A New Venture...Inspired

Sometimes inspiration just happens.  Not when you are looking or necessarily want to be inspired.  For me it has been one of those inspiring weeks.

I took a trip to a creative writing convention with some young people and I will be honest and say that I had solely looked at this as an opportunity for the young people I was supervising.  Never did I expect to walk away totally inspired to kick start my own writing creative writing back up again. I was so fortunate to meet some wonderful Scottish writers and hear their own stories of how they write, what made them write and where they draw their creative musings from. 

The whole day is run by the Scottish Book Trust and offers pupils the chance to meet poets, novelists, playwrights and short story writers with Scottish backgrounds.  The pupils are divided into groups and each group experiences the workshops of two writers.  My group first met an ex-English teacher named Martin Stewart who recently released his debut novel, Riverkeep.  This workshop was a lot about choosing the right words to express what you are trying to say.  Not over-writing and falling into cliched habits.  I particularly enjoyed the editing techniques that he suggested. This has to be one of the most practical advice sessions I have ever had when it comes to writing.  I will definitely be putting his advice to good use.

The second workshop I attended was by poet Liz Niven.  Her workshop was less about the practicalities of writing and more about actually getting us to put pen to paper and to look for inspiration all around us.  Liz was super keen to get us all involved and we took inspiration from some poems she had selected in order to start writing our own poetry.  The first exercise was that we were given the colour blue then given one of the senses. Mine was sound. I had to write down what the colour blue sounds like.  We wrote a series of short poems using different exercises and were encouraged to write both in standard English as well as in Scots.  The outcome of this surprised me - what I ended up with written on the paper left me feeling really inspired to start writing again.

After I got home from the conference I felt like I had been away from writing for too long.  I always said that I would write a novel one day.  That I would be a published author.  When I left the feeling I had was that I want to start slightly smaller and go with writing short stories and maybe even poetry.  This week I have finally put my pen to paper and jotted out my ideas that I have had for a while.  Hopefully I will be posting some snippets of writing very soon.

Meg x

September TBR

Already I feel like I have been side tracked from my original TBR for September because of how much I enjoyed "Six of Crows" at the start of the month.  I got an Audible credit and just felt like I had to spend it on the sequel.  I have no regrets!

The first book on my TBR is "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo.  I got this from Audible to keep me company on a long car journey after hearing so much about it on Booktube.  I was pretty intrigued and had gotten about halfway through it in August.  It was my priority to finish this one first (which I have) and get on to reading the rest of my September TBR.  I will put a full review in my September wrap up but it was a superb read.










The next book is one that I am totally unsure about, even a bit wary, if I am honest.  There are so many mixed reviews about it that it took me a while to convince myself to put it on my list.  "Confessions of a Sociopath" by M.E. Thomas is one that should be right up my street - I love anything remotely psychological and especially books that look at things from a different perspective.  As M.E. Thomas is a diagnosed non-violent sociopath I figured that it would be an interesting way to learn a bit more about the condition.  I have started this one already and I can totally see where the negative reviews are coming from.






"Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman is book 3 on my to be read list this month.  The title caught me straight away - who is Eleanor Oliphant!? Why wouldn't she be fine? Is she really fine?  All questions that have popped into my head when I look at the title of the book.  To me this sounded like a book of balance - it has a serious side but a bit of humour injected too.  I am saving this one for the middle of the month when I need something to cheer me up a little bit amongst my other dark, gloomy reads. 


This next book is one I picked up for a few reasons: the nomination for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the hype that surrounds it.  "Stay With Me" by Ayobami Adebayo is set in a community where polygamy is normal and the idea of staying faithful to one person is absurd.  It follows the journey of a couple who are trying (unsuccessfully) for a baby and the devastation they face when they don't get what they want.  The couple's devastation is deepened when the family arrives with another wife to join the family and provide children to Akin.  I am so keen to read this beautiful book - the yellow edged pages are stunning!





