I can't believe it's September already. What on earth happened to August??

Currently reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Say Nothing of the Dog. Lots of floating along rivers!

Finished my first September book The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron not a bad story but not sure if I would buy any in the rest of the series, but would borrow a copy :)

Forget to say I am now reading Circle of Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini and Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas.

I'm finished reading Haunted Australia by John Heffernan. I know this is aimed at a young audience, but it's a little too sensationalised for my taste. I prefer a book that says 'These are the facts as they were presented' and let you judge for yourself. I don't mind some emotion and fear factor, but using double-printed text and scattering words like 'spooxperts' and 'ghost-codes' throughout is a bit much. Having said that, there are some very interesting accounts included here, and I like the fact they are all from Australia. There's even one in my own town. Worth reading for the information, but be prepared for some sensationalism.

I am still reading:
Vitamin Q by Robby Lumsden
Grim Crims & Convicts by Jackie French
The Safe House by Nicci French
The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I am also reading:
The Henson Case by David Marr
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Away by Michael Gow

I have just finished re-reading Soul Music by Sir Terry Pratchett.

I'm not sure when he received his knighthood but I think that it is well deserved ...

I've just finished (31 August) The Unknown Terrorist which was more readable than I'd hoped, but not as good as I thought it would be.
And the first September book that I finished was 'The Age' Book of the Year: Things We Didn't See Coming. Speculative fiction, but not cheery (well, what did I expect?). It was excellently written. I'll think of more intelligent stuff to say in my BC comments, as I might offer it as a ring.
Tonight I'll get on to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Message edited by its author, Sep 2, 2009, 5:39am.

I don't know how it took me a week to finish a Buffy novel, but that's how long Portal Through Time took. The best part of the book was the introduction, in which a couple of assassins travel back in time to try to murder Buffy as a child, preventing her from becoming the Slayer - but it never quite works out. Also there's a Doctor Who reference in the book which (me being me) I thought was neat.

And even though this belongs in last month's thread... last Friday I read Goats: Infinite Typewriters which was just brilliant. Highly recommended to comic people.

next up I'm reading Kissing The Beehive, the first part of Jonathan Carroll's Crane's View Trilogy

I finished The Road Home yesterday. Brilliant book by one of my favourite authors. Today has been a 'no time to read anything' day unfortunately. Too much of everything else happening all at once. Next up - when the madness settles - is Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. It's one of her very early books, first published in 1970.

livrecache, enjoy your adventure with Huck! I just finished it last night, and it was a delightful read. At one stage I did think "enough already with the craziness" but that didn't last long.

Currently (still) reading To Say Nothing of the Dog, but need to start The Other Hand soon for bookgroup. (I've dipped into the first couple of pages and it definitely has an excellent start.)

I've finished reading Grim Crims & Convicts. If your kids know more about American history than they do their own, this is the perfect book to remedy the situation. Grim Crims & Convicts deals with the early history of Australia from 1788 to 1820. It is aimed at young adults and the information is basic enough for them to understand without losing out on the details. Humorous illustrations throughout aid understanding and add an extra element of enjoyment for children. There is a lot of information in here that I had either forgotten or never knew and I found this to be a very interesting book indeed. Highly recommended!

I am now reading (in addition to the books listed previously) The Eccentric Mr Wienholt by Rosamond Siemon.

Unfortunately, Huck lies abandoned while I indulge myself with One Good Turn, by one of my favourite authors, Kate Atkinson. Actually, I have to say, it's got off to a fairly slow start, but that's probably because I'm super tired, and when I go to bed, my brain tells me to sleep, not read.

Oh, I enjoyed One Good Turn! I think Kate Atkinson is a brilliant writer. I don't think Mark Twain will mind being skipped for one of her books. :)

I'm being tortured by When Will There Be Good News in the bookshops - I want, but I also have an objection to buying book three in a (loose) series when the first two in the series were borrowed copies. I might have to just buy all three Jackson Brodie mysteries at once. (And there goes the budget... again...)

I have finished reading The Safe House by Nicci French. This was an enjoyable but forgettable read. Some of the twists were predictable, others not so much. In any case, this wasn't really my cup of tea. Perhaps someone else would enjoy it more.

Finished Play It As It Lays last night. Another one of those books I would never have read were it not for BookCrossing and the existence of things such as the 1001 list. Not a happy book at all, but worth the read.

Now reading How Proust Can Change Your Life.

I have just finished re-reading The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett.

It is the umpteenth time I have read it but I still find new references and 'punes' which I missed before. I constantly marvel at how well-read Terry Pratchett must be; all those little quotes and misquotes from other authors which he slips in to all his books. ... and I probably only recognise a small percentage of them.

> 15

I loved The Hogfather have you seen the tele-movie made of it - was very, very good.

Death and the witches are my favourite discworld characters.

I have Lords and Ladies here to read :)

Lords and Ladies is one of my favourite books. :)

Oh, Pratchett's Death is wonderful. "I could murder a curry."

