Katy by Jacqueline Wilson

This book review is inevitably going to contain SPOILERS. Of this book (KATY by Jacqueline Wilson) and the original WHAT KATY DID by Susan Coolidge. 

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I was trying to describe What Katy Did to someone last week. 

"Spoilers much?" 

Well... I'd like to see him describe What Katy Did without explaining she fell off the swing. 

"I think it even says it on the cover." I pointed out. I checked. It did. 

Added to that I don't think I have ever known of one single copy of What Katy Did without it containing a picture of Katy on her swing. I mean, lets face it, it's not just grown-up readers of What Katy Did who find it predictable. I think I was about ten or eleven the first time I read it; and I think I knew pretty much THE ENTIRE plot line by the end of the first page. 

If anyone's ever read Heidi, you know girls in classics generally don't stay confined to their wheelchairs forever. Medical miracles seem to happen a lot to little girls in old books. I'm not complaining; I like a good happy ending. 

What Katy Did, is an excellent example, of how it's not the destination that matters, its the journey. 

The first time I read it, I could have probably looked at the cover, read the blurb, maybe the first page for assurance, and then blagged to anyone that I had read it. I didn't need to REALLY read it. I already knew what happened.

But that's okay. I liked reading What Katy Did. As an eleven year old, and when I read it last month. I'm kind of glad I used my Waterstones rewards to 'buy' it, because I'll probably enjoy reading it again sometime. 

It doesn't matter that it has a totally transparent plot. That is not the point of that book. 

That is even more so with Katy, the 'modern version', by the author of Tracy Beaker Jacqueline Wilson. 

I just checked my version of What Katy Did and the library copy of Katy. Katy is just over twice the size of What Katy Did. Thats a lot more story to tell. 

If What Katy Did is about the journey, Katy is about the trek, the hike, the expedition. 

What Katy Did is lovely little book about a colourful character who has an accident, learns to be a good person despite her hardships, and then is 'rewarded for her good behaviour' almost. 

It's a classic for a reason, it's AWESOME. 

Katy is not a lovely little book. It's, like you would expect from Jacqueline Wilson, a slightly more true-to-life version. But don't worry, this Katy still gets her happy ending, even if she isn't 'fixed.'

Katy is a real life girl. She has real life brothers and sisters, and has a stepmother instead of an overly pious aunt. Helen isn't a cousin she's never met, she's one of her Dad's patients. She's much more fleshed out than the original Katy. So are her friends, her brothers and sisters. Her life is a lot more fleshed out. Her Dad is a lot more present. She IS Katy. Just a Katy from the 21st Century - and so there is a lot more to her than can be expected from a book written in the 19th Century. 

At first, I did feel like Katy was just What Katy Did rewritten, the details and the settings changed. Basically, What Katy Did 'modernised' to try and convince reluctant readers that classics are good. For the first few chapters, there really is no difference in the story. It is purely a modernized version of the original. 

But then you realize it's not quite, there are little details that are added. I guess now Katy has more to loose, you see more of her life. More of her feelings towards Izzie; there is a reason why she is so detested which gives Katy more to overcome than is the case of just a nuisance Aunt who thrives on neatness. There's a fallout with Cecy. There's a few more characters, in Eva and Ryan. 

There's a story before the fall, instead of the content of the book before the fall being there solely to lead up to that point. There is also a better lead up to Katy's fall, with her bad day being more than just a bit of contrariness, but full of fully formed emotions. 

And then here, is the bit where Katy really comes into a life of it's own, as Katy follows a more realistic path. Katy spends weeks in hospital, not at home surrounded by her family. There is uncertainty and ambulances and surgery. 

And there's the knowledge that she isn't going to walk again. 

And that's fine - that's what this book is about. It's about a girl who falls of a rope swing and damages her spine, not a girl for whom a miracle worked a couple of years later. 

Katy spends a lot of time in hospital, and although I've never been in anything like as horrific as Katy's situation, I have been in hospital (and for more than an overnight stay) and I have to say, it's pretty spot on (although I never had any visiting hours, that did strike me a UTTERLY bizarre. I didn't realize those existed for Childrens/Young Adult wards. Well... I'm very lucky I guess.) Toast late at night while chatting to a nurse? Totally... People having bad days? Oh yes. Not eating/hungry/want to stay in bed/want to be anywhere other than bed/nice nurses/not that great nurses/awkward friends/too enthusiastic family/missing family. It was all there. And friendships. I'm glad Dexter is there, because there are times that no one can understand you and be there for you more than the person in the bed next to you (or bay next to you.) 

But the book really comes into its own when Katy is let out of hospital. It starts with that first journey home, with the struggle that is getting home, and the worry that hometime, after all that longing, came just a bit too soon. 

For the 19th Century Katy, staying in bed (or a reclining chair) for two years was totally fine. 

But this is not the 19th Century. We're gonna need a wheelchair (or two). Although I do kind of wish Katy had had a little more struggle with hers. It would have made me feel a bit better about the fact I never really did learn to push myself... This Katy had to learn to get in and out of cars, finding the right clothes (and shoes), getting on buses, not being able to get up stairs (if you become unable to walk overnight, your house doesn't suddenly turn into a bungalow. TRUST ME.) 

She had to deal with the range of reactions from other people. The whole range. People being wary of her, people treating her like she was mentally incapable (and just incapable altogether.) Of people who she barely knew before hand suddenly becoming her supposed best friend. People who try and fit her into socioty by ignoring her wheelchair, and people who try and be too accommodating. But also those who just get it right. 

I think the bit I liked best was the bit where Katy went back to school. And not just the school of pain, but a real, mainstream, not accessible school. With teachers and other pupils. And all the struggles that come with starting a new school plus a load of extra ones. Even being allowed to go to school was a challenge for Katy, and I think my favorite scene in the whole book was the high five between Katy and Dad after wearing down the headteacher into letting her attend. 

