“Reading is sometimes thought of as a form of escapism, and it’s a common turn of phrase to speak of getting lost in a book. But a book can also be where one finds oneself; and when a reader is grasped and held by a book, reading does not feel like an escape from life so much as it feels like an urgent, crucial dimension of life itself.”
Bookshop Review: Waterstones Charing Cross - The Classics
Rating:
Location: 5 out of 5 Near Charing Cross tube station, which is amazing since I live on the Northern Line. Also on Trafalgar Square and walking distance to the Big Ben. Perfection.
Layout store: 4 out of 5 I'm a big fan of the basement floor.
Offer: 4 out of 5 They are limited in space, but they have managed to fill every single nook with books.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 My favorite bookstore in London so far. I don't like to give 5's, because that's reserved for book heaven, but this is so close.
Their "special" editions of classics. I absolutely love these.
I know I really shouldn't be reviewing two Waterstones in a row, but I just love both the Piccadilly and the Charing Cross store and I felt like I had to review them.
(Ok fine, I just go there all the time, because of the insanely amount of books I buy, but I also really love the stores.)
So first thing first, it's obviously smaller than the Piccadilly store and I guess every book store I'll review from now on will be smaller, so it's not really fair to compare on that basis.
What I do love about it is that it's in a basement! I don't know why, but it feels so nice and secluded from the world. There is no cellphone reception, so no one is blabbing away on their phone. Everyone is just sitting and reading.
Some books on the tables.
Their classics selection is a very elaborate one, as I expect is the case in all Waterstones. They have all the books you would think of and usually an edition or two.
The thing I love about this store are the table selections. I'm not sure why, but in this particular store they are always just what I'm looking for. Every time I want to buy a book, I buy it off their selection on the tables. Their sections are original, the remarks on the notes funny and inspiring. I'm not sure who makes these selections, but major kudos to them. They make the store.
Lets take the picture below for example: Classic B-Sides. I love the idea of looking at famous authors and deciding which of their works isn't as famous, but should be read by everyone. If I would ever pick a dream job - this would be it.
Love this idea : the not-so-classic work of well-known authors.
Though cliché as I am, I picked up Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. Not exactly a B-side, but a book I wanted to read for a long time.
My favorite section? Ah, the same as always: these amazing beauties.
The most gorgeous books in the world.
Can anyone get sick of looking at these books? Because I stood there for 10 minutes, just loving every single one of them.
So all I can say about this bookstore is: check it out. It's less big than Waterstones Piccadilly so your choice might be more limited, but it feels a lot more personal and book-ish. Just grab a book, find a comfy chair and sit there for a hour or two. It's so easy to lose track of time in this store.
What books did I buy in September?
Rough day today at the London Festival YA weekend. It was awful and I was so excited for it. When will I get to attend a good, well-organized YA event that will actually teach me something. Anyone else went?
To cheer myself, and hopefully some of you, up: some pictures from books I bought this month. There are way too many, but who can blame me?
And I'm officially on a book buying ban for this month. Wish me luck.
What book would you like to see reviewed on here?
What I read in September
Round up of all the books I've read this month
1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Really loved this book, because it was so different. It was on my TBR-list for months, but I really wanted it finished before I saw the movie (which was also AMAZING) and I'm so glad I did. I think you can only really enjoy the movie or the book, since it's all about those plot twists. My review can be found here.
2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Does this need any explanation? ADORED IT. I can't wait to start reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. Just need to recover from these feels first.
3. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
The beginning of this book was a bit slow for me, but it definitely saved itself with the plot twists. Not one for Fantasy YA, but these books are good.
4. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Same as above, though the narration was a major spoiler. Wish she kept it all Trish until she had to change it.
5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
All explained here. AMAZING
6. Solitaire by Alice Oseman
Really liked it when I read it, but must admit that I can't really remember why. Did give it 4 stars though.
7. Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany's by Sam Wasson
Something totally different. I didn't like it at all. Too much speculation about what everyone was thinking. I wish it was based on more facts - not my cup of tea.
8. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
This book was so hyped by everyone that I still haven't decided how I feel about it. Can't write a review about it, because I'm unsure whether I liked it or whether it really annoyed me.
E-BOOKS
9. Spider of the Well by Tim Reed
A horror story. Usually not my thing, but Tim Reed has buckets of potential.
10. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Who doesn't love this book?
Pretty good reading month. Had some amazing books and some that weren't so great. Excited for what October will bring! What did you guys read?
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
RATING: ★★★★★
This is one of those books that everyone reviewed, and now everyone is also reviewing the movie (which is very similar to the book), so I'm going to make this review filled with spoilers. Especially since the ending pissed me off so much that I have to discuss it.
Summary
The official plot summary is sort of like this: Gone Girl is the story about Amy Elliot Dunn and her sudden disappearance. Her husband, Nick, goes to his bar (called The Bar) and comes back home to find his house a mess and his wife gone. No one knows where Amy is, the "crime scene", aka their house, looks suspicious and all eyes are on Nick. Did he kill his wife?
The real plot summary is: how is a woman driving her husband and herself to insanity? The story is about how Amy Elliot Dunn slowly becomes a psychopath that cannot be stopped or caught in her action. Everything she does is an act and she never takes any responsibility for it.
Soft spot for Nick
I think everyone who reads this book has to have a soft spot for Nick. The poor guy does not have it easy to begin with. His mother died of cancer, his dad is a crazy woman-hater and he fell completely out of love with his wife. On top of that he is utterly incapable of dealing with any kind of emotion. Fun combination.
Nick is accused by the whole world of the murder of his wife, and once I knew that he was innocent, it just broke my heart. Everyone is judging him and everything he does is bad. Too emotional? Guilty. Not emotional enough? Guilty. The guy can't win.
What it does do is offer an insightful criticism on our society. We are so quick to judge people and follow the ideas presented by the media that we don't think about the people behind the story. Nick is not just a suspect, but he is a person. An innocent one at that. Yet everyone bashes him at every chance they get. I don't know how he pulled through that, on top of finding out that his wife is completely insane, and it really shows how strong his character is.
Amazing Amy - more like Great Gillian
It is pretty clear that Amy is crazy. She fakes her own death, has faked her own rape, faked her own stalker and killed someone. Oh and she got herself pregnant without Nick's consent. There really are no redeeming qualities for Amy in my eyes. Amy felt unappreciated with her marriage and should have just walked away. Ran away even - left a note and just packed her bags and go. Nick deserved to be punished for his affair, but this went way too far. Crazy Amy - that's her new name.
But Gillian Flynn is the amazing woman of this novel. Her writing is exquisite and she handles this complicated plot in the most excellent way. She gives just enough away to make you doubt certain things, but all the major twists really are surprised. And you can tell that she made Amy unlikeable on purpose - she created a truly insane person and that's a skill that I, as a writer, admire so much.
Ending
Like every other reviewer, I have to talk about the ending. People either love it or hate it. I HATED IT. I can't believe Nick stayed with Amy and on top of that will raise a kid with her. What will become of a child raised by a psychopath and a husband too scared to leave?
The only redeeming quality about the ending is that I didn't know a better solution for Nick. Should he have pushed her down the stairs? Probably, but that means jail. Should he have tried harder to report her? YES. But then Nick seems to like the easy way out and "trying hard" would be out of character for him.
I adored this book and the ending didn't really take that away from me. It's so original and so well written that I can't give it less than a five. Excellent job Gillian Flynn.
Daily Writing Inspiration - Gone Girl
“There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.”
Wow.
I just saw a pre-premiere of Gone Girl in the ultraswanky (that's a word from now on) Odeon on Leicester Square. Now I must say that I usually don't like to see adaptations of books that I enjoyed (SPOILER for the review of Gone Girl that will be up tomorrow), but I was so very impressed with this movie.
It's always important to not try and compare books and movies, but honestly, who are you kidding when you said you don't?
There were lots of book conversations kept in the movie, the flashbacks felt the same and my God Rosamund is an amazing Amy. The general themes of the book were also kept, though they tweaked the ending just a little bit (but not annoyingly and they keep the big plot twist).
Moviegoers who haven't read the book will probably enjoy the movie more, because of the unexpected turns, but I expect most of my readers will have read the book. So this is just a little post to say: Go see it this weekend. It's amazing. Give it a shot.
Daily writing inspiration: Scott Westerfeld.
So excited for London's Literary Festival and especially the YA weekend. Anyone else going?
“Sometimes the facts in my head get bored and decide to take a walk in my mouth. Frequently this is a bad thing.”
― So Yesterday - Scott Westerfeld