Books of 2018: Part One
I'm an avid reader and get through around a hundred books a year. I thought it would be interesting to share some of the best books I've been reading a few times a year.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
This is a modern classic that many people had to read for their GCSEs- I did Lord of the Flies instead.
There isn't really much plot here but that's fine. It's all about the two characters. Lennie is such a warm-hearted man but his disability sees him shunned from society- these days he'd be given a lot of support from the state. George does his best to look after him but with limited funds the inevitable happens and we are left with a heartbreaking ending. Generally, the story is quite warm and fun until the very end when it becomes really upsetting.
Steinbeck's writing is really beautiful. It flows poetically and there are some lovely descriptive scenes. He's also superb at writing dialogue with each conversation being deep yet feeling realistic, so much so that as a reader you feel like an unnoticed eavesdropper. Though many would argue it's the story and the relationship of the two characters that has made this book so popular, I'm sure Steinbeck's writing has to be an important factor too.
Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones
I don't read too many non-fiction books but every now and then I find one I like the sound of. Here journalist Lucy Jones explores human relationships with foxes, plotting how it has changed over time and the conflicts of 21st Century Britain.
The highlights are when Jones meets people who have strong opinions either way. She spends a night out with a fox pest controller, watches a trail hunt and joins in with some hunt saboteurs which sounded like an genuinely unpleasant and scary experience. She does a really good job at letting people have the opportunity to share their views, whatever they may be.
Hekla's Children by James Brogden
I've never read anything quite like this before. Ten years ago Nathan Brookes was responsible for a group of students who vanished before his eyes. Only one returned, apparently with no memory of what happened. When a body is found in the same area it's initially thought to be one of the students but soon turns out to be a Bronze Age warrior. Suddenly Nathan starts having visions of the children and is determined to find the truth once and for all.
It's tricky to define this as one particular genre but I suppose it sits somewhere between horror and fantasy, using bronze age mythology as it's inspiration. It's not therefore not fantasy with dragons or goblins or fairies but the spirit world of many people's mythology. It's not overtly horror either though there is one visceral, gory scene that comes completely out of the blue.
I was also delighted by the fact that not only does this author have such a great imagination, he writes really well too. Dialogue felt realistic and the narrative sets the perfect tone for everything from a brutal police interview to the mysticism of the spirit world. It's nice to be able to take pleasure in reading the words as well as the story they tell.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
There have been so many collections of Greek myths in the past and perhaps for those who are well versed with it won't get too much from this. Personally I knew bits and pieces, some of the more major stories and ones I'd learnt from Percy Jackson.
Here Fry generally focuses on the lesser known stories. There's a lot on the metamorphoses, explaining how geography and nature. It's a good selection which I think highlights the very best of what Greek mythology has to offer.
As you'd expect from Stephen Fry, it's wonderfully written. It's witty without being overly intellectual, full of gentle humour. I also like how he added lots of extra information relating to the myths like how they give their names to geographical features, elements, planets and words.
One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde
Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books are books written for book lovers. Thursday infiltrates classic works of fiction and bumps into famous characters during her ludacris adventures.
Fforde riffs on favourite characters from a range of fiction from Harry Potter to Catch-22 as well as exploring a range of genres- women's fiction, racy novels, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, poetry and more. Fforde's books are always filled to the brim with brilliant ideas but sometimes these come at the expense of the plot. Not here though because we get a compelling mystery and a coherent plot, even if it might swerve for a chapter to share a brilliant but ridiculous idea.
There's a feel of Pratchett or Adams as Fforde gives us great fun ideas in a fictional world whilst still giving us an enjoyable story along the way.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
This is a modern classic that many people had to read for their GCSEs- I did Lord of the Flies instead.
There isn't really much plot here but that's fine. It's all about the two characters. Lennie is such a warm-hearted man but his disability sees him shunned from society- these days he'd be given a lot of support from the state. George does his best to look after him but with limited funds the inevitable happens and we are left with a heartbreaking ending. Generally, the story is quite warm and fun until the very end when it becomes really upsetting.
Steinbeck's writing is really beautiful. It flows poetically and there are some lovely descriptive scenes. He's also superb at writing dialogue with each conversation being deep yet feeling realistic, so much so that as a reader you feel like an unnoticed eavesdropper. Though many would argue it's the story and the relationship of the two characters that has made this book so popular, I'm sure Steinbeck's writing has to be an important factor too.
Foxes Unearthed by Lucy Jones
The highlights are when Jones meets people who have strong opinions either way. She spends a night out with a fox pest controller, watches a trail hunt and joins in with some hunt saboteurs which sounded like an genuinely unpleasant and scary experience. She does a really good job at letting people have the opportunity to share their views, whatever they may be.
Hekla's Children by James Brogden
It's tricky to define this as one particular genre but I suppose it sits somewhere between horror and fantasy, using bronze age mythology as it's inspiration. It's not therefore not fantasy with dragons or goblins or fairies but the spirit world of many people's mythology. It's not overtly horror either though there is one visceral, gory scene that comes completely out of the blue.
I was also delighted by the fact that not only does this author have such a great imagination, he writes really well too. Dialogue felt realistic and the narrative sets the perfect tone for everything from a brutal police interview to the mysticism of the spirit world. It's nice to be able to take pleasure in reading the words as well as the story they tell.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
Here Fry generally focuses on the lesser known stories. There's a lot on the metamorphoses, explaining how geography and nature. It's a good selection which I think highlights the very best of what Greek mythology has to offer.
As you'd expect from Stephen Fry, it's wonderfully written. It's witty without being overly intellectual, full of gentle humour. I also like how he added lots of extra information relating to the myths like how they give their names to geographical features, elements, planets and words.
One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde
Fforde riffs on favourite characters from a range of fiction from Harry Potter to Catch-22 as well as exploring a range of genres- women's fiction, racy novels, comedy, sci-fi, fantasy, poetry and more. Fforde's books are always filled to the brim with brilliant ideas but sometimes these come at the expense of the plot. Not here though because we get a compelling mystery and a coherent plot, even if it might swerve for a chapter to share a brilliant but ridiculous idea.
There's a feel of Pratchett or Adams as Fforde gives us great fun ideas in a fictional world whilst still giving us an enjoyable story along the way.
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