What do I look for?

Sometimes I read a book and I can't point my finger on why I liked it. I know I loved it, but I can't think why. It has that je ne sais quoi which is past words. These are the moments that I treasure, because sometimes what a book offers you is more then can be put into words. However, in general I have found that I love a book when three elements come into perfect harmony and it is these three elements that I search for when I am trying to decide on my next book to read. 

1. Escapism. I want a story that will take me somewhere different, whether that be to a different time period, a fantastical place or simply make me forget that I am sitting in my bedroom or on a train. For me this is the beauty of reading. The fact I can be taken to so many place and can see so many different things and I don't have to carry a passport or go through hellish security.

2. Real Characters. Characters who become people they are so well written. For me, this is epitomised in the Harry Potter series where so ingrained did this character become in the psyche of so many of my generation that those iconic figures seem almost like friends I used to know. Picking up one of those books and re-reading them is like visiting an old memory. Even in that fantastical world, the characters became real because of the human elements that JK rowling provided. Ultimately, I want the author to make me care and only character development can do that. 

3. Purposeful plot. I don't want to know what is going to happen. I want to be suprised, shocked and scared. I want to feel as if it is leading somewhere that there is a purpose to this novel rather then just a description of a day's events. That plot can be simple or it can be complex. It just has to be going somewhere. It has to have an aim, whether that be to make me laugh, make me cry or make me think. If it manages to do one of those things I feel that the book has been worth my time. If it does all of them, it goes down in my mind as one of the best books ever written. 

I hope this offers more insight into what I look for, I was wondering what you look for in a book?   

The Ocean at The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I have already mentioned in my previous post how much I love this story, but I loved it so much I felt it required a post of its own. There has been a lot of hype around this book from the Booktube and blogging community. I am here to tell you that this novel is more than worthy of this hype. Firstly, the writing style is just incredible. Gaiman manages to create vivid fantastical images whilst being concise so it doesn't detract from the fast paced nature of the story. Secondly, his character development. The novel is mainly told from the perspective of a seven year old boy who is never named. Yet despite the fact we don't even know these basic details about the protagonist, I completely fell in love with him. He was a realistic heart warming figure.Finally, the plot itself. The plot is unique and completely different to anything I have ever read prior to this story. I don't want to reveal too much as I feel it is best to go into this novel knowing very little about the content, all I can say is you are missing out if you don't read this novel as soon as is humanly possible. There is a high possibility that as a new reviewer, I have failed to do this work justice so instead I will leave you with the words of Gaiman himself; 

"The Ocean at the End of The Lane is a novel of childhood and memory. It's a story of magic, about the power of stories and how we face the darkness inside each of us. It's about fear, and love, and death and families. But, fundamentally, I hope at its heart. it's a novel about survival" Neil Gaiman 

First ever Read-A-Thon Wrap Up

I don't know if wrap up as a title is used in blogs or whether it is fundamentally for reviewers who use you tube as their main forum. Either way, I'm sure the youtubers won't mind that I've borrowed their well loved phrase. As I'm sure you've guessed,  this blog is dedicated to reviewing the books that I have read over the Bout of Books read-A-thon. I was really lucky as I enjoyed all of them! 

The first book I read was Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay which is a fantasy novel which has 524 pages and it is the first book in a series. This book follows an artist Caius Crispin as he journeys from his home town to the mystical kingdom called Sarantium.  Out of the three novels I read, this was my least favourite of the three as there were times when the writing style frustrated me. The author would sometimes feel it necessary to point out if a situation was ironic which I personally felt detracted from the story as I felt the writer was focussing on showing off rather then on moving the story forward. However, there was some beautiful imagery intertwined throughout this novel and I thought the story itself was interesting so I will pick up the second one. 

The second book I read was Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith which is 161 pages . This book is told from the dual perspectives of two sisters who have both moved back into their Grandparents house and it follows their journey as they fall in love and learn more about each other as well as the world around them. There is a lot more to this book then I feel I can reveal without ruining it for whoever reads this review so I will stop there. Just know that this is the most seamlessly charming and profound story that I have probably ever read. I can't wait to re-read it and I plan to make all my friends read this story too!

The final book I read this week was The Ocean at The End Of the Lane by Neil Gaiman which was 243 pages. I am going to do a full review and possibly discussion piece on this novel as I loved it so very much so keep your eyes peeled for that. Its the first novel I have ever read by Neil Gaiman and I just want to read more of his work as this story was just fantastic. 

Overall I managed to read 928 pages. I am really proud of this as I was back at work this week and I caught an illness. I normally average around one book a week so I read 300 pages so I have tripled what I usually read! I hope everyone else had a great read-a-thon! Please let me know how it went in the comments below :)

The Good Girls Guide to Getting Lost: A memoir of three friends, two continents and one unexpected adventure by Rachel Friedman

This was the perfect introduction to travel memoirs for me at this moment in my life. This memoir focusses on the story of  Rachel, a twenty year old american who falls in love with travel after a spontaneous trip to Ireland the summer before her final year in college, which completely contrasts her usual planned good girl image. In Ireland she meets an australian girl called Carly who appears to be the epitomy of travel chic. Post college she decides to travel further and reunites with Carly in Australia and they both decide to travel to South America.  I felt instantly connected to Rachel and how she talked about her experiences. I loved the fact that she did not shy away from the difficulties of being away from home or the fear that is often felt, but no one really talks about. I felt similar to her on so many levels particularly this idea of being a good girl. This idea of being defined by education and getting all of your self esteem from grades. Or, on a deeper level being defined by other peoples expectations of you.  I am known as the typical good girl and am currently on my gap year and living abroad in Paris so this book really spoke to me. This memoir also really inspired me to travel more, Friedman's description of all of her locations made me want to see all of these wonders for myself. I would recommend this to anyone who has ever held the title of a good girl and to anyone who has ever found that title slightly oppressive or negative. Moreover, I would recommend this to anyone who loves travel or who are considering the idea of travel. This book is not great for factual advice, but ultimately that doesn't matter because it was just so absolutely brilliant and what I needed to hear at this moment in my life. 

MY FIRST EVER READ-A-THON :)

I am so excited to say that I have decided to do a read-a-thon. I have wanted to do one for ages but they have all seemed slightly too intense and formidable. This one seems perfect as the aim is to just read more then you usually would and it also includes fun challenges throughout the week! I have copied and pasted the blurb below with more information about the event, I will hopefully post a tbr for this read-a-thon tomorrow. 

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is iconic and I've heard so many people talk about the story and I was just so excited to start it. As I'm sure many of you already know, this book follows the tale of three close teenage friends who have suffered or who are suffering with cancer. It is a story of love, loss and learning to value life. The book is narrated by a sixteen year old girl called Hazel and we learn within the first few pages that her cancer is terminal. Due to this, she is an incredibly reflective character and some of her thoughts which are introduced to us are profound. I loved the dynamic between Hazel and Augustus who is the love interest in this novel. They both have contrasting personalities, but yet you equally care for both of them. I have heard from many people that The Fault in Our Stars is their favourite book and it brought them to tears. It is not my favourite book and it did not bring me to tears. It was a touching book and it made me feel quite contemplative, however, there were a few too many cliche moments which made it feel less realistic. I think if there had been less of those than there is a strong possibility that I would have cried. I still strongly recommend this book and I am excited to see how it is interpreted in film, which is being release in June.