I fell in love with Ira Levin when I read "Rosemary's Baby" at university and I have always been meaning to come back and read more of his work but never quite found the time.  This month I have added "A Kiss Before Dying" to my list to ensure I finally get around to this one.  I don't know very much about the actual plot other than it is about a young man who will do anything to get to where he wants to be.  I know that Ira Levin's writing style is one that I previously enjoyed and I know that this book gets rave reviews so I have high hopes for this one.






"The Sellout" by Paul Beattie which won the Man Booker prize is another book on my list this month. This is about a man brought up by a racist father who has shaped his view of the world.  To try to make a point he re-introduces segregation and slavery in modern day America.  This is a shocking story but one that I am genuinely scared of becoming a reality in the future.  The way that the world is heading seems to be further and further from what is morally acceptable.  I think this may well end up an important lesson that should be heeded by many world leaders today.






For years I have been meaning to work my way through the works of Shakespeare that I (shame-faced) admit that I have not actually read yet.  I feel this list is WAY longer than it should be!  I also feel that I have added "The Tempest" to this month's list because I really want to read Margaret Atwood's "Hag-Seed" which is a re-telling of the original story.  I figured it is definitely some sort of sacrilegious act if I was to read "Hag-Seed" before the real deal.








Having read my first Daphne DuMaurier novel in August I was intrigued to compare the quality of her short stories to the novel.  I have picked "The Blue Lenses" as a short story collection to start reading this month.  My aim is to get this finished pretty quickly - especially since it is actually a book borrowed from the library. I know nothing about the stories but I am intrigued to find out more.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, I want to listen to "Crooked Kingdom" by Leigh Bardugo.  I was so impressed with "Six of Crows" that I just don't want there to be a huge time gap before I get the chance to binge on this one too.  The cliffhanger in "Six of Crows" left me glad that I came late to the party and could move straight on to the next book in the series!









I am going to do a mid month reading review in September I think so that will be up in the next week or so.  I also want to do a proper individual review of a few books I have loved recently.

Meg x

August Reading Wrap Up

Compared to July I was a little bit disappointed by August's reading but towards the last week it definitely picked up a bit.  I loved every book that I read except for one.  This was the first month in a very long time that I DNF'd a book but I will get to that later.

The first book that I read in August was "My Cousin Rachel" by Daphne DuMaurier.  It really kickstarted my month of reading well because I ended up totally hooked.  I listened to this one on Audible but it is one I definitely want to go back to read it in book format.  This is my first ever DuMaurier read and it certainly will be far from my last.  The characters were so rich in personality that I felt like I got to know them personally.   This is very much a character driven novel - not very much happens by way of plot until the denouement.  I felt like the characters were so well developed that there really wasn't a necessity for lots of plot points.  The character of Rachel was by far one of the most intriguing, mysterious and well written characters that I have ever read. All throughout the novel I really could not grasp my feelings towards Rachel - I went from hating her to feeling intense sympathy for her as a character. This was honestly the most certain 5 star read I had read to this point in the year.

Having finished my first ever DuMaurier novel I was really concerned that whatever I read next would end up being a disappointment.  Whenever I read a really good book I worry that whatever comes next doesn't really get a fair chance because I know whatever is next will disappoint me in comparison.  This month was totally not the case because my next read was "The Essex Serpent" by Sarah Perry - I feel like I came late to the party with this one but I am super glad I saved it for this occasion.   I won't ramble on too much because I have already put up a full review already but this was amazing.






"A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue" by Mackenzi Lee was my next read this month.  I really enjoyed this one because of the witty writing style.  It took serious plot points and injected them with humour whilst still dealing with the issues at hand.  The unintentionally hilarious "Monty" has to be one of the funniest characters I have come across.  The way that Mackenzi Lee has made him so funny when he doesn't mean to be or even realise that he is being funny is so clever.  There were points in this Audiobook that I was laughing out loud which is pretty rare in a book for me.  I liked that it was set years ago but deals with issues that are still so relevant today.  The prejudice Monty faces as a bisexual man was relevant then and is still relevant now.  I think this is a novel that really deserves the hype that it has gotten.  The plot is developed at an appropriate pace which meant that the characters could be thoroughly developed as the events unfolded throughout.   

