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'How to be an Alien' is a short novel about the experience of trying to become British.  The author, George Mikes, wrote it in 1.966, fifteen years after his arrival in England (where the story is set) from his homeland Hungary.  The book is an ironic comedy about the English behaviours and customs.  However, it is based on George Mike's experience, so, under the comedy, we can find a biography and a kind of guide as well.

The story is divided into two parts: the 'General' and the 'Particular Alien', both containing several chapters which show 'the strange rules' that need to be followed 'to make yourself civilized' or, in other words, British.  The rules are mostly explained by the comparison between the English people and the Continentals (rest of the Europeans) and using some topics like the weather, the tea, the queues...The plot is focused on behaviours, not on characters.  Because of that, there are no specific characters.

The first part is hilarious. The second is funny but a bit boring to read, perhaps because of the topics, which are a little too English to be fully understood by a 'continental' reader.  The final chapter, 'If naturalized', is the best of the book, though.

The novel is very interesting and you can have a very good time reading it.  But make no mistake, it is not that simple: in the very inside, like in a Russian doll, you will see some other things (classism, hypocrisy, racism...). I recommend it despite the fact that it was written in the sixties of past century and many things might have changed, and the vocabulary is not state-of-the-art.

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“THE PENGUIN BOOK OF IRISH.
SHORT STORIES” by Valentín del Busto 

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“THE PENGUIN BOOK OF IRISH.
SHORT STORIES” by Valentín del Busto 

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The book I’ve chosen is “The penguin book of Irish. Short stories” it was edited by Benedict Kiely (1919-2007) in 1981 in London

This book has thirty eight short stories being each one from a different author. There are several writers’ generations, embracing from William Carleton (1794-1869) to Neil Jordan who was born in 1951. Eminent writers as James Joyce (1882-1941) or Mary Lavín (1912-1996) are included too.

The stories are set in Ireland and include, inter alia, tragedy, fiction and ancient and folk tales. To give a brief outline, in "The daugther of king underwave", I’ve seen a man deeply in love, searching for his beloved one up to a remote island, wining a battle, and due to an enchantment, renouncing to his love to save her life. I’ve felt bizarre feelings seeing how a gambler tried to deceive death in "The cards of the gambler". Reading "Wildgoose lodge" I’ve felt sad, worried and really anxious. The plot is about a rural society, The Ribbonmen, which burnt the members of a family in their home, including a child. His father was begging for his life when The Ribbonem said "your son is coal now". Regrettably, it is based on an actual event where it is said that the Ribbonem, as a matter of fact, had pronounced the words “Nits breed lice” instead of the book’s sentence.

In the first reading days, I thought that I should’ve chosen another book because, most of the times I had to struggle with understanding the book, going a page backward and forward, once and again, trying to identify the plot, characters, scenery and every single detail I had missed. In spite of having countless hardships, I encourage all of you to read it because, the vocabulary is really extensive, superbly written, these stories are striking, giving you food for thought and making you part of the Irish culture.

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THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS by Nacho Barriuso

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THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS by Nacho Barriuso

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“The boy in the striped pyjamas” is a novel written by John Boyne, who describes the story of a German family during the Second World War, seen from the perspective of an eight-year-old child. It is a thriller developed in a historic atmosphere which helps to enter deeper in the story. Through the pages, the author lets us enter the mind of Bruno (the child) who shows us his interpretation, from his innocence, of the strange world around him.

The major part of the story is set in Poland, in a place called by Bruno “Out-With”. The plot focuses on the move of Bruno’s family from Berlin to this place due to the promotion to commandant of this father. There, Bruno discovers and tries to understand little by little the injustices of the war. The plot has an unexpected twist when Bruno meets Shmuel, an eight-year-old boy who wears a striped pyjama and lives in the other side of a strange fence. This friendship leads us to a tragic and surprising end.

From my point of view, John Boyne lets us observe a historic moment everyone knows from a vision nobody has seen before. This story teaches us through this body how incomprehensible is to think some people are more worthwhile than other. Teaching that we should still apply nowadays.

Let me conclude by saying that I definitely recommend that you add this book to your collection. Don’t miss this sensitive, memorable, powerful and beautifully written book.

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“The Gift” is a magical novel published in 1994 by the American writer Danielle Steel, the queen of the romantic genre. Her real name is Danielle Fernande Dominique Schülen-Steel, and she has sold over 800 books all around the world.

The story is set in a small town in the 1950s and tells the story of a high-school student called Maribeth Robertson, raised in a traditionl Christian household. She becomes pregnant after spending the night with a guy, who later would marry his girlfriend. Her parents took her into a convent to give the baby up for adoption but a few weeks later she couldn't stand it and scaped with a one-way bus ticket. Half-way she got a job in a roadside restaurant and stayed there. And there was where she met Tommy, whose family was totally shatterred by the death of his little sister Annie. They started a relationship and when Tommy and his family found out that she was pregnant they tried to help her. They accompanied her throughout pregnancy. Maribeth was convinced to give her baby up for adoption so she chose Tommy's family for doing it. Liz, the mother, was truly excited because since Annie they had been unable to have children. Finally, after the birth, Maribeth returns home leaving the greatest gift she could give to a family, a life, a future, a hope.

In my opinion, the plot is well-developed and the characters are believable, because all the situations they live are common in real life and readers can identify with them easily. I must admit that a found it boring at the beginning, because there was no connection between the story of both families. But, surprisingly, the plot has an unexpected twist making everything have more sense, turning into an enthralling novel.

