March Bookshelf
March is a cool month in which most of the population was born including yours truly, this means a few extra parties, meals and presents than usual. However, I still made time to settle down with a book or two, what's better on a rainy day than curling up with a good book? This month seems to have a female heroines theme which seems fitting being the month of International Women's Day.
Widows by Lynda La Plante
You probably recognise this book from January Bookshelf, well I finally finished it in March. I did that thing where I put a book down and don't pick it up for a few weeks, not sure why. When I picked the book back up I caught up with the four ladies; Dolly, Bella, Shirley, and Linda finalising their plans to pull off a heist that killed their husbands. They were a few unexpected and expected twists to the storyline and foils in the ladies plan. Do they succeed? I can't tell you that, there will be no spoilers here. What I can tell is that the book is set in 80's London, not only is it a heist novel, and a gem in the crime genre, it's also a compassionate story about four different women who come together, they cope with grief, deceit and each other, they all have different levels of character development and strong personality traits. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm super excited to watch the film adaption.
Reflection by Elizabeth Lim
Part of the Disney Twisted Tale collection, Reflection takes on the task of twisting Mulan's story. After defeating the Huns on the mountain by creating an avalanche and being attacked by shun-yu, Mulan (currently known as Ping) takes care of Captain Shang Li. Sounds familiar so far right? When reaching camp with the others and laying Li Shang to rest with a high fever, Mulan falls asleep only to see the ghost of General Li, (Shangs Father). After committing to saving Shang's life Mulan is transported to the underworld with the Li family's Guardian, Shishi the lion. Mulan has to fight her way to find Shang's spirit in the underworld and battle demons, ghosts and enchanters. It's a fantastical story, a tale of self-discovery, feminism, and love. With a cliff hanger at the end of most chapters, it's hard to put down.
Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
I've just finished the book, I couldn't put it down, I was gripped by the story of Eve the first girl to be born after 50 years of only male births. This dystopian story follows a 16-year-old eve and the person behind the hologram of her "best-friend" Holly, Bram. Eve is the only hope for the survival of humanity and must choose between three suitors to create a new generation, she has lived in the Dome of the highest tower her whole life with only her "mothers", Vivian and Dr as her company. Bram has also lived in the tower most of his life and lives a few floors below Eve, he is one of the pilots that portrays Holly, Holly is there to help her as a friend, in school lessons and fitness classes. Eve is aware that Holly isn't real, she's grown up with holly and knows the eyes behind the face, she starts to uncover that not everything is as it seems and starts to question the intentions of those around her and her environment. Is she as safe as she is believed to be? I don't want to give any spoilers, if you're interested in the concept or are a fan of dystopian novels this is a must read for you. It's the first of a trilogy but this doesn't do any injustice to storyline nor the ending of the book. I enjoyed the story from the beginning but was gripped as soon as the secrets began to unravel. Think Truman show mixed with handmaids tale and you're on the right track.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
I was recommended to read this book by more than a few people, and after setting the book down and drying my tears I understand why. I am now one among many who have read this book and will urge you to do so too. From the very first chapter, you will meet a man named Lale, you can tell he is intelligent and has charisma, and you're intrigued to learn what his next moves are and how and if he survives his time at the concentration camp. You are taken on a journey, given a glimpse into the life of a man whose intelligence, way with words and optimism helped him to navigate the new world set before him. With any introduction made to the fellow inmates he encounters, those who become his friends, colleagues, family, comes a strong sense of willingness for them to survive alongside him and with each page an uncertainty if he or any of the others will survive. Gita, the woman with which he falls in love and her friends (I believe become a lifeline to him), their own tales of life, betrayal, and uncertainty of survival are emotionally endearing. I cannot fathom or imagine what it must have felt like to survive one day at a time under those conditions and hope no one will ever have to go through those circumstances again. Whilst I found this book a difficult read at times, I fell in love with most of the characters, those who survived and who didn't. The fact that they formed unfathomable bonds and founds reasons to laugh, love and smile are incredible. The story of Lale and Gita and all those they encountered is so important, one that I will never forget and one that I wish everyone knew.
Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevigne and Rowan Coleman
I felt this book was going to be a tedious read after the first few chapters, already a mash-up of genres and written from the viewpoint of an angsty teenager, it didn't seem like my cup of tea. I had heard good things about this book, so I decided to carry on and give it a try, It's about a group of 17-year-olds most of which make up the band Mirror Mirror, their friend Naomi goes missing over summer and turns up in the hospital with bad injuries. Known for previously running away the police seem to not have much interest in her case but Red and Naomi's sister Ash keep digging and find clues that lead to a darker truth. As well as coping with the uncertainty of their friend the three band members are all going through family troubles, previous trauma's or struggling to figure out who they are (the typical coming of age teen stuff too). Whilst the book does cover a few topics like, cyberbullying, coming out, sexual assault, It states they're bad but then sort of smooths over them and doesn't really give any support about how to tackle a situation or who to turn to for support. I found the storyline very predictable at times and even found myself rolling my eyes at the characters. I don't think I'd recommend this book unless this is your type of literature, in which case go have a gander.
