Doesn't it seem like a long time ago since my last book review? That was Brighton Rock in August (go and take a look). I was on holiday last week and I took a couple of books, if you want to see them all you can either wait for my reviews or for a quick look read my latest blog post Holiday Reads!

Wuthering Heights was the first book I chose to read, I wasn't actually planning to take this but then I threw it in just in case, actually I'm so glad I did. This was a fabulous read, I can't explain it. I've never read any Bronte before but now you can bet I will. I know I need to read more classics before uni and Wuthering Heights has encouraged me to.

Basically, the story is kind of a Romeo and Juliet vibe with a much more Gothic feel to it, also Cathy and Heathcliff aren't stopped by family feuds they stop themselves (well Cathy does). Here's my brief summary before we get to my main points:
So Wuthering Heights is the story of the passionate yet infernal love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff- a gypsy boy taken in by her father. Cathy's father really likes Heathcliff and I suppose life is all well and good until he dies, following this Cathy's brother (Hindley) makes Heathcliff's life hell; he embarrasses and bullies Heathcliff who also believes that his feelings for Cathy aren't mutual. Heathcliff flees for a few years and returns later, transformed into a polished, wealthy gentleman- his wealth allows him to exact revenge on those who left him miserable. The story is an absolute whirlwind...you'd need to read it. Now, let's move onto the good stuff.

At first, I really struggled to get into the book. It begins with Mr Lockwood who ends up renting Thrushcross Grange, he heads over to the 'Heights' to see his landlord who happens to be Heathcliff. If I'm right, it's on his second visit that he sees something unnatural in the guest room after having to stay over because of a snow storm. Our story is told through Mr Lockwood (in the beginning and later stage of the book) and Nelly Dean who was the housekeeper at Wuthering Heights and now Thrushcross Grange. It was a bit challenging because I honestly thought we just jumped straight into the tragedy of Cathy and Heathcliff but I wasn't correct.

My fave character in the book was no doubt Heathcliff, he reminds me of Jace from Mortal Instruments but I have no idea why, Heathcliff is essentially the villain in this book. I don't know whether it's the whole exotic, gypsy thing or just the really terrifying way of loving Cathy. Notes I made on holiday actually say Heathcliff is Jace in the olden days with much less sarcasm and a wicked side. Honestly, I did feel a lot of sympathy for our Heath (his new nickname on this blog), we're introduced to him as an innocent, homeless gypsy boy who's hated by his adopted family (well Hindley). To top it all off, he hears Cathy confess to Nelly that Edgar Linton has proposed marriage and she's accepted. Even though her love for Edgar is in no way comparable to her love for Heath she can't marry him due to his social status. I have to be honest at this point I was like, oh Cathy just forget about class and reputation, you love him and he loves you; at that time that wasn't the way. Guys, I understand that after Heath returns he's a real fiend, well and truly quite evil. However, I feel like this is all a consequence of his broken heart, toxic love and the tragedy that surrounds his life. Marrying Isabella was totally the wrong thing to do, this I still don't get as well as his treatment of people he should love.

Let me move on to Cathy, personally just not a fan. Cathy is the femme fatale in this novel, she is Heath's downfall, if he hadn't met Cathy or maybe just not even fell in love with her all would of been good- if he didn't we wouldn't have such a wonderful piece of literature though. What really struck me was the neglect of Cathy's prominent mental illness, don't get me wrong I get that back in the day things like this weren't taken seriously or understood- I mean it's even evident in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar- it's just so sad. Cathy has a mental illness, I get it, but still she's so temperamental and angry, her moods give me whiplash- they change so quick and drastically. After all this, Cathy is extremely irritating but I still kind of like her, my favourite part in the book is at Christmas; Heath goes for Edgar and she still defends him. Sometimes her effort to be fake, hiding her emotions from Edgar, annoyed me but I have to say she was still cool, I think it's her feisty personality. Even at the very worst she still has that spark, I like that in a person.

Next is the Linton's, now at first I didn't like Edgar at all. I think his character just seemed uptight and snobby, but as he grew older and his character progressed I just thought he was too cute. My hunch is that we weren't meant to be on Edgar's side when we first met him, our team would be the one shouting HEATHCLIFF! As we got further in, you move slightly over then eventually (if you're more like me) you're on Heath's side as well as Edgar's Edgar was there when Heath wasn't, him and Cathy had a nice little life in Thrushcross with Isabella (his younger sister) until Heath rocked back up. When little Cathy came along and OG Cathy died he became a recluse, I get this I mean of course he loved his little girl but at the same time Cathy had died- he was grieving. As a dad though, come on, how sweet. Little Cathy made me incredibly happy, she was what I imagined her mum to be if she was the best version of herself.

You may know this book is a Gothic story, if you don't then here's why it is. Remember before I mentioned Heath's complexion? This is a pointer of some Gothic stories, the dark skin makes him seem exotic which brings a sense of mystery and makes you think he's good looking (which isn't the point). The books set in Yorkshire, they're muddy, but they're where Cathy and Heath escape together- they're practically endless when you're in the middle of them and that can be spooky. The supernatural comes with Cathy's ghost at the beginning of the book, which actually crept me out. A ton of pathetic fallacy (weather), rain, wind and snow etc etc. I don't know about this one but the dogs, in the Heights; they sound like monsters rather than mans best friend. There's more but I'm not going to bore you with that.