You know, I don't think I've read Lords and Ladies... I don't seem to have a copy (a friend went overseas and gave me all her signed hardback Pratchett books, but that one isn't in the collection... maybe it was published after she went overseas). Mr TQD is happily working his way through them this week (even though I did **highly** recommend Jasper Jones, *sigh*...).

Still enjoying To Say Nothing of the Dog, but have (slightly unwillingly) abandoned it for The Other Hand for bookgroup. But I might just run late with The Other Hand, I can feel the Victorians calling tonight, and who wants to read about refugees when there's time travellers to adventure with???

Lords and Ladies is the one about the elves and the unicorn. It is one of the witch series.

I haven't read any Terry Pratchett, but after reading everyone's comments, I'm thinking I might give him a go.

Meanwhile, I am finished reading The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an absolutely hilarious science fiction spoof in which the Earth is a giant computer built by sentient mice in order to figure out the meaning of the universe, only to be destroyed seconds before it fulfills it's purpose; Vogons epitomise the very essence of Public Service mentality; and intergalactic hitch-hikers travel the universe with the help of the best-selling Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This book is easy to read, often odd and , above all, funny. I highly recommend this and I will be on the lookout for the rest of the books in the series.

I loved The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy when I read it many years ago, and anything that Terry Prachet ever wrote. I also love the witches! Nanny Oggs is my favourite character closely followed by Death and Vimes :-)

I'm now reading The Wooden Sea which has some of the same humour, but not nearly as clever so far.

I have finally finished reading Vitamin Q: a temple of trivia lists and curious words by Roddy Lumsden. I bought this book because I tend to like worthless trivia and find random facts interesting. I was disappointed. There are some interesting lists at the beginning, and a couple at the end, but the majority of the book is just plain boring. So boring, in fact, it took me over a year to read it! I am not inspired to check out the website. If you are a pub quiz aficionado, this is the book for you. If you read trivia for interest, give this one a miss.

Ooh, a couple of people reading Jonathan Carroll! I have to say I loved The Land of Laughs but have been quite unable to get into any of his other books. Any recommendations? (Maybe I'm just trying his dud ones...)

fairy-whispers, don't read the Discworld series in order, because the first (The Colour of Magic) is, frankly, a bit of a dud. I'd recommend one of the early Death ones - Mort is the first, I think - or one of the first with the Guard - would that be Guards! Guards!? Or one of the first with the Witches (Witches Abroad?). I'm also a fan of Moving Pictures (a spoof on Hollywood), the spoof on music ("music with rocks in it", but I can't remember the name of the book!), Sourcery, and I thought Small Gods was brilliant. I know there were a few dull ones in his "middle" period, but I can't remember what they are now. He just seemed to be churning them out on a conveyor belt, almost. But then got good again.

I picked up at the cafe yesterday Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier, because it's her turn at the Monthly Author Reads group. (Serendipity finding that book!) I did read the first chapter, but was rather sleep deprived so I don't think any words sunk in.

And almost at the end of To Say Nothing of the Dog! Damned work, getting in the way of my reading time! I'd much rather be home, reading. (Or sleeping.)

I'll second that; The Colour of Magic is a dud.

I think that the Witches series is the easiest to start with but don't bother with Equal Rites to start with, like The Colour of Magic it is a bit different. I think that Wyrd Sisters is the first proper witch one...

Mort is the first of the Death series and Guards! Guards! is the first of the City Watch series. I am re-reading that one at the moment and having a quiet giggle to myself.

... and, of course, there are the wizards at Unseen University. They have a wonderful computer called Hex and the librarian is an orangutang.

Ah, yes, Wyrd Sisters! Thanks, pinkozcat!

Mr TQD loves Guards! Guards! and was most disappointed it's not in my collection. I think it's time to patch some holes in the Pratchett shelf...

Oh, I'd forgotten about The Librarian! He's brilliant.

I think Lord Vetinari is my favourite character (did I get his name right?). Not that one would want to hang out with him, but he's just so brilliantly pragmatic.

Dagnabbit, I think it's time for me to revisit my Discworld books!

re: Jonathan Carroll recomendations..

Kissing The Beehive is the first book of his I've read (though I have a few others)

I'm about halfway through and enjoying it - being about a writer reminiscing over and investigating a murder which happened when he was a child it feels like lite Stephen King.

I'm not getting much reading done at the moment - we're in the middle of renovations so the house is full of tradesmen most days, and at night I've lost my usual reading chair and since I have nowhere comfortable with decent lighting I've been spending way too much time on the 'net.

It'll all be worth it though, once the work is done I'll have a dedicated library with couch and boardgaming table :D

#25 Oook! Lord Vetinari. :)

I mentioned last night "you know, we might have to buy Guards! Guards!" and got "yes, you must" in response. I wonder if the local bookshop stocks Pratchett...

Finished To Say Nothing of the Dog last night (and instantly passed it over to Mr TQD, who was rather annoyed to find that we'd had a Connie Willis he hadn't read, and that we'd had it for several years and he'd never realised). I found the time travelling rather confusing at times (er, no pun intended), but it's probably just sleep deprivation at my end. (Although small children woke their Daddy up instead of me the last two nights, so I'm finally getting back to an even keel.)

