Beauty & The Books

How To Stop Time - Matt Haig Genre: Romance/Fantasy  Pages: 336 Rating: 4.5/5 Format: Mix of the past and present, but in a somewhat chronological order _______________________________________________________________________________ Before we get going here is a little synopsis of the novel and I hope it gets you as hooked as it did me! From  https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Stop-Time-Matt-Haig/dp/1782118616 Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz-Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover - working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he'd never witnessed them first-hand. He can try to tame the past that is fast catching up w...

Lyrebird - Cecelia Ahern Genre: Romance Pages:432 Rating: 5/5 (INCREDIBLE) Format: Mixture of 1st/3rd person _________________________________________________________________________________ Unique and breathtaking! That's the only way I can sum up this novel in a few words. Here is a little synopsis (from Goodreads): Life is in two parts: who you were before you met her, and who you are after. A documentary crew discover a mysterious young women living alone in the mountains of West Cork. Strikingly beautiful she has an extraordinary talent for mimicry, like the famous Australian Lyrebird. The crew, fascinated, make her the subject of her story, and bestow the nickname upon her. When they leave, they take Lyrebird with them back to the city. But as she leaves behind her peaceful life to learn about a new world, is she also leaving behind a part of herself? For her new friend Solomon the answer isn’t clear. When you find a rare and precious thing, should you sh...

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler Genre: Fiction/Psychological Fiction Pages: 336 Rating: 4/5 Format: Non linear storyline, moves between memories and present _________________________________________________ *WARNING, SPOILERS FROM THE ONSET* This novel is a heartbreaking tale that challenges the orthodox ideals of family and relationships. Rosemary's father is a university professor who takes part in many studies and publishes many papers, one of these studies happens to be about her life. Her life growing up with Fern, who is also a Chimpanzee! That was a plot twist that I did not expect at all! The way that Fowler introduces Fern and her character is one that people would usually associate with a human sibling, this makes the reader just assume that she is human (what else would we think?) and this is what Fowler wanted. The effect of the reader initially thinking of Fern as human, gives us just a small indication of what Lowell and Rosemary...

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern  Genre: Fantasy  Pages: 387 Rating: 3.5/5 Format: Fiction Organised By Dates  _________________________________________________________________________________ *WARNING THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW, APPROACH WITH CAUTION* _________________________________________________________________ I went into this novel with high expectations and excitement but I was left somewhat disappointed, so much so that I did not even finish the novel. I loved the idea of the story and the plot and I feel like it had great potential! It was just the fact that the plot took time to develop fully that I had a problem with, it became something that I did not want to pick up anymore.  BUT... Here are some of the things that I loved about this novel! First of, I loved the detail in setting and the time period that it was set. A lot of the novel focuses on different places and setting and Morgenstern does not...

Heart Of Darkness - Joesph Conrad Genre: Novella Pages: 72 Rating: 2/5 Format: Messy _______________________________________________________________________________ Do not be deceived by the length of this book, despite its mere 72 pages it has taken me over a week to get to where I am at  (I managed to get to just over 1/2). I feel like this story has so much going for it, reading the overviews and summaries online I was really intrigued but the way that Conrad has chosen to write this ruins it  for me. Following the lecture that I just had on this, I definitely feel that this is almost biographical of Conrad's own experiences, using this reading it is understandable why the format is so messy. It can be suggested that his language use is there to accurately represent the events of the novella. If you are someone that likes the more challenging reads than this is definitely for you, I just could not get to grips with his modernist style. I l...

1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) - George Orwell Genre: Dystopia/Political Fiction Pages: 342 Rating: 4/5 Format: 3rd person Standard Narrative _________________________________________________________________________________ I feel that this novel has a slow beginning with Orwell explaining all of the dystopian terms to the reader as well as emphasising the age and condition of the main character, Winston (despite the slow start I love the effort that has been put into creating this world it makes it more enjoyable) I think for the time of writing, this novel is definitely ahead of its time! I love how Orwell contrasts the dullness of the society with the brightness of Winston's fantasies and and relationship. I do find that there is not enough depth to the characters but I get that the novel is more about the collective and not so much the individual, Winston is just a representation of the larger. Overall I would most definitely recommend this thought provoking novel! ...

Check Mate - Malorie Blackman I am absolutely in love with this series its unreal! I am halfway through this one and only have one left to go! Full review to come on the series! But it'll definitely be all praise for sure.. xoxo  P