Station Eleven, Emily St.John Mandel

‘Hell is the absence of the people you long for.’

Station Eleven is at once devastatingly tragic and surprisingly hopeful. I already know that I’ll think about this book for a long time, and come back to again and again.

The post-apocalyptic novel revolves largely around the life and relations of Arthur Leander, the actor whose sudden on-stage death is the first chapter, preparing us for the speed and ruthlessness of the flu-epidemic that is to follow.

Every single character in this book is meticulously thought through, well-rounded, and entirely believable and engrossing. Finishing this was hard because I didn’t want to leave their lives behind. I can only hope for a sequel, although I’m not sure if it actually needs one (except to satisfy my own desires).

As well as discovering the links between all the characters and Leander, the plot of the novel follows the Travelling Symphony, a nomadic group of musicians and actors, whose existence in this post-epidemic world is to entertain, educate and keep culture and The Arts alive. ‘Survival‘, to the Travelling Symphony, ‘is insufficient’.

Shakespeare, science-fiction graphic novels, affairs, love and death, alongside some of the best and most evocative writing I have ever come across make this book a definite five out of five stars for me.

This has quickly become my new favourite book and I will recommend it to anyone. I’m definitely going to be reading the author’s other novels, and keeping my eyes peeled for anything new from Emily St.John Mandel.

Podcast Recommendations

So I’ve jumped on the podcast bandwagon and haven’t looked back.

There’s been a bit of a popularity surge in this twist on radio broadcasting recently, and it’s suddenly really trendy to listen to (or if you’re talented enough: create) all of the podcasts.

As you all probably know by now, I love to read. I love a good television series. I love stories. I love learning new and interesting things. And you’re not supposed to read a book or watch Netflix on your phone whilst walking down the street, so: enter podcasts! Pop those headphones in and get walkin’, girl.

They’re not radio shows – don’t be put off by thoughts of Desert Island Discs (if you are into that though, those are on the iTunes chart, too).

But, it did start out as a kind of experiment by The Guardian back in 2004, on “radio broadcasting”, combining “the intimacy of voice, the interactivity of a weblog, and the convenience and portability of an MP3 download”.

But it’s definitely come into its own unique genre since then, now with plenty of sub-genres, too. Just take a look at the iTunes podcast section!

Anyway, I thought I’d share with you all a few of my favourites:

The Bright Sessions

The Bright Sessions is presented in the form of tape recordings from the office of Dr Bright, a psychologist to those who consider themselves to be ‘strange and unusual’.

Think X-Men, but with teenagers and therapy.

This was the podcast (recommended to me by a friend) that got me into podcasts. It’s fiction, so it’s a bit like an audio book, but heard through tape recordings of the sessions, which makes it’s feel more real – like you’re listening in on conversations you shouldn’t be.

It’s currently in the middle of its third season, and I’m still hooked. I completely binged the first two seasons in about a week, so it’s killing me waiting for each new episode. But they’re really worth it.

My Favorite Murder

Yep. A podcast about murder and true crime.

Category: comedy.

This is a podcast about true crime, for those fascinated with serial killers and the like. Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff sit around being hilarious and witty, discussing murder in all its manifestations and exploring the reasons behind why people kill, and anything else that happens to pop into their ever distracted heads.

You either like it or you don’t!

Serial (Season 1)

I’m sure the second season of Serial is great, too, but I’ve just finished the first one. Sarah Koenig investigates the murder of Hae Min Lee, and everything that came after.

This one’s more of a documentary. I don’t want to say too much about it, except it’s probably one of the reasons why podcasting has become so popular in the past two years. This kick-started the whole trend, I’m pretty sure.

Alice Isn’t Dead 

A fictional story about a truck driver road-tripping across America in search of her missing wife, who she long assumed was dead.

Until strange things start happening.

The story is told through the tape recordings the narrator makes for Alice on her journey. Intense, vivid and often uncomfortable, this story is a thrilling and addictive mix of supernatural, murder and conspiracy.

And the narrators voice is the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to, so go and download it, if only for that.

 

If you have any good podcast recommendations comment them below so I can binge on them! 🙂

 

The Importance of Being Bored

It’s probably a bit hypocritical of me to try and cover this subject, since I’m one of the biggest culprits when it comes to being unable to turn off.

