How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran

Interesting and funny. Although I disagreed with some of the opinions in this book it is worth a read for some perspective on feminism and a woman's role in society. Split into chapters on different aspects of being a modern woman, there is a lot of very insightful commentary and it is all written in a very light, funny style so easy to read.

Having said that, there are a lot of self depreciating stories about Caitlin Moran's failures at being a woman, which are a little self satisfied and made this book a little more grating (on occasions even irritating) than it might otherwise have been. "Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility. It is sometimes....an indirect boast". Agreed.

Overall, an enjoyable read that you can take as seriously or as lightly as you wish.

Purge by Sofi Oksanen

I found this book incredibly boring. It jumps around between the two main characters (an older woman and her estranged young niece) over a number of years. As a result there is no narrative thread and you do not feel any affinity with or interest in either of them. The book is set in Russia, Estonia and Finland during the 1950s and 1990s so there is some interesting historical context but the plot is not at all gripping. There is also no discernible ending - the book just runs out of pages like someone's torn out the rest. In fact, if there hadn't been an "Acknowledgments" I would have suspected my husband had run out of toilet paper. I wouldn't bother.

On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry

A young Irish couple travel to America to flee a threat of political violence and try to set up their lives there. The novel follows their lives and careers until death and spans a number of generations. This book is undoubtedly well written but not particularly memorable perhaps because there is something distancing about the style of writing which prevents the reader getting too involved in the (fairly slow moving) plot or the characters. I would hesitate to recommend this unless you enjoy good writing for its own sake as I do not think there is much to distinguish this from other novels with more powerful subjects.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Very poignant and well written - I enjoyed this very much. It is an interesting perspective on World War II and identifies in a very innocent way the absurdities of the Nazi ideology. A short novel with a very emotional (but terrifyingly plausible) ending it is both easy to read and thought provoking. If there is anybody out there who hasn't already read this I would recommend it.

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers

A little bit to sci-fi for me but still a well written and thought provoking book which I did enjoy. It is written as a testament by a young girl who records her reaction to a deadly disease which is affecting the whole human race. The descriptive writing and social insights are excellent but I felt the thinness of the characters and stilted nature of the dialogue let the novel down slightly. I thought the girl's ultimate actions hugely unrealistic which did detract from the impact of this book. The novel is still worth a read and definitely a memorable subject.

The Tigers Wife by Tea Obreht

This book is quite unusual but enjoyable. It is set in Yugoslavia and follows a young medical student whose investigating her grandfather's death. There is a lot of folk lore in this book which you need to be willing to embrace or this book descends into the ridiculous. Personally, I found it easy to accept some of the more supernatural parts of the plot because this book is written in a way which indicates the writer is also skeptical and therefore you are similarly more willing to examine your own doubt. Even leaving aside the less realistic parts of the novel, the characters are excellently drawn and the plot is pacey and gripping. I would recommend this for a more intellectual holiday read.

A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards

I really liked this book. It is about a young woman whose mother was murdered by her step father when she was a teenager. It sounds very depressing, and it is quite difficult to read in places but overall it is actually quite uplifting. The book switches regularly between the present day and the woman's teenage years, and this can be a bit confusing but, as it means the plot is revealled fairly slowly, it does make the book very gripping. The writing is excellent and unobtrusive, so it is easy to read this novel. An enjoyable book with well drawn characters and excellent writing although quite dark in places.