the year of books 2015 - January

Have you joined The Year of Books 2015 yet? As in 2014, I am hoping to link up with Laura over at Circle of Pine Trees every month this year. Laura hosts The Year of Books 2015 where bloggers can share their reads. I have found some great suggestions there and I am sure there is a book waiting for you, too. 

How was your reading year? I have read more books last year than I have for a long time. I can't remember not reading but somehow I lost my mojo when children came into our lives and all got a bit too busy for a quiet night with a book. Now that the kids are older I seem to have a little more energy for reading and I am really looking forward to another great year of books. When my eyes are too tired, I am listening to audiobooks (not forgetting the sleep timer!). I enjoy a good story either way and have a high pile of books and a long Audible wish list.

My December read was 'The Wasp Factory' by Iain Banks. I haven't read it. I would have if I only remembered where I put it... maybe it will turn up sometime soon.

I have read plenty as my Goodreads page tells me. I had lots of time after the submission of my MEd dissertation and I made the most of it. Tired eyes however dictated that all my fiction was enjoyed in audio form. 

I have listened to 'Bone Clocks' by David Mitchell. As seems to be the norm for Mitchell's writing, this book is a multitude of life stories intertwined with each other. The life story or each narrator is connected to Holly Sykes. I really liked Holly Sykes who is the central character of Bone Clocks. The book starts in 1984 with Holly Sykes running away from home after one row too many with her mother. Sixty years later we find Holly Sykes in Ireland, where is is raising a granddaughter in a world where climate change has taken its toll on humankind. In between we meet Holly in the life stories of Hugo Lamb (sociopathic Cambridge scholar), Ed (Iraq war correspondent, husband), Cripsin Hershey (author) and Marinus (atemporal life form, doctor).There is touch of fantasy in the book, which I liked, to my surprise. It took me a while to get into the groove but I enjoyed the book very much and I really felt I was part of the story. The narrators were excellent, which definitely helped to bring the book to life. For a more detailed description, Goodreads is a good point of reference.

I wasn't quite so fond of 'Ghostwritten', also by David Mitchell, which I have also listened to. This is really a collection of 9 short stories, each about the life of one individual who are seemingly connected by coincidental events. I couldn't really see the point of the entire book. The Goodreads description said that 'many forces bind these lives, but at root all involve the same universal longing for connection and transcendence, an axis of commonality that leads in two directions—to creation and to destruction. In the end, as lives converge with a fearful symmetry, Ghostwritten comes full circle, to a point at which a familiar idea—that whether the planet is vast or small is merely a matter of perspective—strikes home with the force of a new revelation.' If this makes any sense to you, you are a step ahead of me. I did nevertheless enjoy the stories and the writing very much. To complete my Mitchell phase (for my reading seems to be serial), I am dipping in and out of 'Cloud Atlas'.

I also listened to 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' and the sequel 'Hollow City' by Ransom Riggs, both recommended reads by Tammy over at My Journey. You best read Tammy's review for a description. Just a few pointers: otherworldly, weird, fun, thought-provoking. I am looking forward to the third instalment. Funny enough, these two books are in the fantasy genre, but much more so than Bone Clocks, which is much more rooted in reality.

 

For January, I am exploring a new to me author, Yoko Ogawa. I am reading 'The housekeeper and the professor'. I find myself drawn to all things Japanese at the moment. I won't be able to visit Japan in the near or distant future and reading stories set in the country is my alternative to travel for now.

If you need more or different book suggestions pop over to Laura's and I am sure you'll find something.

Have a great week. Cx