Books

What I’ve been reading lately #4

Now that I’m back at work, I’ve been storming through my previously unread books and I’ve got plenty of recommendations. Here’s a little rundown of what I’ve been reading lately

what ive been reading lately

Comic books are great for the commute because I can usually get through one per journey – no “OMG I don’t wanna get off the bus because I need to finish this!” moments. Plus there has never been a better time for female comic book characters – we’ve got a female Thor, Spider Gwen (the artwork is the best I’ve ever seen and I need a poster of the first cover), a teenage Muslim Ms Marvel and Runaways is packed full of ass-kicking girls.

Ms Marvel is by far my current favourite and I’m so glad Luke got me the first volume for my birthday a couple of years ago. I’ve pre-ordered every volume since and it just keeps getting better. It’s easy to assume that comic books are just about the action but Ms Marvel is just as much about her personal life – her religion, relationships, family and, ya know, fighting to save the world. Forget Super Girl, this needs its own series!

I’d wanted to read the Buffy graphic novels since I saw a whole bunch of ’em in Forbidden Planet a few years back. Although I liked the way the TV show ended (except for Anya – boo!), I was keen for the story to continue, even in a different format. I managed to pick up the first volume of both the Buffy and Angel comics FOR FREE and was keen to see what happened next. Obviously they can do a lot more with a comic book than a TV show (you’re only limited by your imagination/pen rather than special effects and budgets), I thought it was a stretch too far, especially with Giant Dawn. I’d like to read more but I wouldn’t pay a lot for it, so I’ll keep an eye out for more bargains.

I also decided to read Mockingjay before seeing the final film. I previously blogged about watching the films first, as I saw the first two films before I read the books and didn’t want to read Mockingjay until I’d seen parts one and two, as I liked that I didn’t know what to expect from the films. Then I missed Part Two in the cinema and had the key death spoiled for me by a blog post without a spoiler alter (boo hiss!), so I cracked out the book. I didn’t much care for having the book split into two (money grabbing bastards, much?) but there is rather a lot going on in the final book and I’m interested to see how it translated to film, especially without the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman.

And finally, I read the latest Cecelia Ahern novel, The Marble Collector. I was a bit dubious when I read the synopsis:

When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father’s possessions, she discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie. The familiar man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her. An unexpected break in her monotonous daily routine leaves her just one day to unlock the secrets of the man she thought she knew. A day that unearths memories, stories and people she never knew existed. A day that changes her and those around her forever.

But, as always with Ahern, it was such a beautiful story and, yes, made my eyes fill with tears on more than one occasion. I loved the view that you can never really know someone and especially the idea of exploring your parents’ lives before you. After all, you only ever really know them as your parents but there was a whole other life before you.

I’ve got quite a hefty ‘to read’ list going too…

my to read list

I’ve had this Game of Thrones box set since the Christmas before last but just haven’t gotten round to it. They’re quite long books and I thought they might have been a bit intense for the bus but I’m gonna make a start soon and alternate them with something a bit more light-hearted. I’ve had the other titles for quite a while too. Moranthology was a Poundland bargain, so I had to have that, and I spotted The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the window of a charity shop. I’ve seen the film but have never read the short story and the cover was enough to make me pick it up. I picked up the Roald Dahl bio in The Works a couple of years ago because it looked interesting and the cover is beautiful. Again, it felt a bit long for the bus and it’s probably something I can dip in and out of. Go Set A Watchman is an iffy one because I love To Kill A Mockingbird (like ‘top five books of all-time’ love it) but when it first came out the reviews were a bit mixed. I picked it up in a supermarket shop just after Jenson was born and I’ll probably mix it in between some Game of Thrones books.

Which one would you read first?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *