It’s World Book Day. I love books, I immerse myself in them, lose hours of time devoting myself to the carefully scripted pages and sigh with contentment as I close the back page.
This year though I made a decision to read a new book every month at least, something that given my busy work life and need for sleep is quite a challenge I tell you!
The plan is to read not just any book, but a wide range of books that push me as well as inform and delight me.
The first on this list is written by one of our own here at Awkward, Amy Keen and her debut novel Embers.
When your best friend writes a novel, it’s a big thing, when you have been involved in her writing it its an even bigger deal. The best way I can review this is to share with you what I wrote on Amazon.
“I must start this review by saying that Young adult or Paranormal Romance are not my usual go to for books. However this book I feel has unearthed my love for them. I already cannot wait for the next one! Scarlet is one of the strongest relate-able characters I have ever read about, the heart stopping moments and terrifying add to this amazing modern twist on the Salem Witch Trials. I loved the way that the book transported you to the exact places in her life, a real triumph. The book pulled me into her world so quickly that I was painfully eager to get to the next chapter, the next page.”
The book pulls you into its world, the pages have to be read at speed and the momentum of the books thrills and excites. The characters are as developed and complex as they are endearing. I felt such a connection to Scarlet in this book and cannot recommend it enough for people who love the genre of Young Adult Fiction as well as those who think it’s not their thing. This is the first in a trilogy and I can tell you, having read a preview of book 2 that things just get better and better
Embers by Amy Keen can be purchased from Waterstones online for £7.99
Then comes Jon Ronson The Psychopath Test
I must preface this by stating that I adore Jon Ronson, I fell in love with him for the first time reading ‘Men Who Stare At Goats’ and that love only grew when I watched the movie adaptation fast forward 3 years and once more I am reminded why I adore Ronson.
The moment I read the first page I knew that this was a book I would rave about. Although there are moments that I was irrationally irritated by on the whole Ronson hit the nail on the head when describing people in power.
The only disappointment I felt was in regards to the jumping around of the timeline, not to mention the number of people’s names, cities and institutions he visited.
The book reads more as a rambling diary that it does an insight into the world of psychopaths, however if you have even the slightest morbid curiosity about the way in which the human brain works and the inner workings of a high functioning psychopath then this is the book for you.
The Psychopath Test can be bought from Waterstones online for £6.94
Caitlin Moran makes me wet my pants laughing, she is my kind of woman; crass, brutally honest and incredibly lovable.
It has been said that she has reinvented feminism. Now I am no expert so it’s not my place to comment but I will tell you something, I am all about this kind of feminism, if that is indeed what it is.
Moran highlights the problems that almost every single women experiences with humour and wicked sarcasm. Her open writing about her own life really made me think about my life and the things in life that have made me the person I am today.
I would recommend every man read this book before passing comment on the weird workings of the female mind, they may learn a thing or too, and if nothing else it will enlighten them to the struggles of periods, high heels and new jobs.
A brilliant and insightful book written by a brilliant and insightful woman.
Catilin Moran How To Be a Woman is available at Waterstones online for £5.59
Last but absolutely by no means last is the incredible talent of Nora Ephron and her extended essay I Remember Nothing.
When Nora Ephron passed away in the summer of 2012, the world lost a great, but luckily for us she spent her years on this earth creating lyrical masterpieces both on the screen and on paper.
Her movies have passed the test of time and have gone on to become cult classics, I remember watching Heartburn as a 17-year-old and thinking that if that’s what marriage and kids is all about then I will take a rain check.
Her honest and gentle comedy is not only seen on the big screen but now on the pages of her books. I Remember Nothing is a wonderful look into the world of aging, not they physical aging, but worse, the aging of the mind.
Whilst reading it I was reminded of the blessings of youth and the no doubt inevitable future that I have ahead of me.
Her writing is beautiful, its flowing and indulgent. At only 137 pages I raced through this book and came to the end with a smile on my face and inspired to write my own list of what I will and will not miss about this world when I am no longer here.
I Remember Nothing is available on Waterstones Online for £5.59
I would love to know what you are reading? Let me know so I can add it to my list!
The post World Book Day 2013 appeared first on Awkward Magazine.
