Little Women (Little Women #1) by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women
Little Women #1
Louisa May Alcott

Front cover

Date read: 13 - 17 January 2020
Length: 200 pages
Published: 1868


Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth live with their mother, Mrs March. Their father is at war. The girls are growing up, some faster than others. We follow the girls on their way to womanhood.


This is the first part of Little Women as the copy I have only contains the first volume. The second part, Good Wives, will come later. This is a re-read for me as I first read both volumes sometime in 2013. However, after acquiring another book in the series, I felt I should go back and read this again before reading the next books!

The first time I read Little Women I fell in love with the story and all the girls. The second time reading this has not changed anything. I loved the story just as much as I remember from the first time reading, and because it had been nearly 7 years, I was falling in love all over again.

My favourite girl is probably Jo. She doesn't care that girls are supposed to look prim and proper, and be good at sewing and household chores. She wants to do her own thing, and as a result is classed as the 'boy' of the siblings. I think this is very progressive and not something I would expect from a 19th century novel.

I also like Laurie and even Mr Laurence. I think Laurie's intentions are good, and he loves all the girls. Mr Laurence was hard to begin with, but the girls softened him.

All the characters are interesting in their own way, even Mr March who you don't see for most of the novel because he is at war. I'm glad he didn't die and look forward to seeing more of the family united.


Little Women is a perfect coming of age classic, and I'm very much looking forward to re-reading Good Wives and then reading the last two in the series!




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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

The Pact
Jodi Picoult

Front cover

Date read: 1 - 12 January 2020
Length: 480 pages
Published: 1998 (UK 2004)


Emily and Chris have known each other all their lives, living next door to each other for nearly 18 years. They agree on a suicide pact together, but something goes wrong. Emily dies, Chris lives. On his 18th birthday he is arrested, awaiting trial. Will he be found guilty of murder in the first degree?

Your son says

they both meant

to die.

But he lived.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

The Pact is very hard to put down, and I found myself wanting to read more and more, even thinking about it when I wasn't reading it! I really enjoyed the story. I liked the way it went between past and present. I wanted to know what was happening the the present more, but it was still nice to get stories from the past, and to know what Chris, Emily and their families were like before this tragedy.

As much as I enjoyed the story, I found it hard to relate to Chris and Emily. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a bit older than them, or maybe the fact that you never really get anything from Emily's perspective. You only know her through the flashbacks. I just struggled to be emotionally invested in these characters.

I liked Chris' lawyer, Jordan. I kind of wish we got to see more of him. He sounds like a reasonable, down to earth guy, and he puts everything into helping Chris win his case, even though Chris makes a silly move at the end!

It's a shame about Gus and Melanie. Over 18 years of friendship is over because of this major event. I get it, it's understandable, but a shame nonetheless.

Jodi Picoult

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Moab is my Washpot (Memoir #1) by Stephen Fry

Moab is my Washpot
Memoir #1
Stephen Fry

Front cover

Date read: 21 - 31 December 2019
Length: 434 pages
Published: 1997


Stephen tells of his younger years in life; his schooling, his experiences of homosexuality, and his utter inability to dance. In Moab is my Washpot we learn about the first twenty years of his life as he comes to terms with the adult he's becoming.


I've always quite liked Mr Fry, from watching him with Hugh Laurie in Fry and Laurie, to his days presenting QI. He's always struck me as a very intelligent man, with a sense of humour. However, after reading the first in his Memoir series, I have realised I don't actually know a lot about the man inside.

I had no idea he had siblings. I always just kind of thought he was an only child. I have no idea why, it's just the impression I had. I didn't know he had been to prison! Although I'm not surprised I didn't know this. I don't imagine it's something that he flaunts regularly, if at all.

My favourite bit is probably when he goes to get his 'dancing problem' sorted. Fry can't dance, he's admitted it a few times in this book, and when he needs to get up and dance in front of many people, he seeks help. You can relate, it's funny and the outcome is satisfying.

It was a very interesting read and I'm looking forward to reading the rest in the series very soon!




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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Hydrogen Sonata (Culture #10) by Iain M. Banks

The Hydrogen Sonata
Culture #10
Iain M. Banks

Front cover

Date read: 5 - 20 December 2019
Length: 605 pages (630 with interview and glossary)
Published: 2012


The Gzilt civilisation are getting ready to Sublime, but not everyone is sure about it. There's reason to believe the Book of Truth is not all it seems. On a quest to find out for herself, Cossont seeks the oldest person ever known; Ximenyr. Will she Sublime with the rest of the Gzilt?


I liked Cossont. She wanted to know the truth and she set out to find it. She didn't let other people tell her what to think and she wanted to find information for herself.

The elevenstring is interesting, and even now I still can't picture what it would look like. I have this sort of image of a really big guitar, but I could be way off! The idea that an instrument was invented to play a specific piece of music is a bit baffling, but amusing at the same time.

There were some surprises and the things that sticks out (no pun intended) the most, is the man with all the penises! I was just reading along, and bam, there he is! Funny, if a little unusual.

This book is really a 3.5* but I don't do halves! There were some things that were really interesting that I liked reading, and other bits were a bit slow and drawn out.

Well, that's it. The last in the Culture series. I can't quite believe it's come to an end. It has been a wild ride, I've found some better than others, but none that I didn't enjoy. It's not the end of Banks for me however, as I have some more of his books, under both names. I imagine it'll be a few years before I get to them though.




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The Wee Librocubicularist

The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

The Slave Dancer
Paula Fox

Front cover

Date read: 1 - 4 December 2019
Length: 143 pages
Published: 1973 (1974 in UK)


A young boy named Jessie is taken and forced on the slave ship The Moonlight. He is to play music on his pipe to make the slaves dance and keep them exercised. He learns about what ship life is like, and the true nature of slavery. All he wants to do is go home.


Set around 1840, this is a haunting tale of the realities of what it might have been like aboard just one slave trading ship. It makes you realise how far we've come in terms of equal rights, although we still have a ways to go!

I feel sorry for Jessie. He must have been very scared, he was only 13 when he was kidnapped and forced aboard the ship. He was very brave and stood up for himself where appropriate.

Luckily there was one decent man aboard the ship, Benjamin Stout. He looked out for Jessie and helped him when he could. He had someone he could talk to and I think that helped keep him sane.

It was a little bit strange reading a story with a few pictures through it, but I enjoyed it! It's interesting to see how the image in my mind compares with that of the picture in the book.


A thought provoking story.




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The Wee Librocubicularist

Lost Boy by Christina Henry

Lost Boy
Christina Henry

Front cover

Date read: 23 - 30 November 2019
Length: 318 pages
Published: 2017


Jamie is the first ever boy to be taken by Peter to the Island, with promises of fun and adventure, somewhere you'll never grow up. But it's not really like that at all. Peter is mysterious and keeps many secrets. Boys die and are replaced. There's pirates and the Many-Eyed after them. And when a girl comes to the Island, everything changes.

ALL

CHILDREN

GROW UP

EXCEPT ONE...

I was given this book by a friend because they know I have read Peter Pan and they thought it would interest me. They were not wrong! Lost Boy is based on the original story, but set before then, when Peter was first taking boys to the Island. It is told from the perspective of Jamie, the first boy ever taken, and we learn about what life on the Island is really like.

It is nice that this story has a different viewpoint because it makes it fresh. You can read this story without ever having read Peter Pan and it still makes sense. It's not a re-telling because it's a different story, just set in the same world.

If you like Peter, this is maybe not the book for you, because at the end you will not. Actually, pretty early on you will realise he's not who we are led to believe. He's selfish, advocates murder and just views the boys as his playthings. They are replaceable, and when one dies he just goes to get more.

One thing I thought interesting was the idea of the magic behind them never growing up. When Peter takes the boys to the Island, they are led to believe the Island is the magical place, and just because they are there that they will never grow up, but that's not the case, as Jamie figures out. I don't want to spoil anything.

A good read based on a classic.

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The Wee Librocubicularist

Surface Detail (Culture #9) by Iain M. Banks

Surface Detail
Culture #9
Iain M. Banks

Front cover

Date read: 7 - 22 November 2019
Length: 627 pages
Published: 2010


Lededje is murdered by the richest man in the area; Veppers. Luckily, and unknown to her, a neural lace was put in her head and she reconstructs somewhere very far away. In a new body, she wants revenge. Will she be successful?


I quite liked Led, although at first I thought she was much younger than she actually is, and I was surprised when I found out how old she really is. She seems very childish at first, and I wondered if she's lived a sheltered life?

The markings on the skin are interesting, and it's not just the skin, even the whites of the eyes are marked. Unfortunately these beings are regarded as less than those without them. Typical human nature!

Veppers is evil, that's the only word for it. An utterly despicable person who only cares about himself and his money. He angers me so much.

You got to see more of the ships again, which is good because the series is nearly finished!


I'm looking forward to finishing the series!




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The Wee Librocubicularist