If you'd still like to join Northampton College Library's Reading Journey, then just pop into one of the three centres and talk to a member of staff. They'll be happy to explain how the journey works and give you your loyalty card.
Let us know about any books you:
- are reading at the moment
- are planning to read
- have read in the past
Recommend some reads or tell us why you'd never read that book again; anything you like about books, we want to hear it. Just comment on any of the posts on this blog and we'll get a discussion going. Enjoy the summer weather, happy reading!
Hello people. Just thought I'd let you know what I thought of the two books I mentioned in my previous post. Interestingly, both of them are told from a retrospective point of view, which was by coincidence, rather than design.
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton- I enjoyed this book, for the most part. It was a good examination of the American justice system, specifcally the death penalty which still operates in certain states of the US. There are parts of the book that broke this information down into facts and figures, which I felt jarred slightly with the tone of the rest of the book, even though it made interesting reading. Noa herself narrated the story, which she told in retrospect from the discomfort of her prison cell. We see her life from infancy, teenage years and young adulthood, up to and including the events which caused her to be in the terrible situation she finds herself. This back story is interspersed with letters from Noa's victim's mother, who is writing to her dead daughter to try to explain her current actions. Neither of the these two main characters are particularly warm and whilst you feel symapthy for both of them at certain times, you feel the exact opposite at others. There were times when I felt the author could have given the reader the chance to feel more emapthy but perhaps these were missed on purpose. I'd recommend reading it, particulary if you enjoy a different take on the crime genre or films such as The Life of David Gale.
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane- Of the two books, this was probably my favourite. I've read a few Neil Gaiman books recently (having read Good Omens written with Terry Pratchett a number of years ago- but I'm not saying how many!). This evoked memories of the freedom, boredom, mystery, wonder and and overall powerlessness of being a child. It is the story of a boy and his strange experiences with the three women who live in the house at the end of his road. It is a blend of the supernatural with the normal and everyday. At a time when he is feeling alone and abandoned by his family, these three are able to offer him the comfort and safety he desparately needs, albeit in a unsual but wonderful way. Beautiful book, which I recommend to anyone but especially those who enjoy fantasy or rites of passage stories.
I am just starting The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. It is the story of a serial killer who is able to go through time targeting the young girls who will grow up to be women of renown. I'll let you know how it goes. Keep reading everyone, and let us know all about it.
Just wondered what people are reading at the moment. I am currently reading The Execution of Noa P. Singleton (Elizabeth L. Silver)- a story of a woman who has been on death row for ten years and is fast approaching her 'end' date. She is visited by a lawyer and the mother of the victim, who she has never denied killing. Noa narrates the story and we are told in a kind of flashback what happened all those years ago; what led to the circumstances which put her in this terrible position. I'm about half-way through (so no spoilers, please if anyone has read it!), seems a fairly good book and I'm pretty sure there are going to be some twists and turns before I reach the end. I'll let you know.
Really looking forward to the next book I have lined up: Neil Gaiman's The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (OAEOL- for short). I've been reading a lot of his stuff recently and this is getting rave reviews, so I can't wait.
To help encourage reading for pleasure across the whole college, we are hoping to start a new reading challenge. Keep a look out for more information as the launch date approaches, which we hope will be the week beginning July 1st. There's a teaser picture, just to keep you intrigued. Pop in and ask at any of the College Library centres if you want some more info. Happy reading!
Welcome to the new look blog. We will soon be advertising our resources on a new Library website, so this has given us the opportunity to re-vamp this blog slightly and devote its use to our love of reading fiction. We hope that students of the Northampton College, members of staff or anyone from anywhere who happens to come across BooksBlogBlurb, will join in with our chats about what's tickling our fancy storywise. We want to get open discussions going, with all voices being heard. So please, if you have something to say about a book you are reading, a book you want to read, or a book someone else is reading, comment on our posts. Let's have a massive love-in for books and reading!!