This book, is all about a girl called Katy, who falls of a rope swing, and then learns that being in a wheelchair does not stop her having a life, and doesn't mean she has to hide in her bedroom for the next forever. She faces challenges, some set by herself, some set by society, and she does it all as a fully fleshed character with a range of emotions. But it's not a gloomy book, its not depressing. Its a true to life account of how a girl, and her family, OVERCOME those challenges. 

I love What Katy Did and always well. I think Katy is amazing. Do I have a favorite? Not really. They're both awesome books, but in very different ways. They're written 150(ish) years apart, for different audiences, and in the way, they're very different books. Each special in its own way. I'm also not sure which one I would suggest to be read first. I guess that would depend on you (or the child as both books intended audience is). What Katy Did is half the size, so although Katy did take me longer to read, it's a modern book and so is a 'quicker', 'easier' read, so they probably even out in difficulty. 

They're both good books, and both definitely deserve their place in the 'read' list. A modernization of a classic is, like a movie adaptation, terrifying to lovers of the original. But What Katy Did lovers need not fear, Jacqueline Wilson has definitely done Katy proud. 

Also, can I just say, if I grow up to be Miss Lambert, that's perfectly fine with me. 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Sorry - not the best Photo

As I've talked about in various places here - I'm currently getting back into reading after a prolonged break. And during that prolonged break - a lot of stuff happened. Most of it for the better. Most notably - the world of Teen and Young Adult has embraced VARIETY. Before - I'm not going to lie - the 'teen' section was pretty black. We were still in the stage of 'dark romance' i.e. werewolves and vampires were definitely king. This wasn't necessarily a BAD thing - it was just a thing. And the 'dark ages' of teen/young adult reading definitely had their place- and I am currently reading Twilight again and loving it (it's so much better when you're reading it after not having done so for several years when all the hype has died down) BUT...

The variety is nice - you know?

So I've missed quite a lot of the VARIETY. I mean - Jenny Han, Victoria Aveyard, Geek Girl, Maze Runner, Rainbow Rowell, Sarah J. Maas, David Leviathan, Patrick Ness, Ally Carter, Pretty Little Liars, Holly Bourne, Marissa Meyer, Stephanie Perkins, Ally Condie,...

The list of apparently awesome people/series that have happened in Teen/Young Adult is HUGE. If I walk into the young adult section of a library - it's like a completely different place now. I'm not saying that they didn't exist before- they almost certainly did (at least some of them).. It's just that.... they weren't that big. And too be honest - a lot of it all just goes over my head. Who? What? Where? What is this new world that has been formed in my absence? But you do (you really do) have to have been an ABSOLUTE HERMIT to have not heard of John Green. Or maybe there will be some people who do not, indeed, know that name. But you will recognise The Fault in Our Stars. Yeah. He wrote that.

Yeah. I haven't read that. I know the premise. I know what happens. And I just don't. Want. To read. That. I know its beautiful, powerful, life changing... But I just don't want to read it. Nothing personal - just not a book for me. A bit like how I don't like mango fruit or eggplant.

So this isn't a review of The Fault in Our Stars, instead it's a review of An Abundance of Katherines. As you may have guessed by the title of this blog post. And there isn't a vampire in sight.

This is the story of amazing anagramer and former child prodigy Colin Singleton. It is not a story about Katherine. Or one of the numerous other girls bearing that name that Colin has dated. I like that.

In An Abundance of Katherines, Colin Singleton, after being dumped (for the 19th time) by a girl named Katherine - kind of goes into a complete and utter meltdown. His parents are worried - he's to important to being having a meltdown over a teenage romance. He has work to do. He has to become a genius. His best friend Hassan (clever, not as clever, but had a gap year in which he watched television and did nothing) decides that the cure for lying face down on the carpet drowning in misery is a road trip (although when is a road trip never the answer). In the end; they don't end up going very many places. It pretty much amounts to a gas station, and the town of Gutshot. (No, I didn't make that name up. But I really kind of hope that John Green did). Here, we meet Lindsey Lee Wells, and her mother Hollis. Hollis is the factory owner in a town which in all ways but non, exists for and resolves around the factory. She employs the boys to interview the residents of Gutshot so that an community history can be compiled. It's okay with the boys - and it gives Colin a lot of time to think about his big breakthrough project - a formula that will determine how long a relationship will last. (Based on if you are a dumper or a dumpee). 

Possibly one of the first things that I came to like is how this is a book about Colin Singleton. Okay- I know I sound like a parrot right now but bear with me. I like that it's a book about COLIN. Not a book about Katherine. I don't that often read a book from a boys viewpoint. This is the kind of thing that you only realize when you read a book about a boy. (As in a book about a boy instead of a book about a girl who isng a meltdown over a teenage romance. He has work to do. He has to become a genius. His best friend Hassan (clever, not as clever, but had a gap year in which he watched television and did nothing) decides that the cure for lying face down on the carpet drowning in misery is a road trip (although when is a road trip never the answer). In the end; they don't end up going very many places. It pretty much amounts to a gas station, and the town of Gutshot. (No, I didn't make that name up. But I really kind of hope that John Green did). Here, we meet Lindsey Lee Wells, and her mother Hollis. Hollis is the factory owner in a town which in all ways but non, exists for and resolves around the factory. She employs the boys to interview the residents of Gutshot so that an community history can be compiled. It's okay with the boys - and it gives Colin a lot of time to think about his big breakthrough project - a formula that will determine how long a relationship will last. (Based on if you are a dumper or a dumpee). 

