Book Review: The Great Gatsby

For the longest time I have wanted to start reading classics and as an avid reader I feel like I should have started years ago.  So for Christmas I got The Great Gatsby which I was delighted about because it is one of my favourite films and is also one of the books I want to read before I turn 21.  So without further ado here's my review on The Great Gatsby.

Reading the book will make you appreciate the film so much more because they are very similar.  I'm one of those people who is almost always disappointed when books are made into films because they never do the books any justice.  In this case the book and the film can go hand in hand because everything is almost exactly the same; the storyline, the character's personalities (but obviously Leo couldn't have got it wrong) and even some of the lines from the book are identical to those in the film.

If you don't know anything about The Great Gatsby it's written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the story takes place in New York in the 1920s.  It follows Nick Caraway who moves to New York and ends up living beside the mysterious Jay Gatsby who lives in a mansion and throws regular extravagant parties.  Exaggerated rumours are continuously flying around about who Gatsby really is but he is just a man who is deeply in love with Nick's cousin Daisy.  It soon becomes Nick's job to reunite the two lovers but of course it is not straight forward.  Then again is any love story straight forward?

The Great Gatsby is a very easy read.  It's short and concise with simple yet elegant language.  The story line itself is easy to follow with no complicated plot twists.  If you love anything to do with the 1920s lifestyle then you'll love this.  It's a story that really tugs at the heart strings and if you're thinking of getting into the classics then I would highly recommend this as a starting point.  Go on and give it a go old sport!

There you have it, my review of The Great Gatsby.  I hope this gave you some kind of an insight into what the book is like and taught you that the classics are not scary, outdated and complicated.  If you want a break from the crazy stories we read nowadays then definitely read a classic.  Until then I'll see ya when I see ya!

12 Books I Want To Read By The Time I'm 21

Today I was in one of my favourite bookshops browsing.  I noticed a book display entitled 12 books to read before you're 21.  Some of the books included were Twilight, Harry Potter and a couple of other books that I have read before.  The book display gave me the idea for this post.  I am constantly finding new books that I want to read so here are just 12 that I want to get through before I turn 21.

1. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
2. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
3. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
4. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher
5. My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult
6. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
7. Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
8. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkein
9. The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
11. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
12. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

I'm going to keep an eye on this list to see how many I actually read.  Let me know what books you would like to read or just about anything you want to do before you reach a certain age.  Until then...

I'll see ya when I see ya!

My Favourite Books

I am a complete book worm.  I love books and try to read as much as possible.  I'm a true believer in hard copies.  Downloading books onto a kindle or tablet is fine but there is nothing as good as the physical thing.  The crisp pages and that book smell is just amazing!  Since I am a book lover I thought I would share the love around and tell you about some of my favourite books.

1)  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green:

Obviously this book had to be included in the list.  I heard loads of people go on and on about it and so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  If you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about this book it's about two teenagers who have cancer.  They fall in love and their story is so heart wrenching and beautiful.  It will definitely cause tears but there are also plenty of more light hearted moments, a must read!

2)  Harry Potter 1-7 by J.K. Rowling:

I just want to be clear that I am a huge Harry Potter fan!  I have seen the movies countless times which are amazing but the books are something else.  You become enraptured in this magical fantasy of spells and magic and you wish your Hogwarts letter hadn't got lost in the post.  If you haven't read these books yet, please do!  Don't be intimidated by their size.  You cannot consider yourself a true fan unless you have read these books.

3)  The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer:

These books and the films have been given a lot of negative publicity but I have to admit that I actually really like the Twilight Saga.  I am a twihard and I'm not ashamed!  So the storyline is a bit farfetched, who cares?  If any girl had two extremely good looking chaps fighting for her attention, I don't think she would complain.  Even if they both happen to be mythical monsters.  (I'm team Edward by the way if you were wondering).

4)  The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare:

I absolutely love these books!  Once I began reading the first one, I couldn't stop.  I ploughed through them and was very upset when I finished them.  These books are a mixture of action, love, dark magic, mythical creatures and so one.  If you're into fantasy books, The Mortal Instruments is for you!  And don't be too upset when you finish them, you can still read The Internal Devices which are also just as brilliant and the Bane Chronicles if you want to know why Magnus Bane is banned from Peru!

5)  North Child by Edith Pateau:

This book has a slight fairy-tale element to it.  It's about a girl called Rose who is the youngest child in a big family.  Her mother is very superstitious and believes that all children born facing the North will travel far from home and will die an icy death.  Since Rose was born facing North her mother is very protective of her.  One day a white bear comes to take her away to a far off place, to a castle in a mountain.  The whole book is full of superstition and mystery, with Troll Queens and big white bears.  It is written from the perspective of many of the characters which I found made the story very interesting.  North Child is definitely worth the read!

A few other favourites:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Hush Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick

His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

So there are just a few of my favourite books/ series.  Most of them are quite popular but if you have any other recommendations then let me know.

Until then I'll see ya when I see ya!













Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You

A Thousand Pieces of You is the first book in the Firebird trilogy by Claudia Gray.  It follows the story of a young girl, Marguerite.  Both of her parents are scientists and have invented a device, the Firebird, which allows people to travel to different dimensions.  When her father is murdered, Marguerite suspects a close family friend, Paul.  Marguerite and another close friend, Theo, decide to follow him through dimensions in order to find out the truth.

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover.  I know they always say you should never judge a book by its cover but I have to admit that I am guilty of doing just that.  I always judge the book by its cover but who could blame me this time.  The cover of this book is beautiful with so many gorgeous, vibrant colours.  I was immediately drawn to it.

When I first started reading this book I was slightly confused.  I felt the beginning was very complicated and I didn't fully understand what was going on.  I had to read on for a chapter or two before I could get my head around it.  Once I got into the story I was hooked.  I felt the idea of being able to travel through dimensions to be very intriguing.  The whole concept of it is brilliantly created by Gray.  She definitely puts her own unique twist on it.

Not only is the main character searching for a suspected murderer but there is also romance in the midst of it all.  Of course the romance is not straightforward and so the story itself takes on new dimensions.  The book is full of suspense and tension as danger and deceit lurk around every corner.  It is truly a gripping story and I would highly recommend this to anyone if you are looking for something to read this summer.  I can't wait to read the next two instalments!

I hope you liked this little book review.  If anyone has any other book recommendations I would love to hear about them but until then...

I'll see ya when I see ya!