C.K. Robertson's Blog, page 7

Book Review RANT: Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Hello Readers & Friends,

I read Solitaire by Alice Oseman yesterday and found it to be extremely problematic. I liked the writing style and easy-to-read dialogue, so I gave it 2 stars. (I only really give 1 stars to DNF.) But overall, for me, it was a train wreck.

The marketing tagline (and main reason I bought it) was, 'Catcher in the Rye for the Digital Age.'
It's always dangerous to compare your book to such an iconic title, and equally so, such a well-written character as Holden. Whilst Holden was complex, depressed, deep and dark, I found Solitaire's counterpart, Tori, to be judgemental, bitchy, cold and boring.
Whilst some parts of her depression were well communicated and represented accurately, I think that where she and Holden are worlds apart is that she was depressed and unlikable whereas Holden was depressed and likeable. Tori does not make for good representation of someone struggling with mental health.
I feel like her brother, Charlie, was only in the story to make her seem more likeable, and he caused many more problems than issues.
Let's talk about the problems, the unresolved issues in this book (lots of spoilers and rants):

1. The message I got was that if you're depressed and your friends stop talking to you because of your low mood it's your own fault and you just need to accept that you have no friends and stop trying.

2. Therapy, or any actual resolution for depression other than finding an equally depressed boyfriend, is at no point mentioned in this book. The ending gave the message, 'just find an angry boyfriend to love you despite your depression and everything will be okay', instead of 'work on yourself and when you are feeling better maybe then it's time to get a boyfriend.'

3. There was no support system in place (I'm talking adults, not immature kids who don't know wtf is happening) for Tori, Charlie or Michael, who were the most damaged characters. No adults helping them, no messaging that if you speak about your problems they will get better. We have a suicidal main character, a self-harming anorexic battling homophobia and an anger-management kid dealing with a lot of pressure and all three of them get no resolution or even direction for how to tackle their issues. Instead, their mental health struggles are used as plotlines and entertainment.

4. Let's go back to the most problematic plotline, Charlie, for two seconds. He gets beaten to a pulp, tells his dad he got hurt playing sport and this is never discussed again. Your gay, self-harming son comes home covered in bruises and you don't even try to find out what's really going on? Is this a joke? And how does the book resolve this issue? The bully got beaten up, too. So kids, next time someone punches you, tell all your friends to beat him up as revenge and that's how you solve the problem.

5. Another Charlie moment. When he self harms in the kitchen and instead of leaping into action the first thing Tori does is call Charlies boyfriend and blame him entirely.


The worst thing of all was that there was no character arc whatsoever. NONE of the characters, except maybe Boring Becky in the last 10 seconds of the book, showed any progress or development. They were all just as shitty and broken as they were at the start, probably due to the lack of any support mentioned above!
The only thing different was Bitter Tori got with Angry Michael!

ALSO, can someone explain to me why two guys fancy someone as bitter and rude as Tori?! As someone who has struggled with severe depression, I can honestly say I have never been as rude as to blatantly ignore someone who said hello to me just because I couldn't be arsed to speak to them. All Tori does is go about on her high-horse being rude AF to everybody and ignoring them when they speak to her or wave to her just because she's depressed and better than everyone else. No, no, NO!
Her sarcasm isn't funny, her jokes aren't funny, her constant judgemental attitude isn't funny.

Apparently Oseman was 17 when she wrote this, and you can tell. I will give another one of her books a go in future because you can't judge someone from their first book, but for me the issue was not the writing but the problematic lack of arc and the ignorant perspective that this was written from. You can almost tell it's been written by a 17-year-old who doesn't believe anybody can help teenagers.

I just think this book is one big mess of dangerous ideas mixed with unlikeable characters and no decent messages to be learnt from it and I would not recommend any teenager ever read this for the problematic ideas it may give them.

Sorry to rant, I don't do this often! But mental health depiction in books is something I think should be done carefully, and in my own book I did my best to be as accurate and helpful as I could be. Maybe I could have done more, but Solitaire really offered nothing for me.

Love, C x

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass

Hello Readers & Friends,

I finally read Throne of Glass. I kept putting it off because with books that are over-hyped, I have this certain expectation for them, and if they don't meet it I'm more disappointed than usual.

I had a very up and down journey with this book, but overall by the end I was happy to give it 4 stars.

