Recent Reads #1

27 Apr 2015


I've always been a big fan of reading since I was young but until recently I hadn't found enough time which is an awful excuse because you should always have time to read, even if you do it before bed. However, now I'm travelling to uni each day by train I have a little extra time which I like to spend reading and I am definitely back to my old book-loving ways. I've read quite a lot of books since the beginning of the year but I thought I'd do a blog post about the 4 most recent I've read in the past couple of months. I'm going to try and keep it relatively short because I don't want to give anything away but hopefully this will give you some suggestions if you're stuck on finding books to read at the moment. Please also remember, I am not a literature expert and my thoughts may not be correct but I love hearing other people's honest recommendations so thought I'd give it a go. 



First up is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt which I decided to read because I heard a lot about it online and in magazines. It's not something I would typically go for but I ended up really enjoying it. It follows the life of a boy named Theo who suffers a great loss when he is 13 years old and shows how he grows and what happens to him as he attempts to hold onto something precious that reminds him of his mother. It's quite a long one but the characters are well-written and you get hooked as you want to know where Theo will end up. Once I got into this book I really couldn't stop turning the pages and I would definitely recommend giving it a read.


The Perks of Being a Wallflower is another one that I had heard so much about a couple of years ago but had never got round to reading it. I saw it on offer in a shop and I thought I might as well give it a go as it's short and I wanted to know what all the hype was about. This follows a shy, awkward boy, called Charlie, through his freshman year at high school and how he tackles all sorts of issues related to growing up. I have to say, I really wasn't a fan of this book, I don't know if it is because it wasn't thrilling enough for me or if I am a little too old for it but I just didn't enjoy it very much. I kept thinking that it might get better but in my opinion the story didn't develop that well. I would probably recommend this for younger teenage readers but it wasn't one for me. 


Last but definitely not least are probably my favourite two of my recent reads, Sharp Objects and Dark Places. These I decided to read after absolutely loving Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn so I wanted to give her other novels a go. Sharp Objects and Dark Places didn't disappoint either. If you love crime thrillers like me, these books will definitely be for you but a warning they do touch on some sensitive themes/issues. 

Sharp Objects was my favourite of the two, all about a journalist who goes back to her hometown after many years estranged from her mother to investigate child abductions. Very gripping, I loved the characters, and just as I thought I'd guessed how it would finish there was a shock double-ending. Dark Places is also a really great read about a woman who survived, at 7 years old, when her elder brother was convicted for the murders of her mother and two sisters. After meeting some crime-obsessed people who are convinced her brother isn't guilty, she begins looking into her past after many years to see if they could be right. I loved seeing how this story unfolded and enjoyed the way it was written with alternating chapters from different POV's from the present and the past. Gillian Flynn is great at creating intense, flawed characters in all of her novels that you end up either loving or hating.

I hope you enjoyed reading this different more lifestyle type post and if you'd like another definitely tell me, it's sometimes fun to do posts that aren't fashion-orientated as you also get to find out a little more about me too!

2 comments

  1. I used to love reading but I stopped because life got a little too hectic but I really want to restart. The last book I read was a repeat, I had read it like 5 times! I'm in need of new books.

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  2. I completely understand what you mean! Now I've restarted reading regularly I don't want to stop again!

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