that big and important. I thought that this helped you understand Will's character more because he wasn't bound by FBI rules and regulations and he wasn't having to follow professional police conduct, you could see a lot deeper into his character and begin to really understand him. A lot of other crime writers fail to do this because their protagonist is forced to behave and speak in a professional manner, so yes we know that they wanted the killer dead and/or arrested, and that they hate them to pieces, but beyond that, you don't really ever get to understand the relationship between captor and criminal.

I think my favourite character in the book was Dolarhyde, even though he's the killer and the murderer, his back story was so well written and so well put together that I felt closest to him out of all the other characters. I usually get a bit wary of authors who decide to develop a characters back story by deviating completely from the story and spending a whole chunk of chapters telling a completely different story to the main narrative, however when Harris did this, it flowed so well that you didn't mind and personally, I barley notice as he moved between the two.

Despite his infrequent appearances, Lecter's character intrigues me and is defiantly one of the driving forces, pushing me towards the next book in the series; The Silence of the Lambs. This I have also heard little negative comment about and I can't wait to get my hands on it and start it.

Harris's writing is so fluid that the hardest part about reading this is putting it down at the end.

This is most defiantly a book for more mature readers but that really goes without saying. What with the graphic violence, murder and nudity and all. However if you're alright with all that then I would defiantly recommend picking Red Dragon up and starting reading!

Red Dragon is a must read for all crime and thriller fans.

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.