One of the second things- is I like how Colin's preoccupation with feeling the need to MATTER is transferable. Okay - so we are not all child prodigy. We can't all anagram anything (except a small list of words that contains the word muumuu).  We couldn't all read the paper before we were potty trained. We can't all be fluent in Arabic and German - BUT - I think that we all want to matter. People - as a general population - are people people. We want to matter to someone, or to be famous, or to be liked, or to be loved, or to win a Nobel Prize... Not everyone wants to matter to everyone and be on the front of all the gossip magazines (understandable) but I think that as a general people we ARE bothered about how we are seen by other people - we want to matter to them. I like how this need is reflected in Colin's preoccupation. I like how he struggles with working out what it is that he ACTUALLY wants. Is it Katherine? Or is it something else?

So you maybe thinking that the whole premise for this book is a bit far fetched. I mean - one boy (he hasn't even started college yet) dating 19 girls named Katherine? And girls of only that name? Wouldn't all Katherines in the land start avoiding him like the plague - cause they know that it's only going to end up badly? And okay - so yes. Maybe it is. Slightly. Just ever a little bit far fetched. BUT it really doesn't matter. It doesn't really affect the story much/at all. This is a story of how he gets over all the Katherines. I really don't feel that this book would be any different if each girl had a different name. The fact that they are all called Katherine is barely a thing. I mean - Colin has quite a mathematical mind. You may as well just drop the name and just keep the numbers. Although maybe it does matter- just a little bit. This book has to have some sort of picking up point - right? It's about totally normal people doing totally normal things - with no werewolf activity to draw people in it needs to have a selling point - right? :P

As far as characters are concerned - simplicity is evidently key here. There isn't a long slew of characters to get your head around. Or there is - but there aren't really that many you need to pay attention to. You could probably get away with only really knowing Colin, his best friend Hassan, Hollis, the woman who 'employs' him over summer, and her daughter, Lindsey Lee Wells. There are other characters of course, but their not really integral to the story. 

I love how none of the characters are perfect (or so it seems). On Goodreads, the main comment about this book is that Colin's whiny, that Hassan is kind of funny but only in one particular way and even then not that funny, and Lindsey Lee Wells is kind of bland. I kind of get that - but then I disagree. So Hassan is not going to win any prizes for his comedy. He's funny - but he ain't going to end up on television. A load of my friends are funny - but I don't think that any of them are going to end up winning prizes for being funny or being on television telling jokes. Maybe Colin is unbearably whiny and I'm just missing it all - but I just don't see it. Or not like that anyway. I've known a lot of characters who were a lot more whiny - Colin's been dumped 19 times ... And he thinks that's his biggest problem. He's only ever had one friend (not counting anyone named Katherine), his Dad only seems to be concerned with nurturing Colin to become a 'genius' and his Mom seems to be very focused on Colin being as normal as possible. Colin is very aware that he is a 'former' prodigy and that he isn't normal. I'd actually say that the whining IS normal in that situation. And it really isn't that bad. 

The book progressed at quite I nice pace I thought. Which for all intents and purposes was quite slow. Appropriately slow. Remember - there are no werewolves in this book - no immediate life threatening situations. It isn't an action book - to be honest it isn't really a romance. It's more a book about finding out more about the person you are. So no fact paced heart racing moments - it's more of a stroll of a book then a sprint. I also liked how the plot was straightforward. Apart from the 'devastating' realization Colin has about one of the Katherines that sets his formula straight - there are no unforeseen plot twists. Not really. There didn't need to be. This is just not that kind of story. I feel like how the epic road trip only ended up having one stop kind of sets the pace for this book. They made a journey. It wasn't an epic one. It was one that they went on till they got where they needed to go. Then they went on another one. 

As mentioned above- yes it was predictable. But it wasn't in a disappointing way - not like how some people find it disappointing when they work out how a detective story is going to end before the ending. This book is not like that AT ALL. But yes - you do kind of know where it’s going. Don’t be put off by it. This book is not about the end result - it’s about the journey. 

The formula itself - I must admit the prospect of such a thing terrifies me. There’s one point where Colin projects he may win the Nobel Peace Prize for his work if he can get it right (because there isn’t one in Mathematics and think of just how many less dumpings there would be…) but I mean - would he really? If you knew that your relationship would only last x amount of time - would you really bother? Colin seems to be determined to not have to live through the break ups, the lows of the relationship. But was Colin unhappy during the relationships? No. He was perfectly fine with them (if a bit self absorbed) whilst they were proceeding. I think with the formula Colin doesn’t think about just how unhappy everyone would be - this formula would mean that a lot of people would go around with no hope. Which I don’t think would result in a very happy population. 

One of possibly the most obvious things about the book is the footnotes. Kind of like optional expansions on the text. Additional reading if you will. The things that Colin doesn’t end up divulging because the subject is deemed uninteresting - just in case you are, in fact, interested. Translations of Arabic and German. Little notes explaining things that are mentioned in passing by the characters but then not explained (or more likely it’s reassuring you that these things will be explained presently). A lot of it is math. Not hard math. Very approachable math. Or math that you don’t really have to understand because it’s explained so nicely. It’s there I think sometimes so you can look at it and admire that Colin is, indeed, a prodigy. Cause I’m a first year Math and Physics student - and I look at that formula and think - ah I just want to bury my head under a pillow instead of dealing with that thing. But at the end of the book - there’s an appendix where the whole thing is explained very nicely - and very simply - by a real mathematician. Which is nice. I mean - it’s real math. It’s nice when you can tell yourself that you’re really studying when you’re actually procrastinating. 

I feel like there are two noticeable things about this review. One is that I have said something along the lines of “I like…” a lot. I’m sorry. I’m tired. And really - I’ve still not got the hang of this book review thing again yet. Have patients please. Another is that I feel like I’m defending this book. Picking through other peoples reviews seems to be that people didn’t like this book - they found it the worst of John Green’s books. I can’t really comment on that; but… 

I think if you take this book for what it is - it’s a downright brilliant book. It’s different. And it’s different because it’s ordinary. It’s a really nice book that you can read in a couple of days (a couple of hours if you’re a faster reader than me). It’s a kind of hug in book form. The kind of thing that you want to go back to when you want a good, feel good book that will make you feel good when you need to have a good read to make you feel better. The kind that you don’t mind reading over and over again. It has 4 stars on Amazon - it isn’t an epic. Its just a plain old good book - and one of the best plain old good books I’ve read in a while. 

