King Richard The Second by William Shakespeare

King Richard The Second by William Shakespeare

Once again I didn't love or hate this play but it's another play ticked off my reading list for uni- not long now!!! It is the final Shakespeare play too! I always feared this play because it was a history and I thought it was going to be a really long play. Its not. It's no longer than the others. One thing I would say is that I wouldn't want to perform it because the lines are so long for each character before they change. 

The play is about a King who overreacts about his cousin Bolingbroke arguing so King Richard banishes his cousin. Many do not agree with this banishment and many rebel, supporting Bolingbroke. Many try to warn King Richard but he is too pompous to question it. 

"Grief makes one hour ten"

Many of the characters are depressed which even kills some of them. The play explores why and even the consequences of grief. 

"The worst is death, an death will have his day"

A war is created in rebellion against King Richard but the men do not fear death because it shows their loyalty. 

"Wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes,/But presently prevent the ways  to wail"

I think anyone could use this quote for anything because it's so true for every path of life. Stop worrying about things but that doesn't necessarily mean your worries aren't there. 

"Thus I play, In one person, many people"

King Richard has had to play too many parts as King that he's lost himself- another King Lear really. 

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me"

Slightly true as well as slightly depressing but it shows how you need to make the most of now. It's intense but slightly true. 

I hope you've enjoyed this book review!! 

Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Another play on my reading list done. Nearly off to university and I'm so excited!! I have to admit I didn't enjoy it as much as the others. It was hard going because I wasn't that keen but I finished it!! 

It's a play about love and I suppose religion. Bassanio and many other men in the city are in love with the rich Portia who needs to find a husband but she's very picky. Rightfully so. In order to do this Bassanio asks his friend Antonio but he loves his ships a bit too much and all his money is invested in that. Antonio goes to the Jew, Shylock who he's had a lot of trouble with in the past. Shylock agrees to lend some money as long as Antonio pays him back within three months otherwise he will cut a pound off of his flesh. Yuck. Very King Lear. 

Portia's father wants the right husband for his daughter but she is very picky. There are three caskets for them to choose from. They must choose the lead casket to marry her and Bassanio does. Aarrhh.

Antonio who once depended on his ships finds out they have been lost at sea which means he can't repay his debts which means he's gonna get his flesh chopped off. 

There's a court case and Portia and Nerissa disguise as clerks. Female power. I swear Shakespeare was a pre-feminist. Shylock wants to chop of Antonio's flesh but Portia argues he can only do that if he doesn't spill blood. Finally, Shylock who criticises Christians throughout the play agrees to be become one under duress. 

I found it hard to remember most of the names because they're not exactly your everyday names. I like them but they're hard to remember. I really like the names Lancelot and Lorenzo though especially for two ginger cats but that's a bit random. 

I hope you enjoyed my book review and haven't been put off this play too much. 

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

Another play on my reading list ticked off and again I really enjoyed it. I actually found it funny as well! I've always seen it advertised but I haven't heard of anyone doing it at school so I was looking forward to it. The plot seemed very simple too. As you can tell Shakespeare called it a comedy and it was.

The play is about two sets of twins. Antipholus of Ephusus and Antipholus of Syracuse who are the sons of Aegon. At the same time of their birth another set of twins Dromio of Ephusus and Dromio of Syracuse are born who are adopted as servants for Aegon's sons. It sounds complicated and it was for the first couple of scenes but then it becomes the simplest thing ever. 

However the family are divided before the main plot of the play by a shipwreck. The twins are split up but still have their servants which means they grow up not knowing they're twins. 

"For servants must their masters' minds fulfil"

Both servants are very loyal and run errands for who they think are their masters but because they're twins get very confused. Some even think they're possessed. A necklace, the marriage between Adriana and Ephusus and a ring cause a lot of trauma which makes everyone think each other is insane. Who bought what? Do they really love each other? The confusion is the funniest part. Literally the definition of Schadenfreuden.

Although it was in Shakespearean language I feel that since I've read more Shakespeare I'm not alien to it anymore and I understand it and I could understand the jokes and euphemisms more which I probably wouldn't have picked up on last year. Got to love A2 English literature. 

Definitely recommend this play as it is hilarious and I would love to see a production of it. This short review really doesn't do it justice so you'll have to read it for yourself. 

The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I've successfully read my first book on a Kindle! I've always had it on my Kindle bookshelf *free classic* but I've never really enjoyed reading on a Kindle. I like having a physical book to flick through and put post it notes all over but I was in Malta and needed something to read. 

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I ever thought I would! I've studied a poem based on it but I've never been told what the actual book is about. I suppose it's a warning to teach one to be careful for what you wish for.

"Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one"

There's three friends, Basil Hallward, the painter, Lord Henry and Dorian Gray, a young gentlemen. Basil is friends with both independently but in the first couple of chapters they all make friends.

Dorian Grey is someone everyone admires and Basil is very protective of him and doesn't want anyone else to make friends with him incase they ruin the friendship Basil has with him. 

