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.

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.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life Of Bees was recommend to me by a very good friend of mine who said it was a brilliant book and one that I would really enjoy, and I must say that she was more than right. I have enjoyed reading this book so much that I want to read it again and again and again.

It is the story of a young white girl (Lily) and her Negro friend (Rosaleen) who end up an a spot of bother and end up running away from Lily's father, breaking out of jail and numerous other plights. The two are taken in by three Negro bee-keeping sisters who protect them and look after them while they are hiding from Lily's father and the law.

I cannot put my finger on one, single way this book made me feel. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I got angry, I feared for the other characters, I even loved throughout the course of this book. This, I think, is the sign of an impeccably written book.

To be honest with you, the plot was nothing like I expected it to be, even after reading the blurb, but I cannot fault what has been woven into these pages. The Secret Life Of Bees is an enormously powerful book that represents brilliantly the struggle of coloured men and women in the 1960's and the hostility that they faced from white society. I think that the coming together of races and denominations is fantastic and something that should most definitely be encouraged by all.

My favourite character has to be August Boatwright. I feel like I know her now, I feel like she has taken me under her wing and been there for me through trial and struggle. Of course she is only a fictional character, but she has been so beautifully written that she could very well be real. I admire her bravery and her solidness that she shows throughout everything her and her family are forced to go through; including deaths. She takes everything in her stride and freely admits that everyone needs time to be alone and grieve for their own personal problems in their own way. The thing that I found came across strongest about August was her passionately, pastoral heart which leaked through the pages of the novel and seeped into the reader. The fact that she would rather do something like pain the house bright pink because it helped to keep her sister stable, rather than paint it blue because that was what she wanted and that her her favourite colour. I found there really was a lot to admire in August.

I really felt drawn into the complexity of Lily's character. There are so many layers to her that there is something that everybody can relate to in some form or another, the most difficult part for me, when Lily breaks down admitting her feelings of being unlovable.
I felt that throughout the story, Lily grew up and became a woman. At the beginning of the novel, she seemed no more than a child catching bees in a jam jar, but at the end she had grown and matured into a strong, independent woman who was able to stand up to her Father and tell him what he needed to hear, but still deep inside she still had that child-like longing for a Father who loved her. All the way through we see this battle within Lily, between the part of her that remain a child and be held by her mother, and the part of her that wants to grow up and leave her family behind her, making a fresh start for her adult self, and I think it is really interesting how we see this physically through her actions as well as her thoughts and her speech. The main evidence of this battle is when she's alone in the Honey House and on one occasion she begins throwing jars of honey and making the biggest mess she can, an another time she cannot sleep and so begins a mad, cleaning frenzy. Two completely different activities - One more likely to be done by a girl and the other by a woman.

Over all this really is an incredible book and one that I would definitely recommend. I would probably say that it is more suited to older teens and adults but that's not to say it wouldn't make a good read for anyone younger (however there are taboo terms used throughout). As I mentioned before, it is an incredibly powerful book and definitely a story to combat prejudice and racial discrimination.

DANCING JAX by Robin Jarvis

Oooohhh!!!! I like a creepy book every now and then, and I must say that it doesn't get much creepier and spine chilling that Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis. (In fact it think I've only read one book creepier: Long Lankin, and I shiver just think about it)

Basically, it about an ancient Occultist who wrote a children's book which should never be read by anyone.... ever! it takes you over and turns you into a different person!

At the outset, just off reading the blurb, it sounds as if the author of Dancing Jacks (The book in the story) has got everything sussed when it comes to getting people to read his work. As a writer myself, one of my main aims is to get people interested in reading my plots and leave them wanting more. I believe that a good book should draw you into it's pages. You should feel like you're actually involved with the story rather than just reading words on a page, but I never hope that my work causes the same reaction as it does in this novel. The creepiest thing about this for me, is the way that Jarvis has taken the writers ideal, and taken it to such an extent that it becomes evil and world destroying.

I have to admit that initially I found it a little slow going and difficult to get into. The first chapter left me feeling a little disappointed, feeling like it hadn't delivered on all of the brilliant reviews I had heard about the book, but being the enthusiastic reader that I am, I plowed on through the first chapter believing that it would get better and I certainly wasn't disappointed! By the beginning of the second chapter I could hardly put the book down.

