The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Attwood

The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel set in a totalitarian society, where infertility is becoming a serious problem due to radiation and other problems so people are taking drastic measures to get children. It is set in Gilead -which 'was' the united states, with the government overthrown- and the narrator reveals a world where everyone is placed in positions/roles and any slight deviation from their set character can result in punishments or hanging.

The narrator is a woman, one of these 'handmaids' which are some of the few fertile woman, who are expected to give their bodies up to act as surrogate mothers to the wealthier 'commanders' etc who can't conceive themselves. The narrator lets us into her world, showing snippets of her characters past woven in with its present (as she narrates it), and the world she portrays is kind of frightening; women have lost virtually all rights, the right to vote, own property, own money... they are dressed in colours matched to their position and are supposed to act as vessels, wives or maids depending on their position in this society. The book is described as feminist, but this didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of it, instead made the story more interesting, and the world it created worrying.

I found the handmaid's tale enjoyable and accessible, easy and clear to read, yet gripping and intelligent at the same time (although i didn't like the end!!) and it didnt put me off in the same way most modern classics do (theres something so depressing and cold about them), so if anyone else is taking their first dip into this kind of genre, The Handmaid's Tale is a good place to start. Other people i've spoken to who've read it have split opinions, all admit its written strangely (i think in a good way) but either think like it or hate it. But i'd definitely say its worth the read!!

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

If i'm honest there's not really much to write about this, its a classic. I was working it out earlier that Miss. Austen started writing this around 216yrs ago (unless my maths is faulty) and yet people today can still relate to it, and the characters within. As many people have said its sort of the original chic-lit romance, with so many other stories based upon it.

I started this some time ago, yet never managed to get round to finishing it until today where i sat down and gobbled up the last 100 pages.

Character wise I liked Lizzy, although she was almost too outspoken at times, but one of the brilliant things is the way the characters faults are shown up, making them seem much more human and real to the reader. Darcy was ofc amazing, yet there was fun to be had with mr.collins, lydia bennet, and mrs.bennet also. The annoying characters are so fantastic i cant help feeling affection towardst them. Overall a good read (ofc), personally i'd reccommend getting a copy with well spaced non-bold lettering if possible, particularly if you're a bit slow on the classics like me, as when i changed copies i found this so much easier, it really saves peering and getting lost between lines. (my second one was the everyman's 'the millennium library' one, although this may be out of print.)

Touch the Dark - Karen Chance

I've recently re-read this series and am still loving it :) Thought i'd tinker my amazon review for here, as it seems wrong not to post one for a book i like so much :)

Cassie has just spent the last several years on the run from her former master, vampire crime boss Tony. At the start of the book her motivations revolve around trying to either avoid being found by him, or getting revenge. However, as the story progresses she becomes ensnared in a mess thats much more dangerous.
Touch the dark focuses a lot on the vampires, and i really like the way Karen Chance brings back people from history and hangs them into this story like choice ornaments on the christmas tree. For the most part we are not told exactly who they are, but you get hints. For example, we meet cleopatra; "it wasn't an asp that bit her, mia stella", dracula's brothers, and one who i think is marie antoinnette. There are others also. (Raphael, Rasputin...)

Characterisation is something that Chance does well, my favourite is of course pritkin, who really comes into his own in the later books :D he is described as a sort of rambo meets mad scientist and jumps out of the page at you.

Some reviewers have said they've found the plot a little confusing, but i enjoyed the twists, however, as this was my third reading i may have got used to it :P if you do find it a bit of a boggle keep going because its worth it and you will be left craving more and counting the months till the next release. Chance deals not just with one problem or storyline but holds several at once, which may confuse some people, but overall i think it makes things more interesting. Its not just problem.resove.problem.resolve. like many others. This may be an advantage or disadvantage according to tastes but i believe it to be a strong point, as while waiting for book 5 to come along i can't wait to find out which problems she tackles and how, and see how the relationships between different characters and factions develop. I am well and truly hooked. so far nothing else i've read of this genre has compared.

I've read a few people saying that they've picked this up because amazon recomended it as something to read after twilight. If it helps they are completely different, as another reviewer pointed out the only thing really in common is the vampires. Twilight is all gushing romance and sweetness, everlasting love etc. This series is more action filled and isn't meant as a teen book (although i read when was 16, so its fine if thats what you're into). If you've read twilight and are looking for more of the same id recomend checking out listmania rather than amazon's own recomendations, as its written by people with the same dilema. But that doesnt mean you won't enjoy these, they're just different and its probably good to realise that before you buy expecting more of the same. I've read both and enjoy these a lot more.

And for those who arent a fan of Mircea, the main love interest in this book, due to the slighly creepy childhood crush cassie had on him where he took on a fathery/uncle type role, he meets some competition in the later books, so don't dispair as its not all over yet :P

Hope this might be some help. I'd say its definitely worth reading and that the later books are even better. :)

R.I.P. IV Challenge

Hosted by Carl, this challenge is about all things that go bump in the night. There are seven subgenres:

• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller
• Dark Fantasy
• Gothic
• Horror
• Supernatural

The aim of the game it to read either 4, 2 or 1 books from any of these subgenres by October the 31st and have fun doing it :P Because i'm predicting an intense year at college i am only going to put my name down for Peril the Second, which is to read two books, but i hope to do better than that.

Its recommended to create a pool of books you'd like to read from, so im going to write down some that i have waiting on my shelves, but will look into aquiring others to read instead/aswell.

1. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
2. The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
3. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (its supposed to be a piss take of gothic horror novels)
4. The Host - Stephenie Meyer (not sure if this one counts)
5. The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
6. Dracula - Bram Stoker
7. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
   
8. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (i've tried reading this twice, but its freaked me out to much, so am going to include it, definitely spooky for me :P)
9. Agatha Christie - (have a few to choose from, ABC mysteries, Towards Zero, Onboard the Orient Express etc)
   

I also have two stories in a selection of Victorian mysteries called Nottinghill mystery and Carmilla by J. Sheridan le fanu which i dont know anything about, but may look into

Library books: Wicked - Maguire (not sure if counts as spooky :P), Kitty Goes to Washington -Carrie Vaughn, Grave Peril - Jim Butcher, Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris and Sunshine by McKinley.

Ones i've had my eye on getting for a while (and this would be a good excuse :P): Inkdeath - Funke, Inkexchange - Melissa Marr, The Graveyard book - Gaiman and Breaking Dawn - Meyer (have been delaying the inevitable with that last one, too many of my friends are obsessive about it and it puts me off) some of these are probably a pretty loose interpretation of spooky, but shall see how it goes.

Personally, i think this is going to be fun :)