Book Review: Is It Just Me?

I have just finished “Is It Just Me?” by Miranda Hart.

Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart

I’m not usually one for reading this sort of thing but i found it on offer so thought i’d try it. I’ve only recently got into watching “Miranda” on television and got this book for a bit of light reading.

At first i found it a bit boring and long-winded because Miranda takes a long time to get to the point but i persevered with it and found myself actually enjoying it! The little stories are quite funny, especially when she describes her antics in the office and so on. I also like the way she talks to her 18-year-old self, who seems ashamed of her older self having not followed any of the dreams she had when she was young. This builds up a little bit of tension and you can tell Miranda is deliberately keeping her younger self in the dark about just how many silly things she does now.

It’s not an autobiography, but more of a manual for life (or “Miran-ual” as she calls it!) with little stories about each topic and her opinions. It’s quite funny if you get her sense of humour, and you feel embarrassed for her when you read about the ridiculous things she has done which other people don’t understand, but in reading about them, you also feel like you’re not the only one who thinks in a slightly childish way!

I give the book 7/10 because it is good for a laugh, it’s an easy read, and perfect for reading in a little bits (i used to read a few pages in the morning before work, just to get me a in a good mood!). If you like watching “Miranda” or just like Miranda Hart, then it’s worth reading.

Book Review: One Summer In France

I have just finished reading “One Summer In France” by Bev Spicer, a memoir. This is the prequel to “Bunny On A Bike”, and follows Bev and her friend Carol as they embark on three months in France during their summer holiday from university.

“One Summer In France” by Bev Spicer

Bev and Carol are a force to be reckoned with, with maybe a quite romantic notion of what their summer will be like. They have all sorts of adventures, such as crossing the border to Spain and coming home with massive bottles of port, food poisoning from eating food from dodgy vans, and reading a wide range of books.

The summer romances and almost-romances are great to read about, especially as there are misunderstandings about men who are actually married, and then trying to decide whether men are being genuinely friendly or just pervy because they are confronted with two bikini-clad girls!

I love how Bev and Carol have some genuinely deep and loving moments, and then start mouthing off at each other, which really keeps the story going and brings about some truly amusing moments!

I give it 8/10 because it’s just such a fun, summery read, and it made me giggle! It also made me want to go travelling and have my own adventures. Worth reading, especially if you’ve already read “Bunny On A Bike”!

Book Review: Moranthology

I have just finished reading “Moranthology” by Caitlin Moran.

Moranthology – Caitlin Moran (via Amazon)

This is a book composed of Caitlin Moran’s columns from newspapers over her career with added notes on each article. It covers a range of subjects, from celebrities, television, and feminism, as well as amusing late-night conversations in bed with her husband.

I particularly like how she describes David Cameron as being a robot made of ham, and how she got her trademark hair! As well as the funny bits, there are a few serious bits which make it a well-rounded book.

If you are an avid follower of Caitlin, then you’ve probably already read all these columns, but as i have only really discovered her in the last year or so, i really liked having all these columns in one book! She tells stories really well, and is really funny!

I preferred her first book “How to be a Woman” as that was more of a proper book, but this book is good because you can dip in and out of it, so a good book when you just have a few minutes here and there to read.

I give it 7/10 because it is full of interesting stories and opinions, and i enjoyed it!

Book Review: The Etymologicon

I have just finished reading “The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through The Hidden Connections Of The English Language” by Mark Forsyth.

“What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth’s Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. It’s an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.” (Blurb from the back of the book)

I love learning about the English Language, having studied it at university, and this book is an excellent source of information about where words come from! I love how everything links together and leads on to another word and yet another story about how that word came to exist.

It’s a fresh and easy to read book, unlike other language books which can sometimes be a bit laborious to read. This book starts at a random point in the circle of meaning, and follows the links until it returns back to the beginning of the book, which i think is very clever and shows, quite rightly, how interconnected the words of the English Language really are.

It goes from words of which i already know the origins, such as England coming from the Angles moving to Britain, to more obscure meanings, such as gormless. Gormless which came from gorm, a Scandinavian word for “sense”, and gome, a dialect word from Yorkshire, and which Emily Brontë used in “Wuthering Heights”, meaning “senseless”. Really fascinating stuff, if you like this sort of thing!

I liked this book so much that i went and bought the next book “The Horologicon: A day’s Jaunt Through The Lost Words Of The English Language” as well! But more about that book later!

I give it 9/10 because it is fascinating and really informative. It might not be useful or interesting to all people, but for me it is a great source of word origins and i learnt a lot of things i didn’t know!

Book Review: I Capture The Castle

I have recently re-read “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith, which is one of my favourites from when i was younger and is still a favourite of mine.

I Capture The Castle – Dodie Smith

The novel is the journal of Cassandra, who narrates her thoughts and the goings-on in her life in an old castle where she lives with her family.

