What i've been reading and watching!

Reading

#8 Skellig by David Almond

#8 Skellig by David Almond
Taught this one to my Year 8's this year and it's one I'd never come across before, it's a bit strange. A Pastiche of magic realism with some darwinism thrown in there. It is a good story though, bit of a page turner and the pupil's always wanted to read on which is always a good thing!

I'd recommend it to readers aged 10-13.







Watching

#10 Amelie

#10 Amelie

The first French Film I ever watched, back when I was around 14. I did not get it, and I did not watch another french film for around 8 years! But after being introduced the the true wonders of french cinema by JC and Miss D I thought I'd give it another go. Boy am I glad I did! Funny, touching and heartwarming. 4/5 stars

#11 Oz the Great and Powerful

Number 11 was the newest offering by Disney: Oz the Great and Powerful. I went to see it in 3D (which I hate) and it worked really well. The cinema I went to had really good glasses which always makes a difference.
Mila Kunis is pretty good in this and the FX are really quite impressive. A lovely mix of film and special effects made for a pleasurable hour and a half.

DO NOT READ THIS AT BEDTIME!

So book number 7 is one not to be read just before falling asleep (as I did)
This review contains spoilers so if you do want to read the book don't read the end section (it's safe to read the part after the **)

#7 Light Shining in the Forest by Paul Torday

I love crime thrillers, there's nothing better than a good detective novel or an episode of CSI! It's my favoured form of brain numbing. This book is written by the same author who wrote Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, that now mildly famous film. I haven't read it but i'd heard good things, so when I saw he had written a thriller and it was on offer on Kindle, I purchased it. I couldn't put it down, it's an absolute page turner, and whilst it was no surprise whodunit I devoured it!
The book revolves around the statistic that every 5 minutes a child in Britain goes missing. A small percentage of those children are never found again; most are runaways, but some children that are suspected to be runaways may not be...

*SPOILER ALERT*
Do not read this book at night. I read the last fifth in one sitting at bedtime- couldn't stop till I put it down, but the taxidermy and embalmment of children is something you do not want to be in your head before dreaming!
*END OF SPOILERS*

I give this book a 3.5/5 because there were some elements that I just felt didn't really work.

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

#6 The Hundred Year Old Man...

It's just a great title for a book really isn't it?!

I really enjoyed this one and although it was a bit clumpy in places I still found myself wanting to return to my kindle to pick up where i'd left off.

Fun, Friendly, Clever and a bit of a giggle i'd definitely recommend this one! so it's a ****/*****


Desperate to avoid his 100th birthday party, Allan Karlsson climbs out the window of his room at the nursing home and heads to the nearest bus station, intending to travel as far as his pocket money will take him. But a spur-of-the-moment decision to steal a suitcase from a fellow passenger sends Allan on a strange and unforeseen journey involving, among other things, some nasty criminals, a very large pile of cash, and an elephant named Sonya. It’s just another chapter in a life full of adventures for Allan, who has become entangled in the major events of the twentieth century, including the Spanish Civil War and the Manhattan Project. As Allan’s colorful and complex history merges with his present-day escapades, readers will be treated to a new and charmingly funny version of world history and get to know a very youthful old man whose global influence knows no age limit. An international best-seller, this is an engaging tale of one man’s life lived to the fullest.

Bright Young Things

Saying as i'm so awful at writing reviews i'm going to go for a slightly different format for the 50/50 project from now on, less reviewy- more bloggy with an added 'oh this is what i read/watched today'

I've just been away in London for a few days over the half term break. I had a wonderful time, packed in lots of friends, food, shows and wine :)

#5 Bright Young Things

I got to finish book #5 Bright Young Things by Scarlett Thomas


"Bright Young Things wanted for Big Project.' They're in the prime of their lives but our bright young things are all burnt out. Six sparky twenty-somethings just out of university and working dead-end jobs, they are all bored to tears with their lives and looking for a way out. When a mysterious job is advertised in the newspaper, they all apply. What they least expect is to find themselves prisoners on a deserted island. There's food in the fridge and they have a bedroom each, but there's no telephone, no television, and no way to escape"

It was dated, cheesy and had an unsatisfactory ending but I enjoyed it as a mindless holiday read. So i'd give it a
Rating: ***/*****




Very thankful today for good friends, the ability to travel and the means to enjoy nice things

When God was a Rabbit

#4 When God Was a Rabbit

I loved this book. Everything about it was wonderful! I've discovered this year that i'm really terrible at writing reviews... I don't think my vocabulary is good enough to review things... or maybe my ability to relate one thing to another is underdeveloped because I haven't read enough? Well whatever it is, I hope this year will go some way to rectifying this, however I need to write these reviews as soon as I finish reading the books and not weeks after (like this one!)

