I know this is coming a bit late, because we're already halfway into May, but I decided to post my monthly wrap-up on here rather than my Instagram. I actually read quite a lot this month by my standards, 5 books and 3 audiobooks, so here are my opinions on all of them!
NORTHANGER ABBEY, Jane Austen:
4 STARS
This book follows the adventures of our protagonist, Catherine Morland, as she goes to Bath for a holiday and falls in love with a dashing young man, and her subsequent stay in the gothic Northanger Abbey. It's an easy-to-read satirical novel, which pokes fun at the gothic genre and contains several female friendships which are hard to come by in books of this era.
I half surprised myself by really loving this book. I had quite a long break between reading the first hundred pages and then reading the rest, which made me think I was quite disengaged, but when sitting down for the second time to read the last bit, I was entirely hooked. I really rooted for Catherine, and really felt like I could relate to her, not being the perfect literary heroine. I thought the other characters, including the Thorpes, were really well characterised and my like for Isabella transformed effectively into hatred as Austen planned. A sweet, but gothic novel, I would recommend this to everyone in this time where we all need some lightness.
HOLLOW CITY and LIBRARY OF SOULS, Ransom Riggs:
1.5 STARS
I'm not going to do a full review here, because I already wrote one and posted it, which you can see here. All you need to know is that I thought these were god-awful, and most people disagree with me, which is perfectly fine - everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
PERSUASION, Jane Austen:
3 STARS
This book follows the story of Anne Elliot meeting her ex-lover, Wentworth, again eight years after turning him down. Her father is on the brink of financial ruin, and the quiet, sensible Anne is surrounded by dramatic, selfish characters. It seems Wentworth will be engaged to another women, and the conflict of the novel surrounds Anne's inner regret that she ended the relationship.
Although this wasn't Jane Austen's best, it was still an enjoyable read and her style certainly came through. There were several classic Austen tropes and plot points, but this was slightly different from her other works in that Anne Elliot, the protagonist, was older (at the point of being too old to marry), and it seemed to display the journey of what would've happened if her other protagonists had had to turn down their suitors.
The characterisation was very good - there was a surplus of unlikeable characters, which Austen intended, and I felt very drawn to Anne's character. She has less of the fire and passion of Austen's other protagonists, like Elizabeth Bennet and Emma, but still has agency and personality. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I personally wouldn't recommend it, because her other, more famous books are better, and this included many of the same plots.
DRACULA, Bram Stoker:
3.5 STARS
I feel like the story of Dracula is relatively well-known, but it follows a group of people including Jonathon, who stayed in Dracula's castle for weeks researching and was almost killed by him, Mina, his wife, Dr Seward and Van Helsing, two doctors who investigate the killings, Lucy, who is Mina's best friend, and Arthur, the man she is engaged to.
I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did - a couple of months ago, I read the first 12 pages, and then put it down for a while, because I thought it would be difficult to get into. I was entirely wrong; it was easy to follow, the plot was gripping, and the gothic themes were imbedded in such an effective way that I had chills reading some parts.
Once Lucy's plotline ended and the hunt for Dracula began, it took a turn for the worse and really slowed down. For the last hundred pages I didn't really pay much attention because it got quite boring, and I wasn't sure what was going on, but aside from that I felt very close to all the characters, and particularly enjoyed the fact that women actually played a part in this story, even if it was more of an 'angel in the house' role. At least Mina actually helped in the investigation, and wasn't just a victim that needed to be protected by men (although she did also become that).
FRANKENSTEIN, Mary Shelley:
4 STARS
Again, most people know the story of Frankenstein, but if not, I'll summarise it here. Victor Frankenstein creates a human being and accidentally brings it to life, only to find that it is so hideous that it is a monster, and casts it out. Little does he know, the monster has human feelings and capabilities, so grows to resent humans after being constantly turned out by them, and vows to torment Frankenstein for creating him through hurting the people he loves.
