January Book Update

http://www.hellofebruary2016.com/goodbye-january-hello-february-pictures.html

I thought it would be interesting to log in the books I read each month and give mini-reviews. I'm aiming to read more than ever this year as 2015 was so hectic that I didn't make enough time to just relax and enjoy a good book. I know lots of people challenge themselves to read a certain amount each year but I think that takes away some of the magic, as you are almost forcing yourself to finish books.

So this month I've read 5 books, not including academic texts which I've flicked through in the library! Some were read on my kindle but majority were paperback, if you were wondering.

The first was Birdbox by Josh Malerman, lent to me by a friend. It's a post-apocalyptic novel in which society has broken down, leading to people being too frightened to leave their houses unless blindfolded. Alone with two young children, protagonist Malorie must venture out into the lost world. It's eerie thriller which I regret reading so late at night... Though this gets top marks for creepiness, I found the ending to be a little anticlimactic.

I then read How to Think More about Sex by Alain de Botton. This covered topics of adultery, lust and pornography and I discovered it through Hannah Witton (Youtuber and 'Sexpert'). It has some very interesting perspectives which I'd never considered and didn't have any unnecessary long words so it was digestible.

My mum sent a package in January which contained Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. It's a story about a father of two boys, and surrounds them dealing with the death of their mother. It was formed mainly by snippets of conversation, thoughts and memories, offering a fragment of the struggles the father faces. Coming to terms with not only love and loss, but with the hardship in writing. If you love poetry and strong metaphor, this - I don't know whether to even call it a book- is for you.

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller was also in the package. The book which I'd say was my favourite from this month. Eight year old Peggy is taken by her father to a hut in the middle of the woods, who tells her that the rest of the world has ended- that her mother and all of humanity is gone. She returns to civilization after nine years in the wilderness, discovering that not everything she believed was true after all. That's not a spoiler by the way, the first page describes her arrival home! It is told as a flashback as Peggy tries to understand the difference between their fantasy life and the real world.

The final book I read in January was The State We're In by Adele Parks, which was what I'd call a grown up chick flick. It was light hearted for the first half, with protagonist Jo trying to find true love in, well, every male. She wasn't all that likable, so when the depressing ending 'shocked' many readers, I couldn't help but sigh. Her naivety was quite uncomfortable to read, and though I did like other characters, it wasn't all that exciting, simply predictable.

I hope you've all had a lovely month, let me know what you've been reading and here's to a great February!