Recommending Books I Didn’t Like

Well, I’ve been a bit negative lately, so I thought it would be a good idea to try and turn things around. I was completely inspired by an amazing video by Elliot Brooks over on booktube to start recommending books I don’t like. And since I always say that other people might like books I give 2 bananas, I thought it was time for me to put my bananas where my mouth is and recommend some books I don’t like… or something that sounds less like I’m just stuffing my face 😉 And I’m gonna try to do it all while standing on one leg not insulting any of these books. Wish me luck!

Love in a Time of Cholera– an exquisitely written book with distinct characters- I just didn’t like it because I hate stream of consciousness- but if that’s your jam, I’m sure you’ll love it!

Mrs Dalloway– similarly, no one can dispute that Woolf was an incredible writer (her twists on imagery is second to none), but I just can’t stand stream of consciousness.

The Sun Also Rises– again, I’ve made no secret of the fact I’m not a fan of pared-down writing. In fact, I’ve spoken at length about how I think there’s a Fitzgerald-Hemmingway divide– people tend to like one or the other! So if you’re not a fan of Fitzgerald, chances are you’ll love this. Plus, even I, with my biases, can see that the characterisation is incredibly realistic and fascinating.

Lonely Hearts Hotel– oof it hurts my soul that I didn’t love this book, because O’Neill is a very talented writer- I’m just not her target audience. This may well be for people who love post-modernism.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian– there were a number of reasons why I didn’t click with this book: namely that I was too old for this middle grade and it felt too rooted in American culture for me to get- sorry! But if you are the target demographic, it’ll probably work for you (goodness knows the ratings on Goodreads suggest as much!)

Dune– another one that pains me to admit I didn’t like! Dune is *classic* sci fi material- I just couldn’t get on with the writing style! But if you want interesting ideas, this is the way to go.

Watchmen– I’ve never been able to figure out why I didn’t like this one (even though I thought Moore’s other famous graphic novel, V for Vendetta, was incredible). Perhaps if you give it a go it’ll work better for you- there’s plenty of people that’ll tell you it’s a classic!

Steelheart– this one is *super easy* to recommend because 1) I love Sanderson 2) it’s brilliantly written and 3) the plot is amazing. The only reason I didn’t love it is because I personally didn’t connect with the characters- but that’s no fault of the book! So, if you’re looking for a genius take on superheroes, you can’t go wrong with this!

Magician’s Guild– kind of cheating, cos I ended up loving this series- but that’s why I continue to recommend the first one even though I didn’t like it! It gets so much better!!

Goldfinch– I personally didn’t connect with this because of its length, but having read (and adored) the Secret History, I’m actually pretty keen to revisit the Goldfinch. Regardless of whether it ends up being for me or not, I think Tartt is a class act and worth reading.

The Communist Manifesto– yeahhh I’m going there, cos why the heck not? I’m definitely not recommending that you become a communist, but I trust people to check it out for themselves and not take my word for it that it’s *bad* (looks like I failed at not insulting the books on this list 😉)

Gosh that was a challenging post to do! Do you agree or disagree with my choices? (I know I’m certainly questioning everything I’ve written here 😉) And do you have any books you didn’t like that you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments!

My Introduction to Graphic Novels- A Wrap Up

So I mentioned wayyy back in my resolutions for 2017 post that I wanted to try graphic novels this year. Over the course of the last couple of months, I’ve made good on that promise and *finally* checked out some graphic novels! And cos this was such a unique experience for me, I thought it would be fun to share what I thought of them in One Big Ol’ Wrap Up Post!! Many of these were recommended by the lovely Lashaan over @Bookidote– thank you so much for your suggestions!

The Walking Dead– Volume 1- So this was my first experience of a graphic novel and I really enjoyed it. I picked it up on a whim, because I’d seen the show and thought it’d be fun to read. And though I’ve seen a fair amount of the TV show, I ended up getting a lot more out of it than I expected. I loved the design and how action packed it was. Maybe it was the familiarity of the story, but I honestly felt like I did connect with the characters in this. I’ve always liked the deep, dark questions this story asks, so I can happily say this was an excellent way to get into graphic novels and the start of a b-e-a-utiful friendship…

Rating: 4/5 bananas

 

V For Vendetta– I can see the cult-like appeal of this one for sure. I honestly loved the artwork. It was denser than the Walking Dead, but it was so cleverly done and I loved the artistic style of it. In terms of characters, I liked the enigmatic and mysterious V (who doesn’t?) but did find it harder to connect with Evey, though I liked how she grew as a character over the course of the story, especially after she was freed from her internal “cage”. As for the story… well, I won’t ruin anything here- I just think it’s fantastic how it captures the feel of an oppressive government.

Rating: 4½/5 bananas

The Sandman– Volumes 1-4- personally, I found this style a bit more surreal and therefore harder for me to follow. And there were other downsides- for instance, in the first volume, for instance, I did find the build-up slow, but that it picked up when the Sandman was released. Plus while very imaginative, it could be a little confusing story-wise at times. Overall, though, I did find the narratives always came together by the end. Some of the volumes had more meat on them than others- but ultimately I enjoyed every single on I read. I also have to say I started with just one volume on this wrap up, but it was so addictive that I couldn’t stop reading this series- I’m certain I’ll keep on with it!!

Rating: 3½/5 bananas

Watchmen– I can see some reasons why this is super popular. In particular, I’d say the characterisation is interesting- unfortunately I just didn’t connect with anyone in the story. In fact there wasn’t very much I connected with at all. I don’t know what it was about it- maybe my not being of the comicbook world or finding the illustrations less exciting than the other books on this list, but I’d definitely say, this one wasn’t for me.

Rating: 2/5 bananas

The Complete Maus– this was UNBELIEVABLE! I can easily say this was my favourite. The style was incredible, it was phenomenally moving and I loved the interaction between the characters. I liked how it flicked through the timeline, back and forth from the Holocaust to the present day. That technique together with not shying away from anything- not what happened or who is father was- gave this graphic novel its sense of realness and humanised Art Spiegelman’s father. What was incredible about this book was that it not only told the story of those that died and those that survived, but also that of how child of a survivor is affected. It is a story of those left behind- the scope of the tale reaching beyond death, both to the people in the narrative and his father who has died by the time of the second volume. The cartoonist continuing to connect with his father through the tapes of their interviews is one of the more beautiful aspects of this book. Whether you are a fan or graphic novels or not, I can really recommend this book.

Rating: 5/5 bananas

 

And that’s a WRAP! I hope you enjoyed that!! Do you read graphic novels? Which are your favourites? I’d love more suggestions on what to try next!