Dear Diary...

I think at some point in our lives, we have all relished the thought of peeping into someone's diary and having a no holds barred insight into their personal thoughts and musings. Fictional diaries enable us to do this, to really see the world through the eyes of the main character for a little while, and experience their emotions alongside them. Indeed this is the case with the three books that I will mention in this post, introducing you to characters that I have grown to love; The Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and, Diary of a Crush by Sarra Manning.

"Now I know I am an intellectual. I saw Malcolm Muggeridge on the television last night, and I understood nearly every word. It all adds up. A bad home, poor diet, not liking punk. I think I will join the library and see what happens".
Sue Townsend, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4

I met Adrian Mole for the first time when I was 10, and even though at that time much of the humour and irony was lost on me, I loved this book. Since that first reading, I have returned to Adrian's diary many times and think that Sue Townsend has created the character of Adrian Mole perfectly; the teenage angst, his unrequited love for Pandora, his feeling of superiority over his parents, and, his tendency to overdramatise situations. Adrian also fancies himself as something of a literary genius, and his diary documents his many attempts to receive recognition from the BBC for his very original poetry...believe me there are some classics in there! Despite all of this, you can't help but feel an affection and fondness for Adrian, and route for him through all of his trial and tribulations.

As well as Adrian, we meet an array of weird but wonderful characters such as pensioner Bert Baxter, Adrian's long suffering friend Nigel, and of course Adrian's love interest Pandora Braithwaite.

Sue Townsend succeeds in capturing the confusing and difficult time of adolescence with humour, but also sensitivity, and every time I read it I am reminded of how I felt at that age, and how situations that may not feel like a big deal now felt like the end of the world then!

"The more I wonder, the more I love".
Alice Walker, The Color Purple

The Color Purple is set in the deep American South and tells the story of Celie. We first meet Celie when she is 14, through letters that she is writing to God as a result of the abuse that she is suffering by the man she calls her father. Her letters to God are the only way that she is able to express her true feelings, due to her position in the household and her desire to protect the members of her family whom she loves. Later on in the book, we see Celie's letters to her sister, Nettie, when they are separated from each other.

I will be honest with you, this book is not an easy read and at times can be heartbreaking and painful, but it is also inspiring and emphasises the power of faith, love and hope. Celie's story is one that will stay with you for a long time, and is one that everyone should read.

"It wasn't like I'd woken up and decided to be a bitch, it was more like I'd woken up to find bitchiness thrust upon me".
Sarra Manning, Diary of a Crush

If, like me, you religiously bought J17 magazine every month as a teenager, you will remember the story of Edie and Dylan...I loved this column! I remember how frustrating it would be to have to wait a whole month to find out what happened, as the entry almost always left us in suspense.

I think it's fair to say that Edie's diary entries were a pretty accurate reflection of the worries and dilemmas of most teenage girls at that age, and Dylan was certainly the typical brooding, effortlessly cool, leading man that we all secretly (or not so secretly) had a crush on too. I think that at some point we all had a crush on a 'bad boy' that we hoped we could be the one to change. Whereas I am sure for most of us a crush was all it ever was, never amounting to much, we were all routing for Edie to get the ending that we all dreamed of.

It was only when I was doing research for this post that I discovered that Sarra Manning has published Diary of a Crush in a series of books, which are also now available on Kindle - how exciting!

So, did Edie get her man? You will have to read Diary of a Crush to find out...

"It was nice talking to you, I'd forgotten how good it was to confide in you". 
This is a quote from one of my diaries; I kept a diary for most of my teenage years, particularly from the age of 11-16. I read them all recently, and to say they made for awkward reading is an understatement! Needless to say, I am not planning on publishing any of mine but I am so glad that I wrote so much down and can reminisce. I was really sad to hear recently that a school friend of mine had thrown out all of her diaries, they are a part of us and remind us how we have become the people that we are. What would I change from that time? Absolutely nothing!

"Every great love starts with a great story..."

I think it's fair to say that most readers cherish a good love story...the intensity, and the will they/won't they (although more often than not we know that they most certainly will).  There have been so many memorable couples; Elizabeth Bennett & Mr Darcy, Romeo & Juliet, Adrian Mole & Pandora Braithwaite (sorry, I couldn't resist!), and of course Bella Swan & Edward Cullen.

Stories of true love aren't always straight forward or conventional, and they don't always have a fairy tale ending, but they nevertheless capture our hearts and restore our faith. This is indeed the case with three of my favourite love stories, which I am going to share with you; The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern, and, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

"There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough..."
Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

The Notebook is beautifully written, and shows that finding 'the one' doesn't always mean that the heartache is over or that life will be simple from that moment on. In fact, it can mean quite the opposite. We first meet Noah in a nursing home reading a story from a notebook to a woman, who we later find out is Allie, his wife. The story he is reading to Allie is in fact their story, one of a powerful and unwavering love, that overcomes issues of class and circumstance, and the realities that can affect us all. Whilst the film adaptation is very true to the book, you must read the book even if you have seen the film - and you will get the pleasure of picturing Ryan Gosling throughout!