So let me start at the beginning (the best place to start). The first 100 pages were basically just everyone thinking how hot everyone else is. Assassin is captured? She's hot. Guard taking her away? He's hot. Everyone was too hot to handle and it was all they talked about and I was immensely disappointed. After hoping for a female Kaz Brekker character, I felt let down. The thing with a book this hyped is that you expect it to be as great as your other five-star reads, and at this point I felt like I was reading The Selection (which, to be fair, I loved, but I read that because I wanted a trashy read. For this, I wanted a really epic story with amazing characters.)

They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but you do. When I pick up books like The Selection, it's because I want trash and romance and predictable nonsense. When I pick up a book like Throne of Glass, I want excitement and tension and unbelievable character arcs. So yeah, I was feeling pretty angry at the start.

Then the twists came.


I love how the main storyline focuses on this weird jumble of criminals and fighters having to compete against each other. Anything Hunger Games-y is a win for me. But then Mass begins threading through secondary storylines, unsolved murders and strange dreams and all sorts of side-plots which keep you excited because there's not just one reveal you're waiting for, but two or three!

Once I was halfway through, I was hooked. Celaena's character finally came to be the feisty, strong woman I had been waiting for the first 200 pages. Once this happened, I was hooked, reading late into the night to finish. I found the ending really satisfying, and I love how it was kind of a love triangle without being an annoying, cliche, Casssandra-Clare type love triangle. (For the record, I'm team Chaol.)

I'm really excited to see where this series goes and have bought the second book. I've got a fun game for the second book which I will be vlogging for you guys - every time they use the word 'assassin' or mention how hot someone is, I'll be drinking. Because these were my only two real gripes with the writing. 'The assassin sat to dinner.'
JUST SAY HER NAME. WE ALL KNOW SHE IS AN ASSASSIN WE ARE 350 PAGES IN!

Anyway, I really enjoyed the concept of the book and am hoping for better world-building and more of an introduction to the magic system in the second book. Here's hoping I'm not disappointed!

Love, C
 x

How I Feel About The Covid-19 Lockdown

Hello Readers & Friends,

A bit of a weird one today. I feel almost awkward writing this as I'm scared I'll be labelled insensitive, which is not what I intend at all, but I feel like we're seeing only one side of the story about how people are dealing with lockdown and I haven't heard of anybody else feeling how I do, which I want to address.

Of course, the reason for lockdown is terrible and so many lives being lost is heartbreaking and I hope that this is all sorted and we get a vaccine as soon as possible. I feel terrible for all the people who are struggling throughout lockdown, exhausted parents and people anxious about lost jobs and those who are just going a little stir-crazy from boredom!

But I'm going to say the thing I feel we're not supposed to be saying: I love lockdown. For mysel personally, and my situation, it's the best thing to have happened in a really long time. I'm still working from home for now, and am very lucky to be doing so with such a wonderful and supportive team, but I just want to explain why I feel how I feel.

I am breathing a breath of fresh air. Aside from the worries about my wedding, I feel a million times calmer and clearer. I feel more motivated, I'm more productive, I am exercising every day (!?) reading more, smiling more, cooking more, laughing more. I'm enjoying every minute of my day and feel in control of my life again.

My relationship with Steven hasn't been this good since our trip to Cambodia, all we do is laugh together because I'm not tense and exhausted and high-strung. When I would usually come home in a foul mood after a gross train-ride home and tell him 'not to speak to me for a minute' while I tried to leave my mood at the front door and fought to kept my eyes open past 8pm, we're now chatting all through dinner, washing up together, curling up in front of the tv and laughing until we go to bed (much later than 8pm!)

I feel no pressure to be out socialising, instead catching up with all my close friends almost daily via calls and texts instead (introverts rejoice!). I don't feel guilty for staying in and enjoying my home all weekend, as though I'm wasting my youth away and should be at a pub or trendy restaurant in East London.



 I'm gaining three whole extra hours every day (which would be usually spent on a packed commuter train), which I can spend sleeping or reading. I feel so well rested and full of energy. I feel better about work, because I can manage everything coming into my inbox and work at my own pace and in a setting I feel comfortable in. I know which hours of the day I'm most productive (usually around 10-2 and then 3-6) and can work these times to my benefit instead of feeling like I have to take lunch at a certain time or do things in a certain order - and I'm getting so much more done as a result!

I feel as though this is how life is supposed to be. I am thriving under lockdown.

