Rusty Book Love

My new discovery of  I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith  led me to wonder what other classics I had missed and additionally what is a classic?  In my mind it is a book that was around when I was child that my mum or penguin told me I should read, or perhaps was part of the A level English Lit syllabus.  Richard Davies ( 50 classic books ) defines as  “ If people are still reading the book 50 years after it was published then it's probably on its way to being a classic.”   I have to agree with him though, the pressure of reading books because you should disappears after the end of our formal study of English Literature.  I hated Austen's "Emma" although I was brave enough to read "Pride and Prejudice and actually enjoyed it but this forced reading of Austen put me off classics for a long time.   It has to be something more than just note-worthy, it has to be enjoyable and still resonate however many years after pub...

Why? After reading a book, I quite often look at other reviews on goodreads and amazon.   Mud By Emily Thomas  seemed to evoke a lot of comparisons to "I Capture The Castle" which I had never even heard of, let alone read.  After a bit of googling, I also found that it was listed as number 82 in BBC The Big Read (Wiki)  in 2003 above the Godfather, Cold Comfort Farm and Oliver Twist.  I requested via the library app and awaited its arrival at my pick up of choice. What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: 'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writ...

Why? So I know this is getting a bit boring but yes another one on the list from BOOKWORMS: Leeds Book Club.     I've joined the Book Riot Challenge so expect some different reasons for why coming up..... What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: Everyone's dying to know the truth . . . When Aerin Kelly was eleven, she idolised her seventeen-year-old sister, Helena, and they did  everything  together. They made Claymation movies and posted them to YouTube. They made fun of Windmere-Carruthers, the private school they attended, they invented new flavours for their parents' organic ice cream shop, and they dressed up their golden retriever, Buster. But when Helena went into senior year things started to change. Rather than being Aerin's inseparable sister, she started to push her away. Then, on a snowy winter's day, Helena vanished.  Four years later, Helena's body is found. Wracked with grief and refusing to give up on her sister, Aerin spends months t...

Why? You may remember that I follow a book club on facebook called BOOKWORMS: Leeds Book Club.  The brilliant lass who runs it published a list for the year and so I started my usual search through the Leeds Library App (I've used it to borrow an audio book but I'm not sure that they are for me.  I just seem to fall asleep).  The Couple Next Door  was the first one I found available so yes, I can hear your enthusiasm to know, I picked it up from the faithful yellow van.  I felt quite smug about it.  Walked out of my door and picked up the book I wanted to read.  Sheer brilliance from Leeds City Council.  Anyway, back to the book.... What? Otherwise known as amazon spiel: Fast-paced and addictive, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR announces a major new talent in thriller writing.  You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall. Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothin...