Author: Emma French
Should I read… Life of Pi?
| December 13, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
One of those books people talk about incessantly, and everyone feels they should read: Life of Pi. But, unlike the bizarre, ‘serious’ books that people think it sounds good to have read (say… Murakami?), this book by Yann Martel is worthy of ‘superior’ reputation. A captivating book from the very start, Life of Pi follows the life of Piscine Molitor Patel (Pi) who, after the boat transporting his family and the contents of their zoo is caught in a storm, survives 227 days in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The story is told from the point of view of Pi as an old man, looking back on his childhood and adolescence. While the main bulk of the… more
Should I read… The Final Empire?
| November 29, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
Finished your personal statement? Read loads of ridiculously wordy books that you can quote in case of potential interviews? What do you do when you’ve finished? Give a huge sigh of relief, chuck away the textbooks, and pick up some (semi-trashy) fantasy. (Which, if you’re applying for English, can be a nice breather after a quick blast through the Cannon.) I’m personally not a big fan of hardcore fantasy (your Trudi Canavans and such like), but the first book of the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson is an exception to this rule. Set in the post-apocalyptic Final Empire, run by the tyrannical Lord Ruler who is immortal and so revered that he is considered a god, the first book, named… more
Should I read… Wide Sargasso Sea?
| November 22, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
I noticed that the last book reviewed in the Guide to the Classics series was Jane Eyre (of which I most heartily approve), so I thought I would compliment Jess Kadow’s reading recommendation with what many regard as the rebuttal to Charlotte Bronte’s novel. For those who haven’t read Jane Eyre, I probably cannot recommend Wide Sargasso Sea, as although it is a book in its own right it is so intrinsically linked with the former that reading it alone seems almost empty. That being said, those who have read solely Jane Eyre will also have a void that cannot be filled without reading this prequel of sorts. And that void is a single character: Bertha Mason. With barely one… more
Should I read… Cloud Atlas?
| November 15, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
So, I think I’ve been writing long enough to hopefully have built an audience (i.e. the two or three friends I force to read this) that I can trust with the gift that is my favourite book of all time: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. This book, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2004, is a book which seems to defy all the rules of structure, and in doing so makes a story that you can’t stop reading – because, while the novel is separated into six separate tales focussing around several protagonists, the stories are also split in half, with the first half and second half separated by all the others’ stories. Creating a sort of Chinese box narrative,… more
Should I read… The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake?
| November 8, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
When I first heard about this book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, I was incredibly interested by its premise, for this is the story of a girl who, when she eats her mother’s cake (that of the title), taste the emotions of its maker. It sounded like an interesting, quirky premise for a story, and combined two of my favourite things: the supernatural and, of course, cake. However, when I read this book I cannot stress how disappointed I was – it was perhaps the most bizarre novel I’ve ever encountered, and not in a good Mighty Boosh way. There were many things which I felt held potential in this novel. The consequences of the daughter… more
Should I read… Captain Corelli’s Mandolin?
| November 1, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
So, I’m moving away from the red/black/white colour scheme and into something different for this week. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (CCM) is a book I’m sure many have heard about, but I can never gauge how many people have actually read it. It’s one of the problems with a book that has had a film made about it: lots of people know the story, but do they know the words? If not, they really should, because one of the main reasons I enjoyed this book so much was its simply brilliant use of language. Last week I said that those into war fiction may have been disappointed with my book choice, but this time I’m sure that, though it’s not all… more
Should I read… The Book of Lost Things?
| October 25, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
After last week’s rant, I thought that perhaps I should prove to you that I can be positive as well, and so, while this week’s book cover is admittedly of a similar colour scheme to that of the Twilight novels, the story itself is of an exceedingly better quality. I chose to write about it as it was recommended it to me by someone who didn’t know me, and since this is what I’m technically doing for you guys I figured it was pretty relevant. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is a book I would recommend to anybody, regardless of their gender, age or genre preference. It mixes different worlds, themes and story telling styles so well… more
Should I read… Twilight?
| October 18, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under should I read...? |
Controversially – particularly for a first, tentative post – I am going to say yes. (Though this is perhaps not controversial at all – I can never keep up with whether the number of Twilight haters outweighs the number of Twihards, as the former are usually a lot louder and more articulate in their arguments.) I would just like to state for the record that my vote in favour is not due to my fetish for sparkly vampires, nor for Robert Pattison. I am, in fact, a stout Twilight hater. I would simply argue that, if you want to slate Stephanie Meyer with some integrity, you have to read what you are flaming. Then you can join me in long, angry rants… more
KT Tunstall at the O2 Academy Leeds
| March 1, 2011 | Posted by Emma French under culture, reviews |
Although at first I wished that I was down with the hardcore fans, I have to admit that from the balcony of the O2 Academy Leeds the stage set-up was an impressive sight, made all the more interesting by the large, luminescent tiger suit graphic which dominated the background, as well as the artist herself, who was dressed in a large, Indian style headdress. Having spent a long period travelling around the world visiting cities on several different continents, including the arctic town Uummannaq which inspired her opening song, KT Tunstall’s new 2011 tour was long-awaited and, when she visited Leeds on the 27th February, welcomed by fans with open arms (and a very amusing drunken declaration of love from… more