If nothing else - I could read the chapter when you see just how far Hollis goes for her employees over and over and over again. If ever you want to read something that restores your faith in humanity and business… this is it. It’s so heartbreakingly beautiful - without the dramatics. So even if you do find Colin the most whiny protagonist ever (although I found The Catcher in the Rye much worse and that’s a classic) - it’s worth reading through for that moment. It’s not a long book. Just stick with it. It’s worth it. 

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

*review contains some spoilers*

When I started this book - it had probably been sitting on my shelf for about eight months. There was a time when it would be unlikely for me to have this book on my shelf for 8 hours without me at least starting. Often I'd of finished it too. Although to be honest at that point in my life- it wouldn't have even got to be on my shelf before I read it. It just wouldn't get there. 

Okay, so, back to the original point I was trying to make here was that when I first started this book after it sitting on my bookshelf for eight months I thought I was reading a historical novel. Or not a historical novel exactly - but one that was set sometime between 1900 and 1950. I have no idea why I thought this - I just did. I'm not entirely sure when I realized that this book was set in the present day - but when I did it was quite a shock. And again - I have no idea why. There is nothing to suggest that it was anything other than a contemporary setting - and actually most of the books not set in the present day have a description which starts something along the lines of "Its 1912 and...". But for some unknown reason I had got it into my head that this was a historical book. 

There were clues all along "call 911" - when did it become a thing that American households would have a telephone. And when did calling 911 become a thing? (just fyi - Google informs me that the first 911 call was in 1968. I'm shocked. I would have thought it be earlier.) Did people call it CPR in the early twentieth century? Or did they have another name for it? But then BOOM all of a sudden I realize that there have been a million different things shouting "I'm set in the present day." I think it was when her brother said the words "Mom's going to be pissed.". Why I didn't realize at the mention of a cell phone but did at the bad language - I don't know. But I did. 

Although there were some points where I don't blame myself for getting the wrong impression. The scene at the start of the book where it describes the protagonist Lucy and her younger brother Gus laying the table being one of them. I mean - salad plates and two forks? It seems overly fancy to me. 

My friend Anna (go check out her fantastic blog about applying to uni) and her family gave me this book when I was ill (hence the long time before I read it) and I have to say that of all the gifts I got when I was ill it was a good one. If I'm choosing a book to give someone as a gift I will spend hours and change my mind many times about which would be the perfect book to get them (and never mind do they already have aforementioned book) (n.b. dear best friend who got a book for her birthday and Christmas - be grateful!!! :P ) 

But this was a really good choice. It was perfect for what I needed right then. A lot of people were suggesting I read classics (thinking I suppose that I would find comfort in 'old friends' and great literature) but that was just too much archaic language and required concentration for me at that point. This was not like that in that it was easy to read - there wasn't complicated plot twists or confusing moments or seven syllable words. 

But don't take that to say that it wasn't a good book. It was no War and Peace, but it was still a compelling read. There were no life shattering plot twists- but as you were reading you didn't feel like you knew exactly what was going to happen at every second. Well - you could kind of see where it was going but there was enough substance to the book that you WANTED to read it. You wanted to read it through, to see what Lucy made of herself and where she ended up at the end, enough ups and downs and highs and lows. There was enough to intrigue and entice you to want to keep reading. 

The book has an interesting and unusual background to the plot. It's a book about family and expectations and slightly obsessive behaviour and friendship. Of independence and finding what you love. But it's set to a background of the music world. I've read a lot of books about dancers, and a lot of books about people who do sports or who are artists. There are plenty of books about people who are into anime and 'geeky stuff'.

And yes - there are a lot of books were the characters are musical, where they play guitar/drums/sing (for example Angel Dares by Joss Stirling) but I don't think I have ever really before read a book where the classical music world features - or if it does only to a very minor extent.

My Dad is a classical music fanatic. And not just he owns a few Cd's of 'popular' artists and works, and compilations of 'the best classical'. He is one of those people for whom 'classical' music is music from the classical era (about 1750-1820) and whom has Cd's from all musical era's. And when we say he has Cd's, we mean like thousands. Literally thousands. So suffice to say - I've been exposed to classical music. I don't know a lot - but it is not an alien realm to me.

I know that for a lot of kids this is not the case. There are a lot of kids who have never and would never go anywhere near classical music, because it's boring. And they may sometimes be right. But firstly, you do not need to know anything about classical music and the piano to enjoy this book. It's not an exclusive book. Some things are mentioned, for example names of pieces, but it doesn't matter if you have never heard of it before or if you can play it backwards on the harpsicord in your sleep; the music world is the world in which this book is set and not a book about the history of the piano. It's not a book about choosing not to play the piano, but about choosing not to do something that you love, and as such I think the main themes and plot would be equally applicable to piano playing or gymnastics or football.

And also there are leagues of kids who take up the violin or the piano or the flute or the trumpet or some other instrument. Wether they 'think it's cool at the time' or because they know someone else who plays or because their parents make them. Weather they only ever learn to play three blind mice or do it for years. Wether they perform at recitals or join the school orchestra or sit exams. Wether they never practice or practice for six hours every day. A lot of children learn to play an orchestral instrument, and I like how music plays a part in this book as I feel it is underrepresented in the children, and especially young adult, literary word.

And now I feel like I've rambled on about that WAY TOO MUCH.

