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

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"

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis Review

This book has left me feeling slightly confused. The reason for this is that I am conflicted about how I have reacted to this story. This story is a character study of Patrick Bateman who is a psychopath but lives a life of complete privilege in New York in the late eighties early nineties.

 It follows his deterioration as he becomes increasingly violent and cruel. The novel is narrated from his perspective and this narration is very cleverly done giving you the opportunity to see how his obsessive behaviour effects every other part of his life. I can see why this book has received such praise since its publication. The pervading theme of the story for me is the idea of wealth, how it can be used, manipulated and how we make certain assumptions about people due to their privilege.  

However, be warned that due to the content there is some incredibly graphic violent scenes. Also, I felt that the book was too long and I began to find it repetitive. One hundred pages less and American Psycho would have been the perfect novel. I would have raved about it, instead I found myself looking at the page numbers by the end wondering when it was going to stop. In addition to this, I didn't find the ending particularly satisfying. I felt it just tailed away. So you see my confusion. It could have been perfect, but it just fell short. Either way, I feel its worth a read because it made me care enough to be disappointed.