Bekka's 2011 75 book showdown (with a baby-brain handicap)

Well I guess we're close enough to 2011 for me to set this up now. Still feels kinda weird saying goodbye to 2010 already though!

I'm not sure how well I'm going to do this year - new baby will most likely scupper all plans of reading. Still I need some goals so I ran through the 2006 1,001 list and picked out the ones that I seriously need to finish (slap on the wrists for starting and not finishing, I know) and then some that I just kinda fancy reading. I imagine they'll be joined by some Fantasy and sci-fi along the way :)

So - books to FINALLY get round to finishing...

Grapes of Wrath
Tale of a Tub
Midnight's Children
Wild Swans
Jude the Obscure
Pamela
The Moonstone
Cranford
The Big Sleep
Love in a Cold Climate
A Prayer for Owen Meany

And then some picks that I think would be interesting;

Metamorphosis - Ovid
Tom Jones - Fielding
She - Rider Haggard
The Sun also Rises - Hemingway
Vile Bodies - Waugh
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein
2001: A space Oddysey - Clarke
Bonfire of the Vanities - Woolfe
Complicity - Banks
Alias Grace - Atwood
Tipping the Velvet - Waters
The Sea - Banville

Fingers crossed for a great 2011. Seriously 2010 sucked - or at least was so erratic it's strained my brain, so lets raise a glass to a wonderful, exciting and, most of all, happy 2011.

*looks round for the serving boys and realises that Richard has stolen them all*

Glad to see you back with us again, baby-brain notwithstanding :)

I've just recently started Jude the Obscure myself! And, I have to add this: Yay for Ovid's Metamorphoses! I strongly recommend the Stanley Lombardo translation.

Oh, fine. Richard didn't mention the serving boys when he was complaining that I poached the naked dancing boys.

Trying to keep everything all to himself. The rat.

I started Alias Grace yesterday when I couldn't find The Year of the Flood. So far, so great!

#2 Thanks Stasia - it's not too bad yet but once baby arrives... expect no sense form me!

#3 I'll look out for that translation - I'm hoping to be able to download it onto my e-reader though so I may not have too much choice :/

#4 See I was kinda figuring the naked dancing boys doubled up as serving boys... so maybe he didn't realise :)

#5 Alias Grace is one of my sister's favourite books - and she's been nagging me for years to read it, so I figured I had to give in eventually! I really love her writing so I hope I'll enjoy it too.

Welcome back!

Found and starred your new thread!
Looking forward to your reads and reviews, I got some great recommendations from you last year. And I think I initially found my way to the 75-group via your 1001 thread. Thank you for that! :-)

I also have Love in a Cold Climate and Tom Jones on my tbr. From the latter I fear it might be similar to Tristram Shandy - I haven't fully recovered from that one yet and have since avoided the pre-1800 books from the 1001 list.

Hiya DrNeutron, Hiya Deern! I have great hopes for Tom Jones actually. There was a BBC adaptation years ago that I loved - it seems like a good naughty romp! I'm pretty sure that it's more linear that Tristram Shandy anyway. Hopefully...

Hello! I will be interested in seeing what you read this year. If you fall behind you can always count baby books, right? ;)
When are you due?

Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a great year and lots of fabulous books.

#10 Due 14th February - fingers crossed it'll miss though. Not keen on a valentine's baby!

Happy New Year to you too!

Happy New Year, BekkaJo!

checkin' in..

Have a superbly exciting reading year, BabyBrain...I mean, Bekka!

*sticks tongue out at Richard in a thoroughly childish manner*

...yes, we're renaming Bekka indeed...BabyBrain it is....

Well, then this one is finished purely to really annoy Richard :)

1) Bleak House - Charles Dickens

After being an on and off again book for far far too long, I finally got stuck in and finished this off. It completely reminded me why I love Dickens - he's just a great storyteller. As for his character, well yes, some are one dimensional characatures, but there are others that are amazingly drawn. For example I loathed the character of Skimpole, but I loathed him as I would a real person in a way that is probably excessive considering he is still a fictional character.

Plus being in close contact with a lot of lawyers (most of whom make me want to scream and tear my hair out) the portrayal and commentary on the legal system I thought were brilliant. Certainly this had far more impact on me than The Trial that I read last year and loathed.

It's a fairly well known story and I don't want to give away spoilers so I'm not going to go into the plot - all I will say is, if you like Dickens and haven't read this one? Go get it and enjoy.

I read that one as a group read here on LT and enjoyed it for the most part, although I thought Esther too much of a ninny for my taste. I am glad you enjoyed it Bekka!

I totally agree re Esther - the vast majority of the time she is a complete sap!

2) Love in a Cold Climate - Nancy Mitford

I read In Pursuit of Love last year - finally giving in to a friends nagging. It was brilliant. I mean it's not the worlds best novel, but it was entertaining, witty, enjoyable and in places scathing. This is very much the same, though possibly even better! I love the fact that Mitford's novels don't really have a storyline - they just potter along until they end up somewhere completely different to that which you imagine. So two big thumbs up from me, and another knocked off my 1,001.

I love Nancy Mitford too. I saw Wigs on the Green at the library last week and snapped it up!

I loved Bleak House. Glad to see you did as well. :)

3) The Spy who came in from the Cold - John Le Carre

I read this for my bookgroup - we picked it purely for a winter book (cold int he title and all) from the 1,001. It's not really my usual cup of tea - in fact I can say I ahven't really read anything similar before. At first I was rather underwhelmed, but as you start to get involved in the complexity and sheer cruelty of the whole situation - of that whole period in history, it becomes oddly compelling and disturbing.

I was sure I'd read that and loved it, but I just looked at the book page and I don't think I have. I gave the 1st and 3rd in the George Smiley trilogy 5 stars in 2009, and was riveted (didn't like The Honourable Schoolboy much). Is Smiley in this one? (I started reading the reviews but could see spoilers everywhere so stopped!)

And I loved Love in A Cold Climate last year.

You are racing through books! Well done on the Dickens, glad you enjoyed it... one day I will read some.

Well the Dickens was kind of a cheat - I've been reading it for ages and ages, so mostly a 2010 book really :)

Smiley is in this one - but only in the background really. I agree with the reviews though - it's really hard to comment on without spoilers!

Must go make husband a triple chocolate cake for his birthday party tomorrow... all I really want to do is collapse. I've been signed off work for a week with bump related exhaustion and headaches. But not long to go now, so work will have to cope! Itinerary - make cake, then collapse, then get daughter.

OK, I'll try to find it or wait till next year...I know Wellington library has it. Glad you're off work for a bit but sorry you're feeling so awful - are you going to work right up to the last few weeks?

4) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

Hmmmm what to say that hasn't already been said. Not much - but breifly... well I enjoyed it - though the second half notably far more than the first. It's definitely a novel that one needs to persevere with - which is why I'm so surprised that it's become so famous. The language is very plain and blunt (because of the translation do we think?) but not really that accesible. I have the next two downloaded on my e-book, so I will be reading them very soon I think - I may just take a one or two book break from the sporadic nastiness that crops up in these! Larsson really did have quite the twisted mind...

I must be the only person now on LT who hasn't read any of those. I tend to have nightmares after reading realistic modern crime fiction, my nerves can only deal with murders in Agatha Christie style. I'd love to read them though...