"There's only on thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that's not being talked about"

All three men care a lot about their reputation and what people say and what they think which is possibly shown in the 'picture' that Basil paints of Dorian Grey as they care more about their social image than their actual self. 

Basil paints a picture of Dorian Gray which Lord Henry goes on one of his tangents about age and youth. Very quickly the book gets quite depressing. The picture will never age but people will do who is the real image? This gets to Dorian Grey who wishes that he never ages and instead the picture gets older over time. Dorian Grey doesn't think anything of this sarcastic prayer until the image starts to change. 

"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul"

Lord Henry is a outspoken character who stretches the boundaries of political correctness and twists both the readers' and the charachters' own perceptions of the soul and who they really are. 

"Beauty is a form of genius... As it needs no explanation" 

Dorian Grey's downfall is his self worth and he treasures his beauty too much which in turn destroys him. He depends on it too much when beauty is never perfect and never lasts forever. 

"Punctuality is the thief of time" 

This is my favourite quote of the entire book is which I might actually use as an excuse for being late because it is. 

"People know the price of everything and the value of nothing"

Basil values his paintings more than he values his friendship and society which ruins his friendship with Dorian Grey. 

"experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes" 

When this quote first appears it doesn't have half the value that it has when you reread the book. Dorian Grey tries to forget and mask his mistakes but he never realised what he's actually done. 

"Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them"

This quote has nothing really to do with the main plot but I just love it because it's so true to everything.

I hope you've enjoyed this book review! And I'll be in touch soon. 

MacBeth by William Shakespeare

                            MacBeth by William Shakespeare

I don't know how I managed to read this play in one afternoon especially considering the fact I was constantly being slobbered on by Newfoundlands. They're not too bad really. I was a bit apprehensive about reading this because we were made to read it in Yr 10 but we weren't taught it properly and I had no idea what it was about. I remembered one scene probably because that's the only one we focused on. 

Anyway it's not as bad as I thought it'd be. I didn't love it probably because of Yr 10 English but it was actually alright proven by the fact I read it in one afternoon. 

The famous quote; 

"Our dammed spot! Out, I say!"

I remember getting a rubber that said this from the Globe Theatre and somehow it still exits but I suppose it's the most famous quote as it demonstrates how greed leads to acts which have psychological effects. Lady MacBeth seems to be the one who drives MacBeth's greed to be King and he is willing to lose everything that he used to value. The play is about MacBeth who has a lot of respect at the beginning of the play but then wants too much and gets more and more greedy. That's his downfall throughout the play. 

MacBeth starts by murdering the King which makes his sons flee Scotland because they fear they will be killed too as they are in line for the throne but they and some others learn throughout the play the truth about MacBeth, the new King of Scotland. 

"Our fears do make us traitors"

MacBeth fears that the witches might not support him all the way and believes he needs to take things into his own hands. He fears he will not make his way up the monarchy so is willing to kill the people he is meant to support. 

"I am in this earthly world; where to do harm is often laudable; to do good, sometime accounted gage toys folly"

All of Shakespeare's plays seem to have something to do with corrupt societies and how those in power lose their morality and sanity.

I hope you liked this review and I'm still surprised at how many I'm actually getting through. 

Sent from my iPhone

Othello by William Shakespeare

Othello by William Shakespeare

Finished my next Shakespeare play and again it wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. It's another tragedy and up on the depressing level with King Lear. Nearly as many deaths. 

Othello is all about the dangers of jealousy and how dangerous trusting the wrong people can be. Who should you trust? When two 'trustworthy' people's values conflict- who do you trust? Shakespeare possibly coined the term "green eyed monster" to explain this which is still used today. 

This play actually brings up a lot of issues that were overlooked in the 1600s. It looks at different races and the role of women. I don't know if that was deliberate or an accident but definitely interesting. 

Othello, who is black, secretly married Desdemona, who is white, which Desdemona's father disapproves of. Roderigo and Iago are also jealous so plot to dismantle their marriage. Iago becomes too independent and forgets the morals regarding everyone else but himself. Iago tells Othello that his wife is having an affair with Cassio. He proves this by passing around a precious handkerchief. Never knew a handkerchief could play such a big role in a play!!! 

Othello also becomes too jealous that his wife could be having an affair and puts his trust in the wrong man, Iago without giving anyone else a chance. 

 "Our bodies are gardens; to the which our wills are gardeners"

Not only our own wills garden ourselves but also others like Iago who manipulate and play on others' weaknesses. It is true though we control ourselves but when we're unable to do that, others take advantage. 

"Thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call the thee devil"

Many of the characters also say things and get into fights when they're drunk and others again, especially Iago take advantage of this. Even though this play was written in the 1600s this quote is still meaningful today. Everything comes out when you're drunk and you do lose control and others do play on that. 