In fact, the only thing I'm anxious about is lockdown ending and going back to how life felt before. I feel guilty that I feel so good as a result of such a horrible virus that is destroying so many lives, but I wanted to write this in case anyone else feels the same way. I hope I'm not alone, I'm hoping many other introverts and anxious folk may be feeling the same way, because it seems the first thing everyone asks is, 'how are you coping with lockdown?' and I feel bad for not struggling the way everyone else seems to be.
I hope that we are slowly introduced back into life BC (before corona!) because I'm not sure how I'll handle the shock!

Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts and be honest. I hope that for anyone struggling you have someone close you can speak to (online!) and feel comforted by the fact that this will pass. And for anyone in the same boat as me, I hope the fears of returning to reality aren't too terrible and you know that if you could handle it before, you can handle it again.

Love,
C x

Reading Vlog: Eragon

Hello Readers & Friends,

I've done a reading vlog! Because I have all this extra time and reviews just got Youtubed.
So, I read Eragon, which has been sat in my TBR pile for a long time and was in my Isolation TBR list. 

I gave it 3.5* overall and had a few gripes. One of which was use of the phrase "his moist breath smelt like raw meat", which I hope to never hear again.

If you want to watch 14 minutes of ranting and sarcasm, you're in luck!




Me, unimpressed-face, wine in hand, with questions to be answered.

What video would you like to see next? I think I'll download an easy, fun read next like a Sophie Kinsella, to break up the time between my next TBR pick...

Love,
C x

DIY Resin Bookmark

Hello Readers & Friends,

I wasn't going to upload this video because I'm such an amateur and I had no clue what I was doing, but many of you really wanted to see the process on Instagram so here we go!

I used
- this resin set
- Dried flowers from Etsy (but now it's summer you can dry your own!)
- Bookmark moulds from Wish

and as we established, things I do in the video that I do NOT recommend:

- Not wearing gloves! Wear some gloves and hide your jewellery.
- Using a ceramic bowl - use something plastic that you don't mind ruining and that will be easier to clean.




And for the process:

1. Mix the two resin parts 50/50, (I think this should be done by weight and not by amount but I didn't have scales, another problem and probably why mine isn't as hard as it could be...)
2. Fill halfway up the mould (make sure your moulds are clean from dust!)
3. Drop your flowers in and arrange as desired (you can use tweezers for this, too!)
4. Fill the mould to the top, catching your flowers between the two layers
5. Leave to harden overnight and carefully remove from the mould! :)




Will you try?

Love, C x

Book Review: The Girl Who Dared to Think by Bella Forrest

Hello Readers & Friends,

Let's talk about Bella Forrest, first of all.
She is the biggest Kindle author on Amazon, and nobody knows who the hell she is. No photos, no interviews, no nothing. I suspect it's actually a group of YA writers. Why do I think this? She is churning out, sometimes, several books per month. It's not possible to write that much, plus editing and marketing for reach title. Her Shade of Vampire series has over 60 books in it!
Another reason is that I've read many of her smaller series (vampires aren't my jam) and have very varying results. I tried one series and found it terrible, stopping after Book 1. I read The Gender Games and loved it, then read The Girl Who Dared series and loved it, and at the end noticed a Gender Games crossover, with characters from one world being mentioned. So it's extremely likely the same person who wrote The Gender Games wrote The Girl Who Dared, whilst whoever wrote the other series I tried was just not as good.
Anyway, this is all speculation.

I wanted to talk about The Girl Who Dared to Think, which is a totally under-acknowledged book. This is a re-read, I read this series a while ago and have been feeling really low recently, struggling to find the motivation to do anything, even read. I knew I needed something I loved to get me back into things, so I pulled this one out of my old Kindle. I'm so glad. Still 5 stars from me!

Summary
The story is set in a tower. World-building is incredible, but basically it's the future and the planet has become too toxic to survive. People are now living inside this huge tower, divided into subsections of society to help maintain the tower. This tower is ran by Scipio, an AI who controls pretty much everything and keeps all in order.
Liana Castel is our protagonist, a 'knight' in the policing section of the tower. But she has a problem - her number has dropped to a four. Every person in the tower has their number visible on their wrists for all to see - the higher the number, the more they are of service to the tower. The more negative their thoughts, the lower their number drops, until they are considered dissidents.
Liana is treading dangerous ground. When her number hits 3, she will be forced to the Medica unit to undergo treatment against her will. If she hits two, she will be isolated. Nobody knows what happens to Ones.
Liana must find a way to get her number up, fast. And when a criminal offers her a strange opportunity, she finds herself entangled in a fight against Skipio.