I am glad you liked Love in a Cold Climate more than I did. I enjoyed the writing and the humor, maybe I shouldn't have expected a consistent story.

The violence is very graphic in these books. You may be better off avoiding them - or read the Cliff Notes version.

I have to agree with Mamzel, Nathalie - these may not be for you. I think because the language is so clean and precise it has more impact too. I knew there were some graphic sections, but I suddenly found myself slap dab in the middle of the first one without any warning - and I'll admit it did follow me into my dreams that night.

On Love in a Cold Climate I think I did really enjoy that it had no story line - maybe as an antithesis of Bleak House. Though I did love that too...

Oh and big joy to share with anyone reading this. I now have carpets in my house and my new bed is in. Last night I slept in a bed in my own house for the first time in over 6 weeks. Wonderful. Very happy me.

Yay for a new bed and carpets! I just hope the carpet glue doesn't stink too badly...yuck... ;)

#32: Last night I slept in a bed in my own house for the first time in over 6 weeks.

Glad to hear that you are back in your own home now! I hope you have had some good rest being back in your own bed.

>30 Deern:: Don't worry, I haven't read them yet either! I'll try them one day, but I have too many other things to read right now. The amount of graphic violence I've heard is in them isn't making me rush to read them.

3-4 hours of 3 year olds swimming birthday party at 38 weeks pregnant. I = dead on my feet... time to put on Toy Story 3 and hope she can calm down.

36- Yikes! It's times like those that DVDs are MADE for! Hope it works...

Mostly thanks - that and playing with all her new birthday toys. Toy Story 3 just makes me bawl my eyes out though!

#34 Ta Stasia - we've not actually been living out of the house, just sleeping in a tiny room on a mattress on the floor. Having the new room with the new bed is just bliss. The nursery is still...well lets just go with not ready. It's the politest thing I can say at this juncture.

But on a plus I finished work on Friday for 6 months, so may actually get a bit of reading in before baby arrives. I have far too many books on the go - to the point where it's out of control! Though I'm very disturbed that this time round I am actually enjoying Midnight's Children.

#38: I have far too many books on the go - to the point where it's out of control!

I know exactly how that feels!

Good luck with getting some reading done before baby arrives :)

Hi all - I am still alive. Honest! And still pregnant :/ But I am also so massively unfocused that I've even caught mydelf reading one chapter on one book, then a chapter of another, followed by a chapter of a third. Silly way of doing things - but a side effect of my e-reader I think. Just too much choice in my hands!

Still actually loving Midnight's Children and The Girl who played with Fire, but should put some proper reading time in. I am thinking I'm nto going to get anywhere near 75 books this year! Ah well, I'll just have to make sure that what I do read is good.

#40: No worries about hitting the 75, BekkaJo! Just enjoy the books along the way :)

5) The Girl who played with fire - Larsson

Once again, great read. I felt there was a lull patch in the middle, but good fun all the same.

6) The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest - Steig Larsson

This one is much more involved in the beauraucracy of Sweden's politics and police than the others and I think it does suffer to some extent for that. Still, I demolished it pretty quickly so it obviously didn't put me off that much! I am rather gutted that there are only three of these and that there won't be any more - I love Larsson's characters, in particular of course Salander who is, as always, brilliantly compelling to read about.

7) Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

I finished it! Yay me! This has been on my list since Uni when I started it and hated it. Never expected to fall in loved with it the second time around. Despite that it is a hard book to write about because it is so very individual. The narrator grows on you and becomes so enthralling and complex that you can't help but be captured by his world. In addition the narrative is so cyclical - sometimes it feels like Rushdie's world is revolving round you with this magnificent medley of smell and sensation.

I feel I need to say so much more about it, but I think it may have to cogitate a little longer!

The sudden book finishing glut is due to being up at all hours of the day - and people taking my daughter away for large periods of time. I keep having contractions - 19 hours yesterday, which never develop into anything major and then suddenly stop. I am ergo going completely insane and honestly have no idea what to do. So I'm reading a lot. Silver lining and all that...

#43: Well, I guess if you are going through false labor, books make a very good silver lining!

Yikes, glad I caught up on your thread to read the last message! Go have that baby!! Hope something happens soon, or they stop. With Teresa I had contractions that went nowhere for a day or so, then she arrived in a very big hurry. I was in an EXTREMELY bad mood towards the end.

It's now been a week on and off - you can imagine how grumpy I am! :) Bit better today for having some sleep last night.

I have found that I am actually rather sad to have finished books 6+7 - I want more!

8) The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

About 550 pages of teen fantasy - great fun and brilliantly written. Lots of battles etc. Ends on a massive cliff hanger and I can't wait for the next one!

#47: I thoroughly Riordan's Percy Jackson series, but have not read any in The Heroes of Olympus series yet. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get to them soon.

Edited for spelling

Bekka, finally found your 2011 thread. Sorry to hear about the contractions. I hope the baby comes soon and is safe and well.

Well baby actually arrived on it's due date - a statistical abnormality I know!

Baby boy - William John, weighed 9lb 6oz, born on 14/2/11. Yay!

I'm home today which is a relief - maternity was, for some reason, madly busy.

He's there already - what great news!! :-)
Congratulations to you and your family Bekka and all the very best for the baby boy!

Congratulations!

Congratulations

Congratulations Bekka, that is fantastic news! And a big welcome to William. Hope the first days at home go really well.

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!! :)

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Congratulations--what a nice Valentine's Day gift!

Thanks everyone. It's lovely to be home with him. Am rather tired cos he doesn't like to sleep at night :/ But he is very sweet.

And one really handy thing - my e-reader can be used one handed, which is brilliant if trying to read when breast-feeding!

Congratulations, Bekka!

Congratulations Bekka! Please post pictures if you get a chance!

PS - I was thinking the same thing about e-readers. They seem like they could be helpful for multitasking moms. Also, you can plop it down in a second if you need to and you don't have to worry about finding a bookmark or losing your place!

Thank you - would post pics but I'm not sure how! Last time I tried it didn't work :/

Do you know how to upload them to your LibraryThing profile? That would also work.

Ohmygosh, congrats!!

Congratulations. I caught your post on Richard's thread and had to come over and see what was going on. William John will be teased a bit for his date of birth, but then, think of all those lovely Valentines he'll get!

Nice to make your acquaintance.

Thank you - poor lad I did want to avoid Valentine's day, but unfotunately he had other ideas.

Breast feeding while e-reading. I sense a future bookworm taking shape. And what's wrong with V-day birthdays? His future romantic life is now guaranteed: He shares his birthday with the God of Love!

Hmmm... not sure that'll work for him! He looks like he's going to be a rugby player - he is really long so prob going to be well over 6 foot and he has a real grump face on him :) Am still trying to upload pics... but LT doesn't seem to like them.

It truly is the dawn of multitasking moms. :) I know moms who text and bf at the same time because it's boring to "stare into space" so to speak. The idea of being able to read and do other stuff at the same time, ie: feed my baby, makes getting an e-reader oh so tempting!

Belated congratulations on the arrival of William John! I hope you manage to sort out picture uploading soon.