The play also explores the opposite of jealousy and distinguishes pride in materialism and emotions such a love. Desdemona who is suspected to have everything says;

"Poor and content is rich"

Furthermore, the play explores the dangers of telling the truth in a corrupt world; 

"O, world, to be direct and honest is not safe"

"Honesty is a fool"

"Why should honour outlive honesty"

When all is too late Othello realises that Iago "ensnared my body and soul" and maybe that is when honesty becomes a fool as he realises he has made huge mistakes but they are irresolvable. 

Hope you enjoyed this review. Not sure which play to read next so any suggestions would be great. 😄

The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

The Winter's Tale

Hey! I finished my second Shakespeare play! A famous tragedy about jealousy and how it can ruin friendship and marriage when it makes you blind to what matters. 

"I am sure 'tis safer to/ Avoid what's grown than question how 'tis born"

If I'm allowed to say already, out of the three Shakespeare plays I've read this is the simplest and easier at one to understand. It might be because Mum forcefully suggested writing a scene summary for each scene but it actually helped. It might be because I was going to the theatre to see it and I wanted/needed to understand it. 

"Slaves of chance"

Once again there aren't as many deaths as King Lear but it is about affairs and love but it is also a tragedy. 

On Friday 5th August I also went to see it as a production at the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival which was amazing but also gave me a deadline to read it (I've never rushed myself so much!) Can I just say that it was amazing. It was open theatre and they used all the garden as the set and I'm really looking forward to next year!

"What a fool honesty is"

King Leontes fears that his Queen Hermione is having an affair with Polixeness (weird name) which is why he sends her to prison. They have a daughter but Leontes wants nothing to do with her so sends her to be burnt. The lord sent on this mission disobeys Leontes and leaves her in a village where a shepherd finds her.

Something that I loved was the fact that Shakespeare used a character to represent time. 18 years pass in the play and he explains what has happened and how it is now. I have no idea why but I loved that. 

Although I read the same script as they performed it was interesting to see the different interpretation directly after I'd read it and it wasn't interwoven with others' interpretations. For example I thought the silence of Leontes in the play showed him to be defiant and ignorant whereas the play showed him to be mentally insane like King Lear. 

***************************SPOILER ALERT**********************************

What confused me was the ending. It confused me when I was reading and watching it. Does Hermione die and then is she brought back to life? Or does she never actually die? I thought it was a bit unrealistic Paulina bringing a dead Hermione back to life? But then again as the audience we're only told she "dies" but did she? I don't know. I think it has been an ongoing debate throughout the history of literature. I don't know...

As You Like It by William Shakespeare

As You Like It by William Shakespeare 

"All the world's a stage

And all the men and women are merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages"

Yay! I have finally finished reading my first Shakespeare play off of my own back and although it was hard, I loved it. After finally being taught how to actually read and enjoy Shakespeare in A2 literature I set myself a target for the summer which I am slowly accomplishing.

It's supposed to be a comedy and if I had read it with others then I might have seen the humour but it was hard to understand some parts so I was constantly referring to the internet which possibly made it lose the humour. It's also a romance, although Shakespeare didn't categorise it as that! I'm not usually into romances and I think that's why it took me so long to get through it because I have little interest in them. 

The lack of deaths surprised me and made me realise that Shakespeare doesn't need to kill everyone like he did in King Lear. However, like in King Lear there are too many disguises which you lose track off sometimes so need to keep paying attention. 

The play is about Rosalind, a banished daughter falling in love with the banished son Orlando. It is about people having to change not only their values but also their identity to save their true selves. Rosalind is supported by Celia, her cousin. 

"Tears do not become a man"

 

I love this quote because it doesn't just have to be used for a man but also anything. Crying just makes you feel worse when that act in itself is in no way productive. 

I hope you enjoyed this as hopefully there will be more reviews on Shakespeare as I am planning to cram as much reading in before September. 

The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Hey! Sorry I haven’t been able to write which is now about a month but I have been so busy with parties and revision that I haven’t had the chance to read (I know) let alone write a book review. I don’t think it gives the book away when I say that every page is a plot twist! This book review is going to be really hard, trying to describe the book as well as not giving it away. Anyway, here it goes.

I have to admit, I didn’t really enjoy reading the first parts of this book because it all seemed a bit unrealistic (I’m not into those kind of books) but I soon started enjoying it and getting used to it. I had to accept it for what it was. The book seems historic and set in a feudalist/ medieval castle and grounds. A young girl is adopted by the castle and it is her purpose as a weapon to punish traitors. Twylla (still don’t know if I’m saying it properly) is blessed by the gods and has the ability to kill people with one single touch. I suppose you could say that it’s her special power. However, her powers make her isolated because this poison in her skin means that she cannot hug or touch anyone without killing them. No one is immune. They will die if she touches them! The queen takes advantage of this and anyone that annoys her will be killed by Twylla. Twylla’s special power has cost her her family and friends.

Twylla is adopted by the royal family which includes Merek who she is destined to marry. The King is Merek’s stepfather who is kind to both Merek and Twylla but the queen is the one everyone fears. She is Twylla’s puppet master. All of the castle fear putting one foot out of line because she could order Twylla to kill them. The royal family has gone through some harsh times including the loss of their daughter and they believe that Twylla is their gift from the gods to ‘replace’ her. That’s what they tell the people anyway.

