The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath | Review

Friday, 15 March 2013

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath | Review

'If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.' - Sylvia Plath.

Esther Greenwood's always been a little...quirky. A bright young thing, the aspiring journalist has landed herself an internship with 'Ladies' Day' magazine in New York with several other girls when the events occurring around her lead her to start questioning the life she's always been told she wants, and, as her opinions of those she's always surrounded herself with start to unravel, so does her sanity. This is Esther's story, through a downward spiral of self-destruction. Will she ever make it out of the bell jar, the self-contained unit of her own mental illness, or will she be forced to live apart from the rest of the world for the remainder of her young life? 

The Bell Jar has been one of my favourite books since I was thirteen, a fact that I often find myself defending amongst my fellow bookworms; having reached somewhat of a cult status, over the past 50 years since its first publication, it seems to divide the literary world, a little.

Don't get me wrong, it's far from a light-hearted read (but then, I can't think of much of Plath's work that could be described in such a way), but somehow, the story of Esther, whilst extreme in many ways, is one that is oddly relatable. Plath manages to create a character who, whilst being completely and utterly in the grip of mental illness, is perfectly logical, calm, calculated - one that, as a young woman in a postmodern world, it is all too easy to identify with. Esther feels so much like an 'average girl', questioning her self, her thoughts, her dreams, as much as I think anyone of a similar age would be, and yet, through a sometimes-harrowing narrative, we're made to see her descent into chaos, both internal and external, to see her self-destruction from the inside-out.

I think that's why there's so much division between those who love The Bell Jar, and those who hate it; although brilliantly written, thoughtful, with what comes across as an almost satirical observation on society - which somehow, still seems relevant as it celebrates a 50th anniversary of publication - it is, really, an uncomfortable book to read, in that it makes you question your own thoughts, feelings, dreams, every bit as much as Esther questions hers.

Personally, I think that's something pretty spectacular. 4/5 stars

This review was written by regular reviewer Francesca, get to know her here.
Photo © Francesca Sophia.

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2013 Reading Challenge Update #1

Thursday, 14 March 2013

2013 Reading Challenge Update #1

Back in January we set ourselves some reading goals for the year - five books or series we vowed to read in 2013 and a total number of books to be read over the year as well. Here is an update on our progress so far!

Ria... 7/30 books read, 1/5 books vowed to read

Goals ticked off: The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath, Bought: Farenheit 451 and Brave New World, To Read: Harry, A History and The Mortal Instruments 

I'm plodding through this but I'm slowly getting there, the problem is I'm buying more books than I can read! I can cross Sylvia Plath off my list, which I loved and reviewed briefly here (http://wishing-for-chanel.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/february-in-books.html), and have also now bought Farenheit 451 (on Kindle) and Brave New World (as a book). I also downloaded and read the sample of The Mortal Instruments on my Kindle, and it left me quite intrigued. I'm just debating whether to buy physical copies or stick to the ebook versions. I simply haven't gotten round to buying Harry, A History - I really need to as LeakyCon is just 5 months away!

I've been really enjoying challenging myself to read and setting a goal has been just the kick I need to get back into my books. I'm also adding to my 2013 reading goals to finish The Casual Vacancy and The Resistance (both of which have been sitting on my TBR pile for months!) and One Day - which I recently bought and need to catch up on the hype!

Francesca... 8/20 books read, 2/5 books vowed to read

So, this year, I've made it through 8 books, so far (on my 9th!), which is nearly half-way through my goal for the year (20), and I'm really pleased I've made such progress!

I love reading, but being a busy student means I don't get to do much of it, once deadlines start pouring in, and have to get through my 'to-read' lists in the breaks or during summer, if I want to make any real progress! I've already managed to cross two of my five 'must-read' books off of my list, We Need to Talk about Kevin (LOVED!), and The Secret (…meh), and have promised myself the next installment of the Lying Game novels, Cross my Heart, Hope to Die, as a reward for finishing a big assignment I have due this term; I think I'm doing pretty well, really!