This book is, obviously, sharing a lot of underlying messages and metaphors about mental health and the treatment of depression. The tower is so well described and all the factions built with such rich history and back stories that it's so easy to lose yourself in this new world.

There's a great mix of characters and personalities in the group, and I like the slow-burn romance between Lianna and Grey.The book ends on a cliffhanger, obviously, because there are five books in the series. I honestly can't recommend this enough for anyone who loved The Hunger Games, Divergent or anything of that ilk.

Love,
C x

March Favourites

 Hello Readers & Friends,
March already! And what a weird, strange and depressing month. It's been difficult for many people as the UK went into lockdown and our daily routines shifted dramatically. At a time when I should be reading more than ever with so many spare hours in the day, I've felt unmotivated, anxious and found it difficult to read much of anything at all, whilst my TV viewing has gone up!
Keeping positive with the wedding on the line has been difficult as well, but I'm hoping this will all be over soon. I hope you are all doing okay as well!
March Book Roundup:Less books than last month, to be expected as it's a shorter month!
Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson (re-read)Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta ThunbergThe Girl who Dared to Think by Bella ForrestAudiobook: The Goldfinch by Donna Tart - DNF! See why here. 
TV

American Horror Story - Roanoake - Netflix

I really enjoyed this season of American Horror Story after getting through the Hotel season like tar. It was fast-paced, classic and old-school horror, filled with gore, jumpy screamy bits and those classic broken AHS characters. This season follows a documentary format, where two main characters are retelling their story which is reenacted by characters. The story has the stereotypical spooky old house in the middle of nowhere, and it's haunted by The Butcher, leader of the Roanoke Cult who slaughter anyone who is on their land during a blood moon.
The second part of the seasons hows the actors from the documentary returning to the house during blood moon for a reality show. Needless to say, pretty much everyone dies a gory death. Oh, and there are weird hillbillies involved as well, because rednecks in southern USA always feature in horror.


American Horror Story - Cult - Netflix

Of all seasons, this one freaked me out the most. My stomach was in constant knots watching, I felt so uncomfortable and tight-chested, probably because it's more realistic than the others. It also did that recurring AHS thing where the protagonist gets so close to escaping several times, only to have it snatched away at the last moment so you always feel on edge.
This story is set in America during the Trump v Hilary election, and just after Trump has won we see the rise of a women-hating, fear-mongering cult led by Kai. (The best performance I've ever seen from Evan Peters and Sarah Pauline, by the way.) Playing on people's individual fears, Kai begins to amass a following and run for office, with many, many, gruesome and grisly deaths along the way.



 
Tiger King - Netflix

I have never in my life watched something with such bizarre characters in my entire life! What was meant to be a documentary into private exotic animal zoos in America quickly becomes a documentary on the absolute weirdos who run these zoos, and the politics between them. It ends in an attempted murder and there are multiple strange crimes and framings along the way. Of course, the frontman of the show is the zany Joe Exotic, a narcissistic gun-toting gay man who has two young, drug-addict husbands and believes himself to be the Tiger King. He begins a long-standing campaign of hate against a woman called Carol Baskin, who wants his zoo closed and is an animal rights advocate. Oh, and Carol supposedly killed her millionaire husband and fed him to her own tigers. Yeah, it's crazy. I can't even begin to explain what happens, you have to just trust me and watch it.


Film
The Parent Trap, The Mighty Ducks - Disney +


Like many other people, the start of isolation marked the download of Disney+ for our house. I'm so glad we did it! I started off with my two all-time Disney favourites, The Parent Trap and The Mighty Ducks. I don't even have to write anything here, I assume you've all seen these and if you're too young and missed the boat, I can't recommend them enough!



BooksMy favourite book this month was The Girl who Dared to Think, but I have a full review on this coming very soon, so stay tuned! 
Music
Memory by Sugarcult.

I haven't listened to anything particularly more than anything else this month, so I'll just share something I listened to and enjoyed. I was thinking about my schooldays and this is a song which really is associated with being young and at school. I used it in a compilation video I made when I was about 14 which is long lost, but I can still remember some of the clips with this song playing in the background, so it's really nostalgic for me.




How have you been coping with isolation? I've been writing a lot and trying to find new creative outlets. (Without much success so far but stay tuned!)

Video: My Isolation TBR

Hey Readers & Friends,

Another awkward Youtube video for me to delete in one week's time when I hate myself for it!!! YAY!

I chat through my TBR for isolation period. Let me know what you guys are reading, too!