The castle and grounds believe in the gods who have chosen Twylla to be marry the prince, Merek, and be Dauen Embodied (meaning she can kill people). Twylla has to be protected and is therefore anointed a new guard called Leif who is very outspoken and tries to tell Twylla the truth. But what is the truth?

Twylla’s mother is a Sin Eater who eats all the foods representing their sins after people’s deaths. Before Twylla is adopted, she is destined to fulfil this role too. I would not want to do that. She saw living with the queen a dream. It is any girl’s dream to be adopted by a queen and become a princess. But at that age, Twylla didn’t know the truth and maybe that’s why her mother refused to keep in contact with her.

This book is somehow intertwined with folklore of the castle which keeps re-emerging throughout the book but it isn’t until the end when you realise how prevalent the tale of “The Sleeping Prince” is. If you are planning to read this, which you should be, make sure you pay special attention to it.

I hope you have enjoyed this and I hope you make the time to read it. It's worth it!

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

I absolutely loved this book. It was so simplistic in language but I loved the storyline. I loved the constant use of metaphors. It’s amazing and I know it sounds depressing but it really isn’t. I wish I’d written down all of the metaphors because they are the kind of ones you would want put on a sign around your room- I would anyway (The happy ones anyway).

 

I know that my blog is not about graphics and art but can I just mention that I love the front cover. It’s a picture of lungs that obviously represent the lungs infected by TB but turned upside down they also represent the trees and the forests that Lane and Sadie hang out in. They are not testicles though like my friend suggested.

 

The main character Lane has been diagnosed with TB which has reached epidemic in America. Scientists want to cure it and change Latham House, an old boarding school into a research centre which allows the teenagers with TB to be relaxed and hopefully leave. However, no one knows whether you will leave because you died or whether you leave because you are cured. I’m making this sound like a really depressing book but I promise, it really wasn’t. The main character Lane struggles to fit in and accept that he needs to focus on getting better rather than concentrating on school work.

“New places are like jeans. Sure, they might fit but they’re not comfortable”

Lane gets down and you feel that he thinks that being sent to Latham is a death sentence for ill kids but then he meets Sadie and her friends who are not the best behaved, or rather they live their lives to the fullest.

The book flips narrative perspective from Lane to Sadie which I always like in a book because you feel like you’re a step ahead of the characters. You feel really sorry for them both because they are both making the same mistakes. They both remember each other from summer camp when they were little but they both have since believed that the other one stood them up. However, once they realise the truth Lane understands that Latham isn’t just about being ill. Latham is about breaking the rules and falling in love.

You forget that the book is about ill children and it’s an inspiration for ill people that you can still live your life to the full. You forget about it until there are the subtle reminders of the possibility that the med sensors might go off if they have too much fun (heart rate increasing as opposed to a fun monitor).

“Life goes on until it doesn’t”

The book holds morals for everyone about having a positive outlook on life which I feel is summed up in the line,

“No matter how strong the current beats against you, or how heavy your burden, or how tragic your love story. You keep going”

 

Hope you enjoyed this book review. :)

 

The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles

The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles

Sorry I haven’t written a book review for what seems like ages but I’ve been trying to read this book. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it but I had to stop half way through as it’s not a book you can just pick up and read a little bit each evening. If I had more time, possibly in the summer, I would like to reread this when I can read it in bigger chunks.

The book is set in Dorset, mainly Lyme Regis which is a town I regularly visit in the summer so I was able to read and understand the context of the book without too much research. I recommend it even if you haven’t visited Dorset.

Who is the French lieutenant’s woman? Sarah. She is a young girl who had a relationship with a French lieutenant but then found out that he was married and was never coming back. However, despite moving town from Weymouth to Lyme Regis she does not want to start a new life? Why? No one knows. Maybe they tell you in the second half of the book.

Charles and Ernestina are the other two main characters who live in Lyme Regis to escape the busyness of London. They have recently got married.

I’ll admit I don’t know much about this book even though I’ve been attempting to read it for three weeks. However, it has travelled all the way to Portugal. But what really interested me was the narrative as it is a modern narrative but it’s set in 1860s as if it’s a memory.

I hope you enjoy it because I really hope I have the time to revisit it over the summer.

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle

I thought I would take a break from the classics and saw this in the library. I thought it looked different, especially the title from any other book I’ve read and it was. I promise it’s not as depressing as it sounds. I kind of hope that this book will be turned into a film as I’d like to see how a director would portray it.

“So let’s raise our glasses to the accident season,

To the river beneath us where we sink our souls,

The bruises and secrets, to the ghost in the ceiling,

One more drink for the watery road.”

