The end of an era

For those of you who don't know for the past ten months, I have been living and working in Paris as an au pair whilst studying french in the local college.  I began this experience as a shy eighteen year old girl who had never lived away from home before, and I leave it as a nineteen year old who knows far more about herself than she did before. My time living abroad has given so much to me including the time to pursue my passions all while being in the company of interesting adventurous individuals and the backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

For me, this time abroad has not come without its challenges. Being separated from your family and put in a world where you are unable to fully comprehend the language is mentally and emotionally draining. There have been days and nights, where I have wanted to give up, where I have wanted to buy the cheapest ticket I can back to the UK, where I wished I would have gone to University straight away or stayed at home and worked-the way many of my friends did. However, those days are not the ones I will remember and will stay with me for the rest of my life. The days I will remember are the times I walked along the champs elysees in the sun with friends or bathed in the sun in buttes chaumont with friends and complete strangers singing la vie en rose. Those nights I cried myself to sleep because all I wanted was my family will be forgotten and all that  will be remembered are those times I walked through Paris in the dark and saw how the lights reflected off the Seine. How I spent evenings by Canal St Martin watching the world go by. 

Ultimately, anything in life worth having is worth working for and these ten months have shown me that more than any other time in my life so far. I am leaving this place with fantastic memories and knowing so much more about this wonderful city. I am leaving this place with a much better sense of self and a pride in my interests and achievements. I am leaving this place with friends who come from different places and different walks of life, but have bonded over their love of travel, disney, art and life.

I was uncertain for a while, if I wanted to share this post. It is different from anything which will have been seen on this blog before. To be frank, I don't know if anyone will read this post, but the reason I posted it is for some reason someone finds it and they are unsure if they want to study or work abroad. I want you to read this and know that it will be hard, but know it is worth the risk. You may in fact have one of the best years of your life.    

A plague on both your houses by Susanna Gregory

This historical fiction mystery book has an incredibly strong plot and even better setting. The story follows the physician Matthew Bartholemew who lives in a monastery. Throughout the novel we see Matthew develop as he faces a number of challenges including a supposed suicide, a murder and the outbreak of the plague.

It was an addictive read and I couldn't put it down. It was fueled with suspense, tension and atmosphere. My only criticism is some of the character development, particularly in relation to the way the romance grew. I felt it was contrived at points and the women in the relationship is poorly written comparatively to the rest of the novel. Gregory seems to have used her love interest as a plot device and has not taken the time to flesh out her character. However, this is the first in a series so it is possible this romance will strengthen as the story continues. Ultimately, I loved Matthew as a character which is the most important element, as the story revolves around him.

This is the second time I have entered into the genre of mystery historical fiction. Initially, I read CJ Sansom's Shardlake series. His books are undeniably stronger. So if you wanted to have an introduction to the genre, I would recommend Sansom over Gregory. For those who have already read this genre, Gregory holds her own and is definitely worth a read!

Writing Tools: 50 essential strategies for every writer by Roy Peter Clark

In case, you haven’t guessed this book focuses on writing.

I appreciated and respected the concept of the book which was the idea that most writers aren’t the next Dickens. They are people that practice their craft and learn the tools to make it work for them.  I found this inspiring and it helped motivate me, on those bluer days, when I forgot how much I enjoy writing and how happy it makes me when I manage to write every day.  

Roy Peter Clark’s writing style was excellent and meant it was evident from the first page that he was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject.  The way the book was structured was also very helpful.  Each chapter came with a list of activities at the end which practiced the tool which had been taught in the previous section. 

My one struggle with this book centred around the fact, I don’t think I was the target audience.  I am relatively new on my “writing journey” and as much as I would love it to become a career, it is very much a hobby.  I felt this book was made more for those who were already paid writers or those who were closer to considering writing as a career rather than more at an exploratory level.  

Either way, if you have an interest in writing, this could still be of great use to you. 

Writing times <3

Nineteen Minutes

Picoult is famed for writing about controversial subjects which cause the reader to battle with their emotions with each page and this novel is no exception.  This novel explores the effects on a small town of a shooting in the high school.  The pervading question throughout is who is really responsible for this tragedy? 

As Picoult tries to give some sort of an answer to this question, the reader is introduced to a variety of unique individuals and a plot filled with twists and turns which demonstrates the complicated links between family and friends in the community.  

Excellent character development and thorough research combine together to make this book impossible to put down.  A must read.

Stories that have moved me

Sometimes you read a novel and when you turn the last page, you realize that the story you have just read has changed the way you see the world. 

Recently, this has happened to me twice. Both in books which are categorized as middle grade. Their settings were completely different, however, the messages they gave me were equally profound.  As I am sure you can guess from the photo images on this blog post, the novels which have inspired these thoughts are "The Giver" by Lois Lowry and "Wonder" by RJ Palacio. 

The Giver is a dystopian tale which follows a young boy called Jonas as he is given a role in this community. However, his role is different from any other and means he will never see life in the same way again. Wonder similarly follows a young boy called Auggie as he is about to start his first year at school. In contrast, this book is a contemporary and Auggie struggles to fit in as he has obvious facial deformities. 

Despite their obvious differences in settings and writing style, Wonder is far more lyrical whilst the language in the Giver is precise but simplistic, both books have been among my favourites this year and have had a lasting impact. To me, they both epitomize the idea of appreciation. Appreciation of what we see, appreciation of friends and family and appreciation of the individual and what we each have to offer. I would highly recommend these books to readers of any age as anyone would gain from reading such well thought out and emotion evoking tales. 

Let me know if you have read any of these books in the comment section below and feel free to tell me your thoughts :) 

Name of The Wind and The Wise Man's Tale By Patrick Rothfuss (Series Review)

Synopsis:

'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

My name is Kvothe.

You may have heard of me'

Review: 

A high fantasy novel which follows the tale of Kvothe. I don't want to delve too much into the plot in this post, because this is one of those special stories which takes you on a path of discovery through a beautifully crafted and well thought out world. As a result of this, I feel any attempt to summarize the plot would not do it any justice. 

The writing in both books was superb with lyrical prose and lively vivid imagery which only added to the original plot and fresh narrative voice. All of these elements caused me to feel so many emotions and I became attached to all of the characters.  

I loved the first book in this series so much, that a small part of me feared I would be disappointed in the second as can be the case with many trilogies.  

However, Rothfuss's The Wise Man's Tale proved to be a marvelous exception. 

Both the world and characters continued to develop and continued to demonstrate the dedication that ensured the first book was a success.  I have recently been in a fantasy phase, and whilst I have enjoyed many of that genre. I have to say no one quite has Rothfuss's ability to make such realistic human characters.  In my opinion, he was particularly adept in this skill with the creation of Denna, who next to Kvothe is my personal favourite. 

I would recommend this series to everyone, it is just incredible. All the hype this story has received is completely deserved! Anyone who has read this series, leave your thoughts below :) 

Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut

The focus of Slaughterhouse V was war and I have to say, I have never seen this subject so thoroughly or so beautifully examined in such a short space or in a work of fiction before. The plot itself revolved around Dresden and there is  semi biographical element adds a richness to this text which makes it completely unique.  However, for me, the writing itself is what made me love this book. Each word was carefully selected and fuelled with meaning. There was no excess, it just simply was, which somehow managed to make the novel all the more haunting. 

This is undoubtedly a must read. 

I have left my favourite quotation to give you a taste for the writing style:

"We will all live together, no matter how dead we may sometimes seem to be"