Reading Challenge – 104% complete

Hello December, the time of year where we all start to think about Christmas, family and the end of the year.  And so along with all that distraction and merriment, well almost,  I continue to check on my progress of how many books I can read in a year!  I have already surpassed my target of 45 books, which I’m still pleased with, and I motor on.

So what have I read since???

 

Book number #46 – Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel

This is a multi award winning, review glowing book about people surviving a pandemic flu which has wiped out 99% of the worlds population. We follow a group of actors and musicians that travel around various settlements performing Shakespeare and surviving the new world as best as they can together.

Now this isn’t quite the hard gripping dystopian thriller I was expecting or hoping for, but instead get an elegantly written (and yes I am using the phrase ‘elegantly written’ as this is something I thought to myself during the book) The author is, I suppose you could say ‘obviously’ due to the awards etc, but the author is very good at what she does here. The world is perfectly described and set to you, as are the characters and their turmoil’s. She has written a piece of literature set with a dystopian back ground.

So why not five stars. Well, I loved and would of enjoyed more scenes like we get with the prophet and his followers, I was gripped and genuinely felt worried myself when things start to happen with the company as they try to escape him. I also felt a little disorientated at times with the continuous flashbacks in time, sometimes twenty years ago, or five years ago…or last week, with various characters in the book I found keeping track a task. Could be just me? not the brightest and often tired when reading, but did find myself a little lost with what was happening at times, however this doesn’t take too much away from the book and story.

So overall a very well written dystopian book, which for me could of done with a little more grit.  4 out of 5 stars.

 

Book number #47 – The Ill-made Knight by Christian Cameron

This book was given and recommended to me from a family member and is the first book by Christian Cameron I have read. So what do we find, well this is a historical fiction book set in the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, with our main character William Gold who I do start off quite liking, but later on start wondering if I do. The character build up is good, with the young Williams hard start to life described well and his turmoil’s from there had me gripped and interested from the off set, as we share his journey through life as he sets out to become a hero and knight! With numerous knocks along the way.

So what did I enjoy. Well the author describes the finer details of battle, armour wearing and conditions of fighting in (like mud) very, very well and clearly his hobby of doing re-enactment battles has paid off here as you, as a reader, do feel right there on the fields fighting and scraping with all the characters. The obvious brutality of battle comes across very well, as does the often unmentioned naughty side of war, like robbery, pillage and rape.

What did I not enjoy. I think, whilst reading, as this is told by our Main character in later life while in a pub getting drinks from his audience, that it dawned on me that this could be just some old drunk guy making up stories bigging himself up in order to get some free wines. Once I thought this, it took something away from the way the story was told. So probably my fault for being a cynic, but drunk made up stories I hear whenever I visit my local, ha ha, from lot’s of people who claim they could of played football for England I hear all the time. It’s also quite a lengthy book, with a lot of detail, and waffle, where the main character tells practically every detail in his life to this audience, so god bless them, they must of been stuck buying this old guy drinks for days!!

I then, around the 25% mark of the book, got bored and felt both the story and character had no real direction other then that he wanted to be a knight, it all got a bit…samey. No adventure. No end battle or task to help achieve his goal. Just him wondering around France, battling. So although I love a good, hard done to making it good type of a yarn, I got weary and tired of old William Gold quick.

3 out of 5 stars.

 

Right then, let’s see how many more books I can squeeze in before the year ends!!