This Week in Books | 06/04/16

This week I'm joining in with Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found to talk about the books I've been reading recently!

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of reading after a couple of months in which I didn't read much at all. Hopefully I'll be reading like a nutter again very soon!

NOW: I received an eARC of Desolation, the second book in Derek Landy's Demon Road trilogy, from NetGalley, and as the book is officially released tomorrow I thought I'd try and read it and review it as soon as possible. You can check out my review of the first book in the trilogy here!

THEN: Yesterday I finally finished Heidi Heilig's The Girl From Everywhere, another book I received through NetGalley, and I don't know why it took me so long to finish. I loved it, and yet it took me two months to finish it, which just goes to show how much of a slump I've been in. Read my review here!

NEXT: Alias Grace has been sitting, unread, on my shelf for far too long, alongside a whole host of other books, but lately it's really been calling to me. Once I get a few eARCs under my belt I think I'm finally going to delve into this one.

What have you been reading recently?

A is for Atwood | Blogging from A to Z

The Penelopiad

by Margaret Atwood

I'm going to start the A-Z Challenge by admitting that The Penelopiad is the only one of Margaret Atwood's novels I've read. I know. I'm ashamed. One of these days I'm going to read The Handmaid's Tale because frankly it's shocking I've never read it, especially as I did my dissertation on dystopian fiction...

I read The Penelopiad last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. For anyone out there who has yet to read any Atwood - though I think until last year I was the only person left! - then I'd say this is a great starting point if you don't want to go straight into The Handmaid's Tale. Her spin on the story of Odysseus is just brilliant, and it's not a very long novel, either - you could easily read it in a day if you wanted to!

As for me, I'd like to read The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace next!

Reading Wrap-Up + Mini Book Haul | July 2014

Once again, stressing about university and the future meant I barely did any reading in July, but I really enjoyed both of the books I did read and really that's all that matters!

The Penelopiad

by Margaret Atwood

My Rating: 

Now that all the others have run out of air, it's my turn to do a little story-making.

In Homer's account in The Odyssey, Penelope--wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy--is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan War after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumors, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters, and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and--curiously--twelve of her maids.

In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged maids, asking: "What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?" In Atwood's dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the story-telling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality--and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery.

I'm ashamed to say that before last month I had never read any of Margaret Atwood's fiction. Yes, that really does mean I've never read The Handmaid's Tale. As both an avid reader and a feminist, I'm appalled with myself. 

I stumbled across this little hardback edition of The Penelopiad for just £1 in a charity shop in South Wales and I just had to have it. I love Greek mythology, and the idea of reading Penelope's side of the story really interested me - that poor woman really does put up with a lot of crap in The Odyssey!

Considering I was in a bit of a slump despite being in the middle of several great books - books I'm still in the middle of! - my friend Laura and I decided to read The Penelopiad together, and we both enjoyed it. I loved what Atwood did with the original tale, the little ways in which she tweaked it, and the voice she gave Penelope was just exquisite. Now I'm very eager to read more of her fiction!

The Undressed

by Jemma L. King

My Rating: 

The Undressed is a poetry collection inspired by a cache of antique nude photographs of women. King studied the photographs ranging from the 1840s to the 1930s and attempted to return voices to these mostly anonymous women lost to history.

Meet Olive, the silent movie star, Karolina, 'The Folding Girl of Kotka', and Mary, the prostitute who hopes the judge she's due to stand before will turn out to be a client...

The second book I read in July I read on the very last day of the month and it has to be one of the best books I've read this year; this is especially unusual for me considering, I'm ashamed to admit, I very rarely read poetry collections for pleasure. Reading poetry is something I need to do more of, because there are some amazing poets out there.

This collection is just gorgeous. Each poem is like its own little story - something I love in a poetry collection - and each voice sounds different from the others. I definitely recommend this collection, whether you frequently read poetry or not!

Last weekend I went to a market stall with my parents where second hand books were being sold: 3 for £5. Naturally, I couldn't leave empty-handed and I ended up coming away with a miniature historical fiction haul.

Nowadays I tend to buy most of my books second hand - I don't care if books look a little worn, in fact I think it gives them character! - and all three of the books I picked up are ones I've been after for a while now, including another of Margaret Atwood's novels!

I picked up copies of Karen Maitland's The Gallows Curse, Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek, and Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace. I mentioned Daphne du Maurier in a post at the beginning of last month as one of the authors I'm most ashamed to admit I have yet to read. I have a copy of Rebecca, but I've been wanting to read Frenchman's Creek for a long time now so I'm hoping to start it soon!

What did you read in July?

J.