Wednesday 3 February 2016

The Two Connie's and a Repetitive Choice

January has been a busy month in the Tee household. Between going back to school, starting a new job (my husband), studying and handing in assignments, and organising new childcare for my youngest, there hasn’t been much spare time! 

I have, however, managed to fit in a few good reads I’d like to share with you. The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse, You Choose by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, and Us by David Nicholls. 

My Read 

Full of atmosphere and chilling events, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is a beautifully written, gothic horror. Set in Sussex in 1912 and written across just one summer, it tells the story of Connie Gifford, the daughter of a taxidermist. Her father’s business is all but run into the ground due to his addiction to alcohol which he uses to escape from his past. Connie is just about keeping the business afloat under the guise of her fathers’ name. 


During one particular summers evening, Connie decides to follow her father on one of his midnight jaunts and what she witnesses chills her to the bone. 

A few days later, a body washes up from the stream at the bottom of her garden and her father disappears. 

Her disbelief at her father’s involvement in what is clearly a murder case Connie tries to find evidence to prove her fathers innocence, only the arrival of Harry Woolston offers a welcome distraction. 

It soon becomes clear that Connie and Harry’s involvement goes beyond their own relationship, when they find out that their father’s met more than a decade before. When Harry’s father goes missing too, they start to uncover a long-hidden, dark secret, encompassing both Connie’s and Harry’s families.

The book anthropomorphises the image of the bird in such a way that it encompasses the entire story. The story begins with Connie dissecting and stuffing a bird in her workshop; throughout the book the bird is used as signify death or trouble, with them gathering in trees or on roofs close to significant events; whilst I won’t spoil the ending, the book ends with an obvious and sinister aversion to birds as well. 

The weather is also a key player in this atmospheric thriller. Gradually getting worse and more deadly alongside the heightening of the storyline before climaxing in a devastating storm with fatal consequences. 

Although predictable, this book deserves the time that you’ll undoubtedly devote to it. It’s an exploration of culture, art, relationships and family, and ultimately shows the lengths that the characters will go to, to protect their loved ones. 

Their Read

Both of my children keep going back to the same book recently, You Choose by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt. Whilst it’s no work of literary genius, You Choose is an innovative book which allows your child to make their own story. With Nick Sharratt’s trademark illustrations, each page offers various options for your child to ‘choose’: If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Who would you have for family and friends? What kind of house would you live in? and many more.

Whilst my daughter (4) has her old favourites which she picks each time, she also notices new things almost every time she reads the book. My son (1) on the other hand is enjoying learning the different words for the different pictures he points to. This is a book which can be enjoyed across many age groups. 
 
Not only is this a good bedtime read, it feeds the imagination and lets your child lead the story. It's so simple, but so genius.

To Read
 
My recommended read this week is Us by David Nicholls. From the author of One Day, this novel is sad but funny, and oh so relatable. Scientist, Douglas, is happy in his marriage to artist, Connie. Suddenly, at 4am in the morning, she wakes him up to tell him that she feels their marriage is over and she’s leaving in the fall. 

Douglas has one summer to win her back, one summer and a trip around Europe, which he plans to make the holiday of all holidays. 


Whilst we join them on their journey around Europe, we also hear the story of their relationship from meeting until the present day. This book is heart-warming, true to life and is bound to make you laugh. 

If you liked One Day, you’ll love this. If you haven’t read One Day, you need to.

Thursday 7 January 2016

Happy 2016; Bronte; Otters; Flaps; Guests.

Happy 2016 to all of my readers! 

I’m starting this year with a fresh, new approach to my blog posts. As well as my usual reviews when the mood takes me, I’m going to be providing a weekly segment which covers My Read, Their Read (my children’s read of the week), and a To Read section, with a book recommendation. Every so often I may even throw in a His Read, for the male readers – not that the male readers can’t read what I’m reading too! 

I hope you enjoys this weeks’ segment. 

My Read 

Over the Christmas period, I have filled my time reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Surprisingly, I haven’t read it up until now, and I had my preconceptions. I thought that the story was mainly about Heathcliff and Cathy’s love affair, something which never really happened. I also thought the book ended with Cathy dying, when in actual fact she dies about a third of the way into it. I thought Heathcliff would be this romantic heroine who would save Cathy…he didn’t. He was actually quite bitter throughout the whole book and never really had the patience to get exactly what he wanted.

