YA REVIEW: 'This is Not a Love Story' - Keren David (Atom, 2015)

Kitty dreams of a beautiful life, but that's impossible in suburban London where her family is haunted by her father's unexpected death. So when her mum suggests moving to Amsterdam to try a new life, Kitty doesn't take much persuading. Will this be her opportunity to make her life picture perfect? In Amsterdam she meets moody, unpredictable Ethan, and clever, troubled Theo. Two enigmatic boys, who each harbour their own secrets. In a beautiful city and far from home, Kitty finds herself falling in love for the first time. But will love be everything she expected? And will anyone's heart survive? (Synopsis from Goodreads)

It's no secret that I love Keren David's books (see here and here) - I don't think there's any other author that nails the British teenage experience quite like she does. Although I've haven't reviewed it here, her previous book Salvage manages to balance realistic characters, engaging plot and heart-rending issues, something that I imagine is far trickier than it looks. I hate describing reads as 'issue' books, because it somehow feels like a disparaging comment rather than a compliment, with an automatic assumption that for a book to deal with tough or diverse issues, it has to sacrifice something in terms of plot or character. Ok, this has been true of some books but as This is Not a Love Story shows, just as Salvage did, it's more than possible to write about issues without sacrificing anything at all.

This where the similarities with Salvage end, however. Whereas that previous book put me through the emotional ringer by confronting some of the darker parts of society, This is Not a Love Story beams positivity and is one of the most refreshing books I've read in a long time. In fact, I can't think of anything it really falls into the same bracket as at all. Kitty's optimistic outlook on life is infectious and seeps through every page. I adored Kitty, but then I adored Theo and Ethan too - can't actually choose between them and wouldn't want to! This is the most realistic depiction of modern teens I've read in a long time - they're funny, emotional, they don't always have all the answers and they make mistakes, but then they move on. Their small expat community reminded me a lot of my gap year interactions many moons ago - you arrive in a new place, you fall in with a group and you get along with people no matter what your differences.

This is the first YA book I've read about Judaism and I loved the way it was presented as both a uniting force and common ground between Kitty and Theo, but also showed how religion isn't one dimensional - their upbringings had more differences than they did similarities and this connection wasn't the be all and end for them. Also, a shout out to the structure of the story - the added element of mystery ensured this a proper, bonefide page turner.

So whereas This is Not a Love Story isn't a love story (or is it?...), this review definitely is - a love story between woman and book (imagine a heart emoji right here - I don't how to do one on my desktop, sorry).

Past on Paper: 1970s YA REVIEW - 'Koh Tabu', Ann Kelley (Oxford University Press, 2010)

Fourteen-year-old Bonnie MacDonald couldn't be more excited for a camping trip on an island off the coast of Thailand with her fellow Amelia Earhart Cadets-the daughters of the men and women stationed there during the Vietnam War. But when a strong current deposits the girls on what their boatman calls the "forbidden island," things take a turn for the worse. What once seemed like a vacation in paradise has become a battle against the elements (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Gosh, this is a tricky one to review. But I shall try. You know that problem I was pondering in my last Past on Paper review? The one about whether to judge these books on how well they use their historical context? (I may have put it in a slightly more rambling, less coherent way). Well, this could perhaps be used as an example of not using your historical context to the best effect. Gah, I so wanted to love this one, because it sounded fantastic - a group of girls marooned on a far-flung Thai island in 1974. Doesn't it sound fantastic? 

Back to that old historical context thing. One of the many things that interested me about this was the time period, but if I hadn't known it was set in the 1970s, I'm not sure I would have been able to pin it down. Ok, so yes, it was set on a baron desert island, and they're not famous for their availability of cultural references, but there was very little in the voices or actions of some of the characters that felt like it they might stem from this time period specifically - more of just a general nod to the past. And I would have loved some more references to the historical events of the time too - how the war was impacting on them in particular - there were a few hints of family dramas, but this was very much a story about their current, more immediate crisis.

