May was another weaker reading month, but I definitely made up for it with June and July (you'll see!) But we do have some variety this week: a poetry collection I read for school, my first ever Margaret Atwood (which I think has set my life on a new trajectory if I'm being a bit theatrical), some non-fiction and one of the best books I think I've ever read.
Admittedly, if it wasn't for school I never would've read Carol Ann Duffy's The World's Wife. Although I did like Duffy's one poem in the GCSE anthology, I was still kind of under the impression that poetry wasn't really for me (mainly r. h. sin's fault). I was wrong, and this collection proved that. There are some slightly naff ones in the collection, with ones like Elvis's Twin Sister and Frau Freud inspiring vague irritation more than anything else, but I still gave it 5 stars. Duffy's use of language is gorgeous and I just love feminism in literature so this was right up my alley. And there is nothing better than a fucked up female protagonist which makes it even better. My favourite poems were Little Red Cap, The Devil's Wife, Medusa, and Anne Hathaway: they're so rich in imagery and clever structural tricks (can you tell I've been analysing them within an inch of their lives?). A very strong poetry collection overall. Definitely made me want to branch out into more poetry.
Next I read The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, another 5 star read! This was just incredible and for something that's 600 pages long, it was so incredibly captivating throughout. It's very clear that Atwood really cares about women: Iris and Laura were so fully fleshed out and alive. And the story within a story was cleverly done- a lot of reviews seemed to hate it but I thought the way we got drip-fed the information straight from the start made it all the more intriguing. I was definitely saddened by the ending because I am a sucker for happy-ever-afters but it was right for the story I think. It definitely made me want to read more Margaret Atwood, so it was very lucky to discover that we have about ten of her novels in the cupboard. I'm now on a mission to read them all!
I finally got round to reading Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. I'm not ashamed to admit that I bought these on a whim whilst I was going through a Criminal Minds phase and then quickly realised that actually I do not want to pursue a degree in Criminology (if you can't tell from this silly little blog, English Literature is the one for me) but I still enjoyed the book. Admittedly, I would have enjoyed it more without his weird obsession with the death penalty and outdated language, but it was very informative. I'm not exactly sure what the difference between this and The Anatomy of Motive is, but I'm sure there's a reason they're two separate books. But both get the same rating: 4 stars. They lose the star for the aforementioned irritations.
And finally, Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half. What a book! I borrowed this on a whim from the library, after shunning it because I love to be contrarian, and I'm so glad that I did. The prose was just electrifying and it was just so alive. At the midway point when Jude drops that wineglass (no spoilers- that could mean anything!) I audibly gasped. Obviously, I had to give it 5 out of 5 stars. Each of the characters was so brilliantly complex and I loved the way each of their storylines overlapped. Once again, the ending made me miserable but it was definitely right for the story. Also, the cover is gorgeous: unrelated to the book but true. I will absolutely be checking out The Mothers as soon as I get the chance.
That's my roundup for the month! A nice mix, even if I was slacking a little bit. See you next month xx
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