Showing posts with label Jane Austen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Austen. Show all posts
September Reading List
9/02/2016

September Reading List




Books might not be as ironic or groundbreaking for Spring as florals are, but September's reading pile does bring about a bit of change with it. By change I mean the sudden appearance of two classics; Shakespearean soliloquies and a bit of Austen. I'd be doing my high school literature teachers proud. I think... There's also September's book club read of choice by Olivia Laing and Amy Schumer's book because I cannot stop talking about it. So without further ado, September's book list for your perusual...

The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo* by Amy Schumer-What's not to love about Amy Schumer? She's hilarious, flooring us all with Trainwreck and sketches such as this and this. She's mates with JLaw, bonded over Harry Potter with none other than JK Rowling herself and found the time to write this simply brilliant book. I'm still reading it but it was not what I was expecting at all and I mean that in the best possible way. It's hilarious and entertaining for sure, but I wasn't expecting it to be so relatable and real. If there is one book you reach for this month, make it this one.

Is this a dagger I see before me? by Wlliam Shakespeare-First things first, I love the idea of the Penguin Little Black Classics. They're slim and affordable pieces of literature that might otherwise go unnoticed in the world of all the books. This one is a collection of Shakespeare's soliloquies, including the well-known such as the titular one from Macbeth but also lesser known pieces as well. Aside from Shakespeare's history plays, staring long and hard at you Julius Caesar (bane of my existence), I have a lot of love for Shakespeare so I am looking forward to revisiting his writing. In truth, I haven't read any Shakespeare since I studied The Tempest and that was six years ago. Sheesh, it's about time huh?

The Lonely City by Olivia Laing-Olivia Laing's new book is generating a lot of interest in the wider book community and it was voted as the third book for my book club which honestly I was quite pleased about. I don't know an awful lot about this book but I know it joins the topics of loneliness and art together in a thought-provoking way. My review later in the month will be a bit more detail-heavy so keep an eye out for that.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen-Believe it or not I have never read Pride and Prejudice. I've seen the movie with Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan etc but I've never read the book. After reading Eligible and loving it I knew I needed to read the original. I just need to remember that in this book, Darcy is not a neurosurgeon and Lizzy is not a magazine writer. 

-What are you reading during September?

*Review copy

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June Reading List
6/06/2016

June Reading List




We're halfway through the year which is still insane to me. Today I have June's reading list for you all. You'll notice the books are a bit more on the slim side of things. June is a big month with assignment deadlines to meet and then of course the return of my all-time favourite activity, exams. Note the sarcasm, I'm not the person who does amazingly in exams so naturally I detest them. Regardless, there's a nice mix of things in here so I'm looking forward to getting into them...

Lady Susan by Jane Austen-A Jane Austen book I don't have to read. I'm trying to get over my high-school distaste for Jane Austen because while I still can't stand the idea of Mansfield Park (thanks A2 Lit), her other writing really appeals to me. Lady Susan is one of her stories that has been released as part of Penguin's Little Black Classics series. From what I've read about this book it sounds like Susan is the anti-heroine and has a bit of spark and zest to her. 

The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy-I've heard a fair bit about Carol Ann Duffy's poetry recently and last weekend I found a secondhand bookstore that had several of her poetry volumes. The Bees was the one which came home with me because it appealed to me the most. I'm not going to lie, the cover may have swayed me a bit as well. Either way, I'm expecting good things from this one.

Girls on Fire* by Robin Wasserman-Whenever I see this book title I think of this song. It can't be helped. I'm not going to do this book justice having not read it so go read the description I've linked. It sounds like it's going to be dark, a bit Mean Girls/Heathers-esque and I like the sound of it. Its being compared to The Virgin Suicides which is one of my favourite books so I am intrigued to see where this one goes. Hopefully it's not too disturbing.

M Train by Patti Smith-Continuing on my Patti Smith obsession, I have her latest book to read. M Train is a collection of Smith's musings and writings composed over her morning cup of coffee. According to its blurb; M Train is a meditation on travel, detective shows, literature and coffee. I am sure it will not disappoint.

-What are you reading during June?

*Review copy
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