I think that might have been the problem, in that I was expecting so much and it just felt liked it lagged in a few areas. The story of adolescents stranded on a desert island isn't necessarily a new one, but the mention of it still promises so much drama and tension. Unfortunately, I didn't really get too much of this here. There are incredibly dramatic and sometimes tragic incidents, but I just wanted more emotion and build up. They seemed to just...happen. I've read a few books recently that have used a diary format to tell a story and I'm starting to think that this might be my problem - a lot of the immediacy of the events has been sacrificed to keep this method authentic and I don't think it really works for me as a reader.

That said, there are still some very surprising, unusual and memorable developments, including one rather beautiful, evocative encounter with a stranger, and Bonnie is an engaging guide who is fully aware of her own shortcomings as well as those of her companions. 

In some ways, this is a brilliant, original idea for a YA and the sheer nature of the girls' predicament kept me turning the pages until the end. But this didn't really work for me as a historical novel, or a particularly thrilling one.

TRAVELLING TALES MONTH...SIGNING OFF... FOR NOW

Well, we're at the departure lounge, we've visited the duty free and the flight's now boarding. Time to put all the holiday pics on Facebook (ditching the more unflattering ones, of course), check out the tan line and hope our lift is their at the other end to pick us up from the airport...

So, lessons I have learned after completing my first theme month -

1) Don't schedule a theme month during school holidays if you have kids. School holidays = no working during the day = all work to be done in evening = less time for blog posts.

2) Umm, well that's about it, really...

Actually, I have really enjoyed this month, but as organisation is not my strong point, there is obviously stuff I was forced to leave out. (That makes it sound like I have draft posts just sitting on Blogger, destined never to see the light of day. What you and I really know is that I never actually got around to writing the bloody things in the first place).

I really loved writing my 'Let's Go...' posts and wished I could have done more. So many of my favourite destinations still left to be explored in the literary sense...Rome, Cambodia (not sure exactly how many Cambodian-set novels there are, but...) and last, but definitely not least, good old London Town.

I know it's a bit of a cop-out wanting to write about my home town, but this city is a dream destination for many a traveller and there is no shortage of London-masterpieces to peruse and weep over.

I now a section I've decided to call...

Books I Wanted to Read for Travelling Tales Month But Didn't Quite Get Around To It. But Will Do In The Future. At Some Point.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

I was desperate to find a South/Central America set YA book, but stumbled across this one a little too late. Which is such a shame, because when I read the synopsis, I fell a little bit in love with it.






On The Road by Jack Kerouac

Quite a topical one, with the film adaption coming out soon. And how could I not have read one of the most essential travel reads, um, ever? I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that question. *hangs head in shame*







Dark Star Safari:: Overland Form Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux

I've never read any Paul Theroux *ashamed face* *again* and I also had a bit Africa shaped-hole in my theme month. This book should have filled that hole. It looks FASCINATING.






The Journey is the Destination by Dan Eldon

This is a collection of the journals of murdered photo-journalist, Dan Eldon. One of my friends owns a copy that I first read years ago at university and it has been burnt on my memory ever since. I have always meant to buy a hardback edition but never quite got around to it. This month seemed like the perfect opportunity, but, alas, funds did not permit :(
BUT I will definitely be buying and reviewing it in the near future. A beautiful, inspiring book.

MY PICK OF THE MONTH

Oooo, toughie.
Umm, aahh, weeelllll...RIGHT. DECISION MADE.

My travel pick of the month is.....*drum roll*

Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd.

I don't think I can say anymore about how much I loved this, so you'll just have to read my review.

Well, that's Travelling Tales Month over for this year. Let's not mention about how this 'month' has gone over just a little bit. So, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. As much fun as it's been reading about travel, it's so just as much more fun doing the actual travelling. I hope I get the opportunity to do it again soon.

TRAVEL MONTH REVIEW - 'Solace of the Road', Siobhan Dowd (David Fickling Books, 2010)

Memories of mum are the only thing that make Holly Hogan happy. She hates her foster family with their too-nice ways and their false sympathy. And she hates her life, her stupid school, and the way everyone is always on at her. Then she finds the wig, and everything changes. Wearing the long, flowing blond locks she feels transformed. She’s not Holly anymore, she’s Solace: the girl with the slinkster walk and the supersharp talk. She’s older, more confident—the kind of girl who can walk right out of her humdrum life, hitch to Ireland, and find her mum. The kind of girl who can face the world head-on. 