The next book I was super skeptical of - I just didn't really fancy it and I had heard a lot of mixed reviews so I approached with caution along with a good few hours of reading time.  "His Bloody Project" by Graeme Macrae Burnet is a novel based on the life of a young, Scottish murderer.  Roderick Macrae was convicted of a brutal killing spree in 1869 after admitting the whole thing.  The narrative styles within the story are intriguing in their variety: witness statements, character statements, the story as told by Roddy Macrae and finally a journalistic type view of the court case as it unravelled.  I really enjoyed the story although I believe it has been more embellished than what is made out in the introductory notes.  The characters are interesting and the setting is beautiful - it is easy to become immersed in the history of the Highlands of Scotland and the way the characters lived.  I really felt like the author created a connection to that particular setting.

"See What I Have Done" by Sarah Schmidt was another re-imagining of an historical murder scene - I know cheery reading this month was! - this time of the Borden murders in Massachusetts.  The story is told from the perspectives of Lizzie Borden - the victims' youngest daughter, her sister, Emma, the house maid and the mysterious Benjamin.  When Lizzie finds her father brutally murdered by an axe a murder enquiry begins.  The different view points of the story all point to different views of who the murderer could be.  I was kept guessing right until the very end as to who it really was.  Schmidt's beautiful use of language is intriguing and stunning - every description seems poetic.  I didn't know who to sympathise with, who to pity and who to dislike - my opinion constantly changed.  The craftsmanship demonstrated within the words was absolutely outstanding.  A clear 5 star read for me and I must say a very nice step on my reading journey this month. 

I was extremely fortunate to be able to go to a small gathering with the author Patrick Ness in August.  There he spoke about his newest book, "Release".  Having heard all that Ness had to say about the novel I was very keen to start reading it as soon as I got home from meeting him.  The story intertwines the tales of Adam Thorn - who is having quite frankly a terrible day - and a young girl murdered by her boyfriend.  If I am honest I appreciated what he was trying to do with the dual narrative but I really didn't like the dead girl parts - they stretched outwith my limits of imagination.  Adam's story was one that I'm sure a lot of young people could relate to.  The exploration of relationships and love in the novel is one that is important for all of us to consider.  Adam does not have a lot of love at home since he is faced with the religious prejudice of his father, a minister, who knows deep down that Adam is gay but refuses to accept it.  Adam's real family are his friends and boyfriend.  I definitely think we all need a friend like Angela in our lives - I fell in love with her character and her way of dealing with anything she faced.  The story is packed full of action despite the fact it only takes place over one day.  This would have been a 5 star read had it not been for the dead girl with the magical faun. 

My final read in August was "Nutshell" by Ian McEwan.  This was a short read but it had such an impact on me.  This was my first Ian McEwan read and I must admit I am desperate to read more of his novels.  This was a fantastic, contemporary take on the story of Hamlet which is written in beautiful prose from the perspective of an unborn baby who has been resident in Trudy's womb for 8 months.  He overhears her and his uncle (who is also her lover) plotting the death of his father (his uncle's brother).  The narration is beautifully elegant throughout.  The baby's stream of consciousness is laugh out loud hilarious in parts and heartbreaking at others.  The incredible intelligence of the baby stems from his understanding of the world as heard through the podcasts and news articles his mother listens to regularly.  He learns of the terrible attrocities of the world he is about to be born into. An intriguingly stunning read which was, without doubt, a 5 star read.

So 7 books in August - a little less than July - which I am overall very pleased with.  I definitely need to up my game in September and have planned for this accordingly.  I DNF (did not finish) Stephanie Garber's "Caraval" because, quite frankly, it was boring.  I couldn't get into it and found myself drifting off whenever I started to read it.  I learned the important lesson that sometimes you just have to say no to a book - even if you have started it already. 

My next post will be my September TBR - I have tried to vary the reading to something a little bit cheerier next month but I do love a dark, murderous thriller read so no promises there!!

Meg x

August Book Haul - Part 2!

