What I Read In January 2019

I haven't written about books in a while, but I've also set myself the task of reading a book a week this year and I thought that that might be a really good reason to talk about what I've been reading each month and my thoughts on them. Here they are in order of how I read them over the course of January and my thoughts on each read!

1. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 

I really enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere and was so annoyed that it has taken me so long to read this book. It was recommended after I finished Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I've wanted to read this book since march after hearing so many positive reviews. The story was laid out beautifully and I didn't find at any point that I really wanted to put the book down. The characters each fit perfectly into the story and I found, even though I mildly disliked some of them, the book still left me with the feeling of wanting the best for them. Set in Shaker Heights (which after doing some research actually exists), gave the book this somewhat dystopian feeling that everything must remain perfect. I really enjoyed reading this book as it unfolded and I was devastated when I finished it. I loved the book but I found the ending didn't quite hit the spot for me and I was left really wanting more in a way I've not felt with a book before. I highly recommend reading if you've been looking at this and debating if you should!

   2. Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes by Holly Bourne 

I first read Holly Bourne's 'It Only Happens In The Movies' last year and fell in love with her writing style. I was give Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes for Christmas after having it in my amazon wish list purely because it was written by Holly. I went in not knowing to expect at all other than Holly Bourne had written the book and I loved the surprise. 

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes follows the story of Olive who refuses to know her mental health diagnosis. It was a completely refreshing book to read about mental health and made me feel like there is someone that truly understands some of the intricacies that are going on in my brain. The book perfectly describes what it is like living with a mental health issues.

The book is perfectly written in Holly's usual wonderful style that makes reading her books fun and easy (I devoured 400 pages faster than I realised!). It's also the first book that I have read in a long time that has finished in a way that satisfied me and didn't leave me frustrated on the 'What ifs'.

3. The Keeper of Lost Things - Ruth Hogan 

The Keeper of Lost Things became a real feel good book. I found the beginning a little slow and was confused but all the different characters and their different stories. It became difficult to remember who each name belonged to but towards the end everything slotted perfectly into place. About 150 - 200 pages in I had figured out the ending of the book but still enjoyed finishing the story and reading how it finished for each character. I really felt as though the book had resolved itself and it was refreshing to not have it dragged out for another hundred pages. The book was a lovely read that left me smiling (and crying) in some places. It pulls you in to a creatively cosy world that makes the book easy to read and friendly to return to if you put the book down. You might find yourself feeling a little lost at points or not really understanding the multiple plot lines but do stick with it!

A real feel good book that I would recommend spending a weekend reading.

         4. The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris 

I don't think I can write a review that gives adequate justice to this book. A traumatising and horrific account of life inside of Auschwitz during the second world war which horrifically reads like a fiction novel until you remember the reality. Brilliantly well written and impossible to put down. I feel a little dirty saying that I really enjoyed this book but I enjoyed it for the educational aspect and how interesting this book was to read. 

This story was just jaw dropping and heart breaking and the whole way through you are faced by the utter horror of Auschwitz and people suffered under the hands of others. It was chilling the whole way through and what made this book so horrific is that it reads like a horrific fictional novel until the gut wrenching horror washes over you that you are reading the true story of Lale Sokolov and it just is so horrific. I worried this book would make me unable to sleep at night, traumatised by what I had been reading (because a book about the holocaust really isn't what you want at bedtime) but this book is just brilliant and instead of traumatising is actually wonderfully well written and extremely insightful. A truly brilliant read that's a real eye opener.

5. Genuine Fraud - E. Lockhart     

This book was a complete spiral of loving and hating the read. The book reads backwards and putting the pieces of the puzzle together was fairly easy. The pace was intense and there were really good moments throughout the story. However, the was no real motive to anything that was happening throughout the story. A lot of the book left you asking, why she'd done everything she had done throughout the story. The ending didn't wrap up any loose ends and although the book was an interesting and wild read, the lack of motive really spoiled the story. 

I'm gutted as I was excited to read another E.Lockhart book after 'We Were Liars' but this was far from the same standards of that book. I hate to be so negative about my latest read but from spending my time excited to figure out what was happening, after the first hundred pages the story was easy to figure out and spoiled by the lack of reason the main character was the way she was.

I can't wait to see what books February holds. Stay tuned for more in the future!

Rebecca

xxx