Monthly Book Review (June): The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

One of my new year's resolutions was to read at least one book per month. So far, I have kept to this plan (probably the only new years' resolution I have ever succeeded in), despite being one book behind. Although I haven't kept you up-to-date on my books, I thought it would be a good idea to start a new series on my blog where I voice my opinion on the book I have read each month. I would love it if you could recommend any books for me to read and also let me know your opinions of the book I have read.

As I have said previously, I am behind on my books and have only just finished reading my book for the month of June. The reason for being behind is due to schoolwork, revision and exams, but now that those horrible things are over with, I have been trying to read my books as much as possible.

I thought I would split up my book reviews into sections, so it is a bit more organised and easier to read.

So, the book I read for the month of June was the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (a very long title!).

Source: http://sweatpantsandcoffee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/curious-incident-small.jpg 

What is the book about? (Copied from the blurb) - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down. 

Opinion? - I thought this novel was okay. I had heard a lot of talk about this book as it had been made into a stage production recently. Therefore, this made me want to read the book to see what the hype was about and also to find out who killed Wellington (the dog). The book is quite difficult to read, not in the sense that the words or language is hard but as Christopher (the narrator) suffers from Asperger's, the novel is written in long, complex sentences, meaning there are not many pauses or breaks. I thought the book was aimed at children between the ages of 10+ due to the front cover, the diagrams which are used and also the language, but as I got further and further into the book, I was mistaken. I definitely think that this is a much older book as it does have quite a few swear words in the book, which I was quite surprised at given the cover. 

Positives?- The book is well-written and is very authentic. It has a mixture of humour, sadness and mystery. I liked the diagrams which were included throughout the book as it is quite unusual for me to read a book which does have drawings in as this broke up the novel. The pictures also tied in well with the novel. 

Negatives? - The novel is quite hard to read and can get a little bit tedious due to the way it is written, but I guess that it all part of the book. I also thought that the book did get quite slow in the middle but did get a little bit better towards the end. 

Would I recommend it? - Yes, I think it is a good book overall, but not my favourite. I think it is a little bit young for me but overall, it is really well-written and very authentic. 

Would I read it again? - Probably not, but I would like to see it on stage, just to see how they put the production together and if they keep true to the book. 

Price? - £6.99

Rating? - 3 and a half/5

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know your opinions of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and whether you have seen it on stage. 

My next book is The Duff, so I will see you next month for my review.