This month
has been great for reading. For the majority of the month I have been on
Christmas break which allowed me to read some of the books I have been wanting
to read for a while. At the same time I have had to prepare for next semester
and I have managed to read a good portion of my reading list. I have decided to
do these in a more structured way with subheading, so it would be great to know
what you guys think of it.
Book -
Longbourn
Author – Jo
Baker
Date
Started - 27th Dec
Date
Finished - 29th Dec
Basic
overview – It is described as a cross between Pride and Prejudice and Downton
Abbey and I would definitely agree. It is basically the Pride and Prejudice
from the servants perspectives.
Opinion – I
quite enjoyed this and definitely enjoyed it more than I would the original. I
hate Jane Austen novels and even I like it. It is definitely more interesting
and shows a relatively realistic view of what life was like in service.
Rating- 3/5
Book –
Glamour Jan 2016 edition
Date
Started - 29th Dec
Date
Finished - 29th Dec
Opinion – I
have to say I prefer to buy the Boots magazine as it is more normal, if that
makes any sense at all! Also it is free with an advantage card!
Rating –
2/5
Book –
Uncommon Criminals
Author –
Ally Carter
Date
Started - 2nd Jan
Date
Finished - 2nd Jan
Basic
Overview – It is the second in the heist society series by Ally Carter. It
tells the story of a group of young thieves.
Opinion – I
love Ally Carter books as they are so easy to read. I managed to read this in
one go in a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes! That never happens with me and
just goes to show how easy they are to read. Also I love the characters and she
just has a way of making the story come alive in your head.
Rating –
4/5
Book –
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author –
J.K. Rowling
Date
Started - 2nd Jan
Date
Finished - 3rd Jan
Basic
Overview – I have been meaning to read the Harry Potter series forever, but
have never seemed to have the time. I got the DVD box set for Christmas and
therefore thought it would be the perfect time to read the books as well. I am
forcing myself to read each book before I can move onto the next film.
Opinion – I
definitely like this book better than the Philosopher’s Stone. I think this is
because the key concepts have already been introduced therefore Rowling can
focus more on the story itself.
Rating –
4/5
Book -
Zeitoun
Author –
Dave Eggers
Date
Started - 7th Jan
Date
Finished - 10th Jan
Basic
Overview – It is basically the story of a family during hurricane Katrina.
Opinion –
Parts of it were really shocking. I didn’t really know a lot about hurricane
Katrina as I was only about 8 when it happened. But this book has prompted me
to go and research it some more to learn more about it. It will be interesting
to see how the media’s view is different to the narrative. It is probably my
favourite course text that I have read so far.
Rating –
3/5
Book - The
Edible Woman
Author – Margaret
Atwood
Date
Started - 8th Jan
Date
Finished - 12th Jan
Basic
Overview – It is the story of a young woman growing up in (find time it was set in)
Opinion –
At the beginning I didn’t really understand what the point was and why this
book is significant. However, as I read on I begun to realise the significance
of it. It is great as it shows the massive gender stereotypes and how men and
women react to things in different ways. Also the title will make sense in the
end!
Rating –
3/5
Book -
Refugee
Author –
Sophie Nicholls
Date
Started - 10th Jan
Date
Finished - 10th Jan
Basic
Overview – It is a selection of contemporary poetry about refugees.
Opinion – I
am studying these in my contemporary writing module and I found them really
interesting to read. I gave a completely different slant to the refugee crisis
going on at the moment. It helps you to realise that they are just humans like
us, who have families that they love and would do anything for. You can get it
on kindle and all of the money goes to Freedom For Torture.
Rating –
3/5
Film – In
this World
Director –
Michael Winterbottom
Date
Started - 12th Jan
Date
Finished - 12th Jan
Basic
Overview – It is a film about a young boy and his uncle who attempt to travel
from Syria to London. It came out in 2002, but it is still relevant today.
Opinion – I
found out a lot of information that I did not know about before. It makes you
realise how hard and dangerous the journey really is. It made me think about
how desperate people must be to go to such lengths.
Rating –
2/5
Book – Miss
Julie
Author –
August Strindberg
Date
Started - 13th Jan
Date
Finished - 13th Jan
Basic
Overview – It was a play about an upper class young woman who wants to run away
with her father’s butler.
Opinion –
To be totally honest I found this slightly boring to read, but maybe I would
find it more interesting to watch. I think it will be one of those texts that I
find more interesting when I study it in depth.
Rating –
2/5
Book – The
Fat, Black Woman’s Poems
Author –
Grace Nicholls
Date
Started - 14th Jan
Date
Finished - 14th Jan
Basic
Overview – A selection of poetry.
Opinion – I
enjoyed reading these and want to know more about the context behind them. I am
looking forward to studying them more in depth.
Rating –
2/5
Book - Enron
Author - Lucy Prebbles
Date Started - 14th Jan
Date Finished - 14th Jan
Basic Overview - It is a play about the true story of a financial scandal in the 1990s.
Opinion - I found it slightly boring, but I think that it is because I don't really understand it that much. I think after some research it would make a lot more sense.
Rating - 2/5
Book - Grapes of Wrath
Author - John Steinbeck
Date Started - 15th Jan
Date Finished - 21st Jan
Basic Overview - It is a story about an American family that move west for work.
Opinion - I didn't love this book and it was kind of hard to read. However I do appreciate it and am looking forward to analysing it in more detail.
Rating - 3/5
Film - Wall-E
Director - Andrew Stanton
Date Started - 21st Jan
Date Finished - 21st Jan
Basic Overview - Disney movie about a dystopian future where the world was so full of rubbish that the humans had to live in space.
Opinion - It is kind of tedious to watch because of the lack of talking. However it is great to analyse.
Rating - 3/5
Thanks for Stopping By! :)
