I`m back – What have I been reading? (part 1, recommendations)

I have neglected steemit for a while, partly due to a stressful but still wonderful summer school, and partly just because I wasn´t really motivated to write anything.
But now I´m back, hopefully for a while, and I want to give you a small overview about some books I´ve read in this time. This post will be about great books I think more people should be reading, while the next ones will cover some disappointments.

These are some of my highlights of the last 4 months, I hope you will find something you`ll enjoy as well or have already enjoyed.

Watership Down – Richard Adams

You may have heard of this one, but if you did I´m pretty sure that you did because the movie adaptation traumatized some children at its time and not necessarily because this is a good book. It is absolutely worth some attention on its own, however.

When Fiver, a bunny that has made accurate predictions in the past, prophesizes about the whole valley being destroyed and every-bunny dying, he tries to get as many of the others out of there to find a new, save place somewhere else.

I thought this would be a light read, an adventure of little bunnies in the wild, which one could read when not in the mood for anything else. Surprisingly, this really intrigued be: I loved the characters, it was exiting the whole way through and the plot felt just big and epic, like a Lord of the Rings style epic fantasy.

There was not just „we find a new home and then everything’s fine“, there was absolutely more going on. The group of bunnies has their own religion, culture and tales to tell, which makes for a fascinating world building, even though it´s set in a world we all know. They grow as a community, by becoming closer to each other and finding new ways of organizing life. And best of all: every main character gets the chance to prove himself. In the end you feel like you know them and route for them in everything they do. I felt strongly attached to this group at the end, which, to this extend, happens rarely.

Soulless – Gail Carriger

I´m actually not a huge fan of romantasy and chick lit in general but I heard so many good things about this I finally gave it a try. It has a lot of the same ”issues“ most other books of these genres are known for, the thing is: I didn´t care a bit while reading it. Being funny, imaginative, full of subgenres and just an enjoyable easy read, Soulless isn´t a book I would read again any time soon but something I´m still glad I´ve given a chance.

Being set in an alternative Victorian London, where supernatural beings like werewolves and vampires are nothing special and integrated into society, it tells the story of a spinster with more self-esteem issues than necessary who accidentally kills a vampire that attacked her with her parasol. This event entangles her into the problems of the paranormal societies and brings her closer to a guy she tells herself she hates.

It´s silly and includes a little mystery and a lot of romance and attraction. It doesn’t take itself too serious so if you think about reading this, you shouldn’t either. Fans of this series (yes, it`s the first book in a series) adore the characters and I could easily see why. For some nice and easy fun with a touch of Victorian style writing and manners, this was better than I expected. There is also an illustrated version of this, so maybe you want to check that out.

Carrie´s War – Nina Bawden

That`s not a pretty cover but don´t let that throw you off, the book itself is much better. Having seen some quotes from Nina Bawden here on steemit I became interested in this authors works, Carrie´s war being the most interesting sounding of them.

Despite that this is a children’s book it appeals to adults as well, and maybe even more.
It is about children that have to leave their homes to be save fromwar, how they experience their new surroundings and are influenced by the grown-ups that take care of them now. From Carries perspective we get to see topics that concern children but also things adults can comprehend in a critical way.

The big setup of Carrie having done something terrible didn´t pay off form e at the end but otherwise this was great historical fiction telling us about a part of war that is not that often talked about (at least where I come from), with believable relationships between the characters and an enjoyable writing style.

Have you read any of these books?

Tell me your opinion on them in the comments :)

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more reviews availible on my goodreads account