What I Read in January

I  had already decided that I wanted to read more books this year, so when Laura of Circle of Pine Trees posted launched the  The Year In Books I didn't think twice about joining in as this was just the encouragement I needed to make sure I didn't go back on my resolution.
The first book I read in January was 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn.  The book opens as Amy disappears on her wedding anniversary and pretty soon suspicion falls on her husband. Set in contemporary America, it's a real page turner with lots of unexpected plot twists but ultimately I found the ending unsatisfactory. As it's a thriller, I'll say no more.
The other book I read was 'N W' by Zadie Smith. Smith, of course, is a highly acclaimed young author and I was looking forward to discovering her work. In 'N W' I wasn't disappointed. I loved her adventurous use of language, particularly the streams of consciousness in the first section of the book  which reminded me of the cadence of  rap music.
'N W' tells the story of four people who grew up on a grim working class council estate in the cultural melting pot of  North West London. Three of them, Leah, Keisha (who later calls herself Natalie) and Nathan went to the same school. The two women were among the few to go on to university while Nathan has become a drug addict.  The women keep in touch but their friendship is brittle. Leah, still living in the area where they grew up, is married to a romantic Frenchman who dreams of improving their lot and of having children. Natalie's life seems perfect on the outside - she is a successful barrister, married with a handsome husband and two children, a nanny and beautiful house. But the cost of what it took her to achieve this takes its toll.
The other character is Felix. A one time drug addict, he has but his bad habits behind him. He's in love with his girlfriend, calls to visit his father (the description of his Rasta dad and his overheated apartment is outstanding), seals a deal to buy an old MG car from a yuppie, and calls in on an old girlfriend to seek closure on their relationship.
To say anymore would spoil the story which I would highly recommend if you enjoy a book which challenges and sparkles in equal measure. It might not be perfect, a couple of things jar, but then life isn't perfect either and this is a book that's all about life.
As I've been feeling poorly lately, with a sinus infection which refuses to go away, I've been doing a lot  more reading than usual.
I've read some short stories from the Richard Yates collection 'Eleven Kinds of Loneliness', dipping into perfectly crafted and heart-breaking insights into the lives of 1950s New Yorkers. They're so good that I want to save them, like rationing a box of rich dark chocolate.
And I've even read my first February book, 'Italian Shoes' by Henning Mankell, which I'll review at the end of the month.
What next?  At the moment it's a toss  up between 'A Street Cat Named Bob' as I'm in the mood for some undemanding reading or 'Noctures' by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Of course, now that I've rediscovered my love of reading, there could be even more.
Thanks to Laura again for this great idea to bring readers and bloggers together.

A Year In Books

One of  my (very few) New Year resolutions was to read more books in 2014.

I used to read all the time. 

Almost every spare moment was spent with my head in a book. 

As an only child of book-loving parents, it was natural, in those pre-internet, pre-social media days, that I would find entertainment and adventures  within the pages of a book.

I graduated from Enid Blyton to children's classics, from popular fiction to pretty much anything I could get my hands on. As I read the odd racy bestseller, a friend's conservative mother would say, 'she's reading what?' 

That continued through my student  years and my 'twenties. Even when parenthood came along,  I'd still manage to find find time to read books by favourite authors. Instead of reading a book a week, I managed a book a month.

Then, along came the internet into our home and an endless supply of material to distract me from the finely crafted printed word.

Reading became something I only did if I was sick or on holidays, and once I got an iPad, even that couldn't be guaranteed.

So one of my resolutions for 2014 is to get back to reading. Not ebooks but real books. 

Books that I can pop in my  handbag to read over coffee without worrying about spilling said coffee over an expensive electronic device.

Thanks to Karen at A Quiet Corner , I found out about the year long reading challenge being hosted by Laura from Circle of Pine Trees,  and I decided to join.

I've already read my first book of the year, 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn.

I'd read a review of it  on a blog last weekend and thought it sounded interesting, even though thrillers aren't normally my cup of tea.

So when I saw a copy of it while leaving a bag of clothes into a local charity shop, I bought it.

So for the last three days, I couldn't put it down as I want to find out what exactly happened to Amy who has disappeared on her fifth wedding anniversary.

Was it the husband (it's always the husband)  or someone or something else?

Without giving anything away, I'll say I really enjoyed around two thirds of the book. There were lots of surprises and twists, and the writing swept me along. But then, to me anyway, the plot began to get silly and I didn't like the ending. Interestingly, I've since read that Flynn is changing the ending for the film script. 

Now, I feel I want to get back to reading some literary fiction and 'Eleven Kinds of Loneliness' by Richard Yates is the next book I intend reading.