February Reads (kind of)
I managed to read a grand total of one book this month (uni deadlines are slowly sucking the life out of me). I'd intended to have my first blog post to be a wrap up of all the books I'd read this month but as you've probably realised, that plan has gone down the drain.
However, with the blizzard that is currently going on outside my window (welcome to March in England), I'm feeling a creative urge takeover and I have decided I am not going to let my failure of a reading month deter me from writing my first blog post. I apologise in advane for the lack of pictures in this post and for that I have two excuses.
However, with the blizzard that is currently going on outside my window (welcome to March in England), I'm feeling a creative urge takeover and I have decided I am not going to let my failure of a reading month deter me from writing my first blog post. I apologise in advane for the lack of pictures in this post and for that I have two excuses.
- I started this book on holiday and it got battered by the sand, sea, the breeze and the occasional few cocktails.
- I sit writing this post under a blanket at my university house and the book is currently sitting neatly on my bookshelf at my family home. While I'm feeling quite dedicated to my blog, I am not quite at the level where I'm willing to propel my car through the blizzard conditions to snap a few pictures of a book that isn't in the best state to begin with. (I'm assuming you have access to the internet if you're reading this post, so if you really want to see a copy of the book, google it
Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty (no spoilers). 4 out of 5 stars ****.
I bought this book almost two years ago after hearing a friend sing it's praises (she sang them, we'd had a bottle of wine or two).
This book grabs you from the get go, we find Yvonne Carmichael in the Old Bailey on a trial that is taking a turn for the worst, for a crime that has yet to reveal itself to the reader. I liked Yvonne, Louise Doughty paints the picture of an ordinary woman, with an ordinary life who has excelled in her career. That ordinary life changes when Yvonne enters into a passionate affair with a man, a man whose identity and nature alludes us, and Yvonne, who guesses that she is "fucking a spook", until the final part of the book. I liked how the reader was kept unaware of Yvonne's lovers identity, she refers to him as 'X' throughout to book, in homage to her career within the field of genetics.
In essence, the book is a thriller, filled with sex, death, mental health and family issues. The book deals with a serious topic which I did not see coming but I really appreciated this part of the book. I did find that the book slowed down towards the middle but I can understand why this was the case and I thought it added a commentary on a serious issue and overall positively added to the book.
The book was turned into a four-part TV series on BBC earlier this year, with Emily Watson playing Yvonne, Ben Chaplin playing X and Mark Bonnar (who I have a bit of a thing for), playing Yvonne's husband Gary. Emily Watson wasn't who I imagined for Yvonne while reading the book, I imagined her a younger, even though Doughty makes it clear she is in her 50s, but I think that's mostly due to my age. However, I did think Emily Watson did a fantastic job at portraying Yvonne and even though my youthful mind pictured Yvonne as younger, I don't think this story would have had the same message had Yvonne been a younger woman.
We don't find out Yvonnes fate until the final pages and I tore through the final part of the book (I skipped two lectures to finish it). When I closed the book my mind was still whirring and I still find myself thinking about the ending even now, over a week after I've finished the book.
I thought this book was brilliantly written, taking unexpected turns that took me by surprise. I would say to read this book before watching the TV series, I found the book much more enjoyable. If you liked Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train I would definitely recommend this book.
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This book grabs you from the get go, we find Yvonne Carmichael in the Old Bailey on a trial that is taking a turn for the worst, for a crime that has yet to reveal itself to the reader. I liked Yvonne, Louise Doughty paints the picture of an ordinary woman, with an ordinary life who has excelled in her career. That ordinary life changes when Yvonne enters into a passionate affair with a man, a man whose identity and nature alludes us, and Yvonne, who guesses that she is "fucking a spook", until the final part of the book. I liked how the reader was kept unaware of Yvonne's lovers identity, she refers to him as 'X' throughout to book, in homage to her career within the field of genetics.
In essence, the book is a thriller, filled with sex, death, mental health and family issues. The book deals with a serious topic which I did not see coming but I really appreciated this part of the book. I did find that the book slowed down towards the middle but I can understand why this was the case and I thought it added a commentary on a serious issue and overall positively added to the book.
The book was turned into a four-part TV series on BBC earlier this year, with Emily Watson playing Yvonne, Ben Chaplin playing X and Mark Bonnar (who I have a bit of a thing for), playing Yvonne's husband Gary. Emily Watson wasn't who I imagined for Yvonne while reading the book, I imagined her a younger, even though Doughty makes it clear she is in her 50s, but I think that's mostly due to my age. However, I did think Emily Watson did a fantastic job at portraying Yvonne and even though my youthful mind pictured Yvonne as younger, I don't think this story would have had the same message had Yvonne been a younger woman.
We don't find out Yvonnes fate until the final pages and I tore through the final part of the book (I skipped two lectures to finish it). When I closed the book my mind was still whirring and I still find myself thinking about the ending even now, over a week after I've finished the book.
I thought this book was brilliantly written, taking unexpected turns that took me by surprise. I would say to read this book before watching the TV series, I found the book much more enjoyable. If you liked Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train I would definitely recommend this book.
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