That's What She Read: November

Winter is coming. The night is closing in on the day and darkness will reign over light. What better time to read a good novel?! There's not much we like more than curling up with a book, cup of tea and a blanket when the weather is miserable. This is what we've been reading over the last month!

Lizzie

Read: Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

This book seemed to be the 'it book' of the moment due to the recent film adaptation, so I had to give it a read. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I did find it a little hard to get into a first, I thought the start was really slow, but once I got further in I couldn't put it down. It's filled with unexpected twists and I really couldn't decide if I trusted Nick or not. Amy as a character was so unusual to read, really interesting perspective on life as a woman and how people perform their gender (my dissertation was on gender performance, the literature student in me came into stride reading this!) However, don't EVEN START me on the end. I was not happy with how this novel ended. I mean, it really made sense and I was pleasantly surprised that it did have a sense of closure. However, I literally threw the book across my bedroom at the end in anger, if you've read it you'll probably know why! 

Just finished: Maze Runner, James Dashner

I absolutely LOVED this novel. I literally did not stop reading this book from start to finish and by the time I looked at the clock, it was 3am. The story is so addictive, it's the Pringles tube of YA novels. Set in a mysterious world in the middle of a maze, we follow the story of Thomas who is put there with his memory wiped and surrounded by teenage boys who'd learned to live life in the maze and spent every moment trying to work out why they were there. There are twists and turns throughout (heh), filled with strange monsters, camp politics and a drive to survive in a world with no mercy on the lost and the weak. Basically, when Thomas arrives, shit goes down. Young adult novels can be overlooked as good literature, but this story captivated my imagination and to my delight when I turned over the last page, this is the first book of a series! I can't wait to read the rest! I have forced this novel onto Sophie so I have someone to talk about it with soon!

To read: Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami

Sophie

Read: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami

I am a big lover of anything Murakami writes and usually after reading one of his books I can't start anything new for a good week because I still feel deeply involved with what I've just read. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle didn't have as much of an impact on my as say Norwegian Wood or Kafka on the Shore, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It's rather surreal at times and there is a very strong spiritual aspect to the book, which can make it quite difficult to wrap your head around. So if you're wary about it being too heavy, maybe try one of his other books first to ease yourself in. Though is starts innocently enough, with a man listening to the radio and boiling spaghetti, everything quickly becomes more and more warped and fluid; the perspectives seem to shift, lines blur between reality and dream, you're no longer sure what is metaphorical and what is literal. I think that is what I love so much about Murakami; you can still be thinking about it months later. People can get different things from it and have their own interpretations, especially when there are ends purposely left loose.

Just finished: In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

 I say I've just finished this, I actually read it a while ago, but I just really wanted to talk about it.

It is amazing and truly brutally scary about human nature. It is honestly one of the most repelling and captivating books I have ever read. The book is a recount of the murder of the Clutter family and the following events that occurred in Kansas in 1959. Capote travelled to the town in which the murders took place, and spend six years gathering information from interviews with residents, policemen, and the killers themselves. There is still debate as to whether the book is considered fiction or non-fiction, but we can assume a certain level of accuracy to the recount, and it is enough to challenge your ideas on human psychology. Unlike most crime novels, we know from the start who has committed the crimes and why. The suspense of the book doesn't come from any mystery of what could happen, but from the knowledge of what will happen.

To (re)read: The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien

What have you read recently? Let us know your thoughts if you've read any of these books or if you want to tell us about other books you've enjoyed!

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