One of the things pinned to my summer to do list is to read at least 10 books during the holidays. Due to the fact I study literature I very rarely get to read anything I actually want to, and to be honest I'm a pretty terrible student when it comes to reading anyway. For my first book I decided to go with one I'd heard a lot about, that being a lovely yet tear-jerking novel by John Green. I knew I had to make time to read it before deciding whether or not I could bear watching the film: the answer is no, but I will watch it anyway! 

If you haven't read it already, I would highly recommend you do. The book arrived on Thursday around 11am in a lovely package from Amazon along with some more Paul Auster to guide me through my dissertation ideas. By 1pm I'd finally got around to reading it out in the garden with not nearly enough sun cream on. A few breaks were had in between to play with the cat or clean the kitchen, but by 6pm I found myself curled up on the sofa at the very tear-jerking end of the novel. Now, for those of you who don't know me very well, you won't understand how much I've come to find reading a chore. I can't bring myself to sit in the peace and quiet, usually because what I've got to read isn't something I've chosen, but having given The Fault in Our Stars a go, I can definitely say it's a wonderful yet heartbreaking book that I was completely absorbed by and has allowed me to truly enjoy reading for pleasure once more. 

I wept on more than one occasion and once I'm no longer feeling the heart break I'll reread it and probably shed a few more tears. I'm looking forward to reading more from John Green and perhaps I'll even prepare myself to watch the film of The Fault in Our Stars...and weep some more.

As said previously, I would definitely recommend this book!

MissIsGoode

At the start of summer I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. Honestly, I was sucked in right away. The plot is the main thing that makes you want to read it and read on, you want to know how everything turns out, if the separate families collide and whether reunions are happy or cataclysmic. The story is one of huge intrigue, a young doctor is left the decision of bringing up his mentally and physically able son with his female twin, a girl born with down syndrome or to send her in the arms of a young nurse to a special home and bring up the boy as an only children. The decision he makes causes the family to tumble into a world unknown, of sadness, infidelity, denial, secrets and an overall melancholy life for all but the little girl whom the young doctor - David Henry - didn't believe would survive.

As the story progresses you desperately want Doctor Henry to tell the secret, fix the family, but you also question how his wife Norah and son Paul would react to the news of a living daughter and sister, cared for by a humble nurse who just wanted to protect a rejected child who was up against the world right from her entrance into the 1960s society. The two sides to the book follow the life of the Henry's alongside the Gill's, with some intertwining of experiences and events through letters and unexpected meetings and most importantly, the lie of one man that bore the situation both families were created by. The contrast of their lives is what makes the book thrive, the girl believed to have a life not worth living is the happiest person throughout almost the entirety of the book, which is refreshing to read. Also, the decision David makes causes his and Norah's happy marriage to have a disastrous string of events dragging Paul down with them but it brings hope and happiness to the life of Caroline Gill and young Phoebe. Edwards use of irony is quite apparent - David gave Phoebe away to protect his wife from the pain that he had seen his mother experience, but caused more pain for the three of them then he could never have predicted.

The entrance of other characters throughout the story keeps it alive and refreshes the plot, such as Bree, Al, Rosemary, Jack and Robert. All of these characters are significant in their own way and make the story feel very real. The moral question of how down syndrome people should be treated in society is rife throughout Caroline's life as she brings Phoebe up, which is interesting to follow from her perspective as she fights for her daughters education, this also highlights how dislikeable David is as a character due to his decision to not even give the little girl a chance.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this book. It's a fantastic read, the story doesn't become boring and you can't tire of the plot, it flows perfectly and you always know what stage in the families and children's lives you're at. You'll enjoy the blossoming of one family, whilst sympathise with and become slightly frustrated by a family that was destined to fall apart as soon as David had caused a single crack.

If you're not up for reading the book, the films on television right now on 5 USA. I've never seen it before, but I would definitely recommend the book!

MissIsGoode

I feel it's about time to talk about some of the books I like and love. I don't truly consider myself a 'bookworm', I have mentioned my distaste for literature in previous posts. That has fortunately diminished and I love to get myself stuck into a good book! I must say, some of the things I've read aren't the best of literature, but they are no 50 Shades of Grey (only going by ear that it's a terribly written book). I'll be blogging a 'Book of the day' post whenever I can as I approach university, and then I'll give you my review on the books I'm reading for my modules when I begin my courses too! So, today's book is:

Wasted by Marya Hornbacher. 

This is a book about a ten year battle with anorexia and bulimia, and unlike other memoirs or books about eating disorders, Hornbacher doesn't look for things or people to blame, she accepts - in time - the fact that she was a very unwell and mentally ill young women. Throughout her struggle, though acting tough, she recognises her cries for help which not everyone hears - eating disordered people are notoriously well-known for their denial. I can't say it's the most amazingly written book, it's raw and feels as if the editor hasn't done their job quite as well as they should have done, but I think that's part of the reality of it. Her age at the time of writing Wasted - 23 - has often been to blame for some drivel that arises. Throughout the book her arrogant, obnoxious attitude sometimes becomes frustrating but, many people - myself included - can see at least an inkling of their own behaviours and desires within her deleterious lifestyle.

The pace is perfect, you follow her life and when she refers to something earlier in the book it's easy to remember that minor detail that connects the events in her chaotic time line. It's a haunting story with victory and tragedy along the way, this makes you want to read onto that very last page and beyond - I can guarantee that most of the people that have read this didn't take long to search for Marya Hornbacher once the book had been set down, just to know how she's doing now. 

The read is, over all, gripping. I've read Wasted a fair few times, perhaps due to my intrigue into the psychology behind calamitous self-destructive behaviours, but more so because Hornbacher's story is inspirational. She pulled herself out of hard situations - which at first you don't sympathise with her for because she got herself into the situation in which her only choices were to live or die - but it's obviously not hard to see her vulnerability.

The only criticism I can give about this book is that she goes too in-depth about her disorder in places - perhaps to make her readers truly understand her pain - but this leads to dangerous tips for those like her, which I honestly don't believe were her intentions. When I say her story is inspirational, you do have to overlook certain things, like the detail she goes into, to recognise her successful recovery and that is what she in fact wants for her readers who are in the same boat. I would recommend this to those who enjoy memoirs or informative books about disorders, but don't use this book as a bible. Marya Hornbacher is a lucky survivor of two hideous disorders and she does go into great detail about how close to death she was, it's not a book of secrets, it's a deterrent.

I hope you'll look forward to more of my book reviews!

MissIsGoode