I know for certain who my favorite character has been throughout the book. Paul Thornbury. I find him adorable I really do, and as a reader, to me I think of him as a little brother, or what i would like my little brother to be like. When Dancing Jacks is finally forced upon him in one of his English classes, I found myself wanting him to break free, not wanting to read on unless he was going to be okay, all the way through the book; even though Jarvis hints at an unhappy ending, I was praying all the way through that he would never fall victim top the evil book and it's followers. I was heart broken when he finally gave in and just as Carol turns and tells Martin that Paul is no longer her son, I felt that Paul was no longer the imaginary little brother that I adopted at the start of the book.

I also like Martin's character although I'm not sure I would have liked him as my maths teach although I've probably had worse. The scary thing is, when it comes to Martin, I know people who have similar obsessions and I understand that Martin's character is totally believable. It sort of one of those where you have to see it to believe it. I really like the relationship that Paul and Martin share, because even though Martin is to become his step-dad, there is this lovely brotherly, best friend relationship between them. Initially this is good because it causes the reader to believe that Paul wont have to face his battle alone, but every time you think that Paul could do nothing  more to convince them, they believe just a messed up little boy which is heart-wrenching when you compare it to the relationship he has with martin at the beginning of the book.

It is definitely a book that I would recommend to everyone else, probably not too young-a-children though, I don't want to be responsible for night mares and sleepless nights. But I think that anyone who is looking for a good creepy read would definitely enjoy this one. If like me you struggle a bit with the first half a chapter or so, I advise just to preserver for just a tiny bit longer and all of a sudden everything will become clear and everything will have been worth it!

THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood (chapters 11 - 16)

I think that chapter eleven is a really interesting chapter in the book, because it really opens up a whole new side to Gilead that the reader hasn't yet been able to see, because of Offred's restricted view of the world. Looking back in previous chapters, we have seen that there have been rebels who have been executed for going against the system, and naturally you would think that this would deter people from committing these 'crimes' however in chapter eleven, it is more than apparent that this is not the case. There are definitely those who still attempt to rebel against Them and their new society.

Even the medical professionals who are responsible for making sure the handmaids are in full health as to be able to carry out their job; are not allowed to look at the handmaid's faces. This goes to show the restricted nature of Gilead; many medical professionals from our own time have admitted that they can only present a very restricted medical diagnosis is they cannot see the face of the patient. However, we later learn that for anything more than a sexual health check-up, the Handmaids are taken to a hospital which we hear incredibly little about. We are told nothing about what goes on in the hospitals, this is because Offred has so far never been to one of these hospitals and has possibly never been in contact with anyone who has and/or wishes to share their experience.

It is also in chapter eleven when Atwood really hammers it home how important getting pregnant to these women is. Offred genuinely considers accepting the help of this doctor, who is offering himself and his services to her so that she might conceive and not receive the fate of an Unwoman. Despite it being illegal and extremely dangerous, she still considers risking it to make sure that she fulfills her duty as a handmaid.
However, Atwood lures you into thinking that Offred is going to accept so when she turns his offer down, it comes as a slight surprise, not enough to throw you but just enough to make to have to step back and review the situation. This shows us that Offred is afraid that by accepting the doctors offer she will be giving in to the new world she is being forced to live in, doing anything to please her commander and fulfill her job; but by rejecting it, she is holding onto the little bit of her self control and herself. For Offred it can't all be about getting pregnant in anyway possible because then she does what she has tried not to do for so long; give in.

I think it is really effective that chapter twelve starts in the bathroom, as if the events at the doctors have left her feeling dirty and unclean. That she has had a bath immediately afterwards to wash away the unclean and illegal actions of the doctor. To remove every last speck of their conversation from her conscious.

The way she describes 'my nakedness is strange to me already' allows the reader to understand that not only has Gilead managed to alter society's view of women, but it has managed to to change women's view of themselves. In what appears to be a fairly short period of time; one, maybe two generations, women have stopped being comfortable in revealing clothing and makeup and now they are uncomfortable even in the bath with only themselves there. This is a really good example of what Aunt Lydia meant when she said 'This may not seem ordinary to you know, but after a time it will. it will become ordinary'. For so long, all the women have been forced to cover themselves from head to foot that now they cannot stand to be uncovered, even in front of themselves.