Anyhow, I’ve really enjoyed the book. Juxtaposing the Yorkshire Moors with a cup of tea and candles on a chilly winters evening has been very cosy! I have to admit though…for the last two weeks I’ve had Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights on a loop in my head: ‘Heathcliff, it’s me, Cathy, I’ve come home!’


I have about five or six chapters left…so if any of my current thoughts are about to be dramatically changed – don’t tell me just yet!

Favourite Character

My favourite character is young Catherine Linton, daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw. I like her fearlessness; I like how she does what she wants to do, rather than what her father tells her to; I like how she does it all with a sweet smile whilst genuinely caring about not getting into trouble; finally, I like how she breaks the rules for the wellbeing of others, not just for the sake of it. In a book full of dark and dismal characters, plagued with revenge, she’s the light and the good, with a bit of mischief and playfulness thrown in. 

I also have a soft spot for Hareton Earnshaw. Whilst Heathcliff turns the innocent little boy into a brute with few brain cells, I have a longing for who his character could have been if left under Nelly’s care. I feel he could have been the romantic, intelligent heroine that I expected Heathcliff to be…only to be bitterly disappointed by his vengeful ways. 

Key Scene

My favourite scene (so far) is when Heathcliff returns as a strong, successful, rich man. I like the intrigue of what happened in the three years he was away to mark the change which we never really find out. I’m a fan of a transformation, and whilst his exterior changed for the better and his intelligence grew, he used the change to enable him to enact his revenge on Edgar Linton, which ultimately sent the love of his life mad and killed her. A lesson in using your intelligence for good not for evil, perhaps? 

Conclusion

This literary classic isn’t what I expected, but is definitely a book I will come back to again and again. The narrative is written cleverly, the old servant telling the story from her perspective, do we ever really hear the truth? Probably not, but it’s intriguing all the same. 

Their Read

I’m going on a journey with my four year old this year. She started school in September and has been learning how to read, so a lot of our reading time is spent with her reading to me now, although I do still like to read her a bedtime story. It’s a wonderful thing to see her comprehending each word and its’ meaning; to see her looking at the pictures to contextualise the words; to see her beginning to understand phonics and the numerous different sounds certain letters can make. 

This week she has been repeatedly enjoying a book we picked up at the local library, ‘The Wish Fish’. It’s a short level 2 read aloud story about Ozzie the Otter who catches a ‘Wish Fish’. It revolves around the ‘sh’ sound, but also includes harder words including ‘caught’, ‘friend’ and ‘mind’. Words that sound different to how they are spelled. 

My one year old is really getting into books now, which I love. Instead of bringing me one or two books at bedtime, I get a pile of books and have to prise him away from the bookshelf to start reading them to him! 

His book of the moment is ‘Peep Inside the Farm’ by Anna Milbourne. It has lots of flaps on each page for him to lift and find what’s underneath. It covers animals, plants, tractors, and the farm shop. It’s quite a learning experience for the little fella! His favourite page is the last page which show the farm shop, it opens up and you can see all the produce which is grown on the farm and then sold in the shop. He especially likes the man behind the counter who looks just like his Daddy. 


Other books in this range include ‘Peep Inside the Zoo’, ‘Peep Inside the Garden’ and ‘Peep Inside the Castle’. All of which are equally great to read to the little ones with plenty of flaps to keep little hands busy and interested. 

To Read

My recommended read of the week is ‘The Paying Guests’ by Sarah Waters. Set in 1920’s London, this book could almost be three separate books. There is plot twist after plot twist, each one as unexpected as the last, and it always keeps you guessing. 



It follows the life of Frances who, after losing her brothers in the war and her father from a heart attack not long after, has to find lodgers so that her and her mother can afford to stay in their large home. In comes Mr and Mrs Barber, a young couple who move into the first floor of Frances’ home. At first they are just a means to an end, an income to pay Frances and her mothers’ ever increasing debt. However, the daily routines of the house are shaken up in ways you would never expect, and all manner of devastating and shocking events occur. 

 This is a compelling story of mistakes and big decisions, with unsurmountable tension thrown in for effect. Frances isn’t always the most relatable character, and the ending isn’t the best ending I’ve ever read, but you can’t help but be drawn into the bones of the book. Definitely worth the awards it received in 2014.