Saturday 30 April 2011
Dying Light - Stuart MacBride
The story seemed to be a little slow moving compared to "Cold Granite" yet there was a lot more going on. Logan is working two cases which could get confusing but surprisingly doesn't. Actually, I was glad because I would have missed DI Insch constantly filling his face with sweets and using them as rewards when one of his PCs gets something right. Both cases are so completely different that it's easy to keep them apart. At one point I thought it was going to turn out that both cases were in some way going to be part of a bigger crime (Deaver does this a lot) but turns out not to be the case. I think I would have been disappointed if it had been.
The relationship between MacRae and Steel is very different from MacRae and Insch. Steel doesn't do anything by the book. She just wants to solve the murder and move on even if the facts don't quite fit. This frustrated MacRae and he believes that she's going to bring him down with her. Steel also doesn't like it when he goes and does his own investigating without informing her which he believes is so she can take credit. The constant logger heads leads to a lot of humour. Mainly sarcasm. Like most Scot's I love sarcasm and Scot's can do sarcasm well. I had planned on a few quotes to show what I mean but Scot's also love their profanities and the humour was filled with them.
The humour is the first reason why I love these books but the second reason is that Logan MacRae is human. I am sure I mentioned this in my review of the first book. He is likeable and his bosses, for the most part, like and respect him. He's good at his job and seems to have a nack for putting things together. He isn't perfect though. He manages to offend the wrong people, he struggles to keep his girlfriend happy, he messes up at least once or twice in a book and he is a champion sulker.
The pace of the book is the only thing that really let it down and I think that might have more to do with me than the book itself. Certainly was enjoyable (although a bit gruesome at times). It's only the author's second book and I can't wait to see what other problems Logan MacRae manages to create for himself.
Friday 29 April 2011
1602 - Neil Gaiman or Do I like Graphic Novels?
I have always loved super heroes but growing up I never read any of the comics. Ever Saturday though I would watch Spiderman, X-Men or the Fantastic Four. My knowledge of comic book super heroes is limited to those and to the films I watched later. When I was little a comic book meant the Beano. Later I thought about trying to get into them but where do you start? There are so many different ones and I would want to start from the very beginning. So I didn't even try. I picked up this one because I love Neil Gaiman and it seemed like my limited knowledge would be enough.
I was right thankfully. Reading the introduction by Gaiman was enough to give me an idea of the characters I could expect. Many of whom I would recognise from the cartoons. What I liked about this book is that it took aspects of history. Queen Elizabeth at the end of her reign, James I at the start of his, the witch hunts and the Spanish Inquisition. I enjoyed it and had it played more on these parts then maybe I would have enjoyed it all the more. Sadly I grew quickly bored and had to force myself to finish it. It all seemed a little too easy but should I really expect more from a graphic novel? My knowledge of them isn't that great so I can't answer that myself. I did love the art work. There were a few prints within that I thought was very well done but that's not enough for me.
Truth is I wonder if maybe I am just not the graphic novel type. A few years ago a friend was surprised by the fact that I had never read one (he was aware of my other geeky interests). He said the same thing about having never watched anime other than "Spirited Away". He was right about that and I now have a collection of these films which I love. I trusted him with the graphic novels and picked up several (including this one). I never did get round to reading them though. So I have decided to theme May. It will be the month I decide whether or not I can appreciate graphic novels. It will also give me a chance to get through the pile I have. I am probably going to start with Heroes vol 1 and 2 as they are closer at hand.
Thursday 28 April 2011
A Confederacy Of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
Ingatius is one of the most repulsive and irritating characters I have ever come across which I think is saying something. When I first started reading the book I thought I was going to hate it. I couldn't look away and eventually I got over how disgusting he is and actually found myself giggling. One of my particular favourites is when he tried to organise the gay political party believing that they should take over world in order to create world peace. World leaders would be too busy coming together over musicals and costume parties to be at war. Funnily enough it doesn't quite go as planned.
At one point he suggests some back ground reading. It's important to study history although he tells the individual to ignore the Renaissance and the Enlightenment as he describes it as "dangerous propaganda." What tickled me though was that for the contemporary period he recommended comics especially Batman.
