Book Quote of the Day

“There was no one to be seen so she gave in freely to her sobs as she made her way home, pressed her arms against her stomach; the pain lodged in there like an ill-tempered foetus.
Let a person in and he hurts you.
There was a reason why she kept her relationships brief. Don’t let them in. Once they’re inside they have more potential to hurt you. Comfort yourself. You can live with the anguish as long as it only involves yourself. As long as there is no hope.” 

― John Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One In

My Book Recommendations

I thought i would post a list of books which i would recommend people to read, based on the sort of thing they like!

• If you like “Bridget Jones’ Diary”, you might like ” Funny Valentine” by Amy Jenkins. A journalist follows a famous film star and develops feelings for him unexpectedly. 
• If you like easy read chick lit, try “I Heart New York” by Lindsey Kelk, a tale of heartbreak, recovery, escape and shopping.
• If you like dystopian fiction, and particularly something a bit chilling, try “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. It is a YA fiction title but works as a crossover title as well so adults should try it too.
• If you like vampires, but would rather avoid “Twilight” teenage angsty vampires, try “Let The Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist. It’s proper Horror fodder.
• If you like “Twilight” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and want something that’s equally about teenage issues as well as supernatural, try the “Wicca” series by Cate Tiernan – A teen discovers that she’s a witch and other witches want to steal her powers because she is so powerful (There’s 15 books to keep you going!).
• If you like dystopia, try George Orwell’s “1984″, or if you want something a bit more feminist try Magaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”, where the human race is struggling due to mass infertility. Or maybe try “Woman on the Edge of Time” by Marge Piercy, which describes a woman’s life in an institution for supposedly mentally unstable/hysterical women and her escape to a utopian dreamland. 
• If you like utopian themed books, and specifically something more feminist, try “Herland” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, where three men discover a colony of women who learned to live and reproduce without men.
• If you are curious about life after death (who isn’t?!), try David Eagleman’s book of very short stories about the afterlife, “Sum: Tales of the Afterlives”.

If you want to read fiction from other cultures:

• If you like books about confused teenagers trying to come to terms with their identity and something a bit dark, try “At the Edge of Light” by Maria Peura. It’s a little confusing and intense, but it brings together all the feelings of trying to work out who you are as a teenager, while set in the harsh atmosphere of  Finland’s grim north.
• If you like a bit of horror, try John Ajvide Lindqvist, the Swedish horror writer. Maybe try his books “Let the Right One In” (recently made into a film) or “Little Star”.
• If you are interested in how the digital age affects our relationships with our loved ones and total strangers, try “Love Virtually” by Daniel Glattauer.

Book Review: Little Star

Little Star

I have just finished reading “Little Star” by John Ajvide Lindqvist, a gripping novel translated from Swedish.

Where to begin?

Well, it starts off most curiously, with a man finding a baby wrapped in a plastic bag in a forest. She is almost dead but he brings her back to life. Her first sound is so magical and musical that he is spellbound by the child and takes her home. This one decision by one man changes the fate of the little girl, and indeed his own fate, that of his dysfunctional family and many others to come. The girl’s existence is unknown to the rest of the world and she is kept a secret and manipulated to believe that the outside world is dangerous to her. This first part of the book demonstrates the confusing mix of love and hate of the family who take the remarkable child into their care. It gives the reader the basis for the rest of the story, and it ends rather abruptly in a way which suddenly seems obvious from early on.

The second part introduces us to Teresa, a teenage girl who is struggling with her own identity and trying to fit in with her family, her peers and the world. She meets Theres, who both helps Teresa and leads her astray at the same time. She finally finds someone who understands, maybe more than she realises.

All the way through, there is the theme of music, with Theres’ family having careers in music, and Theres seems likely to follow in her determination to make music. She and Teresa form a duo and produce music. This introduces some fascinating characters, with the unpleasant music agent trying to take advantage of Theres’ singing talent. We also meet a group of girls who, despite being totally different, all come together with Theres and Teresa with one purpose.

Revenge is the name of the game, and several disturbing events lead up to the horrific finale!

I don’t want to give anything away but it is pretty disturbing and unpleasant in places so may be its not for the squeamish!

I quite like this novel because it is so gripping and fascinating that you can’t help but want to know how it ends, and you know it’s not going to be a happy ending! The hook is the story of the hidden child who is ultimately going be revealed to the world. In this case, it isnt for the reason you think! It also shows just how easy it is for young confused minds to be brainwashed by someone who is genuinely sincere about how the world works.

