Challenge 26: A book based on a true story

Ida's choice: "What Happened?" by Hillary Clinton (Simon & Schuster, 2017)

I started reading this back in february this year (2018) but as of October (still 2018) I haven't had a chance to finish it. It's not that it's boring or anything, it's actually quite enlightening and I like the writing, but I just get so tired and angry. However, I think the book fits neatly in to this challenge, so I'm gonna aim to finish it soon.

Comments:

I managed to get this as an audiobook which helped greatly! It's a really great book and very much an important one too.

Challenge 25: A book that is more than 10 years old

Ida's choice: "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown (Corgi Books, 2000)

I actually considered this for the "a book that everyone but you has read" challenge, but then decided against it. Seeing as it also fits this challenge I'm gonna give it a shot (I quite like The DaVinci Code).

Comments:
Well. I mean, the story is fine but the writing is really annoying at times. I hate when accomplished female scientists (or any job field, really) is reduced in writing to how hot they are. Stop it. You as the author need their expertise for the plot, so treat your characters right. Also, in this case, I felt Brown didn't even need her expertise for the plot, she was simply there to act as a damsel in distress and I do not subscribe to that use of women in litterature. So yeah, no thanks Dan Brown - try harder!

Challenge 24: A book you loved... read it again!

Ida's book: "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell (St. Martin's Press, 2013)

At first I had decided on a different book for this challenge, but life happened and it just had to be this one. It's a YA (young adult) novel and it is brilliant. As someone who would happily describe herself as a fangirl and who has written fanfiction, I see myself way too much in the main character of this book. 

Comments:

Not much to say here except: it felt like coming home.

Challenge 23: A book from the library

Ida's book: "Dødevaskeren" by Sara Omar (Politikkens Forlag, 2017).

This book was all the rage when it was published last year. It wasn't something I would normally read so I put in a reservation for it at my local library - I was the 17th in line for the book, and I got it the day after my last exam for uni. The title means someone who washes the dead that no one else wants to wash - mostly women who have been cast out by society.

Comments:

This was a tough book to read, although it only took me two days. It tells the story of a little girl, Frmesk, who are born into a family who does not want another girl. To be fair, the violence in this books makes it almost unbearable to read. With so much violence against women in the world today, I read mostly to escape from all that, but there was no escape in this book. Nevertheless, it was a good and important read. 

Challenge 22: A book with pictures

Ida's book: "The Body Book" by Roz MacLean (Promontory Press, 2016).

So this challenge was a bit out of the ordinary, but then I remembered that I'd bought this little book last year, as part of an effort to have and read more body positive/fat activist inspired books, so I gave it a go!

Comments:

Every child should read this book, every adult too, for that matter. There is so much hatred for our bodies in society and if we can stop that at an early age and make children understand that all bodies are great, then we can truly do something good.

Challenge 21: A book with a great first line

Ida's book: "Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollanz, 2011)

"It started at one thirty on a cold Tuesday morning in January when Martin Turner, street performer and, in his own words, apprentice gigolo, tripped over a body in front of the West Portico of St Paul's at Covent Garden.".

Comments:

Normally I don't judge a book on its first line. My way of finding out whether a book is interesting is to find a random page and read it - if I am I intrigued enough to find out what happens next (and sometimes what happened before) I either buy the book or take it out of the library. So this challenge was a bit tricky, as I found a lot of books can have very boring first lines. This book has been on my reading list for a long time, but I'd forgotten all about it until I spotted it at my local library. I took it off the shelf, did my random page test and took it home with me. A few days later I remembered about this challenge and I looked at the first line. I liked the writing style of it so I thought it would be a perfect fit for this challenge. The book itself was pretty good, I might give the follow ups a chance too although I do find the main character a bit annoying at times. 

Challenge 20: A book 'everyone' but you has read

Ida's book: "The Lord of The Flies" by William Golding (Faber & Faber, 2011)

Somewhere among the many suggestions for the last challenge, this title kept coming up. I therefore decided to use it for this challenge as I haven't read it, and obviously, quite a few people had!

Comments:

Well. Along with Brave New World, this is one of those books that leave a lasting impression, but which isn't really that good to read. It wasn't until the last 30 pages or so I actually felt invested in it and wanted to find out what would happen. I think I see so much of male violence in everyday society that reading a book about it felt too much. It's the stuff I normally try and shield myself from (why wallow in reading about it when real life seems to be so much more worse), so it was a hard read. I can see why so many people recommend this book, I can see why it has gained status as a classic, but it is not because it's a pleasure to read.