Monthly Book Review (July): The Duff

This blog post has been long overdue (as per usual), but I have finally got around to writing it up. August has been a very busy month for me as I went away with my friends for a couple of days and then I flew to Turkey for 10 days with my family, which was so much fun and very hot. I have got quite the tan which I am very proud of, especially as the weather in the UK is non-stop rain!

Anyway, I finished my monthly book of the The Duff a while ago now and have even finished two more books, so I am quite behind with these blog posts, but don't worry I will get up to date soon. I really needed to finish The Duff quite quickly as I borrowed it from one of my friends and I wanted to return it to her ASAP. Therefore, I probably finished this book in about two weeks or maybe a little bit less.

Source: http://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/the-duff-2015/large_duff.jpg

What is the book about? (Copied from the blurb) - Seventeen-year old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of a man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush, who calls Bianca The Duff - the designated ugly fat friend - of her crew. But things aren't so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a secret enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly wrong. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realises with absolute horror that she is falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone. 

Opinion? - I thought this book was really good. I was recommended this book by a friend and we were discussing the movie together and she explained that the book was nothing like the movie. I have to agree, as the book and movie are completely different. I had seen the film before reading the book and really enjoyed both. It was nice to read something that was different from the film and wasn't an exact replica of the movie. The characters are essentially the same but the plot is completely different, for example, Bianca has a friends-with-benefits scenario with Wesley as opposed to him helping her become less of a Duff. 

Positives?- The book was well-written and easy to read and I grasped the plot pretty quickly. I read this book in less than a week as I just could not put it down, despite knowing exactly what would happen. I liked the fact that the movie and book were different as it told a different side to the story and also dealt with more pressing themes such as alcoholism, divorce and friendships. 

Negatives? - It was a little bit repetitive in places and as I have said before, it was predictable. If you don't like books that are romantic or have predictable endings, then you probably should not read this book, maybe watch the film instead. 

Would I recommend it? - Yes, I think it is a good book overall. I think that if you enjoyed the movie as much as me, then maybe give the book a go to see a different side to the story. 

Would I read it again? - Probably not, as it isn't the sort of book to re-read. I would definitely watch the movie another thousand times though! 

Price? - £5.99

Rating? - 3 and a half/5

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. Let me know your opinions of The Duff and whether you have seen the movie as well. 

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

Sorry for being behind of my blog posts. I don't really have an excuse for being late but I will try and get more content out. I will keep doing these blog posts as I enjoy writing them. I have read three more books since reading The Duff so I am ahead of myself but behind in writing these blog posts, so instead of writing the review next month, I will try and get it out sooner. As soon as I am up to date, the posts will go back to a normal monthly basis. 

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.