A Journal of Impossible Things

I'm going to try and keep my HE diary updated! I had an old one, but never updated it. But with this one, I shall try!




I'll start by posting some of my most recent LJ entries.

Recommended Reading

I’m an avid reader, so I thought I’d do a list of books I’ve read over the past year or so.

I’ve never been very good at writing short pieces about books that tell you enough to get you interested, so apologies for my attempts :D

(By the way, I’m not mentioning Harry Potter here. Cos, well, I don’t really need to recommend HP – everyone loves them :D)

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

I’m sure a lot of you have read this series, but if not: what are you waiting for? There are currently three books in the series, Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, with a fourth - Breaking Dawn, due out around autumn this year.

The series focuses on the character of Bella Swan, and her relationship with Edward Cullen: a vampire. If you’re put off by the thought of a vampire romance, don’t be, because these books are really very good. I don’t know of a single person who’s read them and disliked them, so that must say something!

Highly recommended.

The Gemma Doyle Series by Libba Bray

This trilogy has a lot of fans, but I’m not sure if it’s widely known. It tells the story of Gemma Doyle, a seventeen-year-old Victorian, who discovers that she has magical powers beyond her imagination.

The setting is mainly a boarding school named Spence, but we venture into Victorian London and all it’s shadows. These books have a little of everything: romance, mystery, adventure and intrigue, all wrapped up in great writing and characters.

This is a series I would also highly recommend – A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing.

The Georgia Nicolson Series by Louise Rennison

Re-reading the Georgia books is like reuniting with an old friend. They’re hilariously funny, absolutely barking mad and very, very good.

It’s quite a long series – so far there are seven books, and I don’t think the series is over yet.

In reading order:

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
It’s OK, I’m Wearing Really Big Knickers
Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas
Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants
…And That’s When It Fell Off In My Hand
…Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers
…Startled By His Furry Shorts
Luurve Is A Many Trousered Thing

Perhaps you can get the tone of the books from some of the titles! Seriously, don’t be put off by the fact that these books are marketed towards teenagers. I read the first one (and got it signed, squee!) when I was fourteen, but I’ve been a loyal reader of the series ever since.

These books are different from other teenage-diary books because Georgia and her friends are absolutely crackers. Barmy.

If you want a good laugh (though be careful not to read these in a public place – I did on the bus once and got a few funny looks when I couldn’t hold the giggles in) read this series!

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

This book has been a favourite of mine for a long time, but I always seem to forget it when I’m recommending books to others. Not this time!

Noughts and Crosses is a book about interracial relationships, but in a world where societies conventions are turned on their head. In the world Noughts and Crosses is set, there are two types of people: Noughts (white people) and Crosses (black people). The Crosses are the ruling class, with the highest paid jobs and best houses. The Noughts are the under class, and are treated with contempt and very little respect by the Crosses.

We come into this world from the points of view of Sephy – a Cross, and Callum – a Nought. Their friendship is already ridiculed by their classmates, and a blossoming romance becomes something forbidden and to be kept a secret.

A series of catastrophic events tests their love and results in a truly devastating finale.

Definitely read this book – but have a box of tissues at the ready!

There are three sequels – Knife Edge, An Eye For An Eye (very short – a World Book Day special), and Checkmate. Whilst all the books are worth reading, for a continuation of the characters lives, I think Noughts and Crosses is the best and perhaps works better as a stand-alone novel.

Uglies, Pretties and Specials by Scott Westerfeld

This series is set far into the future, where it is the norm to go off for an operation once you reach sixteen to be turned into a “Pretty” – a person with no physical imperfections.

This is a world of hover boards and zany slang, where being an “Ugly” means you can be reviled and ridiculed.

The story of Uglies is told from the point of view of Tally Youngblood, a fifteen-year-old who is yet to have the operation to turn her into a Pretty. Her best friend, Shay, is having doubts about the operation, and runs away to the Smoke, what is left of the “Rusty” civilisation – which I take to mean the remains of our world.

Tally must decide whether to follow her friend and deny herself the chance of ever being ‘Pretty’ or whether to follow the conventions she’s been taught about all her life.

This is a very edgy trilogy (well, he’s actually released a new book called Extras, which I’ve read but don’t think is as good as the first three), which I would recommend!