The rest of the characters are just as absurd as Ignatius although not quite as entertaining. There is his poor mother who finally gets a life for herself away from her son although it does lead to her believing that Ignatius needs a padded cell. She's also a bit of a drinker which is constantly mentioned through out but with a son like that who can blame her. Then there is Myrna, Ignatius' rival and trouble maker who is just as bad as he is. I wish there had been more scene's with her but the letter writing was funny as was Ignatius' reaction to them. Then there was Miss Trixie, Mrs Levy and Lena Lee. My favourite though was Patrolman Mancusa who as a form of punishment is forced to patrol the streets in different disguises until he arrests someone suspicious.
In the end I surprised myself by loving the book. I though it was extremely funny although it felt more like I was laughing at these characters than laughing with.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Readalong
I bought the book at the start of the year and it is still waiting on me (I have other books that have been sitting there a few years so it's actually lucky to have such a short wait). I bought it and The Odyssey because I keep coming across references to them in science fiction books. In a few they are even used in detail. The first real reference (or the one I noticed) was in Tad Williams "Otherland" series. It's a fantastic series and part of the fun was recognising all the books including, The Day of The Triffids and The Wizard of Oz. Some of the main characters are trapped in one of the battles during The Iliad whilst later another believes he is Odysseus. Those were some of my favourite parts and it did pique my interest.
More recently I read Dan Simmons Ilium which also has references to different books but mainly The Iliad. In this case the battles were being re-enacted (although only the Gods and the scholar were aware it was a re-enactment) with the Gods watching on. It increased my interest once again and so I picked it up. If I had done the top ten of most daunting books during the Tuesday Rewind this would have been on the list. Poetry is not my strong point and I have never attempted classics such as this. I want to though which is why I am looking forward to joining in the readalong. The idea of Greek Gods, myths and legends have always appealed to me.
If you want to join in to there is a sign up on the blog. It starts Sunday.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Top Ten Tuesday - Mean Girls
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
I wasn't sure how to interpret this weeks prompt. Does it just mean bitch like the film or villains? I decided to do it a little as both otherwise I don't think I would have a top ten.
1. Zania (The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood). There is nothing at all redeemable about this character. She is willing to tell the most awful lies in order to push herself into the lives of these three women (including dying of cancer). She then steals their men and rips apart their lives. She claims she is doing it for them but I get the sense she enjoys it too much.
2. Miss Havisham (Great Expecations - Charles Dickens). Hardly a 'girl' but she does fit the title. So bitter and twisted from her own disappointment she decides to manipulate everyone around her in order to get her revenge on the world.
3. Anne Boleyn (Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel). In history she can be viewed as a victim of her family. We don't really see that in this book though. What you do see is that she is powerful with the ear of the King and should not be crossed.
4. Catherine (Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte). Spoiled, selfish and manipulative. You almost feel sorry for Heathcliffe (almost).
5. Cathy Ames (East of Eden - John Steinbeck). Manipulative, mercenary and murderous. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants, including murdering her own parents.
6. Marisa Coulter (His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman). She does redeem herself at one point by showing some kindness to her daughter. She is still cold and manipulative and was the one to put her daughter in danger in the first place.
7. Joyce Barnhardt (Stephanie Plum series - Janet Evanovich). Probably the most like the term 'mean girl' in this list. She has picked on Stephanie since school. Now she loves nothing more than humiliating her. She had an affair with her husband and sleeps with Stephanie's boss in order to get put on her cases. Also loves to go after Stephanie's current love interest.
8. Monica Morel (Morganville Vampire series - Rachel Caine). Another closer to the term 'mean girl'. Her family are powerful and she uses that to start increase her own power amongst her piers. A bit of a sociopath as she is goes beyond bullying and has even attempted murder.
9. Mrs Danvers (Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier). Manipulative and a little unstable. So besotted with her dead mistress she even tries to convince the new Mrs De Winter to kill herself. I love the fact that the Danvers character is used as an army in Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. I bet any army facing them would surrender.
10. Lucrezia Borgia - Beautiful, powerful, cold and jealous. Willing to have a young girl put to death out of misplaced jealousy.