What have you been reading this month? Do you have a book you would like to suggest for next month? Please get in touch or comment below any recommendations.
Widows by Lynda La Plante
You probably recognise this book from January Bookshelf, well I finally finished it in March. I did that thing where I put a book down and don't pick it up for a few weeks, not sure why. When I picked the book back up I caught up with the four ladies; Dolly, Bella, Shirley, and Linda finalising their plans to pull off a heist that killed their husbands. They were a few unexpected and expected twists to the storyline and foils in the ladies plan. Do they succeed? I can't tell you that, there will be no spoilers here. What I can tell is that the book is set in 80's London, not only is it a heist novel, and a gem in the crime genre, it's also a compassionate story about four different women who come together, they cope with grief, deceit and each other, they all have different levels of character development and strong personality traits. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm super excited to watch the film adaption.
Reflection by Elizabeth Lim
Part of the Disney Twisted Tale collection, Reflection takes on the task of twisting Mulan's story. After defeating the Huns on the mountain by creating an avalanche and being attacked by shun-yu, Mulan (currently known as Ping) takes care of Captain Shang Li. Sounds familiar so far right? When reaching camp with the others and laying Li Shang to rest with a high fever, Mulan falls asleep only to see the ghost of General Li, (Shangs Father). After committing to saving Shang's life Mulan is transported to the underworld with the Li family's Guardian, Shishi the lion. Mulan has to fight her way to find Shang's spirit in the underworld and battle demons, ghosts and enchanters. It's a fantastical story, a tale of self-discovery, feminism, and love. With a cliff hanger at the end of most chapters, it's hard to put down.
Eve of Man by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
I've just finished the book, I couldn't put it down, I was gripped by the story of Eve the first girl to be born after 50 years of only male births. This dystopian story follows a 16-year-old eve and the person behind the hologram of her "best-friend" Holly, Bram. Eve is the only hope for the survival of humanity and must choose between three suitors to create a new generation, she has lived in the Dome of the highest tower her whole life with only her "mothers", Vivian and Dr as her company. Bram has also lived in the tower most of his life and lives a few floors below Eve, he is one of the pilots that portrays Holly, Holly is there to help her as a friend, in school lessons and fitness classes. Eve is aware that Holly isn't real, she's grown up with holly and knows the eyes behind the face, she starts to uncover that not everything is as it seems and starts to question the intentions of those around her and her environment. Is she as safe as she is believed to be? I don't want to give any spoilers, if you're interested in the concept or are a fan of dystopian novels this is a must read for you. It's the first of a trilogy but this doesn't do any injustice to storyline nor the ending of the book. I enjoyed the story from the beginning but was gripped as soon as the secrets began to unravel. Think Truman show mixed with handmaids tale and you're on the right track.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
I was recommended to read this book by more than a few people, and after setting the book down and drying my tears I understand why. I am now one among many who have read this book and will urge you to do so too. From the very first chapter, you will meet a man named Lale, you can tell he is intelligent and has charisma, and you're intrigued to learn what his next moves are and how and if he survives his time at the concentration camp. You are taken on a journey, given a glimpse into the life of a man whose intelligence, way with words and optimism helped him to navigate the new world set before him. With any introduction made to the fellow inmates he encounters, those who become his friends, colleagues, family, comes a strong sense of willingness for them to survive alongside him and with each page an uncertainty if he or any of the others will survive. Gita, the woman with which he falls in love and her friends (I believe become a lifeline to him), their own tales of life, betrayal, and uncertainty of survival are emotionally endearing. I cannot fathom or imagine what it must have felt like to survive one day at a time under those conditions and hope no one will ever have to go through those circumstances again. Whilst I found this book a difficult read at times, I fell in love with most of the characters, those who survived and who didn't. The fact that they formed unfathomable bonds and founds reasons to laugh, love and smile are incredible. The story of Lale and Gita and all those they encountered is so important, one that I will never forget and one that I wish everyone knew.
Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevigne and Rowan Coleman
I felt this book was going to be a tedious read after the first few chapters, already a mash-up of genres and written from the viewpoint of an angsty teenager, it didn't seem like my cup of tea. I had heard good things about this book, so I decided to carry on and give it a try, It's about a group of 17-year-olds most of which make up the band Mirror Mirror, their friend Naomi goes missing over summer and turns up in the hospital with bad injuries. Known for previously running away the police seem to not have much interest in her case but Red and Naomi's sister Ash keep digging and find clues that lead to a darker truth. As well as coping with the uncertainty of their friend the three band members are all going through family troubles, previous trauma's or struggling to figure out who they are (the typical coming of age teen stuff too). Whilst the book does cover a few topics like, cyberbullying, coming out, sexual assault, It states they're bad but then sort of smooths over them and doesn't really give any support about how to tackle a situation or who to turn to for support. I found the storyline very predictable at times and even found myself rolling my eyes at the characters. I don't think I'd recommend this book unless this is your type of literature, in which case go have a gander.
What have you been reading this month? Do you have a book you would like to suggest for next month? Please get in touch or comment below any recommendations.
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