Love, C x

My Isolation TBR

Hey Readers & Friends,

Another awkward Youtube video for me to delete in one week's time when I hate myself for it!!! YAY!

I chat through my TBR for isolation period. Let me know what you guys are reading, too!


Love, C x

Books For Isolation - ALL MY 5* READS

Hello Readers & Friends,

We are in this weird time right now where we are all stuck indoors and while some people may be reading more than ever, some people (like me) may be struggling to feel the motivation to do anything. Even picking a book seems like a huge chore. So I have put together a huge list of **nearly**  all the books I have rated 5 stars on Goodreads (that are currently out) to share with you all, so you can maybe download them on Kindle and find something to get you through this time. (I haven't included Harry Potter because, well, it goes without saying.)




So, without any more delay, these are all my top-rated GoodReads books.
YA Fantasy

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare One Line Summary: A mortal girl discovers she is part angel, and is thrust into the world of Shadowhunters.Favourite Quote: 'The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.'Personal Note: Don't base any opinions of this on the crappy tv show.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black One Line Summary: A mortal girl living in Faerie struggles through the deceptions and trickery of the fey to try to find a place in court. Favourite Quote: 'Faeries make up for their inability to lie with a panoply of deceptions and cruelties. Twisted words, pranks, omissions, riddles, scandals, not to mention their revenges upon one another for ancient, half-remembered slights. Storms are less fickle than they are, seas less capricious.'Personal Note: The best modern depiction of fairy folk, in my opinion. 
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo One Line Summary: A mismatched gang of criminals and oddballs are brought together and paid to perform a break-in into the world's most guarded prison. Favourite Quote: 'No mourners, no funerals.'Personal Note: My all-time favourite. Bardugo is a mastermind of flawed and lovable characters. 

Dystopia / Sci Fi
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman One Line Summary: Historical race is turned on its head in a world where those with dark skin are privileged and whites are oppressed. Whites begin to fight back, and a young couple find themselves caught amidst it all. Favourite Quote: 'The higher you climb, the further you have to fall.'Personal Note: Now on BBC as an adaption! I've only started it, but enjoying so far. 


The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness One Line Summary: In a world where everybody's thoughts can be heard and there are no women, one boy and his dog are on the run after discovering a dark secret their hometown has been hiding from them...Favourite Quote: 'Todd??' Personal Note: A magical way of writing that brings all the emotions you didn't know you had to surface, with barely any words at all. 


The Girl Who Dared to Think by Bella ForrestOne Line Summary: Civilisation lives in a huge tower, controlled by AI, Scipio. Everyone is ranked in numbers related to their positive thoughts, and when Lianna drops to a Three and is forced treatment, she makes a horrifying discovery about what is happening to Ones. And she has no idea how to stop it. Favourite Quote: 'Death or blind obedience? I wasn't sure there was a difference.'Personal Note: I wish they would make this series into a film.

The Gender Game by Bella Forrest One Line Summary: A world where you were either on Matrus, where women rule, or Patrus, where men rule. And one woman is sent to live in Patrus in an undercover mission, and discovers more than she bargained for.Favourite Quote: 'Self-reliance means you're in control. Don't ever think you need a man for happiness.'Personal Note: If you read this one before The Girl Who Dared to Think you'll enjoy The Girl series more, as the worlds overlap.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins One Line Summary: The USA is split into 12 districts, and every district must offer up two children to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games. Favourite Quote: 'May the odds be ever in your favour.'Personal Note: Film is great, too. 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline One Line Summary: Everyone is escaping reality and living in the AI world, Oasis. When the founder dies, he hides an easter egg within the game, and whoever finds it wins all his life work and riches. But evil corporations want to find it first...Favourite Quote: 'People who live in glass houses should shut the f*ck up.'Personal Note: The master of modern sci-fi. Filled with amazing 80s references.

Divergent by Veronica Roth One Line Summary: In a world where you have to fit into a set faction, or find yourself factionless and left to die, one girl with a test result of 'divergent' must find a way to hide her secret and blend into her new faction - or face the consequences. Favourite Quote: 'Fear doesn't shut you down, it wakes you up.'Personal Note: It's possible I prefer the film to the book, but both are great. Books That Will Stay With You

Junk by Melvin Burgess
One Line Summary: We follow two teenagers from middle-class Britain who run away and find themselves hooked on heroin.Favourite Quote: 'It was a love story. Me, Gemma, and junk.'Personal Note: Utterly controversial for its time, and still shocking now. I think its US title is Smack.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara One Line Summary: The story of four friends from teenagers through to old-age, as we try to discover what is wrong with quiet Jude and how their stories intertwine.Favourite Quote: 'Friendship, companionship: it so often defied logic, so often eluded the deserving, so often settled itself on the odd, the bad, the peculiar, the damaged.'Personal Note: This book will break you.


