BOOKS I RECENTLY READ AND ENJOYED

'WHEN I WAS FIVE I KILLED MYSELF'- HOWARD BUTEN
This has been on my 'to-read' list for ages and it's a very strange novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's about a troubled young boy (Burt) who is in a mental institute, but the reason why is withheld for the majority of the novel. the whole novel is written from Burts perspective, but there are interludes where he reads letters between his Doctors notes which helps the reader understand things more. It's a really good book, I really like the way it's written and I Burts perspective of things is funny and very literal- sort of like in Submarine. Throughout the book I kept expecting to find out the reason why Burt was in the institute, and all of my guesses were wrong and when I finally found out I was shocked and it sort of changed the whole book for me. There are some really good bits of imagery in the book as well, and when I found out why the book was titled what it was, I just loved that part.

It's a classic in French literature apparently, despite the author being American. I read a lot of reviews and it's compared to 'The Catcher In The Rye' but I don't really agree with this comparison. Catcher In The Rye is more an aimless novel where Holden is finding himself where as this novel has a destination to meet. Both Burt and Holden have questionable mental stability though, and both those narrators had a certain charm to them but Burts charm was more explicitly the innocence of a child, where as Holdens is infused with adolescent questioning. Also by the end of the novel, I was frustrated at the charm I had felt from Burt. The only thing that frustrated me in this book is you're so desperate for a moment of reconciliation, but it never comes.

'THE GREAT GATSBY'- F.SCOTT FITZGERALD 
I don't really know how to describe this book, so I'm just going to dive in. I had seen the film before I read this book and let me tell you (although I watched the film ages ago) the film gave me very different vibes than the book. To me, the film felt more angry whereas the book was full of so much sorrow and was so tragic. I don't think the film captured the extent of the heartache that the novel seemed to have.

I think this may be one of my favourite books, for so many reasons. One reason being that, despite it being a classic, it wasn't difficult to read- although there were some references I didn't really understand but a quick googled sorted me out. Also, the characters weren't two dimensional at all. I don't really know how to explain what I mean but for every character I felt the opinion of them was so much bigger than just liking or disliking them. I can't imagine a world either where Gatsby and Daisy aren't recognisable either- they're timeless characters and the uncertainty of society portrayed in the book is also still relevant. The only thing I didn't like about the novel is how sad it made me, but I guess it's a sign of good book if it makes your heart heavy- it's just so tragic! But so beautifully written! And also there are so many interesting articles/critical essays about this book online which just makes rereading it so much more interesting. My only criticism of the book is that so many names were given and sometimes I would get confused who was actually being spoken about, but that was most likely just a me issue.

The writing style of this book was so impressive to me, usually I feel like descriptions can last way too long yet Fitzgerald captured the moment so perfectly. After reading more into the novel and seeing contrasting views on what Gatsby car is meant to portray, and the importance of weather (which wasn't over done at all sometimes I feel like I'm screaming at a book to leave the pathetic fallacy alone, but not in this!) and different things about the characters made the writing seem even more impressive. I like the way Fitzergald debunked the myth of the American Dream by the corruption induced by the pursuit of it, usually anything related to the American Dream sends me back to memories of year 11 English class, but the book captivated me enough to make me not even think about Of Mice And Men until now aha. On a different note, I have such a beautiful version of the book, then once I was on the train and read a line I loved so I went to underline it, but I was unaware my pen had exploded and then I got my grubby ink hands all over the front and back of the book, as well as over some of the pages.

'A QUIET KIND OF THUNDER'- SARA BERNARD
This is very different to the other two books, as this is much more a typical teen romance, coming of age novel. It's about a mute girl who befriends a deaf boy. I am a sucker for books like this, but what I found better than most recent books that far into this category is the fact that the mental health topic doesn't seem to be abused. There is no sense of how falling in love can cure a metal illness, but how friendship and different relationships can help this, I don't know how to explain. The main girl, Steff, has anxiety and despite it being a focal point of the book, it's not done in such an obvious way that controls the book, if that makes sense. It's a really lovely, heart warming read. It's easy and light and I found it thorughly  enjoyable. It's not like the other two books where there are things to look out for, it is what it is and was just a very good teen read- in my opinion. If you need something light, I recommend this.

What good books have you read lately- please let me know I'm desperate for a good book to read whilst I'm away. Like I want a general good book that makes you think (like The Kite Runner) but not one that is confusing to read, also just want some general good reads. Not sure how much time I'll have for reading though to be fair. Either way, let me know any suggestions please!