Every October, the same family always experiences freak accidents; broken limbs, car crashes and deaths. Both their father and uncle were killed in the accident season. However, they cannot work out why. The mother turns over protective during the month, hiding anything dangerous out of reach of her teenage children. Well, when I say children- she has two daughters, Cara and Alice and their “ex-stepbrother” Sam who is the same age. It’s complicated. The mother’s ex-husband had a son but when he, Christopher, left, he left all of them. However, Cara whose perspective it’s written from is in love with Sam. Awkward.

"Is it a curse or a coincidence?"

 

Cara realises that in every photos she has ever taken there is a girl who she comes to realise is called Elsie. Who is she? When Cara starts looking for her, no one has ever heard of her or knows anything about her. Who is she? How did Cara find out about her? Will she find out who she actually is?

As well as Cara and Sam’s weird ‘incest’ relationship, they prepare to hold a Halloween party in a haunted house. Sounds quite cool. However, they have no idea when the next accident will take place.

Alice is known as a ‘witch’ at school because she takes cards around and claims she can predict the future. That’s quite a good talent until it claims that that following month, Alice and her ‘siblings’ will experience the worst accident yet.

I hope you enjoyed this book review and I really recommend it because it is nowhere near as depressing as it sounds.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

“Love makes you want to be a better man- right. Right. But love, real love, also gives you permission to just be the man you are.”

You have to read this book before you see the film- it wouldn’t really work the other way round. However, if you haven’t read it yet- you must! The film did the book justice but the length of book is much better to build up suspense. You can’t really fit everything; the suspense, details or elements, in a 400 page book into a film. Actually seeing the film was an event. I read the book before I found out they were making it into a film but when I found out they were, I persuaded my mum and my aunt to go with me. We got ready, went to the cinema and mum asked for two adults and a child- OMG- the film was an 18. I’d read it and it’s not that bad. Anyway, it took me a while to actually get hold of the film but it’s not that bad.

“My mother had always told her kids: if you’re about to do something, and you want to know if it’s a bad idea, imagine seeing it printed in the paper for all the world to see.”

The book is full of affairs, murder and weird stuff.  Amy Dunne is married to Nick who is framed for her murder. There’s a crime scene which has been badly covered up. Forensics assume there was a murder but no body can be found. Where is it? Police officers find Amy’s diary which along with neighbours’ accounts of Nick show him to have a psychopath personality. However, Nick pleads that he never murdered her and that he had nothing to do with it. However, no one believes him. Nick starts to question whether he did actually murder his wife. Did he?

Every year, Amy leaves clues for her husband on their fifth wedding anniversary but this year she is murdered. Is it a clue, a freak accident or a tragedy? However, Nick starts finding the clues left behind but the question is, who are they from?

 

The book reminisces over their past; how they met, their difficulties, their affairs and you start to question whether their marriage was real or a cover up and could it have led to Amy’s murder?

Books like these are really hard to write book reviews about without giving away the point of the story. What actually happened to Amy Dunne? Well you’ll have to read it to find out won’t you?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this book review and I’ll write soon with my next one.

Fight Club by Chuck Palanuik

Fight Club by Chuck Palanuik

"Only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."

Hey. Sorry I've had quite a dramatic and eventful week with my house centre-meters away from flooding and loads of coursework due in. That means I haven't been able to read as much as I have wanted to. So I thought I'd write a book review on a book I actually enjoyed doing at school for coursework: Fight Club.

"Welcome to Fight Club. 

The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. 

The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club! 

Third rule of Fight Club: if someone yells “stop!”, goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over. 

Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. 

Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas. 

Sixth rule: the fights are bare knuckle. No shirt, no shoes, no weapons. 

Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to. 

And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight."

Don't watch the film of this before you read the book to understand because it is nothing like the book. It's a great film but in its own right. 

I studied this book and had to compare it to The Great Gatsby- how? Exactly. I compared the animals in each which I really enjoyed. Surprisingly doing my coursework on it hasn't ruined reading it for fun. Probably because it's such a weird book. Yes it doesn't make much sense but that's kind of what makes it such a great book. 

The book is utter madness about a nameless guy and Tyler Durden who lead a group of men known as 'space monkeys' to do terrorist like acts. Yes the book tells you how to make bombs- do they work? I have no idea.

I definitely recommend this book if you want something weird and wacky because that's what it is. Read and accept without trying to make sense of it- does that make sense? And enjoy.

Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad

Heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad

I've never written a negative book review but this was such a boring book. 110 pages of indigestible contents. I feel sorry for anyone having to read this for school or university- I bet I'll have to study it now. I just don't feel like anything happens. Anyway the only reason why I read it was because it was on the A2 reading list. However, I did finish it! I'm surprised as you are.

When I saw the title "A heart of darkness" I thought it would be about a society or people without the knowledge of love. Not at all. It seems like the book is all metaphors for greater ideas but I'm not convinced. Maybe if I had read it to study it, I would have been more interested. 

I don't know about you but I like short chapter that I can quickly flick through. Well guess how long these chapters were?! 45 pages! And it was small text on each page. Honestly. 