One of the things that played a big part in this book is the relationships Lucy has. With her deceased grandmother and how her death effects Lucy. With her grandfather who expects nothing less than perfection from her. With her parents - it's interesting how this isn't always black and white, and I like  how they change depending on circumstance, and there's evidence of changing over time - it makes them feel more real to me. Your not just given a black and white snapshot of one parent being the bad cop and the other being the pushover good cop. Her relationship with her brother reminds me a lot of my relationship with mine. Sometimes we hate each other. Sometimes we will talk to each other for an hour (this is rare) in some sort of serene state. But there is no big change, it is constantly changing from 'friends' to 'enemies' and feel like this is the same with Lucy and Gus.

I felt that the relationships that Lucy has with her friends were slightly underdeveloped- I just didn't feel like they were a big part of the book, when for any teenager friends are a big part of their life. If they have them or not. But with Lucy - her friends were very in the background. You know their names, and that Reyna's parents are going through a messy divorce and that her Dad's a orthodontist. But that's about it. I just don't feel that they are properly fleshed out characters. But I think a big part of this may be that Lucy just isn't that bothered about them. They're more just people who are conveniently there. When she falls out with Reyna it doesn't seem to phase her much. And the fact that she really does only have two friends should say a lot. I feel that maybe they aren't fully developed is a reflection of how Lucy views them and thinks about them - which is quite frankly not a lot.

The other relationships that she has are with older men. In a slightly creepy way. It's not just crushes on older celebrities or commenting on younger men in her community (teachers etc...) because that's kind of normal. It's that Lucy is ACTING on her crushes, and they're not just crushes, she actually seems to have romantic feelings and obsessions with these people (her english teacher and her brothers new piano teacher) as if she was their peer. When she is not. It never gets really far but it definitely goes further than I think it should be allowed to go. Her friend jokes about her having a thing for older men, but it's not really a joke when she calls them in the middle of the night and creeps around their bedroom.

For a lot of the book Lucy is 'at war' with her family about.... everything. And her piano playing is the wooly mammoth in the room. It did get to the point where this gets a bit annoying - because it gets to the point where I feel where Lucy is just getting a bit unreasonable. There is a strong suggestion she is seen as a 'spoiled brat' by many in the music community and also by her grandfather. I don't think this is necessarily the case. I don't feel that Lucy is spoiled necessarily, just very used to a very different lifestyle. She is often late to school, and I don't feel like it's because she is entitled to be late, but more she's not used to having to be up on time, or used to what time she gets up a problem. I think she has always been used to a certain style of life - she left school so she could follow her piano career being 'the important one', the main player. Everything was about her. And all of a sudden she needs to get used to being a normal, unspectacular, high school student. I don't feel like it's necessarily because she's jealous, or resents her new situation- more just doesn't quite know what she's doing.

So yes - there was a point where I did feel like Lucy was a bit annoying. I was frustrated with how she was acting. Why didn't she hang on to her friends more? Why couldn't she see she was hurting Gus?

But I think that's just because Lucy was such a real character. She's normal. She's human. And that means that she acts like a human. And sometimes she is a bit annoying.

I think that's my main thing about this book. It's real. Its not just believable. It feels real. Sometimes I don't like books that are two real, because they're just a bit too real. But here I like it. I like how Sara Zarr has created her characters. And I like how the events and directions of the plots seem to be dictated by the characters, instead of her having a bunch of charercters and a plot. I feel like it's a well thought out book; that the scenarios are well considered and convincing.

So what I've just spent over 2000 words saying is that I like this book, I recommend you read it. It's different, it's interesting, it's believable. Yes, there are several chapters where I was a bit annoyed with Lucy, but after that bit when I understood her a bit more, and she understands herself a bit more I was glad I read through it because after that it was so gratifying. It's a fascinating and enjoyable read.

And lastly there's a bit at the end about the bits at the end of the book. The first one is 'Lucy's Love List for Will'. It's a 'copy' of the list she prepared when she was asked to make a list of the pieces of music that she loved. I love how it was included - because although we knew quite a few of the pieces because they'd been mentioned over the course of the novel - but I was interested to see them all together- and a couple that I'd either missed being mentioned or forgotten about. I made them into a playlist and I really like it - especially on shuffle it's an interesting mix full of things that I'd never heard before but are really very good songs.

The second bit is a few pages of discussion questions. Now. I am instantly weary of any book containing discussion questions. It reminds me of the TERRIBLE reading scheme we had in junior school. So I'm just not a fan of discussion questions. They should have been left as an available resource on the internet or something. The least said about them the better.

But luckily the novel itself is good enough to make up for the discussion questions. 

The Chalet School

So this summer I have been obsessed with a series of books called the Chalet School books by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. 

I've been borrowing the books from the library (and have bought one of my own!!) and they are VERY addictive. At least if you are me. And the people all over the internet who are also obsessed. 

They're a kind of school story. A bit like St Claire's and Malory Towers- except a bit more 'grown up'. Not necessarily because they contain things people know would associate with being a bit more 'grown up',  but they can be a bit more 'life like'. When people get ill.... they don't always get better. 

The book starts of being set in Austria- on the Tirol. It's an English school (originally) but Madge (the headmistress) chose to start the school there due to the fact that, as well as being cheaper, she thought the climate and atmosphere would do her younger sister, Joey, some good. For a time the school moves to the Chanel Islands, then to Wales, and finally to Switzerland. At some point (I REALLY want to read about when if anybody can tell me which book it is) the school becomes trilingual. Having a day each for French, German and English. Sunday is reserved for 'whichever tongue wanted' - which can mean Italian, some Scandinavian languages, Belsornian, Russian, Spanish.... Which is basically... write up my street. A trilingual school? Why couldn't I go? 

An abnormal number of adventures happen in the stories- I guess if there weren't then the books wouldn't have been half as interesting. But expect a lot of fun (and not so fun) adventures. 