This book was a present from my housemate JC and her impeccable taste in literature meant I was sure I was in for a good read. This book is honestly one of the most pure and truthful accounts of childhood and love I have ever read. Beautiful in its complex simplicity and a joy to read!

#4 When God was a Rabbit

Blurb: Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it's about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister

Title: When God Was a Rabbit
Author: Sarah Winman
Medium: Paperback
Publishing Details: Headline Review, 2011
Stars: ****/*****

Letters to a Young Gymnast

Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10. She soared into the hearts of millions overnight when she appeared on the competition circuit at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Raised in a tiny village in Romania, she was sent off to a government run Gymnastics school after being discovered by Béla Károlyi, argubaly the sports most famous and conroversial coach. He, a Hungarian born national, coached the Romanian Gymnastic team until his defection, along with his wife, to the USA in 1981. After having trained many American gymnasts to Olympic glory, he was made National Team co-ordinator in 1999.
His wife Marta now holds this role and helped put together last years' 2012 Olympic gold medal winning line up of Maroney, Wieber, Ross, Raisman and Douglas. The Fierce Five, as they have now been dubbed brought home team gold for the first time since the magnificent seven  in 1996. (When the Karolyi's were at their coaching prime)

This book is not so much a story of Nadia Comaneci's career as a gymnast as a story of what life in Romania was like. There was lots of gymnastics, but none of it inaccessable to non specialists. I found it difficult to read in places, because although Nadia now lives in the United States with a American husband and their child, I still felt like I was reading a book in broken English at points. The gramatical structure of many sentences was basic and stilting in parts. However I still found this book interesting and enlightening, but then again I will read anything about gymnastics that I can get my hands on!
Expect a few more gymnasts' autobigraphy reviews because I have some more on my to read pile!

Blurb: In Letters to a Young Gymnast, Nadia Comaneci tells how she found the inner strength to become a world-class athlete at such a young age. Now a woman of tremendous poise and self-assurance, she offers unique insights into the mind of a top competitor. From how to live after you’ve realized your dream to the necessity of “a spirit forged with mettle,” Comaneci’s thoughts on athleticism and sacrifice are eye-opening.
 
Title: Letters to A Young Gymnast
Author: Nadia Comaneci
Medium: Paperback
Publishing Details:
Stars: **/*****

Death by Crime Fiction

There are a lot of things I immensely enjoy in life. Some of these are perfectly reasonable and normal things like spending time with friends, red wine and travelling. Some are slightly more unusual; board games, playing violin and McDonald's chips dipped in McFlurry's.
Then there are my guilty pleasures; those things you really shouldn't love but can't get enough of and are beyond the point of caring. I have a fair few of these but this post deals with two specifically;

Crime Fiction and anything about the Amish!

Imagine my excitement when I found a crime fiction series where the police detective grew up Amish and all the murders involve this small, curious, Pennsylvanian Dutch speaking community in Ohio!

#2 Gone Missing by Linda Castillo

I devoured this in two days of light reading and I'm not ashamed to say that I enjoyed every second of it. Even when I felt like i'd read the same evidence about three times, told in three different ways and the police still hadn't clocked it (I'd nailed the murderer in the first chapter for pete's sake!)

This book is really everything guilty pleasure crime fiction should be; terrible one liners, cliche relationships and a few too many murders than a small town should really have (a la Midsommer!)

In a few weeks the details will blur and the characters will depart my mind and it shall just be another notch on my crime thriller bedpost!

Title: Gone Missing
Author: Linda Castillo
Medium: Paperback
Publishing Details: 2012, Macmillan
Stars: **/*****

#1 Safe House by Chris Ewan

The first book I read this year was also a crime thriller. Set on the Isle of Man, this one was more literary than the one above. The characters were multi-dimensional and they operated within a much tighter plot with more twists and a case that kept you guessing to the end. Safe House by Chris Ewan is one of those CT's that can trick you into believing it's Pulitzer prize worthy!

Title: Safe House
Author: Chris Ewan
Medium: Kindle
Publishing Details: 2012, Faber and Faber
Stars: ***/*****