Well guy's that's my Wuthering Heights review, let me know you're thoughts if you have read it (obviously this won't happen because I never get comments, just putting it out there) and talk to you in my next post which will most likely be PLL related.

Brighton Rock was not what I expected from a story about a mob but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the same.

It tells the tale of Pinkie, a 17 year old mob leader in Brighton seeking vengeance for the previous leader Kite. This novel (possibly novella) does contain a lot of characters:

-Hale
-Koley Kibber } these three characters are all one
-Fred
-Ida
-Philip Corkery
-Rose
-Pinkie
-Spicer
-Cubitt
-Dallow
-Kite (deceased previous to the time frame of the story)
-Frank
-Sylvie
-Judy

One thing that did intrigue me was the fact that throughout the novel Pinkie is referred to as 'the boy', why? Perhaps to emphasise the obvious, that he is a teenager. He may be a teenager who also happens to be a murderer and gang leader but I found that a lot of the time I forgot that he was just a boy, younger than I am. Probably due to the things that he does, what he goes through, things I couldn't imagine doing anytime.

Early on in Brighton Rock we are introduced to Ida Arnold when she meets 'Fred' (aka Hale, Koley Kibber).After his death she is determined to seek justice and the truth. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Ida, she seems very brash. However, I think as a female character she kicks butt! She's a fabulous female who emulates woman power and independence. She shows she doesn't need to rely on a man, except that time she needs Philip for money.

Let's move on to Pinkie's relationship with Rose, it's odd which I like. At the time Pinkie thinks it's the best thing to do, it's almost a necessity because married couples can't testify against each other in a court of law. To be quite honest Rose is a typical whiny girl, nothing special and she benefits from their mildly toxic relationship. Rose convinces herself that Pinkie loves her and I think this is because she has never really felt loved, her parents don't address her in a family kind of way. In Rose's eyes Pinkie's need for their marriage provides her with an opportunity for an attempt at a happy, loving relationship. In just a couple of words, Rose is besotted by Pinkie and uses the deludes idea that he loves her as an outstanding reason to marry him, in addition to the way he treats her. Pinkie, in my opinion, does grow emotionally as they continue to be with each other- when reading we have to remember he is only seventeen so he most likely won't have experienced being in love. Part of this book is a twisted love story, not only between Pinkie and Rose. Pinkie's love for the former mob leader Kite, resembles that of a father and son.

Pinkie's desperation to keep his secret is another focus of the novel. He's committed to those misdemeanours or mortal sins as Rose refers to them, he wants to do them and come out unscathed. Even though Pinkie is a murderer underneath I think he's actually a big softy, maybe he just has an incredibly hard exterior. This may have been a result of growing up in a unstable setting (Nelson's place) as well as losing his parents and only having himself to rely on.

In one sense I'm reminded of Arthur Miller's 'A View from a Bridge' as it's all about honour and a lot of love. I would compare Pinkie to Eddie in a sense, the trouble he goes through in order to honour Kite and then keep it a secret etc, etc.

I've never been to Brighton myself but I'd love to, when I was reading Brighton Rock I thought of Blackpool. Dingy, dark, grimy that's what I see in my head. If you were reading this and maybe didn't have time or money to travel to Brighton, definitely try Blackpool or even New Brighton. I suppose Brighton would be far from the characteristics described in Brighton Rock, now it's such a tourist destination and seaside holiday retreat that it's not at all like the book.

Overall, I loved Brighton Rock! The first couple of chapter were a bit confusing and hard to get into. Keep persevering like you have to do if you read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. Oh, also if you've read Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe you might also enjoy the little references.

   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Story of a Nutcracker, originally written by Alexandre Dumas but recently translated and adapted by Sarah Ardizzone, really made me feel a little more magical. Especially reading it by the fire in one sitting on Christmas Eve!

What I absolutely loved about this tale was simply the magic and warmth of it. A family story that everyone can enjoy, it made me feel quite nostalgic I guess. As a kid I was absolutely convinced that every time I’d leave the room my toys would take on a life of their own, my littlest petshops (they were my favourites) going about the little towns I built them finding their social group and having a chat.

Who doesn’t think at one stage you’re room becomes I guess a real life Toy Story. I’d still love to think imaginations still run wild like this, if they don’t read this to a little boy or girl and they will!

To be quite honest I’ve always been aware of the story as a ballet and I know there’s a film adaptation but had never seen the book. This is one I’ll definitely be reading every Christmas, the beauty of it is the fact the intricate details and description of the toys Godfather Drosselmayer gives to little Marie and Fritz. The enchanting Christmas tree left me in awe, picturing the scene in my head with a crackling fire on Christmas eve with such rich, elaborate colours. Oh, it was just fantastical.