Now reading The Other Hand in earnest. It's very good, but it's going to be another emotional rollercoaster, and I really just want fun reads at the moment. *sigh*

My local bookshops stock Pratchett almost in its entire range. It is about the only author they do keep a full range of.

Finished a couple of short ones yesterday: A Taste of Life by Sara Paretsky (Penguin 60s) and The 13 Clocks by James Thurber. The latter is a very enjoyable tale, but a rather odd inclusion in the 1001 books list.

Still going on How Proust Can Change Your Life.

Ah, my local bookshop (fabulous though it is in so many ways) has a smallish sci-fi/fantasy section. Said section has been vastly improved by several staff members over the past year or so, but there is still limited space. They always have new Pratchetts, but no back catalogue.

Still, it just means a trip to Galaxy in the city, oh woe is me. :)

I used to LOVE The Thirteen Clocks! Another trip to amazon??? *sigh* Wot a shame ...

I am eagerly awaiting a couple of Psmith books at the moment.

Taking a break from The Other Hand - beautifully written, with some genuinely funny bits, but it's about refugees, and they've escaped from torture and death and it's all a bit much at the moment.

So I've escaped into Murder with Peacocks, a very fluffy cozy crime that's been recommended by various people. Very amusing so far, and apparently the series only gets better. I can see a new book series addiction happening. :)

Yes, I recommend Murder, With Peacocks for those who like their crime cozy, fluffy, and silly. A good entertaining read about Meg, blacksmith by trade, but currently juggling organising three weddings (her scatterbrained best friend, her charming bulldozer of a mother, and her preppy sister-in-law-to-be) as maid of honour. Her family are amusingly eccentric (I particularly liked all the garden parties, with the guests ducking every time a croquet ball whizzed past their ears); the evil people are generally evil for social lapses (commenting loudly about people's hairpieces) rather than for being murderers; and the weddings are as disastrous as one would want them to be, reading about them from a distance.

I have just finished Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks - nice YA mystery. I am now reading two totally different genre - Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas a romance/mystery and Lamb by Christopher Moore, and irreverent satire :)

Coming up next is I capture the castle by Dodie Smith and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

I love I Capture the Castle. I first read it when I was about sixteen and I have periodically read it again; a favourite.

I have just finished reading Guards! Guards! for about the tenth time and I do it every time - I cry when Angua dies ... and at Carrot's reaction to her death.

Message edited by its author, Sep 10, 2009, 8:09am.

I read I Capture the Castle earlier this year and was totally charmed by it. I can't wait for Miss Boo and my niece to be old enough to read it too!

Finished How Proust Can Change Your Life - my first taste of both Proust and Alain de Botton. I also finished listening to The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen on audiobook.

Tonight I'll start Rembrandt's Whore by Sylvie Matton, which is for our local book group. Has anyone read it?

But was How Proust Can Change Your Life life-changing in itself?

I have not read Rembrandt's Whore, although there is a copy somewhere on one of my bookshelves. I hope you like it! (Although part of me also hopes you don't, so I can just get rid of it with no guilt. ;)

I've finished reading The Henson Case by David Marr. No-one living in Australia could have possibly escaped the controversy surrounding Bill Henson's photography of nude teens. It seemed like no-one was left on the fence. Everyone had an opinion, heavily coloured by media coverage of events. Even the Prime Minister had his say. But do any of us really know the full story?

In The Henson Case journalist David Marr chronicles events from beginning to end, bringing to light many facts that were missed in the media feeding frenzy. Throughout the whole sorry mess, I argued to anyone that would listen that nudity does not equal pornography. In my opinion, this book vindicates my position.

So, what is your view? Is Henson's work art or porn? Is Henson artist or paedophile? Don't base your opinion on sensationalist reporting. Read the facts, then decide.

I've finally finished Kissing The Beehive, a quick read which has taken me forever due to "stuff" I have going on at the moment. It was an entertaining thriller which kept me guessing until the end because I was expecting a supernatural twist (I'm new to Jonathan Carroll and I thought all his books had a paranormal/"magical realism" element) which didn't come.

next up: The Marriage Of Sticks, being the second volume in Carroll's Crane's View Trilogy

> 39: Probably not right now for me, wookiebender. ;-)

But if you needed to learn some of the 'lessons' at the point in your life when you read the book, and took them to heart, then perhaps yes, it could be. That's the terribly serious answer.

The not so serous response is yes, as now I know much more about Proust - the man and his philosophy etc - than previously (which wasn't hard!), and probably more than I ever thought I needed to know (!), and my theory on learning is that anything learned has the potential to be life changing (in a small way) if you let it. I may even read "Swann's Way" if it ever comes my way.

Hmmm . . . that 'not so serous response' was pretty serious too, wasn't it. {grin} Call it the 'indirect method of having one's life changed' rather than the direct method.

I've just started reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The lives of people on Guernsey during World War 11 has always fascinated me. So far, it's really interesting. And the fact that it was the first novel written by a woman in her 70s who didn't live to see it published, gives it a special piquancy.

Message edited by its author, Sep 16, 2009, 5:38am.

livrecache, I've heard very mixed reactions to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and would be very interested in your opinion of it. I see it in the bookshops and Amazon is constantly recommending it to me but so far I have resisted the siren call to buy.

I have finished reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had high hopes for this book after reading the blurb on the back. I was not disappointed. The Hunger Games paints a bleak picture of the future, in which citizens live behind barbed wire and are kept on the very edge of starvation. As punishment for a revolt that took place thirty years before, each city is forced to pay 'tribute' in the form of two of their citizens. Each year, on the day of the 'reaping', the citizens of each city are forced to gather and watch as the names of one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen are drawn from barrels. If your name is chosen, you must participate in the 'Hunger Games' - the ultimate reality TV show from which there can be just one survivor.

This is the most suspenseful young adult novel I have read in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end and was very disappointed when it finished. The characters are very believable, and the story well-written. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy!

ETA I am now reading Balsamic Dreams by Joe Queenan.

Message edited by its author, Sep 12, 2009, 6:08am.

I finished The Other Hand the other day, and it was a very good read. I found the ending a bit disappointing - had the feeling that he'd painted himself into a corner plot-wise. But it was an interesting look at a emotionally charged topic (refugees) with some very funny bits. And some bleak bits, as befits the topic.

I'm now about halfway through Frenchman's Creek which is a fairly standard romance (with pirates, arrrr), only our heroine is already married and so is embarking on an affair which is certainly not standard to the genre.

Finished Frenchman's Creek on the bus this morning. It was a rather spiffing adventure romance. Not of the quality of Rebecca by any stretch, but a good entertaining yarn.

I'll be starting The Girl who Played with Fire tonight...

I finished Rembrandt's Whore last night. Don't throw it wookiebender - it's interesting (in both style and content) and definitely worth a read sometime . . .

Next up is probably a combination of two very different books: Three Lives by Gertrude Stein, and The Black Echo by Michael Connelly.

I've finished reading Away by Michael Gow. This is a fine example of Australian theatre and I really enjoyed reading it. Despite being set on holidays, this play is actually about coming home. Coral's illness, Tom's knowledge of his fate, Gwen's attitude to life - all are things which set these characters apart from their peers and loved ones. Yet at the end we see all come together in a spirit of cooperation and enjoyment bringing closure or the sense of 'coming home' mentioned earlier. I would very much like to see this play performed.

I am now reading Bag of Bones by Stephen King.

I did start The Girl Who Played With Fire last night, and it's got a good start. (And Lisbeth Salander, who is a heroine to be reckoned with!) But needed something lighter - both physically and emotionally - today, so have also picked up Murder with Puffins, the sequel to Murder with Peacocks.

I think puffins are fabulous birds. Donna Andrews describes them as small penguins with a big clown nose and orange stockings, and now I can't see them as anything else! Yet to run into a (real) puffin in the book, although considering most of the minor characters are birders, it's just a matter of time...

Been busy reading the last couple of days - have now finished The Friday Night Knitting Club and The Graveyard Book (which was a great read) am now reading Yon Ill Wind which is my 'Y' read for my alphabet challenge :)

Murder With Puffins is as silly as one would expect/hope for. The plot isn't as good as Murder with Peacocks (not that one reads these for the plot, but I was rather impressed with the one in Peacocks), but it was a perfectly amiable light read, and Meg Lanslow is a lovely heroine. It rather reminds me of Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" series in tone and style, only silly.

And sally906, I've got The Graveyard Book on Mt TBR! Must make room for it in the reading schedule...

I finally finished reading The Case of the Journeying Boy and it wasn't a bit the way I remembered it. Sad, really ...

All these books I haven't heard of . . . Sad, really. But I have now.

Still reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (it's not been a good time for reading for pleasure). And also a measure of it is that I started off quite enthusiastically, but the whole thing has begun to pall, and if I were really interested, I'd find the time to read it. But I shall persevere; it's not that bad – just not rivetting.

I've made a start on Nation by Terry Pratchett but haven't got far enough into it to comment yet.

Watch this space ...

fairy-whispers >>> Ironically, because I *have* seen Away, I have an intense dislike of it. The high school I went to always got its drama class to perform it. They didn't do a very good job. Consequently, I say... enjoy the way it is in your head :)

I've come to the conclusion that the reason I've read so little since coming to Thailand is that I don't have a bedside light... that's how I used to do most of my reading...

And got distracted by Amelia Peabody in Deeds of the Disturber (I think it's the fourth or so in the series) last night. Good fluffy fun, I love Peabody and her trusty parasol.

Still enjoying The Girl Who Played With Fire but I wish we'd stick with Lisbeth a bit more. Also waiting for the real plot to kick in, it feels. (And all the sexually adventurous Swedes are just giving me the giggles, frankly. Good on them for enjoying themselves, but could we have some more plot, please?)