Quite a few of mine are from classics. They really knew how to do a female villain back then. I found this quite difficult for a few reasons. The first one being that these days (or because of what I mainly read) the bitch/villain usually has some redeemable quality or a change of heart. Even some of my list might be viewed as a victim of circumstance as much as anything else. Also I have a shocking memory. I keep a list of all the books I've read and flicking back through it I had difficulty in trying to remember if they contained a character who would make this last. Actually, I came across a few books I forgot I had read. Thank goodness I now keep a book journal.
Monday 25 April 2011
It's Monday! What Are You Reading?
"Into the Darkest Corner" by Elizabeth Haynes
The Passage" by Justin Cronin.
"A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Dying Light" by Stuart MacBride.
Going by my pace I will finish them this week. I haven't decided what to read after that though. Keep changing my mind.
Sunday 24 April 2011
The Passage - Justin Cronin
I had high expectations of this book before it was even published. I am glad to say that not only did it not disappoint, for me anyway, it exceeded those expectations. This isn't just your normal vampire tale. Yes, vampirism being a virus is hardly new but it was more than that. It was also a dystopian novel. Whilst I love a good vampire story dystopian trumps vampire any day.
The first third of the book is set not long from now. It sets up the story giving background into those infected by the virus and how it got loose. Completely necessary but I felt a little frustrated by it. I wanted the story to move on. I think though that it had more to do with my being so busy at the time and was unable to spend as much time reading it as I would have liked. So there is my first piece of advice. If you do decide to read this book then make sure you have plenty of time to sit and enjoy it. This section actually reminded me of Stephen King because of the way he built it up and went into such detail about each of the characters. I have since read that it's been compared to King's "The Stand" which just happens to be my favourite King book.
After this section the book jumps almost a hundred years to one small colony of survivors who may be facing the end. This is where I lost the feeling of a King book and this is where I truly began to love it. It was so completely different from the first third it felt like a different book. The walker, Amy makes an appearance and one of the colonists, Peter, believes that she holds the key to their survival. From this point there was so many different twists and turns I found it difficult to put down. I even caught myself shouting no when something happened to a character I had grown fond of.
I loved the fact that the vampires weren't really your atypical supernatural beings. As the plot develops we do learn a lot more about them. Some things that would surprise you and they do share some of characteristics to your standard vampire (other than the blood drinking though I am not telling). I also found myself feeling sympathetic towards them which I think was what the author was wanting. That doesn't make it any less scary though and there was one scene set in LA that I thought might cause me to put the book in the freezer.
This book is definitely going on my list of favourite books read this year. I am just gutted that I have to wait until the second part of the trilogy. I should warn you that this author is mean and ended his book on a cliffhanger.
Saturday 23 April 2011
Book Blogger Hop
Friday 22 April 2011
Dead In The Family - Charlaine Harris (goodbye Sookie).
Sounds like a lot doesn't it? Truth is not much is happening. There are all these little things which in the end don't really add up to anything new. The power struggle with Victor could have been interesting and at the start that did seem to be where it was going. There was even mention of spies which would have added to the interest. Sadly, after being mentioned a few times through the book, it was never dealt with. Maybe it's being kept for another book but the rest of the story seemed trivial. Eric's maker turning up was another point of interest that only lead to disappointment. He had the power to make Eric do anything and yet it fizzled away to him needing help to control the brother. The were's involvement also proved to be small. Another power struggle that Sookie was dragged into thanks to her fairy family who were never sure if they really wanted to hurt her or not.
What this boils down to (and the reason for the addition to the title of this post) is that maybe I should stop reading these books. I loved them once but now I seem to be reading them just in case I miss out. I devoured these books once and yet this one has been sitting on my shelf since it was first released over a year ago. I believe in never saying never but I won't be going out of my way to read future releases.
Thursday 21 April 2011
Book Covers!
The less busy a cover is the more it's going to attract me as is the case with all of Murakami's book covers. Whilst this book isn't my favourite out of his work it's certainly one of my favourite covers.