So begins a bittersweet and sometimes hilarious journey as Solace swaggers and Holly tiptoes across England and through memory, discovering her true self and unlocking the secrets of her past. (Synopsis from Goodreads)


Now, when I was researching possible books for my travel month (I say month, but I realise this month is over-running somewhat. Let's pretend no one else has noticed), I soon cottoned onto the fact that finding a comprehensive list of YA travel fiction was going to be a pretty tough task. But I do not give up easily, oh no. I managed to track down a list of road trip-themed YA on Goodreads (close enough), but was slightly disappointed to find most of these were set in the good old US of A. Not that I have a problem with US road trips. I adore them. I want to do one, one day...*stares off into distance* BUT, I have already covered that particular mini-genre this month with my review of Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. And jolly lovely it was too. Just before I was about to through in the towel, I stumbled across this title a bit further down the chart of road-trips.


Ever since I finished A Monster Calls, I have been very intrigued by Siobhan Dowd's books. They seem to encompass everything I love about contemporary YA - sad but beautiful, as the lovely Jo from Wear The Old Coat would say. Somehow, this one had managed to slip under my radar - a ROAD TRIP but set in my homeland! Perfect. Because we all know travel just doesn't mean frolicking to far flung corners. And their are plenty of folk reading this book who would consider a road (and boat) trip from London to Ireland a far-flung travel.


So where do I start with this. SO MANY, MANY FEELINGS

I won't go into details of Holly's painful childhood, but please don't let the trauma put you off reading this. Yes, there are bleak moments, but this is no way an 'issue based' YA book. I have nothing against YA that tackles the rough stuff. I'm sure many a teenager finds comfort and, well, solace from this type of YA fiction. But sometimes, the characters come second to the issues being tackled. 

What I loved so much about this was the fact the Holly Hogan is first and foremost a human being, a teenager, a personality rather than a problem to be laid bare.

The reader is given an access-all-areas pass into her thoughts and feelings. We are told nothing, but shown everything. 

Her words are rattling together like the ice-cubes in her see through drinks.

Her journey starts when she discovers a wig tucked at the bottom of a chest of drawers belonging to her foster mother. It triggers a reaction and an impulse to journey to Ireland in search of her estranged mother. Her voice is convincing and powerful throughout. Never once did I NOT believe this was a young teenage girl flitting from emotion to emotion. 

The supporting characters are equally well-written. We are given the measure of all of them in just a few lines - foster mother Fiona - 'She was the kind of person who dresses poorer than she is...'. See - bloody genius writing. All of it. My particular favourite was the country music-loving, vegan trucker Phil. Or as Holly says, 'God on the road'.

Why is it so much easier to write about the flaws that I find in a book rather than all the beautiful bits? That is why writing this review has been so difficult - because this book is perfect.

I was Solace the Unstoppable, the smooth-walking, sharp-talking glamour girl, and I was walking into a red sky, ready to hitch a ride. I was crossing the sea and landing in Ireland. The I was walking up a hill to meet my mam, breathing in the morning air by the pint. This is how I thought myself into the sweet, soft day on the other side of the sea where the grass is green. That night and every other night for weeks to come, I traced the road.

After reading that, I don't think I really need to tell you how astonishing the writing is. It makes it all the more sad when I remember that the author is no longer here to write more sad but beautiful words. 

TRAVEL TIPS?

It feels a bit flippant to write about bog-standard travel tips in the context of this book. Holly's journey is very much a metaphorical one, so much more so than any other travel fiction I've read in the last few weeks. So, in a break from the norm, I'm going to let Holly describe her own thoughts about MY turf, my little corner of west London - 

Shepherds Bush, I knew from my travels with Grace and Trim, was on the tube. It wouldn't be green and lush with sheep and shepherds, it would be roads and fumes. In my head, I was already standing at the start of the motorway and sticking out my thumb.

Roads and fumes, yes. But so much more. Remember, it's also the end of a motorway as well as the beginning of one. So I will end my last travel month review by saying that one of the best things about travelling is coming back home again.

