Poets of 2012 - The UK Poetry Library

I was given this book as a present.  It contains some beautiful poetry.  It’s a compilation of the works submitted to The UK Poetry Library over the past year and brings together poets from all over the world.  It is the first book produced by the UK Poetry Library.  If you are an aspiring poet, take a look at their website:  www.ukpoetrylibrary.co.  It is a great website and you will see that, as well as presenting some wonderful poetry, it is also possible to submit some of your own poetry.

What are you reading?

At the moment I am reading Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett.  It is not one of my usual reads, but I want to learn more about the Spanish Civil War.  

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning By Laurie Lee

At the moment I am reading As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, By Laurie Lee.  It is the second in his autobiographical trilogy, the first being Cider with Rosie and the third A Moment of War.  

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning sees him leaving his Gloucestershire home at the age of 19 to walk to London.  It is the mid 1930s.  Then, knowing one Spanish phrase he decides to travel to Spain.  For a year he walks through a country which is on the verge of civil war.  It is full of vivid descriptions such as:-  ‘Around its rocky site curled the track of the Douro, a leathery arm of wrinkled mud, laced down the middle with a vein of green water………’ 

I first read the book many years ago and it is a pleasure to be reading it again.  I find it is taking me longer to read than my usual reading fodder though, probably on account of the many descriptive passages.  It is not a book that can be hurried.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

This book spent fourteen weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list and was the fastest selling debut of 2010 by a British author.  I found it a compelling read and I really liked Rosamund Lupton’s style of writing.  It is at times dark, just what you need for a psychological thriller.  The story is about Beatrice as she searches for the truth about the disappearance of her younger sister Tess.  It is written in the form of a letter from Beatrice to Tess.   It is a powerful technique as the reader glimpses the emotional depth to the sister’s relationship. As Beatrice pieces together the puzzle of Tess's disappearance, she is amazed to discover how little she really knew about her sister’s life.  The letter form of narrative is interspersed with narrative in the present tense as Beatrice is interviewed by Mr Wright, a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer.  The narrative techniques used enhance the overall effect of the story.  I was a little disappointed with the ending.

I can't wait to read Rosamund Lupton's next novel, Afterwards.

More Than You Can Say by Paul Torday

I have read a lot of Paul Torday’s books and for me nothing beats his first one, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  More Than You Can Say touches on the harrowing experience of ex-soldier Richard Gaunt who is home after a tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The book gets off to a good start with Richard accepting a bet, being knocked down and then meeting the mysterious Mr Khan who makes him an offer he can’t refuse – all in the first chapter.  I did enjoy the book, which was written in Paul Torday’s usual easy reading style, but I felt some of the characters were a bit contrived, especially the hapless Emma, whom I hated.  The last paragraph left me feeling a little depressed for Richard Gaunt and his future.

Gone Girl

There was an interesting article on Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl in the Telegraph  - click for the link.

More reviews

GONE GIRL 

By Gillian Flynn

I saw a quote from the book advertised on the London Underground and that made me want to read it.  I like the technique the author uses to make both narrators seem believable.  Each had their own unique voice.  I started off feeling sympathetic towards one character only to find that this completely changed and left me questioning my own judgement - very clever.  I don't want to say too much about the story as I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it.  A real page turner.  I hate the title though!

THE HELP 

By Kathryn Stockett

When I read the first few pages I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this book because of the style of dialogue. In the end I found the dialogue really helped to define the characters and it was a real feat by the author to keep the "voices" of the characters consistent and real throughout. The story is narrated from the points of view of three very different main characters. I enjoyed this style. I also liked the way that as one chapter ended the next chapter sometimes started off from the same point, but from another narrative point of view so you got to see the same situation from two different perspectives. The characters were believable and I especially liked the character of Minny. My only niggle is I would have liked to have heard more about Celia towards the end. After the first chapter, I couldn't put it down and didn't want the book to end. It gave me an insight into life in 1960s Mississippi. I will be looking out for more from this author.

THE RETURN 

By Victoria Hislop

An enjoyable read, although I found her style sometimes annoyed me as there seemed to be a lot of ‘overwriting’.  I found the characters a bit flat, but I thought the sense of place was well drawn. I enjoyed the second section of the book more than the first and thought that the horrors of civil war were well depicted, although I found the odd switch back to present day clumsy.  I guessed at the ending long before it came.  I think the ending was far-fetched, but that’s the beauty of fiction.  I enjoyed it more than The Island, but I'm not sure I'll be reading any more books by Victoria Hislop.