2 June 2014

What I'm Reading.

As the slowest reader on the planet I set myself a goal at the new year to read 12 books. So far I have read 5. I feel as though I am cheating a bit by including the first two in my 2014 reads but I'm going to anyway. I started them in 2013 but only finished them this year so it counts to me. I really am the slowest reader, so it has been nice to already have found new authors and new books I've struggled to put down.



So far in 2014 I have read:
     Stiff! The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
     Hollywood by Charles Bukowski
     The Contortionists Handbook by Craig Clevenger
     Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi
     Smut: Two Unseemly Stories by Alan Bennett

I'll start with Stiff!; it is the first book I have read by Mary Roach and has re-ignited my love of non-fiction. I think Mary Roach and me would be pretty good friends; she is interesting, funny and down to earth. Stiff is about cadavers (I hate that word) and their different uses in medical science; its both disgusting and amazing. Second, I finished off Hollywood by Charles Bukowski. Bukowski is my favourite writer, so I feel really bad saying this, but Hollywood let me down. Hollywood seemed very drawn out, and pretty non-eventful. It was like someone trying to be Bukowski had written it. If you haven't read anything by him I recommend Ham on Rye, Women or Postoffice, which are far superior.

The first book I really finished in 2014 I loved; The Contortionsit's Handbook. I had never heard of Craig Clevenger but after reading how much Kaylah loved the book I thought I'd give him a go. And... I really struggled to put it down. It is quick moving and unpredictable. Not like anything else I have ever read. It's the kind of book that makes me anxious to read anything else by the same author, just in case it sucks and ruins how good the first one was.

Helter Skelter is something I had had on my shelf for a few months but when packing for a trip to Glasgow and scanning my shelves for something to keep me entertained on the 6 hour train ride I picked it out; with my new love of non-fiction and my old love of anything weird and cultish, it was an easy choice. The Manson murders are something (I think) most people know the basics of but this book took it to a whole different level. Vincent Bugliosi was the district attorney who prosecuted Manson, so you couldn't really have a better insight. Reading about some of the obvious clues that were missed, and the things the family members planned on doing and never got around to blew my mind. Real life is weird. People are weird.

My favourite from the bunch though, has to be Smut by Alan Bennett. Its the first thing I have read by Bennett, which is kind of sad as he is from Leeds and one of my Dads favourite authors too. Smut is two short stories; The Greening of Mrs Donaldson & The Shielding of Mrs Forbes. As the title may indicate, some of the subject matter is adult-orientated, so if you're not into that this will not be the book for you. Both stories centre around pretty normal life, but Bennett makes it interesting and poetic. They are funny, the characters are relatable and loveable. I can't wait to read more by him.


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Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts. I love to hear what you all think and I do read every single one soooo if you have a question, feel free to ask!

chloe x

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