Jen's Book Blog

Book #2 – Spymaster

Prompt – ‘A book set in a country beginning with C’ (full disclosure, I kind of stretched the prompt here, as this book isn’t solely set in a country beginning with C, but does contain scenes in Cuba and China).

Medium – Book

About the book – this book is about Sir Maurice Oldfield, the most decorated spy ever and the head of MI6 during part of the Cold War. The book is written by his great-nephew, Martin Pearce, and describes Oldfield’s formative years, his experiences as an active agent in MI6, his later experiences as Chief of MI6 and then finally his death and the way he has been remembered since.

My rating – I would give this book 8.5/10. I really enjoyed learning about Maurice Oldfield, who is popularly meant to be the template for ‘M’ in James Bond and Smiley in the John Le Carre novels. He was a very likeable character, with a background completely at odds with other MI6 staff at the time (born to a poor farming family, went to a grammar school and then Manchester University) and a disarming charm which did more to help his work than any amount of torture and ‘Bond-esque’ escapades. He was a kind, bluff, good-humoured man, with a core of intelligence which meant that many underestimated him.

I loved the way that Martin Pearce wrote about Oldfield, not skimming over the mistakes he made, but instead being candid and honest about them. Oldfield was a Christian and a homosexual, and this was used against him later in his career, despite the amazing work he did and the things he put in place leading to the end of the Cold War and the Troubles in Northern Ireland. I finished the book wishing I had met Oldfield, but also with a sense of sadness that he was so badly treated before and after his death. I appreciate Martin Pearce’s work towards clearing his name, as Oldfield was clearly a remarkable character.

Would I read it again? Probably not – not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but because there are other biographies of other spies during the twentieth century which I would also like to read!

Book #1 – Kingdom of Ash

Prompt – ‘A book you think should be made into a film’ (from the 2019 Popsugar challenge)

Medium – Listened to as an audio-book (33hrs!)

About the book – this book is part of the ‘Throne of Glass’ series, written by Sarah J. Maas, and is the last book in the series of seven. The whole series is about a young woman who starts off as an assassin, but then becomes more as the book progresses. The series starts with a book with three main characters (the assassin, the prince and the chief guard) and then introduces more characters and story lines as the books progress. This last book brings together all of the story lines and character arcs in a fantastic, very satisfying ending. It’s been described as ‘Game of Thrones for Girls’ and I would agree – it’s a bit gory in places, quite sexy in places, but a good, exciting read.

My rating – I would give this book 9/10. I loved the way that all the threads of the story lines and character development were brought together by the final scenes, and SPOILER ALERT! the scene which brings together all of the female characters in triumph. The main character was likeable, but also a bit arrogant – she wasn’t perfect, and I appreciated that. My favourite character was Yrene, the strong-willed healer, who plays a part in the last stand of the characters. There were parts of the story which made me cry, which I wasn’t expecting from a fantasy, YA novel (and was a bit embarrassing on the train). My only niggle with the book is that SPOILER ALERT! there is a character introduced part-way through the novel by Prince Dorian who is not really explained or introduced – she appears, she begs for death, she dies. It felt a bit jarring in comparison with the treatment of other female characters in the books.

Would I read it again? Yes, definitely. The series of books is so long (seven books, almost the same page count as Harry Potter), that I feel I need to go back to the beginning anyway to catch all the things I missed the first time around!

Reading Challenge

Last year, I did not read much. I listened, a lot – on the train, in the car, whilst I was walking to work. I listened to audiobooks, podcasts and the Calm App, when I really wanted to relax. But I didn’t read much. And I missed it.

I missed the feel of the paper between my fingers, the weight of a book in my hands and the smell of the pages. I missed being able to immerse myself in a world in a different way to the way I do when listening to something. Part of the reason that I didn’t read was lack of motivation – I have (undiagnosed, but fairly obvious) Attention Deficit Disorder, and I found the idea of just sitting with a book, really difficult. Especially as last year was a very stressful one.

I knew that this year, I wanted that to change. So, along with my resolutions to challenge myself (hello, snake phobia day!) and eat a more plant-based diet, I decided to do a reading challenge, with the extra engagement of picking a prompt and book out of a mug, so that there was an element of excitement around the choosing of a book.

I chose the Popsugar 2020 reading challenge, which has a number of prompts, most of which are quite open-ended. These prompts can be assigned to books in my ‘to be read’ (TBR) pile, to audiobooks in my Audible library, but also to books I would not usually have picked up and read. I want to expand my reading habits and enjoy a range of books, just like I advise my students to!

So, this year, I am going to try and keep to the challenge. I also want to practice my writing skills more, hence this blog. If you would like to do something similar, I really recommend the Popsugar reading challenge – either this year’s or another year’s, if you prefer. Look at the challenges and then have a go. You might be surprised at what you read!

All About Me!

‘The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go’ – Dr Seuss

So, before I start blogging, I thought it might be a good idea to tell you a little more about me, and particularly what I like reading.

Favourite genres – fantasy, young adult, romance (but not too mushy!), crime fiction.

Favourite types of non-fiction – history, autobiography and biography, science, education.

Favourite authors – Agatha Christie, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Sarah J. Maas, J.K. Rowling

Favourite books – the ‘Harry Potter’ series, the ‘Throne of Glass’ series.