9) The End of the Affair - Graham Greene

I read this for my bookgroup - I wasn't really sure what to expect from this, but found it very compelling. It is rather short and really quite easy to read - in that it is very well written. Warning - it is rather depressing. I'd still recommend it though :)

Oh it's also a 1,001 so that's another ticked off for the year.

Rather depressing sounds not so good right now, but short/well written/1001 are quite convincing. I ordered the Kindle sample. And I haven't read any Graham Greene yet....

#73 Bekka, I think you're trying to post a web address as a photo. If you're going to use 'img src' then the web address needs to be have a .jpg on the end which the facebook link doesn't have and I'm afraid I don't know how to get. Don't know if that makes any sense?

The photos do look very cute though.

Belated congratulations on your Valentine baby - my sister was born that day and her 1st baby was due that day but was a few days late.

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... It's been nearly a month and I haven't finished anything else... I am still alive though! Just only get to read about 10 pages a day. Ah well!

76- Don't stress out about it. You have a very good reason to be distracted from your books right now. :) But hopefully you are able to find a tiny bit of time for yourself, so you don't burn out.

Crankyness - my book group chose The Crimson Petal and the White for our next book. Which is fine - sounds like a good read. But it's 850 pages long!!! They know I'm only getting through about 5 pages a day. Poop. Think this one may take me to the end of the year.

ETA - I had forgotten that I am going to the UK on the 23rd for my Sis's hen do - to surprise her. Should be able to get some reading done whilst travelling - that might help!

Bekka that's a huge book!! I have it here and haven't read it yet.

Hope you're getting a bit of sleep and the 5 pages of book a day is something relaxing.

*wails* I know!

Am getting a decent amount of sleep - though I do feel wrecked the last few days, not really sure why :/ But the 5 pages is a kids book - so yes, def relaxing.

10) The Red Pyramid - Rick Riordan

Woo! I finished a book! Yay!

Admittedly it was another children's book, but not a short one at 500 pages. This is from Riordan's Kane series which is based around Egyptian mythology rather than his usual Greek (and now Roman) Gods. It's entertaining certainly and I really enjoyed the switching of the narration between the two main charaters. In fact my only issue with this is that it's just not quite as good as his Percy Jackson stuff. Still worth a read if you like this sort of thing.

Grumble grumble... am reading the latest Jean M Auel - The Painted Caves which I got for Mother's Day. Have been looking forward to this for ages. And I know it got shocking reviews but I thought they might be exaggerated (I cant spell...). But I'm only 3 chapters in and it there have been several annoying things. It feels really wooden - and there are def some down right badly writen lines. Sigh.... I'm still going to read it. I hope that at some point it'll perk up and I won't finish it feeling this dissapointed.

#81: I loved The Red Pyramid. Sorry you did not enjoy it more, but glad to see you got another read under your belt!

Oh I did really like it - I just think I prefer the Percy stuff. Will still be reading the next one as soon as it comes out :)

11) She - Rider Haggard

Finally finished the damn thing! Due to the baby etc it's taken me so so long to read this thing. And I think also due to baby it was the wrong time for me to read it. In places I quite enjoyed it but overall it just dragged on and on and on...

Still it's finally done and the denouement (don't think I spelled that right) was good/at least briefer than the rest. Plus it's another 1,001 down.

In a book of essays and reviews titled The Tale Bearers, V.S Pritchett has a choice essay on Rider Haggard that had me laughing out loud. You might check for it the next time you can detach the little one and hit the library. Just 6 pages - but he gets Haggard just right.

Will look out for it - thanks for the tip.

12) Magi'I of Cyador - L.E Modesitt

Finally - this has been dragging on and on, just never got around to finishing it. I got into it towards the end but the first 400 pages are so so slow going. Bleughhh.

After a couple of disappointing reads I'm reading The Crimson Petal and the White for book group. and its great.

Woot - went to a book sale at my old school yesterday. Good haul!

I got the following;
The Road - McCarthy
Silk - Baricco
The Gulag Archipelago Vol 1 + 2 - Solzhenitsyn
Cat's Eye - Atwood
Surfacing - Atwood
Rites of Passage - Golding
The Pillars of the Earth - Follett
The Story of Lucy Gault - Trevor

The Solzhenitsyn's are a bit tatty but the rest are in great condition. And at 50p a book I couldn't go far wrong! I got several for my daughter at 25p a book too, so she was happy - she spent ages looking through Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes whilst I perused the sale.

Oh and then hubby and I got (what seems to be - fingers crossed) a really good bargain on a new bigger car. I haven't driven it yet though so I think I'll reserve judgement!

Hi Bekka, yay for booksales! :)

What Stephen said! :)

13) The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber

Well this is a total tome - 857 pages or something like that. But it doesn't read like one - totally brilliant and keeps you so hooked. I felt a bit let down by the ending because it just seems to stop, but it is a great read. Only warning, if you're a bit squemish on sexual descriptions/rude language, this may not be for you! It deals with the life of a young prostitute and a (trying not to do spoilers) a change in her fortunes. The characters are brilliantly executed and very compelling. Oddly enough my favourite character is Emmeline - who is essentially a missionary. Not like me at all!

I read this for book group - and am now off to thank my friend for picking it.

#88: Nice haul! Congratulations!

14) The Apple - Michel Faber

This is a set of short stories somewhat linked to the Crimson Petal, his previous novel. It's a very slender volume and some of the stories are very short indeed. Many people had issues with the ending of the Crimson Petal - it's exceedingly abrupt and leaves you begging to find out what has happened to the characters. The automatic thought then is that these stories may cast some light on the mysteries - no such luck! Some are set before Crimson Petal, some after, but none really explain anything. A good, quick read in it's own right - but The Apple is not a patch on the Crimson Petal which, the more I think about it, is really excellent.

Hi Bekka, I put The Crimson Petal and the White on my watchlist, but it'll have to wait a bit, I have so many 600+-pages books lined up. The Apple also has positive reviews on amazon, so I'll probably try that one first.

Oooh - I would hold off on The Apple till after Crimson Petal - the stories are linked to the characters in Crimson Petal in the most part so it could be a bit spoiler-ish if you were planning on reading the Crimson Petal afterwards. Plus his intro would be a big spoiler too!

It's a really quick addictive 800 page read if it helps!

Okay, then better not. Then the Crimson Petal might be a perfect holiday read.

(re. holiday reads: I just remembered that the German ex-foreign minister, Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg, once answered the yearly question about his holiday books: "I'd like to read something relaxing, so I'll take Platon's Politeia in the original ancient Greek version". And no - it wasn't a joke. He deserved his dismissal just for this statement imo).

Hi there Bekka

I hope your birthday on the 21st was special!

Happy belated birthday from me too!

Happy belated Birthday, Bekka!

Happy belated birthday from me too. Hope you had a good day.

Ta guys! It was... well ...stressfull! My sis gets married on Sat and I needed a dress. I am massive at the moment so this was very very little fun. My own fault for leaving it until the last minute I guess. My daughter is being a flower girl though so I'll try and post some cute pics if I can.

Sorry to hear it was stressful Bekka. I hate clothes shopping so I can sympathise. I hope the wedding goes well this weekend.

Wedding = excellent. Hangover = filthy.

Chance of getting any reading done at all this long weekend? Zero.

Glad the wedding was good... maybe a bit too good! A very dark room while your husband removes the kids for a while??