Booking Through Thursday
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Into The Darkest Hour - Elizabeth Haynes
This generally isn't a book I would pick up. It was suggested for my book group by my friend which is the only reason I gave it a shot. I am glad I did as I loved this book. I became emotionally involved very quickly. The story alternates between two time lines. You see both the start and end of the abuse and then four years later as she tries to keep her life together. I think this is what I loved about the book. At the age of 24 Cathy loves life. There isn't a night when she isn't out and her friends are the most important thing in her life. She loves to flirt and just loves life in general. You then flash to her life now. She has no social life. Her clothes are all practical. She has cut herself off from all her friends and she spends her time feeling anxious and frightened on a good day.
As Cathy starts on the road to recovery with the help of Stuart you see how her boyfriend Lee slowly began to control her life and how she was stuck there. You understand how her OCD has manifested itself with all the mind control games Lee played on her. Cleverly done I thought and this split time line allows you to feel more sympathy for the main character as well as gain more understanding.
This was meant to be my travel book whilst I read The Passage at home. I got to a certain point though where I had to keep reading (was up to 3am last night finishing it). It was difficult to read about the physical abuse but I had to keep going. I had to know that the character survived and that Lee didn't win (he is released from prison about half way through the book). I have a few friends who have some mental health issues (mainly severe depression) and felt that it gave a good understanding into it. I think the author certainly did her homework there.
Another reason I liked it is that Cathy has her flaws even from the start. Her life before was almost frivolous and she and her friends could be a little catty at times. After the events she could be a little stroppy and didn't always like to protected. A good thing I think as it meant that she wanted to get better for herself and not just because the lovely man upstairs was helping her.
One thing that bothered me (which always bothers me in books) is how easy it was for Cathy and Stuart to fall in love. He is a Dr who specialises with mental health problems, depression in particular. He deals with people who have Cathy's problems all the time and he doesn't want to treat Cathy as he likes her. Fair enough but all they talk about is her OCD. Cathy is still recovering from the trauma of her last relationship and Stuart himself had his heart broken. Both want to take it slow and yet that is eventually out the window. Don't get me wrong, despite the fact that I don't have a romantic bone in my body I was routing for them it just niggled at me a little.
A great book but I think there are a lot of people out there who would be unable to read the scenes of domestic violence which could be quite horrific.
Tuesday 19 April 2011
Top Ten Tuesday - Childhood favourites!
George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl. As a kid I devoured all Dahl books. The first one that was read to me was Charlies and the Chocolate Factory. This one though remains my favourite. It was probably my evil streak which was attracted to it. Unlike the gran in this book both of mine were lovely ladies and yet I wanted to make them a potion to see if they would grow taller than the house. Thankfully my mum vetoed the idea (have a feeling it had more to do with the mess I would make).
What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge. I don't actually remember much about these books although I remember loving them. I do remember Katy was the oldest of four children who were brought up by their father and an unappreciated aunt. Katy had a fiery temper which her father was always trying to help her with. At one point she has an accident and she has to learn to walk again. It's only then she appreciates what her aunt does for them. My favourite in the series was actually What Katy Did at School. I had a thing for boarding school stories and was disappointed that it was so short.
Gemma by Noel Streatfield. Gemma is taken in by her cousins who are all talented musicians. They perform regularly. Gemma wants to be one of them and she takes up the banjo. I have always wanted to learn to play the banjo thanks to this series. I am sure Gemma was a little selfish and spoiled at the start of the book and was quickly taught to be otherwise through her cousins. It was the music side of things that appealed to me though.
Emily Of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery. I did read the Anne of Green Gables books growing up but whilst I liked them they weren't my favourite. I preferred the Emily books. The character Emily had her flaws (unlike Anne if I remember correctly) and it was for this that I liked her more. Like Anne she is an orphan but is taken in by her aunts and cousin. She learns life on the farm and makes friends in the process. She also has to convince her aunt that writing isn't a waste of time. It still shocks me that these books are now out of print.
Monday 18 April 2011
The Story Of Martha - Dan Abnett
Yep, I am a geek and I proudly wear my geek badge for all to see. I have loved Doctor Who since I was a child thanks to my parents who would by the classics on VHS. I rarely read the books though as they usually aren't that good. Occasionally I will pick one up if the story interests me. This one did. I thought it was a fantastic idea to write Martha's tales of her travelling the Earth and trying to get everyone to believe in the Doctor. Once again though it was a little disappointing. It follows Martha over the first six months and that's split with tales of her travels with the Doctor, tales she is telling survivors.