Lucy... 2/37 books read, 1/5 books vowed to read
Unfortunately, the total amount of books I have read is a miserable two. However I have already read one of the five books that I have vowed to read this year which is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The other book I read was Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Both books were brilliant, I have to say. I feel horrified that I have only read two books so far this year but the only reason for this is that I've been doing a lot of stuff irl! I am making March a month of reading. I hope to read The Great Gatsby and Sever soon so that'll hopefully get me back into the reading swing of things!

Anjali... 10/40 books read, 1/5 books vowed to read

 Books read as of today/ this week: 10 So far, I've managed to cross one off my 'Books I vow to read this year' list, which was Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I really enjoyed that book, and wrote a review here on BB for it. I haven't managed to get any of the others from the library yet, but I'm hoping that some will appear soon. In regards to other books, I think I've done really well so far in my reading challenge for Good Reads. My goal is 40 books this year, so I'm pretty proud of my 10 books done and dusted. I've had a few favourites already this year, particularly Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and also The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. Both are fantasy novels, and both have great story lines, characters and are a thrilling read. I also really enjoyed Slated by Terri Terry, but was a bit disappointed with Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I think I was expecting too much of it, and it let me down a little bit. I'm currently reading Beautiful Creatures, not because the movie was released (okay, partly), but because it's been on my list of books to read for ages, and I guess the making of the movie prompted me to borrow it from the library. I'm really enjoying it so far! Next I'll be reading either Ultraviolet by R. J Anderson or Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Both are on my floor at the moment, and I haven't decided which one will be read first. Either way, I can't wait for whatever adventure the next story brings!

Laura... 5/25 books read, 1/5 books vowed to read
I've read 5 out of 25 books so far! And have managed to read 1 book from my 5 to read list and that is Miranda Hart - Is It Just Me? So far it's going pretty good, Goodreads informs me that I'm 2 books ahead of schedule! When I set the challenge I forgot about how many books I end up reading to my class so I think hitting my target shouldn't be difficult although I must force myself to buy those other 4 books and make sure I read those!

Erin... 12/52 books read, 1/5 books vowed to read

So far my 2013 challenge is going really well, I’ve finished 12 books towards my target of 52 and have also managed to cross 1 (and a bit!) off of the books I vowed to read back in January’s post. 

My favourite reads of the year so far would have to be Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch (reviews to be posted here soon!) and Miranda Hart’s Is It Just Me? (review here) which was on my ‘books I vow to read’ list. I’ve also reserved Fracture from the library for when it is released and have made progress with another one of my chosen books Requiem, the third and final installment in the Delirium series as the first 80 pages or so are available to read online. So far so good and I’m looking forward to finding out how the series will end. I haven’t given out any 5 star ratings yet this year so I’m hoping to find a book I really love soon! 

What are your reading goals for 2013?

Post by Erin, Images via Goodreads

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Tell the Wolves I'm Home | Carol Rifka Brunt | Review

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Tell the Wolves I'm Home | Carol Rifka Brunt | Review

“I thought of all the different kinds of love in the world. I could think of ten without even trying. The way parents love their kids, the way you love a puppy or chocolate ice cream or home or your favorite book or your sister. Or your uncle. There's those kinds of love and then there's the other kind. The falling kind.” - Carol Rifka Brunt, Tell the Wolves I'm Home

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt is story that touches many important subjects like loss, love, family, friendship and prejudices. June is fourteen years old when she loses her uncle Finn who's also her godfather and best friend to AIDS. Her family is convinced that Finn's death is all his mystical special friend Toby's fault. But when someone disguised as a postman turns up at June's doorstep with Finn's old teapot and a note about wanting to meet her she doesn't know what to do. How can the man that her loved Finn choose to spend his life with be that bad?

Tell the Wolves I'm Home is also the story about June and her family and how they for different reasons have drifted far apart from each other. This part of the story especially focuses on June and her older sister who used to be really close but who really struggle with their relationship.

When I saw Tell the Wolves I'm Home at my local library I got really excited because I had read so many good reviews about this book. I also got a bit excited because I really like the title and the cover design but I guess that's not that important in a book review (but still, the title and cover design is pretty awesome!). But to be honest, after reading this book I'm not completely sure how I feel about it...

