Sofa Spotlight - Broken Sky, L. A. Weatherly

So on the theme of dystopian YA books this is the first in another series. But unlike The Hunger Games I haven’t read the whole series yet (just started the third book). I’d never heard of this series until someone bought me the first one as a present and I’m a bit sad that this series nearly passed me by. (That sane person after buying the first one is now being coerced into lending my the following two books!)

The premise is slightly different to other books I’ve read in this genre, in that, rather than being set in the future, we are given an alternative past to explore. Set in the 1940s in an alternative United States there’s some really interesting aspects of this series that aren’t present in the futuristic ones.

Of course it wouldn’t be a YA dystopian novel without a love triangle and although not overtly present in this first book you can see the shape of one taking place.

The book follows the fortunes of Amity Vancour who is a peace fighter. Peace fighters take part in plane fights that decide disputes between countries - rather than them going to war. The idea being it keeps the world peaceful and doesn’t result in unnecessary bloodshed. 

America as we know is split into three countries and the country next door to Amity’s is run by President Gunnison who is obsessed with astrology and what he calls Harmony. He uses both to root out people who would cause problem and they are know as Discordants. Like any good dictator he’s out to control as much land and as many people as he can. Which is where he collides with Amity.  

This is a brilliant book and seems to be a great start to a riveting series. I’m looking forward to finishing it off and bringing some more reviews.

Sofa Spotlight - The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

So it’s been a while since this came out and also since I’ve read it, but rumour has it that Suzanne Collins is writing a prequel. Therefore I decided it was about time to reread the series in preparation for the new book. If you’ve never read this series then I’m not sure where you’ve been or how you’ve managed to miss it. (Unless, of course, YA is not your think, in which case all is forgiven.)

My first read of these was in 2011/2012 and I devoured them very quickly. The film got me into them but I actually didn’t enjoy the film the first time round. The book was much much better and when I rewatched the film I enjoyed it all the more.

The story is set in a dystopian future where America has been split into 14 regions - 13 districts and then the city of Panem. Each year each district (apart from 13 which has been destroyed after a rebellion) has to give two children between the ages of 12 and 18 to serve as tributes and fight to the death in the Hunger Games. The winner is then crowned as victor and gets to live a nicer life than their fellow struggling peeps in their district.

Fairly brutal!

The focus is on District 12 and Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne and Peeta Malark. Katniss draws attention to herself the moment she steps forward to volunteer as tribute for her sister Prim. And as Peeta is also selected as tribute the two find themselves thrown together and their relationship is complicated further by him announcing that he has feeling for Katniss. But Katniss clearly hasn’t given him a second thought. And then you have to throw into the mix that as readers the book has started by giving us the impression that Gale has a thing for Katniss. Awkward. Especially as Gale gets to watch the blossoming romance on TV.

So there’s a fair bit of drama going on there.

There’s a lot of dystopian novels out there but for me The Hunger Games has to be one of the best. It might be nostalgia, because it was one of the first that I read but I really do think that the level of tension and amount of twists it’s done almost to perfection.

If you’ve not yet read it, get on and read it.

Sofa Spotlight - The French Revolution and what went Wrong, Stephen Clarke

My first experience of Stephen Clarke was when I read 1000 Years of Annoying the French. I loved it and it ranks as one of my favourite books of all time. So of course when I heard that this book was coming out I pre ordered it straight away! No hanging about for me.

The French Revolution has been one of those things that I’ve always wondered about. I first encountered it when I read A Tale of Two Cities, and as how and why the revolution was happening wasn’t all that relevant to the story I finished the book none the wiser as to how France had found itself in that position. It was always something I meant to research but never got around to. So when I saw this I was very excited. And the great thing about Stephen Clarke is the humour. His way of writing history is anything but dry. Hence why I love 1000 Years of Annoying the French.

There’s so much I could say about this book because I learnt so much from it. In fact I was annoying my colleagues at work by telling them each day what I had learnt the night before! But I think what shocked or surprised me the most was how much misinformation I had picked up over time.

I had no idea what Louis XVI was like but I figured that if the French people hated him so much as to guillotine him then he must have been bad. I had also wondered why if things were so bad he hadn’t fled the country! So having all this stuff explained to me was very illuminating.

The other surprise was how relevant the events of the French Revolution are today. Clarke talks a lot about the fake news that was being circulated at the time, which was something I had rather naively thought was a modern thing brought about because of the rise of technology and social media. But on further thought it made sense - propaganda has always been a big thing and I don’t think there can have been many if any periods of history where it’s been easy to get to the heart of the truth.

And I think that’s rather sad and worrying. What I also find worrying is how quickly we forget the things of the past. History can come across as boring and there are historians who have written it in a dull way so I can understand why it’s not always appealing. But if we forget what’s gone before how can we avoid making the same mistakes again?

All that to say I think you should read this book. Clarke’s writing style is hilarious and you never feel like you’ve just read a giant of a book when you’re finished (this book is not short). So yes it comes highly recommended as does 1000 Years of Annoying the French. Because they both make understanding history actually possible!

Sofa Spotlight - Dewey, Vicky Myron

So I am very late to the party with this one, but its better late than never. Dewey is the story of a kitten who was pushed into the book return box at a local library and abandoned. He was adopted by the library staff and the people of the town and took up residence in the library itself.

It’s a really heart-warming story that if you’ve not yet read you should do. I found myself very quickly absorbed, and in need of tissues at the end. It might be because this weekend marks the end of the first year since our two rescue cats moved in. They too have taken up residence and despite my reluctance found their way to my heart (although I still don’t appreciate having to clean up after them)

As much as Dewey is the story of a cat it is a story that has wider implications on how we view life and one another. What I liked is that Myron was clear on how the effect that Dewey had is not an effect that can be achieved by just any cat, it has to be the right cat with the right temperament. Which is fair – I can’t imagine of either of mine putting up with being amongst so many people all the time.