At the same time i don’t like it because it is genuinely disturbing in places and the actions by certain characters make you feel very strongly against that person. However, some of the characters are redeemed later on by their actions. I’ll let you guess who!

I give “Little Star” a 9/10 because it is original, thrilling and fascinating, but with a good dose of unpleasantness, disturbia and horror. I recommend it to anyone who doesnt mind something a bit horrific or disturbing! John Ajvide Lindqvist is an excellent writer and i thoroughly enjoyed this book, as i did “Let The Right One In”, and I will definitely keep reading his books!

Related articles

• Little Star, By John Ajvide Lindqvist (independent.co.uk)

Book Review: “Let the Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist

I have just finished reading ”Let the Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and i have to say it was one gripping novel!

It seems to be about Vampires, and believe me it is, but it also has themes of bullying, murder, revenge and so on. The two young protagonists Oskar and Eli are both equally intriguing characters, who despite being very different are drawn together in a sort of friendship which isnt always easy to define.

As well as this main plot, we have several other subplots where we meet several very difference characters who all have important roles in showing the reader the community-spirit and how it deals with the murders and so on.

The novel jumps around a bit, focusing on different characters and telling the story from their point of view. This makes for interesting reading, as we slowly piece together the storyline from each viewpoint.

The novel is brilliant, and unlike comparably pathetic Vampire novels like Twilight, it has much more darkness and depth to it, focusing more on the traditional vampire characteristic and twisting it a little bit. The novel is a little graphic in places and can be quite disturbing, but generally i think it is very well written and i definitely recommend it!

I give it 9/10, as it is totally original and has such a brilliant plot and fascinating characters. I suggest that if you like traditional vampire stories, mystery, fantasy and a bit of darkness, then you will love this nove. But if you are looking for another Twilight-type novel then you probably won’t like it so much, but if you want something deeper than that, then i’d say try it!

Books to read

Image via Wikipedia

Lately, i’ve had no time at all to do any leisure reading, what between working, studying and being so tired and lazy when i finish those two, i just end up watching tv!

On my bedside table is a pile of books waiting to be read, and although i’ve started 2 of them, i just havent got round to finishing them and starting the others.

The ones i’ve started are:

• “The Junior Officer’s Reading Club”, by Patrick Hennessey – Its quite good so far, its interesting to read about life in the Army from a person within the Forces. The honesty of the narrator is like a breath of fresh air, and the book is amusing and well-written. I’ve mainly been reading this while waiting for trains on my commute to university, so i havent got very far with it, but i intend to get that trainticket moving which is holding my current page!
• “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, by Stieg Larsson – I thought i’d see what the fuss is about with this series, and have to admit its not gripping me so far and i’m up to the beginning of chapter 6. I’m not normally a huge fan of crime fiction, but as my mum is into it, there are plenty of crime-related titles lying around at home. I think i will have to read a bit further into this book to give a better judgement on it.

The other books sitting waiting to be read are:

• “Let The Right One In”, by John Ajvide Lindqvist – This is one book i’m dying to read, but i have to finish the others first! A supernatural thriller about vampires, i’m sure its better than Twilight! I love supernatural stuff, and i’m sure i will enjoy this!
• “Her Fearful Symmetry”, by Audrey Niffenegger – This sounds like a good read, and quite dark and mysterious too.
• “Corduroy Mansions”, by Alexander McCall Smith – I’ve read some of his books already, from his No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, although they started to grate on me after a bit. Not really sure if i will like this but my mum said it’s good and lent me it, so we will see.

So that’s the current list i own.

Looking at the book market, i’m intrigued by several other titles which i’ve heard about:

• “Room”, by Emma Donoghue – sounds interesting, although, as its inspired by recent captivity news stories (think the Fritzl case), it may be a little heavy going.
• “Hush Hush”, and “Crescendo”, by Becca Fitzpatrick – 2 supernatural books about fallen angels and love, they sound like my kind of books!
• “The Historian”, by Elizabeth Kostova -another book which seems to be about Dracula, but sounds pretty good.
• “The Distant Hours”, by Kate Morton – sounds like quite a gothic tale of mystery and secrets. I’ve read other books by Morton and they were pretty good, so i’m hoping this one carries on that trend!

So there you go, all the books rocking my world at the moment, or hoping to rock my world! If you’ve read any of them, i’d like to hear what you thought of them, or if you have any recommendations you think i should try, based on the above books.

Thanks for reading!