August 2017 Favourite Books

August's favourites are a little late this month. I had a week off to celebrate my birthday (30, how am I so old?), and I meant to be organised and schedule posts but never got round to it. I'm now rushing to hurry up.
This month's favourite books post is a steady balance of classics and new releases, with horror, humor and suspense all included.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

I have finally finished listening to Middlemarch with Audible and I am so relieved. Not that I didn't like it, but just because it was so long and a real slog to get through. Actually, there were some elements to the classic that I didn't enjoy, I felt a lot of the romance was dragged out unnecessarily, sort of like a soap opera, and all the misunderstandings and missed chances got a little trying.
Having said that, Middlemarch is such a wonderfully written book,  the characters are really alive and Eliot's ability to capture every little foible is brilliant. She captures not just individuals but society and, even now, I could relate to the small town atmosphere. I will write a longer review of this classic when I have time.

The Burning Girl by Claire Messud

From a classic to a new release, The Burning Girl was slow going but a strangely beautiful look at teenage female friendships and what it means to become a woman. Not in a Cosmo magazine sort of way but as in what it's like in society to grow up from a young girl and realise the reality for women. It was a little slow going and I thought the ending a bit rushed but it was well written. Read my full review here.

The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates

I used to love the television programme The Darling Buds of May with David Jason and Catherine Zeta Jones and it has been back on television recently. This prompted me to read the book as I realised I'd never actually read this short and sweet country classic. It focuses on the Larkin family who take taxman Cedric Charlton into their home and change his life with their laid-back, not always legal, lifestyle.
I sort of wish I hadn't seen the TV show first as it sticks so closely to the book (not something I'm complaining of) that I knew exactly what was going to happen and I couldn't picture the characters fresh; Pop was David Jason. However, it's a lovely read and is generally fun, cheeky, optimistic and satirical without being harsh. It was a lovely change from my usual murder and mayhem and I'm waiting on the next book from the library.

Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

You can read my full review of this book here. Best Day Ever is a thriller told from the point of view of Paul Strom, a seemingly perfect husband and father with a sinister plan for the special day he's planned for his wife. A little predictable in parts, Best Day Ever is still a rather engrossing read as you are dragged into the deranged mind of Strom. It's not on the level of American Psycho as some have suggested, but the book is fun (probably not the right word but that's what I felt when reading it) and quick to read.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is my second reading of Shirley Jackson's classic and, I think, almost perfect haunted house story. It was a comforting feeling returning with Eleanor as she discovers Hill House and, together with a motley crew, prepares to discover the ghostly inhabitants. Jackson is just such a wonderful writer and manages to make this not just unsettling and scary, but also funny. The characters are well rounded and their interactions are well captured by Jackson, just as much as the ghostly echoes and thumps in the night.
The Haunting of Hill House is a masterclass in suspense and I think shows up a lot of modern horror writers who go straight in for the cheap scares. The state of the house and Eleanor's mind are unravelled with slow intensity. This gets better with each reading.

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