Game of Thrones, family arms

How awesome is this? I've seen a couple of others floating around the internet and some are really funny.     Make your own here.

Matt Bondurant- Lawless

If you're a fan of the film, the book won't disappoint.

The Plot: Set in prohibition era America, three brothers defy the law when corrupt officers try to get a cut of their illegal liquor trade. Based on a true story and written by the descendant of one of the Bondurant brothers.

Lawless is violent and brutal. I was expecting it to be as I'd seen the film, but the description of Forrest Bondurant getting his throat slit was graphic and disturbing. The narrative reflects the harshness of the era, poverty was common and men had to be ruthless and show 'true grit' to be able to provide for their families.

"Most Bondurant men, including Jack and his brothers, had that strange obsession of the terminally poor; the dreams of wadded sums of cash, of heavy lumps of change in your pocket, the small stacks that speak of dreams. They banked on the salvation of a few dollars" 

I felt like I got a real insight into the manufacturing of moonshine and bootlegging. Matt Bondurant manages to give an impression of how illegal alcohol would taste and smell. The code of silence and men's presumed right to act independently of the law was an integral part of bootlegging. There is a pervading logic to the book that, although they were breaking the law and were violent, the Bondurant's actions were in some way justified. The brothers did adhere to some kind of moral code, they distilled liquor to feed their families and reacted violently to protect themselves and loved ones. 

I liked the inclusion of Sherwood Anderson, a character who doesn't appear in the film. He is a writer doing research into the Bondurant Boys and other notorious bootleggers in Franklin County. The addition of Anderson helped contextualise the Boudurant's narrative, he witnessed the poverty that motivated the brothers. He also observes the glamour and fame that was, and still is, associated with successful moonshiners.

Myth and reputation are key themes in Lawless. Matt Bondurant developed the narrative from newspaper clippings, trial transcripts and family lore. It was very interesting how, in part, the reputation of the brothers was crafted by hearsay and rumour.

If you enjoyed Lawless I suggest you try Cormac McCarthy an American novelist who also writes about tough and desperate men facing difficult circumstances. 

"a book should be written so that it could be read aloud in a cornfield; only then would it be American and true"

- Matt Bondurant, Lawless  

"Reading, by its very nature, is an admission of defeat, a ritual of self-humiliation: it shows that you believe other lives are more interesting than yours." 

 - Matt Bondurant, Lawless 

The British Museum & Mildred's

Today we visited The British Museum and Mildred's, a small vegetarian restaurant in Soho.

Ok admittedly, this post has little to do with books or cuppas, though in my defense we did drink tea and there was a library in the museum.

Pretty Book Covers

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that jazz. However, one of the advantages of still buying paperbacks and hardbacks, apposed to ebooks, is that they look pretty and make you appear smarter.

Plus it is a lot easier to pass judgement on someones reading tastes if you can see their bookshelf- I'm looking at you, owners of proudly displayed 50 Shades. Hide your shame.  

After the cut is a picture heavy post of some of my favourite book covers.

If you like these, or if you're interested in wasting a couple of hours staring at books, you should check out the book cover archive. They have a huge selection of well organised book covers for you to appreciate.

Currently Reading

Kindle have a spring sale on at the moment, and though it's slim pickings I have downloaded a couple of bits that caught my interest. These goodies were all less than a pound:

• Lawless, Matt Bondurant. I was a fan of the recent film adaptation, and as usually I think books are better I'm going to give this a go. 
• The Little Friend, Donna Tart. I've read this before, but it was library copy so for 99p I thought I might as well download my own copy. It is a while since I read it, so I can't quite remember what happens, it's about a girl who's brother is murdered when they are both children. 
• Alex, Adam J Nicolai. When I got this yesterday it was free, which is the only really reason I downloaded it really. From the product description it looks to be about a father grieving for his dead son.

Oh dear,  looks like I've gone for a bit of a theme. Two books on dead children, slightly macabre.

I also downloaded a free sample of A Lady cyclist's Guide to Kashgar, Suzanne Joinson. I've heard good things about it, but I wanted to give it a try myself before splurging a whole £4.99.   


*disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Amazon, and all books have been purchased by me, with my own money

Hibernation

It is far too cold to leave the house, so my plan for the rest of the day is to get tucked up in a blanket, crack on with a new book and eat suitably snowy looking, homemade lime cheesecake.

The recipe for the cheesecake can be found in Nigella Lawson's Domestic Goddess recipe book

Eowyn Ivey- The Snow Child

If you live in England, and have either looked out the window or been on facebook you’ll have undoubtedly noticed it’s snowing. So here is a weather-appropriate review of Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child.

The Plot: Alaska in the 1920’s is wild and desolate, winters are harsh and lives are difficult. Jack and Mabel have come to this barren place to stake their financial and emotional wellbeing on an isolated homestead. Mabel cannot forget the baby she lost some years previously, and when a young girl, Faina, appears on their land, the maternal instinct she feels towards this unusual child is overwhelming.  

Inspired by Arthur Ransome’s retelling of a Russian folktale Little Daughter of the Snow, Eowyn Ivey’s retains an ethereal fairytale feeling. There is something ‘other’ about Fain, she is mysterious and it is ambiguous whether she is a fairytale snow maiden as Mabel believes, or a half-feral orphan.

The landscape is a hugely important to the novel, and the imagery is vivid. Rural Alaska is bleak and harsh, it amplifies the loneliness Mabel feels, and the barren land is symbolic of her childless situation. Mabel’s sadness and vulnerability is sensitively written and her possessiveness toward Fain is understandable.

Parental and maternal bonds are a key theme of The Snow Child. The consequences of the death of Mabel and Jack’s child are keenly felt. They are both terrified that they will lose another child, so the love they give Fain is suffocating and restricting.

Fain remains just as enigmatic to the reader as she is to her adoptive parents. Some readers may find this frustrating, but I thought it was essential to her character that her past and motivation remain unknown. To be in keeping with fairytale tradition there needs to be an element of the uncanny. Fairytales are often dark and foreboding, and so is The Snow Child.  

The Snow Child is enchanting, and, on a day like today, an atmospheric read.  

Madeline Miller- The Song of Achilles

Madeline Miller offers a fresh perspective on Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, by refocusing the story on love and friendship, rather than war. In a time when gods intervene with mortals’ lives, and heroes cement their legends on the battlefield, The Song of Achilles is a captivating story about the enduring love of Achilles and Patroclus. If you haven’t read this book, you really should.

The Plot: Exiled as a child Patroclus is sent to the court of King Peleus. There he is befriended by Peleus’ son, the demigod Achilles.  Whilst been trained in the arts of war and medicine, the companionship between Patroclus and Achilles grows into a touching, romantic relationship. However, their happiness is soon threatened by the outbreak of the Trojan War. Destined to be Aristos Achaion (best of the Greeks), Achilles is compelled to join the fight and secure his place in history.

I’ve always found mythology fascinating, so The Song of Achilles was right up my street. It was also the winner of The Orange Prize in 2012 which is usually a reliable indication of a good read. If you’re thinking of reading Homer’s classics this book is a really good introduction to the epic. Miller really humanises Achilles, he is not simply a ruthless warrior, but is also loyal, compassionate and tender.  

Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship is told in a beautiful and moving way, and I’ll admit this book had me in tears a few times.  It is really refreshing to read a well received, bestselling novel that has a complex, caring homosexual relationship at its centre.