The Secret Place || Tana French

"If I've learned one thing today, it's that teenage girls make Moriarty look like a babe in the woods."

At the beginning of this week I walked out of work at the end of the day with a group of colleagues and bundled into the nearest pub for our inaugural book club meeting. Out of three options we had settled on The Secret Place by Tana French as our first book, which turned out to be the perfect pick for getting people talking. Although opinions were divided we mostly really enjoyed this novel and it certainly stuck in our minds.

Have some thoughts in bullet points:

• There was a general consensus that this book was unnecessarily long. One person argued that the detail added intensity to the crucible-like setting, but in general we all thought it could benefit from being 100 or so pages shorter.
• We all felt frustrated by the characters individually and as a group. This wasn't because of how they're written, quite the opposite as we actually recognised parts of ourselves as teens and others  we knew within them. Rather we wanted to know more about why they did certain things and occasionally slap them, as you do with fictional characters.
• The choice of murderer was felt to be a bit cliche (I personally felt she was the perfect person and I had no clue until it happened) - although only one person guessed the twist early on.
• The dialogue (particularly in the interviews between the detectives and the students), style, and dual narration were very well received. I liked how we started at the beginning and the middle simultaneously and met at the end.
• The 'magical' subplot was lacklustre and pointless. Although one or two of us laughed that we too had messed around with ouija boards and the like whilst at school, in this context it felt too disjointed and the suggestion that the girls had special powers seemed obscure. One member argued that it demonstrates the power of their pact and the bond between them, but agreed that the whole plot line was a touch messy and not followed through to the end.
• It was agreed that having more from the perspective of the boys school would add an interesting dimension to the novel.
• I asked whether the novel would still be as powerful if the boarding school setting was taken away. All agreed that the boarding school setting is too important for that. I loved this setting and felt it was perfect for ramping up the tension.
• All in all we loved the story, but the execution was a bit off.
• Less than half of the group would give French a second chance, but those that would were excited by the prospect.

This novel very much split the group. Although we all enjoyed and even loved elements of the novel, it was generally disappointing and we expected so much more. Personally I'm not sure whether I will pick up another of French's novels - we shall see.

In three words: frustrating, complex, deceptive

Have you read The Secret Place? Should I give Tana French another chance?

In Cold Blood || Truman Capote

'But then, in the earliest hours of that morning in November, a Sunday morning, certain foreign sounds impinged on the normal nightly Holcomb noises - on the keening hysteria of the coyotes, the dry scrape of scuttling tumbleweed, the racing, receding wail of locomotive whistles. At the time not a soul in sleeping Holcomb heard them - four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives.'

Earlier last week I discovered that 10th January 2016 marks fifty years since the publication of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. As this book had been languishing on my shelves for the better part of a decade (since I'd watched the film Capote and decided I need to know more), I used this anniversary as the perfect nudge to finally pick it up. I sure am glad I did.

In Cold Blood is part journalism, part novel and writing it is said to have taken an incredible toll on Capote to the point that he never published another book again. I can truly see how that happened and I would say that this is a difficult, if phenomenally rewarding, book to read. I found myself gripped from start to finish and in a state of near anxiety from the minute the murders are committed to the capture of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Capote's writing style made this possible as he breathes such life into each individual and constantly reminds us that they were real and these events actually happened.

I won't say it was a comfortable read because it wasn't. Capote dives so deeply into the lives of all involved  - the Clutters, the killers, the police and FBI agents, and even the neighbours and friends - that it almost breaks down the barrier of the page. This has a really powerful effect and illustrates just how immersive non-fiction can be.

Initially I struggled to keep up a little with the changes in narrative perspective and the way the book moves along and around the timeline of the case. Once I'd got a handle on who's who and what's what however, I found myself thoroughly sinking into the case.