Finished The Eccentric Mr Wienholt by Rosamond Siemon. This was a very interesting biography about a very interesting character in Australian history. From his role in the squattocracy to serving in Queensland's Parliament; from hunting lions in Africa to serving in three wars (Boer War, WWI & WWII) and spying behind enemy lines; Arnold Wienholt certainly led a full and colourful life of adventure. Most of us are not brave enough to stand by our convictions in the face of almost total opposition and ridicule. Most of us are not brave enough to 'walk the talk'. Most of us crave adventure from home but are not brave enough to pursue it. Arnold Wienholt did all of these things and more - he faced down his enemies with the courage and dignity he felt became a member of the Empire. Despite never having heard of Arnold Wienholt before, this book was an absolutely riveting read.

I am now reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

I've just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. It's a curious mixture of saccharine and almost stereotypical characterisation and part of the plot is really cliched, maybe intentionally so, but the recount of what privations Guernsey suffered during its occupation lift it far above chick-lit which I'd feared it was developing into. And the authors have presented us with an enduring war-time heroine in a very interesting way. Normally, I'd have said I don't care for books written as a series of letters, but this one works, for me at least.

Next up: Man in the Dark by Paul Aster

I took a trip to Paradise last week, because horror of horrors, I lost The Wooden Sea in the boot of my car for a week! This book is on the 100 Most Traveled Book list, has made it the equivalent of twice around the world and I couldn't find it for a whole week! You can imagine the kittens I was having.
So I bided my time in Paradise to regroup. It was listed for the booker prize in 1994 and was a good read, an interesting twist on Arab slavery in East Africa, but it ended a bit abruptly for me.
It is quite ironic if you know the plot of The Wooden Sea that it turned up in the boot, but there you go ;-)
I'm really enjoying it, Freelunch your next!
I'm looking forward to returning to A Case of Exploding Mango's which my husband pinched a couple of weeks ago, it's a bit like a Pakistani Catch 22.

Oh, pinkozcat, you've inspired me to start listening to making money, i've uploaded the first 2 instalments on my phone. It's the only Pratchett that I haven't read yet. The other's were so long ago I might listen to them soon too.
ETATrying to correct Paradise touchstone

Message edited by its author, Sep 18, 2009, 4:22am.

#60 KimB - Pratchett is always worth a re-read. His books have so many little quotes and misquotes which he slips in almost un-noticed that there is always something new. I read my favourites about once per year and never tire of them - thank goodness, since his writing days are going to be severely curtailed.

And, there's a new Pratchett out, apparently: Unseen Academicals. It's #37 in the series (thank all the gods one doesn't have to read them in order!) and sounds typically Pratchettian. Pratchetty. Pratchettuous.

Unseen Achademicals will be released in a couple of weeks.

I have just finished reading Nation also by Terry Pratchett and I must say that I really didn't enjoy it very much. It is a children's (or adolescent's) book but I suspect that they would be bored silly by it.

And, of course, it isn't a discworld book and it seemed very contrived as it limped to the end. Pity about that; hopefully Unseen Achademicals will be better.

Edited to check that I had put the brackets in. I had, so it looks as though the touchstones are out of order again ...

Message edited by its author, Sep 18, 2009, 3:57am.

I have started reading Leave it to Psmith by P.G.Wodehouse, a favourite from my adolescent years and very funny.

I took delivery, from Amazon.co.uk , of three Psmith books today, along with a couple of chicklits so I am looking forward to a few days of entertaining reading.

I used to read P. G. Wodehouse in my adolescent years too. It actually seems strange to me now that I did. And that was when I had my Agatha Christie phase. And Ian Flemming whom I thought was the height of risque-ness.

I read Fleming in the '60s and he was, indeed, very risqué for then.

I never liked Jeeves, though, and confined myself to the Blandings Castle books, of which the Psmith ones are a part.

I have finished reading Balsamic Dreams by Joe Queenan. Whether you agree with Queenan's observations or not (and most non Baby Boomers would), this book is an absolutely hilarious read. Wall Street Journal describes Balsamic Dreams as 'Clever and rarely wrong'. I would have to agree with this statement. Despite Joe Queenan's Baby Boomer status, or perhaps because of it, Balsamic Dreams chronicles just about every aspect of the Baby Boomer generation that drives the rest of us insane - and he does it with a wit and style that will keep you laughing from beginning to end. An essential read for anyone who has ever rolled their eyes and sighed 'Baby Boomers'.

ETA I am now reading The Only Girl in the Car by Kathy Dobie.

Message edited by its author, Sep 18, 2009, 10:26pm.

I didn't like Prachett's Nation either. Finished the graveyard Book and loved it. Almost finished forest of hands and teeth and really enjoying this too

well I'm still reading The Marriage Of Sticks (the second book in a loose trilogy to which The Wooden Sea, mentioned above, is the third and final part.) This has not been my month for reading up til now, BUT I have all next week off and the time I should spend enjoying the cultural mecca that is downtown Sydney will probably be spent reading (and visiting a bookstore or two, and a couple of board game specialist stores, and probably attending a BC brunch on Thursday)

most of my books are in crates and inaccessible while our renovations continue so after blindly groping under a few dropsheets I've come up with the following books to take with me:

All The Rage | Snuff | Swung | The Organ Grinders

some of which I'll be (reading then) releasing while in Sydney

and I did like Nation, though I thought it was too dark to read to my kids at the time.

