G is for Gingers: Reading Recently

After the success of my music post I've decided to share with you lovely lot another important aspect of my day to day life. As long as I've been able to read I take a book to bed every night and at the start of this year I started using 'Goodreads' to try and keep track of what I read. The majority of the time I just read for enjoyment so I don't like anything to dark or heavy. Age 19 I also feel at an awkward age because sometimes young adult books feel to childish for me but I've not really broken into the adult book market yet (I mean where do you start?) So today I've picked three of the books I've read most recently- because of my lack of plot describing skills (they are REALLY bad- I can see people going to sleep when I try and explain a book) I've included amazons little description for you.

'The Book Theif' Markus Zusak

"1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH"

This book as quite a different choice for me because I knew before I started there would be a few of deaths in it- the cover pretty much gives that away! However, I jumped on the bandwagon anyway and boy am I glad I did. This is the most beautifully written story with a very usual narrative style. Liesel really makes you feel good about humanity again with her simple childish take on World War II. Another aspect I found fascinating was the way the author chose to tell the story of the war from a German families perspective. Due to everything we know about the Germans and the holocaust we might forget that there was people just like us who were appalled by the Nazi's treatment of the Jews.

I will not be ashamed to admit I was in tears by the end- even though you know what will happen when your about half way through I still wasn't prepared. Unfortunately I've not got round to seeing the film yet (because I wasn't ready to be upset again so soon) so I cannot comment on it but the book is 100% worth the read.

'The Prisoner of Heaven' Carlos Ruiz Zafon

"Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival ..."

I will start off by letting you know that this is the third book in the 'Cemetery of forgotten books' series so if you like the sound of it you should maybe start off with 'The Shadow of the Wind'.

These books were bought for me by my mum so I always feel compelled to read them- that and she goes about on them til I do. I really enjoyed the first book in this series but the second one I struggled my way through, I was sure it was giving me strange dreams and stopping me sleeping, so I started this one cautiously. I shouldn't have been afraid though because this is another beautifully told story about ordinary peoples lives who have lived through something unimaginable. After reading the first two books you become extremely fond of the main character Fermin but you don't know a great deal about this back story but finally it all comes out. The book had me gripped the whole way through and I was never very sure what would happen in the end. Thankfully this book has a much simpler plot to follow and is just the right length for an enjoyable read. 

'The Hitch Hicker's Guide to the Galaxy' Douglas Adams

"The books follow the adventures of Arthur Dent, a hapless Englishman, although the story also follows the adventure of other major characters: Ford Prefect (who named himself after the Ford Prefect car to blend in with what was assumed to be the dominant life form, automobiles), an alien from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse and a researcher for the eponymous guidebook; Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford's semi-cousin and the Galactic President; the depressed robot Marvin the Paranoid Android; and Trillian, formerly known as Tricia McMillan, a woman Arthur once met at a party in Islington and the only other human survivor of Earth's destruction."

Another book that was thrown my way by my mother. Of course we have all seen the most recent film adaptation with the ever lovely Martin Freeman but I was left wanting more of this great sci-fi story. I love how the book transports you back in time to a place where a 'book' that contains all the information about the universe would be a novelty. I will be the first to admit that after the first two books in the five part story it gets a little confusing and muddled up but I think this is for effect and you'll understand when you start reading it it's totally bonkers. However the characters are so iconic and exciting you find yourself wanting to know what will happen next in their crazy lives. While I don't normally find books laugh out loud funny this one is certainly amusing. Don't make the mistake of trying to read all five books in one go though- your brain might explode as if a vogon was reading you poetry!!

I should maybe point out that I don't wear glasses and this vintage pair were just used as props in my pictures. If you want to see all the books I read then give me a follow on Goodreads. 

Please let me know if you would like to see more posts like this- maybe not so long next time though.