Animal Farm by George Orwell
One Line Summary: The animals take over a farm, kicking out the farmer, and begin running things their own way.. a strange political satire. Favourite Quote: 'All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.'Personal Note: This ending is everything.


Lolita by Vladimir Nobakov One Line Summary: A pedophile is on the run with his stepdaughter, Lolita. Favourite Quote: 'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.'Personal Note: Obviously a controversial one, but the writing is everything. I mean, just look at that quote.

Forbidden by Suzuma Tabitha One Line Summary: Another controversial one, about a brother and sister who fall in love.Favourite Quote: 'You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.'Personal Note: I read this ten years ago and it's still stuck with me! It's not very well known, so I always recommend it. Crime and Thriller

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn One Line Summary: Fresh from a psychiatric hospital, a reporter is sent back to her hometown to work on the case of two young girls, murdered. Favourite Quote: 'The face you give tells the world how to treat you.'


The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley One Line Summary: A group of old school friends reuniting in a Scottish cabin are all suspects when one of them is found dead...and old secrets keep on surfacing.Favourite Quote: 'Some people, given just the right amount of pressure, taken out of their usual, comfortable environments, don't need much encouragement at all to become monsters.'Modern Classics
The Book Thief by Markus ZusakOne Line Summary: A little girl and her family hide a jewish man in their basement during Nazi Germany. The story is told with Death as the narrator.Favourite Quote: 'One was a book thief, the other stole the sky.'Personal Note: I cried like a baby at the end. The characters were wonderful in this story. The Hate u Give by Angie Thomas One Line Summary: A teenage girl witnesses her black friend shot and killed by white police in an act of brutality and murder. Set in the USA and very relevant for today, will she find the courage to speak out? Favourite Quote: 'Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug.'Personal Note: Also a film! Though I've not watched it

Psycho by Robert Bloch One Line Summary: A woman ends up in a motel for the night, but manager Norman Bates is not as normal as he may seem.Favourite Quote: 'We're all not quite as sane as we pretend to be.'
Non Fiction
On Writing by Stephen King One Line Summary: The King of wordsmithery and storytelling shares part-memoir, part-writing guide.Favourite Quote: 'Books are a uniquely portable magic.'Personal Note: The book that made me want to write! 



Everything is Awful by Matt Belassai
One Line Summary: The hilarious memoirs of the forever-anguished Buzzfeed writer on the difficulties of being an adult.Favourite Quote: '"Is everything all right in there?" (A question that someone only asks when everything is not all right in there.)'Personal Note: I just love this guy.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton 

One Line Summary: The hilarious memoirs about the triumphs and trials of finding love, by journalist Dolly.Favourite Quote: 'The Death of Hackney tastes like a sort of fizzy Marmite and smells like a urinary tract infection and is yours for £13 a bottle. Enjoy.'Personal Note: I am using parts of this in my wedding!  Very relatable for any Londonites in particular.
YA Romance
Looking for Alaska by John Green One Line Summary: A coming-of-age story about a group of friends at boarding school in Southern America.Favourite Quote: 'Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.'

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett One Line Summary: A girl gets stuck out in the woods with her ex-best friend. A cosy romance.Favourite Quote: 'Lennon is the moon: often dark and hidden, but closer than any star. Always there.'

It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

One Line Summary: A girl falls in love with a boy at the cinema, and begin making a zombie film together. But love isn't as it is in the movies...Favourite Quote: 'It was immediately obvious that Harry had hints of f*ckboy about him.'Personal Note: I have a full review of this book available here :) 
Chick Lit
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie KinsellaOne Line Summary: A high-flying lawyer makes a career-ending mistake and runs away, only to find herself working as a housekeeper for a rich couple. Favourite Quote: 'My life has changed, and I'm changing with it.'
Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella One Line Summary: A girl having a freakout during a plane accident tells the man sitting next to her every single secret and admission she has. When he turns up in her life unexpectedly later, she wonders how long he will keep her secrets.Favourite Quote: 'Is it such a disaster for people to know the truth about you?'