Book review: The Commitments by Roddy Doyle

The Commitments by Roddy Doyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Commitments by Roddy Doyle

First of all, I was not aware that The Commitments was based on a book. It's one of my all time favourite films, I love the characters, the music, the story. So, I was very intrigued to see how Roddy Doyle had written singing.
It's a thin book, but I really loved it. It carries the same charm as the film and you're left smiling throughout. The dialogue is impeccable, and you can tell that some parts of the book have been put directly into the screenplay.
There were a few reasons I didn't give it five stars. The first is that sometimes, I didn't understand fully what everybody said, and who said it. There are no speech marks and the author has written everything in an Irish accent, which is brilliant but sometimes confusing. The only other problem was the singing. If you didn't know the songs, it was hard to follow them. However, I did go and search for them afterwards.
Brilliant book! Highly recommended.

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Book review: Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

A lot of people dislike this King novel, they say it's very similar to others, and you can tell that he had just recovered from an accident before writing the book in long hand.
As a man who has written 57 books in total, it's hardly surprising that similar ideas arise. I don't mind when King sticks to what he does best. Writing stories focused on groups of four boys, growing up into men and the surrounding events. Dreamcatcher features a very special character, Duddits. Duddits makes this book, especially his relationship with the four other men. All of their relationships make this book special.
The pace of this book was brilliant, it only dimmed when the military arrived. I loved the characters of Henry, Jonesy, Beav and Pete and actually wish we got to read more about Beav and Pete.
Overall, a great King book. I can always rely on him for a good story and great characters.

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Remember, Remember the 5th of November...

Every year, there's the countdown to Christmas. For our family there are two big events before Christmas, and once they're over we can start to celebrate the 25th of December. The second of those (after Halloween) is Bonfire Night. 

In our family it is massive! My Dad has been in it since he was a teenager and his Dad used to march before that. You could say it's a tradition of sorts. I've walked in it as well for the majority of my life as a Tudor, a smuggler and a Greek. I've watched it now, for two years running ever since I've lived in Shropshire and although I don't enjoy it as much, Bonfire Night is still Lewes' biggest event and a sight to behold.

The streets are cordoned off from around five, until two am, but it isn't until later when the fun really begins. 

There are a number of Lewes based societies that parade up and down School Hill before finally ending up at their fire sites to let off the best and brightest fireworks in all of Europe. I have always been Waterloo through and through. 

Bonfire Night is always busy in Lewes no matter what, but on a Saturday night the town is literally flooded with people. Where I was standing it was at least seven deep and occasionally I managed to get to the front of the crowd, to watch the procession. The costumes were incredible, the detail impeccable and the glow from the torches and the flares brings Lewes to life. It's hard to describe what watching it is like without being there yourself. The streets come alive with noise, and light. Each society has one or two bands beating a rhythm, while select society members let of bangers and Chinese firecrackers that make your ears pop and your heart skip a beat. 

Bonfire Night is truly one of the best sights to behold in all of the country, but next year, I think I'll forgo my camera, and pick up a torch.

Book review: When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman
It was fair to say, when I started this book, I didn't have high hopes. The other books for book club weren't my cup of tea and the books I had been reading lately didn't ignite excitement. I needed a book I was passionate about, one that I couldn't put down and recommended to everyone. This was the book. It was breathtaking, made me laugh aloud and cry. Sarah Winman describes feelings, sounds and smells for each memory, making it come alive. The ecclectic characters are a joy to read about. Elly isn't particularly eccentric, but you share her joys and her pain with every word you read.
This truly is a magical read and I can't wait for more from her. In fact, I'm hoping for a sequel as this book ended far too quickly!

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Driving Me Crazy!

Women learning to drive is becoming a bit of a joke in my family. My Mum can't drive because she was told that she couldn't steer by her instructor. My Aunt can't drive because she couldn't pass her test and my Nan can only drive a tractor. As you can see, it's not looking good. Unfortunately learning to drive is going to be a necessity. I regularly finish work at ten 'o' clock and although my Mum's partner comes to pick me up whenever he can (which is most nights), it's not fair for him. Especially on the weekend when he wants to unwind and relax. It will also be great when the snow hits, as I expect public transport to grind to a halt and when I travel down South to see my friends and family. So I took the plunge and booked up my driving lessons with a company called Zoom Zoom. I've now had two lessons with my instructor Shaun. For a start, he is a really good teacher, or coach, as he prefers to be called. He encourages independence, and only uses the other controls if necessary. So far, only once! He's also incredibly patient which is what I need! My brain has a habit of freezing up when I'm trying to do too many things. In fact I didn't realise how much the driver has to do! Steering, pedals, indicators, looking where you're going and checking the mirrors. I have no idea how drivers talk or sing as well as driving, let alone eat, or go on their mobile phones! Doing anything but driving should be made illegal! After my second lesson, two big problems have become apparent. The first is that my steering leaves a bit to be desired. It seems like I'm taking after Mum! I over steer, which I'm blaming Dad for, so it takes me a while to get straight again. The second problem is how much pressure I put on the accelerator. It is so sensitive, that sometimes I don't even realise I'm putting any pressure on it. Thankfully, (and hopefully) these things can be sorted out. Shaun has told me he's expecting me to drive home next Monday, which has made me both nervous and excited. It's such an achievement, but I can't wait until I'm able to drive like it's second nature! Hopefully all this worrying will pay off!

Book review: Panic by Jeff Abbott

Panic by Jeff Abbott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Panic by Jeff Abbott

I really wanted a book that I could race through and finish quickly, just so I could up the pace. This book unfortunately didn't do that.
It started off great. You're introduced to Evan Casher and his life. He's an interesting likable character, even if he's a bit mushy when discussing Carrie, his girlfriend. Then his life starts to go downhill as his life is revealed to be something different to what he knows. But around a third of the way through the book, my interest dwindled. There were too many characters, too many acronyms (CIA, FBI, MI5...) and the pace just stopped. I also didn't really care about the other characters, especially Evan's dad Mitchell, or the bad guys. Even the technology was too complicated and it went too far into the unbelievable. I understand that this isn't going to be fact, but at least it should be based on truth.
In the end, what would have been Abbott's twist in the story, was very predictable. So, just three stars from me. I still need to find a book I would give more than three stars!

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Book review: Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

This book took me forever to read and I'm not entirely sure why as it was my favourite 'book club' book yet!
In some ways Sea of Poppies reminded me of Pillars of the Earth, the way that all the characters are introduced separately and at some point in the novel are brought together. It's what I call an epic book and I really can't wait for the next one in the trilogy to come out. This one ends rather suddenly and leaves you wanting more.
The reason why this book only has three stars is for two main reasons, one which could have been avoided. The first was the chapter structure. I hate long chapters. Ideally I should be able to read a chapter in half an hour, that way I can read two or three if I've got the time, or only one if I'm tired. This book had a lot of long chapters, and when I got home from work I really couldn't be bothered to read a whole one, so I would just read chunks. It took me a lot longer because when I started reading the books, I might forgo a night of reading Sea of Poppies because I wasn't looking forward to it.
The other thing that put me off initially was the language. The way things are phrased and anything spoken by Serang Ali was particularly hard to read. To put it bluntly I couldn't be bothered to translate the text! But as I carried on reading I found it easier and eventually learnt to love it as something that makes the book unique.
Overall, three out of five! Bring on the sequel!

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