Howl and Other Poems - 4/5

Poetry is NOT my thing. By the time I'd studied English Literature at GCSE I'd resigned myself to the fact that studying poetry was just something I was going to have to put up with if I wanted to continue studying the aspects of literature that I did enjoy. Then I moved on to studying at English Literature at college and for a while it seemed as if my opinion would stay the same - I just wasn't the type of person who enjoyed poetry. Then about halfway through my first year, at the very end of term when we'd been reading the books for our essays the whole time, my literature teacher started a quiet afternoon lesson on 'Howl' by Allen Ginsberg, and began setting about changing my opinion of poetry forever. Read more: 

LLLBookClub: Little White Lies by Lesley Lokko

LLL Book Club has been lucky enough to be gifted this gorgeous set of books to review! I am really pleased to be able to offer a copy of Little White Lies by Lesley Lokko to all members of LLL Book Club, and several to any new members who may want to join up. Little White Lies is an Orion Books publication which explores the question of whether or not money really is the answer to everything on the backdrop of the seemingly idyllic lives of three close friends - all of whom harbour secrets that threaten to tear their lives apart.

Since these have been gifted straight from the publisher, they have requested that all members who read the book submit a short review to them. I can send you a really short form that you can use for that if you would like a book. Reviews aren't due until mid-June, so feel free to read at your own leisure! 

Hope everyone is enjoying Emma which is this month's read! Any new members, details of and the sign up form for the book club can be found here and you can follow us on Twitter on @LLLBookClub. 

- Natalie XOX

Guest Blogger: Oryx and Crake/The Year of The Floor - 5/5

Hi guys! Today's post is another guest post written by the lovely Catie, who's kindly reviewed two Margaret Atwood novels for us. You can follow Catie on Tumblr here and on Twitter here, so be sure to check her out if you enjoyed this review :) 

Oryx and Crake/The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood

5/5 stars

In a sea of Hunger-Games spinoffs, I’d got a bit tired of the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre, everything seemed very samey, and there were far, far too many love triangles. But when in doubt, Atwood is always the answer. 

LLL // Online Book Club

Good afternoon all! I have some rather exciting news today... I have decided to set up an Online Book Club!

Starting from next month (March 2014) we will be reading approximately one book per month, as chosen by a member of the club, and discussing it across a range of social media platforms. Each member write a short review of the book and share it with the others to read, and on the last Sunday of each month the whole group will get together in a group chat to talk about our opinions of the book and some book club style theme and character discussion questions. 

Now I understand we're all pretty busy people, so by no means will members be required to read and review a book every single month. If you want to drop in for one month and then leave it out the next, feel free to do so. This is just a bit of a fun way to get to know other people who enjoy reading and want to discover some new books, or even some new perspectives on one of their old favourites. 

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please leave your details below! They'll only be seen by me and only used to contact you about this club occasionally. It's really just to get a general idea of how many people are interested :) 

The club's twitter account can be followed at @LLLbookclub which will tweet reminders, book questions and themes to consider. The first book choice will be posted here on this blog and on the twitter on the 1st March, so be sure to check back soon!

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Guest Blogger: The History Boys - 4.5/5

Hi guys! Today's review is our first ever guest blog post, written by student Isabel Radice who has kindly reviewed British play 'The History Boys'. You can follow Isabel on tumblr here, or keep up with her on twitter here, so be sure to check her out if you enjoyed reading this review. Back to regular reviews next week! 

When I found out in September that I would be studying The History Boys as part of my AS Literature coursework, I was over the moon. I’d seen the film so many times, but had never actually read the play. I know a lot of students don’t like reading plays, especially comedies, as it’s easier to see them performed than to actually read- but in my opinion, the comedy is clear right from the get-go in this play. Move over Gatsby and The Kite Runner, this is my ultimate AS Lit favourite. Read More: 

Doctor Faustus - 4.5/5

As most of you probably know, I am in my final year studying English Language and Literature at University. Whilst my interests do lean very heavily towards the language part of my course, I do enjoy many examples of classic literature, and some of the books and plays i've studied have entered my general favourites. In this post, I'm going to attempt to convince you that a blank verse play about a man selling his soul to the devil, written in the 1500's by a guy who was stabbed to death and may have been an enemy of the state. I know. Bear with me, and I swear it'll be worth it. 