Details of Martha being with the underground come from when she is just arriving or just leaving. She is being followed by a human working for the master which could have been interesting but that too follows a similar pattern. He arrives either too late or has been deliberately misdirected. That is until they reach Japan and something is wrong there that isn't the work of the Master. Martha and this man are forced to work together very briefly. Again that could have been interesting but this was just the last chapter of the book. The last two pages jumps six months to her returning to the UK.
I think this book had such great potential, or the idea did anyway and it failed. There could have been more focus on Martha's travels and human survival which is what I thought it was going to be about. It wasn't that bad though. It was an easy read which was why I decided to use it as my travelling book last week. I would have found it mildly entertaining had I not expected more from it.
It's Monday!
Thursday 14 April 2011
Booking Through Thursday
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Frequent Commenter Award - my first award!
For this award I have now to pass it on to at least two others, recommend four books and recommend four blogs. I would have awarded pwb of curiosity killed by bookworm but she was also awarded this by Gabriel. So I am awarding it to Imaginary friends and Sally of Elifylop.
Four books I recommend;
1. One Day - David Nicholls
2. White Teeth - Zadie Smith
3. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
4. Jpod - Douglas Coupland
Four book blogs I recommend;
1. This Week At The Library.
2. Books I Done Read.
3. Curiosity Killed the Bookworm.
4. The Eye Of Loni's Storm.
Thanks again for the award Gabriel.
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'd like to see become movies.
Monday 11 April 2011
Monday! What Are You Reading!
Thanks to the readathon I have a fair list of what I read last week. It would have contained only one otherwise as I was reading a history book which I tend to read slower than fiction. So last week I read;
The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Antonia Fraser
I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie
The Body In the Library - Agatha Christie
Shiver - Maggie Striefvater.
My favourite one was the Henry VIII book. Sometimes with non fiction I feel the need to read fiction alongside it. Not so with this one. If you want drama you should really read up on this part of history (it's better than the fictionalised versions).
This week I plan on finally reading The Passage by Justin Cronin. Gabriel from Gabriel Reads put me in mind to reading it. I bought it the week it was released and it's been collecting dust since (that should surprise no one). Not sure I will get to read much else this week as I have a lot of other things on. If I do I am torn between my book group choice Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes and Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (I am swaying more towards John Kennedy Toole).
The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Antonia Fraser
A few weeks ago I watched the second season of the Tudors which is a guilty pleasure of mine. To wash away the dirty taint of guilt I decided to read this. It's well written and engaging. It's not one of those history books that seems like a chore to read. The focus is on his wives but much of Henry himself is in this book. You can't really talk about the wives without also talking about Henry. I read a book not that long ago about him (only a brief history) and I came away disgusted. It depicted him as a selfish spoiled brat of a man who is prone to tantrums when he doesn't get his own way. I still think he was those things but thanks to this book I also think he was more than that. I gained more sympathy for the man who lived in the shadow of his father. The bulk of the book is focused on his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Not surprising considering she moved to England to marry Arthur at age 15 then married Henry in her early twenties. They were then married for 24 years before Henry was able to have the marriage annulled and marry Anne Boleyn. His marriage to the rest of his wives total just over 10 years.
It also may surprise most people that much of that first marriage was a happy one. The reason for Henry's unhappiness was biology. The inability to produce a son. The need of an heir was an obsession for Henry (as I am sure it was for many monarchs during this time) and he blamed his wives for not producing one. The book is extremely sympathetic to the wives. Fraser is famous for this sympathy and I felt it was almost biased when reading "Mary Queen of Scots". In this case though she did show the faults of all the wives but still put them across as victims, which they were. As well as sympathy for the wives I felt very sorry for Mary and Elizabeth who were made illegitimate by their own father (despite him showing affection for them). There was even sympathy for Cromwell who is notoriously depicted as a vile character. Not so here, instead he is shown as a true servant of the King.
I could go on and recount everything about this book I found interesting. Needless to say I now want to read more on Mary, Elizabeth and Cromwell. I do have a book on Mary somewhere so after a break I think that will be my next non fiction book.
