Tag: Asleep

James Frey – A Million Little Pieces | Review

Title: A Million Little Pieces

Author: James Frey

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 518

Rating: 4.25/5

I was given this as a birthday present from someone who’d read it themselves and enjoyed it and who’d seen that it was on my ridiculously large want to readlist. I don’t actually get given books that often because more often than not, I end up resenting them because I feel as though I have to read them whether I want to or not. But as this was off my big old list, we dodged that problem.

I think I first heard about this on BookTube, although I can’t remember who was talking about it. It basically instantly went on to my wish list because it’s a non-fiction drug book and I’ve always been partial to books about drugs. I even quite like it when you get references to opium in stuff like The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy falls asleep in a field of poppies.

Because I find the subject matter interesting, I was pretty much guaranteed to like this one. However, there are some other factors that come into play too. For example, the dialogue is written without quotation marks or indeed any form of punctuation, which some people might offputting. It’s the first thing I noticed when flicking through it and that, combined with a blurb from Irvine Welsh on the back, made me think it might be a tricky read. It turns out to actually work better and to flow more smoothly like that.

I guess that’s because of the style of the book. It’s written as a sort of stream-of-consciousness memoir and reads as though Frey is just chatting to you at a bar, and so this style of punctuation is perfect. At the same time though, I’m sure it’s not quite to everyone’s tastes, and that’s okay. And besides, if you like drug stories but you can’t deal with the punctuation, there’s always the movie version, which I’ll probably watch at some point or another.

Other than that, I’m not sure that there’s much more that I can tell you. I think as long as you have an interest in the subject matter – that of a recovering addict trying to get clean – and you don’t mind dialogue when it’s oddly formatted, you’re in for a treat. I will say that he spends the majority of the book either thinking about drugs or wishing he was dead, and so it can sometimes feel a little samey, but that can’t really be helped due to the subject matter and you have to respect the honesty.

Overall then, I’d definitely recommend this one, especially if you have an interest in drug and addiction memoirs. Otherwise, if you’re worried about trigger warnings or if it just makes you unhappy to read about stuff like this then maybe give it a miss. You’d be missing out on a good read, but it’s also a difficult one that can be quite confrontational too. As for me, I’m glad that I read it. A good gift!

Learn more about A Million Little Pieces.


Homer – The Odyssey | Review

Title: The Odyssey

Author: Homer

Type: Fiction/Poetry

Page Count/Review Word Count: 354

Rating: 4*/5

 

Homer - The Odyssey

Homer – The Odyssey

 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes.

Well, I finally did it. It took me three or four months reading a few pages each evening before I fell asleep, but I managed it. And it was actually a super enjoyable read.

The edition that I read was a translation in verse by Anthony Verity that was published by Oxford University Press, and it’s a beautiful edition. I accepted it for review a good few years ago, but I’ve only just actually finished it.

What I liked most about reading this was the fact that  I started to understand the different myths and legends that make up the Odyssey and I could see the way that they’ve influenced popular society and been retold in other media. Of course, I struggled to actually understand what was going on half the time, but that’s okay because the language alone was beautiful and there was a useful appendix that basically gave you an outline of the story that you could refer to.

 

Homer

Homer

 

It’s hard to rate something like the Odyssey because it’s a classic for a reason, but I can honestly give it a four out of five for sheer enjoyment alone. Sure, it was slow going and there were times where I thought I wasn’t going to finish it, but I still enjoyed the experience and I’m glad that I took the time to read it. I’m also glad that I happened to read this edition of it, because the book itself was so aesthetically pleasing that it didn’t  bother me too much to spend prolonged periods of time in front of it.

It’s funny because in a way, reading the Odyssey reminded me of reading Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. That’s because something was always happening at every point, and while it rarely feels as though you’re actually making any progress, the reader walks with Odysseus as he inches slowly closer and closer to his destination.

 

Odysseus

Odysseus

 

Click here to buy The Odyssey.