March: What Did I Read?

 Okay, I think I jinxed myself with what I said in the last post. My reading rate halved and I only got through 4 books this month. But in my defence they were all quite long. And very dense, some of them. April's trajectory is looking a little better I'd say. Two weeks off school and one down already. But what did I read in March?

Kicking things off with some nice light reading, I read Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. And it's very understandable exactly why this book was banned. Truly quite horrifying. Although I gave it 4/5 stars, it was criminally long. I can sort of see why Nabokov included almost every single detail of every single day, in that it reveals to his readers the extent of the ordeal he put Dolores through, but it got a little bit tedious at times. However, his writing style is masterful. Suspense and a horrible sinister feeling run all the way throughout, even in the seemingly mundane. And the ending was honestly not where I thought it was heading at all but it added some drama so I wasn't disappointed. Also maybe I'm just a misandrist (except I'm not because that doesn't exist) but I'm not such a fan of books all about men, so I'm a firm believer that we should have gotten Dolores' point of view at least once. But that would ruin the delusion I suppose. It needs to be said: it's very bizarre reading the word 'nonce' in a novel from the 1950s. Altogether a very good book and it's obvious why it's become a classic however I'm not sure I'd read it again, just because of how long and creepy it is. Plus that scene where he maybe licks her eyeball was more than a little disturbing. 

A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle was my second read of the month. Sort of. I read these two in tandem. This one gets 5/5 stars- I loved it! At the moment I'm sort of going through a phase of attaching myself to the fact my dad's Irish, so obviously I had to grab this one off my parents' shelf. And obviously fiction shouldn't be used to teach yourself about something, but this genuinely gave me a lot of insight into the Irish War of Independence. Several of the main characters are fictionalised versions of famous Irish rebels (Michael Collins, James Connolly, etc) and Doyle really manages to bring them to life in your eyes. Just a word of advice it is more fun to read the book in an Irish accent. Although he for some reason copies that Victorian trope of recounting most of Henry's childhood, he does it in an interesting manner and it's not too long before we reach the actual heart of the story. Personally, the romance between Henry and his female lead was not for me, but I'm sure there's someone out there who would enjoy it. But the colloquial voice of the narrative and Henry's very frank manner make the story delightfully engaging. The plot is exciting all the way through, the setting is very rich, the characters are all very human, and the ending makes a lot of sense. It's a long read but thoroughly worth it. I can absolutely see why Roddy Doyle is so revered.

As part of my English A-Level independent study (what a surprise), I read Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories. And honestly, I was not such a fan. I can respect her writing style (it is gorgeous) and the status of a classic that this collection seems to have received, however they just didn't do it for me. My personal favourite was Lady in the House of Love- probably because stories about women are always just that little bit more interesting for me. That's the misandry again! All of the stories are truly very interesting takes on the classic fairytales, but for whatever reason they just weren't for me. They still get a 3/5 as they were atmospheric, tightly-spun, and easy-reads but there wasn't much spark for me.

And finally, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I really loved this book. It takes a while to get into (again, it's that trope of following a character all the way through childhood that makes it drag), but once we hit the action, I couldn't put it down. I finished the whole book in one sitting. The story follows isolated Kya who lives out on the moors and receives very little human interaction- until two young men from the nearby town become interested in her. And then one of them winds up dead. I am a sucker for a murder mystery- and have not read one for quite a while- so this hit just that little bit better. Kya is just such a lovely protagonist, that you're rooting for her the whole way through. The romance aspect of this book isn't half bad either- although Chase is a slimeball most of the time, so I didn't enjoy their flirtations so much. Personally, I absolutely did not see the ending coming, but my mother did- so take of that what you will. But in my opinion, it was perfect. This is a 5/5 star book for sure. Delia Owens' language is absolutely gorgeous; she truly transports you to this completely new natural world. I would recommend this book to everybody.

That concludes the first quarter of the year! I hope everyone's been reading as much as they'd like with the return to in-person school, and I hope you've found more books you clicked with this month than I have!