I've finished reading Bag of Bones by Stephen King (thanks livrecache!). I love Stephen King and this is one of his better novels. There is an ominous feel to most of it, as well a a few scary parts. I should warn you, there is one scene, where the reader finds out just what happened to Sara, that some readers might find disturbing. Otherwise, the thrills are mostly psychological. This is not a book to go reading at night - every little noise will keep you awake. I definitely recommend reading this book.

I am now reading What's Happening to our Girls? by Maggie Hamilton.

I knew this book was really popular amongst teens, but I saw a lot of forum discussions bagging it, so I didn't really have high expectations. Boy, was I surprised! I read this book in one day. I stayed awake until four in the morning because I could not put it down. And now I am desperate to get my hands on New Moon! Falling in love with a vampire - someone who could turn on you at any minute, and who's friends view you as food - adds new meaning to the phrase 'love knows no bounds'. Regardless, this isn't just a love story, but has it's share of thrills as well. I loved this book, and very highly recommend it!

Just finished Man in the Dark by Paul Auster and I was very impressed. It's only the second of this author's wok that I've read, and I wasn't too engaged by that one (The Book of Illusions). But this one really enthralled me.

I have just finished reading Keeping Mum by Kate Lawson. The first book of her's which I read was very good but this one wasn't. Mum and her toy-boy were the only nice people in the book; the rest seemed to constantly behave in the most stupid fashion and the "happy ending" was probably the stupidest thing of the lot.

It isn't even on anyone's wish list so it is going to have to take its chances out in the big wide world.

I just finished The Marriage Of Sticks. It was quite different from (and just barely related to) Kissing The Beehive. Maybe the third book in the trilogy will tie them more closely together.

next for me is All The Rage

74 Freelunch, I haven't read the first 2 in the Crane View Trilogy, but after reading the blurbs, if Pauline, in Kissing the Beehive is Magda's sister then she is referred to once or twice in the Wooden Sea. Basically, I think, that the the only thing tying the 3 books together is that they are all set in Crane's View.
I'll be interested to hear if, once you've read the third book, if there is more than that tying them together.

livrecache, I find Paul Auster's books puzzling, but compelling. I haven't got Man in the Dark yet, but I'm really looking forward to getting it.

Finished Deeds of the Disturber, with Amelia Peabody poking nefarious crims with her trusty parasol and trying to run a household which now includes her badly brought up niece and nephew. It's the first one set in London (strange things are afoot at the British Museum), instead of Egypt, which was a change I enjoyed. When I grow up, I want to be Amelia.

And I went and saw the Egypt exhibit at the Australian Museum on the weekend. http://australianmuseum.net.au/Ancient-E... (Mr Bear was fascinated by the mummies and the sphinx.) It was cool seeing things that I was reading about, although it wasn't until I saw the word "ushbeti" (spelling completely wrong) that I thought "hang on, that's very recently familiar..."

The ol' brain ain't what it used to be.

I've finished reading The Only Girl in the Car by Kathy Dobie. Despite the graphic nature of some scenes in this book (let's face it - they see worse in movies), The Only Girl in the Car is essential reading for any teenage girl. In a world where sex is everywhere, and girls are losing their virginity earlier and earlier, this book illustrates the trouble being too free with your body can lead to. Sex can be a beautiful thing, especially when you are just discovering your sexuality, but it can also be very, very ugly. Many parents are reluctant to discuss sexual matters beyond the 'what's happening to me' talk. Yet, without our guidance, how can our girls learn the difference between the beauty and ugliness of sexual encounters? It is our responsibility as parents to move past our embarrassment or conservatism and teach girls how to behave in the world they live in (vastly different from when we grew up). This book is a perfect example of the ugliness that can result if girls do not learn to control their sexuality.

#76 wookiebender, compared to the only other Auster book I've read, Man in the Dark is very straightforward, although not in a conventional sense: it's more interesting than that. But where he's coming from (technical term for the theme/s) is very apparent, whereas I spent a lot of time wondering about it in The Book of Illusions, and what the point was.

##fairy-whispers, I'll look out for The Only Girl in the Car. I've been thinking about those issues a lot lately in relation to my daughter.

Forgot to say that I'm now reading Child 44.

well I enjoyed All The Rage up to pp96, but my copy is missing pp97-128 and has pp129-160 duplicated in their place. doubly infuriating because:
- I don't get to find out what happens
- I therefore wasted the time it took to read this far

next up: Snuff

freelunch, how very annoying for you.

Sorry I won't be catching up with you for brunch this week - I've had a few too many sick days of late, and the work's beginning to pile up a bit...

Started A Confederacy of Dunces last night. A "1001" book. Strange, but good so far. (And still reading The Girl Who Played with Fire. But one needs a break from the tension every now and then.)

I'll be back in Sydney in another two or three years, so if not now maybe then :)

I've just finished Snuff and I'm not sure what to say about it. It is offensive and unpleasant with none of the cleverness of Fight Club or humour of Choke, and its "shock ending" was easy to see coming a mile off. I think I'll declare it a 'miss'.

next up a book whose title screamed BUY ME when I saw it in Galaxy on Monday: My Dirty Little Book Of Stolen Time

Gosh, I didn't find Choke funny, so best I not try Snuff.