TRAVEL MONTH REVIEW - 'The Beach', Alex Garland (Penguin 1997)

Richard, a seasoned traveller, is passed on details of a secret idyllic island community on his first night in Bangkok. This starts a quest for an apparent utopia tha has far reaching effects on his perceptions, friendships and psyche.

So I couldn't really do a travel month without reviewing the most famous title in travel ficiton in the last 15 years now, could I? Well, I could, but it would have been a travel month with a great big gaping Beach-shaped hole in it. I first read this book in about 1998 when I started university. I was THE book to read at the time. Everyone had either been on a gap year on was planning a jaunt to South-East Asia and if you hadn't read this then you would have a copy shoved under your nose at every opportunity. Since then it appears to have become a bit of a modern classic, with the author going on to script UK and Hollywood blockbusters.

Escape through travel works. Almost from the moment I boarded my flight, life in England became meaningless. Seat-belt signs lit up, problems switched off. Broke armrest took precedence over broken hearts. By the time the plane was airborne I'd forgotten England even existed.

My own memories of this are a little more vague and mixed, much of which has to do with a memory tainted by the truely dire film adaptation a few years after it's release. How can the director responsible for Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire produce such an awful adaptation? To be fair it's been a few years since I saw the whole thing, but it was on the telly a few months back and I got so annoyed with it that I switched off halfway through.

Anyway, I'm not here to talk about the film (but I will. A bit. You'll see why soon). Back to the book. I have to admit I wasn't particularly relishing the thought of reading this one again. My first impression when I found a copy on the library shelf - I DON'T REMEMBER IT BEING THAT LONG. That's never a good start to any book-reader relationship. I was expecting it, rather unfairly, to be rambling and slow-paced. Not sure why. On the plus side, I had genuinely forgotton the specifics of the ending. Which is a great thing when embarking on a re-read. This is why I am able to re-read Agatha Christie's on a constant loop and still being genuinely surprised when the perpetrator is revealed is the drawing room at the end. She did write A LOT of books, mind...



So, The Beach. Well  I am happy to say that it was a brilliant, gripping read. In a book where most of the action takes place on an island where not an awful lot of obvious goings-on are, well going on, the pace is taut and the story fascinating.

The masterstroke is Richard. Our narrator is, the put it bluntly, a complete arsehole. But the skill is the fact that he is engaging arsehole and you want to hear more from him all the time. He thinks things that we all suspect we may feel ourselves, deep down, but would never admit to.Wouldn't want to be stuck on a desert island with him, mind. He slow descent into a rather dubious psychological mindset is subtle and believable. And shockingly done. The dropping in of a blunt statement here and there reminds us that this man is teetering on the edge.

...But I was also buzzing. It looked like the problem with our uninvited guests was about to be solved, and if that wasn't enough, I was also going to find out what happened when the dope guards caught someone. Better than that I was actually going to see it.

THE ANTI-RICHARD

I think the reason that I loathed the film so much is that they tried to make the audience like Richard, and if not like, then sympathise with him, which completely misses the point of the whole thing, in my opinion. I mean, the Leonardo version gets the girl, for Christ's sake. Richard would NEVER get the girl.

All the the supporting characters are surprisingly developed, given there's quite a few of them. My only niggle was the female characters. Self-appointed leader Sal - the one character with such unconvincing dialogue - she's like a bad caricature of a cult leader - surely if someone's talks like this, you would be automatically suspicious of their motives? Also, Francoise, nothing against her, per se, it's just the key female characters here are all portrayed as arch-manipulators, which is a touch irritating and seems like the author seems to be ramming home a point. I love a well-written bad girl, but it's also good to have a bit of balance, I reckon.

Also, the ending. THAT ENDING. I don't think it will be particularly spoilery to say that they don't all exchange hugs and farewell presents, then disappear of to their respective homelands, with a future of exchanging witty emails and the like. The tension leading up to it was GLORIOUS. I really, honestly, could not remember the specifics of it and well, when it came I was like, really, REALLY?

No, but REALLY?????

It doesn't pull any punches, but felt like a massive cop out. I can't say anymore, sorry. Just read it and let me know what you reckon. Or let me know if you've had a ganders recently.