This bath time event acts as a trigger for Offred, causing her to think about her own daughter from the time before. However these are not happy memories. Initially she remembers her daughter being stolen from her in a supermarket, which allows us to sympathize with Offred because we know that her daughter has not been the only thing that was taken from her, but also her freedom and the rest of her family. She recalls thinking at the time that it was an 'isolated incident' which we know wasn't the case. This backs up the idea of the unreliable narrator, admitting that she got it wrong, so how do we know now, that elements of her life now are not being recalled incorrectly or that she wrongly informing us of things that are happening.

About half way through this interesting chapter, we learn that Offred has a small tattoo branding her with her new life and role, at the time when I read this I thought little of it, however in chapter twenty-four, Offred talks about the Nazi concentration camps and this allowed me to make the link. Prisoners in the concentration camps were branded with a tattoo of a number just as Offred has been in her world, signifying that Offred is in fact a prisoner, with orders to carry out and strict rules to stick to, or suffer the consequences.

Chapter thirteen is a nap section, which I believe in itself is unusual, throughout the rest of the book, it has always been Night sections that have been slotted in between the rest of the story, allowing us to alternate between the two, however this time rather than night, it is a nap which we are welcomed into by our narrator. Letting us see that they have some 'freedom' during the day. The same sort of freedom that Offred always seems to take full advantage from and her we are informed about the arrival of Moira; and the arrival of Moira also reveals even more information to us about the strict culture that has been forced upon them. She talks about how friendship are frowned upon and suspicious and her secret meeting with Moira reveal how strict the Aunts are even about small things like going to the toilet.

I find it interesting how, during her nap time, Offred is thinking about a nap time along time ago from when she initially started as a handmaid. Through out the rest of this Nap, Offred recalls (or dreams) about a number of different memories, she remembers being in her old apartment with everything packed into boxes apart from her clothes which are hung up in her wardrobe. I feel this is a really important part in showing Offred's current emotional and mental positioning. The fact that she doesn't recognize her own clothes in the wardrobe, isn't because she couldn't recognize them at the time, but because now, in Gilead, Offred has been conditioned to the ways of the world to such an extent that she can no longer remember or imagine herself wearing such clothing. Also the way she calls out to Luke and then as a side, say that it 'Occurs to me that he may not even be alive.' You would only think something like that looking back on it, not at the time the memory took place.
This in turn, triggers another memory, of her running through a forest with her daughter trying to escape, however she had drugged her daughter to keep her quiet, but that made it difficult to travel with her, it showed her that doing WHATEVER it takes doesn't always payoff, this could have been one of the reasons that she turned down the doctor on his offer, but this isn't the only time she admits to drugging her daughter as we see later on in the book.

Offred also reveals; whether on purpose or not, that she has been having the same dreams over and over again: Of all the dream, this is the worst.

Now then, I feel that chapter fourteen, fifteen and sixteen should be tackled as one element,especially as it is all part of the same Ceremony.

Before the Commander arrives, we see for the first time the smallest glimmer of compassion from the Commander's Wife; Serena Joy. Despite the fact that they are not aloud to read or watch any form of television, Serena Joy allows them to watch the news before the ceremony begins properly, however the way that she switches it off before the Commander arrives suggest that he himself is unaware of this that his wife is doing causes us to think that maybe, he also is hiding things from his wife, however at this point it is just an assumption. While all this is happening, the seemingly unimportant Nick (the car man) suddenly makes a move on Offred, Touching his toes to her and stirring a reaction in her which takes her by surprise, not only because what he is doing is forbidden, but also because she didn't realize that she could still respond to men in this way.

After the commander enters, the atmosphere seems to change quite dramatically, it goes from silent excitement and gratefulness to being extremely formal and serious. The commander has arrived and therefore, the proceedings can begin.

I'll admit that I'm struggling as with what to write in terms of chapters fourteen and fifteen, a lot of it is just seems to be Offred trying to postpone telling us about what happens in chapter sixteen. Its almost as if Offred is trying to get out of telling us what she has to go through by explaining the first part of the ceremony in such detail that it takes up two chapters.

I think this is very clever of Atwood because she has drawn out the wait for this moment for so long that when we do finally find out what Offred's purpose in this life is for, it hits us like a bomb shell.

