Book Review: A Sudden Light; Garth Stein.

I'm fully embracing October, which means it's time for some spooky reads! I've been wanting to read this book for years and am really glad to have finally got round to it!

SOURCE: Netgalley
TYPE: E-Read

TITLE: A Sudden Light
AUTHOR: Garth Stein
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
PAGES: 320
GENRE: Mystery, Paranormal, Historical Fiction
RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
Twenty-three years after the fateful summer of 1990, Trevor Riddell recalls the events surrounding his fourteenth birthday, when he gets his first glimpse of the infamous Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed with giant whole trees and is set on a huge estate overlooking Seattle's Puget Sound. Trevor's bankrupt parents have separated, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with Aunt Serena, dispatch the ailing and elderly Grandpa Samuel to a nursing home, sell off the house and property for development, and divide up the profits.

But as young Trevor explores the house's hidden stairways and forgotten rooms, he discovers secrets that convince him that the family plan may be at odds with the land's true destiny. Only Trevor's willingness to face the dark past of his forefathers will reveal the key to his family's future.

What I Liked:

• I found the characters that Trevor, the MC, surrounded himself with so interesting! They made for such an interesting family - Trevor's Dad, jittery & quick to temper; Aunt Serena, a little eccentric and extremely manipulative; and Grandpa Abe, forgetful but sweet-natured. Their personalities, backstories and motivations were very complex and I enjoyed reading about them.
• Stein built the atmosphere in this book very nicely too. The house felt alive, like it's own character, and it's isolated position alongside the ghosts that haunted it and rich history made for very interesting reading. I loved the setting very much!

What I Disliked:

• Trevor, the narrator and MC, was a little on the bland side compared to the other characters in this book. Not only that, but I didn't feel that he read like a fourteen year old boy! His voice was far too mature, dotted only with the odd reference to puberty or teenage life.

Overall Conclusion:

This was an extremely enjoyable book, and for that reason I regret having waited all this time to read it. I loved the characters (most of them anyway, sorry Trevor), was deeply engaged with the mystery of it all and found the setting appropriately haunting. I wish that the pacing of the story had been a little quicker though - not an awful lot happens until right at the very end!

Last Week's Shenanigans (8th October -14th October)...

There really isn't a whole lot to report this week. Mat and I worked for a good portion of it and spent the rest of the time 'coming back' from our holiday in Cyprus! I'm already missing being in the sun, but I'm sure I'll readjust!

I Read...

I Received...

--

Book Review: As Kingfishers Catch Fire; Gerard Manley Hopkins.

There's something about Autumn that really makes me appreciate nature - leaves falling off of trees and crunching underfoot is probably a big part of it, and the colder weather kind of makes me fall in love with the season cycle EVEN THOUGH I hate the cold. This little black classic caught my eye because it's sole focus is the beauty of nature, and so it seemed like a great, very quick read.

SOURCE: Gift
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: As Kingfishers Catch Fire
AUTHOR: Gerard Manley Hopkins
SERIES: Little Black Classics (#2)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 53
GENRE: Classic, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Journal
RATING: 2.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
'O let them be left, wildness and wet' 

As Kingfishers Catch Fire is a selection of Gerard Manley Hopkins' incomparably brilliant poetry, ranging from the ecstasy of 'The Windhover' and 'Pied Beauty' to the heart-wrenching despair of the 'sonnets of desolation'. 

Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.

What I Liked:

• There was a ton of gorgeous, vivid imagery about nature here and I really liked that aspect of this work. Especially in his journals at the end! He describes perfectly his rambles and hikes around the countryside and mountains and it was very interesting to see these places from a 19th century perspective.

What I Disliked:

• I had a lot of little niggles that added up to this being a book that I wasn't all that impressed by. Firstly - it was a little on the preachy side. I expected it of course given Hopkin's religious persuasion but I didn't enjoy it. Also, he uses a very sprung rhythm and visually aids the readers with accents which really irritated me.

Overall Conclusion:

This certainly wasn't bad, and I see why people with different tastes to my own have enjoyed it. But for me, this didn't stick out as a masterpiece above all others. I liked the journals (far less religion-centric) and the vivid pictures of nature I got from the poems, but didn't like the rhythm and feel of these at all.

Last Week's Shenanigans (1st October - 7th October)...Cyprus!

This week has been so wonderful and I really didn't want it to end! I've been on holiday in Cyprus with Mat and his family, for his Aunt's wedding, and it's been so lovely to just chill out! We rented a villa together, and spent the rest of the week NOT at the wedding sunning it up by the pool! I even went in (after about twenty minutes of psyching myself up, I'm...not good with water...) and we had a lot of fun! It was a definite shock to the system coming back to the cold October air on Saturday, and we stayed over in Kent until arriving back home to see our kittens on Sunday!

I Read...

I Received...

- 'Mirage' by Somaiya Daud: Netgalley (01/10/18)
- 'Songwoman' by Ilka Tampke: Netgalley (03/10/18)

I Posted...

