Hello everyone! Sorry for another post so soon, the other
was meant to be posted a few days earlier but I ended up with no laptop over
the weekend (although I did have a great weekend in Southampton, including my
first ever trip to an IKEA! :P) Today I’m continuing the theme of things I enjoy
outside of Physics, and I thought I’d give you a little look into one of my
favourite activities – reading. I love reading and have read lots of books from a huge range of genres (aided in
part by studying A level English Literature which encouraged me to read books
that I wouldn’t have done otherwise). As a student I have far less
time to read for pleasure than I would like, but this means that the summer
holidays are a great time to catch up! This is a list of a few books
I’ve been reading recently, some from new authors, some from authors I’ve been
reading for years.
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window
and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
An amazing book, which follows the adventurers of an old man
fed up of life in the care home he has ended up in. Whilst following the
adventure he finds himself in having climbed out of his bedroom window (in his
slippers), the book also narrates his life story, where it turns out he has met some
of the most incredible people and been part of some of the most remarkable
events of the 20th century. Sort of Forrest Gump-ish in it’s
approach, very funny, highly original and well worth a read!
Really really funny. The true story of a man who was bored,
so accidentally started his own ‘cult’. What do you do when you realise you’ve
ended up with followers? How far do you go to achieve an aim which you sort of accidentally set out to fulfill? From the same author as Yes Man (another great book and much better than
the film) this is highly recommended. I actually laughed out loud, which I
rarely do.
And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
I’ve been a massive fan of Khaled Hosseini since reading “The
Kite Runner” a number of years ago, but I enjoyed his second novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”
even more. I didn’t realise he had a new book out until recently but it was
well worth the wait. If you haven’t read any of his books, do. They are really
fascinating insights into the lives of people living in Afghanistan , and do an amazing job of portraying how conflict has shaped the country of Afghanistan .
Whilst “The Kite Runner” is predominantly a father-son story, “A Thousand
Splendid Suns” a mother-daughter story, “And the Mountains Echoed” has multiple
different stories woven into one book, each connected in some way. Whilst it is
not my favourite of his books, it was still incredibly powerful and well
written. Everyone should read at least one of these books!
Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
One of the Sci fi classics. It was given to me to read by my
boyfriend who loves Sci fi, and whilst I usually prefer fantasy or realistic
fiction this really impressed me. A classic tale of child soldiers used in an
intergalactic war. I’ve also seen the fairly recent film – definitely not as
good as the book. Even if you don’t like Sci fi give this a go! On that note
I’d also recommend “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman, another novel about
interstellar warfare. This looks at the idea of how
relativity could effect an interstellar war – will the enemy be ‘ahead’ of you
in time when you next face them in battle and thus have more advanced weaponry?
I enjoyed it and I think other people who are interested in Physics (well
especially relativity) would as well!
An Abundance of Katherines – John Green
John Green is an excellent author and not just for the
swathes of teenage girls who make up a large number of his fans! The first book
of his I read was “The Fault in Our Stars” which even despite all of the hype
is an incredibly well written book, and the recent film is also very good. He
has a way of creating characters that are complex but very relatable and the stories definitely get you to
think about life. “An Abundance of Katherines” was the last of his I had left
to read and I wasn’t disappointed. Following the story of a child prodigy who
has recently been dumped by his girlfriend, it covers issues such as the
difficulties involved in growing up as a gifted child and the process of
becoming an individual as you go through your teenage years and become an
adult. Not my favourite, but still very good.
In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson
Again, I’ve read a lot of Bill Bryson in the past. I’m still currently reading this one, and am enjoying following his travels throughAustralia . I’ve
always been interested in Australia
and would love to go one day (good job I’m not afraid of spiders or snakes!),
so this has been a good read. It isn’t in my opinion as good as some of his
other books (most notably “Notes From a Small Island” which was one of the
funniest books I’ve read), as I’m not as keen on the focus on political history
that seems to be a feature so far. However overall I’m enjoying it as it
contains Bill Bryson’s typical humour and great little stories and anecdotes!
Again, I’ve read a lot of Bill Bryson in the past. I’m still currently reading this one, and am enjoying following his travels through
Once I’ve finished Bill Bryson, I think I’ll move on to “The
Long War” and then “The Long Mars”, the next two books in the series of books
co authored by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. I really love Terry
Pratchett and there is enough of his stylistic humour in these books to make me
enjoy them, even if the genre is not something I’d necessarily pick out to
read.
The last books I've read are all parenting books... having a toddler, I find difficult to find time to read a different kind of book, but after reading your blog definitely would like to read some you mention, so I'll make some time to read a non-parenting book! Looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteA book that I read not long ago which I like a lot though is quite strong as it is about the Rwandan holocaust, it was Left to Tell by Imaculee Ilibagiza. Not sure if it is your kind of book, it's about her true story of surviving the genocide... it left me thinking even months after reading it!
I've heard from people I know who have children how much time you suddenly spend reading books about children once you become a parent! But yes, making some time to read other things is a good idea - that's what I have to do during term time to make sure I'm not just reading about Physics! And thank you - I'll definitely have to read that as it's a topic I'm very interested in as I've encountered other survivors through my charity work in Uganda. Thanks so much for the suggestion - hope you're well! :)
DeleteI know! but I've been trying to read different books between parenting books (though I always find another one with something I need for different reasons), so as I'm very limited I'm always looking for really good books to read so definitely your recommendations are on the top of my list! I actually looked for the Hundred Year Old Man in my local library and they have it! but all the copies (12) are onloan! which agrees with your recommendation... going to reserve it straight away!
DeleteAbout the book I mentioned, if you have met survivals you will find it very interesting, it is very impressive, I have to say it is quite religious as her faith plays an important role for her; it is very well written and you can't put it down once you start it!