I’m either obsessively reading, binge-listening to podcasts, addicted to a TV show, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or Reddit or Instagram, or generally running my mouth off about any of the above. (And I’m very aware of the irony around me writing a blog post at 11pm on a Sunday, whilst I preach about unplugging).

I really want to be able to just sit in the middle of something, thoughtlessly. To be neither hot nor cold about a topic. To let boredom wash over me, like sitting in a lukewarm bath, and let myself relax. But truth be told, I can’t even have a bath without a book, podcast or an album to busy my mind.

Being bored is not only lost on me, but it’s lost on most of us: the social media generation. Everything we need to keep ourselves occupied, is at the tip of our fingers, all the time.

And I’m not necessarily saying that this is always a bad thing. We’ve all benefited from the internet and social media, it’s an unavoidable and necessary tool for 21st century life. But, it’s also important to understand what it means to be bored.

It’s important to learn how to entertain ourselves, to actively and guiltlessly daydream, and keep our imaginations active. Otherwise, we end up becoming patchworks of everyone else, with nothing to say for ourselves.

I’m certainly trying to make an effort these days to media detox a little more often. So, here are some thoughts on the benefits of boredom, which I hope will convince both me and you to switch off now and again:

1. Boredom = mindfulness

When we’re not constantly ingesting the ideas and stories of everyone else, we can sit back and consider our own lives.

This is probably one of the reasons we’re so obsessed with being occupied in the first place. Sometimes considering your own situation is a lot less enticing than judging the lives of others. As unenthusiastic as we may be to reflect on our own lives, it’s important to face the things in life that we’re unhappy with, in order to begin to change them.

2. Boredom = creativity 

When you let your mind quiet, it allows you to look at your own ideas, and explore those things that have being sitting on the back shelves gathering dust. Exercising your mind of everything but your own thoughts once in a while is beneficial in so many ways for creativity. Take those ideas you probably didn’t remember were back there, dust them off, and see where they go.

3. Being bored = falling asleep quicker 

When your mind is constantly bombarded with stimulus, whether that be from the TV show you’ve been binge-watching, the podcast you can’t stop listening to or the book you can’t put down, then when you finally get into bed (probably after ‘one last scroll’ through Facebook/Twitter/Instagram) you can’t switch off. Decreasing your intake of external stimulation means you’re able to relax quicker in the evening, and get the beauty sleep you deserve.

 

So do yourself a favour, and switch off more often. Let yourself be bored and see where it takes you.

Elizabeth is Missing, Emma Healey

Maud can’t remember the last time she saw Elizabeth. She doesn’t know why she has dirt under her fingernails or how she got to the bandstand in the park. But she knows that Elizabeth is missing. She knows that. The note in her pocket tells her so.

This book is an interesting look into the mind of an elderly lady with (assumed) dementia, who’s desperately trying to remember what she knows she needs to remember.

Following in the footsteps of many contemporary novels, it to-and-fros between past and present time, concentrating on twin mysteries – the disappearances of her sister and of Elizabeth. As the novel goes on, the two begin to merge, both in plot and in Maud’s confused mind.

It’s touching and sad and well-written, but I’m afraid it’s yet another book for me, in terms of plot and character, which didn’t live up to the hype that surrounded it.

It’s probably to do with the fact that Maud is, understandably, such an unreliable narrator. However, I don’t think that this is a good enough excuse for there to still be unanswered questions at the end of the novel.

I found myself much more engaged with the postwar story line which followed a young Maud and the suspicious disappearance of her older sister, Sukey. I felt thoroughly emerged in Healey’s 1940s London, and since the narrator is a lot more reliable in these sections, I felt a more solid attachment to the plot and a more emotive relationship to the characters.

If the feeling of loss and misunderstanding around the present day story of Maud and Elizabeth is intentionally meant to reflect the confusion and chaos in the mind of the protagonist, then Healey has done a thorough and good job.

If you like intentionally unreliable narrators and literary fiction then this is the book for you.

Nocturnal Animals, Austin Wright

Love. Death. Retribution.

Susan Morrow and Edward Sheffield divorced fifteen years ago. Now a house-wife and mother in Chicago, married to Doctor Arnold Morrow, she one day receives a letter and a manuscript from her ex-husband, asking would she like to read his first book?