This book brings up so many questions that make my brain hurt. This is a good thing and I think everyone should read something like this every now and again. But avoid the film. Or you might end up writing off the book for like, 14 years or so and only reading it again when you feel like you have to for your travel month. And, well ,the rest is history.

TRAVEL TIPS?

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I could go on. Um, don't listen to mad-as-fuck Scottish nutters who pass you strange maps in dodgy Bangkok hostels before they top themselves? Don't share your island 'paradise' with a bunch of militant drug lords? Um, don't be naive enough to think you can claim paradise as your own because paradise bites back in a big way? And maybe phone home once in a while to stop yourself going crazy. Oh, and there's really nothing wrong with following the usual backpacker trail, It's actually quite fun. That's why lots of people have done it. Duh...

TRAVEL MONTH REVIEW - 'An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington', Karl Pilkington (Canongate Books, 2010)

Accompanying the successful TV show of the same title, in which Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their grumpy comedy sidekick and self-confessed miserable git, Karl Pilkington to visit the seven wonders of the world entirely for their own amusement (and ours). This is a record of his experiences and observations en route to 'enlightment'.

The whole crux of this book (and the telly programme, of course) is that this is a man who hates leaving his home comforts - lets put him in what he would consider the most unpleasant and uncomfortable situations and have a good chuckle. Which is ok, because Pilkington appears to be in on the joke most of the time. And this is a funny read. Funny, not laugh-out-loud hysterical, though. I was hoping for a few more giggles, if I'm honest.

However, there are some classic lines. My particular favourite -

He offered me a glass of nut juice. Of all the things to get juice out of, I can't think of anything less juicy. I was still getting my head round the fact that carrot juice existed, now nut juice.

Anybody reading this book who is unfamiliar with the TV series might not get too much out of it. Most of the comedy is mined from the delivery and it was only because I could picture him and hear him saying these things that I found them amusig. I checked out a couple of reviews on Good Reads from people clearly clueless about Karl Pilkington and the jist of their assessments is (and I'm generalising slightly/a lot here) 'what a miserable git' (they're correct, but that is the point) 'why is a trip like this being wasted on him?' (the comedic potential for larfs). And so on and so forth.

This is no ground-breaking travalogue. The structure is very samey. Karl goes to wonder. Karl notes down some observations. Karl has a bit of a moan (mainly about toilet-related matters), transcript of phone conversation between him and Ricky or Stephen (slightly scripted TV feel to them), Karl makes a few final observations. End of chapter.

The phone transcripts seem a little pointless. I get how they worked on screen, but, on paper they are over-long and a bit unfunny and appear to be levered in to increase the Gervais/Merchant content.

In terms of the travel aspects of it all, I enjoyed the Brazil and Petra chapters, particularly his exchanges with Brazilian guide Cesco (of nut juice-gate). On the whole, I would have like more observations on the whole travel side of it from Karl and a little less of the TV related stuff.

So, as a a companion piece to the TV series, this works a treat. As a stand alone travelogue, not so much. So, yeah, if you're a fan, read away, if you're not, this probably isn't going to persuade you otherwise.

TRAVEL TIPS?

I was particularly drawn to the Mexican obsession with death. There as something about embracing the dark side is a celebratory manner that drew me to this country. I've always wanted to explore south and central America and this didn't discourage me. However, this didn't offer anything particularly enlightening in terms of travel observations, just funny commentary about the usual (bowel movements, foreign eating habits and the like). But, I'm ok with that.

TRAVEL MONTH REVIEW - 'Amy and Roger's Epic Detour', Morgan Matson (Simon and Schuster, 2010)

With her family ripped apart by a tragic loss, Amy is instructed by her absent mother to drive their car across country from California to Connecticut, ready to leave behind all their memories and start afresh. But Amy doesn't do driving anymore, so a travel companion is foisted upon her, a long forgotten family friend and college sophmore, Roger. Both carrying baggage of the metaphorical kind, they decide to take a little detour from the itinerary and make a fair few discoveries about themselves in the process.