Neverwhere - 3.5/5

I first read Neverwhere about two years ago, and very much enjoyed it at the time. I recently re-read it late last year, and listened to the radio play adaptation last summer, so I thought it was about time I got around to reviewing it already. This was the first book I read by Neil Gaiman other than his collaborative book Good Omens, which was co-written with Terry Pratchett (previously reviewed here). Therefore I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and went into this book slightly nervously at first, with only the very bizarre synopsis on the back giving me any indication of what to look forward to inside. I have to say though, i'm extremely glad I carried on. Spoilers for character names and plot points ahead: 

When God Was A Rabbit - 4/5

I actually vividly remember when this book first came out. I saw in in a bookshop window and laughed a little at the bizarre sounding title, thinking to myself that I should check it out someday. Then I forgot all about it and never got around to reading it, for a good long while until it popped up on my Amazon homepage a few months back. This time I had a little money and I remembered reading some vaguely good reviews a while back, so I bought a copy and settled down to read. I deliberately avoided reading reviews and comments about this in order to avoid being influenced, and I have to admit, it was a nice experience reading a book for the first time knowing absolutely nothing about it. It's not something I get to experience a lot now, and it's pleasant. Spoilers and full review below the cut:

This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn - 3.5/5

I was recommended this book a while ago by a friend and regretfully it took me a very long time to get around to it. I was intrigued by the back cover description and it seemed like something I would enjoy, but between moving house, work, studying and keeping up with life in general, I didn't have a lot of time to read for pleasure for a while. This was the first book I picked up after about a month of not having time to read anything at all, and I'm glad it was - it was a breath of fresh air.

Paper Towns - 4/5

So I've already talked briefly about another book by John Green on here, but since I recently read Paper Towns for the first time I thought I should give it a once over on here as well. This young adult novel is told from the perspective of a young man named Quentin 'Q' Jacobsen and his adventures, particularly those concerning his next-door neighbour and estranged friend Margo. The book deals with typical teen novel themes such as love, insecurity and high school politics, but also looks into darker elements such as suicide, death and abandonment, both emotional and physical. 

Spoilers ahead

A Dance With Dragons - 4.5/5

I can't believe I finally caught up. I started this series with so much skepticism that I wasn't even convinced I would finish the first one, let alone finish all of them. So less than a year and five massive books later, I am officially 100% a huge ASOIAF fan and I can't wait for the next book to come out. However, before that, I still have this review to complete... as always, spoilers lie ahead so beware. This is also going to be super long!

A Feast For Crows - 3/5

So after the life damaging experience that was A Storm of Swords, I had high hopes for the next book of the series. I was aware of the geographical split and despite losing out on some of my favourite characters because of it, I was optimistic anyways. In hindsight, I think I set the bar way too high for this book and enjoyed it less as a result. There were definitely less tears though!

DIY Couture: Create Your Own Fashion Collection - 4.5/5

Here's something a little different! I have to admit, when i'm not reading one of my favourite things to do is sewing, and I'm just starting to get into dressmaking (if any of you follow me on tumblr you've no doubt seen some of my recent attempts - I think I'm improving a bit?) with my brand new sewing machine. So when I saw this book being reviewed by one of my favourite fashion bloggers (the amazingly talented Stacie) I knew I just had to have it. 

A Storm of Swords - 4/5

In the third book of the epic series A Song of Ice and Fire so much happens oh my gosh. I'm not even sure how to review this, as I think this has to be the most action packed book of the whole series so far. I read it as two separate books as per usual for the UK editions, but I will be reviewing them both together so be warned - SERIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD. 

A Clash of Kings - 4/5

In the second book of the epic series A Song of Ice and Fire the story really starts to change from the TV series that I love so much - and actually manages to be even better. Following directly on from the ending of the first book in the series, this novel follows the many characters through a multitude of events, both good and bad (but mostly bad, let's be honest, these characters have miserable lives).