"There were hundreds of them spread across the floor, each telling its own tale of triumph or sadness, each letter representing a phase in her life. She had kept them all".
Cecelia Ahern, Where Rainbows End

Throughout Where Rainbows End we learn about the lives of Alex and Rosie through a series of letters, emails and messages, starting from their childhood and spanning almost fifty years. From the very first page it is clear that Alex and Rosie are destined to be together, however their story shows how a catalogue of errors and missed opportunities can alter your life course, but that it is never too late for love. It is a charming and funny read, it made me laugh and cry in almost equal measure, and I could relate to both Alex and Rosie. I will warn you, it is often a frustrating read, sometimes filled with heartbreak and sadness, but I give you my word that it is worth it.

"...I told him a story of two people. Two people who shouldn't have met, and who didn't like each other much when they did, but who found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other".
Jojo Moyes, Me Before You

Me Before You...where do I start? I cannot recommend it enough, never has a book affected me in quite the same way, and the story of Will and Lou will stay with me for a very long time. It may not be a conventional love story, but it is a great one. Jojo Moyes delicately covers complex issues, allowing the reader to understand these issues from the different perspectives of each character. Beautifully written, funny, poignant, uplifting and thought provoking. I felt as though I experienced every moment and emotion with Will and Lou, and I was inconsolable when their story ended, even though I knew that the ending was absolutely the right one.

I would love to hear your thoughts on any of the books I have mentioned, or any that you would recommend.

I started this post by mentioning some of the great fictional love stories, and I'd like to end it with a real life love story...my grandparents who had been married for nearly 51 years when my Grandma died, they bickered constantly but loved each other dearly.

Everything starts somewhere...

Before you read on, you should probably know that I'm really not much of a writer and I have terrible grammar...but I absolutely LOVE to read which is my reason for starting this blog. I love talking about the books I have read and making recommendations to friends, and also love to hear from other readers.

My love of books started as soon as my mother taught me how to read, and I've more or less had my head stuck in a book ever since. As this is my first post, I thought it would be quite timely to look back at my childhood favourites and perhaps encourage you to revisit yours!

Of all the books I read as a child (and there were many!), there were two in particular that consumed me more than any other to the point that I felt as though I had lost a friend when I had finished them. The first is Matilda by Roald Dahl, and the second Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

"These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone".
Roald Dahl, Matilda

The story of Matilda moved me more than any other and it was a book I returned to time and time again, as you can see from my well worn copy. Roald Dahl's stories are comical and laugh out loud funny, whilst always conveying an important message to readers (both young and old!). Matilda is no exception, showing that in the end good will overcome evil.

One of my favourite things about Roald Dahl's writing was his ability to come up with such descriptive names for his characters; Mr Wormwood, the smarmy, slightly greasy sales man; Miss Trunchbull, the heavy set, foul, bullying headmistress; Miss Honey, the sickly sweet, innocent school teacher; and perhaps my favourite, Bruce Bogtrotter the greedy, overweight lover of chocolate cake who becomes somewhat of a hero! These names create a vision for the reader of what the characters would look like, and Quentin Blake's illustrations capture this perfectly.

"A quick temper, sharp tongue, and restless spirit were always getting her into scrapes, and her life was a series of ups and downs, which were both comic and pathetic".
Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

If someone were to ask me who my fictional heroine is, I would without a doubt say Jo March. I read Little Women for the first time at quite a young age, and thought that I could see elements of myself in Jo but I think I was flattering myself a little! In actual fact, I think that I saw the type of woman I wanted to become and has probably shaped some of my thoughts and opinions that I hold today. Little Women challenged some of the gender constraints at that time, it showed that women could be ambitious and didn't always behave in a way that was 'expected' of them. For those of you who have read Little Women, you will each have your favourite March sister and probably know someone who shares the personality traits of each...I know I do, but I won't name names! For those of you who haven't read it, if you take nothing else away from this blog please get a copy of Little Women and read it immediately!

"It wasn't a bit of good fighting grown-ups. They could do exactly as they liked".
Enid Blyton, Five on a Treasure Island

I couldn't write a post of this kind without mentioning Enid Blyton. The Adventures of the Wishing Chair was the first book that I remember going to a book shop and choosing myself - a big moment! From that point on I became an avid reader of all things Enid Blyton, and as well as flying to faraway places on the wishing chair, I was taken on adventures with the Famous Five and sharing midnight feasts with the twins at St Clare's.

Well, that's my first post done and dusted! I hope you enjoyed and that it helped you reminisce about the books that helped make you who you are today. I'd love to hear about them! Until next time...