Well, at least the wedding part of your weekend was excellent :)

Not so bad today - but my stomach truly hated me yesterday! The post wedding Sunday BBQ was a bit of a push though. Cass was so well behaved at the wedding - she was a flower girl, so that was a relief. Kids are both still knackered and cranky though.

15) The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel.

Well. Finally finished it. 660 odd pages. Seriously, unless you have read the others and really loved them, don't even bother picking this up. And if you have and do, then be prepared for big disappointment. I read one review that said that this felt like a student had picked up her work and tried to imitate it - all I can say is, it's not even a very good student. The problem is that there is just nothing to it - there is no real storyline here. The same re-hash of Ayla and Jondalar making mistakes in how much they love each other and thinking they've lost it all, the same comments on Ayla's accent - again and again and again and far too many reminders of what has happened in the previous novels.

But above all else - for heaven's sake woman, stop describing cave paintings! Aghhhhh. I would estimate around 200 of the pages are taken up with description of caves and cave paintings, if not more. Now I enjoy some description - Auel's novels have always been heavy with it. But normally it serves a purpose - and ultimately in this novel it just doesn't. The last 150 odd pages have some of her old style ot them. So if you're a fan and planning on reading this, save yourself some time, patience and disappointment and just read from around page 500.

#107: I tried the first book in the series eons ago and did not much care for it, so I am definitely not reading that one.

I hope your next read is not such a struggle for you!

I'm sorry to hear that Stasia - I still re-read and really love the first 4. That's why this makes me so sad. But I'm currently reading the latest Egypt Riordan for some light relief, so def not a struggle!

I cannot wait to see what you think of the second book in the Kane Chronicles!

16) The Throne of Fire - Rick Riordan

This is the second book in the Kane Chronicles - and I have to say that I do love Riordan's writing. It is just very smooth, very easy reading and very entertaining. I know these are teen fiction, but they really are great fun. In this second book Carter and Sadie struggle to oppose the rise of Apophis God of Chaos and to return Ra, the Sun God, to his throne of Fire.

As usual in Riordan's books there is a quest, a lot of battles, a lot of Gods and some teen romance (that might be the slightly off bit for adults!). But if you want an easy read, this is a good fun book. Plus the switching of the first person narrative between Sadie and Carter helps keep you hooked.

Two thumbs up and bring on the next one.

#111: I am looking forward to reading that one! I am glad to see you enjoyed it.

Oooof - 10 days at the in-laws in the UK and I am broken and exhausted. But I managed to slope off a bit in the evenings and read - I just could NOT stand sitting there watching the soaps this time. Instead on several evenings I sloped off into the conservatory in the cool evening air and sat in a big comfy chair and read my books. That bit of the hol was bliss!

I got through;
17) 2001: Space Odyssey - Arthur C Clarke

This was - well it was ok. Fine even. Just not sure it deserves a place on the 1,001 list.

18) The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett

Once again. OK - in fact fun and a very easy read. Again, not sure it's a 1,001 quality but still glad I read it.

19) Under the Skin - Michel Faber

After finishing Crimson Petal and the White I was johnsing for more Faber so I checked the 1,001 and found that this was his only novel to qualify. And it's a cracker! It's fairly short - about 250 pages and once you pick it up you wont put it down. But I warn you - it's not for the squemish because there are (as always in his work it seems) some very graphic sections. That's about all I can say about it without massive spoilers! The whole brilliance of this is the way that is unfolds slowly and you spend most of - if not all of, the novel going 'What the hell is going on!!!'. It's great.

I'm now back to plugging slowly away at Moby Dick (it's really not keeping my attention) and the latest thing I've picked on my e-reader to have a go at - Breakfast of Champions which is rather fun so far.

Hi Bekka, I really enjoyed Moby Dick, but I had the advantage of reading it during a long and quite boring yet sunny holiday with not much else to read.

I'll have a look if my library owns any of those 3 1001 books you listed. I need something not too difficult, not completely depressing, but still 1001 material.

I understand about the in-laws. I'll have my parents here in a week, my mother might stay for a while, and I am just not used to it anymore, as much as I love having them near me. It is nice, but exhausting.

Welcome back!

#114 Good luck with your Mum. Even though my parents are on the island and that means I see them quite a lot I don't think I could take them staying with us!

Those three books pretty much fill your category - though from the look of your thread you're going to be at 75 before you know it! I'm in search of small 1,001s in order to have any chance of reahing 75. Or my 250 1,001 by the end of the year challenge. I'm thinking I won't make it - am at 219 now and I don't think there are 31 short ones left for me!

Plus I go back to work next month. I am dreading it so much - I pretty much want to weep when I think about it. I just don't know how I'm going to cope with everything - not least leaving my (then) 5 month old at nursery. Bah. Ignore me - I have no choice in it s will just have to grin and bear it.

#115 Ta! Nice to be home - nicer if Will would cut this darn tooth already :/

Hang in there! Hopefully the teething will be over soon.

Awww, it's a shame you have to go back to work when you don't want to. :(

#117 & 118 What Stasia and Angela said :-(

Thanks guys - I'm just going to try not to think about it for the next month.

Still the price of things over here is making it even more essential. A tin of baby milk powder has gone up £1.50 in one jump in the last month. And my son can get through a whole tin every 6 days. More food for him methinks!

At least the lack of funds are keeping my book mountain from increasing - free e-books all the way from now on. And the library must like me too... I had dowloaded a copy of Breakfast of Champions which I am currently reading, but the illustrations have all loaded in the wrong places - makes it really hard to follow. To the Library!

Why do pics still not work! Arghhhh

What adorable children (I copied and pasted the URL) Hope this works



Edit to add
I don't know how to resize images. Let me know if this is too big and I'll remove it.

By the way the code you were using was the photobucket page and what you need is the image URL

http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x459/Bekkajo2/Picture113.jpg

Hope this helps:)

Thank you!!!!!! Now why couldn't I get that to work - could you point me to what I was doing wrong?

Added the edit while you were posting - hope it helps:)

More editing - You need to right click the actual image and you should get a popup that allows you to copy image URL (or whatever your browser calls it) Tad's HTML thread has the details

Woot - by jove she's got it! Muahahahahha!

Right. I will now try not to get too carried away with this new found skill....

Back to books...

#20 Breakfast of Champions - Vonnegut

Well, I thought Under the Skin was going to be the oddest thing I read for a while... but this is so so weird! In a very different way though. It's very hard to give any sort of explanation of this novel - given that the 'creator' of the novel world wanders through and impacts it towards the end. I do love Vonnegut's names - one of the protagonists is called Kilgore Trout which is totally brilliant. Trout is an author of exceedingly weird sci-fi novels and every so often Vonnegut will wander off describing these stories.

Odd it may be, but it's the first book to make me laugh out loud in some time. And yet it has some moments which are so true - so pointed and poignant. Parody and critique of American culture it may be but it's much more a comment on humanity as a whole. Or, as Vonnegut said about it;

"This book is my fiftieth-birthday present to myself. I feel as though I am crossing the spine of a roof—having ascended one slope.
I am programmed at fifty to perform childishly—to insult “The Star-Spangled Banner,” to scrawl pictures of a Nazi flag and an asshole and a lot of other things with a felt-tipped pen. To give an idea of the maturity of my illustrations for this book, here is my picture of an asshole:
I think I am trying to clear my head of all the junk in there—the assholes, the flags, the underpants. Yes—there is a picture in this book of underpants. I’m throwing out characters from my other books, too. I’m not going to put on any more puppet shows."