When I initially read chapter sixteen it made me feel incredibly awkward and almost embarrassed at what I was reading. Sex is something that traditionally is kept between the two people involved, so the fact that three people are there is uncomfortable in itself, but as a reader I felt like I had walked in on something that I shouldn't have done. I think we can all agree that in this case, Atwood has definitely succeeded in creating some rather Avant Garde emotions in her reader.

The thing that made this the most uncomfortable for me was Atwood use of the word f**k. However, even though it is a word that I myself am uncomfortable with, I believe that it was the right word for Atwood to use and she explains it beautifully in the chapter itself.

I do not say making love, because this is not what he's doing. Copulating would also be inaccurate, because it would imply two people and only one is involved. Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven't signed up for.

I think that sums this point up to be honest with you.

Another point of interest for me was when Offred talks about the Commander not being as bad as the last one, which suggests that there is more than one man that she has been made to have sex with, which seems to contradict the so called christian nature of this society. So if this society is so religious, how can they permit it that woman can be forced to have sex with multiple men whoever they are assigned to? But then she talks about how this is the life she chose, it's almost like she's hedging it a bit, because in fact, it was either this life, of being sent to the colonies which was almost certainly resulting in a slow and painful death from radiation poisoning.

I think I will be glad to move away from this section of the book and move on, in a hope that something more positive is to come for Offred.... one can always hope.

FROM THE MOUTH OF THE WHALE by Sjon

If you're the kind of person that enjoys sitting with elderly folk and listening to the tales they have to tell from their former years, then this book is most definitely for you.

It is quite difficult to write about this book because there is no real plot to follow and the narrative extremely fragmented. However I think ths works well in the context of the story. If Sjon had followed a linear plot, I feel that the book would indeed have been much more boring than it otherwise was.

Poet and self-taught healer; Jonas Palmason has been exiled for some hereticle crime which is unknown until the end of the book. Jonas begins his tale talking to a Sandpiper who has joined him on his island, and throughout the year and a half that we accompany Jonas on his island he tells us stories from his past; how he met his wife, childhood ceremonies he was made to attend, escapades in trying to flee his exile, and in many ways I felt more like I was at the feet of my Grandfather, listening to his own tales and stories rather than sat reading a book. As his tale unfolds you begin to develop a respect for Jonas that you would normally find yourself feeling towards an elder or a Father.

This is very different to the contrasting hatred that I felt toward Ari Magnusson, who I felt abused his power and I felt it should have been him that was exiled on the island. When you juxtapose Ari with Jonas, it becomes very clear that they are two very different people. They both have power, Ari has the power through law and authority, whereas Jonas has the power of knowledge and speech. The thing that seperates these two men apart, is Jonas is very humble in his acknowledgment of his power where as Ari is very selfish and self centered.

The thing that mosts excites me about this book is the extravagant description that Sjon uses throughout the novel. I find it inspiring and I feel that it is this description that draws you through the book. My favorit example of this is actually in the prelude describing boar:

"But this huge-tusked boar was without doubt the most savage brute the north had ever snorted out of its icy nostril."

The other thing that I believe contibutes greatly to the success of this story is the use of Icelandic beliefe that has become a motif, popping up throughout the story. As it recurrs so frequently and the narrator keeps coming back to it time and time again, it gives the reason to hope and keep them willing that Jonas will survive his ordeal of exile. This is what makes it so heart wrenchingly terribly when Sigga (his wife) passes away. As a reader, you begin to almost pray that his God will protect him, hoping desperately that they will both survive, so when this doesn't happen and she dies, you feel let down and upset because Jonas has been let down by the one thing that all his hope and security has been held in all this time.

The only thing I must say that I didn't particulaly like was the fact that there are not chapter as such, just the whole book split into five seperate parts. I prefer reading with chapters as I dislike stopping half way through a chapter, however I think in this instance, it did not detract too much from this fabulose book.

I have very much enjoyed reading this book and would deffinately recommend this to anyone who has an interest in historical fiction and/or, as I said, just sitting and listening to tales of the past from our elders.

NB: Please excuse the missing accents above the letters in the Icelandic and Nordic names, I have yet to find out how to do this on blogger and will change it as soon as I know how to. Please comment if you know how to do this.