The one with all the books

I've actually read a bunch of great books lately. I've always been a big reader, but for 2011 i decided that i wasn't going to read anything i really didn't want to. What i mean is, if i start a book and it isn't doing it for me, I'm going to abandon it instead of force myself to kick on. Which hopefully means I'll only be reading really great stuff. Which, in hindsight, makes me wonder why i didn't start doing this years ago.









Anyway. Whatevs. Onto the books!









OK. Now i know everyone always has mixed feelings about books that would be classified as 'Young Adult'. It seems that if there are vampires or werewolves involved (Twilight anyone?), then the peeps are on board. If not, young adult fiction seems to be a bit taboo (unless you actually are a young adult. And by young adult i mean teenager.) But i honestly believe there's some really great stand alone, well written young adult titles out there that adults could get a lot out of. And Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S King is one of them. Yes, it's a coming of age novel. But it's a really, really good one.









Vera is in love with her best friend, Charlie. The only problem is, Charlie is dead. Worse - he died under some pretty dark circumstances. Worse again - he's haunting Vera. That's right. Haunting her. Because she's the only one out there who can clear his name. That's pretty much all I'm gonna say about the plot. But this novel is smart, funny and has a lot of heart. Vera is well rounded character - she's clever and likable, but she makes mistakes. If you're open to trying out some GOOD young adult fiction (cause there's a lot of crap out there), you should give this one a go.









On the other side of the spectrum is one of the most 'adult' books I've read in a long time. Australian novel The Slap, by Christos Tsiolkas is my best book of 2011 so far. I mean. It's only February. But still. A friend of mine passed it on to me, and I've passed it on to someone else, and they've passed it on to someone else again. I think this one's going to make the rounds at my office, for sure. The premise is pretty simple - a guy at a BBQ slaps a kid that isn't his. The event unleashes serious repercussions and differing opinions - the book is actually broken up into 8 parts, each told from the point of view of a character who was there. The interesting thing about it is that all of the characters come from completely different backgrounds, so you get diverse opinions - not just about the slap itself, but about life. Characters ranged from young, old, gay, straight, single, married and came from a variety of racial backgrounds. I thought it honestly covered the good, the bad and the ugly side of life - from relationships to marriage to kids to growing old - it's all there. Its a really great read - just be prepared for lots of swearing and sex. You'll find a lot to talk about!











After that hefty read, i needed something a bit...lighter. So i picked up Bad Marie, by Marcy Dermansky, and read it in two days. Marie really is bad. Deliciously so. An ex-con who actually enjoyed the lack of responsibility required in prison, Marie is released after 6 years on the inside, and heads straight to New York City. She becomes a live-in nanny, and promptly proceeds kidnap the child in her care. For good measure, she steals the husband too. What follows is quite the romp - implausible, sure, but great fun. And despite Marie's wickedness - i really liked her! I wanted things to work out! The whole kidnapping thing...bah. The kids real mother was a bitch anyway. I was rooting for Marie all the way - betcha you will too.











And my latest read? An oddball, but one i liked. Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo by Julia Stuart is one of those subtle books that makes a quiet impact. I wasn't sure i was going to like it at first - even the writing is oddball. But once i got used to that, i found myself looking for 5 minutes during the day to read some more. Of course, its the characters in this one that really make the difference. They were the types you really come to care about. As the title suggests, the book centres around Balthazar Jones, a beefeater at the Tower of London, and his wife. They once had a son, but now they do not, and that's all I'll say about that. There are an assortment of other characters that live within the walls of the Tower of London, and each of them have a story or a secret to tell. If you don't mind character-driven reads, this is a great one.





I must tell you about my hens night (the first one that is), but I'll save that for next time. Bizarrely, I'm more interested in watching Top Gear right now, so I'll leave you all to enjoy your Tuesday evenings.