My February Wrap-Up
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February was a peach of a reading month for me. I don't even care that the bulk of the books I read were re-reads - I had a blast doing it and I smashed it by reading fourteen books in total so you know what, I'm going to jump right in and you can enjoy my little reading journey that I went on this month as I went back to carrying paperbacks (and not my Kindle) on the train with me, happily allowing the extra weight on my shoulders and risking the pages getting damaged (they didn't - I'm super careful with the care I take with my books). Because as much as a Kindle is convenient and practical, it's just not the same as pulling a paperback out of your bag, holding it in your hands, and traditionally flicking its pages as the countryside flits by.
The Alex Rider Series
- by Anthony Horowitz
5.0/5.0 stars
There are some books that you distinctly remember reading because of the memories linked to them. The Alex Rider series is definitely one of those for me. When I look at these books on my shelf, they hold more than just stories; they hold the point in time that I read them - my high school years - and that's a really special thing.
I remember it being the "in thing" in fiction and every time there was a newly released book in the series, it would pass from hand to hand within my friendship circle (yep, we were the "nerdy" clique)* We used to have library day once a week and we'd each go and get the maximum number of books that were allowed per person (we would stagger out of there with our arms dropping with the sheer weight of the books we were carrying) and then we'd share and swap. We would then do this thing in art class where we'd pile up all our books to make a book tower and we'd take pictures of it, so that over time, we had built up a montage that told the story of all the books we'd collectively read in the year. (I told you we were the nerds).
Completely irrelevant, but these were the years in which the Twilight book phase EXPLODED and we were at the heart of it all so every day at school, we'd see flashes of the classic black-cover-with-red-art-work in the corridors during the day, but that's besides the point. My point is that an Alex Rider book nearly always featured in our book piles. At least one of us was reading one of them in the series, and we were quite literally, engrossed in the life of teenage spy Alex Rider, and the mission he would find himself entangled in, in each book.
I loved them. Addictive, fast-paced and absolute thrillers, the stories of fourteen year old Alex Rider-turned-James-Bond made for an incredibly action-packed journey and lately, when they've been catching my eye from my bookshelf, I've felt the impulsive craving to re-read them. So I did just that.
Reading them over eight years later, I found myself once again, fascinated by the world of espionage. It felt familiar and new all at the same time. And whilst the protagonist is a teenager, and the book matches that with its simple writing style and easy-to-follow plot, I still found myself hooked by Horowitz's fiction. There is no denying his talent in writing action; his descriptive style, layering of plot, and his twists and turns that catch you completely by surprise, make his books such fast-paced and exciting reads. You can't help but love Alex Rider and you know what, I'd still recommend them to book lovers everywhere because why the hell not. I had so much fun re-visiting a classic favourite. They are a breath of fresh air in the young adult genre - original, entertaining, and something that hasn't been done before (nor will it be done again), they will always be a series that I treasure having on my bookshelf.
* We were also the football-obsessed group, but that's a tale for another day
Never Never : a novella trilogy
- by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
5.0/5.0 stars
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I can't express my love for this mini trilogy. I'm not usually one for books that are co-written but damn did Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher breathe life back into the hopeless romantic that was slowly dying in me. Together, they've written a beautiful love story that is fun, scary, and exciting in equal measure.
When I started reading Never Never, I knew close to nothing about the book because the blurb is as cryptic and mysterious as the book.
Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.
He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.
I want to spill the secrets of this book - truly, I do. But I won't, because I want you to read it, and I want you to go into it blind and experience what I experienced. And by that, I mean having no idea what in the hell is going on and having your mind race with theories as you try to piece together this crazy and confusing story that will blow your mind. What a page-turner. It left me at the edge of my seat, dying to know why the hero and heroine have no memories, burning with the desire to read more revelations on their relationship, and praying that my Kindle wouldn't die on me before I learnt the truth. It was intense.
I'm a big fan of Colleen Hoover, and her writing style is distinct in the narrative that is from the perspective of Silas - the dreamy, sweet, loving hero. And it meshes well with the writing style of Tarryn Fisher as she writes the narrative of Charlie - the sarcastic, tough, yet vulnerable heroine. I can't fault the characterisation of these characters; they each have a distinct voice and I couldn't help but become emotionally invested in both of them, for different reasons. With so little information, and in so few pages, the authors manage to create a relationship between these two individuals that will tug at your heartstrings and not let go. They build it up, and tear it down with an intriguing, heart-breaking, almost creepy twist that will make you dream up of the wildest theories and craziest conspiracies. The suspense almost killed me.
A compelling story that brings to light the innocence, beauty and power of first love - with its witty dialogue, twists and turns that will make your heart beat unnaturally fast, and humour that is injected into an otherwise dark and mysterious plot, it takes you on an enthralling journey that will leave you hooked from the first page. I'm seriously hoping they weave the three parts into one book so I can buy it and have this beautiful story on my bookshelf so I can re-experience this incredible roller-coaster of a thriller.
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The Catcher in the Rye
- by J.D.Salinger
5.0/5.0 stars
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It is incredibly hard for me to construct a coherent and meaningful review for a classic that is as old as time but I shall do my damned best.
I can't tell you what possessed me to read The Catcher in the Rye. I just remember downloading it out of the blue thinking that I'll get round to it one day in the distant future - and I was also thinking that I was maybe, likely, wasting my time because that day is never going to come...voluntarily reading classics isn't my thing - but then I started it, and then the most absurd thing happened. I read the last line of the book and the profound realisation hit - I loved it. In some ways, this is the classic that I wish I'd read in high school. But in other ways, it couldn't possibly have resounded with me as powerfully then, as it did reading it now.
The Catcher in the Rye is a coming-of-age novel that explores one boy's disaffected youth. Narrated by sixteen year old Holden Caulfield, it spans the course of three days after he is kicked out of school, in which he finds himself roaming the streets of New York City in search of some meaning or purpose to life. Confused, depressed and disillusioned, Holden tries to find direction in his life and in doing so, mourns the sense of "growing up", and contemplates his transition from adolescence to adulthood.
| Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone - Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye
I related to Holden on so many levels. I loved his characterisation; from his quirks, witty remarks and sarcasm, to his more vulnerable, softer side that reveals itself in unexpected moments. But beyond that, I empathised with his psychological struggles and I felt his adolescent confusion on such a profound level. He has such an authentic voice that is compelling in nature and that gives an honest insight into the bewildering puzzle that is adulthood. He questions the nuts and bolts of life, questions society, and he has raw, un-shielded opinions and sharp judgments that set him apart from the "phonies" of the world - and it struck a chord. Because so many of his thoughts, are so often my own. Through Holden, J.D.Salinger has put into words what I couldn't. With his unique writing style, and through the bitter undertone that laces Holden's narrative, he has captured the struggles of adulthood in a nutshell.
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It's strange, that of all the characters I could relate to, it is one from 1951 that I relate to more than any other. Longing for the innocence of youth, he hit me with a cold dose of nostalgia, and in 277 pages, over three days in New York City, encapsulated the disorienting journey of growing up.
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