Well, I'm off to see what the other Vonnegut's on the 1,001 are like...

Nice pic! That kid's got somebody wrapped around a finger. :)

#127 Which one? They're so both brats. Nah... not really - it's the heat talking today. You're the scientist... can I actually melt, cos I seriously feel like I might.

I normally go up to bed an hour early to read in peace (hubby insists on telly even if he's reading - grrrr) but no way tonight. Our room is a loft conversion and is seriously subtropical today.

125- I think what makes that picture even better is the combo of the words on the pillow with the expression on baby's face! :D Great moment captured on film!

Thanks Book Angel! I took one when he was about a month old and have been taking them next to the same cushion each month since to show how he's growing. It may take a couple of attempts but he generally manages to give me a good expression each time.

This is the latest - June's effort...

Yay, pictures! Your kids are adorable, and I love William's expressions. Great idea to take monthly pictures with the cushion!

I enjoyed Slaughterhouse Five, although I had never expected to "enjoy" a book about WWII. It was also one of the strangest books I ever read. I found Breakfast for Champions in my library's catalogue, the Italian version, I'll try and get it some time this week. I have to find a way to get that e-book link working you sent me.

Thanks Nathalie. He'll be much cuter once he cuts this darn tooth. 3.00 am is just not my favourite time of morning.

Be warned Breakfast of Champions is also v strange! Slaughterhouse Five is ready to be loaded next time I update my reader. That is once I plough through Jude the Obscure - it's not that I don't like the writing, it's that I know what's going to happen and therefore know that the whole book is pretty much futile.

I'm also supremely bored by Moby Dick which I didn't expect - I thought I'd enjoy it, but it just feels so so slow... meh. I'm hoping it picks up once we actually find a whale - 170 pages and counting.

Beautiful pics and Will is such a cutie - but I hope the tooth comes soon.

I haven't read any Vonnegut but my husband liked Slaughterhouse Five.

Thanks Cushla. I've so far only read Breakfast - but I did think it was excellent. Prob not everyone's cup of tea, but it is a wonderful mix of light insanity and really touching sections that totally suits me.

>133 BekkaJo: Oh, I'm so sorry you're bored by MD. I'm about a quarter of the way through it, and the pictures Melville paints hit me very strongly. I hope it picks up for you.

I went back and forth in my opinions of Moby Dick. The sections of narrative were very compelling and I enjoyed them. The sections on whales and the history of whaling got a little boring for me. It's just not my favorite subject. But overall I liked it and was glad to have read it.

I must confess I wasn't all that interested in the different kinds of whale myself. About half-way through at this point, but as I've just spent $50 at Powell's in Portland, Oregon, I have some distractions in hand!

I keep indulging the distractions - therefore its ice age like slowness on poor old Moby. That chapter describing all of the whales - come on, I love whales and I still thought that was dire!

21# Side Jobs - Butcher

A set of short stories about Butchers excellent protagonist Harry Dresden. So basically nummy bits of Dresden goodness. What's not to like? Big thumbs up - oh and I so cant wait for the next full Dresden book now. Not long to wait thankfully.

Ok - so it's officially too hot over here. I know - I know. Shouldn't complain about being a little island in the glorious sunshine. But I am stupidly overweight (natural inclination plus two babies = evil diet time) and trying to cart around a very large badly teething 5 month old and a 3 1/2 year old who needs to run off her masses of energy. It's just too hot for that.

Sorry - just having a wee vent.

#22 Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh

Now there isn't really much of a story to this - it's kind of the tale of Adam and Nina trying to get married, but not really. It is, however, exceedingly funny and a brilliant portrayal of the Bright Young Things.

I'm off to pick another Waugh (I got mint condition second hand paperbacks of 5 of his books at a charity shop a few months ago) from my pile. Decline and Fall and A Handful of Dust are both on the 1,001.

I know I'm a bit overkill on the pics, but my MIL just sent me this form my sis' wedding - my daughter as a flower girl. Love this photo.

My papaw-meter just redlined...the awwwww generator is overheating...fingers in the cheek-pinching rictus...

I know - it does overload the awwww factor somewhat!

Love the pictures! You have a couple of terrific looking kiddos!

Thank you Stasia :) I hope you had fun with your daughter?

I did have a good time, but not nearly enough of it!

#23 Dragon's Time - Todd McCaffrey

Well I was disappointed by the last one of these - theis one, unfortunately, equally so. The last one was too simple and overdid the details. This one was too fast and far too convoluted. And once again it has that feeling of being part of a greater whole - but not in a good way, in an exceedingly annoying way.

That being said, it's still like the comfort blanket of novels - I love to return to Anne McCaffrey's world, even if I have to say that her son is just not doing that brilliant a job of it.

Well. it was a day long foray into comfort - back to the 1,001 grindstone (with an aside of Game of Thrones when I let myself).

I think I will just stick with the original Anne McCaffrey books and skip Todd's.

Good plan - I have to keep reading them now because I need to know what's going on. Irritates the hell out of me though!

#150: I have to keep reading them now because I need to know what's going on.

I hate when that happens with a series!

Love the flower girl! :)

I'm so tempted to put up another pic... must resist.... it's kind of an opposite to the above. Also to be know as, why one shouldn't leave your child alone with a pile of cherries. Also known as zombie Cass!

On a more booky front I have GOT to focus - due ot the running 5-6 (7?) books simultaneously I am not finishing anything. Right, am off to pour a glass of wine and finish a darn book.

#24 The Story of Lucy Gault - William Trevor

Well. That was just heart breaking. It's intensely beautiful and amazingly written, but so truly sad. It is a story of mistkaes - and the changes that the little mistakes you make cause to the rest of your life. But not just to your life, how the mistakes ripple out and affect everyone you touch. I found this so painful in places because I kept expecting at least some sort of happy ending - whereas its more about acceptance and finding peace.

Sorry - once again a confused review, but again - more details would probably ruin it. Either way its a beatiful piece of work and well worth a read.

*anti-bug whammy*

Feel better, all in Bekka's ambit! Bug BEGONE!

*Cough* *hack* *wheeze*

Die...

#154: I loved that one when I read it several years ago.

#156: I hope not!

I'll put this on my tbr, but only for happy days, when no book can depress me.

#157 Thanks Stasia - I can't decide if I feel less rough today, or more rough... it seems to have moved more to my chest which is a pain since its kicking off my asthma. Ah well... these things are sent to try us.

I hope you do get to it Nathalie - it isn't depressing. More painful and sad but uplifting in an unexpected fashion.

I've got one of his others - Felicia's Journey out of the Library because I loved his writing so much. It's a lot darker from what I've heard about it.

Oh and Lucy Gault is on the 1,001 - but it's on the 2006 and was removed for the 2008 (which is just plain wrong). Luckily I'm working from the combo 1,294 to read before you die :)

Felicia's Journey is darker than Lucy Gault, but still a worthwhile read. I preferred Lucy though :)

Sorry to hear about the asthma kicking in. I hope you feel better very soon.

