Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Everyone raves about this book, and I did enjoy it. There are six separate stories, which are very different but which are all linked together. They are set in completely different eras and narrated by very different characters, all of which are very well defined. The writing is excellent and each story is very compelling. The down side or me was that the separation of all the stories made it a bit disjointed and sometimes quite frustrating to read. The book is still really good and does work overall but whilst you are reading it, the narrative is a bit halting which is why this isn't, for me, a three star book. Definitely worth a read though and much more deserving of its popularity than some other rave books.

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

This is another book from the '10 Books to Read Before You Die' list. I really like Margaret Atwood and enjoyed this novel. It does not have the pacy plot of a lot of her novels, but the writing is brilliant and definitely maintains interest. I found this novel more immediately enjoyable than Beloved but the writing is still very poetic and lovely to read. Overall, I probably preferred Alias Grace because I think the plot is more gripping but this book is still excellent.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

I went to an event called '10 Books to Read Before You Die' at the Highgate Literary Festival a few weeks ago. This book appeared in 2 of the panel's lists of 10 so I thought I should read it before I die. Luckily I made it.

The novel is about a black slave family in America. The novel is quite hard to read both in terms of style and content, but I can definitely see why it made the panelists lists. It is very high impact and leaves a very memorable impression. The problem I had with this book is that I didn't hugely enjoy reading it. It felt a bit like eating wholemeal bread - I know it is good for me and worth it in the long run but soft, white bread is much tastier. I think this is a novel which would be brilliant to study and to re-read but on the first reading it is a bit overwhelming. The writing is very clever and there is a lot of imagery. Whilst I am sure this style makes this a rewarding novel to study, it also makes it hard to engage with on an initial, surface read.

Overall, I do agree that this is a good book to read before you die but it is not going to be a book you fall in love with immediately or read in one sitting. It needs to be absorbed slowly. And I would recommend sandwiching it between some thick slices of white bread so you have a bit of escapism after what is quite a tough read.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

I really like Kate Atkinson and love the Jackson Brodie books. This one is really good, as usual although I now wish I had read these in order. The plot is very compelling and interesting and the writing is also very good. It is quite dark in places but there are also some light moments. I really like the characters which Kate Atkinson writes into her novels which makes this book very easy and enjoyable to read. This is a good commentary on family life, although perhaps a bit bleaker than most families.

Living in Perhaps by Julia Widdows

This is a novel about 2 adopted children (a sister and a brother) who grow up with very conventional suburban parents who live next door to a large, wild, bohemian family. It is told by the adopted sister from her psychiatric ward, although it is not clear what sent her there until the end of the novel. This book isn't great - for some reason I found it a bit of a struggle. I think my difficulty with it is that I found the central character difficult to relate to and could not get that interested in the plot. It isn't dreadful and there is a lot about this book which is resonating but I wouldn't particularly recommend it.

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

A guilty pleasure. As with the other Twilight books, this novel is not very high brow or even excellently written but the plot is very compelling. I do wish I hadn't watched any of the films though as this does limit the imagination when reading the novels. This is a good fun read but it's not life changing.

The Professor by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre is my favourite Bronte book but I had never read any others by Charlotte Bronte until this one. I enjoyed it although it was not as complex or as grounded as Jane Eyre. The writing is, I think, slightly less mature but the novel is still very enjoyable. I would recommend this if you like nineteenth century female writing as it is in a slightly different style from the recognised 'classics'.