Two words that I associate with North America and travel - ROAD TRIP! Ok, three words - ROAD TRIP BABY! (the baby bit is very important). Apart from having a strong hankering for an indulgent long weekend in NYC, my main desire for travel in the US of A consists of hitting the open road, Thelma and Louise- stylee. So it was with great excitement that I picked this one up after it was recommended to me by several bookish folk.

Even on the interstate, there were green, rolling hills on either side of the car, for as far as the eye could see. It looked like pictures I'd seen of Ireland, but I had no idea that parts of my own country looked like this. It hit me once again just how big America was, and until now, how little of it I'd seen.

And I loved it. This was an engrossing one day read with the lot - romance, chemistry, tragedy, big old Southern mansions, topiary, bitchy beauty queen types and fast food. (god, the food! Why do we not have region-specific fast food chains in the UK? The only one I can think of is Greggs, but they're everywhere now anyway. And they're not really the same. Or do we have more? Am I missing something?). Like I said, THE LOT. It also has some wonderful little extra story-telling devices - handwritten notes for their travel journal, copies of room reservations, Roger's state-by-state playlists. And that boy has some impeccable taste in music. The only downside of this was that I was reading it on my Kindle and I really did need some reading glasses to the power of a million to decipher some of these notes. Maybe one to read on good-old fashioned paper, I reckon.

I was particularly impressed with the well-drawn out characters. Amy was great. Her awkwardness and matter-of-factness were brilliantly done. This could so easily have come across as annoying but she was very realistic and empathetic. We learn a lot less about Roger and I would maybe have liked a little more as he did come across as a bit bland on occasion. But this was really Amy's story, so that was I guess that was unavoidable for the most part.

It won't be a complete shock or particularly spoilery to mention that there is romance involved. The build up is EXCELLENT. Perfectly pitched with spine-tingling chemistry in buckets. My only criticism of this was that the pay-off was a little...'was that it?' MORE PLEASE.

My only other gripe was the use of flashbacks. Yes, they gave us a lot of information and were, in general, fairly short, but they did slow the pace right down. The writing was skillful enough in the present day chapters for this reader to get the required emotion and the impact Amy's past was having on her actions. Also, the foreshadowing could be a little heavy-handed on occasion. Lots of bits about 'letting go' felt about as subtle as day-glo pink sledgehammer.

Anyway, this was perfect YA in every other respect. Perfect travel YA, in fact, so perfect for me!

TRAVEL TIPS?

Despite the length, there's something about 'the loneliest road in America' that appeals. Why am I drawn to all the dark stuff? I really am a shiny, happy person, honest *does cheeky, chirpy cockerny knees up dance* Living in the UK, I love going to BIG spaces where you can properly see the stars at night. Loving the large expanses here. And the food! Yes, for me, travelling is about eating as much as seeing, and this had that in spades. I've never really associated North America with unusual cuisine, but this book mentioned so much yummy stuff that I simply must try one day. NOM. NOM.

LETS GO TO...BRIGHTON!

Hale knew, before he had been in Brighton three hours, that they meant to murder him...

Ok, so I promise not all of these posts are going to be about a location that starts with the letters BRI... Promise, this is the last one. I SWEAR.

Brighton, Brighton, Brighton...what can I say. 'London by the sea' as some folk might call it? This city on the south coast of England is famous for it's hipster-ish qualities, alternative vibe and just general trendiness. So, my reasons for including a location that is just shy of an hour's train journey from where I live at the moment?

Well, one hour on the train does still technically count as travelling. Fact.

Secondly, despite have lived in London on and off for the last nine years, I have never been to Brighton *hangs head in shame*. I know, it's ridiculous and embarrassing and I'm not quite sure why. I'm 99 percent sure I would love it there, but I guess it's that old saying all those people say (you know the ones), something about what's on you own doorstep and that you might over look it, or something. Ok, maybe there isn't a saying. Well, there should be. Or I should be able to remember it.

So, why a literary tour of Brighton? Well, only for the reason that I'm planning on going there in the next couple of weeks and it's probably the only place I'll talk about this month that I will actually visit in the near future. And I just wanted to write a bit about these books. So there. Well, I've picked a few books to talk about, not all of them I've had the good fortune to read (yet). The first is probably the most famous Brighton related book. And when I wrote the first book review I'd written since my school days last year, it was about this classic. So still fairly fresh in my memory then (hopefully).