So basically, this guy called Marlow arrives on an island where there's loads of slaves. The language used to destine the slaves are shocking and I know they were 'more acceptable' then, it's still awkward to read. Marlow finds that his ship has sunk and that it will take a long time to repair. Once it's repaire they travel up the river in search of Kurtz who they're told is ill. They come across a hit with firewood and notes telling them to turn back. There is then a fog and they are attacked by natives. It runs out that the natives think of Kurtz as their God. He is bought on on a stretcher. They bring an ill Kurtz back onto the ship and onto the shore where his mistress (the first woman mentioned). Then Kurtz disappeared into the forest. There is a sense of urgent as his health is falling fast. Will Kurtz survive and will Marlow get back to Europe? 

 

I'll write soon about a better book!

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Brugess

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Brugess

I have seen the title of this book pop up a lot in my Religious Studies notes to do with Free Will and Determinism but I've never read it before. Every time I've seen the title, I've wanted to read it but I had no idea what it would be about. An orange? A clock? Nope. Neither. But then it was next on my reading list from school so I felt I had to read it.

It was not an easy read for the first 50 odd pages as the lexis was half made up possibly to show how uneducated the main character Alex was. I thought he used language in such a way that no other author had, that I've read. William S. Burroughs said "I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language." I wanted to give it up but I couldn't because of all the sub conscious pressure. I felt ashamed that this seemingly short book was taking me so long to read. I'm so glad I stuck at it though because it was one of the best books I've ever read.

"Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?"

As this quote suggests virtue has to be something someone chooses to be respected as opposed to have forced upon you. Then you respect it more. How do you decipher what is morally good and not evil. Surely we have free will to make these choices? We should do anyway and not do it out of guilt. 

Why did it keep on coming up in my RS notes? The book explores the idea of free will. Do people do crimes because of their upbringing? Is it determined? Can it be prevented? The book explores John B. Watson's argument that behaviour can be predicated and controlled as we live in a determined universe. Therefore can people be conditioned to act in a certain way? In the book, Alex is shown the worst things humanity has done to one another, during a psychological test, to prevent him from doing bad crimes. Is that morally right? Will it work? 

It starts off with the boy that everyone knows in their village, town or city. The ones who do drugs, threaten people and physically hurt others. The people you always cross the street to avoid. Alex and his friends, known as the 'droogs' hunt for these thrills at the cost of others. Alex has no respect for his parents who do not respect him either for going out and doing terrible crimes. 

However one night he is caught and sent to prison for what he has done only then to be part of psychological experiments that will shorten his prison sentence. 

Throughout the book, Alex calls cigarettes 'cancer' which every time it's read, does not loose meaning. Every time it makes you stop and think just like the rest of the book.

Thank you for checking out this blog and I'll be back soon with another one. 

Do androids dream of electric sheep? By Philip K. Dick

Do androids dream of electric sheep? By Philip K. Dick

What a weird book! Yes it's as weird as the title suggests. Do android dream of electric sheep? I don't know. Do they? Does anyone? I've never really thought of answering let alone coming up with that question before. What is the difference between an android and a human? Is there a difference? Can androids dream and have feelings even though they're machines? I didn't question the title and read it anyway, thinking it may be like Oryx and Crake. Kind of as if it's a dystopia about created animals. Imagine Humans, the Channel 4 TV series, but from the killers' point of view and with more of a focus on the animal machines. It's a very short book but it was on my A2 reading lit from school. I'm not sure why though. 

Most animals have become extinct due to killing them for food, products, clothes and everything that we're doing right now. I suppose it raises the questions no one ever thinks about when we're all eating our roast dinners as we expect chickens to never become extinct. What if they did? Would we eat alternatives until they became extinct or would everyone go vegetarian? In this dystopian book, they have built mechanical animals but many still desire real animals. One of the main characters has an electric sheep. Normal. I know. It's weird how quickly you accept weird concepts in a book. The main character wants to earn money to buy more proper animals. 

Rick Deckhard and some of the other main characters have stayed on earth whilst others have escaped to Mars. Rick has a job to do and an electric sheep to look after. Priorities. 

It is the first book that I've read in a long time that actually has pictures in. Bit weird really as you become so used to reading books without cartoons. However, when I was younger I remember refusing to read a book without pictures- shouldn't really admit to that as a literature student. 

Something that has propped up in some shape or form in the books I have read lately, is the idea that emotions can be predicted and controlled. For example, when one is feeling angry they can set their machine to peace and it will be eradicated. Interesting.

Thanks for reading and I'll let you know what my next book is like soon. 

The Killables by Gemma Malley

The Killables by Gemma Malley

This book sounds really depressing but it's really not. It's amazing! Of course it's another dystopia but I'd love to see in made into a film. I really love dystopians but surprisingly I haven't read one like this before. 

"Evil must be identified"

As I read this book, I thought it expressed the extremes that everyone prejudges religion to be about- when it's not. The book is about this city where they believe they have eradicated evil. In order to eradicate evil, they believe it is a physical part of the brain that everyone has removed when entering the city. In reality this seems unrealistic and impossible to be able to remove an evil part of your brain but in this book, it becomes realistic. 

