I Heart Hollywood LINDSEY KELK

This one is a fun read. As the first sequel to "I Heart New York", it sees Angela the protagonist, embark on a new adventure in sunny Los Angeles. Although this is the second book in the series it doesn't make too much difference if you haven't read the first one. If, like me, you are drawn to the book by the setting in the title then you won't be disappointed. I find the touristy guide at the end of each book a neat twist too. And in all honesty, I picked up the first book becaused of my fascination with all things New York City. In this book, helpful references are made to Angela's life in New York and earlier, which bring a new reader or a forgetful one like me, up to speed.

This book brings the same humour and delightfull cliched plot as the first. And who doesn't love a cliche once in a while? Angela sets off on her LA adventure, to interview a handsome actor and starts to fall for him, while shes having problems with her boyfriend back in New York. Then of course, James Jacobs, turns out to be not quite so perfect as he seemed. However, the shape of his fatal flaw I found to be an unexpected twist.

It has been quite a while since I read the first book and so although the writing encourages the reader to route for Angela's boyfriend, Alex to come through and win the day, I felt kind of bored by his character, but I was happy when eveything turned out good in the end. The other characters were well written, I liked the introduction of the characters Blake and Joe, which brought more humour, but I think Angela's character is funny in a clumsy kind of Bridget Jones style . Also I liked the British references, familiar place names like Sheffield made it a bit relateable for me.

Basically reading this book is uplifting in a nice, sweet way just like eating a yummy strawberry custard tart. Enjoy!

Next weeks book will be... The Firm by John Grisham

Monday's child

To Kill A Mockingbird HARPER LEE

To Kill A Mockingbird is widely revered as a great book of the twentieth century (it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960), and rightfully so. This is the first time I have read this book and I think it has now become one of my favourites. I loved it's simplicity and how racial discrimination is dealt with in such a subtle but poignant way. The last few pages elegantly brought the story to its conclusion. It was beautifully complete, and being Lee's only novel it stands alone and the time and effort of the author is clear to see.

The story is told from the perspective of six year old Scout Finch, who is a lawyers daughter living in Alabama in the years of the Great Depression. There are distinctly two main parts of the story, in the first part Scout and her brother Jem go about life, meeting a new friend and hearing of the recluse Boo Radley. Boo's exploration as the story continues is enthralling, and makes me reconsider not judging a book by its cover. The second part of the story then, moves into the courtroom, with the case of Tom Robinson, a black man who stands accused of the rape of a young white girl. Atticus defends Tom well, but when it becomes clear he is innocent the jury find him guilty anyway. Tragically, Tom, the real mockingbird of the story, is shot whilst trying to escape from prison. It is also a tragically ironic moment when Bob Ewell is killed with his own knife.

I think the story speaks for itself in the way that the injustice is as plain as day, but is not obtrusive to the overall quality of the book. Being told though children's eyes it only intensifies the message, as they as innocent and honest, can essentially see that racism is not right or fair.

Monday's child

Update!

Hi I'm back, after being on holiday for two weeks, which is I why I've missed my usual Monday posts. I will be back with a bumper post on Monday, To Kill A Mockingbird as promised and also one slightly different, I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk. See you then.

Monday's child

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The Five People You Meet in Heaven MITCH ALBOM

"The world is full of stories but the stories are all one."

The final line of this story beautifully sums up its emotive message. It
certainly captivated me as a believer that there must be an intrinsic
meaning and purpose to life. It is an unnerving prospect that perhaps we
don't realise how our actions shape and alter other people's lives, and
how theirs decisively alter ours. This makes us like a horse with
its blinkers on, passive to the hidden workings of fate. So this makes the idea of
everything being explained to you at the end quite wonderful.

The story starts at the end of Eddie's life, and thus presents the reader with the certainty of his death. It goes on to explore what Eddie can learn from each of the five people he meets in heaven. The plot is formulaic but it is not obtrusively predictable. When the fifth person Eddie meets in heaven Tala, told of how she fitted into his story I was moved to tears. I do like a book which disarms you by leaving you chuckling one minute and tearful the next. You really are moved to empathise with the characters, namely Eddie, feeling pain, sorrow and love right along with them. The real human emotions are cuttingly harnessed, the love shared by Eddie and Marguerite, the sacrifice of the Captain and Eddie,and his own sense of hopelessness which is delightfully compounded by the end.

With this story what you see is what you get. The title summarises the story, and this simplicity continues, it is plainly and honestly written, intensifying the power of the story's message. I liked Albom's idiosyncratic style and it was still subtle and understated. My edition included a short extract from Tuesdays with Morrie, and this, unsurprisingly made me want to read on and on. Albom's frequent use of shorter sentences stilted the pace, building my interest and mirroring Eddie's laboured, mundane life at the park, which to most epitomises fun and excitement. The development of the main character was done excellently, his multi-faceted personality emerges as the years go by and enlivens him. He comes to realise his contributions to others lives and the childrens safety by the end of the book, whereas before he felt unimportant and worthless as "Eddie: Maint'nance.

There are so many quotes in this book that can be taken as mottos for life, like, "All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time." I find this really refreshing as compared to some of my usual reads. It isn't a book that will have you on the edge of your seat, but then that isn't what it aims to do. It takes you on a leisurely ride that makes you want to carry on reading for at least another hundred pages.

Next weeks book will be... To Kill A Mockingbird HARPER LEE

Monday's child

001 About...

Reading is one of my hobbies just like millions of people the world over. It is so simple to pick up a book, and float away on the words to a place that exudes more sparkle and magic than this place. That's not to say that my reading is motivated by a desire to escape, rather not to jump out but to dive in. I think much can be learnt from reading whatever the genre, because if it doesn't make you learn something new about yourself, it can help you appreciate the world around you better, and then there are those books which warm the heart whilst the snow falls outside. The trusty novel will never lose its place even with more contemporary ways to read, like staring at a screen with the words on or hearing them read to you in audio form. Although formats such as these can be convenient, I think that part of the experience is feeling the pages with your fingertips and lazily admiring your favourites on the shelf.

Growing up I enjoyed lining up all of my Famous Five and Wishing Chair stories on the shelves, as I added more books to my Enid Blyton collection. The magic of the Faraway Tree with Moonface and the Saucepan man sparked all of my childhood dreams and inspired my own creations. Then, I moved on to stories by Jacqueline Wilson and Meg Cabot and they accompanied me through my early teens. After that I found books at the library or the shop, by meticulously going through the alphabetically sorted shelves and inspecting each of the covers. Since then I read anything if the synopsis or the cover looks a bit interesting

So I had a look at "The Big Read" books (finding I had read just 17, you can see how you compare by viewing the first one here http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml) and picked up a basketful of summer reads. I basically want to explore the wealth of literary classics which I have not read yet, and find this a good place to start. Others are more recent and perhaps lesser known but are equally worthy of credit. At this point, I just want to say that to have the power to conjure and illuminate through words takes great skill, and to simply provide critique and commentary on this creation takes less art. Therefore, I will just present my thoughts and I think it will be fun to read and discuss together.

This week's book will be...

The Five People You Meet in Heaven MITCH ALBOM

Monday's child