It is, of course, Brighton Rock by Graham Greene.

And what a book. It has it's faults in terms of some of the characterisation, but when it comes to utterly compelling villains, teenage psychopath Pinky takes some beating.

The 1930s Brighton here is a bleak, tacky affair, where people fall victim to their weaknesses and they is always someone looming to prey on the vulnerable.

And the most amazing, most fabulous thing about this? It has THE BEST opening and closing lines ever. Seriously, they're just magnificent.

I've never since the original film adaptation. You know, the Dickie Attenborough one. Yes, him out of Jurassic Park. But I so want to after watching the more recent 1960s set one. (Looks good, but god, it was LONG). (And felt even longer when you're watching it in an empty room, sitting on a very uncomfortable plastic chair after all you normal furniture has been shipped half way across the world...)

So, if you've never read Graham Greene, you love classics and you love YA, then I would thoroughly recommend this - it goes for the extreme end of the teen angst spectrum but is defintely worth it.

Brighton Book Number 2 - Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill.

I can't believe I still haven't read this. I've been planning to for my YA classics month coming up in the not too distant future (ok, I haven't actually pinned down a month yet, but I'm guessing it will be closer to the end of the year then the beginning). In terms of UKYA, I would argue it has the reputation as a bit of a modern classic, with the Channel 4 adaptation from a few years ago gaining a slight cult status. Anyway, it's written by Julie Burchill, who you can find out a bit more about here. Trust me, you have to read this *lifts jaw up off floor*. To call her controversial is a slight understatement. Famous journalist and 'militant feminist' she appears to have pissed off pretty much everyone in the last 30-odd years. Having not read the book myself, I can't comment on the whole Brighton aspect of it all, but I know this is a bit of a milestone in LGBT literature and any book considered a 'milestone' is worth a read, in my book. (cue cheesy comedy drum roll)

When I started writing this, I was mulling the depths of my memory for some more Brighton-set YA, THEN - light bulb moment - of course, not that long ago, I read...

Brighton Book Number 3 - Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning.

Apart from being one of my favourite titles of a book ever, this has a great mix of comedy, snark and tragedy, following queen bitch Isobel as she comes to terms with an event from the past that's been haunting her and the fact that she has fallen for a slightly-less-than-acceptable older guy. I can't remember whether the location gets that much of a look in, apart from all the trendy references, but I love books about bad girls turned good(ish). And it has an awesome cover.

So, I'm fairly sure calling Brighton 'London by the sea' doesn't do it anywhere near enough justice. Maybe I'll go there, fall in love with it, move there and write a book set there. One day, Anna...One Day...

...She walked rapidly in the thin June sunlight towards the worst horror of all.

TRAVEL MONTH GUEST POST - POTENTIAL BOOK IDEA THAT AUTHORS SHOULD WRITE FOR ME (PBITASWFM) by Jo from Wear The Old Coat

Now, with a theme month comes guest posts, and I knew exactly who I as going to ask to do my first one. I am very, very, immensely pleased to welcome the very funny, very fabulous Jo from Wear The Old Coat. Her reviews always have me in stitches as I'm sure they do you, because if you're not reading them, then you bloody well should be. 


Anyway, over to you Jo...

Now because I have the slightest of slight book buying problems, most of my money goes on decorating my bookshelves and adding to my teetering ‘to-read’ pile. And because I’m an impoverished book buyer, I don’t have much spare cash lying around to go wandering around our glorious globe. 

But one of the joys of reading for me is the ability for them to take you to places that you’ve never been before.
I know that sounds like an awful cliché, but it’s true.
The rain can be hammering on my bedroom window or I could be stuck on a crammed train pressed up against a random stranger who is eating cheese and onion crisps, but if I’ve got a book in my hand, I could be anywhere.

The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.” 