Within the city there are rules and regulations which enforce being virtuous and morally good. But what is good? Goodness is subjective and what is good for one person may not e good for another. The people are good because they fear what would happen if they were not and banished from the city. 

The system is graded in terms of how virtuous a person is (helps with my Ethics revision). A is the best whereas D is the worst. However, K is the worst of the worst which is the "Killables." The "Killables" are those who cannot be ridden of evil and are therefore taken out of society. Despite this, no one knows where they go or what happens to them. What they do know is that they're never seen again. 

Evie, the main character, has grown up in the walls on the city and has had an arranged marriage set up for her with a boy called Lucas. However, Evie has been friends with Lucas' brother Raffy since they were young and they have fallen in love. Despite the rules and regulations, Evie and Raffy meet every night in a tree but will they ever get caught? 

Evie also keeps on having a weird dream which she fears is the evil trying to enter her body. She fears that people may find this out and she'll lose her job and become a K. Both her parents and The Brother (the King like being in the city) are worried but reassure her it is ok if she can ignore these thoughts.

This is a really interesting book and I definitely recommend it! 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee

"But this a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men"

I've always wanted to read this, probably because my mum used to teach it at GCSE so I always assumed it was an easy but respected read. It was a lot longer than I thought it'd be and it took me a lot longer as I had to look up quite a few things that would have made sense at the time but no longer does. 

When I bought it up at the dinner table, I got a a lecture on the themes, history and context of the book from both my parents. I wish I hadn't bought it up but afterwards I realised how much more sense the book made with the added knowledge. It was written at a time of the civil rights movement about 1930s America. Racism is the biggest theme in this book and it encapsulates how people were perceived just because of their skin colour. 

It is written from the narrative of Scout who for some reason I thought was a boy at the beginning. I've learnt not to mention this name in front of my mum because she wants a dog called Scout. Scout (she) is accompanied by her older brother Jem of whom I also confused the gender. I wanted to refer to him as her. Sorry. They both want to make friends with Boo Radley, a neighbour who never leaves his house. 

Atticus, their father, is a lawyer who becomes the talk of the town because he defends a black person in court which was unheard of before. 

"They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

Why mockingbird? I've always wanted to call them mockingjays but  maybe that's the inner Hunger Games fan in me. A mockingbird is a common bird in America that creates such a peaceful sound that's it's a sin to kill them which erupts Scout and Jem's own thoughts about what sin is. 

Although at times it was boring, it was interesting as it reminded me that racial inequality once existed and it was not that long ago. Everyone assumes it was a lot longer ago than it actually was because we are ashamed but this book shows the steady change which only needed a few people to start. 

Thank you. I hope you all enjoyed this one. 

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

This was the first book on my A2 reading list. I remember questioning this as I read the first few pages. It was like a alternate reality book you'd read at middle school (primary school if you go to a normal system). I haven't read any of her other books but I don't think they're anything like this! The book sounds weird. It is weird. I know you're not meant to judge a book by its cover, which is good, because there wasn't much to judge. The front cover was only the title and a pig on the front. Ok...

At the start, it introduces a snowman who lives in a tree. When I first read this, I thought it meant an actual snowman but it's just a guy's name. Weird name. He gets his name from an online game and it's stuck. He lives on a beach with Crakers who bring him fish every week but they want answers from Snowman about his previous life.

The narrative switches between each main character who describes their lives before they get to meet each other.

Snowman, originally named Jimmy, lived near the labs his father worked at. His father creates new species like rakunks (a raccoon and a skunk) and pigoons (a pig and a baboon). They sound amazing! Unnatural combinations but sounds interesting. Once they're said a couple of times, you think of them as real animals. However these experiments split up Jimmy's parents which leads to Jimmy's mother running away.

Oryx is the one who Jimmy loves, after first seeing her in a porn movie (interesting first sight), he never believes they'll physically meet. Oryx was poor and promised a job by a man. She and many other children went but it turned out to be brutal and creating pornography. Oryx soon escapes and tries to teach people about the BlyssPluss pill.

Crake and Jimmy were originally great friends until different educations weakened their friendship. Crake is very clever and goes to the equivalent of science school whereas Jimmy is not clever enough and goes to a humanities faculty (nothing wrong with that).

The book is weird but I love it because nothing is ordinary. Each page you turn, something new happens that you could never have thought up. It's so unique and like nothing else. There's so many new ideas that are unlike anything other books.

Snowman, Jimmy, ends up on his own because Oryx's pill begins to cause disease which wipes out everyone. Will Snowman find anyone? Will he find the others? Will he have enough food to survive?

Hope you enjoyed this and I will get back to you on the next book I'll have read. Bye

The 100 Day 21 by Kass Morgan

The 100 Day 21 by Kass Morgan

If you haven't read the first one, don't have a go at me that I've spoilt the ending. So finally I got the second book out and was able to read it. I began disputing whether it was worthwhile getting the second one because sequels are not always as amazing as you hope they are. I have to admit I was going to stop but I didn't. It got really good.

