I’m starting this year with a fresh, new approach to my blog posts. As well as my usual reviews when the mood takes me, I’m going to be providing a weekly segment which covers My Read, Their Read (my children’s read of the week), and a To Read section, with a book recommendation. Every so often I may even throw in a His Read, for the male readers – not that the male readers can’t read what I’m reading too!
I hope you enjoys this weeks’ segment.
My Read
Over the Christmas period, I have filled my time reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Surprisingly, I haven’t read it up until now, and I had my preconceptions. I thought that the story was mainly about Heathcliff and Cathy’s love affair, something which never really happened. I also thought the book ended with Cathy dying, when in actual fact she dies about a third of the way into it. I thought Heathcliff would be this romantic heroine who would save Cathy…he didn’t. He was actually quite bitter throughout the whole book and never really had the patience to get exactly what he wanted.Anyhow, I’ve really enjoyed the book. Juxtaposing the Yorkshire Moors with a cup of tea and candles on a chilly winters evening has been very cosy! I have to admit though…for the last two weeks I’ve had Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights on a loop in my head: ‘Heathcliff, it’s me, Cathy, I’ve come home!’
I have about five or six chapters left…so if any of my current thoughts are about to be dramatically changed – don’t tell me just yet!
Favourite Character
My favourite character is young Catherine Linton, daughter of Edgar Linton and Catherine Earnshaw. I like her fearlessness; I like how she does what she wants to do, rather than what her father tells her to; I like how she does it all with a sweet smile whilst genuinely caring about not getting into trouble; finally, I like how she breaks the rules for the wellbeing of others, not just for the sake of it. In a book full of dark and dismal characters, plagued with revenge, she’s the light and the good, with a bit of mischief and playfulness thrown in.I also have a soft spot for Hareton Earnshaw. Whilst Heathcliff turns the innocent little boy into a brute with few brain cells, I have a longing for who his character could have been if left under Nelly’s care. I feel he could have been the romantic, intelligent heroine that I expected Heathcliff to be…only to be bitterly disappointed by his vengeful ways.
Key Scene
My favourite scene (so far) is when Heathcliff returns as a strong, successful, rich man. I like the intrigue of what happened in the three years he was away to mark the change which we never really find out. I’m a fan of a transformation, and whilst his exterior changed for the better and his intelligence grew, he used the change to enable him to enact his revenge on Edgar Linton, which ultimately sent the love of his life mad and killed her. A lesson in using your intelligence for good not for evil, perhaps?Conclusion
This literary classic isn’t what I expected, but is definitely a book I will come back to again and again. The narrative is written cleverly, the old servant telling the story from her perspective, do we ever really hear the truth? Probably not, but it’s intriguing all the same.Their Read
I’m going on a journey with my four year old this year. She started school in September and has been learning how to read, so a lot of our reading time is spent with her reading to me now, although I do still like to read her a bedtime story. It’s a wonderful thing to see her comprehending each word and its’ meaning; to see her looking at the pictures to contextualise the words; to see her beginning to understand phonics and the numerous different sounds certain letters can make.This week she has been repeatedly enjoying a book we picked up at the local library, ‘The Wish Fish’. It’s a short level 2 read aloud story about Ozzie the Otter who catches a ‘Wish Fish’. It revolves around the ‘sh’ sound, but also includes harder words including ‘caught’, ‘friend’ and ‘mind’. Words that sound different to how they are spelled.
My one year old is really getting into books now, which I love. Instead of bringing me one or two books at bedtime, I get a pile of books and have to prise him away from the bookshelf to start reading them to him!
His book of the moment is ‘Peep Inside the Farm’ by Anna Milbourne. It has lots of flaps on each page for him to lift and find what’s underneath. It covers animals, plants, tractors, and the farm shop. It’s quite a learning experience for the little fella! His favourite page is the last page which show the farm shop, it opens up and you can see all the produce which is grown on the farm and then sold in the shop. He especially likes the man behind the counter who looks just like his Daddy.
Other books in this range include ‘Peep Inside the Zoo’, ‘Peep Inside the Garden’ and ‘Peep Inside the Castle’. All of which are equally great to read to the little ones with plenty of flaps to keep little hands busy and interested.
To Read
My recommended read of the week is ‘The Paying Guests’ by Sarah Waters. Set in 1920’s London, this book could almost be three separate books. There is plot twist after plot twist, each one as unexpected as the last, and it always keeps you guessing.
It follows the life of Frances who, after losing her brothers in the war and her father from a heart attack not long after, has to find lodgers so that her and her mother can afford to stay in their large home. In comes Mr and Mrs Barber, a young couple who move into the first floor of Frances’ home. At first they are just a means to an end, an income to pay Frances and her mothers’ ever increasing debt. However, the daily routines of the house are shaken up in ways you would never expect, and all manner of devastating and shocking events occur.
This is a compelling story of mistakes and big decisions, with unsurmountable tension thrown in for effect. Frances isn’t always the most relatable character, and the ending isn’t the best ending I’ve ever read, but you can’t help but be drawn into the bones of the book. Definitely worth the awards it received in 2014.
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