To Kill a Mockingbird

(Image from Amazon)

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those books that everyone seems to have read. They've either studied it or read it years ago. I vaguely knew the story and I think I might have watched the film when I was at school but I don't remember what happened. It's fairly short so I thought it would be good train reading when I went off to visit my sister.

Things I liked

Atticus - He's a really calm, collected character and I love his parenting style

Scout - She's brilliant, not afraid to speak her mind and totally baffled as to why she should 'be a lady', a girl after my own heart

The trial - I was gripped

Things I didn't like

Bob Ewell - What a foul creature

The prejudice - The way Tom was treated was horrid and the whole society seems so backwards. Why must Scout not read and write at home? Why can she not go and visit Cal in her own home? I know it is the decade but it's alien to me.

Verdict

I really enjoyed this book, it was slow to start with lots of description but I was soon gripped. 

This is definitely a classic everyone should read. It is entertaining but also shows a strong message. I read the 50th anniversary edition, I wonder what things will be like when the 100th anniversary rolls around. 5/5

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

(Image from Amazon)

I ended up reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory because it took me so long to read Nineteen Eighty Four I didn't have long left in March to read a book and I thought this would be one of the shortest.

Things I liked

The familiarity - Of course I know the story and I've seen both of the films but it was nice to finally read the book. It's an interesting feeling knowing what's coming up next and discovering parts were slightly different.

Wonka - I love an eccentric and I can now see that Johnny Depp did a brilliant job of portraying him.

Things I didn't like

The Oompa Loompa songs - They were so long and I couldn't get any sort of tune going in my head. I skimmed them!

The bratty kids - I hate them in the films and I hate them in print, I don't understand how any parents could raise them.

Verdict

A brilliant children's book and a welcome change from the hard going books I had for January and February. The oompa loompas are much better on screen though. 4/5

Stand By Me

(Image from Amazon)

I didn't really know anything about Stand By Me apart from that I quite liked the Ben E King song but we got it in recently at work so I took it home.

Things I liked

The friendships - The boys really looked out for each other despite the bits of joking around and it's great to see it in a film.

The end - I thought the end was really clever and I like it when films give you a sort of 'where are they now' 

Things I didn't like

I've got to be honest there wasn't anything that I really hated about the film aside from the older guys being horrible, I thought it was brilliant.

Verdict

A great film, can't believe it took me so long to watch it! 5/5

Nineteen Eighty Four

(Image from http://orwell.ru/library/books/htm_file/014)

Nineteen Eighty Four is one of those books that I've picked up and started and then put down again more than once so this challenge was the perfect opportunity to force myself to soldier on.

Things I liked

Julia - I loved the parts with Julia in and I thought she was a good strong female character.

The humour - The book has a very dry subject matter but there was a good dose of humour in there too.

Things I didn't like

Goldstein's Book - I struggled with the book in a book part of the story mainly because it was so political and I'm not all that interested in politics, this section of the story bored me and made it hard to want to pick it up again.

The End - What an anticlimax!

Verdict

I'm glad I've finally read the book and I did enjoy the story for the most part but it was a bit too slow to keep my interest. 3/5