Top 10 Books

So it’s been a year since I started this blog and it has gone so quickly. I can’t quite believe I finish Uni in April. I need to start thinking about my plans for the future! 
 

So far this semester I’ve had Creative Voice 3 which is designed to help us prepare for the big bad world. There are four strands with four different teachers. Strand 1 focuses on publishing. Strand 2 looks at alternative jobs that use transferable skills. Strand 3 is all about electronic publishing and Strand 4 encourages us to consider who we are as a writer and what texts have contributed to our writing ‘journey’ (which by the way we aren’t allowed to say as we're not on the Xfactor!).

As part of Strand 4 we have to compile a list of the Top 10 Texts that have influenced us chronologically. Well of course that reminded me of my promise to you. By some miracle I have completed my challenge of reading 100 books in a year. So here is my list of the Top 10 books I read in 2012. 

10. Death on the Nile – Agatha Christie

Although I’ve watched Hercule Poirot on TV and enjoyed it, I’ve never actually read any Agatha Christie. This year I decided it was a must. I chose Death on the Nile because I have seen a couple of adaptations and wanted to see how similar they were. I found it to be extremely well written and in fact much better than the TV adaptations. I would definitely like to read some more Christie in the future.

09. Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend – Jenny Colgan

Since being at Uni i've spent less time reading my preferred genre which is Chick – Lit. I've tried to make myself a more varied reader but do from time to time I allow myself a treat. Diamonds was a real treat. It’s a riches to rags tale about Sophie who has to recreate herself after a family tragedy. A heart warming tale that really makes you think!

08. Where’d you Go Bernadette – Maria Semple

I enjoyed this book because it was made up of a variety of formats including emails and police reports. This helped me to consider different writing styles within my own work. Also Bernadette is so different to any character I have read about before which is quite an accomplishment considering how many have been released into the world! I did recommend this book to a couple of people who thought it was a bit farfetched but personally I liked how different it was. 

07. Gone Tomorrow – Lee Child

I tried to read books by different authors this year and made it a rule only to read one by each. I have to admit that Lee Child makes me break rules! I read four of his in one year! Gone Tomorrow was the first. Jack Reacher is my favourite character. Not because he's a good man. In fact he has no conscience. But I learnt a lot because he is so logical and approaches life in a different way to most people. Child has written him so well that I find myself referring to him as though he is a real person. I’m not impressed that Tom Cruise has been cast as Reacher in the film – Reacher is supposed to be 6ft 5!

06. Summer Sisters – Judy Bloom

I was a big fan of Judy Bloom when I was a pre-teen and was recently surprised to find out she actually wrote adult books too. Summer Sisters courses the ups and downs of friendships and observes that you are always bound to the person you grew up with no matter what happens. Set mainly in Martha’s Vineyard it appealed to me as one of my ambitions is to visit New England and I found myself being jealous of the setting.

05. Saturday Night & Sunday Morning – Alan Sillitoe

This is a very bleak book so not one to read if you’re prone to dark moments. It’s known as one of the first kitchen sink dramas. Set in Nottingham in the late 1950s it follows the life of Arthur Seaton a disillusioned teenager who is only interested in drinking and womanising.  This book appealed to me because it seems so ahead of its time. I first heard about it when I was in college about 10 years ago but never got around to reading it and again in the first year of uni. I’m really glad I finally read it.

04. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini

This book was recommended to me by my good friend Holly from imaginingsofacreativewriter fame. Set in Kabul from the 1960s – 2000’s It’s about two women who shouldn’t be friends but overcome their differences to survive in a world that would beat the strongest of people. It’s a real page turner and beautifully written.

03. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café – Fannie Flag                      

This is one book that is as good as the film (or vice versa). Idgie Threadgood is the inspirational tomboy whose life story is told by her aging sister-in-law Ninny. Idgie’s story begins in Alabama in the 1920s when her beloved older brother Buddy dies and she distances herself from her family and friends. It’s only when Buddy’s girlfriend returns years later that Idgie begins to embrace life again. In the 1980’s Ninny tells menopausal Evelyn Couch Idgie’s story and it encourages Evelyn to change her life for the better. This is such a heart warming book – I urge you to read it.

02. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book. It does look daunting as the text is quite small and is bulky. However, Mr Ball bought it for me as a present and assured me that Mistry’s writing would appeal to me. He was right (he usually is). A further review can be found under A Very 90s Wednesday (2^nd May 2012).

01. Me Before You – Jo Jo Moyes

This is my number one because it kept me thinking long after I finished it. I even bought two copies for friend’s birthdays. Me Before You is an unconventional love story. It’s certainly original and thought provoking. It goes one step further than traditional chick-lit! For further details see my original review under St Ives (27^th June 2012).