21 days since they landed (crashed) on earth. 21 is also the number of days when Clarke's parents' experiment subjects started to deteriorate from radiation problems. People on the drop ships still believe earth is radiated with poisonous gases. 

The end of the first book shows that there's others on earth however the hundred still think they are the only ones. However as the book goes on, the characters argue how many groups are out there, who are friendly and who wants to kill them. 

The same characters thread on from the first book. Wells is still finding it hard being a natural leader but not wanting to take after his father which he is finding hard. He seems to scapegoat any of his worries or bad characteristics on his father. However you can't help but sympathise with him. 

Clarke is still as independent as the last book and she spends the book wanting to find other colonists. The love triangle continues between Clarke, Wells and Bellamy. Their awkward relationship just gets even more awkward. Will Bellamy and Wells' friendship arise? 

Bellamy continues hunting for the hundred but he is also focusing on finding Octavia who is still lost. Is it pointless hope? You get angry with all his concentration on finding her when other things seem more necessary. However it shows their indestructible, unusual sibling bond. 

Glass is still on the ship and still in love with Luke. As things get worse, she finds it hard to choose who to save. Glass has to choose between her love life with Luke and whether she wants to spend time with him of life itself. She is trapped but she could save herself and her mother. Who will she choose? 

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you next week. 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

                                 If I stay by Gayle Forman

"Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you."

What a great book. Don't hate me but I didn't cry... But I did find it sad. I find it sad because it could happen and it could happen to anyone. When the film came out I always wanted to watch but never got the chance and then I found out it was a book which meant I had to read the book first.

When I first picked it up, I thought it was very like Michael Morpurgo's book Cool! which is about a boy's experience of being in a coma. It's quite a hard concept to understand unless you've been in a coma and I haven't but both books gives me an idea about what it could be like.

The idea of what happens after death really scares me but also interests me so although reading around this topic upsets me, it also gives me ideas about what could happen. What does happen after death? In philosophy we're learning about it and I'm still looking for the answer.

A family of four are in a car crash. I couldn't help thinking what if it was my family because it was the same set up. The mum and dad are killed instantly but the book is about Mia, the main character, experiencing a coma but a disembodied existence. We are left asking what decision she'll make as she watches her loved ones come to visit her.

Another main theme in this book is music which I find quite hard to connect with as I've never learnt to play a musical instrument or anything. Mia is a cello player and Adam, her boyfriend, is a guitarist and in a band. Oh well. I understood the majority of it.


However I love the narrative of this book as it's mainly set in the present but to explain her emotions and love life during the present, it refers to the past. Although it is confusing to begin with, I love the idea of a time- travelling narrative if I can call it that.


I hope you've enjoyed this and hopefully it won't be long until I've finished my next book.

The 100 by Kass Morgan

The 100 by Kass Morgan

Happy New Year everyone. Hope you all had a great Christmas? Traditionally eaten too much like me? 

OMG! I need to get the next one out! Such a good book. So when I finished my last book, I wanted to read something a bit more non- educational. I didn't want to read anything to do with school. The 100 has been sitting on the side for ages and finally I got round to picking it up. 

What would you do for love? Normally I hate love stories but if you weave it into a dystopian novel- I might become interested. 

I've been wanting to read this series for ages. You can tell because I've had this book out since September! Well finally I've read it. I was never able to watch the TV series because it was on Sky. It looked right up my street though. 

A colony has spent 300 years living on a ship in space after having evacuated earth after nuclear problems. However, resources are starting to run out on the space ship so they want to return to Earth. However they're not sure whether it's safe or not because it may still be contaminated. 

Recently teenagers have been sent to prison for minor crimes and on their 18th birthday they are usually euthanised. However, things are about to change as they are sent to earth as an experiment. It's a similar idea to the Lord of the Flies I suppose- just without the killing. Apart from that it's such a unique story line. I love it. 

"While he might be cutting the creature's life short... It had lived every moment of that life completely free"

The novel switches between many different narratives of whom you gain a relationship. Bellamy breaks onto the sub ship when it is about to take off to save his little sister and go with her to earth. However, this brother and sister relationship is obscure because on the ship, no one is allowed more than one child. Clarke was in love with Wells on the ship but on earth she is distracted by other things. However you do not find out everything about her until the very end when everything then makes sense. Wells sacrifices his own criminal free record to save Clarke. Glass is the odd one out who is about to be sent to earth when she escapes to be with her true love Luke but is life better aboard the ship or on contaminated earth? 

"He wasn't the brave knight who'd come to rescue the princess. He was the reason she'd been locked away in the dungeon"

Each character has their own personal journey which is really explored in the 100. They all want to save each other. You want them all to succeed in their targets. 

It is such a good but simplistic book and tomorrow seems to far away to wait to get the next one out. Hope you enjoyed this book review.