Remembering 16

Firstly, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Short Stories was written while Susanna Clarke was still working on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which I just found out took her 10 years to complete...so I guess I won't hold my breath on her next novel. Secondly, this was a great short story compilation, ya'll. This was especially great if you are thinking of reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but you're not sure if you want to commit yourself to such an epic length book. This will definitely give you a taste of her narrative style as well as the world that she has created (Faerie! Also other places!). Honestly, I can't say enough good things about this author. I am super excited to see what else she comes up with but as I said a few sentences ago she does like to take her time (and she's also been ill so don't be too hard on her). Go check this book out!

Now onto why I titled this post 'Remembering 16': To Hear the Ocean Sigh by Bryant A. Loney (who is only 18!). I was sent a copy of the book by the publisher, Verona Booksellers, a few months ago and I've just finished reading it. This is the story of an 'every man' named Jay Murchison who is just trying to get through his sophomore year of high school (and become popular in the process). There's typical teenage angst about what it means to be 'popular' but embedded within that is the question of what it means to be authentic to oneself. I found the book to be at times poignant (the reason behind the title kinda blew my mind a little bit) and pedantic (I don't need to know every single move that Jay makes throughout his day especially when it's a mundane everyday activity). If you're a fan of John Green style young adult novels you'll most likely enjoy this one.

Sticking to the young adult theme, I'm about to be caught up with the Lunar Chronicles series because I've just picked up Fairest: Levana's Story. Each of the previous books in the series focused on different characters from fairytales with a twist. This one is all about the villain of the series, Levana. I'm excited to learn the backstory of the one character that so far has seemed pretty one-sided. On with the reading!