I always seem to spend summer the same way, no matter where I am, I am usually lost in a book. I love reading, but with working/studying life I always seem to end up just slouching in front of the tv or reading blogs. I'm not saying this is right and when I come back from holiday I always feel refreshed and good for not being so techno addicted, so the following usually happens...I come back with great intentions and lots of books on the to read list.
However, September, always a busy time, comes around, I get behind on my books and yet can't resist buying more and starting them too! However, through my work as a supply primary teacher while settling into being a Cheshire dweller and looking for a permanent post I have actually had time to read.
So here's what I've been reading and pretty much loving recently:
A Tale For The Time Being - Ruth Ozeki
'Hi! My name is Nao, and I am a time being. Do you know what a time being is? Well, if you give me a moment, I will tell you.'
Ruth discovers a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore of her beach home. Within it lies a diary that expresses the hopes and dreams of a young girl. She suspects it might have arrived on a drift of debris from the 2011 tsunami. With every turn of the page, she is sucked deeper into an enchanting mystery.
This book fascinated me and intrigued me on so many levels. I am extremely interested in Asian culture (in case the books in the list didn't make that clear enough!) and it was fascinating learning about Nao's life as a teenager and also her great grandmother's life as a nun. Moreover, Nao's use of Japanese words and the little footnote translations pleased the ever yearning for knowledge teacher in me!
I would urge anyone to read this, both narrators Ruth and Nao are brilliant and so well developed and you become completely enthralled in finding out what's going to happen at the end of Nao's entries. I won't say anymore on that...
It's 1999 and for the staff of one newspaper office, the internet is still a novelty. By day, two young women, Beth and Jennifer, spend their hours emailing each other, discussing in hilarious detail every aspect of their lives, from love troubles to family dramas. And by night, Lincoln, a shy, lonely IT guy spends his hours reading every exchange.
At first their emails offer a welcome diversion, but as Lincoln unwittingly becomes drawn into their lives, the more he reads, the more he finds himself falling for one of them.
Most people have heard of Rainbow Rowell as she seems to be having a bit of a moment right now. I've seen her books Fangirl and Eleanor and Park everywhere and after looking her up I was surprised to see that she's actually written other books too, including Attachments, for a more adult audience.
The premise is pretty unique and interested me straight away being set just before Y2K and in a time where the internet was still this new and exciting concept. It was funny reading about the girls getting used to emailing and the company panicking about what was going to happen come the new year. The characters were all funny and likeable and it was pretty much a sweet love story and an easy read. I feel tempted to pick up more of her books now.
Crazy, Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars and that she is about to encounter the strangest, craziest group of people in existence. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian jet set; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money - and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.
This book was a guilty pleasure read, no doubts about it. I read a lot of classics and other challenging reads so I feel like I am entitled to read some juicy, salacious scandal when I feel like it! To be fair, I'm hoping to travel to Singapore in the near future so I also feel like this was for research purposes. Although, there's no way I'd be able to afford to go anywhere they went, except the airport!
I did enjoy this book, it was full of scandal, controlling families, rich people with as many problems as credit cards and I loved it. The wealth in that part of the world is astounding and getting a peek in to how the other half live was so interesting. The mix of the old fashioned cultural values which prevail alongside the new money and expensive luxury lifestyles is very typical of that part of the world and was something I was really intrigued to read about. The main character of Rachel who is more 'like us' helped the reader see the world through her eyes and made me think about how I would feel if that world was suddenly thrust upon me. The answer? Not good! Be grateful for what you have, that kind of money brings nothing but pain. Deep thoughts coming from perhaps a not so deep, but incredibly fun, book!
What have you been reading? I love adding to my to read list, constantly!
Sophia