Her family is fairly eccentric: her strange father, who wrote a unique novel several years earlier but has failed to produce anything else since; her stepmother, who is an artist who communes with nature; and her older sister Rose, who is vain and bored with living in poverty. Then there is her younger brother who goes to school, and then there’s Stephen, the handsome lad who lives with them and is in love with Cassandra.

Cassandra decides to keep a diary and write down everything properly in her bid to become a better writer. Soon, things take a turn for the better and their lives all change forever.

The rich owners of the local manor come into town and by sheer accident end up on the castle’s doorstep. The two men become friends of the family and start providing more entertainment and income for the family. Rose does her best to attract one of the men and soon is engaged to Simon, the richer brother. This union causes all sorts of new problems for the family, but also creates solutions to existing problems, and it’s fascinating to see how the plot develops.

Cassandra struggles with her developing feelings for Simon, knowing her sister just agreed to marry him as an escape from poverty, all the while trying to do what is right with Stephen’s love and devotion to her, which she doesn’t return.

The ups and downs of Cassandra and her family are really interesting to read about, and it’s still a great read even after all these years of loving it!

I give it 10/10 because i love the characters, i love the plot, and i love that it still feels fresh with each read! Worth reading!

Book Review: A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. With Illustrations by John Leech. London: Chapman & Hall, 1843. First edition. Title page. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As i wanted to read it properly, instead just watching the film adaptations, i finally got around to reading “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens!

I can’t believe i left it so long! I know the story, but nothing is as good as reading the original!

Dickens’ masterpiece is just such a great read, especially in the run up to Christmas! I love how Scrooge changes from a grumpy old miser to a thoroughly decent chap after a few visits from spectres! To be honest, i think i would change my ways if i was told off by a bunch of ghosts! I also love the bit with Tiny Tim and his family and how Scrooge is so moved by them!

As it’s a classic, it thoroughly deserves its 10/10 rating because it is a brilliant piece of writing!

Reading List Update

Hello!

I’m still determined to read 80 books by the end of 2012 – after reaching my original target of 50 – and so far have read 57 books, with 2 currently on the go!

I am currently reading:

Great Expectations – Charles Dickens (via Amazon)

I have wanted to read “Great Expectations” properly for a while now, having studied bits of it at school and being unable to remember how far i actually read it! I also decided to read a few more classics and, in the spirit of Christmas, i plan to read “A Christmas Carol” in December, again being unsure if i have ever read the whole book, despite being a fan of the film versions of it!

I am also reading “When The Earth Died” by Karl Mannheim, although i haven’t got very far with it yet!

When the Earth Died – Karl Mannheim (via Amazon)

Books i have recently read and reviewed include:

“Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now – as Told by Those Who Love it, Hate it, Live it, Left it and Long for it” by  Craig Taylor – See my book review for it at 
http://aworldofrandomness.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/book-review-londoners-the-days-and-nights-of-london-now/

“Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now – As Told by Those Who Love it, Hate it, Live it, Left it and Long for it” -Craig Taylor (via Amazon)

“The Queen’s English” by Bernard C. Lamb. See my book review at 
http://aworldofrandomness.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/book-review-the-queens-english/

The Queen’s English – Bernard C. Lamb (via Amazon)

“Bunny on a Bike” by Bev Spicer – see my review at 
http://aworldofrandomness.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/book-review-bunny-on-a-bike/

“Bunny on a Bike” – Bev Spicer (via Amazon)

“Spider – A Short Story” by Richard Stephenson – see my review at 
http://aworldofrandomness.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/book-review-spider-a-short-story/

“Spider: A Short Story” – Richard Stephenson (via Amazon)

And finally:

“The Nightlife – New York” by Travis Luedke – see my review at
http://aworldofrandomness.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/book-review-the-nightlife-new-york/

“The Nightlife – New York” -Travis Luedke (via Amazon)

I have also read the short story “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, and i haven’t reviewed it, but it was really good!

Hopefully i will get to my target by the end of 2012, but i have been getting through a fair few lately!

Book Review: The Queen’s English

I have just finished reading “The Queen’s English and how to use it” by Bernard C. Lamb.

The Queen’s English – Bernard C. Lamb (via Amazon)

This is a non-fiction book about the English language and how it should be used properly. It isn’t as confusing as some language books can be, although i find it is a little bit snobby in places! But don’t let that put you off!

It sets out clearly what things mean, how they are constructed, and how best to use them. A good little book for teaching yourself how to use English or at least a good refresher if you feel your language skills slipping!

I was given this book for Christmas a few years back and meant to read it, but i didn’t get around to it until summer 2012 and i have been reading it on and off since then. I think it is better to read it in bits, because then you’re not overwhelmed by all the information this little book contains! I knew a lot of the things in this book already as i had studied the English language at university (jointly with English literature), but it’s nice to refresh my knowledge and see what i can remember!

I won’t give this a mark out of 10 but it’s worth reading if you feel the need to brush up on your language skills!