So when I wrote part one of the book haul for August I had divided the books I bought this month nice and evenly between the two parts.  I bought more between then and the end of the month so this one is even longer. I have a serious book buying problem!!

I am going to start off with the two books that I have received kindle copies of for review.

"A Prophet Without Honor" by Joseph Wurtenbaugh

What if Hitler had won the war?  What if a clever bluff meant that the French and British soldiers lost to Hitler's untrained army? What if Hitler had taken over the world? I requested this advanced reader copy because I was so excited by the plot outline.  I really love reading authors I have never read before so I was keen to review this one - I can't wait to read it this month.  This book was released in June 2017 and is available on Amazon.






"The Lost Season of Love and Snow" by Jennifer Laam

This is based on the story of Alexander Pushkin's wife.  Natalya has a lot of admirers within the court and soon strikes up a loving relationship with the poet.  Their intense love for each other as well as their jealous tendencies spells disaster for the couple.  Natalya is vilified in St. Petersburg the story tells of her tale to defend her honour and to broadcast the truth about what she is really like.   I LOVE Russian based stories.  Among my favourite ever reads are books like "Sashenka" so I truly hope that this lives up to my expectations - I am predicting this one as a 5 star read.  The book is an advanced reader copy for review and will be published January 2nd 2018.


"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to Enlightenment" Edited by Brian P. Copenhaver

Ok so this is a total guilty pleasure for my.  I love all things witch - anything with a Wiccan stamp and I am all over it.  There really is not a lot to say about this book other than it is basically a book full of spells, incantations, charms and curses.  The book features a variety of entries from ancient and medieval times through to Thomas Aquinas, Milton, John Dee and much more.  I think this will be a book that will be more of a casual flip through and reading bits and pieces than a cover to cover read.

"Antigone" by Sophocles

This is the third of Sophocles' Theban plays.  It tells the story of the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Antigone.  Antigone is basically a kick-ass female character - she is strong willed and intelligent and is not scared to show it.  Antigone wants to bury her brother but the king has forbidden it.  She goes up against him in a bid to get him to back down.  She is strong and determined throughout which makes her a typically fantastic Greek character.


"The Empathetic Store" by Jackie Kay

Currently the Scottish makar, Jackie Kay is a larger than life personality who makes me laugh out loud.  I got this when I went to see her at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.  This is a collection of her poetry which generally makes honest and down-to-earth observations about life, childhood and relationships.  I can't wait to dig through this collection.




"Letters of Note" by Shaun Usher

This is exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of interesting letters from throughout history.  Such gems included are: letters from Queen Elizabeth II, Virginia Woolf and Jack the Ripper.  This is a beautiful "coffee table book" that will be another book that I pick up and flick through every so often.  I kind of enjoy the idea of a non-committal reading tool actually - sometimes you just need a break from trekking through 400 page tomes!





"How to Stop Time" by Matt Haig

Tom is centuries old.  He has a rare condition that keeps him alive.  Over the years he has changed his identity several times to keep him from being discovered.  When we find him he is teaching History at his local high school telling stories that he must pretend that he never really witnessed.  The one thing Tom is not allowed to do though is to fall in love. OK I will hold my hands up - the beautiful cover of this book definitely played an important role in my choice to buy it however I have also heard wonderful things about this book so it definitely is not just me being shallow!  I don't know what I will make of this as it will be my first book by Matt Haig.



"Only Ever Yours" by Louise O'Neill

The reason I picked this one up was it has real similarities to "The Handmaid's Tale" (which I LOVE) and I am intrigued at whether this one will pull off the emotional response Atwood created for me.  This tells of a version of the world where women are bred in specialist centres where they are trained in the art of pleasing men.  At the graduation ceremony the most highly rated become "companions" who live with their husbands for the sole purpose of breeding sons until they no longer can.  Those who are not highly rated become concubines or teachers.  A story of two girls brought up as best friends which ultimately tests their friendship and loyalty to each other.