Don't get me wrong! This is in many ways a beautiful book and I'm pretty sure many of you would love it. I personally really enjoyed Carol Rifka Brunt's writing style and I liked many aspects of the actual story. I especially like the development of the relationship between June and her sister. I thought that was a really real and believable part of the story and I think it was a nice portrayal of the difficulties that can occur in the relationship between siblings. But apart from that I have to be honest here, the whole reading process was so slow for me! It wasn't a book that I couldn't put down or a book that I couldn't wait to get home to after a day at work. I'm not sure who's to blame, it might probably be me and the fact that I'm addicted to fast paced books and action. But it could also be a fact that some passages in this book are actually a bit too slow.

Yes, this make it really difficult for me to rate this book. Should this review be about my personal reading experience or the general quality of the book and the story? I guess I have to go for both. This is a good quality story and I think that many of you would really enjoy this book if you read it! But I didn't personally fall head over heels with this novel. So, help me out here! What should I do with the rating? How do you rate a book that you really appreciated but still didn't fall in love with? Well, I think I know how to solve this. I would personally maybe give this book 3,5/5 stars. But because I do really want you to give it a go because I think you might love it I give it 4/5 stars as an encouragement to all of you to pick it up! There we go..it wasn't that hard after all...and like I said, you should give this book a go! You might fall in love with it...

This post was written by regular reviewer Niina, get to know her here.

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Guest Post | The Fall Of The Good Book?

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Guest Post | The Fall Of The Good Book?

*image sourced via Pinterest

Book being the operative word here. Not books, trilogy or series – book. It seems that many authors have simply forgotten how to write a good story that can fit into about 350 pages. There are exceptions of course – the wonderful John Green many may argue as being one of the authors still being a fantastic advocate of the stand alone story.

Before I wrote this I had good look at my own bookshelf – the one in my university room at least. It hasn’t got many books on it, just the ones I’ve collected from Waterstones since I’ve been at University, or those I’ve brought from home for friends to borrow. It contains 9 complete or partly-completed series/trilogies. There are only 9 books on the shelf that aren’t part of a series or trilogy. I also own 5 series in eBook format.

Most of the time, I love an epic series. Most of them feature worlds that can hardly be contained in the constraints of the pages, characters you become incredibly attached to and an exhilarating storyline that drags you along with it. But there are negative elements to it too – mostly the waiting for the next installment. We’ve all done it, finished a book the next day after it was released to find out the next book isn’t realised for a year. A YEAR? What are you going to do with yourself until then?

And there’s the disappointment when the final book finally comes out. That’s not how you planned it! Doesn’t the author realise you’ve invested YEARS of your life into this thing? How dare they.

There’s also the nagging feeling of needing to start the next book immediately, if it’s available. Two weeks ago I read six books in a series in succession and completely ignored my dissertation. Oops.

Sure, there are plenty of good standalone books out there, I’m sure. But most people (especially myself) find out which books to read through other people. Or what’s on display or prominent in a bookshop. Or what we see being advertised. And most of those books are what’s popular. And what is popular is the series.

The good standalone book can be every bit as satisfying as a good series. The story can be just as epic, the characters just as well developed and you can get just as engrossed without many of the negative aspects. Once the book is finished, it’s finished. We don’t need to know what happens in their lives for the next athousandmillionyears, the good parts over! There’s no disappointment, because you don’t have time to build up massive expectations. There’s no nagging feeling that you should be doing other things when you are reading the next book, and no nagging feeling when you don’t read the next book either. There’s no waiting! 

So why aren’t they as popular?

Got an opinion? Get in touch and sound off!

This post was written by Guest Blogger Kath.

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Is It Just Me? | Miranda Hart | Review

Monday, 11 March 2013

Is It Just Me? | Miranda Hart | Review

The first thing I should admit before I start reviewing this book is that I’m completely obsessed with Miranda the TV show! I love it. I laugh out loud, literally have fits of giggles and can’t wait for the next episode! (And yes I quote the show in real life – Such fun!)