Sunday 10 April 2011
And it's done!
Things I learned;
* I do need a wee nap to break it up otherwise headaches will haunt me
* Poirot rocks
* facewipes and tea help
* I am over YA paranormal romance books.
* Readers make great people.
* check bread is okay beforehand
* more savory snacks than sweet.
* go with gut book wise. Really wanted to finish a history book I was reading for the end but instead read a book form my pile that I didn't enjoy in the end.
I am sure there are more but that's all I remember for now. It is 1pm and it feels like early hours of the morning. I will stay up though as I won't sleep tonight otherwise. More importantly I had fun doing this and I got to see some really cool blogs I might have missed out on otherwise.
I am not going to give a full review of the last book "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater. I think it's safe to say I didn't enjoy it. There was nothing wrong with the writing I just found it very boring. Yet another hint that maybe I should stop reading YA books (I know that won't happen though). There was nothing original about it. Boy is a werewolf and in love with a girl who isn't. A little bit more to it than that but not much more. I won't be reading the rest in the series.
Definitely going to take part in this again. I know a number of friends who might be interested too and if I can get my act together organising it then maybe we could raise some money for charity.
Big thanks to everyone who cheered me on. I did appreciate it.
Saturday 9 April 2011
Readathon #4
Hour22 - I am awake again. I wouldn't say raring to go as I am still tired. However, I am picking up my book again for hours 22 to the end.
Hour24 - woo hoo, it's the last hour and I might actuall finish book number four. Meanwhile I am going to do the last mini challenge which is in the form of a survey
1. The last hour before my nap. My head hurt and I knew I wasn't going to stay awake much longer.
2. I think picking a couple of books from an easy but favourite series is a good idea. For me it was Agatha Christie and I think I will pick a couple more of those for next time.
3. no improvements.
4. I thought the mini challenges were a fantastic idea and whilst I didn't take part in all I still thought they were fun.
5. I have read three and might finish book 4.
6. Finished books - I Am Number Four, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Body In The
7. My favourite book was The Mysterious Affair at Styles
8. My least favourite is the one I am reading now, Shiver.
9. NA
10. I am definitely going to do this again. If I have the time I am going to get some friends involved and raise money for charity.
The Body In The Library - Agatha Christie
I was highly amused by just how excited Mrs Bantray was. Sure her husband is suspected of murder but she decides take advantage of it and have some good fun with her friend MissMarple. Not the sort of reaction you would expect. Sadly for a good chunk of the book after that it's mainly police investigation and not a lot of Miss Marple. Oh and by the way if I was Miss Marple I would be offended by the number of times she is described as a spinster. She has a spinster face and spinster clothes and I am sure there were other similar descriptions.
I don't know if it was down to being so tired but I quickly became bored of the story. There just wasn't enough of Miss Marple. And there certainly should have been more of Mrs Bantray whom I found very entertaining. I think what also spoiled it is that for the last half of the book I was sure I had seen the tv adaptation of it but could only remember blond hair and clipped nails. Wasn't until the end was revealed that I remembered I had seen it. Meant instead of trying to work out who the murderer was I was trying to rack my brains as to what else I could remember.
Readathon #3
Hour15 - Face wipes have helped a bit. About 2/3 of my way through book three. Definitely would have finished it by now normally.
Hour16 - Woo hoo! I have finished book 3. Took a lot longer than it should have done. I put it down to being so tired. I am reading for one more hour, cause it's a new book, and then I am NAPPING. Don't worry, I will set my alarm so I don't miss the rest of the readathon. Anyways, my next book is going to be "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater.
Midway Survey!
1. Right now I am reading "The Body In The Library" by Agatha Christie.
2. So far I have managed to read two books. That's one more than I actually thought I would do.
3. Not really that excited about the rest of my books. Now that I have a taste for Christie I want more.
4. I didn't have to plan any holidays but I did tell friends I couldn't make plans today so I could take part.
5. My sister did send me messages earlier in the event. I explained what I was doing and she left me alone after that. I did think mind you that I was going to get a phone call from her tonight which I would have cut short (guiltily). Other than that the only interruprions have been mind doing things like this.