In conclusion, It's a well-worth reading and I would recommend it if you like these kind of romantic novels. In my case, I prefer mystery and thriller novels although I must admit that this book was so good that I couldn't put it down, so with this in mind I have to say that is a must-read.

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Here are some considerations and tips about writing book reviews. I hope you find them useful.

1. Difference between a book report and a book review.

2. Getting started.

3. Some tips.

4. Useful language.

5. Revising your review.

6. The task.

1. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REPORT AND A BOOK REVIEW.

A book report contains facts. It includes information about the author, title, place and year of publication as well as a summary of the content of the book.

A book review, on the other hand, is much more personal. It contains the reader's opinion and specific aspects of the book. The review will probably include factual information, but it is the reader's personal opinion that is most important.

2. GETTING STARTED

How can I start? You have read your book. Your next step will be to organize what you are going to say about it. Writing the basic elements down in an outline format will help you to organize your thoughts.

How shall I organize the information? Normally a book review is divided into four parts: introduction, summary, opinion and conclusion.

Introduction: In the introduction you give facts and background information about the book and its author. It should contain the book title, and the name of the author. Don't forget to mention the book's genre (such as mystery, fantasy, biography, essay, comedy or adventure).

A main body: usually made up of two paragraphs.

In the first paragraph, give a concise outline of the plot and introduce the main characters, mentioning the setting (where and when the story takes place) and the overall theme of the book. Be careful not to re-tell the whole story in detail.

In the second paragraph you can give your opinion, including sentences about how you liked the book, which characters you liked and disliked and how the ending made you feel. You can also express what you felt was the best part of the story. Don't be afraid to include negative points.

Conclusion: It consists of the overall feelings and opinions on the story and whether or not you would encourage others to read it and why. No new information or ideas should be introduced in the conclusion.

3. SOME TIPS.

Before you begin writing, make a few notes about the points you want to get across.

Try to get the main theme of the book across in the beginning of your review. Your reader should know right away what he or she is getting into should they choose to read the book.

Mention the name of the author and the book title in the first paragraph - there's nothing more frustrating than reading a review of a great book but not knowing who wrote it and what the title is!

Think about whether the book is part of a genre. Does the book fit into a type like mystery, adventure, or romance? What aspects of the genre does it use?

When mentioning a character for the first time, don't forget to use his/her full name.

Make sure your review explains how you feel about the book and why, not just what the book is about. A good review should express the reviewer's opinion and persuade the reader to share it, to read the book, or to avoid reading and make sure that someone who has not read the book will understand it after reading your review. Don't be afraid to express your opinion openly, even if it is a negative one.

Use adjectives and adverbs in order to strengthen your opinion about the book or its plot. For ex. extremely disturbing.

The style depends upon the intended reader, so it can be either formal or semi-formal, but not colloquial.

Some of these tips are from Rodman Philbrick.

4. REVISING YOUR REVIEW

Write your draft and then allow some time to pass, at least a few hours, before you start your revision.

Check the layout and that the information is arranged in paragraphs. Look for unity, organisation and logical development.

Correct all mistakes in grammar, spelling and punctuation as you find them. You can use this checklist.

Use a range of present tenses, including the Present Perfect, to outline the plot as well as a variety of adjectives to make the review more interesting to the reader.

Don't use informal language, slang or contractions. Make sure that your language is formal or semiformal and academically correct.

Don't use long quotations from the book.

Read your paper through again looking for unity, organisation and logical development. If a sentence looks awkward, don't hesitate to rewrite it.

5. USEFUL LANGUAGE

Introduction:

The book/novel was written by...

This well-written/informative/fascinating book...

This original first novel...

This novel is based on...

" __" is a powerful first novel by...

Main body

The story is set in .... (rural Spain at the beginning of the XV century)

The story takes place...

The book tells the story of...

The story begins/ is about...

The story is told by...

The plot focuses on....

"___" is rich and detailed in plot.

The plot has an unexpected twist...

The plot is absolutely thrilling/ boring/clever/ exciting...

A plot with well-developed believable characters.

The character I like best is

General comments and opinion

The characters are very well drawn and readers can identify with them easily.

The story is totally convincing.

It has a tragic/dramatic /surprising end.

There was an unexpected twist to the story.

What we don't learn until the end is...

What I liked best was (the way)...

What I didn't like was...

My only reservation about this book...

Recommendations

Don't miss it.

I would/wouldn't recommend it because...

It is at the top of my list.

It's a highly entertaining read.

Don't bother with this one.

It's well-worth reading.

It will change the way you see...

It's a bore to read.

I definitely recommend that you add this book to your collection.

The book was so good that I couldn't put it down..

The book certainly lived up to my expectations.

Adjectives to describe a book

Positive: gripping, best-selling, intriguing, thrilling, fascinating, enthralling, evocative, heart-warming, sensitive, memorable, powerful, beautifully written, engaging, fascinating.

Negative: disturbing, unconvincing, preposterous, predictable, dull, unimaginative, poorly-written, confusing.

Neutral: fast-paced (most of them collocate with the adjectives above).

Adverbs (most of them collocate with the adjectives above)

Amazingly, considerably, exceedingly, extraordinarily, extremely, highly, immensely, noticeably, radically, remarkably, significantly, totally, truly, utterly.

6. THE TASK

(adapted from Advanced Masterclass)

You have seen this announcement in a magazine.

. Hope you find it useful!

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Here are some considerations and tips about writing book reviews. I hope you find them useful. Difference between a book report and a book review. Getting started. Some tips. Useful language. Revising your review. The task. 1. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REPORT AND A BOOK REVIEW.

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE WITH US YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK?