So far, so much reading

January's reads so far:

The Declaration by Gemma Malley - a teenage read, set in a future where old age has been 'cured' and couples who will not grow old are not allowed to have children. It's a dystopian story, where 'surplus' children are taken from their parents and trained to serve society. It reminded me somewhat of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale which is a favourite of mine.

The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - as discussed below. Loved it!

The Kissing Club by Julia Clarke - another one for the teenage girls. It's a story of teenage pregnancy, but not too preachy, with some very likeable well rounded characters.

Everything I Know About You by Belinda Hollyer - aimed at slightly younger girls, and dealing with a family mystery. How can Lizzie's little brother have seen their mum, when they both know she died several years earlier.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - one I'd really wanted to read but was ultimately disappointed with. It's great premise for a novel. Girl can see faeries who by all rights, should be invisible to mortals. The reason she can see them? They want her for their queen, to end the reign of the Winter Queen for ever. Will Aislinn give up her new relationship with best friend Seth and ally herself with Keenan, the faery Summer King? A more detailed review and lots of interesting comments are on the Dear Author website, many of which reflect my views. That it was an enjoyable read, but that some of the structure (a bit fragmented somehow and uneven in terms of page-time given to different characters) meant that it wasn't a great read. Which is a shame because I'd heard good things about it.

Christmas presents

Each year my mum asks me for a shortlist of books that I would like for Christmas, and she selects a couple of them to buy for me. This year I got The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks which I'm reading at the moment. It's a book about a book; the story of a rare Jewish prayer book and the book conservator who becomes fascinated by it's history. I'd also recommend having a read of her book March, which is related to the classic Little Women. I love the books by Louise May Alcott, and Brooks' book tells the story of the American Civil War from the point of view of the girls' father.

I was also bought one of Tracey Chevalier's newer titles, Burning Bright, though now that term has started and I've got the usual piles of kids' and teen books to read I'm not sure when I'll get round to reading it. Chevalier's website includes a list of what she's read herself over the past few years which is quite interesting.

The third book I received this Christmas was Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer, which I'd never heard of, but my mum knows me well and it's right up my street. It looks at food and drink in classic kids' books and includes a combination of story exerpts and recipes. I've already thought of several people I'd like to buy it for!