#25 Jude the Obscure - Hardy

I went into this knowing far too much about the storyline so, as usual, I wont comment on it too much. For me it almost spoilt the early sections since I was waiting for certain things to happen. However you do have to admire Hardy's handiwork. It's a brilliantly written novel that flows easily despite it's essential darkness. It's a commentary on social values and morals but in the opposite sense to many. It's more a comment on society trying to force you to be something you're not - and the fact that trying to be something you are not and do not believe in will hurt you.

Dark, painful and disturbing. And written to make you say, to hell with all you judging ba*tards, I will be what and who I want to be. And be happy with it.

I just wish, this many years after Jude was written, we could actually live by this.

#161: Jude the Obscure is my favorite of Hardy's books (granted, I have not yet read them all). I am glad to see that you appreciated the book.

Congratulations on hitting 25 books for the year!

26 Chess Story Stefan Zweig

I'm pretty sure it was Cushla who recommended this - and may I just say, Thank you! It's so short but so compelling. The main section is the recounting of an austrian gentlemen's internment by the gestapo. Not in a prison camp, but in mind destroying solitary confinement. Chess (by means which I wont spoil) becomes both his saviour and his destroyer. I think this little novella is brilliant - it's very well written and you really feel the characters (most of them - there are a couple of one dimensional puppets - but come on its only 71 pages long).

Anyway I will definitely by reading his other 1,001 work Amok.

Yay!! I'm really glad you liked it. (Also, short 1001 books are such a bonus. I've forgotten to update my spreadsheet all this year, and I think Chess Story balances out W&P quite nicely.)

I'm also reading Kreutzer Sonata and Death in Venice so I may be maxing out my short 1,001 annual allowance... Bleak House might help offset those and Wild Swans if I get round to finishing it this year. Still gonna find myself in a few years with only 500 page plus books on the list!

ed to correct typing... baby holding typing not my forte!

#163: Ack! I got that one last year for my birthday and of course, have not managed to get it read yet. I wonder where it is. . .

Ooh Stasia - go dig it out! It'll take you about 30 mins to read, but it's still really good.

#27 The Kreutzer Sonata - Leo Tolstoy

As I said before, I'm def reading far too many short ones. But in some ways this one is an interesting counterpoint to Chess story. Both are mainly the story of one character told to the narrator. Both are explorations - Chess of the mind, Kreutzer of the mind/society/marriage. Tolstoy explores a lot of themes in a few pages and I think his ideas do suffer somewhat from the brevity of the text. The novel is mostly a gentleman on a train telling another gentleman how he came to kill his wife. The whole novel becomes a condemnation of marriage - though whether this is Tolstoy's real opinion or not I'm not sure. His 'lesson of the Kreutzer Sonata' that appends it would make it seem so, but I'm not sure that that is not another assumed persona.

Whilst I am mostly completely opposite to his view point (I love being married) I can see that at the time this was written the sense of being trapped was far more complete. I think that you are supposed to take away the view that the teller (can't spell his surname) was far more in love with his wife than he thinks - he thinks he hates her but if he hated her then he would not have been so jealous or cared so much... I'm getting this out all confusedly. What I think I mean to say is that he thinks he hates her and thats why they hurt each other, whereas really they love each other - which is why a lot of married people hurt each other - 'You always hurt the one you love'.

Anyway, its an interesting psychological read and I must stop waffling and go and locate my child since all I can hear is her talking to heresfly outside...

#167: I have not read that one by Tolstoy yet. Must get to that one too :/ I seriously need to be triplets or something!

I thought you were at least quadruplets already!

#169: I wish!

#169 Lol - you took the words right out of my mouth/keyboard... :)

You are both just so funny - not. :)

#28 Ghost Story - Jim Butcher

Hubby and I have been waiting for this on tenterhooks since the end of the last one. So the day it came out there I am snaffling it - he on the otherhand downloaded it and since he can listen whilst walking etc he beat me to the end. Grrrr....

But anyway, the book. Well since the last book finished with Harry being shot and given the title of this one, the premise is not too difficult to guess. The whole incorporeal ghostly thing is a bit odd at first, but like most of the Dresden novels its a slow burner. Starts off fairly slow then goes into complete overdrive and all hell breaks loose (evil necromancers, murderous ghosts, chaotic mind magic, evil demons...) and you don't get to go to bed till you're done.

As normal, brilliant fun, great entertainment and some gem lines. A little overkill on the pop references this time - you can tell Butcher reads Marvel not DC comics, but he's referencing things I love so I cant help but smirk whilst reading.

Bring on the next one Jim!

And I've just suddenly thought... what happens to Bob in the end???? Oh no! I forgot about him - he's been left in the sh*t!

#173: One of these days I will get around to that series. I will, I will, I will.

#29 Death in Venice - Thomas Mann

Another 1,001 shorty - but boy what a shorty! It totally deserves it's nobel status. This is only 71 pages long but it has such a grace, such an elegant turn of phrase and such a subtle pace - you are traped before you realise. The plot is very brief and yet rather complex since it sees the main character, an elderly staid German writer transform from a judgemental observer to a man very much in love and desperate to interact before it's too late.

Compact but wonderful. Linguistically...well I I've use the word already - elegant.

#175: I have had that one in the BlackHole forever! I have now put it on hold at the local library so I can finally get it out of the BlackHole :)

Jim and I learned a few months ago that the translation really matters. I read the H. T. Lowe-Porter translation, which is I think considered the standard, but not to my liking. Jim read another one and it was much better. I'll see if I can get that translator's name for you.

#177: I do not have a whole lot of choice, Judy, as my local library only has one copy of the book and it was translated by Kenneth Burke. I hope he did a good job of it!

Just as a warning - I did not like it at first, in fact I was allset to hate it. This only lasted about 5 pages though...

I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for the heads up!

Stasia, looking at the covers for Death in Venice listed on LT, I think the Burke is the one Jim had. I actually reread the novella in his edition after reading mine. I think it was sufficiently different to matter, so I'm glad your library has the Burke edition.

Just looked up mine (e-book) and it was a translation by Michael Henry Heim. Don't think that helps if your library only has the one but thought I'd weigh in :)

That's a familiar name, too. I'll have to check Jim's edition.

I'm glad you liked Death in Venice. IMO Mann's writing is German at its very best without being too old-fashioned, and it's good to know that the translator took care of that.

Def impressed with Mann - have added two more Mann 1,001 onto my e-reader already :)

#181: I am glad the library has the Burke edition too in that case, Judy.

#30 Les Enfants Terribles - Jean Cocteau

Well that was just f'ing weird. Again its somewhat saved linguistically, but that just can't make up for the lack of anything truly substantial in the novel. Which I guess is in itself a point. The novel tells the story of a brother and sister in Paris in their late teens who both sleep in the same room and create their own world in that room. Elisabeth is nursing their dying mother and then Paul becomes ill - gradually they are trapped more and more in the room. Even when they move location they jsut recreate the 'Room'. Events supposedly spiral pulling two others into their world - I'm afraid I just found that they irritated me. Gradually through Elisabeth's selfishness the tale winds up to it's inevitable tragedy.

One of the reviews on the back read something like 'Despite the tragic ending the feeling one takes away is that of happiness'. For me that is totally untrue. Massive dislike for this book.

