Book Club ~ Recent reads.

I really love books and I need to shout it from the roof tops. Or I could tell you occasionally about books I like or have read recently in a new little section I'm calling Book Club, which may nor may not be successful. But onto my recent reads and what I thought of them.

Neverwhere ~ Neil Gaiman
The book I bought for this post. So the story is Richard is your everyday business man who finds himself in alternative version of London, known as London Below, which is full of the people who 'slipped through the cracks'. The characters were really likeable and colourful, the story was fairly straight-forward with a few twists along the way. Even though I wasn't completely gripped I still enjoyed the world that was so vividly painted. I do feel like I wanted to explore the world more though, there were so many ideas that just brushed past, without a more in depth second look. I also liked the ending to this book a lot, the kind that is satisfying. If you're interested there's also a radio adaptation that started just recently, with an amazing cast (Cumberbatch and James McEvoy for example).
I have been a fan of some of Neil Gaiman's other work, including the episode of Doctor Who he wrote (called the Doctor's Wife - it was basically the highlight of that season) so I'd be interested to read some more of his stuff. I've heard good things about American Gods and my boyfriend really likes The Sandman.

The Bell Jar ~ Sylvia Plath
A classic, right? I wasn't aware it was before I bought it but found out shortly afterwards. The Bell Jar revolves around a young female socialite who begins to question her role in society, whether she wants that role, and whether she has any choice about it. You might have guessed this book wanders into slightly dark territory when Esther's mental health begins to take the strain. What I find really interesting about this book is it's context; the fact that Sylvia Plath committed suicide gives the book an extra dimension of meaning. I also found the main character to be scarily relatable and could completely sympathise with her. I've heard that The Bell Jar is said to be a classic, feminist book. If for whatever reason that word normally puts you off the idea, I suggest still reading it.

Le Petit Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
This is the first book in French I have chosen to read as an adult. I actually bought it at an airport about a year ago during a 3 hour wait for the boyfriend. It's pretty damn famous and looked like the kind of whimsical read I would like. Luckily I was not disappointed. I actually haven't quite finished it but so far it's been really thoughtful and genuinely funny and all round adorable, with some deeper and sadder topics wrapped in sweetness with a little dollop of surrealism to help it all go down. I might try and read the English translation and see how it compares.

Also, on my currently reading list are:

• Haruki Murakami's 1Q34, which is a beast of a book making it difficult to transport
• David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, which I'm hoping to do a comparative film/book review after reading

So that's it! Hopefully the next Book Club will be about my all time favourite books.
Have you read anything recently that you love? Let me know, I am always on the lookout for a good read.