Also -this is possibly the only school I know were skiing and tobogganing (coasting) are positively on the curriculum. You may do either- but you must do one! 

The books were written between 1925 and 1970- and you could definitely say that they are 'of there time' in places. Towards the end of the series they may even of been bordering on slightly old fashioned- I don't know. I wasn't around then.

This enormous time span is quite fun- you get to see the children of old girls come and have adventures at the school themselves. Joey has triplets. And Len, Con and Margot all have their fair share of adventures. Madge's girls all come as well. It's... it has a strange sort of appealing atmosphere- were the girls out of hours will quite often call the mistresses "aunt" because as well as being their history teacher- they are also their Godmother. 

Also - interestingly compared to the Malory Towers and St Clare's I read when I was younger - Brent-Dyer chose to 'keep the books real' by implementing what was happening at the time into the books. This means that when war came for her readers- war came to Joey, Madge and the Robin (Joey's adopted sister). This may be because- as the school was set in Austria- Brent-Dyer, unlike Blyton, would have struggled to ignore it. After Austria became a Nazi country - it would not have been in keeping with the 'war spirit' to read about a school happily enjoying life in 'enemy territory'.

This meant that the school had to move. Of course (and in keeping with the many drama's and catastrophes that happened over the course of the Chalet School) this could not be done quietly. Which make's 'The Chalet School in Exile' possibly the least favorite of the titles that I've read. Not because it's not the best. In terms of quality- I'd definitely rank it higher than some of the later titles- but because it's slightly too..... real. It's..... a bit like 'The Sound of Music'. But without the singing to make it alright. There are many not so pleasant run in's with Nazi soldiers. People are threatened. People go missing. People are put into Concentration Camps. People die. A group has to flee the country in secret and smuggle themselves across the border. The school is forced to close- it looses many students because the government won't let them go to a English run school- and more because parent's don't feel it's safe for their children to remain there. Which it isn't.

When the school re-opens in Guernsey they still aren't safe from Nazi spies. But when a pupil is found out to be a German sent to retrieve information- the school's first thought is 'the poor thing'. They don't blame her- that is one thing that everyone is very clear on. In the books I've read that take place in 'the War years' - the school and it's pupils make a big thing of making sure that everyone appreciates that the German's aren't the enemy. The Austrians aren't the enemy. It's the Nazi's who are the enemy. They pray for their friends who are not with them - both those who are native German's and Austrians who are now under the Nazi regime, and those who have died because of it.

And when the war's over- there is a great effort to meet up with old friends. In some cases it just isn't possible. But the members of the Chalet School seem to have a great skill for finding each other again, apparently the tight knit community of the Chalet School lasts well into adulthood.

There are over 50 Chalet School titles... but I definitely prefer the earlier one's than the later. I don't know... I still love the later ones, but the earlier ones are the ones that I prefer. Maybe it's just because I prefer the setting- or that it's because as a smaller school at that time- they are a more tight knit community. 

One thing I do like about the books though- is that you get to see what the Chalet School made the girls into- you get to see the girls when they are grown up, and have careers and families. Sometimes thais get's a bit annoying (you are reading a school story- sometime it would be good if there were a bit more of the actual exploits of the school girls in there) but as a general rule- it's nice. 

There are still plenty of school girl tricks, plenty of prefects and head girls and school rivalries (although not so many as they are often quite a way away from the nearest school), plenty of shows, plenty of exams. There are fines for speaking the wrong language, fines for slang (and they are big on not using slang) and fines for getting splashes on the table cloth. And if you don't like traditional folk dancing..... what's wrong with you? 

The other thing that is big in the Chalet School is the Girlguiding movement. There are several Guide units, and Rangers and Brownies as well. Which basically just makes the books the best ever to me. Because Guides makes everything the best. Almost all the girls are involved in one way or another- and the Guiding is quite deeply ingrained in school life... it's a big part of who a lot of the girls are- and sometimes whole weekends are reserved for Guiding activities- when visitors come they are more likely to show off what they have learnt in Guides as opposed to what they have learnt in lessons, and they actually use a lot of what they learnt in Guides and Brownies- especially first aid and tracking symbols. 

Overall- I really like these books, and I could probably go on all day about how great they are- but I have other things to write and you have other things to read. So I'll stop know- but if you ever have a chance to read one- they're really cool. 

Savant's Series - Joss Stirling

Okay, for a start, I'm not entirely sure what this series is called. If anyone has a clarifying answer, please help me! But for now, I'm calling it the Savant Series. 

Secondly, unbeknown to me, the author, Joss Stirling, has three pen names. And I have previously read books from each of her other two persona's before I read Finding Sky. Julia Golding, whom I know from reading Dragonfly and The Glass Swallow, is a multi-award winning author who has sold over half a million copies across the world in multiple languages. As Eve Edwards, she has written historical novels including The Other Countess.

Thirdly, I can't remember how to write a book review. And all the "how to write a book review" articles on the Internet either seem to be at either primary school level, or university level. I just want to write a general review, and so I'm winging it here people.

Fourthly, I don't actually own these books. They are borrowed from the library. I did own Stealing Phoenix at one point, but I have had to seriously cut down my book ownership, and so it had to go. Not because it wasn't great or anything, but I just didn't have room for it. But it doesn't really matter if I don't actually own the books does it? As long as I have actually read them?

Okay, so here goes:

Um... I'm stuck.

Okay, so here goes attempt two:

These stories are about the trials and tribulations of being a Savant, most notably those that go hand-in-hand with finding your Soulfinder; your predestined other half, which completes you in a way that no other partner can. Your one true love times a gazillion, in a nutshell.

Yeah, that intense.

The series follows the stories of the Benedict brothers, Trace, Uriel, Victor, Will, Xav, Yves and Zed. Well, if you're gonna have seven children, it might be a good idea to name them alphabetically. But most people would start with A. You know- Arthur, Ben, Callum, Doug, Ed, Fred and Gus. But hey ho.