The Fault In Our Stars LIVE! Tour Review

(photo credit goes to http://smallsister-inc.tumblr.com/) 

So this is a little different, but last month I was lucky enough to meet the fantastic John Green, one of my favourite YA authors and attend one of his book tour events for The Fault In Our Stars. It was a brilliant night and an all-round good experience, and i'd like to share a little of it with the readers of this blog.

This tour was to celebrate the lauch of The Fault In Our Stars in the UK, and it certainly did it justice. John was joined by his brother Hank who is his partner in the YouTube channel 'Vlogbrothers', a wildly successful video blog project which has been running for a number of years now. This particular night of the tour was in Manchester at an incredible location called The Monastery. No prizes for guessing what made it so great - it is in fact a real monastery,  which definitely makes it the first time I've ever sang along to The Proclaimers in church.

The night began with a few short speeches and a book reading by John, made wonderfully ironic because of the setting (if you're familiar with TFIOS you will understand - the event took place in the 'literal heart of Jesus' of the church!), and then continued with a whole host of fun sing-a-longs led by the wonderfully talented Hank, a Q&A session, question 'Tuesday' and finally a short personal meeting with the brothers. Everyone received a free signed copy of the book on entry and lots of other merchandise was also available - I treated myself to a tour t-shirt. The atmosphere was like nothing I've ever experienced - everybody there clearly loved the book and the author so much, and Vlogbrothers has built up a very friendly and close community over the years. Everybody felt like a long-lost friend and treated each other as such, and I am so thankful for John Green for bringing us all together and making this event happen.

The Fault In Our Stars is currently at #5 on the Waterstones Bestsellers chart, and a very well deserved place it is too. It is a book about life, death, sickness and health, and it will break your heart just as it broke mine, and you will consider it a privilege anyway. I recommend it 100%, just as I recommend John Green's other books. They are all beautifully written and will stay with you for a long time after reading. I am so lucky to have had the chance to not only read it, but also to attend this event and meet the brilliant author behind it.

There's only one thing I can say to end this piece, readers: DFTBA.

A Game Of Thrones - 4/5

Having been a big fan of the wonderful TV series for a while now, I thought it was about time I tackled this massive series of books (no, literally - they are massive). A Game Of Thrones is the first book in the series known as 'A Song Of Ice and Fire' by fantasy author George R. R. Martin, and has been hailed as the next generation of  epic fantasy literature. It is reminiscent of a lot of high fantasy classics in many ways, but also puts it's own solid stamp on the genre and leaves an impression that is not likely to fade away any time soon.

Poll Results!

Firstly I'd like to apologise for my recent absence - It's been a terribly busy few weeks, but I promise i'll be around a bit more from now on. 

So the second poll results are in! It would appear that most of you reading this blog are big Young Adult lit. fans, which is entirely understandable, many of the best books I have ever read have fallen under that category. Close runners up classic literature and fantasy/sci-fi are also favourite of mine. Another thing I would add in though, under 'Something Else' is graphic novels! Some of those are really excellent and I hope to be reviewing one of my favourite on here quite soon... Anyone want to take a guess at what that might be? 

Keep the book suggestions coming, I'm currently working my way through One Day and The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn, so those likely will be the first crossed off the list. 

New review up tomorrow! 

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - 2/5

I am incredibly surprised at myself for not liking this book. I had heard nothing but good things about this so-called modern Catcher In The Rye (a favourite of mine) and was really looking forward to reading it, despite not knowing much about the actual story. Despite being able to appreciate why it is viewed as a modern classic and a well loved story by some, I just can't seem to enjoy it at all. 

The Five People You Meet In Heaven - 3.5/5

This is one of those books, and indeed one of those authors, that get hyped up an awful lot. Mitch Albom's first bestseller 'Tuesdays With Morrie' is taught in high school curriculum around the world and is one of the best selling memoirs of all time. This follow-up novel, released six years after 'Tuesdays', was an immediate success and has even been adapted into a TV movie. I personally like it despite the hype, and I'd love to explain exactly why that is.