Posted on by AnnaTheApple

Books Lately

I’m a big fan of books. I’m always reading something and as soon as I finish one book I’m on to another. That’s not to say I’m a particularly fast reader or that I read intellectually challenging or deep things but I always like to have something on the go.

I used to be one of those people who would always, without fail, finish a book. But actually I’ve realised life’s too short for books you don’t enjoy. It’s supposed to be pleasurable after all so if something really isn’t interesting to me I’ll drop it and move on. Here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed lately.

Room – Emma Donoghue

OK strictly speaking I actually listened to this as an audiobook. The book is told entirely from a child’s perspective so it was narrated as so. At first I was a bit dubious thinking “Oh god, do I really want to listen to a 5-year old tell a story?” but I kept at it as it instantly drew me in.

From Amazon:

“Jack lives with his Ma in Room. Room has a single locked door and a skylight, and it measures ten feet by ten feet. Jack loves watching TV but he knows that nothing he sees on the screen is truly real – only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits there is a world outside.”

I’m desperate to see the film now as it was such a moving and fascinating story. Yes the subject matter is pretty grim and it can be very dark at times, but the book’s tone and overall story was not dark. There is such an innocence as well with it being from a child’s perspective. Obviously if it had been told from the mother’s perspective it would undoubtedly be a grim and different story.

Behind Closed Doors – B. A. Paris

I do look at the bestseller lists for a lot of my books. You kind of know you’re going to get a fairly decent read as the masses have gone for it and like a sheep I follow (though ‘decent’ can be a stretch for some books…). This is about a husband and wife who from the outside look perfect but as you find out more and more it turns out it’s a horrible fabrication.

It’s fairly unbelievable I have to say but it was a definite page-turner. I was desperate to find out what would happen. The characters are a bit one dimensional but as thrillers go it was pretty good. Good holiday read!

The Diet Myth – Tim Spector

I do love a bit of myth busting when it comes to so-called nutrition facts and ridiculous diets.

From Amazon:

“Drawing on the latest science and his own pioneering research, Professor Tim Spector demystifies the common misconceptions about fat, calories, vitamins and nutrients. Only by understanding what makes our own personal microbes tick can we overcome the confusion of modern nutrition, and achieve a healthy gut and a healthy body.”

Really interesting. A little repetitive at times as it obviously had a slight agenda with the whole microbe and gut focus but it really opened my eyes. I knew our gut health was important but never to this extent. There are some great anecdotal and scientific research which is really fascinating. It’s not quite the page turner but still interesting.

Bossypants – Tina Fey

I was at a loss of what audiobook to go for (I have the Audible subscription of getting one book a month) and had heard so many people rave about how funny this was and how brilliant Tina Fey is and as she was the narrator for the audiobook it sounded good. Don’t get me wrong, she is funny and I did laugh but because I didn’t know a huge amount about her and had never watched Saturday Night Live it wasn’t as good as I hoped – some stuff was lost on me. I have a lot of respect for her though and she’s clearly very talented.

Happily – Sophie Tanner

I was contacted by the author to read this book. It sounded like such a bizarre but interesting story so I was intrigued!

From the author:

“Happily is a story about a woman who marries herself. In a case of life imitating art I married myself in a performance at Brighton Fringe Festival last May – you can read more on that in a feature I wrote for Stylist.com here.”

This sounded like quite a refreshing and weird book to read. I was a bit dubious at first but it’s such a fun and light read I found myself really enjoying it. It’s got a really good theme running through it that basically you need to love yourself before you can love someone else, which I fully believe. Don’t expect someone to be your missing piece or to fulfil you. Fulfil yourself first! A nice change form the usual “must find man” themed chic flicks.

You can download a copy on Amazon. You can find more about the author here:

Do you read a lot?

What’s your usual book of choice?

What’s your favourite book? 

**Full disclosure: I received a pdf copy of Happily by Sophie in return for a review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**

14 Replies to “Books Lately”

  2. I used to read loads when I was younger, although now it tends to just be blogs and articles on the internet which I read, which is rather sad. I do love a good book on holiday though. I quite like the idea of audiobooks to listen to on car journeys as I get pretty fed up listening to the same tracks played over and over again on the radio each day.
    ‘Room’ sounds really interesting and I’ll see if I can pick this up for some Summer reading this year. I like books which make you look at things in a slightly different way. I’m a big fan of Jodi Picoult, although there have been some rubbish films to come from her books. I hate it when a film seems to have a completely different meaning or ending to the original story.
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  3. I love reading! But usually I get books that Andy had got for the kindle as I am not good at finding books that I like, or knowing where to look for new authors. I do like books like John Grisham, or the Lincoln Lawyer/ Bosch books. I just read the new dragon tattoo book (by a different author)- it was OK but not as gripping as the originals. I prefer a page turner and I love it when I am falling asleep reading but just want to read one more page. I loved Bossy Pants but I always watch 30 Rock so got a lot of the later stuff. I remember her doing her Sarah Palin on SNL, but didn’t generally watch it. I read the Amy Poehler one which I liked less, because I didn’t know about the earlier stuff, which is sort of how you feel about Bossypants it seems.
    I loved Wild- I like those sort of adventure books. Room doesn’t appeal to me though- a bit too dark as I can have very vivid dreams so need something not too dark.
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    1. Sometimes I really struggle to find books. If in doubt I tend to go for things off the best seller list – but I only go for the cheaper ones as I rarely ever spend more than £3 on a book! I’ll put in on my wish list if I really want to read it and come back to it later when it might have come down in price.
      Ah I think I should have been more into 30 Rock and SNL then I think as there are so many references.
      Wild! I loved that book!! I read it a couple of years ago and still haven’t seen the film yet.
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  4. I read Room a few years ago but haven’t seen the film. I didn’t read much while at university or when I first started work but I now have a new found love for it, I’m currently reading the Game of Thrones books so those will keep me occupied for a while! x
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    1. I loved the GoT books but they are so dense. SO many characters. I wish I’d read in on the Kindle as you have the Xray function so could check who was who (and what side they’re currently on!) but I read the physical books so it was really hard to remember everything.
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  6. I don’t read anywhere near as much as I used. Now I work from home, I have no commute or lunch break to spend the time reading, I have lost the ability to read in bed. I just fall asleep.

    I love Tina Fey, 30 Rock was brilliant. I have Bossypants and Amy Poehler’s book to read on holiday. I liked Mindy Kaling’s book which, I imagine would be fairly similar in tone.
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  7. My work friend told me about Room. It certainly sounds like something I would read, though I’m not sure if I would want to watch the film of it.

    I’ve just finished reading American Sniper. I’d watched the film and really enjoyed it (enjoyed probably isn’t the right word for a war film, but you know what I mean). It’s an interesting read. Normally I like crime fiction (it started with Kathy Reichs when I was a teenager), and love the CJ Sansom series set in Tudor England. I should probably read more than I do, as it’s a great stress buster.
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