Sofa Spotlight - Hamlet, William Shakespeare

This is my first time reading this since I studied it for my a-levels, sadly quite a while ago. I also read the edition that I used back then and having all my notes in the margin made it quite a nostalgic reading.

But it is interesting reading it as an adult, and somehow, I saw so much more this time. I still feel that Hamlet has a lot to answer for and that he could have handled things much better. Although, if my father’s ghost came to me and told me that my uncle had murdered him, I’m not sure how I would handle that situation either. But still, I would try not to kill one person, make another person go mad and then have my actions lead to the deaths of multiple other people.

If you’ve not read or seen it performed before, it might not be a Christmas read. There isn’t much that is jolly about it and by the end the only character I have any respect for is Horatio. Some great lines in this though and would recommend reading it.

Sofa Spotlight - Hunger, Michael Grant

 So, this is book two in the Gone series. I picked it up because I’m really intrigued to find out what is going to happen in the FAYZ. I can’t work out how this will end so I’m thinking I’m in this now until the end of the series. Which is unfortunate because what some of the kids get up to is a bit grim and sometimes makes for uncomfortable reading.

The FAYZ stands for Fallout Alley Youth Zone, which is a massive bubble around a large part of land and a bit of sea, which appeared when there when the nuclear power plant exploded. Also, everyone over the age of 14 disappeared. Which is where it gets uncomfortable because there are kids walking around with machine guns and those who have new powers are also perceived as lethal.

There’s a lot going on in this book and it was hard to keep track of all the problems the main character Sam is trying to sort out. I felt exhausted just contemplating his list so no wonder he was close to a break down. But the biggest one is sorting out the lines that being drawn between those with powers and those without and how do you stop society deteriorating to mob rule.

Now I just need to decide if I can handle the third book!

Sofa Spotlight - GCHQ, Richard Aldrich

This is the second time I’ve read this book, although the edition I’ve just read had a new chapter so that was exciting. The book is about the history of what GCHQ has been doing, how its role has changed and how effective it has been. It’s very factual and a good informative read. I particularly enjoyed the sections on the Cold War but that’s because I looked at it in history sometime when I was at school.

But there are some very interesting conclusions to the book around privacy and security as technology arises and computers are everywhere. I think we are all becoming more aware of how much influence social media and algorithms and digital advertising are influencing our lives now, along with the rise of things like fake news. And these things are probably not going to go away anytime soon. But what this book made me think about is – how much do I like the convenience of all the technology – like ordering take out on my phone without having to speak to a person (brilliant) or my washing machine being smart enough to remember how I like my laundry to be done, and how much do I hate the invasion of my privacy when all these things can be monitored and tell marketers all about my preferences for spicy curry.

Certainly food for thought.

Sofa Spotlight - On Reading Well, Karen Swallow Prior

This is a book that features highly on my list of best books read this year. It looks at different novels, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and analyses the motivations and values of the different characters. It certainly puts a different perspective on some of the literature that I’ve read.

My concern was that I’d not read all the novels that this book covers and that I might lose interest in the chapters that covered my unread reading list. But I found those chapters equally interesting and I’m now looking forward to reading those books.

This is certainly a book that makes you think and enhances your reading experience. It is a book I would definitely recommend and it would make a good present for the book lover that has read everything. 

Sofa Spotlight - Gone, Michael Grant

I love how this book looks. Although my worry with books that have coloured pages is that the dye will end up on my hands and I would end up looking like The Hulk! But thankfully in this case my fears were unfounded.

The story is about Sam and his friends who are under 14 on the day when everyone over the age of 14 just vanishes. In this respect it has the feel of Lord of the Flies, which is perpetuated by the leadership battle that emerges between Sam and Caine. But there is enough distinction for this to be a good book in its own right.

Overall I enjoyed this and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes in the rest of the series. But there were elements of the story that made me uncomfortable. I had to really remind myself that the characters were children, and in that respect some of what happens is shocking. Sam does stand as a moral compass for the group, but there are characters that are obsessed with violence and don’t seem to have any empathy.

I would say read with caution but it’s a good concept and intriguing storyline.

Sofa Spotlight - In the Afterlight, Alexandra Bracken

This is the third book in The Darkest Minds set of four books, but it rounds off the story covered in the previous two books. It was a great finale for a great series and there were some unexpected twists and turns, not to mention a couple of sad moments.

Without wanting to give too much away – this is a series you should read from the beginning and soon, the ending rounded things off nicely but at the same time I felt there were a few loose ends that needed to be expanded on. But maybe that’s where book four comes in. Because how can the world, or in this case, America go back to the way it was after something as devastating as that!

I’ve loved reading this series, it’s been a rollercoaster with character development happening at a reasonable and believable pace. Not everyone is as much of a jerk as they seem at first. And there is some great story telling around the impact having these abilities has on the characters and whether or not they would want to live without them now that they’ve got them.

Sofa Spotlight - Chasing Cosby, Nicole Weisensee Egan

I think that this counts as one of the most important books that I’ve read this year. As the #metoo movement has grown over the last few years it’s been incredibly shocking how many survivors have come forward to share their story and to seek justice. Which does beg the question, how many more survivors are there out there who haven’t come forward.

This book is shocking on more than one level. It’s terrible that these crimes were committed in the first place, but the cover up that followed, the vilification of the survivors, and how difficult it was for them to get justice, is just incredible. My stomach really turned when I read this book.

But it is a book that should be read, because these stories need to be heard and justice needs to be done, and future crimes prevented. For me there are not words to describe what these women have been through and the terrific bravery they have demonstrated in their quest to bring Bill Cosby to justice.

There are some graphic details in this book but they are not put there for sensitization. As I went through the journey that this book takes the reader one I experienced many emotions – from horror, to shock, to abhorrence at what had been done. But the feeling at the end was satisfaction, that the survivors of this story had been heard, and more importantly, believed.