I’ve been a once a week blogger lately, with distractions such as trying to find a flatmate who’s not a crazy psycho (only room for one in this house – me); winter finally get the best of me with a good old fashioned almost flu but not flu enough to take time off work; and other stuff that I’m sure seemed important at the time.

So instead of my usual few books there are 7, good news is that I am up to date with my book challenge over on Goodreads (read 30 books this year which doesn’t seem like much but was a goal that seemed feasible at the time). There’s a few good’uns for you to chuck on your “to read” list!

**Disclaimer: All the books with wee little * beside them were gifted to me by Hachette NZ, an awesome publishing company who ask nothing in return. Some of the books they send turn out to be my favourites ever, and others fall a bit flat (some I don’t even read), but the fact that they are gifted in no way affect my opinions. Anyway, on to the good stuff!

Day Shift by Charlaine Harris*
Okay full disclosure, I read this without at any point realizing that I was reading the second book in a series. So when I critique it for being a little hard to keep up with, with characters that didn’t seem to have great introductions and a story that felt lacking in set up I say it knowing full well that those things are all my fault. Overall it was an enjoyable read despite me being an idiot, Charlaine Harris does a good job in the fantasy-mystery genre, and its pretty light reading which is always nice for a change. 3 Stars (but it may well deserve more).
Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry*
This is one that you should put on your reading list now. I did a full review over here (cause it was that good) but long story short its a fantastic novel set in 1920s New York with a cast of memorable characters and a trail of different story lines that all tie in together. Wasn’t expecting to love this one but love it I did (and you may well too). 5 stars
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I’ve been loving the Outlander series over on Lightbox (and it’s not just those Scottish accents) and so when Edd got me the first novel to read for my birthday I wasn’t expecting to take 4 months to finish it. I’m generally quite a speedy ready (which is a surprisingly useless skill most of the time) but something about this book made it a little hard to get through. Nonetheless it was an enjoyable read, a little odd in places but great in others. I dunno, a little undecided to be honest and not sure yet whether I can commit to the rest of them. 3 stars
Resistance is Futile by Jenny T Colgan*
As the book itself proclaimed: Independence day meets Bridget Jones’ Diary…not what I would normally pick up for myself I must admit. This alienesque/maths nerd (and I say that lovingly) take on a rom-com read was actually pretty fun and easy to get through. I gave it only 3 stars because it just wasn’t my kind of book but it was enjoyable, and light-hearted although strange in places with a few funny characters and one of the weirdest “sex” scenes I think I’ve ever read. 3 stars.
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson*
Best book of 2015 is already awarded to this Sci-fi novel by the author of the Mars series (which I am DESPERATE to read). Seriously this book was A++++, would read again. I rambled on about it a little while ago but long story short it’s amazing. The easiest 5 stars I have ever assigned to anything ever.
The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lipton*
Another great read that I was sent which is one I never would have selected! This novel was a psychological thriller/family drama set in the spookiest setting of Alaska where a Mother and her deaf daughter, Ruby, go in search of her Father who has gone missing. This was such an incredibly tense read, and a quick one too as I couldn’t wait long to find out what happened. Ruby was an incredibly likeable character, and the writing was done in the perfect way to keep you on the edge of your seat. 4 stars.
Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas by Tom Robins
Dad told me that he would refuse to take on any of my book recommendations until I read something by one of his favourite authors, Tom Robins (not the same as Tony Robbins so don’t get them confused). I I grabbed this one from his shelf and gave it a shot and it was … okay?? Tom Robins has an incredibly humorous way of writing and is far wittier than I could ever dream to be, so 5 stars for that. The reasons I didn’t really enjoy this that much were as follows: the setting was a stock market crash in the US which holds zero interest to me; it was centred around a character who I kind of ended up hating; and it was written in second person (you did this, you said that etc) which whilst genius and incredibly unique was a little weird and off-putting at times. I will happily read another one by him but maybe choose a little more carefully. 3 stars (sorry dad, I promise I tried).

So there you go, some great (some incredibly great) and some not so great. What have you read lately?

I have put off writing the review for Aurora, almost entirely because when I love a book this much it’s so intimidatingly difficult to think about how to put it all into words. I’ll try anyway.

I haven’t read a sci-fi novel in such a long time, and yet they were some of the first books I was exposed to thanks to my dad being a bit of a fan himself. Aurora reminded me of how amazing a good sci-fi can be, in a unique way that I never really experience in other genres.

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson

Summary: This epic novel takes place in space, upon a generational ship on its way to find new, habitable places for humans to colonise. We join this group of 2000 voyagers (who have been born on the ship) as they near their destination in the Tau Ceti solar system, where their hundreds of years of travel and existence on a flying biome will come to its end, hopefully, with settlement on Aurora.

My Thoughts: There is an undefinable romance when it comes to the mystery of Space. The idea of travelling beyond Earth and exploring other solar systems is equally terrifying and exhilarating, and Aurora does such a spectacular job of capturing this in a novel that somehow effortlessly creates a cinematic experience of trying to find a home beyond Earth. Our narrator is the space ship itself, which is such a cleverly executed method of telling this story, and the way that this adventure unfolds was so utterly compelling that I could barely tear myself away.

People have ideas. They live in their ideas, do you understand? And those ideas, whatever they happen to be, make all the difference. – Badim, Aurora

The relationships in the book are also impressive in their thoughtfulness, from the mother-daughter/father-daughter dynamics of our main characters to the group behaviours that unfolded. The characters were interesting, and yet believable which is important in such a huge setting, and a plot that revolved around some complex notions like ecology and politics. Everything in this book was done so perfectly, from the way the events unfolded, to the use of language and our endearing narrator, to the cinematic imagery that was being conjured in my brain with every sentence I read. It was so impressive that I had several of those nights where sleep became a forgotten necessity and all I thought about was how on Earth this could come to an end.

What I liked: I loved the whole experience, and there isn’t often a book where I get so emotionally invested. I think it was a true sign of KSR’s talent that despite Aurora taking place over such a long time period, and involving so many events and characters, it still felt immediate, and real, and personal. There was enough science and explanation that I felt like I learnt something, and yet not too much as to remove any of the drama of the story itself. I was so emotionally invested in the outcomes of this ship and its inhabitants that in some way it was a relief to have it end and be able to breathe again. The thing I liked most about the book was the narrator and the ingenious ways in which it developed throughout the story. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before being used in a novel, but it worked so incredibly well.

What I didn’t like: The ending something that I can see others potentially not loving, I however thought it was perfect, and linked back to the beginning so ingeniously.

Worth a read: For anyone with an interest in sci fi/ecology/artificial intelligence/sociology, I would say yes. For anyone who is happy to go sleep-deprived, and come across as a little crazy when people happen to ask what you are reading, yes.

Rating: 5 stars, all of the stars.

*ps. Aurora was provided for me to read, with no obligation to review, and I couldn’t be more elated that I was given the chance to get back into such a fascinating genre with such a beautiful book. All opinions are my own.

**pps. If you want an awesome song to go along with this review there’s is Sea of Voices which felt strangely appropriate.

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