Book Review: Richard Ayoade - Ayoade on Top (published in 2019)

What, you might wonder, is this book about? This is Ayoade's "definitive book about perhaps the best cabin crew dramedy ever filmed: View From the Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow."

I thought that it couldn't possibly only be about this film. I've seen Ayoade on the BBC and I always like his self-deprecating humour. This book though is exactly what it promises. It's an almost minute-to-minute description of the movie, including possible alternative decisions the director could have but foolishly didn't make. 

It's a fun read. The audiobook is great. It's only 4 hours long. I can't give it more than 3 stars though since the subject matter isn't necessarily one that I deemed a necessary subject for literature. 

By the way, I haven't seen the movie for almost 20 years, so no need to watch it before reading the book.

3 stars

Statistics:

Date read: January 20, 2020

Date published: September 5, 2019

Publisher: Faber Faber

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 256

Genre: Non Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Yuval Noah Harari - Sapiens (published in 2011)

I have to say that I have never read a book like this even though I know that there are few of them out there. I'm talking about historical non-fiction novels that sum up humankind's existence; from homo sapiens to today.

This books covers all kind of revolutions is a very understandable way. It probably goes without saying that it has to gloss over some parts of history as well, since it covers a very broad topics like religion, finance, politics and science. 

It's good to already have a basic understanding of history, because otherwise you'll be gobsmacked at the stories coming at you. If you do, it's easy to keep amused by this novel and you'll learn a lot. 

I enjoyed this read, but I'm not sure if I'm enticed to pick the next one up (Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow )

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: January 13, 2020

Date published: January 1, 2011

Publisher: Harvill Secker

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 498

Genre: Non-Fiction

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

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Book Review: Elena Ferencik - The River at Night (published in 2017)

I do enjoy a good survival story every now and then. The fact that this book is compared to "The Descent" persuaded me to buy it regardless of the "low" rating. 

The story is about four women in their 40s who decide to go on an adventurous rafting trip to a river that's never been explored by others (apart from their 20 year old guide) before. 

Some of the girls are adventurous and eager to go on this trips, others aren't. 

The setting in the Maine wilderness is perfect; the character building is good. What I didn't enjoy were the descriptions of the action scenes. I couldn't always follow them, which took away from the shock and scariness. 

All-in-all I found this an enjoyable read. It wasn't the horror kind of book I was expecting, so I'm still on the look out for a really good survivor horror story.

3 stars

Statistics:

Date read: January 11, 2020

Date published: January 10, 2017

Publisher: Raven Books

Format: Paperback

Pages: 304

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

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Book Review: Minka Kent - When I Was You (published in 2020)

I didn't need to think long about the rating for this book. I was on the fence for a while trying to decide which book to buy for January's Amazon First Reads, but I'm incredibly happy I picked this one. 

The reason I decided to buy it is because the first pages of the book read like something I might write if I would be a writer. There are sayings in here like "not my circus not my monkeys" and "everything will be OK in the end, if it's not OK it's not the end", these are my favourite phrases. 

To be honest, the description sounded like all my most hated tropes would pass the pages of this book. I'm happy to report that that's not the case at all. I won't elaborate on my tropes, because it might give you some clues towards the story. 

Let it suffice to say that the book is about Brienne, who finds out that someone else is living life as her. She then uncovers something that turns her world upside down. 

The book isn't perfect, because it drags a bit sometimes. The ending isn't all that satisfying either but to be honest the writer really captured me with her writing. I will definitely read more books by her in the future!

5 stars

Statistics:
Date read: January 4, 2020
Date published: February 1, 2020
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Format: eBook
Pages: 288
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror
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2020: The Year I Start Up My Book Blog Once Again!

You will see an onslaught of books on this blog today. That's because I have decided to start up my book blog again.

Most of it is still relevant. I'm still someone who loves to travel, I still read about one book a week (sometimes two or three) and I still absolutely love to read.

I will use this blog to post about new books that are on my radar as well as book reviews and other bookish related posts.

The upcoming day will be a wild ride of new posts, and then it will slow down a bit based on my reading.

80. Lee Child - Killing Floor

I have stopped the challenge. There are so many things I feel I have to do in a week, that I don't want to stress myself out by forcing myself to read books within a week as well. I will still try to finish books within a week though and I will still write a short story about them after I've finished them. Let's just see how I'll get on by doing it this way.

I really wanted to read the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child. The film, with Tom Cruise, was absolutely amazing and I felt that Reacher would be just the action hero character for me. In Killing Floor I can kind of sense that I will like him, but I'm not sure yet. This first book hasn't pulled me in as much as I thought it would. This one is about Reacher who has just arrived in a tiny town in the Midwest; the moment he sits down at the cafe he is arrested by the local police force because they suspect him of having killed two people the night before. 

79. Madeline Miller - The Song of Achilles

I've had another short holiday. I broke up with my boyfriend, so I had to move house again. I'm in a lovely flat now with a good friend and all's good again in the world. In 2011 I read 36 books and in 2012 I manages to read 42. I'm quite impressed, but I hope 2013 will be better.

The first book of the year is an excellent start. Madeline Miller's first novel The Song of Achilles is a re-telling of the Greek Mythology around half-god Achilles and his friend Patroclus, who has always been undervalued but who's the centre of this novel.

The story will be familiar to many people. Some, like me, love Greek mythology and have read about Achilles and the Trojan War, others have watched Troy (2004) with Brad Pitt as Achilles. In any case, this book gives us a different point-of-view. We are now looking at the events through the eyes of Achilles' lover Patroclus, who isn't a hero, or a half-god, he's an exiled prince whose mother was close to being retarded and whose father has always hated the ground he walked on because he saw him as weak.

"But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another." (Miller 347)

Achilles, however, saw something in him. Patroclus blossoms and the Trojan War suddenly because a love story that isn't centred on Paris and Helen. I hope that this isn't Miller's final book, because I would love for her to rewrite all the Greek mythologies, there are so many beautiful stories hidden in there. I hope that Odysseus tale will be next, but who knows...