A compulsive worrier, Susan assumes that Edward’s getting back in touch means that there will be some hidden meaning in his story: “a new twist in their dead romance”. She’s surprised, intrigued and hesitant, but finally sits down to read the manuscript over a three day period.

The manuscript, Nocturnal Animals, is a thriller which follows Tony Hastings’ journey after a highway ambush, and the kidnapping of his wife and daughter.

Susan reads, as we all do, with the hope of taking herself out of and away from her own reality, so she’s unpleasantly surprised to find more of herself in this novel than she would have liked.

 

I really enjoyed most of this book and appreciated Wright’s consideration of the interconnection between real and invented worlds, and the relationship between the reader and the writer.

However, I wouldn’t call the book a thriller.

It didn’t have the expected or anticipated twist that a thriller needs. Even in the manuscript, I was waiting for something to happen. Some big twist that makes you throw your hands to your mouth and shout “OH!” in shock and realisation.

But, I don’t think that this is the author’s fault.

My expectations were founded on the way the book has been recently advertised. For me, it’s definitely more literary fiction, focused on Susan’s compulsion to read and her fear of reading, and this is the part that, in my opinion, is done really well.

The conceit at the heart of this book is intellectual and stimulating: reading the book alongside Susan, even if she is neurotic and passive, means that our reactions are her reactions, our thoughts are her thoughts. We are the reader.

It’s also a book about revenge. The manuscript itself seems enveloped in it, as well as the strange relationship between Edward and Susan. However, I think that their relationship was left unexplored and the focus on the eventually pretty average novel that Edward wrote, meant that their complicated past (and indeed complicated present) was unfortunately left behind, to the detriment of this novel.

Overall, although I felt slightly disappointed when I had finished this book (because it was missing the cheap thrill I expected), I really enjoyed reading it. It’s given me a lot to think about, which can only be a good thing, in my opinion.

 

Have you read this? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!

Book review: Only Daughter, Anna Snoekstra

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I joined a book club! A real one with real people where you can go to a bar once a month and drink gin and talk about the thing you all love to do (read, obviously… and drink gin).

So, I went to my first proper meeting tonight and it was great, and so good to talk to people who enjoy the same things as I do. I also won next month’s book in the raffle – woohoo! Good start.

Anyway, January’s book was Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra, and I hated it. Not such a good start.

But hear me out. Bear in mind when I read it, I had just finished the BBC series The Missing, so this might have skewed my judgement, and the premises are very similar: girl goes missing, girl comes back years later, but is it really her? Nope.

Sorry! But that’s not a spoiler. You learn that pretty much immediately in the book. The plot line is more about what happened to the real daughter, why, and by whom?

The story is told from both the girls’ perspectives, alternating back and forth from 2003 when the real Rebecca went missing, and 2014 when the posing Rebecca appears.

This was definitely enough to get me intrigued, my attention was successfully caught by the blurb and I was ready for a juicy new thriller.

The story itself was good, but the actual writing was a bit of a let down. It was really easy to read but I felt like the sub-plots were predictable, disappointing and boring. If this was written better, and the plots and characters were more fleshed out, I really think I would have loved it.

The last thirty or so pages were filled with suspense and plot but sadly I felt like the rest of the book lacked this, and so many threads were left loose at the end! I imagine that this is so that Snoekstra can easily write up and sell a sequel but I just feel like it’s a bit of a cop out really, and I don’t think it’s fair on the reader to be left with so many unanswered questions.

The book is apparently being turned into a film, so it’ll be interesting to see if the how the characters and plot come across for that. I don’t think I’ll be rushing to see it though…

Have any of you read this book? What did you think? I know some people in the book club really liked it so would be interested in your opinions!

Borrowed Time

::an uncertain and usually uncontrolled postponement of something inevitable.

Sometimes we feel as if we might be living on borrowed time. Stuck, suspended, waiting for … something.

It’s difficult, I think, for graduates lately. We’ve been given all of these expectations about what to expect when we finally finish our education. We’ve been told that if we finish with a great grade, if we gain enough work experience, do enough extra curricular activities, then landing our dream job will come naturally.

We come into the world with a (very expensive) piece of paper, declaring that we’re capable, we can be adults now. Things will just be there, waiting for us to take them. But unfortunately, it’s just not that simple. Things don’t wait for you, and you can’t wait for them. And that becomes a disappointment – but it really shouldn’t be.