6. No real surprises about the readathon. What will surprise me is if I manage it. I do like the fact though that everyone is being so supportive of each other.
7. No improvements to the organisation of the readathon itself. I however, will ensure I have mold free bread so I can have the toast I was craving two hours ago. Will also organise some fundraising.
8. Oops, I kinda answered what I would do differently with number 7.
9. I am getting tired. I was getting tired 3 hours ago but keeping getting my wind back. Not sure how long that will last.
10. hmmm, the only tips I really have for other readers is ones that I have read myself already. Choose your books wisely. Short ones that you feel excited about and a mix of them too. I think if I really had picked all Christie I would be bored by now. Also break it up with visiting blogs, twitter and taking part in mini challenges. Or even doing something boring around this house. Just anything so you aren't straining your eyes.
The Mysterious Affair At Styles - Agatha Christie
Have I mentioned before just how much I love Poirot? Yet I have read very few of these books. Something I must rectify. I loved all the cliche characters. The money grabbing husband, the money pinched sons, the young ward beholden to the mistress of the house and so many more. All these things appeal to me which is just as well as it's exactly what I got. Yet it was still a surprise for whilst I was admonishing Hastings for his stupidity I myself got it wrong.
I think if anyone wants to have a go at reading Christie (and I do recommend them as good old fashioned fun) then this is a good one to start with. It's Poirot's first case which was why I bought this one in the first place.
Readathon #2
Hour9 - spent the last hour soaking in a bubble bath with my book. Would have been tempted with a glass of wine too if I didn't think I would want to sleep after. Struggling a bit on the tiredness front and it's only 9pm. Going to spend hour 9 in the kitchen with a cup of tea. Thanks for the idea JustJacF.
Hour11 - Had a cup of tea with my book during hour 9 and 10 and it did me the world of good. Finished another book.
I Am Number Four - Pittacus Lore
Readathon #1
Friday 8 April 2011
My Readathon Books
I went through a very small Agatha Christie phase. I read some of her short stories and decided to read some of her others. I picked up these two in a sale and they have been sitting there ever since. I have been meaning to get round to reading them as I do have a soft spot for Poirot. My mum watches all the tv adaptations and I remember watching them with her. For some reason Poirot appealed to me more than Miss Marple did.
"The Wind Singer" and "Shiver" were recommendations from my friend the children's reader. I haven't been in the mood to read children's books lately (much to the disgust of my friend) which is why they have been collecting dust. I have to confess I have given a few children's books away that I knew I wasn't going to read. For some reason these two didn't make the cull.
Not sure I will read all of them as I do tend to read slow when I am tired. If I do miraculously finish them and I have time to spare I have another YA book in the pile.
Oh, and the readathon starts at 12pm GMT which means I start reading at 1pm. Not bad. Was worried I was going to have to get up at crazy o'clock.
Thursday 7 April 2011
Booking Through Thursday
I wish I had the space to display my books properly. I would love nothing better than to sit and rearrange them. It's the geek in me (or anal retentive depending on how you look at it). I have thought about how I would display them when I do have the space (my ultimate goal). First of all I have so many they will need a room to themselves. Would I alphabetise them a-z by author? Or would I split them into genre and then alphabetise? I have a pile of precious signed books, would I keep them separate? Would I keep my craft books (of which I have over 60) separate? I can't decide. I would probably play about with them and change it several times before I am happy. I have a friend who has floor to ceiling bookcases round two walls of her living room and they are displayed in alpha order. I would have thought it would make her living room cluttered but it doesn't. I must have sat admiring them for a good twenty minutes. My books are piled everywhere. My bookcases are doubled up. I have one space especially for my signed and limited edition books and that's full. I have stacks in wardrobes, piled up anywhere out the road. They are tidy and in some kind of order and done in a way so that the house doesn't look cluttered and the books won't be damaged. Every so often I do a cull but there are some books I just can't part with.
If you love book displays you should go to a website called Bookshelf Porn. It's not how it sounds. There are some amazing photo's of different ways books are displayed. One of my favourites at the moment (which seems to be fairly popular just now) is to display them in order of colour. Looks quite effective. The image below isn't the best I've seen but it gives you the idea (was also taken from the above website). Honestly, go check it out.