December Books List

 

(1) Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I've been neglecting old classics recently, so when Northanger Abbey was chosen for a book club read, I decided to pick it up.  Sadly, no matter how much I try to read Austen, I always find that I'm easily bored with the archaic language and overplayed Gothic literature references that I remember studying in English Lit class.  I'm sure many of you will disagree, but Austen novels are just not my thing and Northanger Abbey was no exception.  I can however appreciate it in a historical context when I think back to when it was originally written, and the social attitudes of the time.  [2/5]

(2) The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
The Dog Stars is one of those books that can be described as both heartwarming and thought-provoking.  Our protagonist, Hig, is one of only a handful of people who managed to survive a massive flu outbreak which killed off most of the world's population.  He lives with his dog Jasper and a sociopath neighbour at a tiny airport that they guard against the'others'.  Hig is also a pilot, but his plane has limited fuel and is only used for short trips to check for intruders around their encampment.  The prose is simple but beautiful as Hig recounts what he has lost in his life and whether a future can ever be planned again.  Dog-lovers will especially love this book as the story certainly reaffirms that old saying of a dog being man's best friend.  [4/5] 

(3) Gillespie And I by Jane Harris
An enjoyable novel that has all the very best elements that I like from historical fiction in it, combined with a good dose of black comedy.  The story is centered around an elderly lady named Harriet Baxter who is looking back on her life and starts to write a memoir about her time with a young artist called Ned Gillespie.  There are some interesting plot twists along the way which kept me fully engaged in the story, but the ending wasn't quite what I expected.  [3/5] 

(4) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
A beautifully written and illustrated children's book that deals with the subject of death in an original and inspiring way.  Conor is a young boy who has been having a recurring nightmare of a monster coming ever since his mother began to have treatment for cancer (as an adult reading it, you can probably guess what the 'monster' is or refers to).  Instead, a different monster comes walking in the form of a yew tree and begins to help Conor come to terms with what's happening.   Utterly heartbreaking, I was crying like a baby at the end!  [5/5] 

(5) The Leaderless Revolution by Carne Ross
After reading so many dense, and frankly dull, books based around activism and politics this year, The Leaderless Revolution felt like a breath of fresh air.  It's an easy to read and fully accessible book for anyone new to activism who is looking for a few pointers on how to get the ball rolling, whether through individual choices or collectively (though the problems of trying to do things on your own are briefly discussed).  I also enjoyed the interesting background info of Carne's previous life as a British diplomat which is present throughout the book and made it even more pleasurable to read.  [5/5]

(6) The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway 
I've lost count of the amount of times this book has been recommended to me.  It's utterly brilliant and hilarious in a bizarre/offbeat/unconventional 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' meets 'OK-let's-just-roll-with-it' kinda way.  You really have to just dive straight into the book and not look back or worry about where it's going!  The story is split up into flashbacks of the main protagonist's life, and then these are interwoven with the current events that are threatening to break apart the world.  If you love books where you can be completely absorbed by their science-fiction/dystopian world, but don't mind spending about a month reading it (it's a long one), then this could well be for you.  [4/5]

What books have you been reading this month?

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