I listened to this as an audiobook, at the same time as Dracula, and enjoyed it much more than I had expected. After watching the film 'Mary Shelley' my hopes were quite low, and I thought it was going to be something I would have to struggle through, but I was wrong. The plot was gripping and easy to follow, and I became very emotionally invested in the story. I was left wondering whether the monster was the victim - it would seem so, but then the monster also murdered innocent people - this moral ambiguity made the story very interesting, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a thrilling tale.
THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY, Agatha Christie:
3.7 STARS
When a body is found in Colonel Bantry's library, it is up to Miss Marple (and some real detectives) to solve the mystery. The body is a girl named Ruby, a young dancer living in a nearby town, with seemingly no ties to the library she was found in, and everyone seems to have an alibi.
Typical of Agatha Christie, this was short, engaging, and relatively easy to read. I read it before going to sleep every night, and it was the perfect 20th century small-town, cosy book to end the day. The end was a bit confusing, and not too unpredictable, but I suppose that made sense given the nature of the mystery, and didn't take away from the plot too much. I would recommend this to any Agatha Christie fan, or anyone who wants a stress-relieving book to get lost in during these confusing times.
THE KILLING PLACE, Tess Gerritson:
3.5 STARS
The book is about a forensic doctor who winds up stranded in an abandoned town, Kingdom Come, with a friend, his daughter, and two other people she doesn't know well. Soon they realise there is something eerie about this town, animals frozen to death, blood dripping down a staircase, no sign of anyone having ever left.
I've never read a Tess Gerritsen book before, so I can't compare this to her others, but I really enjoyed it. Particularly in the first half, it really struck me as being a horror - gruesome, gripping, and left me completely paranoid. I've seen some people complaining about the political element of it, but I found that especially enjoyable and scary - particularly as someone who would probably qualify as a 'young bride', it's chilling to know that the cult in the book, and everyone's ignorance of it, is very possible in reality. The twists and turns were relatively unpredictable and kept the story going, though I wasn't surprised at the ending.
When I read this, I remember really enjoying it, but looking back now, it isn't as good as I thought it was, and I just haven't read a thriller in a really long time. I'm looking at reading some more modern books, so I'll probably be able to place it in context then. A lot of reviews say her other books are better, so I'll definitely be having a look at some of those.
NORTHANGER ABBEY, Jane Austen:
4 STARS
This book follows the adventures of our protagonist, Catherine Morland, as she goes to Bath for a holiday and falls in love with a dashing young man, and her subsequent stay in the gothic Northanger Abbey. It's an easy-to-read satirical novel, which pokes fun at the gothic genre and contains several female friendships which are hard to come by in books of this era.
I half surprised myself by really loving this book. I had quite a long break between reading the first hundred pages and then reading the rest, which made me think I was quite disengaged, but when sitting down for the second time to read the last bit, I was entirely hooked. I really rooted for Catherine, and really felt like I could relate to her, not being the perfect literary heroine. I thought the other characters, including the Thorpes, were really well characterised and my like for Isabella transformed effectively into hatred as Austen planned. A sweet, but gothic novel, I would recommend this to everyone in this time where we all need some lightness.
HOLLOW CITY and LIBRARY OF SOULS, Ransom Riggs:
1.5 STARS
I'm not going to do a full review here, because I already wrote one and posted it, which you can see here. All you need to know is that I thought these were god-awful, and most people disagree with me, which is perfectly fine - everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
PERSUASION, Jane Austen:
3 STARS
This book follows the story of Anne Elliot meeting her ex-lover, Wentworth, again eight years after turning him down. Her father is on the brink of financial ruin, and the quiet, sensible Anne is surrounded by dramatic, selfish characters. It seems Wentworth will be engaged to another women, and the conflict of the novel surrounds Anne's inner regret that she ended the relationship.
Although this wasn't Jane Austen's best, it was still an enjoyable read and her style certainly came through. There were several classic Austen tropes and plot points, but this was slightly different from her other works in that Anne Elliot, the protagonist, was older (at the point of being too old to marry), and it seemed to display the journey of what would've happened if her other protagonists had had to turn down their suitors.