If you haven’t read it you should, it’s easy to get into and there was only a couple of chapters that I found hard going. If you have read it, what did you think?

Sofa Spotlight - Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France, Geoffrey Wheatcroft

As we are between Le Tour and La Vuelta I thought this would be a good time to review this one. I was very excited to read it - having read a few cycling books now and being a big fan of Le Tour. At first I was surprised at how hard going it was, but I thought it would just take a little while to get into it. Truth be told I never really got into it.

And I don’t really know why. It had everything that it should. History and cycling. My two loves. But it wasn’t to be. Somehow I just found it hard going. Maybe there just wasn’t the space in this book to give me the depth of history I wanted. I did learn plenty though and I came away know much more about the sport and the development of Le Tour.

In the end I put it down to my knowing the race in the last ten years and so it was much more interesting when I got to names I recognised. Having said that, I’m not so sure that is why I didn’t enjoy it, because at the very least the history of the regions of France should have interested me.

Would I recommend it? Maybe not. Unless you are very into cycling and passionate about the Tour de France this probably isn’t the book for you. However, if those are your loves, as they are mine, give it a go and let me know if it’s just me that’s struggling with it.

Me and My Reading Challenge for 2019 Part 2

It occurred to me as I posted last week that my list of books that I am currently reading is not far off being as long as the one that I have read. So below is that list. Again I'm not planning to review all of them but if there is a title that you would like to see me review comment below.

Waverley - Sir Walter Scott
Not far enough in to have a valid opinion on this yet but it seems to be headed in the general direction of a typical Walter Scott adventure. See Ivanhoe and Kenilworth.

Darkness Follows - L. A. Weatherly
The second in this series following Broken Sky and just as good.

As Kingfishers Catch Fire - Eugene H. Peterson
Read it last year but so much in it I'm reading it again.

As Sure as the Dawn - Francine Rivers
The final book in The Mark of the Lion series. Looking forward to seeing how it concludes.

Furious Hours - Casey Cep
About a book that Harper Lee didn't write.

The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill - James Charlesworth
Not read enough to really know what this about yet.

The Pastor - Eugene H. Peterson
It's a book about Eugene Peterson by Eugene Peterson. Interesting to see what influenced him.

Jane Austen - Park Honan
Realised I'd never read a biography about Jane Austen so correcting that error.

Jane Austen in Hollywood  - Linda Troost, Sayre N. Greenfield
See above but these are essays about the films.

The Chemist - Stephenie Meyer
It's certainly not twilight but definitely edge of the seat stuff

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
Loving this so much that I nearly read it in one day. Very close to finishing it and reviewing it properly.

The Key to the Half Worlds - Andrew Chaplin
Only one chapter in but I'm so so intrigued by this.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Second time of reading and I'm going to try not to cry this time.

Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
Should have read before but haven't - correcting that error.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
Came highly recommended and I can see why.

Comeback - Lyn Ashwood, Rachel Rose
A novel about K-Pop - very different but very good.

A History of Ancient Egypt - John Romer
I like History and Egypt and expanding my knowledge.

Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation - Adrian Plass
I needed a laugh.

C. S. Lewis - Alister E McGrath
Realised I'd never read a biography about C. S. Lewis so correcting that error.

It's a ridiculous list I know, but I'm happy.

Me and my Reading Challenge for 2019 Part 1

It's the first Monday in August and I'm a little bit shocked to discover how far through the year we are. Which led me to thinking about how my reading challenge was going. I've never had one for myself before. My housemate and fellow reader EG had a competition a few years ago as to who could read the most and I failed dramatically. Every Christmas we compete to see who can read the most over the holidays but really I don't stand a chance - EG is in a league of her own.

So this year I decided to tackle my very own challenge - to read one book a week, so 52 books in total. And for your delectation and delight I have decided to let you in on where I'm up to with that. A couple of weeks ago I listed what I had read so far this year, but often with this blog what appears on here is a long way behind what I am actually reading. With this list there will be some duplication of the previous list, but as I have a list of books to review as long as my arm there will be some previews of what is coming up later this year. The other thing to mention is that I don't review everything that I read, so if there is a title on this list that you would like to hear my thoughts about comment below and let me know.

Otherwise enjoy:

An Echo in the Darkness - Francine Rivers


Le Tour: A History of the Tour de France - Geoffrey Wheatcroft


The  French Revolution and What Went Wrong - Stephen Clarke


Shoot Your Shot: A Sport-Inspired Guide to Living Your Best Life - Vernon Brundage Jr.


Ronaldo: The Phantom Carrot Snatcher - Maxine Sylvester


The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris


A Journey of Three Degrees - A. L. Kent


To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee


The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins


Broken Sky - L. A. Weatherly


Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places - Eugene H. Peterson


The Sicilian Woman's Daughter - Linda Lo Scuro


Mortom - Erik Therme


A Stranger in the House - Shari Lapena


Dewey - Vicki Myron


Eat This Book - Eugene Peterson


Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen


The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn


Defiance - Jason Krumbine


The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank


Extinction of All Children - L. J. Epps


Twilight - Stephenie Meyer


Related by Blood - Holly Sheidenberger


As you can see I've a long way to go and haven't quite managed one a week, but there's plenty of time to catch up. At some point in the future I will give you the list of books I'm reading right now. I've a good ten or so on the go.

Remember comment below if you want my thoughts on any of the titles above.