"The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I received this book in a mystery package from "Blind Date With A Book" - I have no idea who ordered it but I totally love it.  Victoria has spent her life in foster care.  She feels a real sense of detachment to those around her because of her childhood experiences.  Victoria is an expert in flowers.  She knows the symbolism of Victorian times which is associated with each flower and sets about planting her own garden beside the park bench that she sleeps on.  Victoria is soon discovered by a florist who notices her talent and passion for flowers.  Victoria has to decide whether she is ready to let go of her past for a second chance at being happy.



Finally...
"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead

A story of slavery set in Georgia we follow the story of Cora - an African slave who is outcast by her fellow slaves.  When Caesar comes onto the scene he offers Cora a sense of hope she has never had before.  He explains of the existence of an underground railroad which will take them out of the plantation to a life where they can be free.  They take the risk but it does not quite go to plan.  They end up running for their lives being chased all the while.  I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up but I have seen it on so many review sites and it has much hype surrounding it.  I am eager to read it but I don't think I will get to it any time soon.  It does sound very interesting though.




My August wrap up of what I read will be up this weekend as well as my reading outlook for September - I need to up my game to get back on track with the number of books I want to have read in 2017!!

Meg x

August Book Haul Part 1 (Oops...)

Every month I promise myself that I won't get carried away with buying books and every month I break that promise. This month has been no different!  One super exciting development is that I have actually received two ebooks for review from authors - these are not out yet so I have very limited knowledge as to what they are all about so far. I am only going to give very brief summaries again this month as I will post full reviews on each book once I read it!

"Once Upon a Dream" by Liz Braswell
This is a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty and, similarly to the other two books in the series (see July haul), it is told with a dark twist to the tale.  I adore the cover of this book - it is beautifully designed and mysterious looking.  The book questions what would happen if true love's kiss did not actually solve everything? What if there was more to be done to get passed Maleficent's evil curse?  Sleeping Beauty is one of my all time favourites and so I am SUPER keen to read this twisted tale!







"The One Memory of Flora Banks" by Emily Barr

A devastating brain tumour has left Flora with no short term memory retention.  Every day the things she does she almost immediately forgets until the day she kisses her best friend's boyfriend (Drake) and remembers.  Flora convinces herself that this boy must be the key to unlocking her memory retention. Flora travels across the world to meet Drake in Norway but with the problem of her memory this proves a lot more difficult than it would for other people. I got this one after seeing it for cheapsies in a supermarket.  I have heard mixed reviews about it so I thought I would give it a go and see for myself.



"Nutshell" by Ian McEwan

To say I am excited about this one is an understatement.  I first heard about this from Booktuber Sophie Carlon and from her description I just HAD to read it. This is a re-telling of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" (hooked already?!) told from the perspective of an unborn baby in the womb. I don't really think I need to explain any further why this book sounds so blooming fabulous do I? I mean what more can you want?







"Confessions of a Sociopath" by M.E. Thomas

Having bought this one at a service station on one of my many trips down south I now feel a little bit of regret.  I always have a snoop on Goodreads when I buy something I haven't heard of and this is among the lowest rated books I actually own.  This is an autobiographical tale of the author's life as she identifies as being a non-criminal sociopath.  Anyone who knows me knows I love a good book with a socio/pyschopath in there.  I find the dynamics and relationships of sociopathic characters absolutely fascinating.  I think there is a huge gap in the modern market when it comes to identifying female socio/psychopaths and with this being based on real life experiences I feel like this has the potential to educate us all about living life with conditions of mind different to the average person.I am definitely going to read it and hope Goodreads reviews were maybe wrong on this one.



"The Sellout" by Paul Beatty

Having been brought up witness to a variety of racial psychological experiments the main character is forced to look at life differently.  He ends up in the Supreme court having reinstated slavery as well as enforcing segregation at the local high school.  He does all of this to please his father and to help him to finish a manuscript based on his experiments in the hope that the script will help the family out of financial trouble.  When his father is killed in a police shoot out, he must confront all that he was brought up with as well as facing the lies and deceit left behind by his father.  It's a satire. It sounds AMAZING.  Let's all have a think about what the world is like now...this could not be more relevant.