#187: Sounds terrible. I hope your next read is more to your taste!

Started Silk - only read five pages so far, but so far, so weird... really must read something normal.

#187 - I sympathize. I read Les Enfants Terribles a couple of years ago and can hardly remember anything about it, other than that it was both irritating and boring.

I think that's exactly the term - its beautifully written but exceptionally irritating! I still just want to go Grrrrrrr...

#31 Silk - Alessandro Baricco

I seem to be on a roll of beautifully written pieces. This is simply exquisite - it feels like reading poetry. Really good poetry.

The essence of the story is simple - the love of the unatainable and the too late realisation of the real love in ones life.

One line I tagged and have to share;
'His life was as rain before his eyes, a vision of peace.'

On a 'Geez darn it' note I realised today that whilst I was feeling all chuffed at having only 50 pages or so of Ovid's Metamorphoses left, actually the download I have is only the first 7 volumes - another 8 (c. 700 pages) to go then...

Poop.

Uhhhh ... . Bummer, to say the least.

#192: Boy, I really wish my local library would get that one! I have seen nothing but good reviews of it here in the group.

Hi Bekka...thanks for coming over to check on me after Irene! *smooch*

Just glad to see that you're safe and sound and not all smooshed. X

#195 I could send it to you if you want? It's very wee.

#194 I just took a copy of the same translation out of the library - and had to be signed off as a 'safe reader' since it's a pre 1900 edition! Hmmm... and this woman definitely knew I had two small children. Crazy people! Am v paranoid about the book now though!

#197: I sent you a PM, Bekka. Thank you so much for the offer!

#198 No worries - you are no doubt correct! :)

#32 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

FINALLY! Will do a proper review (or at least deliver a few irritated comments) once I finish doing the happy dance at finishing it.

Hurrah - am back on my little rock. And kissing the ground for joy. That was a hell of a crossing - it was cancelled yesterday due to 50-60mph winds and was hellish enough today. HOME!

Sounds like you're having our weather! Glad you made it home.

Nope. Long break and I still can't think of anything to say other than. Whales. Sigh.

#33 Game of Thrones George R R Martin

Well I started this a long long time ago - as a teen I read a lot of fantasy. I couldn't get on with his writing so left it. The current adaptation however is completely brilliant so I pottered off and downloaded the first 4 books. I think what irritated me about his writing is that it does read very much like a screen play. But once you get caught up in the story, it is really worth it. I do have to quote my friends comment here though, which is that reading the book after watching the adaptation is kinda like watching the dvd extras. Well worth reading though - plus now I get to move onto the second (accidentally read 50 pages the other day when I was supposed to be reading Ovid. Oops) and find out what's going to happen. Excited!

#33 Tale of a Tub

Wow. Well that's a whole chunk of my life that I am never ever getting back. Hated this with a passion - I've made two or three stabs at it before, but this time I was determined to get it read and out of the way. I just could not get on with the style - nor with what Swift thinks of as parody/humour. Yukitty yuk.

One good line though;

"Last week I saw a woman flayed, and you will hardly believe how much it altered her person for the worse."

#34 Chocky - John Wyndham

I just want to say - I love Wyndham. His writing is effortless and his imagination fascinating. Chocky is supposedly a children's story, but I think it appeals to all ages. It is a simple short tale of a boy who hears an alien. Sounds a bit out there but its written in such a way that it doesn't seem crazy or anything. His parents think that 'Chocky' is an imaginary friend, then as it progresses they begin to worry more and more about this influence on their son. This is disarming in its simplicity but makes a real comment on how our paranoia and fear can change events.

#204 I've only read The Day of the Triffids by Wyndham so far but I have The Midwich Cuckoos and Trouble with Lichen in the TBR piles. I'll look our for Chocky too.

Seems like you're making good progress with your 1001 list.

Ta! Midwich Cuckoos is brilliant too - not read the Linden one. Hmmm... may go find some more of his.

I think I'm up to around 220 - or maybe 230 on the list. I was hoping to hit 250 this year but I don't think its going to happen somehow! I've got my book group working off the list though so that helps. Our current one is Henderson the Rain King - the first page of which is brilliant.

My new favourite pics...

What beautiful kids!

208- Ditto! :)

Ta - I rather like em :)

Oh man... nearly 2 weeks and I still haven't finished another book. I so suck. Still plugging at biog ones though! And some little ones...

#35 The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler

Well that was fun! Great detective romp - rainy streets, mobsters, dying millionaires, drunken floozies and of course, the original Private Dectective himself.

Well writtena dn entertaining - big thumbs up!

#36 Bunner Sisters - Edith Wharton

This was my last Edith Wharton off the 1,001 list which makes me really sad - I love her work. It's such easy but wonderful, reading. I left a seriously depressing one till the end though! This short novel tells the story of the two Bunner Sisters, Eveline and Ann-Eliza. They are past their prime and trying to hold on to a small sewing shop in New York. It's a tale of the smallest things that can lead to huge changes in life and happiness - and the thwarting of even the most innocent of expectations. Leaves a profound sense of melancholy behind - but the strength of Ann-Eliza gives a hopeful twist to the end.

This was removed from the 2008 1,001 list and I can see why - but I'm still glad to have read it.

You finished 2 in a day! I love it when that happens.

I haven't read any Edith Wharton yet but maybe 2012 will be the year... what's your favourite?

I was well overdue! The Chandler has been my lunch time book for ages - and the Wharton is really short.

I think my favourite was Age of Innocence - or The House of Mirth... not sure...

OK. I have The Age of Innocence and maybe even 2 copies of it... in a box in NZ.

Ah... I'm pretty sure it's on Project Gutenberg online though - should go onto your iPad?

My ipad is starting to weigh a lot with unread books!!!!!

That made me chuckle out loud - good thing I'm at home now :)

*sigh*... I'm about 300 out of 400 pages through Pamela or virtue Rewarded and to be honest, whilst I'm finding it easier going than last attempt, it's really really hard work right now. Probably because I'm enjoying the second George R R Martin - Clash of Kings so much. I think my resolve is that I'll not be allowed to start the third one until I finish that damn Pamela!

I did just check my 'must get round to list' on post 1 and I have read 6 of them - and am 400 pages into Wild Swans. 3 down out of the maybe list - and two half way done. Must knuckle down!

#212 I've read the first two Philip Marlowe books so far and found them both quite entertaining.

#213 I've suddenly started reading more Edith Wharton and really enjoying it so thanks for the recommendation for Bunner Sisters.

#220 Be prepared - it is kind of a downer!

#37 Clash of Kings - George R.R Martin

What a lot of rape, murder and pillage! But awfully good nontheless. Having watched the adaptation then read the first book, I still have all the characters images in my head - and since they did such a good job I did find myself almost watching this as I read it.

Anyway, since the end of the first book, all hell has broken loose - there are people proclaiming themselves as King all other the place and the whole continent has erupted into carnage. Can't wait to see what the next one brings.

#38 Pamela or Virtue Rewarded - Samuel Richardson

Wow - I finished it! It was a bit touch and go there for a while. I started this back at uni - so about 8 years ago but only got 50 pages in this. This time I was determined to get past it - but my goodness she is a whiny narrator. I definitely enjoyed it more than my last attempt, but there is a section in the middle - once she has essentially reformed him and they are all lovey (sorry for the spoiler but I figured no-one else is going to bother reading it) that is utterly turgid.

