One Last 12 Days of Christmas, and ACTUAL CHRISTMAS!!!

I've actually forgotten how many of these I've done, so whatever, this is the last one at any rate, because, you know, Christmas is tomorrow. Or maybe today, or two days from now, depending on where you live. So then... one final 12 Days Of Christmas: Presents For Bookworms.

I really, really wish I was the legal drinking age so I could get this as a Christmas present. We found these in Waterstones a while ago, and we bought two copies just because. So awesome. No idea who we're going to give them to.
It's basically a collection of book-based drinks. For example: The Rye In The Catcher, Moby-Drink, etc. Do I need to say anymore?

Aaaaaand... CHRISTMAS. Despite various reservations about commercialism and whether or not Christmas trees are a good idea, I am SO EXCITED. If you're reading this (which I hope some people are), I hope you have a great Christmas, or a great day if you don't celebrate it. I will be getting up at five tomorrow to unwrap presents, so hopefully you'll get more sleep than me!

Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Blurb: A whirlwind day in Paris... A chance at true love... Heartbreak is waiting just around the corner.
(That's one explanatory blurb, right there.)

What I thought: I don't know what it is about Gayle Forman's books. The writing is good but not great. The story/idea/plot/whatever is fine. It should end up being an average-to-all-right book. But Just One Day was really good (and by good, I mean I really enjoyed it. I don't mean that despite everything I just said, it turned out to be amazing, and I just can't stop talking about it and all people everywhere should read it).

It did take me a while to get into, just like If I Stay and Where She Went. In the beginning, Allyson annoyed me because of her passivity and Melanie annoyed me because of her me-ness (which is, as of now, a word, and I expect it to be in the OED by Christmas), and you kind of wonder when the story actually starts.
And then Willem turns up, and he seems like SUCH A DICK. Not at first, I mean, but a few pages after he's introduced. I was thinking, okay, nothing happened, and now she's dropped all of the nothing to go off with this guy who kinda sucks. Great. 

HOWEVER. Willem turns out to be kind of awesome. But still kind of a dick. Which is actually kind of nice (kind of, kind of, kind of). Refreshing. But still a bit annoying. Arghhh...

I did think that the story had parts in it that were very like some other books I've read. Although, goldfish that I am, I've now forgotten what those bits were. Got to write reviews closer to when I actually finish the book... Anyway. I do remember thinking that some parts were a bit Anna And The French Kiss, and also some other stuff which, guess what, I don't remember.

But the thing is, all of that really didn't matter. I read an article in my school magazine a few days ago about film critics, and there was a bit about how it doesn't matter if there are slight plot gaps or whatever, if the story makes you forget about them or just not care. If the story is better than it's failings. Which I think Just One Day is. Despite all of the things that could have been better or different, or the parts that annoyed me, it was one of those books that you just can't stop thinking about. For me, that goes for all of Gayle Forman's books that I've read so far. I don't know how she does it.


Rate: 7/10

Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Blurb: Renee is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building on the Left bank. To the residents she is honest, reliable and uncultivated- an ideal concierge. But Renee has a secret. Beneath this conventional facade she is passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her self-important employers. Down in her lodge, Renee is resigned to living a lie; meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid a predictably bourgeois future, and plans to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday. But the death of one of their privileged neighbours will bring dramatic change to number 7, Rue de Grenelle, altering the course of both their lives forever.

What I thought: In Anna And The French Kiss, she studies foreign, translated novels. At one point, her English teacher says this: "Foreign novels are less action-oriented. They have a different pace; they're more reflective. They challenge us to look for the story, find the story within the story." Throughout the whole of this book, I was reminded of this quote. It really is like that- there's the plot, and then there's all their (the character's) thoughts and reflections, and it's all so interesting. Most of the books I normally read are English or American, and the whole book is centered around the plot. This is much more about character, and ideas. You could really feel the injustice of Renee's life, and how unfair the world is. And then there's Paloma, and I was desperate to find out what happened to her, and it's so sad because she's just a little girl.

I loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog very much. It delves into all this philosophy about what it means to be human, and Art and Beauty (always given capital letters in the book), and how people naturally are. The main characters are all so interesting and noble and good (but only the main characters, everyone else seems to be horrible), and they make me think of the end of The Fault In Our Stars, where Augustus writes Hazel the letter, and he says "She walks lightly, old man. She walks lightly upon the Earth."

Muriel Barbery is an amazing writer. Most of what I read is either YA or classic-y type stuff. YA authors, while generally very good, are less sophisticated because their books are aimed at a younger age group. Most involve romance, gorgeous boys etc. This book is so different, and I love it. Anyone who likes Banana Yoshimoto or Milan Kundera will love this. And I did cry at the end. I've got to stop doing that.

Rate: 8/10

12 Days of Christmas: Presents for Bookworms

Day 3 

I found an advert for something like these on Tumblr the other day, and it seemed like a really cool idea. I love bookish t shirts- I've got one that says "Daisy Buchanan thinks you're a beautiful fool" on the front that I wear all the time. These tops (and the images) are all from Strand books, and they have a much wider range including children's clothes too. I'm pretty sure you can get them from Amazon or wherever if you don't live in America and don't want to pay postage (like me, although that Jane Eyre top is staring at me). Perfect Christmas presents for people who've read everything you can think of- just get one based on their favorite book.

(Completely unrelated, but I heard this joke today, and I just had to write it down... Have you heard any jokes about Dorian Gray? They never get old.)
 

 

12 Days of Christmas: Presents for Bookworms

Day 2:

Essential for reading in bed without disturbing whoever you happen to be sharing a room with: a mini clip-on reading lamp. I got one of these a few weeks ago, and it is so good for when my roommate wants to sleep and I can't tear myself away from my book (which happens quite a bit). I used to use a torch, and I'd have to hold it between my neck and my shoulder. Very annoying. 
But these are really good. They come in tons of different colours, and there are loads of different designs around at the moment, so you have a lot of choice.

 

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Blurb: The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it... It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

What I thought: I've never been to a circus, and now I'm not sure I want to, because I know it could never live up to this book. WOW. Best setting in any book I can remember reading. I want to live inside The Night Circus. The circus is my favorite aspect of the entire book. I loved how new tents kept getting introduced, so you were gradually discovering the circus throughout the story. I can't possibly describe how much I loved this book, and the circus. As soon as I finished, I ordered another copy as a Christmas present for anyone. Everyone should read this.

Although the setting was probably the strongest part of the book, it was not just a place put down on paper. There is a story, and the circus stems from that, and the characters are so amazing. The most beautiful love story, the most gorgeous magic, the most mysterious plot. For most of the book, it's pretty vague on details (on purpose, relating to the main characters) so you never really know what's going on, or who knows what, and that was part of what I loved so much. The mystery echoes the mystery of the circus, and how no one's really sure what's going on, or what the circus holds.  It's kind of like Harry Potter, in that J K Rowling created this amazing world, and populated it with interesting characters and this fascinating story.

Also, the cover. So beautiful, and so appropriate for the book. I like how the blurb really doesn't tell you much, so you go in with no idea what will happen. I only finished The Night Circus a few hours ago, and already I want to be reading it again. I predict a massive book-hangover, and much re-reading. One of my new favorite books.

Rate: 9/10

Bookish Calendar: November

I know this is late, but I didn't find a sufficiently November-ish book last month, and now I have. So:

First of all- the cover. So pretty... I haven't finished this book yet, but I absolutely love it, and it does seem very November-like to me. Set in the late 1800s- early 1900s, it is the story of an entirely black and white circus, only open at night, unlike any circus there has ever been. The story of Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdair, and all the other circus performers, is enthralling. Such a perfect book (touch wood).