"Love & Gelato" by Jenna Evans Welch

Lina's mum has one last wish before she dies: Lina must go to Tuscany, Italy and get to know her father - a father who hasn't been around for 14 years.  Lina is hesitant until she is given her mother's journal from the time she lived in Italy. She ends up on a journey of discovery that leads her to uncover a secret that means everything will change. This was a 99p ebook.  Every day I get an email from "BookBub" which outlines free or very cheap ebooks that I might like based on the interests I put into their website.  It is brilliant and there is often a little gem in amongst the recommendations too.


"The Time Traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger

Unfortunately I just have not gotten around to this month's book club reads.  This was one of them and I will definitely read it but I have been so busy this month getting organised to go back to work that I just have not had a minute to read this.  I will be honest I know very little about this other than Henry is married to Clare.  Henry has a rare disorder which makes his genetic clock reset periodically to a time which has had or will have an emotional impact on his life in some way.  Every so often he finds himself out of sync with time and not in the place he is meant to be.  Together Henry and Clare attempt to keep life as normal as possible but are faced with an uphill struggle against something completely outwith their control.  I have wanted to read this for ages and just never managed to get around to it.  Now that I actually have the ebook it seems there is no excuse!


"The Girl With All The Gifts" by M.R. Carey

This was the second book club read this month and again I just never made it to this one on my list.  It is one that a few of my colleagues have read and loved which makes me interested straight away.  Melanie's life is far from normal.  She is escorted only to school every day strapped into a wheelchair and with two armed guards.  They say she is a special little girl.  She talks about her life in the future - all that she hopes and dreams of.  This makes everyone around her look sad but she is not sure why.  All I am going to say is zombies.  Again, anyone who knows me and what I like to read would not straight away jump to recommend this one.  I am not, have never and will never be one that is into zombie fiction (one day I will be able to face the experience of reading "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" but it is not today).  I am nervous about this one.  Very nervous.


I have a few posts that I want to put up in the next few days.  Obviously part 2 of the book haul is my priority but I also met Patrick Ness this month (EEK) and I have a special review of "See What I Have Done" in the pipeline.  Finally my monthly reading wrap up - which is not actually too shabby!  I will be working on those this week.

Have you read any of these? If so what were they like?

Meg x

"The Essex Serpent" Review

This book has firmly entered my "All Time Favourite Books" shelf - a difficult feat to accomplish but this has a well deserved spot right there.  I feel like it is very reminiscent of the Victorian classics but is written in an arguably more accessible style for the modern audience.  I am going to split the review into sections: narrative, character, setting and plot to ensure I don't miss anything out.

Character

Sarah Perry enticed us into the life of Cora, a young widow left alone with her son, who is recovering from a highly abusive relationship with her now dead husband.  Cora is intrigued by all things connected with nature and science - she does not promote the typical tropes of a Victorian character in the sense of religious beliefs and piousness. This actually serves heavily in her favour as she quickly establishes herself as someone who really does not quite fit into society.  This is particularly endearing and, at times, comical as she tries to navigate through etiquette and social conventions.  I really loved that she just came across in an independent, intelligent and emotionally strong manner. The reader does not get to know a lot about Cora's past except for some small hints in the way she speaks and acts at certain points but it is clear to ascertain that she has been formed by the cruel husband who died.  This made me truly admire her strength of character even more as I read more and found out more about her past.

William Ransome, a minister, comes into the novel at the time Cora steps out from the city and into the countryside to allow herself space away from her past.  She is formally introduced to Will as well as Stella, his wife, and their three children.  Will is a man of faith who is battling against a mass hysteria among his congregation who believe that an old mythical creature has come to their village to avenge some sort of sin on their part. Will's pragmatic approach to all that he is faced with is extremely charming to most but he and Cora persistently debate the world in terms of science vs. creation and nature vs. religion. Will is an extraordinarily caring husband and father to his family.  His flaws shown throughout remind us that everyone is human and can make mistakes - nobody should be expected to be perfect. I really enjoyed Will as a character because he was not predictable in ways that we would have expected.  There was always a sense of conflict he faced between morality and his own thoughts.

