January Book Review

This year I'm going to try and read as many books as I can and, seeing as January has gone so well as I have read three books and started a fourth, I thought I might do some mini reviews on each book.

The first book I read this month was 'Girl Online' by Zoe Sugg (Zoella). The book was a really easy read and I got quickly caught up in the storyline meaning I read it very quickly. The book is about a girl, Penny, who suffers from panic attacks and isn't having a great time at home and at school. She goes on holiday to New York over Christmas and that's where she meets Noah. I don't want to ruin the book for you. I would say the age range is for all teens, which I think is what the author intended. This is mainly due to the fact that it is quite simply written.

A great read when you don't want to think too much (or is it just me that likes those books?)

The second book was 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon. It is a book narrated by a boy with autism. I have mentioned a different book about a boy with autism in my first book review (which you can see here) and this book reminded me of that. I find it really interesting being in the mind of and seeing the world from a different persons point of view. An issue that I have with books is that unless it is written in the first person I find it really hard to get into the book and actually finish it as I just get bored. Books that are written in the first person make me feel as if I am actually the character that the story is about so I can relate to it much more. I don't have autism but it allows me to see the world through this boys eyes. The way he acts out in public places and how he responds to other people's questions is so interesting and Haddon has portrayed it very well. The book is about a boy who finds his neighbour's dog dead and he is determined to discover who the murderer was, despite the fact that this gets him into unintentional trouble along the way. I definitely recommend this book as it was funny at times and is easy to pick up whenever and wherever you are.

The third and final fully read book from this month is 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky. I think I'm quite late on the band wagon of reading this book but I finally got round to it and overall I liked it. I wasn't blown away by it though. The book is about a boy called Charlie who has just started high school and lets just say he doesn't have the most fortunate life. The storyline is on the whole easy to follow and throws up lots of interesting parts that make you not want to put the book down but, unfortunately, it turns out that I didn't even fully understand the whole story even when I'd finished it. After finishing the book I decided to watch the film because I hadn't seen it and I liked to compare. However, if I hadn't watched the film I still wouldn't have fully understood the story now. Chbosky writes in a way that you have to understand and read into what is being written in the story without having to be told word for word but I believe this isn't very obviously portrayed in certain parts of the book. I do recommend reading the book, but watching the film after may be a necessity to full understand the story (unless that's just my naivety).

So those are the books I've read this month. I am intending on keeping up the reading but we will just have to see how well that goes down on whether you see anymore book reviews!

What books do you recommend?

Bye for now!

Mini Book Review - House Rules by Jodi Picoult

I thought I would give a little book review a try. I love reading but often don't have time however, I have read a few books which I would love to rave about.

I have read quite a few of Jodi Picoult's books now but this is one of a couple that I have really liked. She has an unusual way of writing the book by changing the character in each chapter but always in first person. For some reason I can't read book which aren't in first person, I just don't connect with the characters enough and get too bored to carry on reading. Anyway... I'll tell you the blurb for the book:

Jacob Hunt is a teenager:brilliant at maths, wicked sense of humour, extraordinarily organised, hopeless at reading social cues. And Jacob has Asperger's. He is locked in his own world - but aware of the world outside, and wanting to make a connection. Jacob tries to be like everyone else, but doesn't know how.

When his tutor is found dead, all the hallmark behaviours of Jacob's syndrome - not looking someone in the eye, off movements, inappropriate actions - start looking a lot like guilt to the police. And Jacob's mother must ask herself the hardest question in the world: is her child capable of murder?

Something that I love about Picoult's books is that she tends to pick a main topic (in this case Asperger's) and then studies it in detail to ensure she can be very informative and detailed in the story she writes. Due to this, I find the book not only capturing because of the story being told but I also enjoy the educational side to it.

Something that isn't great about Picoult's books in general, but this is an example, is that I find they can drag on a little and, although they are good so I want to read on, some of the stories seem a little stretched to their limits.

All being said, I would recommend this book to anyone to read, it's probably more of a feminine book then masculine, but some men may enjoy it!

Bye for now!