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. 

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. 

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. 

The Cuckoo's Calling

I think everyone knows by now that this book is written by JK Rowling. I am a massive Harry Potter fan and prior to this novel, I had serious reservations about reading any of her work post the series because I did not want to have an abrupt end to what in my mind had been a fantastic author reader relationship. It is due to this I have never read the Casual Vacancy, but I was going through a murder mystery phase so decided to purchase this book. This was a fantastic decision.  The novel follows the tale of a private detective who is asked to reinvestigate the death of the famous LuLa Landry who supposedly committed suicide three months before the novel commences. Both Rowling’s style of writing and description is fantastic. She created characters in this story which were realistic, flawed and loveable. The dynamic between the two main characters was really strong and entertaining to read.  In general the pace of the novel was leisurely but the climax of the novel was something else and left my heart pounding. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mystery or character development. I would particularly recommend this to readers who are considering crime fiction as a genre but don’t know where to start, as the focus on character means at certain points you forget this is a crime novel as you become so attached to the personal entanglements of Cormoran Strike. 

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

This book is the tale of a man who leaves his mundane life when he begins to be influenced by an enigmatic young figure called Tyler Durden who holds secret boxing matches in the basement of bars. It is fast paced with only 208 pages and I found myself flying through this story. It was also well written and the fast pace did not distract from the more thought provoking elements that the tale introduced. I think that it can be rare to find a book where the plot and character development are equally as strong. This book proves that character development does not have to be sacrificed for plot or vice versa. Chuck Palahniuk made me care about a character who easily could have been alienating, whilst also making my heart race, particularly near the end.  I have never seen the film,  so I can’t compare between the two, but I can’t imagine anything could be better than the book because it was fantastic. I would recommend this book to anyone and I would give it five out of five stars.