Planned Reads for October

Book Review: Heartstopper [Vol. 1]; Alice Oseman.

I have been looking forward to reading this for so long and especially after reading 'Solitaire', because even though I had issues with that book, I LOVED Nick & Charlie and was so ready to hop aboard that ship with everything I had.

SOURCE: Internet
TYPE: Web Comic

TITLE: Heartstopper
AUTHOR: Alice Oseman
SERIES: Heartstopper (Vol. #1)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 288
GENRE: LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Web Comic, Contemporary
RATING: 5/5 Stars

Blurb:
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore, and he's sort of got a boyfriend, even if he's kind of mean and only wants to meet up in secret.

Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him. That is, until the start of January, in which Nick and Charlie are placed in the same form group and made to sit together.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...

What I Liked:

• These boys have destroyed my soul. In a good way. I honestly adore the ship above everything else, and trust me when I say it takes a lot to get me invested in a romance! Nick & Charlie's relationship is 100% pure fluff, so those that like a bit of sexual tension may be left wanting, but I really loved them this way. I also really liked watching their friendship develop so naturally!
• Finally, a setting I can relate to! Honestly, watching these boys interact in their school brought back so much nostalgia from my own Grammar school experiences and the whole British girls and boys separate schools thing was my entire teenage life. It's interesting to realise how little this exists in literature, as most contemporary YA is set in an American high school!
• Let's talk about representation for a minute - THANK YOU ALICE OSEMAN! This is how you do it! As well as watching Nick struggle to come to terms with his bisexuality and justify his relationships (bi-erasure is really a thing guys, I live it everyday), and watching Charlie relive his own struggles with coming out in an all-boys school, I just loved the general diversity of the characters. I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting more in future chapters!

What I Dislike:

• Uhhhh...I didn't really dislike anything? Other than the fact that it's an ongoing comic so when I catch up (and I will) I'll have to wait for new pages? But seriously, this was great and made the things that I didn't like about 'Solitaire' likeable again!

Overall Conclusion:

This is my favourite m/m comic, alongside 'Long Exposure' by Kim 'Mars' Hayward, and I think it must be the school setting that I'm really digging? But I love everything about this - it's a slow burn but moving quickly enough so that I don't lose interest. I'm looking forward to watching this relationship blossom into something beautiful and also to see how Oseman handles everything that I know is coming for Charlie (I'm actually really terrified about it). I hope it continues to be everything I've ever needed in an LGBT+ comic!

Mini Review: Starfighter [Ch.1]; Hamlet Machine.

That's right. More M/M web comics. I really can't help myself though, and I liked the look of this one because it is set in space!

SOURCE: Internet
TYPE: Web Comic

TITLE: Starfighter
AUTHOR: Hamlet Machine
SERIES: Starfighter (Ch. #1)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 64
GENRE: LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Web Comic, Erotica, Sci-Fi

RATING: 3/5 Stars

Blurb:
In an unknown time and place, there's a war going on in space and mankind has developed a system of fighting that includes two sides of a team. One person is the fighter who pilots the spacecraft and his partner is the navigator who directs the way.

Navigators come from higher society and are mostly seen as privileged and intelligent. Fighters are men that are known for their violent tendencies, skills in combat, and anger issues.

Abel didn't want to follow his politican father into his world and instead chose his own path as a navigator. He's gay and has always had strong desires that he's hidden...until he's partnered with his fighter, Cain.

Cain is unpredictable, violent, possessive, and very skilled at what he does. He goes through navigators faster then any other fighter so he's developed the reputation that he's impossible to work with.

When Cain meets Abel, he marks him and possesses him in every way possible unknowingly giving Abel exactly what he's been craving for years. Now the only question is, will their relationship grow to benefit them both in this time of war or will Cain's reputation and violent tendencies end up destroying Abel?

Overall Conclusion:
Elements of this definitely intrigued me - especially in the world-building. I loved the battle scenes, and seeing the war between humans and the aliens involved. It felt a little generic in this first chapter, but there is definite potential and my curiosity is certainly piqued. My problems came with the romance itself! I found Cain way too possessive and I really don't like to read anything containing uncomfortably dubious consent. That lip-scarring scene that others seem to love so much horrified me. I really hope that future chapters show me a relationship that I can get on board with, or a fully realised setting, or I'll be giving the rest of this series a miss.

Last Week's Shenanigans (24th September - 30th September)...

This has been quite a tiring week for me work-wise, but the most important thing is that I'm currently in Cyprus! I've been looking forward to this holiday for quite a while and I'm actually here for Mat's Aunt's wedding, which will certainly be a lot of fun I'm sure! It's also so nice to have such lovely weather to be in when England is starting to get so chilly!

I Read...

I Received...

- 'Bridge Of Clay' by Markus Zusak: Netgalley (24/09/18)
- 'Skyward' by Brandon Sanderson: Netgalley (24/09/18)
- 'The Way Of All Flesh' by Ambrose Parry: Netgalley (29/09/18)

I Posted...

September Wrap-Up