The first book, Finding Sky, starts of the series off with a bang. As with the following books, the story is written from the point of view of the Soulfinders, in this case 17 year old Sky Bright. Who has some issues. Yeah, big issues. Think being abandoned on a service station and then not talking for years. Oh, yeah, and she used to see peoples 'colours'. Which is a perfectly normal thing to do, right? In their infinite wisdom, her adoptive parents decide to uproot her and move away from all Sky's friends in Richmond, England, and spend a year in the snow capped Rocky's of the USA. Culture shock or what? You don't have to answer that one, btw. And I mean, if that wasn't enough, she gets tortured by the cheerleader teacher, oh, and there's this boy. Like, the most annoying boy this side of Justin Beiber. And she can hear his voice in her head. The whole town is telling her that getting together with bad boy Zed is a bad idea, and it turns out true when they get into gun wielding, mind mugging trouble, but is love that strong worth it, or does it just lead to disaster?

The Community, lead by bad guy The Seer, is not a place that you want to be. However, that is where life has lead to Phoenix ending up. A Olympic grade thief, Phoenix is given a mark. But that mark fights back. And then turns out to be her Soulfinder. Life just got complicated. For a start, is this Soulfinder thing really true, or is it just a load of baloney? Then, it's not that easy to leave the Community. Even worse, it's not that easy to bring the bad guys of the Community down. Especially, when the Seer can literally, tell you to kill yourself. And you would do it. Phoenix can't go back to the Community, but how can she be with Yves without hurting anyone?

When dud savant Crystal's big sister falls head over heals for Trace Benedict, Crystal gets stuck with the most annoying brother, Xav, the healer with the worst bedside manner. He just never stops. She's trying to find her own way outside of the savant community, and he always puts a damper on things. And if that isn't enough, she's trying to organise her sisters hen party. But when an evil savant tries to get her revenge on the Benedict's buy kidnapping their Soulfinders; well, what help can a dud savant be? And do people really believe that annoying Xav could really be the one?



As a girl who's concentration is next to nill, these books are engaging. Actually and really engaging. I've read them a few times now, and I still find them page turning. The core theme of the stories is something most teenagers can relate to - boyfriends/girlfriends. Okay, it's blown out of realistic proportions by the whole 'special gift' thing, but the base of it is something familiar. And then there's the whole 'fitting in' thing that the Soulfinder's face in the books. Most people are familiar with that.

Relate-able, with page turning storyline's? Hmmm... what else? Well, the core characters remain consistently present in each book, and their characters gently unfold and develop. They each in turn step forward to take the limelight and then recede to let another brother have a go, depending on which Soulfinder is the centre of the book. But each book has a new Soulfinder, and each wanders into the Benedict's life and has their own journey of discovery/journey of trying to stay alive despite the best efforts of evil Savants. And so, you don't really have to read them in order. Because Phoenix doesn't know what happened between Sky and Zed, you don't have to know either. So if you see one of these books on the shelf, and you haven't read any of the others, don't worry, go for it!!!! (Although it might involve some spoilers).

These are all written in the first person, of Sky, Phoenix, and you guessed it, Crystal. Coincidentally, they are all brought up in England. Whereas the Benedict's are all American born and bred. I mean, isn't it good to have a book that crosses international boundaries.

I like how these books are written in the first person, as well as generally liking books written in the first person, because I feel that there is so much more emotion! You have a real insight into what the character is feeling, and I feel that this draws you into the books, as you have a deeper 'relationship' with the characters. I mean, there are millions of good books written in the third person, but I do think that the first has been used very successfully here.

In a nutshell, I like these books for lots of reasons. They storyline's are great, the characters fully developed and have clear emotions that you can relate to, you can read them as a series or just pick one up. They are very well written. And they're different. They're not just another bit of vampire fiction (sorry Twilight) nor are they another 'girl meets heart breaker but it all works out in the end' kind of book. Yes, they have aspects of both, but with the Savant series, I feel like they have been written because this is what the author wants to write about, and not just what she thinks the market wants. Which, I think, makes them grate. Oh, and it isn't just 'I think', Finding Sky has got 4.5 stars on Amazon UK.

And if that isn't enough for you, a) Challenging Zed is a free ebook available for Amazon Kindle (and you don't have to have a Kindle, you just need to download the app) which tells the first part of the Finding Sky story from Zeds point of view and b) Misty Falls, the next book in the series, is coming this October. Yippee!!! Christmas? Please Santa Claus if your listening? If I can wait that long, of course. Here, I can't wait to 'meet' Misty, Crystals cousin, (What is it with Savants and big families? Anyone?) a perpetual truth teller, at a time when young savants are in danger.... Ooohh... October, please come soon, please!

The Bumper Student Cookbook - Good Housekeeping

My Mom told me to get this book from the library. 

I really don't know why. 

Well, I do. She thinks that I need to read some student cookbooks. You know, I'm going away in a year, and I'll be in self catered accommodation, and you know, I'll need a stockpile of cheap, EASY (consider that, at the moment, I am physically unable to make myself ANYTHING) vegetarian meals that serve one. It would be a bonus if these didn't rely to heavily on eggs or cheese. Cause I'm not picky or anything (and I'm even worse at the moment, I'm still waiting for my tastes to go back to normal post chemo. It took Moms friend over two years... oh dear). And I'm going two find recipes that fit these criteria in a student cookbook. 

Not if all student cookbooks are like this one. 

If all student cookbooks are like this one, I now know why students are notorious for living on beans on toast. 

