MARCH READING WRAP UP

This month was a gooden for books. My passion for reading same back in full swing, I treated myself to some new books and I loved every single one of them! There’s nothing better than snuggling down with a giant hoody on, a blanket, a cup of tea and a good book- and that’s exactly what I did for the majority of this month.  I convinced myself that “exercise for the brain” is more important than the physical stuff.

1.     The first book I read this month was Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.  I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. One reason is that it was short (224 Pages) and it allowed me to dash through it with ease and move onto the next.  The language that Lively uses is both extremely realistic and in some ways blunt but we see hints of beautiful lyrical descriptions; those combined allow for a varied and interesting read.

2.       The next book I read was for my English Literature course but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it any less.  This is even smaller than my first read and is more of a novella than anything and its Bonjour Tristesse- Francoise Sagan. This story is unique due to its simplicity. It’s set in one summer, largely in one location and it’s got a fairly simple storyline of love, jealousy, summer and death. Sagan is a beautiful writer and her approach to writing the short story is very refreshing with it focusing on people rather than an overly complex narrative. 

3.       Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel was the third book this month and it did not fail!. This new contemporary read was exactly as described. The mystery that follows the entire storyline had me gripped and I literally couldn’t put it down, I read it so quick. This paired with Mandel’s beautiful description of a post-apocalyptic world and an interesting compilation of chapters jumping from different characters in different points of their lives made for a fantastic read. 

4.       Perhaps my favourite of the month was Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist. Although I was a little bit behind when jumping on this bandwagon, I’m so glad I didn’t just let it pass me by. The storylines follows a young girl’s journey into marriage. Set in Amsterdam I felt I was transported to somewhere I didn’t know and enjoyed being surrounded by the beauties of the past. This story held so many twists and turns and Burton turns what could have been a bit boring and classical, completely on its head and it made me cry! 

5.       The gorgeous Penguin 80^th Anniversary classics were released recently and I couldn’t help but grab a few for myself. The first that I chose and read was The Fall of Icarus by Ovid. I enjoyed the story but the amount of names and places, and Gods confused me a bit. (okay a lot!) and I got a bit lost with what was going on. Never the less it was a cute edition, a nice little story and the books look gorgeous on my bookshelf. If you haven’t already got some of these- GO AND BUY THEM NOW!

Currently Reading: The Secret History- Donne Tarr- You’ll get to find out next month what I thought of this one! Hint: It’s BRILLIANT so far, so I’m expecting it’ll be a good one. 

I hope you read some amazing books this month… I know I certainly did and I can’t wait for what story’s I get to indulge in, next month. 

You can get all these books from amazon… They always have deals on paperbacks. (At the moment it's 3 for £10!!)

Here are the links to buy them!

1. Moon Tiger- Penelope Lively

2. Bonjour Tristesse- Francoise Sagan

3.Station Eleven- Emily St John Mandel

4. The Miniaturist- Jessie Burton

5.The Fall of Icarus- Ovid

6.The Secret History- Donne Tarr