Just Try It, You'll Love It

I know the way that this normally works: "Honestly, you should read it, that book literally - like, literally - changed my life." Any sane person normally nods politely and takes a mental note to never pick up that book. Ever. So instead of telling everyone what to read and risk everyone never reading books I consider to be amazing, I thought I would just share some books that I've read and have really, really enjoyed and don't worry, I don't do spoilers.

Read them. Or don't. It's up to you.




Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

I originally read this while I was still in school, so I was maybe about 13 or 14. It took my breath away not only with the exquisite writing style but even just the concept that the whole novel ,and the following series is based upon. Blackman's essentially turned typical views on race on their head with white people in underprivileged positions and inherently prejudiced against. It raises many questions and thoughts about the society that we currently live in and whether or not we're actually as developed and civilised as we think we are. It really changed the way I thought and was written so beautifully that it made me cry.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

This book was somewhat a labour of love. To begin with I wondered whether this book was actually worth carrying on with. I had other things on at the time, so couldn't devote the kind of time I wanted to it. But then we had a rare day of sun in Glasgow and I finally had some peace. And that was when I fell in love with it. I was entranced by the story and found that I couldn't put it down. It follows an Indian entrepreneur and how he came into his money. It's a very acute look at the Indian class system, and I found myself constantly surprised and learning things I never knew before. This book was good enough that it made me want to buy more of his work, something I have yet to do. Student budget, you know how it is.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

I was a bit dubious about starting this one, since the blurb was quite obscure and the plot on the whole seemed a bit strange. It follows two characters - a widowed concierge of an upper-class apartment building and a little girl who is a resident there. It certainly wasn't what I read normally but I'm really glad I did. It's kind of like The White Tiger, in that it looks at the class system but this book is set in Paris. I have to admit that I have a bit of a crush on Paris, so this was somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me. 

Depending on the feedback on this post, I may do another. I have full bookcases, so I have no worry that I'll never run out of books to rant about!