I'm a big fan of shows like CSI and Criminal Minds and the Serial podcast and I found myself contemplating my enjoyment of such shows whilst I read In Cold Blood. There is something that draws us to crime, whether true or otherwise, that I can't quite understand. I think perhaps it's a need to know and understand humanity and why we do the things we do. Certainly with In Cold Blood part of what kept me turning the pages was a need to understand why Perry and Dick would commit such a horrible, senseless deed. As I closed the book I realised that I'm still at a loss, although the psych evaluations included in the narration were fascinating and added a lot to the case. On further consideration I wonder if it's important that I cannot understand why they did it - perhaps that's what separates them from me. If that's the case, then there is a very thin line between us and that in itself is terrifying.

Regardless of my momentary tangent into philosophical thought, I think In Cold Blood is a thought provoking and engrossing book. Capote's writing is just perfect and his handling of such a brutal crime is sensitive and deft. I would certainly recommend it.

In three words: brutal, dark, enthralling

Have you read In Cold Blood?

Things That Made Me Happy This Week #45

I landed back in the working world with a bang and a deep sigh on Monday morning, after a delightful ten day break. I won't say it was easy readjusting to the 9-5, but I do love the routine a workday brings so I'm almost a tiny bit pleased things are moving again.

I've thrown myself into a lot of routines and slightly stricter schedules this week, including: regular 6am wake up and morning yoga, daily exercise and more commitment to other projects. By Friday I was exhausted, but it does feel good to be busy and I know I'll get used to it again in another week or so.

1// The Ballroom by Anna Hope I finished this novel early in the week and I am in love with it. It's due for release in February so I will talk about it more then, but rest assured I will be recommending it highly and most enthusiastically.

2// Updating my morning routine before Christmas I'd started to slip back into a love/hate relationship with my snooze button which I'm determined to stop. I love waking up before the rest of my flat and doing fifteen minutes of yoga before showering and getting ready for the day. It's hard to get up that bit earlier, but I do feel better for the extra time.

3// Feeling motivated although my motivation has dipped again this weekend, I did really well during the week to keep up with my workouts. I've been back to the pool and I'm sure that swimming is my new favourite thing. Forty minutes before work kept me energised - and calm - all day.

4// Getting to the bus stop at the same time as my bus on Friday after work need I say more?

5// Testament of Youth I re-watched this on Netflix and it was just as good as the first time. It made me cry more, but I think that's purely down to being in my own home and having access to all the tissues. I think this is a really well done film considering it has to cover so much. I'm pleased it avoids romanticising/sensationalising war.

What made you happy this week?

Classics Club Reboot

A couple of years ago I joined the Classics Club and created my list of fifty classics to read before 2017. The list was later extended to fit in some new purchases and ended up totaling sixty-six books to read before 2017. To date I've read a grand total of twenty-eight - just under half. Having read those in the first couple of years I then hit a bit of a wall and haven't ticked a single book off this year. Shocking, I know.

I think part of my reticence to tackle the remaining books on the list is caused by a general feeling of disinterest. I no longer find that the list inspires me to read more, rather it feels like a bit of a chore. I'm well aware that this is down to my choices of what to include on it, by which I mean all the books I feel I ought to read. 

I've become a lot more floaty (yes, that's a technical term) with my reading and no longer feel tied to 'hype' books or the one's everyone 'should' read; nor, for that matter, do I take much stock in 'best ever' lists (though I do love to read them). For that reason the decision to re-create my Classics Club list was not a hard one, even if it has taken me three paragraphs to explain it. 

To avoid boring you all with my loquacious ways any longer, I'd like to introduce you to my new Classics Club list of fifty novels to read before 2020. Drumroll please... 

1. Nightwood by Djuana Barnes
2. The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
3. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
4. Testament of Friendship by Vera Brittain
5. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
6. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
7. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
8. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
9. Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins
10. Consequences by E. M. Delafield
11. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
12. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevesky
13. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevesky
14. Some Do Not (Parades End 1) by Ford Madox Ford
15. No More Parades (Parades End 2) by Ford Madox Ford
16. A Man Could Stand Up (Parades End 3) by Ford Madox Ford
17. Last Post (Parades End 4) by Ford Madox Ford
18. Still Missing Beth Gutcheon
19. The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby
20. The Land of Green Ginger by Winifred Holtby
21. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
22. Joanna Godden by Sheila Kaye-Smith
23. The World My Wilderness by Rose Macaulay
24. The Playroom by Olivia Manning
25. Razor's Edge by W Somerset Maugham
26. Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
27. The Happy Tree by Rosalind Murray
28. The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow by Margaret Oliphant
29. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
30. Good Evening, Mrs Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes
31. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
32. Daughters of the House by Michele Roberts
33. All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville West
34. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
35. The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding
36. Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner
37. The Last Man by Mary Shelley
38. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
39. The Sleeping Beauty by Elizabeth Taylor
40. The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
41. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
42. Down Among the Women by Fay Weldon
43. The Time Machine by HG Wells
44. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
45. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
46. Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf
47. The Common Reader by Virginia Woolf
48. The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf
49. The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig
50. Letter from an Unknown Woman and Other Stories by Stefan Zweig

Suffice it to say, I'm VERY excited to read through this list.

Have you updated your Classics Club list recently?

Feel Good Books: Carrying Albert Home

January blues? Yeah I feel you, but I've got the perfect antidote:

Carrying Albert Home

Homer Hickam

November 2015

In 1930s America, Elsie Lavender finds herself stuck in the coalfields of West Virginia with her stoical husband and Albert, an alligator and the sole memento of her time spent in Florida and the man she loved there. It's not all fun and games living with an alligator, at least not for her husband Homer, who offers Elsie an ultimatum: me, or the alligator. Elsie decides that there is only one thing for it, they must carry Albert back home to Florida.

So begins their whirlwind journey across America. On the way they encounter all manner of obstacles and people (including Hemingway and Steinbeck), and have the most wonderful and occasionally terrifying adventures. 

Carrying Albert Home is a fantastically feel good novel with a serious dose of happiness in every page. I smiled until my cheeks hurt and laughed out loud on more than one occasion.  

Albert carries the novel in my opinion and is such a wonderfully written character. It seems strange to say that about an alligator, but he truly is larger than life. Any mention of his 'toothy grin' and the 'yeah-yeah-yeah' sound he makes put a smile on my face. I think 'endearing' is the perfect word to describe him and, even though I read this novel all the way back in November, he's stuck with me.

Although I'd call this a mood-boosting novel, there is still a lot of depth to it and the characters have their struggles. Homer and Elsie are so very real as people (they are based on the author's parents) and you could take away the adventures and the alligator and their journey would still be a heartwarming one because, ultimately, it's more about finding their home with each other than it is about getting Albert back to Florida. It's a love story really - not in the traditional sense, but in a much more real and adult sense. Elsie and Homer have lost each other and forgotten what their love is. Metaphorically this journey is about finding themselves and each other, and boy is it a beauty.

I always find January to be such a miserable month so settling down with Carrying Albert Home and a mug of tea could be just what the doctor ordered.

Can you recommend any other feel good books for January?

January Goals

Take one photo a day

Swim once a week

Practice yoga at least twice a week

Plan my meals and cook from scratch at least six out of seven days

Write something daily

Read at least a book a week with one to be non-fiction

Do you have any goals for this month?

December in Books

The Book Collector by Alice Thompson

Loop of Jade by Sarah Howe

The Shore by Sara Taylor

The Secret Place by Tana French

Where Three Roads Meet by Salley Vickers

A Coffin for Demitrios by Eric Ambler

Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon

The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol

A Snow Garden by Rachel Joyce

What a month for reading! It started off strong with The Book Collector and ended even stronger with A Snow Garden. So many favourites and so many new discoveries.

It would be impossible to pick a favourite for December as more than half of these books would battle for the top spot. Perhaps ever so slightly above the rest would be The Shore as that made my top 10 of 2015 for it's sheer beauty, lyricism and humanity.

The Secret Place was probably my least favourite, but that was a book club pick so I am looking forward to discussing it with the group in a week's time.

I tried something new this Christmas and read Christmassy books for the entire week. I never quite found my festive spirit this year, but reading seasonally certainly helped put me in the mood. Joyce's A Snow Garden also helped remind me how our experiences with Christmas differ hugely and pushed me towards making gratitude a priority in my life for 2016 and beyond.

Do you have a favourite book for December?

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