Just the concept of a fantasy that things like this could happen if you happen to be a dreamer like me or if you just believe; why not of there’s no proof it doesn’t happen? It definitely has a fairy-tale aspect too, at the point when the Queen lives in harmony and is happy to share food with Dame Mousey! It’s a book that hits home so much and make you yearn to have you’re childhood back.

What I also loved is the way that all the sudden changes that young Marie sees occur after midnight which ties into the supernatural and the witching hour but twists it in a sense because it’s a family story and made me question so what else happens during these hours? Do my pop vinyl figures run around like crazy or do my Disney teddies get together and talk about their adventures? It brings out the child in everyone, just like Christmas.

The settings that you get to delve into whilst reading this are so spine tingling it’s almost too much to handle. One of my favourite was the Spun Sugar Palace; I’ve witnessed spun sugar being made and just looking at it makes me gasp but the fact the Dumas goes about having a palace how intricately decorated and fragile.

You can see how this so easily became the inspiration for a ballet, the costume seem simple yet complex and the movements even in battle vicious or seemingly violent for what we think of as tiny creature but somehow transformed into tender rhythmic moves.

Strangely enough there are points such as the battles and especially, for me personally, the description of Princess Pirlipeta was so horrid but was written in a way that you couldn’t quite be scared it just made you gasp. The language and words, like ‘shrivelled’, made me imagine a prune like baby mouse or rat but never once did I feel terrified. It’s truly a gift for reader the way Dumas was able to write in such a way.

For me this novel stood out as actually one of the best novels I’ve read this year. Why? Basically because it made me feel like a child again and realise that no matter how old I am or ever will be I want to be a child at heart, I want to forever be able to let my imagination run wild with my mad ideas and believe in the Shire, in Hogwarts, in Shadowhunters and in Royal mouse armies and Nutcracker’s coming alive on Christmas eve after the stroke of a clock. Toys running round on adventures, I want it to be true!

All my fantasies I’ve always believed in, who said they aren’t true?

Like Walt Disney makes me sing all the time one day my prince will come or all it takes is faith, trust and pixie dust! No one should ever listen to other people or let them be put down to assume that all these magical, wonderful things can’t happen! I want everyone to always be able to continually be swept away into enchanted realms without having a care in the world.

To wrap up, I’m going to finish with my thought that this fabulous tale is one of those memorable stories that makes me feel so grateful that I love reading and have the opportunity to have books around me and readily available all the time. It’s work of pure genius like this that seem so simple...a story of a toy coming alive yet it draws you in and feel apart of it.

Close you’re eyes and you can see these unbelievable sites all around you. It defines and highlights the importance of reading and makes me want to spread the joy I gain so that others can feel it to!

Mindwalker is a science fiction, dystopian novel with a difference. I don't know about anyone else I've started to steer clear of dystopian novel as I'm finding they're all merging into the same type of narrative. Teenagers in a future with some sort of separation system and a hidden violence or secret of some sort. Mindwalker is different. It's got something about that made me really stop and worry about which way our future technology is heading. So believable it's a little bit frightening to even think about.

Lain Walker is seventeen and lives in a future (not too far away) with technology that can literally change the way we think. Lain is a mindwalker, on the way to following in her fathers footsteps of being able to change people for the better...or is it all just a lie? Mindwalkers have the ability to explore and experience the memories of their clients and then simply take them away so they can't remember. Everything changes when she meets the ambiguous Steven. Everything Lain thought she knew begins to crumble, it's her choices now that matter.

First of all WOW. I loved this book. I'm just so for such a unique new take on dystopian fiction! Lain is a pioneer in my opinion, she knows that what she does can help people but she knows it can be viciously harmful if not so much it ends up in the wrong hands just if it's misused for the wrong or selfish purposes. She's such a fighter, like a strong female protagonist; she's not had the harshest of lives (to be fair she sounds pretty privileged) yet she's a pivotal example of labelling. Everyone assumes she's got such a good life, works hard, good grades, type 1, career sorted. Except no one considers that poor Lain is normal and has major inner demons.

Steven. Eye description makes me love him alone, the amount of times his eyes have been said to shield fear yet so such passion or conceal a vulnerability. His smirk, laugh, hair- the hair reminded slightly reminded me of Jace in TMI and my obsession for Jace is unreal it's fictional love.

Imagine a world where our memories could be wiped. We'd be blank canvases- as troubled as our passed might be they shape who we are. What if an inspirational like Malala had her mind wiped, who would have showed the world how to fight and done it for the girls. Education fighter gone! I can see the appeal of ridding society of the evil minds who take innocent people lives and do some heart breaking things. However, I can't say I'd be for it so much.

Please read this book! It's a sci-fi fantastic with a dynamic dystopian element. 5/5!! Mindwalker follow up...yes please, ready and waiting for 2016 eagerly.

For a long time I've wanted to begin reading the Percy Jackson series of books and it's took me until now to start. I'm sure when I was in like year six I read this book and loved it but never quite remembered what happened as well as somehow not carrying on to read the follow ups -which by the way is very unlike me. Alas! I can now say I have read the first book and shall be continuing the series during the summer.