Thoroughly modern millennial

Tag: Books & Writing

To Be Read | #3

Happy Sunday guys! A little bit of an easy read – har de har puns – for today. Despite the fact I am technically supposed to be on a book buying ban, I’ve been a bit of a busy bee with new purchases lately. Feel free to indulge me as I demonstrate the fact I have no self-restraint when it comes to books.

Thirteen Chairs | Dave Shelton

Bought on ‘Books Are My Bag’ day, I found this one floating around the YA section in Waterstones on it’s lonesome – so of course I had to buy it. The cover caught my eye and the plot is just so interesting , in fact I’m actually partially writing my NaNoWriMo is a similar style. I’ve only read a few pages, but I can’t wait to get into this more.

Why Your Five Year Old Could Not Have Done That | Susie Hodge

I picked this one up after a recent visit to the Tate Modern in London. After a quick flick through the pages, the book breaks down some of the most famous and controversial modern art pieces which tend to get the general public’s scratching their heads. The past year has opened my eyes to modern art and I’m really keen to learn more, so this seemed like a perfect fit.

The Stepford Wives | Ira Levin

A classic psychological thriller and, in my opinion, one of the earliest examples of the now popular ‘utopian’ society setting, The Stepford Wives has been on my ‘to read’ list for the longest time. I found this copy in an independent bookshop recently and decided it was high time I stuck it on my bookshelf. I adore the film, so am really interested in seeing how book delves into the storyline more.

‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ And Other Poems You Half Remember From School | Ana Sampson

Like modern art, I’m trying to re-educate myself about poetry. School really turned me against this writing form for the longest time, and it wasn’t until I started watching slam poets on Youtube and downloaded a copy of Sylvia Plath’s ‘Ariel’ to read that I started to feel the interest in the genre creep back in. I’m hoping the book will be a nice accompaniment to my quest to re-ignite my interest in some of the classic stuff that I never got my head around at school. This was part of a whole series of books about re-educating your mind on things you were taught at school which I found browsing Brick Lane Bookshop – honestly had to resist the entire set, they all looked really cool!

So that’s four more added to my ever growing TBR pile on my bedside table.

What’s on your list ‘to read’? Have any of these sparked your interest?

R.xoxo

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November 9, 2014
August/September | In Books

Hi I’m Ria and I’m failing miserably at my 50 books challenge :P on the upside, I did manage finish three really interesting books of very different genres this month! Take a gander at my quick thoughts on all three below…

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly | Sun Mi-Hwang
This is the story of a little hen named Sprout who dreams of the open spaces the lie beyond the barn she resides. Unhappy with her lot in life simply laying eggs for the farmer and his wife to sell at market, she conspires to escape to the outside world where the other animals are able to roam free.

A short and sweet morality tale with heart-warming central themes about family and unconditional love. A quick read for anyone who loved books like Babe or Charlotte’s Web.

Check out my full review on Blogger’s Bookshelf.

The Silkworm | Robert Galbraith

The much anticipated sequel to The Cuckoo’s Calling and Comoron Strike is back. After the success of the Lula Landry murder case, Strike is called up to investigate the disappearance of Owen Quine, a novelist with a penchant for writing stories with grotesque depictions of the people he knows and works with. Enlisted by Quine’s wife, Strike sets out to find the rogue author but what starts as a missing persons investigation soon spirals into a murder case when Strike finds Quine dead and mutilated under bizarre circumstances. Armed with the unpublished manuscript of Quine’s latest vulgar novel, a killer on the loose and a dozen potential suspects, Strikes is now up against it to find out who killed Quine before it’s too late.

Just as The Cuckoo’s Calling shed an unsavoury yet intriguing light on ‘celebrity culture’, Galbraith manages to do the same for the world of writing and the publishing industry. This one is less of a classic case of ‘whodunit’ and demands the reader alongside Strike, to delve into the mad mind of Owen Quine to figure out the mystery of what happened.

Character-wise, the development of Strike and Robin’s relationship is great in this. Robin especially is given a chance to shine and feels like less of side-kick and more of a partner than in Cuckoo. However, Strike is still, obviously the main draw here. Despite loosing much of the incessant bitterness over his relationship drama from the first book, he still manages to maintain his bite as he deals his physical handicap and the mental exhaustion of dealing with the unsavoury suspects in Quine’s murder. A great read and a great sequel!

Full review on Blogger’s Bookshelf coming soon!

Liesmith | Alis Franklin (c/o NetGalley)

Welcome to Pandemonium and meet Sigmund Sussman, a dorky low level IT guy with an video game and comic book obsession. Sigmund is nothing special (he tells people to turn their computers on and off again for a living). Which is why it’s weird that the new guy in the team, Lain, takes a shine to him in a really hot flirtatious way. Lain may be devilishly good looking and a questionable past, but Sigmund kinda likes him back too. What’s the worst that could happen if he starts to date him?…well?…

What Sigmund doesn’t count on is that Lain is also a God and not just in an ‘Oh my God he looks like a God kinda way’. Nope. An actual God. A Norse one to be precise. And as fate and ancient prophecies start to unravel, Sigmund starts on a path of adventure and inevitable danger that comes with being the other half of ancient mythology.

I gave this three stars on GoodReads but I’d probably place this closer to 3 1/2. Despite Liesmith being way out of my genre comfort zone, I did really enjoy the premise and plot line for this book. It’s cinematic with page turning action sequences. I will say that, for me, the mythology element went over my head a little, and the moments that really stood over were often seeing Lain and SIgmund’s relationship develop throughout the novel.

Full review on Blogger’s Bookshelf coming soon!

Currently Reading

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

R.xoxo

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September 28, 2014
Beautiful Books | My Favourite Book Cover Designs

Hello my name is Ria and I’m a book magpie. What is that I hear you say? Well, as I wander the shelves of bookshops, unless I’m after a particular novel, I’m usually instantly drawn to the prettiest and most interesting covers before anything else. From fancy typography to beautiful illustration, I feel book cover design has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years. Here are five of my current favourites…

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

All of Rainbow Rowell’s books have fantastic and bright colour designs, but I adore Landline’s the most. From the sweeping typography, to the bold retro inspired illustration of the telephone, the whole thing is just so eye-catching. Not only is the dust jacket great, the book itself is a gorgeous mustard yellow colour with the same typography emblazoned on the spine.

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-Mi Hwang

I was really taken by the plot summary of this book, but gosh isn’t the illustration on this stunning too? It’s so rare to find books that are so delicately designed these days and there’s such as a subtle beauty to this one. This is also a perfect example of beautiful back and inside cover design too.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I’ve seen a couple of designs for A Monster Calls, but I knew when I saw this at YALC I had to have this one. Like The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, this one is chock full of detail with illustrations that take inspiration from nature.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Bold, striking with illustrations that hint at one of the novel’s themes. This is definitely my favourite edition of TVS that I’ve seen around and I love the metallic foiling on the roots of the tree.

The Beautiful Land by Alan Avrill

Normally I’d be fawning over the cover, but the spine of this book is really what I love the most on this occasion. The contrast between the text and backdrop is gorgeous and I love the subtle use of colours too. The spine’s design also carries onto the blurb’s typography, so clever!

So let me know what you guys think and leave me the names of some of your favourite book cover designs below!

R.xoxo

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August 20, 2014