So when Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart came out, as you can imagine, I was so excited and couldn’t wait to read it. However I had numerous other books to read first and forced myself not to jump ahead. When I finally got around to reading the book it did not fail to disappoint. The first sentence reads ‘My Dear Reader Chum, a very hearty hello to you.’ I could hear Miranda’s voice saying these exact words and it didn’t change the whole way through the book, it was as if she was sat on my shoulder reading this book too me!

The books takes us through different parts of life including, technology, beauty and holidays with Miranda giving her opinion and experiences in every chapter. There are lots of comical moments and parts where you cringe at the very thought but most importantly it kept me entertained the whole way through.

Now we don’t just get Miranda’s opinions and experiences of all these topics but an introduction to teenage Miranda (little Miranda). She allows us to have an insight in to the teenage years of Miranda. We here about lacrosse, boys and hating sciences whilst Miranda tries to educate little Miranda on how life is now. Introducing her to texting, Facebook and email! All of which are extremely comical to read.

Any Miranda fan should definitely give this book a try or even if you ‘don’t mind’ the TV show then it’s definitely worth a shot. Non-Miranda fans however should stay well clear! 5/5 stars

This post was written by regular reviewer Laura, get to know her here.
*Photo © Laura

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A Series of Unfortunate Events | Lemony Snicket | Review

Sunday, 10 March 2013

A Series of Unfortunate Events | Lemony Snicket | Review

I actually haven’t read this series in a while, but one of my goals in life is to buy the full set. Ridiculous goal, I know.

I first discovered Lemony Snicket  when I was about 10 years old. I was a little behind the times, as the first one came out in 1999, when I was 8. But, after reading the first one, I was hooked! I absolutely loved them, and I still do. Over the years I waited patiently for them to come out and then immediately put my name down on the library list so I could read the latest one as soon as possible. There are 13 books in total, each with their own separate story line, but, like many series, they have the same main story running across all the books.

You’re probably familiar with A Series of Unfortunate Events, whether that be because you’ve read them yourself, know someone who has, or seen the movie. The movie, despite the fact that I think Jim Carey did a great job, was no where near as good as the books, and it was confusing because it mixed the first three books into one. If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t bother.

The story is about three children (Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire) who are orphaned at a young age and left with a huge fortune. They are placed in the care of a distant relative, evil Count Olaf, who is after this fortune and will stop at nothing to try and get it. Throughout the books, the children escape from large falling windows, humongous snakes, dodgy elevators, an evil village, a freak carnival and many more people and places to try and get as far away from Olaf as possible. I know that this sounds depressing and horrible, and I guess, for the most part, it is. But it’s also wonderful. The children are smart, sensible and fantastically clever and you really want to punch Count Olaf in the face. Along with that, and a multitude of interesting characters along the way, the series really is a fantastic read.

The writing style! Oh the writing style! It’s possibly my favourite style I’ve ever read. Lemony Snicket (pen name for Daniel Handler apparently) narrates the books and continuously warns you to put the book down and stop reading. He adds things in along the way that aren't really directly about the story, but are somehow related (or not) to whatever circumstance the children are in. For example, one of my favourite passages is from the 7^th book, ‘The Vile Village’ and reads:

‘Although "jumping to conclusions" is an expression, rather than an activity, it is as dangerous as jumping off a cliff, jumping in front of a moving train, and jumping for joy. If you jump off a cliff, you have a very good chance of experiencing a painful landing unless there is something below you to cushion your fall, such as a body of water or an immense pile of tissue paper. If you jump in front of a moving train, you have a very good chance of experiencing a painful voyage unless you are wearing some sort of train-proof suit. And if you jump for joy, you have a very good chance of experiencing a painful bump on the head, unless you make sure you are standing some place with very high ceilings, which joyous people rarely do. Clearly, the solution to anything involving jumping is either to make sure you are jumping to a safe place, or not to jump at all.’

Is that not fantastic?! I love that! There are many more short sections like this throughout the series and little notes and comments from the author as he tells the story of the 3 children. If you haven’t read the series, I really do recommend them. You don’t have to be a kid to read them or to enjoy them – like I said, I’m planning on buying them all so I can read them again and again and again…

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