Over the past couple of years I have documented every film that I have watched and reviewed them all using Letterboxd.
As a way to motivate myself to read more, I thought I would do the same for what books I have been reading, using Goodreads as a way to set myself a reading challenge.
So, this year I set myself a challenge of reading 15 books. Here’s how my 2015 challenge went, with a short review and rating for each of the books:
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Review to come.
2. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Reading Wild before the film adaptation was released, I wanted to pack my bags up and go for a long walk to somewhere unknown, too. I’d been traveling myself the year before picking up this book, so I knew what it felt like to trek around unfamiliar places with no responsibilities to worry about or people to put you down, without plans and infinite amount of time ahead of you to do whatever you felt right. But I wasn’t particularly inspired by the story at the time of reading or watching it because it isn’t the motivational journey as promised.
Read my full review comparing the book and the film adaptation here.
3. The Divergent Series: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Review to come.
4. Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Review to come.
5. The Light Between The Oceans by M. L. Stedman
I can’t wait for this film to be adapted, the casting looks exceptional and it will be directed by one of my favourite directors. But we won’t getting the film until at least 2017, so I’ll probably read this a few more times before then. The Light Between Oceans starts off quite slow, and it takes a while to really draw you in. But by the end, you will be left heartbroken. It’s a beautiful and emotional story, with great characters and a tearful ending.
6. The Maze Runner Series: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Just like the first novel, The Scorch Trials is full of adventure, action and anticipation. The novels are incredibly fun to read, with a new twist springing up in every chapter to keep you excited and engaged. There are new technologically advanced monsters, personal tests of humanity, and struggles against a world which is controlled by others, which all keep the pace up, the scares coming, and the readers on edge.
7. Paper Towns by John Green
Paper Towns is two things: a heartfelt story about growing up, and an exhilarating adventure motivated by love, friendship, and the desire to push yourself further in an attempt to find out who you really are. It’s a story about growing up and the different kind of relationships that you have – with your parents, with your friends, and sooner or later with the opposite sex – but this isn’t the kind of book that would be taught about at school, either.
8. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
It’s no wonder that To Kill a Mockingbird has been deemed a classic, because that’s exactly what it is. Scout is such a brilliant character, and I didn’t want to stop reading. I don’t even like the film adaptation, which is a very rare thing for me to say, because I just don’t think that it gives this incredible story the justice it deserves.
9. The Martian by Andy Weir
The Martian is a refreshing science fiction, telling an intelligent story of optimism and immersive adventure.
Read my full review comparing the book and the film adaptation here.
10. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Review to come.
11. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
We all think we know Kipling’s story thanks to Disney, but The Jungle Book is actually a collection of fables, and only 3 out of 7 of them relate to Mowgli. I was only interested in these three stories because it was only about Mowgli that I wanted to read about, which left me quite frustrated at first. But whilst the other 4 fables give memorable moral lessons, the book is very dated and even I found them quite difficult to relate with. I wouldn’t particularly say that this is a children’s novel, because I think older readers will get much more out of it, but you do need to be prepared for a more in-depth story than the Disneyfied version. The stories of Mowgli and his friends are quite different from the story we know, but there’s a lot more to appreciate in terms of imagination and adventure. They may not be the simple fairytale you were imagining, but Kipling is an incredible insightful writer.
12. Animal Farm by George Orwell
George Orwell is certainly one of the best. His work is always so relevant, and it’s astonishing just how well he understands the progression of society and intentions of the government, enough to keep his writing thought-provoking decades later. In the context of animals on a farm, Orwell’s exploration of socialism, communism and democracy is perfect. Those three words are all subjects I never thought I would find interesting topics in a book, but Orwell knows how to entice an audience while exploring quite mundane but hard-hitting subjects, whilst also making the story entertaining and engaging.
13. Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Colm Tóibín‘s novel is a literary delight. Incredibly well written, Tóibín uses plain prose and a simple linear structure, but his writing reads like poetry as he adds detached detail to almost every sentence. It’s easy to see why the novel is so well praised, telling a simple story about a young girl transforming into a woman, finding her own way in life as an immigrant in a big city. But although I enjoyed reading the novel, it was pretty uneventful for the most part and it was only until the final few chapters where we meet Jim that I was eager to read through until the end and find out what happens. I didn’t particularly relate to Eilis, as she is quite a dull character when you really think about it. Then again, the story is set in 1950s Ireland and women did have to conform to society, and if Eilis wasn’t so naive and inexperienced, this wouldn’t be the story that it is.
Read my full review comparing the book and the film adaptation here.
14. Lord of The Flies by William Golding
Well, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I expected a lot more order among the group but it’s quite hectic from the beginning, so there’s no surprise that it doesn’t end well. It is really well written, but I found the stereotypes too dated to find it relatable, although it is an excellent exploration of character. It is quite scary by the end, too, and it certainly leaves you with a lot to think about.
15. Room by Emma Donoghue
Told from the perspective of a five-year-old, this narrative style is a bold step from author Emma Donoghue, and it’s not always one that pays off. But Donoghue captures what it is to be so young perfectly, and by mimicking the voice of a five-year-old so well, Room remains an incredibly well-written novel throughout. Jack knows nothing but the 11×11 square room that he has grown up in, which is hard enough to describe on the page as it is. But as Jack says hello to his friends – Rug, Plant, Wardrobe, Lamp – and struggles to come to terms with the thought of even one other person or a single blade of grass existing outside of the walls he is imprisoned in, we experience this traumatic experience through the eyes of an intelligent, cheerful, good-natured, and brave little boy.