Of course, some people know what they want, and they will do anything to achieve their goals, and that’s great and they’re sure to get there. But it’s also completely normal to not know what we want to do with our lives just yet.

Since graduating 10 months ago (wow), I have applied for countless ‘dream jobs’. Jobs I thought would be the kick start to my ‘career’ – jobs in magazines, newspapers, for websites, and media companies. Because a job in publishing seems like the natural next step, for an English graduate who will read anything she can get her hands on.

But, needless to say, I didn’t get an interview for even one of these jobs. And that’s because I don’t actually think any of them excited me all that much – and as much as you try, that shows in your application.

“Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.” – Baz Lurhman, Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen

As soon as I broadened my horizons, and started applying for jobs outside of my comfort zone, outside of my realm of obvious experience, I started getting call backs, and invited to interviews. These jobs scared and excited me, because I love to learn new things, and I love to challenge myself.

I now work in a job I wouldn’t have even considered applying for this time last year. Doing something I never would have imagined I’d be able to do. And I really love it. I’m challenged every day and my sense of responsibility both within my team and within the company is growing as fast as my confidence.

I still love to read, and I still love to write, and I will continue to do these things as long as they excite me.

I am not living on borrowed time, none of us are. I am living now, and I am very, very happy about that.

Review: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with Pixie Lott

Image credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes

Something very exciting happened! One of my all time favourite films, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, is now also a play, and I got to go and see it at The Lowry last Tuesday.

The play is actually adapted from the Truman Capote novella, rather than the 1961 Audrey Hepburn classic. And so Holly Golightly (Pixie Lott) is played as a grittier, less saccharine character than we’re used to, resonating more with Capote’s original country-turned-New-York-party-girl. Tim Auld of The Telegraph described Lott’s performance as “less slinky cat, more frisky kitten”.

The curtain lifted to reveal Holly standing in front of Tiffany’s window – an adaptation of the iconic Hepburn image – singing a teaser of Moon River in a thunder storm. The staging continued in this simple, pacy and effective way, with settings and props emerging almost effortlessly from both sides of the stage and from above.

Naturally, there were many costume changes, all classic 1940s and as elegant as we’ve come to expect from the vivacious Holly Golightly. Set and costume designer Matthew Wright did a fantastic job encapsulating the mood and style of the era.

Image credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes

Image credit: Sean Ebsworth Barnes

‘Fred’ (Matt Barber) lives in the apartment above Holly in a typical New York Brownstone, and they quickly become friends after her insistent ringing of his bell at one, two and three in the morning. Barber also narrates the story, taking the audience along with him as his fascination with Holly intensifies.

Holiday ‘Holly’ Golightly leads an “American geisha” lifestyle, surrounded by the wealthiest men she can find, whilst hiding a mysterious and sad backstory, and she refuses to let ‘Fred’ tame her. “Never love a wild thing”, she shouts. “You can’t give your heart to a wild thing.”

Described as a play with songs, Pixie Lott sings three beautiful numbers, Moon River, of course, being one of them. Her raspy and captivating voice lends itself to the hidden country girl inside of her and strengthens the emotion of her performance.

The entire production is intense, surprising and touching, and Pixie Lott plays a passionate, highly memorably Holly Golightly, a character we all know and love: reinvented.

Book Club: Mysteries

Since leaving uni and having actual free time which is no longer dominated by reading list anxiety, I’ve been able to expand my horizons in terms of genre. I have since found myself developing a serious affinity with mystery novels, especially psychological and crime thrillers. On these cold evenings, there’s nothing quite like curling up on the sofa, or in bed, lighting a candle and digging into a mystery novel.

Here are a few that I’ve been making my way through over the past few months.

