What I've Been Reading: July Edition

Well, I've been amazing at keeping up with this blog. I'd love to say I've been incredibly busy with all kinds of exciting and worthwhile things but I really haven't. Since my last post I've mostly been playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (officially on the c-list). Although I did graduate last month and got to spend a couple of days back in London with my family which was lovely.

Anyway, thought I'd share with what I read last month. Not as much as I would like, but I always read less in the summer months anyway.

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

Jonas Jonasson

This Swedish book is actually a re-read from last summer, but I still enjoyed it just as much this time round. The story primarily follows Allan Karlson who on his 100th birthday climbs out of the window of his care home and some how finds himself in the midst of a crazy adventure. This is all parrelled with by stories from his early life as an ammunition's expert, where he seemed to have been embroiled in all major events from the last 100 years (think a Swedish Forrest Gump). There is a real heart warming quality to reading this, and no matter how madcap this plot line becomes you never feel as though you become to distant from the heart of the characters - I think Karlson himself place a large part in achieving this. It also has this wonderful swirling narrative that I found to be so endearing. I think that's how I am most able to describe this book, and the characters, and the plot itself is all strangely endearing. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Book 1

L. Frank Baum

Children's books and fantasy books I probably my two favourite genres so it seems so strange to me I had never picked up The Wizard of Oz before July but yet here I am. The book is actually 3 stories, all set in Oz. The first 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'  is the one that I'm sure everybody is familiar with, Dorothy and her dog Toto travel to Oz where they begin and adventure with the cowardly lion, the tin woodman and the scarecrow. The second story 'The Marvellous Land of Oz' follows Tip and his friends on a journey to the Emerald City. Finally, my personal fave Ozma of Oz where Dorothy returns with a hen called Billina are captured by an evil King. Whilst I enjoyed reading this book, I did feel it was a little to simplistic most of the time. I was really hoping to see a touch of darkness to ofset the childish narrative which it didn't really bring. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 

Stepehn Chbosky 

I came to this book through the film, so I already had a set of expectations from that, and as usual with any book vs film they were quickly surpassed. The book is from the perspective of Charlie: a shy, quiet 15 year old in his first year of high school. Where he deals with friendships, drugs, drinking, suicide, depression - pretty much everything. The story develops through letters written by Charlie to an unidentified friend (or the reader) which provides a feeling of intimacy to the story. Whilst overall I found it was very enjoyable I'm not sure I was fully convinced by the characterisation of Charlie, I appreciate he has had troubles growing up, but his social skills seemed to be so limited for someone who isn't presented to us a being handicapped in this way, and throughout his life has had a large (and older) family as well as some friends (even if they were a little weird). The naivety that Charlie is presented as possessing just felt a little ridiculous to me and did colour my enjoyment. However, the group of friends that he finds at school I loved; And as I read the book I found myself matching up the gang to my school friends.