Ever since I could read, books have been my world, my whole
life. Actually, in many cases, they have been my comfort. Just the smell of a book is enough to put a smile on my face
because, to me, reading is pure escapism, pure dream.
When I was a little girl, my mum would read me Roald Dahl
and Enid Blyton – she would act out each character with a different voice, and
I would sit there enthralled as I was transported. It was like magic.
Through books, I have discovered mystical worlds and fought
evil wizards. I have climbed faraway trees, visited fantastic chocolate factories and escaped from endless villains. I
have trained in the art of Geisha and discovered what it takes to become a Chinese
Concubine. Where else can you learn all of that?
Anyway, this is for all my fellow bookworms out there. This
will become a regular feature because,
to me, you can never read enough…
January’s Recommended Read:
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J.Watson
Before I Go to Sleep is actually top of all the bestsellers lists
at the moment – handy if you want to buy it as it usually means it’s on offer!
Anyway, this is one of those thrillers which are utterly unputdownable. It’s
the work of a former NHS audiologist’s– S.J.Watson apparently wrote
it in between shifts.
Anyway, the book follows Chrissie, a
woman who develops amnesia following what she believes to be a car crash. To
her, every morning is Groundhog Day as she is only able to store memories for
24 hours.
Can you imagine that? Waking every
morning only to realise you no longer know how old you are, or where you are? Can
you imagine not knowing what a mobile phone is, or who your husband is? What
about losing all the things you’d learned?
The book takes the form of a journal as
Chrissie rediscovers her previous life. Encouraged by a Doctor who has taken an
interest in her case, she documents everything she comes to find out about
herself.
But as you delve a little deeper, she
starts to find the murky waters, the hidden depths. She discovers that she once
published a novel – something her husband, Ben, neglected to tell her.
As you start to read further, that’s
when the questions appear. Why is her husband hiding things? Does he simply have
her best interests at heart, or is he feeding her a manipulated reality? Or is
Doctor Nash the one who is really pulling the strings?
This is a read that will stay with you
and haunt you. It is by no means a classic, but I guarantee that it will grip
you and leave you reading way into the early hours…great for any fellow
insomniacs out there!