For the short, here's the review I posted on Amazon:

"For a start, there are very few recipes in this book which serve 1, and as all the students I know are cooking for themselves, a recipe which serves 4 is no good, especially a lot aren't recipes that freeze/make good leftovers. They have a 'Food for Friends' section - keep these meals for there! Also- how many students have £15+ to spend on beef FOR ONE RECIPE? (although it does serve 4 - not freezable). That may be the worst example, but a lot of the ingredients are just not budget friendly. Fresh herbs, pine nuts, jarred antipasti, creme fresh... It would be fine if they were one offs, but you're looking at maybe 2/3/4 a recipe sometimes!!!!

The front of the book has some very good - but pretty basic information on food hygiene/shopping/meal planning/storing fresh produce and some very good advice on things like how to prepare each ingredient - like individual instructions on how to cut up each vegetable, and how to cook eggs. They looked like clear, concise instructions, and I'd imagine that they would be very helpful if you didn't already know how to prepare food.

Overall, if you are completely new to cooking, this is a good resource with pretty much everything you need to know in one handy place presented in a helpful way, however, you will be left with a book full of recipes that are good - but they're not student recipes. Recipes to cook at home when you're parents are buying the food and helping you eat it, but not for when you're on your own and on a budget!"

Now that we've got the short version out the way, I will warn you, you are subject to the long versions of my ramblings in the long version. 

Okay. 

Here goes. 

I do know some students who are feeding a family of four. My Mom has been one such person. However, these students are all OLDER, MATURE students who learnt to cook a while ago, when they left home at 18 or so, and so have no need for a new, student cookbook. All the students I do know that would have use of a student cookbook are not serving a family of four people. Occasionally, they may cook for their friends, and if it's something like chili or bolognaise sauce, which freezes well, then making a big batch and freezing in individual portions is a good, cheaper and easy alternative to expensive convenience foods. However, there were just far too many recipes that fed four people and weren't suitable for freezing, and no were near enough recipes for 1 person. 

The book did contain a 'Food for Friends' section. In my opinion, at least 75% of the recipes in the book belonged in that section. Which would make it a very overlarge section. Maybe I'm the only one, but I imagine that when I'm a student (assuming I will be physically able to cook) I will, for the most part, want quick, cheap, and easy meals that I can 'whip up' when in between lectures, studying, and doing whatever else a student has to do. As a student in college, a step down from university, when I was cooking for myself (which I did regularly), it was food that was prepared in under ten minutes, from store cupboard staples and whatever fresh produce we had, and that weren't necessarily 'sit down' food. I was busy. Surely, a step up at university, it will be no different? I wasn't interested in cooking for others very often, I was more interested in feeding myself at whatever odd time I need to, which probably doesn't coincide with everyone else. (One day last summer, I ate lunch at 11, and didn't have dinner until after I got in at 8. Yes, I had eaten a snack in between.)

Yes, you can always quarter a recipe, but really, for almost every recipe in the book, who can be bothered? Its quicker and easier to just pour yourself a bowl of cereal! and not all recipes work when they have been scaled down. For example, what do you do with the 3/4 of a can of chopped tomatoes left? and is it really worth chopping an onion for 1 tablespoon? and will a quarter of a tablespoon of oil be enough to coat the frying pan to stir fry your veg? 

So, would it be a good cookbook if you were a 'grown up person' and looking to make some cheaper meals for your family- you know, saving money by living on a notoriously small budget? Er... no. Just no. Why? They are just not budget friendly. 

I wasn't joking in the Amazon review I wrote. The Beef Stroganoff recipe calls for 700g of trimmed rump or fillet steak, which Dad (I'm really no expert in meat prices) says would be at the very least £15 worth of meat. Now, that's almost a weeks worth of food blown in one recipe; and that's before you add the other ingredients! And it's not just this recipe, most of the recipes include ingredients that are not what I call 'budget friendly ingrediants'. If you are trying to eat as cheaply as possible, do you want expensive fresh herbs or relatively cheap dried ones? Do you want to be buying relatively expensive ingredients, 'posh' ingredients, only to use a few tablespoons and the rest left to be wasted? No, you want to be frugal, you don't want to spend more than you need to! So a lot of these recipes don't belong in a 'student' cookbook because they're too expensive!!! And many of the money saving tips included wont save you a whole lot of money!

The recipes in themselves are, as far as I could tell, good recipes. It is a good all-round cookbook. If you are a complete cooking novice, but want to start cooking your own foods instead of buying convenience foods, this is a good book. There is nothing wrong with the recipes themselves, they're just not what I was expecting to find in a student cookbook!!!!!!!

One last gripe is that a constantly reoccurring 'Top Tip' is to use a stock cube mixed with boiling water - and use that as the stock called for in a recipe. That is not a top tip. I cannot imagine very many (notoriously lazy) students could be bothered to cook stock from scratch (and other people need to use the kitchen to - stock is not quick to make) neither can they afford to buy those tubs of fresh stock!!!!

Okay, so the good bit of the cookbook.

The first bit of the cookbook is dedicated to teaching students how to cook - and this is not just how to do  the actual cooking, but how to shop, how to store items, how to meal plan and how to eat healthily. All very useful information if you are a complete novice; however, I would expect that at the very least some of this would be familiar to most 18 year olds. Though I may be wrong, I do believe we're a bit past 'eat lots of fruit and vegetables'. But it is, on the whole, its useful information

They also have lots of instructions on how to prepare and cook many different 'staples' - like how to cook an egg and how to chop an onion. The instructions here (and I admit in the recipes themselves) are very clear and very easy to follow. If you don't know how to boil an egg or saute a pepper, this is a good book for you.

If you could buy this section on its own, it would be worth it.

They do however, assume that you probably buy your chicken in a way other than prepackaged from the supermarket. I may be a dumb vegetarian- but really? Or is just the omnivores I know who buy it in a package? Just wondering.

It may be very stereotypical and slightly unfair... but when someone said that this was a "cookbook for students with rich parents"... yeah, I kinda get what they mean.