The Reading List #50
This reading list is a real mixture: a thriller, an old favourite, mental health and a study on the position of young men in today's society. I'm continuing to enjoy always having both fiction and non-fiction on the go, so this post definitely reflects that.
Here are my latest four reads...
Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris
I first read this book years ago, but always knew I would return to it as the writing is so beautiful. Framboise's nephew is trying to use her success, built upon recipes she inherited from her mother. From this starting point, the novel falls into a story of wartime childhood, a mother deteriorating fast and a pivotal tragedy. There's also some extracts from her mother's journal and notebooks throughout to add another layer to the narrative.
There are running themes of food, family and growing up, but beneath that is the lurking threat of illness and of German occupation. It's just a beautifully written novel, with some great observational passages. I also really enjoyed the maturation of the voice of Framboise from being a young girl to an older woman.
Mad Girl, Bryony Gordon
From the minute I heard the Telegraph columnist was going to be releasing this book, I knew I needed to read it. She tells the story of her life so far living with OCD, alopecia and addiction amongst other things, alongside the amazing high points of her life and career. There's a healthy balance of sharing her struggles and her successes.
It's such an honest, raw book, with brilliant writing and it's laced with humour throughout. Granted, some of the humour is pretty dark humour, but she tells her story in a very relatable way. I personally could relate to parts of her story that aligned with my own, and found other bits purely interesting, but I also think it would be an excellent introduction for those who have had no experience of or exposure to these topics. Well worth a read.
Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
WARNING: You won't be able to put this book down.
Nell is dead, another life lost to The Drowning Pool, but her sister Jules knows she would never have jumped. It's been a while since I picked up a true page turner that really kept me guessing. It's fascinating, keeps you guessing and has great characters. I enjoyed the themes of the ominous nature of the water, group fear and local legends. The novel is told in short, choppy chapters from multiple perspectives, and ticks my boxes for a very readable thriller.
Man (Dis)Connected - How the digital age is changing young men forever, Philip Zimbardo and Nikita D. Coulombe
This was a really interesting read on a topic that's often popped into my mind. I've wondered about the younger generations in general and how the digital world is going to affect them in the long term, but this work focuses particularly on men.
It dives quite deep and contains lots of surveys and case studies, which enjoy when it's a topic I've not really explored before. One particularly interesting point made at the start is that there has been no cohesive men's movement alongside women's movements to teach young men how to act in this updated, modern society. That's what this book tries to address. At times, I thought the solutions offered were a little too idealistic and I couldn't see how they'd be achieved in practice, but I really enjoyed all the theory.
At the moment I've ended up with about four books on the go, so more updates will come soon...
Sophie x
Here are my latest four reads...
Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris
I first read this book years ago, but always knew I would return to it as the writing is so beautiful. Framboise's nephew is trying to use her success, built upon recipes she inherited from her mother. From this starting point, the novel falls into a story of wartime childhood, a mother deteriorating fast and a pivotal tragedy. There's also some extracts from her mother's journal and notebooks throughout to add another layer to the narrative.
There are running themes of food, family and growing up, but beneath that is the lurking threat of illness and of German occupation. It's just a beautifully written novel, with some great observational passages. I also really enjoyed the maturation of the voice of Framboise from being a young girl to an older woman.
Mad Girl, Bryony Gordon
From the minute I heard the Telegraph columnist was going to be releasing this book, I knew I needed to read it. She tells the story of her life so far living with OCD, alopecia and addiction amongst other things, alongside the amazing high points of her life and career. There's a healthy balance of sharing her struggles and her successes.
It's such an honest, raw book, with brilliant writing and it's laced with humour throughout. Granted, some of the humour is pretty dark humour, but she tells her story in a very relatable way. I personally could relate to parts of her story that aligned with my own, and found other bits purely interesting, but I also think it would be an excellent introduction for those who have had no experience of or exposure to these topics. Well worth a read.
Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
WARNING: You won't be able to put this book down.
Nell is dead, another life lost to The Drowning Pool, but her sister Jules knows she would never have jumped. It's been a while since I picked up a true page turner that really kept me guessing. It's fascinating, keeps you guessing and has great characters. I enjoyed the themes of the ominous nature of the water, group fear and local legends. The novel is told in short, choppy chapters from multiple perspectives, and ticks my boxes for a very readable thriller.
Man (Dis)Connected - How the digital age is changing young men forever, Philip Zimbardo and Nikita D. Coulombe
This was a really interesting read on a topic that's often popped into my mind. I've wondered about the younger generations in general and how the digital world is going to affect them in the long term, but this work focuses particularly on men.
It dives quite deep and contains lots of surveys and case studies, which enjoy when it's a topic I've not really explored before. One particularly interesting point made at the start is that there has been no cohesive men's movement alongside women's movements to teach young men how to act in this updated, modern society. That's what this book tries to address. At times, I thought the solutions offered were a little too idealistic and I couldn't see how they'd be achieved in practice, but I really enjoyed all the theory.
At the moment I've ended up with about four books on the go, so more updates will come soon...
Sophie x
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