Big Soft Lads

BIg Soft Lads was written by my tutor ALan Smith so forgive me if I am bias. My favourite thing about the book is the dialogue. Smith has always encouraged us to write good and stripped back dialogue, his work is proof that it is successful. Much of the novel is implied and I believe it to be a writerly text. The reader isn't given everything and has to read between the lines. I recommend this book. He really manages to capture student life and friendships. I particually liked how he moved between situations and characters by a line break but I, the reader, never felt lost in what I was reading. Set in both Northampton and York, I really got a feel of the places especially when I was on the road reading about the characters on the road!
Find this book on amazon for 1 penny! It's a quick read, could do it in a weekend!

My Lovers Lover

Now I didn't hate My Lovers Lover but I didn't like it either. It starts promisingly with a sense of mystery and there seems to be something spooky going on. *SPOILER ALERT *When I realised that Sinead wasn't dead and had just left Marcus I felt cheated, it was a flop! O'Farrell seems to be making an attempt to create a revised romantic heroine by having a strong female out on her own. However, she still longs for a man. Give me a heroine who is actually HAPPY about living alone and give single women some role models!
What did you think of it?

Gangs- Tony Thompson

GANGS is perfect for anyone who is curious about a life of crime but doesn't want to go and find out about it for themselves. The book is made up of interviews from criminals and victims. Thompson puts himself in the middle of dangerous situations just to write a good piece of journalism, don't they say the bad decisions make for the best stories? Very true in this book, he even tries crack cocaine which is personally my favourite description within the whole book he writes:
 ...oh,my god...its...its everything. It's absolutely everything. Its having great sex, its finding out you've won the lottery, its getting promoted at work, its finding a fifty pound note laying in the street. Its being pissed at your favourite pub with all your best friends whilst the funniest comedian in the world does a show on stage. Its laying on the beach with the sun on your back, its someone bringing you breakfast in bed, its all the chocolate you've ever eaten in one bite..

This book is worth a look, it is a page turner and will open your eyes to a whole new world. 

Written on the Body

I'm reading Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson at the moment. I have to recommend it to the world. She has such a wonderful turn of phrase. She makes me want to re-read, read aloud, read to my family and friends, highlight every sentence. I even put one as my Facebook status. If you love words then you will more than love Written on the Body. The first person genderless narrator takes you through his or her love life. It is comical and often heartbreaking. Winterson's character occasionally addresses the reader as "you." This makes you feel like you are being voyeuristic and who doesn't love that? It's personal, full of feeling and truly a work of art. I can guarantee everyone who reads this novel will understand a portion of this persons pain which love has caused. Even if you haven't reached for the gin, moved to Yorkshire and re-homed a dishevelled cat I'm sure there is something in it you can relate to.
 One of the sentences I can't get out of my head is "You want love to be like this everyday don't you? 92 degrees in the shade." (Winterson, 12). Has she not hit the nail on the head. Isn't that what we all want?

Leave a comment and let me know how you found the novel, did you read the narrator as genderless?