Being A Boy - James Dawson

It's harder to be a girl because
they have to push enormous babies
out of a very small hole and also
because we live in a pretty sexist
world run almost exclusively
by rich men.

Rated 10/10

Being a boy is hard. How can you possibly act cool and even think about pulling potential partners when your face is sprouting spots and you're hairy in places you didn't even know could be hairy? Luckily, 'Being a Boy' provides an uncensored look at puberty, from the social food chain to sex, being a boyfriend and everything guys need to know to survive - brutal honesty included.

My thoughts: A really quick and easy read that speaks to teen boys on their own level. I was sent this as a proof and read it in a day, it's very difficult to put down!

James Dawson writes with wit and understanding - almost like having an older brother/friend on call to answer those questions that are difficult to ask. As a 26 year old woman, I still found it highly entertaining and would recommend that anyone could read and be amused and informed in some way.

I particularly loved Dawson's stance on sexuality - refraining completely from labels and recognising that sexual preference is never as black & white as people suggest. Similarly, the ideas put forward on sexism and gender are equally as valid, and I would trust in putting this book in any boy's hands without worrying that they might be baffled or overwhelmed by the differences between men and women. There is none of that here...

Which puts forth another major positive that I got from this book - it doesn't bombard the lads with all of the biological physical explanations that they will have heard in sex ed classes. Ie: it's nothing at all like sitting down in a Science Biology lesson and being bored senseless for an hour. None of that. Just the stuff that is relevant, and written in a way that is easily digested.

There was only one little sentence that I personally completely disagreed with.

Other than that, an absolute winner!

The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells

No one would have believed in
the last years of the nineteenth century
that this world was being watched
keenly and closely by intelligences
greater than man's and yet as mortal
as his own.

Rated 5.5/10

My Thoughts: I wasn't hugely struck on this book. It could have been the rambling style of the narrative, the fact that I am very much a fan of character driven novels, or maybe because I was reading on my iPhone; which is nowhere near as enjoyable as flicking through a hard copy.

I loved the concept, and the story has inspired so many novels and films since Wells penned his masterpiece. And for that reason I'm giving The War of the Worlds an average score. But I just couldn't get into it.

I'll probably be slated for this!!!!

The Masque of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin

'The charcoal sky spits cold
rain as we rumble to a stop at
a crossroad.'

Rated 1.5/10

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who survived live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them... Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for - no matter what it costs her.

My thoughts: I know that this book has had some positive reviews, and I also know that it is heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's drama with the same name - but I just couldn't get on with it.

This is a YA novel, and so there will be inevitable romance and angst as a result, but the protagonist is a whiny teen with absolutely no endearing qualities about her whatsoever; And yet she is at the centre of a heated love triangle (of which I won't go into detail due to spoilers). Araby punishes herself due to her twin brother's death by supposedly never experiencing the things that he will never get to experience in life - and yet here she is in the centre of a club taking drugs and drinking quite casually. This is one of the many plot holes that I just couldn't get my head around.

The coherence of the novel is barely there - it rambles on irritatingly in 1st person, present tense using a myriad of very short sentences and utterances...

And so many unanswered questions! Why can't you catch the airborne plague when you're indoors? the air in a room is completely refreshed on average every two hours, even if all doors and windows are closed. Why do girls wear 'negligible' dresses despite the fact that pretty much every 'penniless' man is horny and dangerous, and it's so cold all the time? Would the need to be safe not outweigh the fashion of showing off you have no plague? And so on.

Not a single strong female character was present throughout the whole book either, not great for the young female teen audience that this book is aimed at.

The motives and actions of the antagonists also did not make sense to me but again, not going to reveal due to spoilers.

This book did survive my scrutiny right until the final sentence however, and I did finish the whole thing. Although it is not to my tastes, I know that others will enjoy it. If you want a really good YA novel that does everything that this one doesn't, then check out 5th Wave by Rick Yancey.

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

'My first indication that food was
something other than a substance
one stuffed in one's face when hungry
- like filling up at a gas station - came
after fourth-grade elementary school.

Rated 10/10

After twenty-five years of 'sex, drugs, bad behaviour and haute cuisine', chef and novelist Anthony Bourdain decides to tell all.

My thoughts: I found myself strangely inspired by Bourdain's full on account of his own culinary successes and (mostly) failures. I admire his attitude towards his business, the way that he prizes character and drive over skill, and the way that he admits to his own mistakes and makes no apologies over his completely obsessive behaviour.

This book was interesting throughout every word, and I found myself wanting to read more,  hungrily devouring the pages (pun intended) and wondering whether I could get myself a decent kitchen knife on my way home from work (I couldn't), and whether anyone would actually try my spur-of-the-moment masterchef creations (they won't).

The fact that Bourdain's journey drew me in and moved me in such a way is testament to the fact that Kitchen Confidential is a brilliant book and should be read by anybody who has an interest in food. I know that he has a bit of a reputation, but between these pages we see a more rounded view of this notorious tv chef.