Tuesday

April Reading Round Up

April was not a good month for my reading. I can't even use the usual excuse- sure, I had some deadlines but they were all in the first two weeks. Beyond that? I think I was just a bit lazy! I'm making a promise to myself that May will be better!
Eleven Kinds of Loneliness The Goldfinch

ELEVEN KINDS OF LONELINESS

I've had Eleven Kinds of Loneliness in my Amazon wishlist for a while because I've been eager to read more mid-century American literature, and then I found this exact edition in a charity shop. Can't go wrong for £1! It's a very short book, just 220 pages, and rather than the novel I expected, it's a collection of character profiles. To call them short stories wouldn't quite be accurate, although it would be close. It's more a study of different people and their lives in 1950s America as they struggle through, as you might imagine from the title, different kinds of loneliness. From a woman visiting her husband in a tuberculosis ward to a taxi driver with overly-ambitious dreams, there's a thread of poignancy and sadness running through the loosely-linked stories. I'm very character-driven when it comes to reading fiction (I like what Rich calls "slow books"), and the sadder and more miserable, the better. The only issue I had was some of the stories weren't quite as memorable (off the top of my head, I could only remember seven). However, it's a very quick read and really captures the sense that the American Dream maybe wasn't everything it seemed.

My rating: 70% (Find out how I rate books here)

Buy Eleven Kinds of Loneliness here

THE GOLDFINCH

I bought The Goldfinch a good couple of years ago now, purely because I needed to spend more on Waterstones to get free delivery and I'd heard good things. Since it's 800+ pages, it just sat on my bookshelf while I avoided tackling it. Finally I decided that 2017 was going to be the year I get through it and I'm very glad I made that decision! The first chapter takes place towards the end of the story, before taking you back to the beginning, so throughout the novel you have an idea that something criminal is going to happen, but not what or when. As the story develops, you find yourself getting an idea of how the protagonist, Theo, will end up in this situation but those ideas are wrong every time. This makes it really difficult to predict what's going to happen next. It really takes you on a journey and, bar a little suspension of disbelief needed (how can one person have such a dramatic life?), it's engaging and compelling. I found myself completely drawn into Theo's world with very strong opinions on what I wanted the outcome to be. The Goldfinch would be the perfect book for a holiday read. Although it's quite dark at times, it's got that gripping tale that's ideal for lounging on the beach for hours on end.

My rating: 78% 

Buy The Goldfinch here

I'm working hard to make sure I read more this month. Already got three books on the go so I'm crossing my fingers!

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2 comments :

  1. I LOVED the Goldfinch when I read it last summer (whilst I was in New York actually, so it was cool to experience the city in those parts of the book). I'll definitely have to give Eleven Kinds of Loneliness a go, thanks for the recommendation! Also I'm a huge fan of your new look xxx

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  2. Ooh - I still have the Kindle book of The Goldfinch to read. You've just reminded me of that - and now I'm really excited to tackle it! www.aimeeraindropwrites.co.uk

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