My Recommended Reads!

I’ve got an hour until my lecture and some time to kill (technically I should be doing uni work and tidying but… nah!) so I’ve decided to go through some of the books on my bookshelf (both real and virtual) and give you my list of recommended reads.

 

 

“If I Stay” by Gayle Forman

I’ve finally learned what the genre is called and technically it’s “sick-lit”, there’s been a bit of controversy over books in this genre being marketed to vulnerable 13-year-olds, but honestly I think it’s all down to the maturity of the reader. This book isn’t an easy read – it’s not very long, I finished it in a couple of hours (although I am a fast reader), but some of the content is quite graphic (I’ll post a warning now – brain chunks are mentioned) and I do think that this should be aimed at more 16+ than 13+ purely because it is a bit… gross at times. Still, it’s a great book.

 

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

Honestly, this is one of my favourite books. I love the story, I love the language used in it, I love the characters and I love the imagery it evokes; Lee is an incredible writer. I studied it for GCSE and it didn’t ruin it at all for me, unlike many stories where studying it has put me off ever wanting to read it for pleasure (step forwards, Wuthering Heights!), this one I could easily read again and again, because of the nostalgia it evokes – my childhood was so different to Scout and Jem’s, and yet reading this evokes memories of hot childhood summers.

 

“The Hunger Games” Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Obviously these books are fairly well known because of the films (which are quite possibly my favourite film-adaptation-of-a-book because there wasn’t that much they left out and the actors were all great and it was everything I hoped it’d be), but the books in themselves are great. I know there’s been a lot of comparisons with Battle Royale; personally I can’t comment because I haven’t read it, but I think these books are fantastic and I’d highly recommend them.

 

“Tales From The Terra Firma Fleet” series by Christopher Maine

I know, I go on about this guy a lot, but I really enjoy his writing! He’s an indy writer and I think he deserves to do well because he’s got a great series going on. Check it out on http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Flight-Renegade-Tales-ebook/dp/B007B3CZF2 . Great characters, great plots, some fantastic relationships building up… it’s like sci-fi-action-romance-drama all in one.

 

“Harry Potter” series by JK Rowling

Do I really need to explain this one? If you haven’t read the books, just read them! Do it! Now!

 

“Marley and Me” by John Grogan

I watched the film and it made me cry. I read the book and it made me cry even more. This book is hilarious, heartbreaking and so touching all in one, and it really is wonderful. I read it all in one sitting and I wouldn’t recommend it because the emotions are overwhelming; read it bit by bit but just make sure that you do read it!

 

Hello there!

Yes, ’tis me, venturing out of my revision-induced seclusion to say hello and, once again, apologize for the lack of posts. I keep saying that normal service will resume shortly, and I assure you all that it will, but “shortly” might actually translate as June 20th, the date of my last exam. I’m going to try and keep coming in and posting, but I can’t guarantee how frequent it’ll be. In better news, my first exam is on Thursday! It’s drama, which I’m not too worried about but the way I’ve been recently, I can’t guarantee how I’ll be on the day of the exam or how it’ll affect my performance. I’ve tried to revise today but today is a painful day so I didn’t get much done.

I’ve started writing again! Not my old story, which probably isn’t a good thing because I do need to continue it, but a short story which I may even post at some point. It’s got a while until it’s finished – when I say “short”, it’s probably going to be around 20,000 words (is that a novella? Novelet? I can’t remember) but I’m quite proud of the idea so I hope it’ll be good enough for you all.

So, some exciting things that have happened/are happening at the moment.

 

– Exams are nearly upon me, which means they have nearly finished and then it’s the summer and then university!

– Christopher Maine has something very exciting coming in the next three weeks (check his blog http://www.christophermaine.wordpress.com or his twitter, @CMaine_Official for details).

– I have my face paints! So I can now paint faces. Whether I’m any good at it remains to be seen, but I now have some semblance of a face painting kit and I like it.

– I saw the Olympic torch relay! It was exciting and fun to see and something I shall tell my grandchildren one day, so that’s always a good thing.

– I have finally read the Hunger Games trilogy. I will review them at some point but I’ll give you a little taste of what you will find in my review. The word “awesome” will appear a lot, as will the phrases “up there with Harry Potter”, “Katniss is so much cooler than Bella Swan” and “if you never read another book series in your life, make sure you read this one”. I spent the day absolutely enthralled from the moment I started “The Hunger Games” to the moment I finished “Mockingjay”, and I’m convinced reading those books is what has made me feel like writing again 🙂