Counting Down: Top Five

3. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory 

Plot:
Mary Boleyn enters court at a young age, full of innocence and beauty. Appointed lady-in-waiting, she secures a closeness with Queen Catherine of Aragon, not only putting her in the midst of the court but under the watchful eye of King Henry VIII. Soon, she is tumbling forward in a battle for the throne and the King's heart, not knowing that her fiercest enemy are ones closest to her.

Reason:

My love for The Other Boleyn Girl stems from many reasons.

Firstly, it introduced me into the world of Historical Fiction - the kind I liked. Whilst I knew of the existence of fictionalised recounts of World Wars and such, I never realised that people actually wrote about long dead kings and queens (I know, stupid right). It definitely pulled me in, and I quickly fell in love with the voices of characters that had appeared on Wikipedia for me.

Secondly, it intensified my love for the Tudor times. I studied the era back when I was in Year 8, and from doing a research project on King Henry VIII and his wives, I grew obsessed. The world seemed magical to me somehow, and exciting. The beauty of the court, the gowns and the "chivalrous" knights, I was determined to believe that the Tudor era was great. The Other Boleyn Girl certainly evokes those elements, but there's also the dangers of the court and the ambition that arises. There was enough drama to have me enthralled. I'm not certain it's 100% historically accurate, but Greggory has done her research. She's just taken points that have been rumoured to occur and stretched them out, to keep the plot interesting. Not going to lie, I loved the scandals and intrigued that played out.

Thirdly, whilst I say it's not 100% accurate, it still gave quite a lot of insight into the era and not only the relationship between Henry and Anne Boleyn, but also Mary Boleyn who not many people know about. I never knew she even existed until reading this novel! I guess because her sister became Queen, she was overlooked as the girl who failed. Her story, however much fictionalised it is, is still very interesting and quite believable.

That's why fourthly, I say I loved the book because Mary had me in the palm of her hands. She drew support from me, and stereotypically Anne was the villain of the story. True to history's recount, Anne was depicted in a conniving and ambitious way. I guess that might be something that was on the iffy side of this book, but I overlooked it because I was immersed in Mary's life too much.

Not only Mary though, but the other characters had such a riveting tale they seemed very much alive. George Boleyn enchanting, William charming and Catherine of Aragon dignified.

Lastly, the plot was simply amazing. It's definitely not a light read but it's filled with rich and exciting moments that had me engrossed. I've flown through the novel so many times without getting bored because it is that good. It's hard not to be swept up into the corruption and deceit that circulates a court that seems so perfect on the outside. It's the right amount of drama that doesn't overwhelm and seem exaggerated.

I understand that this might suit everyone's taste, but I would recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction and just reading in general.

P.S If you saw the movie and have written off reading the book, don't. I don't even want to acknowledge the existence of the movie.

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TOP FIVE: Books I Want To See As Movies

Not going to lie, whenever Hollywood announces it's making a book to movie adaptation I freak out a little. Not only because of excitement, but also because of apprehension - what if they screw up big time (like they usually do)? Still, it's nice to be able to visually appreciate the scenes that I've imagined in my mind and also garner more attention for a good book.

These are my top five, check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C-wRr4lVkw

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Counting Down: My Top Five

4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan


Plot: 

Meet Will Grayson and will grayson. Yes, they are two different people, unknown of each others existence. Will tries to float through life without being noticed - a feat that is barely manageable considering his best friend is name Tiny, but is larger than anything and very much gay. will has no reason to really live, besides a developing online relationship.

Their coincidental meeting one night leads to a story of maturity, acceptance and identity.

Reason:

As a collaborative novel,  I find that Will Grayson, Will Grayson provides a bit more than what John Green usually has in his novels. I am a big fan of his writing and do enjoy his other novels but I think WG, WG  is probably the best.

Whilst Green wrote the chapters for Will, Levithan was the brain behind will. Their writing really complimented each other though, with the transitions being seamless yet, able to differentiate between both characters. I found though, that both Will's acted only as a vehicle for the meaning of the story. Instead, it's Tiny - Will's best friend - that really stole the "show" and became my favourite character. Tiny embodied the values and morals that readers will learn once finishing the novel, and he was such a vivacious character. Probably the one most memorable character out of all of Green's novels is Tiny.

I would have to say the reason why I loved WG, WG so much is because of its story. As a coming of age story, WG, WG is very much relatable for high schoolers. Both Wills experience identity crisis although in their own ways and struggle to really fit in somehow in their life. If you don't identify with one "Will", you might with the other.

The concept of parallel lives is also quite interesting. I mean its not that easy to walk down the streets and find someone with the same name as you. Is it?

Overall, WG WG has a message that should speak volumes to YA readers. It's touching and has great characters. (Although in this novel the female characters aren't that great, so that's a minor problem). I loved the ending and would have to say Tiny is an inspiration to live by.

Also, just a minor warning. If you're quite conventional in regards to homosexuality then I have to tell you now, this novel does cover that issue quite a bit. If you're not okay with it then maybe this isn't for you.

Favourite Quote:

“In my kind of falling, there’s no landing. There’s only hitting the ground. Hard. Dead, or wanting to be dead. So the whole time you’re falling, it’s the worst feeling in the world. Because you feel you have no control over it. Because you know how it ends.”

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Counting Down: My Top Five

5. Scatterheart - Lili Wilkinson

Plot:

Hanna Cheshire is the spoilt daughter of a wealthy businessman. She has been served on her entire life and tutored by young Thomas, who lets her know of the world outside her home.

Hanna suddenly becomes abandoned and must fend for herself. Before she understands what is happening, she placed into jail and shipped off to Australia as a convict for a crime she didn't commit.

The story of Hanna's journey across the seas unfolds into a story of her growth as a person and a romance that was never meant to happen.

Reason:

This is a story that has stayed with me ever since I was young. Ok, not that young but still just in my teens.

It's got a pretty simple plot line but has a level of complexity that makes it intriguing and memorable. Hannah's led a  pretty sheltered life so when she realises how bleak the world actually is, compared to the usual fairytales, it becomes a life lesson. I felt like I travelled along with her across the seas and everything that she experienced left a mark with me.

There are characters who still, after all this time, have a place somewhere in my heart (?). I found that Hannah was more of a vehicle than an actual character but whilst I was reading it, it didn't bother me. She definitely drove the plot with her first person view. It was the people around her that I developed an emotional attachment with,  especially Meg. In the story, she becomes like a mother/sisterly figure for Hannah and is downright badass as well.

I would say there are moments that might not be so appropriate for younger readers, depending on what you've been exposed to. Those that left an impact for me are the heartbreaking ones, which I think made the novel so much stronger. It's never smooth sailing and Hannah learns that during her time on sea. It creates a realistic world, not necessarily relatable but in a world readers will know.

Don't mistake Scatterheart to just be about the soppy romance. It's about finding identity, trust in the people around you and most importantly, being yourself. It probably is a bit more on the girly side, not saying boys can't read it, but it's just gorgeous and there's the bonus of a tale/myth being told as the title of each chapter.

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