― Roald Dahl, Matilda

However, when I am sitting in my little room in an English village, there are a few places that I would like to travel to but these books haven’t be written yet.
And I know young adult authors are very busy people, what with the writing and all, and they just don’t have time to plan and write books willy-nilly.
So, to help them out, I have compiled a list both of places I’ve been to and would like to go again and places that I’m desperate to go to and I’ve come up with a Potential Book Idea That Authors Should Write For Me [PBITASWFM].


Berlin.

 
I have always, always wanted to go Germany and do it properly. I say ‘properly’ because I have actually been there once (a high school trip to Cologne but we were there for approximately two hours and I nearly fell down the stairs of the bell tower. If any of you have ever been there before you will know that there was a great risk of me breaking me face!). A couple of months ago, the comedian Al Murray did a travel documentary around Germany and it was absolutely wonderful. I fell in love with the beauty of the landscape, the breath taking architecture and the fantastic characters he met along the way. And ever since I saw that, I have been desperate to go. 

PBITASWFM: This is going to be a historical novel and before you groan and roll your eyes and shout at me because woah, woah, woah Germany was only part of one period in the entire history of the world… I want this to be set in the ‘60s at construction of the Berlin Wall a la Goodbye Lenin!     

I’m going big with this one because I am desperate for this book to be written. I’m thinking that this book is going to have to be told from two perspectives because I believe it would be the only way to do this subject justice. The first perspective is going to be in modern day Berlin where the MC looks back at his/her history and the second is going to be told by a person who was directly affected by the construction of The Wall. After all, history affects everyone, doesn’t it?
I would love a young adult book that not only gave a realistic portrayal of this period but also celebrated the brilliant spirit of Germany and its culture and, of course, took me on a tour around modern day Berlin.
Obviously, this book would be a bit of a project, so I would not mind coming to Berlin and helping out with the research and the eating of delicious German cuisine. 


New York.

Like any girl who has watched every single episode of Sex and the City approximately ONE MILLION times, I want to go to New York. To me, New York is the place where you go when you’ve made it. Naïve, I know, but I don’t care. I do heart NY.
But because I’m a bit of a film geek [I actually did my dissertation on films set in NY] and I’ve seen lots and lots of films set there, I feel like I’ve already been there. That’s not to say I wouldn’t go in a heartbeat if someone said “HEY JO! FREE TICKETS TO NEW YORK. GO!”
So if there is a book that’s going to be written set in New York, I want it to be somewhere I’ve never been before. Like this: 

   

Isn’t that gorgeous?! That’s the abandoned underground station underneath City Hall. 

PBITASWFM: Basically, I’m after Cath Crowley’s Graffiti Moon… but set in New York. A mad night in New York where two characters who have only just met run around the streets of NY, seeing things that tourists aren’t usually privy to, and fall in crazy, beautiful love. 


Kenya

If I could visit anywhere in the world, it would be here. Can you imagine waking up to a giraffe looking at you through your window?! 

PBITASWFM: Who am I kidding? I would literally read anything set here. You want me to be more specific? *Sigh* OK, fine. I’m using the idea that Reynje and I came up with a few weeks ago.
Warning: It’s mental.
A girl discovers that she can change into a lion when she gets angry and discovers that her sensitive best friend who has been in love with her since she was about two can turn into a zebra. One day, she turns into a lion and runs around the Serengeti and meets a brooding Wildebeest who turns into a dangerous boy with floppy hair and a crooked smile.
And together they… like, save the world or something.  


Edinburgh 

OK, I’ve been to Edinburgh so many times I’ve lost count but, after Manchester, it’s my favourite city that I’ve been to. I just love everything about it.
This book is going to be set in Mary King’s Close. You can find out more  here but basically, it’s an underground street just off Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and it combines period dress, history and GHOSTS. That’s right, ghosts.

PBITASWFM: A history student from Edinburgh University gets a job as a guide in Mary King’s Close and… wait… why am I telling you this? This is the book that I want to write. You’ll just have to wait and see...



Thank you to the gorgeous Anna for allowing me to ramble all over her blog!




Wow, thanks Jo! I think you'll all agree that these MUST BE WRITTEN. Preferably by Jo herself. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Check out her awfully good blog right here folks. Maybe we can all start petitioning her to write the German one...