Weekender Books - November 2018

Weekender Books - November 2018

Sometimes I come across books that are so enthralling that I can't help but devour them in one weekend (even on busy weekends). Because these books are funny, witty or simply magical, I want to give them a special space (other than my fabulous new library!) Besides, they are 

MOOD books 

and come with a recommendation!

Here is first instalments of books that I have read in the past few months and which deserve to be included in this special list:

Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Finch by Penny Matthews

Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight by Nick Earls and Rebecca Sparrow

Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais (Pushkin Press, 2017)

Funny,  so funny and witty - dealing with serious issues such as body image, bullying, as well as war and post-traumatic stress disorder in a very easy going way, keeping the integrity of these themes and making them even more 'real' that way. Comedic optimism, feisty girl power and bicycles - what more do you need to take on the world of haters!

😂😂😂😂😂 
Recommendation: Read when in serious need of a dose of I-can-not-take-on-this-cruel-world-right-now-but-have-to. Uplifting.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, 2009)

I didn't get into the movie at first and had to watch it a second time to see the postmodern take on a dystopian society that is not that dystopian at all but is reminiscent of the spectacle of Roman Colosseum, appeasing the masses - Roman citizens only, not their slaves or their subjects in the colonies. I liked the film well enough to read the book afterwards (not the usual order for me). The book                                              didn't disappoint.

😎😎😎😎😎 Recommendation: Read when depleted of any will-to-action-anything-at all (not only for when you are supposed to edit your WIP!). Great motivation booster - do or die!

Finch by Penny Matthews (Walker Books, 2018)

What a gentle, 'quiet' book about unusual and perhaps too often considered as unlikely friendships. I sooooo can relate to the role nature plays in this beautifully told story about a girl who doesn't fit in! On her exploration into the woods, she not only finds a friend, but herself.



😌😌😌😌😌 Recommendation: When the no-one-gets-me-because-I-see-ghosts mood hits and the world around you spins too fast. Soothing. 

Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight 

by Nick Earls and Rebecca Sparrow (Penguin Books, 2007)

Clever concept of online/ off-line interactions that determine the way the two protagonists - you guessed it - Joel and Cat, perceive each other and feed of each other. Great use of inner and outer voice in this 'tandem' story.

😉😏😏😏😆 Recommendation: Feeling nostalgic? Want to revisit your high-school-years-angst-anger-anguish and douse it with words? This is the book for you.