I read a A Confederacy of Dunces some years ago, unfortunately after meeting someone rather like the character while I was in San Francisco. It coloured my perception of the book somewhat, as not only being a bit strange, he was a complete nutter.

#82 My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time sounds like fun.

I love Galaxy (www.galaxybooks.com.au). I allowed myself a visit for my birthday just this week.

Message edited by its author, Sep 24, 2009, 2:14am.

livrecache >>> I haven't quite finished it yet, but if you are looking at those issues, then What's Happening to our Girls by Maggie Hamilton is also very good, if a little scary.

Was too tired to pick up The Girl Who Played with Fire last night (and it's pretty complex, I didn't want to be reading twists and turns while falling asleep), so picked up Twilight. 50 pages in, and it's awfully wet. I'll probably continue, but I don't think I'm going to be giving it a good rating. (Sorry to the Twilight fans.)

I catch the bus to work opposite Galaxy. And, every now and then, gosh darn, just missed my bus, will have to pop into Galaxy...

Oh, and my local bookshop *does* have a lot of classic Pratchetts - they were on the *other* side of the bookshelf where I hardly ever look, which is why I couldn't remember seeing them. (And, then Mr TQD chose Small Gods instead of Guards, Guards. My favourite Pratchett, and we didn't have a copy!)

I'm way behind. I just started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's started quite slowly, but other people have said that, so I'll keep on.

Child 44 was surprisingly good, by the way, being a Booker book and all. It was just like a murder mystery, in fact, it was a murder mystery, with a lot of detail about how terrible things were in Russia in the 1950s. I don't understand why it was included in the Booker nominations though. The writing was adequate, but nothing more than that.

Message edited by its author, Sep 25, 2009, 7:50am.

#87> Yep, I remember being rather frustrated by the beginning of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It looked like it was going to be a rather booooooring corporate fraud sort of case, but then it changed tack, and was really gripping. The violence level is fairly high, but I enjoyed it regardless. (Possibly because the violence wasn't glorified, or something.)

The writing (or translating) is still terribly clunky, and at times The Girl Who Played with Fire comes across as a shopping list (they're forever buying Billy Pan Pizzas at 7-Eleven, Big Macs at McDonalds, etc). I flippantly said at one stage "there's more to Sweden than Ikea!" at the start of the book, and then there was the excursion to Ikea for a shopping spree. (If I had an Ikea catalogue, I could probably exactly replicate the shopping spree, if I was an obsessed fan.)

They're terribly gripping, but they needed a far better edit than they got, in my (not so humble) opinion.

Still, I am on tenterhooks in the last few chapters of this one, and I'll be buying book #3 (The Girl who Kicked a Hornet's Nest) asap.

#88 Yes, I've already noticed the translation leaves a bit to be desired. 'Shooting the breeze' was just one of the outmoded expressions that brought me up with a start.

Message edited by its author, Sep 25, 2009, 7:51am.

I've been keeping my reading habits to myself for a bit but here goes:

Psmith and Mike by P.G.Wodehouse - not very exciting
Lessons in Love by Kate Lawson better than the last Kate Lawson, but not much
Psmith in the City by P.G.Wodehouse - better than Psmith and Mike but not much

and I have just started a re-read of Sweet Danger by Margery Allingham

Message edited by its author, Sep 25, 2009, 5:57am.

Finished The Black Echo, after having been away from the genre for a while. It was my first Michael Connelly, and I wasn't disappointed.

However it was a very different story with Three Lives. Just couldn't manage to finish it - and that's rare for me. It's on the 1001 list too...

I finished a re-read of Sweet Danger yesterday and have jsut started a re-read of Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen.

Then it will be back to Pratchett unless I go shopping again ...

Have just started Summertime as part of the Man Booker 2009 challenge.
#87 Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo until I'd finished it in the wee hours of this morning. You're right, wookiebender, the translation was SO clunky (although described as 'graceful' in one of the shouts at the front(???)). And maybe you alerted me, but I was REALLY aware of product placement everywhere. However, once I got into the story I was hooked.

Message edited by its author, Sep 27, 2009, 3:55am.

The funny thing is (about the translation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), that I thought it might be isolated to just that book/series. However, when I read Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell (again translated from Swedish, again gritty crime), I had a lot of the same feeling - specific things mentioned by brand name, over-obsession with detail, etc.

Maybe it's part of the whole "Swedish crime" genre.

They're still spiffing reads, however. I will be buying The Girl Who Kicked A Hornet's Nest this Thursday when it hits the shops (assuming it's coming out in trade paperback, not hardback), and I've got the second Henning Mankell upstairs to read...

Twilight gets even wetter as it goes on. Yet, it's strangely compelling. It's a train wreck of a novel, and I can't quite look away.

That's why you can't look away!

I gave up on Twilight at about the halfway point which continues to seem like a wise choice :)

96 >> Speaking of Twilight, I have my Creative Writing class debating its merits tomorrow. Should be fun. There are absolutely adamant kids on both sides. I have a student who hasn't been exposed to either book or film to adjudicate, because I am irrevocably biased.