Francis Seaborne is Cora's son and a boy who presents behaviours typical of what may now be diagnosed as Asperger's Syndrome.  Francis finds it hard to show his emotions in normal, acceptable ways.  He loves his mother and cares deeply about her but never demonstrates this to her which constantly makes her doubt their relationship.  Francis is a collector of various strange objects.  He likes everything to be exactly where he puts it and not to be touched, moved or thrown away by anyone but him.  As a character Francis Seaborne evokes in me a very strong emotional response.  He is a lonely boy who is desperate for attention and affection from those around him.

Narrative and Writing Style

The novel is written in the third person perspective which allows more depth and exploration of the individual characters, the plot on the whole and the travel to and from the destinations where the story takes place.  There are, however, points throughout where we hear from the characters directly in the form of letters that are written to and from each other.  This is a deeply effective way reminiscent of certain tropes of the female Gothic genre.

The novel displays a heavy Gothic presence throughout as it deals with many tropes that we would expect to see in a novel of the genre.

 Firstly the frame narrative of the myth of the "Essex Serpent" which really ties the whole story together - it is Cora's reason to visit Aldwinter and to become acquainted with the Ransome family.  The prologue guides us nicely into that mindset by starting off with a death.  The frame narrative works in collaboration with the concept of madness and superstition to cause confusion as to what is real and what is not.  When Joanna Ransome and her friend, Naomi, get together they bring forward the concept of witchcraft and the occult.  They are seen performing rituals and spells and have a firm belief that they can influence events to come. 

Darkness and Isolation are also very clearly present from the cold, dark nights in Aldwinter to the black mourning clothes Cora wears, to the weather and use of pathetic fallacy to highlight the sense of dread and danger surrounding the village.  The village itself is isolated - far away from the nearest towns and a misty walk along the coast at that.  Each of the characters face their own form of isolation also - Cora is isolated by her contrary opinions, her rash behaviour and erratic mindsets, Francis is isolated because of his inability to adhere to normalcy and expected social conventions, Will is isolated in his lonely belief that there is no monster and his want to put the hysteria to an end.  Each character is imprisoned by their actions, thoughts or beliefs.

Disease, death and the afterlife very much play a huge role throughout the novel.  Luke, the physician Cora meets when he is caring for her dying husband, is a surgeon at the forefront of his game.  He is a surgical leader taking risks and performing new surgeries well ahead of his time.  He is there for the death of Cora's husband and to care for Stella Ransome through her time of illness.

The church vs. atheism is an interesting dynamic in the role it plays within the development of the relationship between Will and Cora - they respect each other's intelligence despite the fact that neither of them can agree on very much.  Each discussion between them brings the creation vs. science argument.  Corruption within the church is also evident in the flaws demonstrated by Will (NO SPOILERS).

The style of this novel is reminiscent of the Anne Bronte novel "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" in which a woman and her young son travel to the countryside to escape the grief of the dysfunctional marriage she has faced.  In the same sense as Helen in "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" Cora seeks not only new knowledge and discoveries on her travels to Aldwinter but also to find herself and retrieve the person she really is rather than who her husband has made her.  The conflicting love interests and seemingly impossible relationships brought back fond memories of Anne Bronte's work for me which is perhaps one of the reasons I so thoroughly enjoyed it!

Setting
The setting of Aldwinter was quaint, eerie and just spooky enough to make you second guess what was about to emerge from the sea mist next.  With the social housing crisis of the late 1800s along with the Bryant and May strikes, the great dock strike of 1889 and the general unrest among the city of London there was an abundance of history to incorporate. Sarah Perry subtly wove each strand of the current events through her plot in a beautifully elegant narration.  The novel grabbed the opportunity to demonstrate the advances in medical sciences which were being made at the time.  This was something I particularly enjoyed - Perry took advantage of our historically rich culture to build a very realistic overview of life in the 1800s-early1900s in Britain.