Debbie Howells, The Bones of You:: This book started off really well for me, the characters were interesting, the plot was intriguing, the prose was emotive – I found myself with goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes after the first few pages. However, I ended up hating the characters after a while; the women especially seemed weak, too similar and very dislikeable. That being said, the plot itself was very suspenseful, with lots of well integrated twists, keeping me completely engrossed. The ending was more of a slow realisation than your typical plot twist, but I think I liked that, since the realism wasn’t at all sacrificed for cheap shock value. ★★★★☆

Paula Hawkins, The Girl on the Train:: I cannot recommend this book enough! The fact that I started and finished reading this book on a train (two separate journeys over a weekend, I’m not that good!) make this all the more special for me. The writing style and structure make the whole reading experience ridiculously tense, in the best possible way. And the plot. THE PLOT. Enough twists to make you dizzy. Go read this right now. ★★★★★

Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo:: I haven’t actually finished reading this one yet (I’m about 60 pages from the end), but I have quite a lot to say about it already so I’m throwing it in. Although the central plot is very interesting, and the characters are unique, especially Lisbeth (the girl with the dragon tattoo), reading it is hard. I don’t know if it’s maybe been lost in the English translation, but the prose feels laborious and makes for very monotonous reading, a lot of the time. There is too much listing, a lot of financial and journalistic jargon, and random uninteresting and unnecessary descriptions scattered throughout. I am determined to finish it at this point, but whether or not I read the other two in the Millennium trilogy depends on the ending of this one. ★★☆☆☆ (for now…)

Maggie O’Farrell, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox:: I read this book on holiday in Menorca, finished it in about a day and half, and couldn’t stop talking about it for the rest of the week. Unlike a lot of mysteries I’ve been reading, this one does not centralise around a murder, but it was under no circumstances any less interesting. It is a haunting story which explores the wrongful institutionalisation of Esme Lennox, and her blurry family history. With enough twists to keep your bum perched permanently on the edge of your seat. Intense and very intellectual prose made this a very exciting and really lovely read. ★★★★★

Next on my list::

Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects:: I’ve read both of Flynn’s other novels (Gone Girl and Dark Places) and absolutely loved both of them, so I am more than excited to get my nose into this one.

Irvine Welsh, Filth:: Although not exactly in the same genre as the psychological thrillers above, Filth does revolve around a murder investigation. I tried reading Trainspotting by Welsh, but couldn’t get into it no matter how hard I tried. The blurb on this one made me laugh out loud in the middle of the charity shop though, so I’m looking forward to giving it a go.

What are you reading right now? Any recommendations to add to my ever-growing list?

25 Things to Blog About

Let me start with an apology, to myself as much as anyone, for not keeping up with my own aims for this blog. It seems I haven’t posted in four whole months! But what a hectic four months these have been.

Since the last time I posted, I have graduated! I completed all of my exams, (and didn’t even cry in any of them), I wrote a 10,000 word dissertation (and cried a lot in the duration) and I now have a lovely, shiny degree in English Literature and English Language.
I moved back home. I worked in a coffee shop. I camped for a week in Scotland. I started going to the gym! (- To those who have known me a long time, this really is the most shocking news). I’ve read approximately a thousand books. Next week, I’m holidaying with my best friend in Menorca. And then I’m moving again, to the North West, where I will hopefully find myself a job and start living a real adult life. An adult life that involves the diligent and most loving upkeep of my little blog, which, by the way, is celebrating its one year anniversary this month.

So, as a way back into it, here is a list of 25 things to blog about when you – and I – are feeling that looming blogger’s burnout:

1. Cook something, bake something, take a million pictures and write up your method.
2. Write a review of a film you’ve seen or a book you’ve read recently.
3. Share one of your favourite memories.
4. Use your blog as a productive outlet for what you’re feeling – write it all down to help yourself and to encourage others.
5. Write about what has been inspiring you lately.
6. Learn a new skill and talk about the process.
7. List the things that have made you happy this week /month.
8. Share an Instagram post catch up, write about it journal style.
9. Round up some of your favourite blogs or blog posts and share them with your followers.
10. If you try something new, share your experience.
11. If you’re good at something already, share some tips!
12. Go somewhere you’ve never been before, take a camera and post your favourite pictures.
13. Write about what you’re thankful for.
14. Make a list of your goals.
15. Write about something you’re passionate about.
16. Share some of your recent pins from Pinterest (tell us why they’re pinteresting).
17. Make a playlist of your favourite songs.
18. Do a monthly round up of things you’ve been loving.
19. Tell us about your favourite book.
20. Share photos from your weekend.
21. Talk about a particular quote which inspires you.
22. Write about some of your daily essentials.
23. Write a feature on a local cafe or a particular spot you love going to.
24. Give your readers some helpful tips on your blogging process (or any other productive process!)
25. Take any idea you have and just write until it becomes a coherent post! – Trust your ideas.