We've decided that we'll see New Moon if the Twilight crew win, and will hang out for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland if they don't... I know which movie *I'd* rather be seeing!

I'm also to proud to announce that after six whole weeks, I have finally finished a book... how very exciting!! Thank you, freelunch, for The Namesake. It is utterly beautiful, and having just undergone a cultural transition myself (if I'm not still undergoing it), I really identified with the situation of Ashima, Ashoke as well as the second-generation experiences of Gogol/Nikhil. Lahiri's prose feels effortlessly beautiful. Thank you so much.

I realised, just before finishing the book, that The Namesake is on the HSC syllabus under the area of study "Belonging". Please, if any of my colleagues are out there... don't teach it! I see no way of doing it without ruining it :(

I think I'm enjoying pulling Twilight apart too much to put it down halfway. :) But I might get sick of wasting time on it, and get back into something decent in a day or two. (Didn't want to start anything challenging on a weekend.)

I'm quite immersed in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland this month - Mr Bear's Showcase is on this Wednesday (you know, each class puts on a little song & dance number) and they're doing Alice. He's terribly excited by it all - he's one of the card soldiers along with two of his best mates (he really wanted to be The Mad Hatter, but he's also awfully shy at times, so while there was disappointment he didn't get it, it's probably a role that should have gone to one of the outgoing clowns of the class), and they get to paint white roses red and guard Alice. (I, in my turn, got to spend last Monday cutting down a pair of white gloves to small boy size while watching the Emmys.)

I adore the books, and am looking forward to introducing the kids to them. But not yet. (Another chapter or two of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was read to Mr Bear on the weekend! I'm enjoying it, I hope he is too! And Miss Boo is currently obsessed about I Won't Say Please (hm, touchstone not working, might have the title wrong) about Queen Bee, who is bloody rude, but gets her come-uppance. It's not my favourite book choice since it's clunkily written so it's hard to read aloud, so I'm looking forward to it being returned to the library this week...)

I have finished reading What's Happening to our Girls? by Maggie Hamilton. This is an interesting and informed study of today's girls and the lives they lead, and it is essential reading for any parent. The facts in this book are very scary. As a mother, I knew before reading this book that my daughters are growing up in a world far different from the one I grew up in. I knew that they are being marketed to. I knew girls are sexually active earlier. I knew that bullying is worse and the forms of bullying changing. I did not know just how bad it has become, or just how ill-informed many girls are as to the hazards of indiscriminate sex and drug-taking. That this is the case is a sad indictment of our society.

We all need to stand up and say NO MORE!!! It is time we put our foot down. Refuse to spend your money on inappropriate items, and write to the manufacturers, expressing your displeasure. Companies are only able to market sex at our girls because we allow them to. Remember, the power is in the hand of the consumer - there have been many products withdrawn due to consumer pressure. Additionally, we should overcome our embarrassment and ensure our girls are informed. Teach them to recognise when they are being marketed to. Give them the confidence and support they need to withstand peer pressure and bullying. Allow them to use you as an excuse if they need to. Find someone closer to their own age group to talk to them about drugs and sex - oral sex is not a safe option, as many girls seem to think.

Ensure your daughters have other trusted adults in their lives. We all need someone other than our parents to talk to! Make sure that your daughter knows the difference between intimacy and sexuality. Teach her that a relationship where she suppresses her own sexuality to please her partner is not a healthy one. Be willing to discuss what she wants when she needs to. There can be no taboo subjects if you want to keep your daughter safe. Teach your sons to respect girls, and that they have needs within a relationship as well as boys. Above all, be there there for your children.

Growing up has changed dramatically. The way we parent must evolve to meet the challenge if our girls are to survive.

fairy-whispers: here, here! (Or should that be, hear hear?) At any rate, fabulous comments.

Agreed!

Bella continues to be the most pathetic, wettest heroine ever. Edward's eyes have moved on to butterscotch and honey. (Where's mustard? Gwan, I want a brooding sociopathic hero with mustard coloured eyes. Preferably seeded mustard.)

And I've picked up Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger in the hopes of finishing it before Tuesday, when it's one of the featured books on First Tuesday Bookclub.

I have just started a re-read of Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett.

I think that I am going to have to go shopping soon and get myself some more books.

I am expecting Unseen Achademicals on about 15th October and there are a couple or three books coming from Amazon - The 13 Clocks and Psmith, Journalist are on their way, the others are pre-publication orders.

Edited to check that I put in the touchstone brackets on all books. I did ...

Message edited by its author, Sep 30, 2009, 3:24am.

finished My Dirty Little Book Of Stolen Time and it was a lot of fun - a 19th century Danish prostitute (with the requisite heart of gold) finds herself transported to contemporary London and hilarity (and romance) ensue - written in bawdy "costume drama"-speak which I initially found distracting but quickly came to enjoy.

next for me: Space Hulk the book of the boardgame (a 110 page novella which shouldn't take long to read, even given my slow pace of late)