 On the whole the setting of the story was used in a way that was almost magical.  The novel is historical but also creates a spin off world within reality which makes the reader question their own sense of reality.  The ongoing conflict of opinions and beliefs of the church and science make it relevant and memorable but the hat tip to the past (Salem witch hunt hysteria) is very clear throughout too.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough it is a leading contender for me for my favourite book of the year - and I honestly did not expect to be saying that after reading "The Handmaid's Tale" earlier in the year.

Meg x

August TBR

August has been crazy busy! I've not had a minute yet to sit down and write my TBR post. I've kept it a shorter list this month purely because I'm going to be so busy with going back to work after the Summer holidays.

1. "My Cousin Rachel" by Daphne DuMaurier
Philip Ashley is orphaned and therefore raised by his older cousin, Ambrose. He is the sole heir to his cousin's estate and absolutely sites on him.  Each year Ambrose takes himself off to Europe and leaves Philip in charge of the day to day running of the estate. The novel follows the year that Ambrose disappears to Italy and meets the mysterious Rachel - a widow. Ambrose writes letters to Philip updating him on his life and stays in Italy much longer than usual. After receiving some strange letters Philip takes himself to Italy to find that his dear cousin has died. He sets about finding out whether or not cousin Rachel had a role to play in his death.

2. "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue" by Mackenzi Lee

Monty is a rebellious young man brought up to be a gentleman but completely untameable. He attends England's finest boarding schools but is quickly expelled for being a tearaway.  He loves women, men, gambling and drinking which is met with his father's deepest disapproval. He goes off on a "Grand Tour" with his sister and his best friend but soon ruins the whole thing with his recklessness and bad decisions. Consequently he puts his life and those with him at serious risk. Monty, when faced with life and death, has to confront his inner demons and choose how he wants his future to pan out.



3. "The Essex Serpent" by Sarah Perry

There is strange news around the Essex waters of a mythical serpent come to wreak havoc with the lives of those around the coast. Recently widowed Cora loves nothing more than to collect fossils and has a deep desire to have her name in the British Museum for one of her discoveries. She sets off for Essex at once to investigate with her strange son and her loyal companion, Martha. When she reaches the village of Aldwinter she strikes a friendship with the local vicar and his wife. The unlikely friendship between Cora and Will (The vicar) is tested numerous times due to their completely opposing points of view - science vs. religion. They each have their own reasons to try to find the serpent but whether they can work together or not remains to be seen.

4. "See What I Have Done" by Sarah Schmidt
In August 1982 a brutal murder was committed in Massachusetts.  Lizzie Borden was accused of brutally murdering her father and stepmother with an axe but was later acquitted.  "See What I Have Done" is a fictional adaptation of the story looking at the household where the murders were committed.  The neighbours all believe the Borden family to be upstanding members of the community but those in the house have different stories to tell.  The story switches from one unreliable narrator to the next as the fragments of the real story unfold through those who were in the house.

5. "His Bloody Project" by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Another cheery book (NOT) about murders but this time a triple murder in a Scottish farming community.  Roderick Macrae is arrested but nobody understands why he committed such a terrible crime. This novel is told through a series of documents including police statements which all seem to be in conflict over who Roderick Macrae really is and what he is like. Some believe him to be a quiet and kind boy whilst others proclaim that he is evil and wicked.  The narrative unfolds through medical reports, psychiatric evaluations, transcripts from the court along with other documents that aim to unravel the mystery of why he committed such crimes.





6. "Caraval" by Stephanie Garber

When sisters Scarlett and Donatella Dragna are given the opportunity to fulfil their dreams of seeing Caraval (a show which takes place one per year that allows the audience to participate) the only thing stopping them is their evil, cruel father.  With the help of a sailer they manage to escape the island they have never before left and head for the island where Caraval is set to take place.  On arriving at the island Tella disappears and Scarlett is left with the task of finding her before time runs out.  This year the whole object of the show is to find Tella with a reward for whoever gets there first.





My TBR may change, be added to or have books removed this month.  I am already passing on the two book club books of this month but am hoping to read them next month instead.  Priorities!

Please head over to my Instagram to check out my new account is a Bookstagram with some Bullet Journalling on the way.

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Meg x