The characterisation was very good - there was a surplus of unlikeable characters, which Austen intended, and I felt very drawn to Anne's character. She has less of the fire and passion of Austen's other protagonists, like Elizabeth Bennet and Emma, but still has agency and personality. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I personally wouldn't recommend it, because her other, more famous books are better, and this included many of the same plots.
DRACULA, Bram Stoker:
3.5 STARS
I feel like the story of Dracula is relatively well-known, but it follows a group of people including Jonathon, who stayed in Dracula's castle for weeks researching and was almost killed by him, Mina, his wife, Dr Seward and Van Helsing, two doctors who investigate the killings, Lucy, who is Mina's best friend, and Arthur, the man she is engaged to.
I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did - a couple of months ago, I read the first 12 pages, and then put it down for a while, because I thought it would be difficult to get into. I was entirely wrong; it was easy to follow, the plot was gripping, and the gothic themes were imbedded in such an effective way that I had chills reading some parts.
Once Lucy's plotline ended and the hunt for Dracula began, it took a turn for the worse and really slowed down. For the last hundred pages I didn't really pay much attention because it got quite boring, and I wasn't sure what was going on, but aside from that I felt very close to all the characters, and particularly enjoyed the fact that women actually played a part in this story, even if it was more of an 'angel in the house' role. At least Mina actually helped in the investigation, and wasn't just a victim that needed to be protected by men (although she did also become that).
FRANKENSTEIN, Mary Shelley:
4 STARS
Again, most people know the story of Frankenstein, but if not, I'll summarise it here. Victor Frankenstein creates a human being and accidentally brings it to life, only to find that it is so hideous that it is a monster, and casts it out. Little does he know, the monster has human feelings and capabilities, so grows to resent humans after being constantly turned out by them, and vows to torment Frankenstein for creating him through hurting the people he loves.
I listened to this as an audiobook, at the same time as Dracula, and enjoyed it much more than I had expected. After watching the film 'Mary Shelley' my hopes were quite low, and I thought it was going to be something I would have to struggle through, but I was wrong. The plot was gripping and easy to follow, and I became very emotionally invested in the story. I was left wondering whether the monster was the victim - it would seem so, but then the monster also murdered innocent people - this moral ambiguity made the story very interesting, and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a thrilling tale.
THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY, Agatha Christie:
3.7 STARS
When a body is found in Colonel Bantry's library, it is up to Miss Marple (and some real detectives) to solve the mystery. The body is a girl named Ruby, a young dancer living in a nearby town, with seemingly no ties to the library she was found in, and everyone seems to have an alibi.
Typical of Agatha Christie, this was short, engaging, and relatively easy to read. I read it before going to sleep every night, and it was the perfect 20th century small-town, cosy book to end the day. The end was a bit confusing, and not too unpredictable, but I suppose that made sense given the nature of the mystery, and didn't take away from the plot too much. I would recommend this to any Agatha Christie fan, or anyone who wants a stress-relieving book to get lost in during these confusing times.
THE KILLING PLACE, Tess Gerritson:
3.5 STARS
The book is about a forensic doctor who winds up stranded in an abandoned town, Kingdom Come, with a friend, his daughter, and two other people she doesn't know well. Soon they realise there is something eerie about this town, animals frozen to death, blood dripping down a staircase, no sign of anyone having ever left.
I've never read a Tess Gerritsen book before, so I can't compare this to her others, but I really enjoyed it. Particularly in the first half, it really struck me as being a horror - gruesome, gripping, and left me completely paranoid. I've seen some people complaining about the political element of it, but I found that especially enjoyable and scary - particularly as someone who would probably qualify as a 'young bride', it's chilling to know that the cult in the book, and everyone's ignorance of it, is very possible in reality. The twists and turns were relatively unpredictable and kept the story going, though I wasn't surprised at the ending.
When I read this, I remember really enjoying it, but looking back now, it isn't as good as I thought it was, and I just haven't read a thriller in a really long time. I'm looking at reading some more modern books, so I'll probably be able to place it in context then. A lot of reviews say her other books are better, so I'll definitely be having a look at some of those.
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