My A - Z of books

Hello again!  Just under a month to go until World Book Night, I can't wait to pick up my books from my local library and start preparing for the big day (night)!

To continue my celebration of  becoming a book giver for World Book Night, and to celebrate all things books I continue my A-Z of books with the letter 'E'.  Enigma by Robert Harris:

I am a total book snob, I will be judgey about a book cover and I'm unlikely to ever read books like the Da Vinci Code because of the hype surrounding it and Dan Brown.  When I worked at Waterstones during my degree I was like this about Robert Harris, I don't really know why, I just was.  I had seen the film Engima (the one with Kate Winslet in) but just hadn't made the link to Harris' book, a friend recommended it to me.  Now I was a bit dubious but I trusted her taste in books so I gave it ago, I liked it a lot and I've re-read it at least once, possibly twice.  You're probably picking up on my slightly lukewarm review?  Usually I fill blog posts about books I've liked with far too many exclamation marks and I overuse the term 'awesome', so why am I including a book I 'liked' in my A - Z of books?  Because Engima represents a time when I got over my book snobbery (even if it was just a little bit) and decided to read books I wanted to read, rather than just read books I thought I should read or be seen reading.  I think that's quite grown-up really.

Here is a recap of my A-Z so far:

• A
• B
• C
• D

A (couple of) Month(s) of Reading

Oh my days!  September was hectic and not much reading was to be had sadly, but here is what I've been working through during those rare moments of spare time.

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Awesome.  But most of you will know that already right?  I'm a bit late to the Hunger Games party but I got there in the end.  My brother described the trilogy as 'moreish' and he is absolutely right.  Mockingjay is the final book in the trilogy and it's a corker combining the best and worst of human behaviour.  Katniss is a character with fight, opinions and whose ambitions reach beyond getting married *significant look towards the Twilight books*.

2. Where Did it all go Right? by Andrew Collins

If any of you listen to BBC 6 Music on a regular basis you'll know Andrew Collins.  I love it when he's on the radio and I find him really funny so when I found his autobiography in a charity shop I thought 'ooo go on then'.  This is a really light hearted book and is the antithesis to the glut of misery memoirs on the market.  Here's the story of someone who had an ordinary upbringing, and had a good time! It's nostalgic and funny, and if you have read and enjoyed 'The Tent the Bucket and Me' by Emma Kennedy you'll more than likely enjoy this too.

3. Fatherland by Robert Harris

Robert Harris is turning into my go to author for that 'in-between' read.  Don't get me wrong that in no way reflects negatively on Harris or his writing, it is in fact a huge compliment.  You know when you've just finished reading a superb book and don't know what to read next?  Harris writes really gripping stories and this is no exception.  Based in 1960's Berlin, in a world where Germany won the Second World War and Europe has been consumed by the Fatherland.  Life is full of suspicion, strange occurrences and sudden disappearances being investigated by a detective whose jaded outlook of the system makes him a target of the powers that be.   

4. Care of Wooden Floors - A Novel by Will Wiles

Bobbins!  Absolute boring, boring writing, no pace, rubbish characters and a pointless waste of my time.

A (couple of) Month(s) of Reading

Oh dear, what a woeful attempt at a 'regular' feature on my blog, it's a good thing I have a day job!

1. Enigma by Robert Harris

This is a re-read for me, but I'm planning on visiting Bletchley Park at some point this year so thought I would read a couple of books either about or based around the park.  I love this book and will probably re-read it again and again.  The story doesn't skimp on detail or intrigue, and is packed with facts about Enigma and Bletchley.

2. By Royal Command by Charlie Higson

The final Young Bond in the series and frankly the weakest, I found it a bit of a struggle to get through this one.  I should probably add a caveat to that statement; I have read three or four of the series in quick succession which probably wasn't the smartest move and the story was still good but the fantastical nature of Bond just gets boring after a while.

3. The Secret Life of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay

More Bletchley research with this one.  Good grief McKay is perhaps one of the most pompous writers I have ever come across, so patronising towards the women he interviewed I can almost visualise him patting them on the bottom and telling them to fetch his slippers.  It was only a wish to read something of the history of Bletchley that I actually bothered to read to the end of this book, and thankfully there were lots of really interesting nuggets of information to be had.  Did you know that maps of buildings were disguised within illustrations of butterfly wings and that there was a hut at Bletchley that was only every used as a hair salon?  

4. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Ahh The Book Thief *looks at book with dewy, soft focus, besotted affection* this was the book I gave away as part of World Book Night on 23rd April.  I had to keep a copy for myself and I had to re-read this book in celebration.  What an amazing story, with amazing characters, a completely refreshing piece of prose that everyone should read.

5. I Left My Tent in San Francisco by Emma Kennedy

My colleague Anne lent me her copy of Kennedy's first book 'The Tent the Bucket and Me' which was genuinely laugh out loud (and for those that know me I don't often laugh out loud, but don't worry I'm not dead inside I just don't laugh out loud much).  I Left my Tent [...] is a good tale, perhaps not as funny as The Tent [...] but still I would definitely recommend it and perfect for reading on holiday because no matter what, your holiday can never, ever be the disaster Kennedy and her friend Dee got themselves in...

Well that's it for now, I will hopefully get back on track with A Month of Reading especially because I have some interesting books line up that I've been told are worth a look, I'll let you know my humble little opinion when I've read them...