So my comments on this? He's a git and she is an utter wet dish rag.

Urrrrrggg a dishrag narrator... I am reading a Barbara Pym at the moment (No fond return of love) and the main character has dishrag tendencies which she needs to sort out or else some throwing of the book may occur. Not going to add Pamela to my WL!

And it was considered too raunchy in it's time - seriously! Meh - Richardson has another on the 1,001 list - Clarissa which comes in about 4 volumes. Not for some time methinks.

I'm off back to the steadily increasing murder, rape and pillage of Storm of Swords. So good, but honestly not sure who's going to be alive by the end of the next book!

I had to take a break after A Storm of Swords. I couldn't take any more. I kept remembering a comment I read somewhere warning the reader not to get too attached to any characters. How true!

Yeah - I read that too - and it's just hit home. I'm about 660 pages in - at the Frey's. Oh holy moly. Saw badness but did not see it being that bad. Quite sad now :(

BEKKA!! DO NOT READ CLARISSA!! You have handsome young children...you want to live to be grandmother to their children, don't you? This will not happen if you pour yet MORE Richardson into your already overburdened system!

LOL!

Yeah it may turn out that life is actually just too short.

Handsome children maybe - but my three year old has caught the vomiting virus I had earlier in the week. This is exceedingly unpleasant for all of us - poor brat. Sigh.

Ugh, I hope you are all better soon!

#39 A Storm of Swords - George R R Martin

Ooof. Death. Murder. Mutilation. Atrocity. Rape. Incest.

It's possible that at some point soon I will NEED to read something a little less carnage filled. Maybe....

Also if I want to get anywhere near 75 books (which seems v unlikely given that I only have 2 1/2 months to go and am doing NaNoWriMo again this year) I need to read some books under 1,000 pages long!

#40 The Jungle - Upton Sinclair

Amazing. Upsetting. Heartbreaking. Then a bit more upsetting.

Yup it's a painful read and then the end doesn't live up to the rest of the novel. I'm rather conflicted by it. But if you want to read something that makes you really feel - read this. At least the first 250 pages anyway!

#41 Princess of Cleves - Madame de La Fayette

If you cheat on your husband - even just by having slightly lusty thoughts about somene else (even though you remain completely virtuous throughout), your husband will find out and die of heartbreak. You will never be happy ever again.

The End.

NaNoWriMo will now be sapping a vast amount of November reading time. Chances of reaching 75 = zero. Ah well - there's always next year!

#233 Your mini review of that one made me chuckle :-)

#234 But I think participating in NaNoWriMo is an achievement in itself, especially with two little ones.

#42 A Feast for Crows - George R R Martin

Oh darn it - I knew it had to happen. This one is just not as good as the first three. He confined his characters to below the wall - and just main Westeros. Apparently the first half of the fifth book runs concurrent to book 4 so I'm looking forward to catching up with some of my favourites (Daenarys and Jon) who I've missed a lot.

The problem is once I finish the next one I've run out... this will make me rather sad.

#235 Ta! NaNo is fun - I am doing straight up fantasy this year. I guess I've been reading too much Martin to do otherwise. I'm up to 10k - but have yet to do todays words and my brain is fried tonight :(

#43 The Sea - John Banville

I hated this when I started it - or rather, not hated but was bored by it. It did nothing for me. Yet as it progressed... by the end I was hooked and resentful that it finished.

It's the story of an elderly man who's wfie has recently died. He goes back to stay in the seaside town he used to summer in. His memories are in particular of one family and how they changed him. His present day is mixed with flashbacks to both his wife and to the Grace family.

Beatifully written - and, if somewhat of a slow burner, it will deifnitely touch you in the end.

The Sea sounds like a nice winter read. And I see it's a 1001, so it goes onto my wish list.

Last year when you told me about NaNoWriMo I thought I might join in this year. But November again seems to be an extremely busy month for me with too many long hours and not enough free time. Maybe in 2012.

I hope you enjoy it - I do think it's worth it's 1,001 place.

NaNo is great, but it does require some dedication - and as you say, if you are busy already with long hours you probably don't need the stress. I'm not 100% sure it was my wisest move with the sprogs and all.

Oh and on the NaNo topic, my USB key has been and gone and died on me - with my NaNo on it. I'm just praying that I saved onto the system at home last night as well. I mean it'd only be 2,000 words - but that's too much to lose. *Wails*

#44 The Life and Death of Harriet Frean - May Sinclair

Okay, well I'm just hoping to get to 50 this year so I read this tiny 1,001 story.

And what the hell? So confused. Not by the main text of the novel, which charts the life and death of Harriet Frean - born around 1880 she is raised for seemingly no real reason. She exists to be there for her parents and to think beautiful thoughts. But her moral superiority is founded on no real reason and ultimately slips away from her.

What confused me is the end of the novel. As she dies she slips back in her mind to her childhood cot and in a circular twist it is as if she never existed. That I get - it's just that one of the characters she's fallen out with looms over her in her last seconds and she says Mamma. Not quite twigging why.

Either way, bit disturbing. Interesting, very different style of writing. But a bit odd.

50k words - done! Yay! So happy at how much easier NaNo was this year. Now just to write the other 50-100k to finish it...

#241 Congratulations on completing NaNo this year (and with two younglings to look after too) :-)

#45 Rasselas - Samuel Johnson

Philosophy in book form. Kinda. This really was a bit of a fail for me - it's the tale of a prince of Abissinia who is confined to a valley along with all the other heirs so that they don't threaten the Emporer's rule. They have all the amenities and luxury they could want but Rasselas is discontented and eventually manges to get out of the valley along with his friend Imlac (who has told him of the outside wordl) and his sister and his sisters hand maid.

No, hilarity does not ensue.

Essentially they wander roudn north africa being disappointed by life and humanity. It's all very true - and there are a couple of brilliant lines, but all in all Rasselas, and his sister in particular, just managed to irritate the hell out of me with their 'better than thou' attitudes.

Huh... hadn't realised it annoyed me until I sat and wrote about it! Ah well... another 1,001 down.

#46 Son of Neptune - Rick Riordan

Great fun as always - Riordan is now exploring the Roman gods which is fun. I'm a little surprised how in depth he gets since this is a kids book - the contrasting manifestations of Greek/Roman Gods is not exactly a simple concept.

Anyway, lots of battles and monsters and friendship. Rollicking adventure story every time - can't wait for the next one (they're off to the old worlds - Rome and Greece, so that'll be interesting).

Bekka - What cute little ones you have! My son's name is William Robert, so it was nice to see another traditional name!

I loved Son of Neptune and I'm way too excited about The Mark of Athena which won't even be out for another 10 months!

Thanks Jane - he kinda makes up for my daughter who is a less traditional Cassandra!

Re the Riordan, me too - I had to go and google when the next one was out after I finished. Have you been reading the Egyptian ones? I think the next one of those is due in May.

I have been reading the Kane Chronicles . . . I may need to re-read those in anticipation of the culminating book. . .

mistletoe smooches!

Merry Christmas Bekka.

#47 Candide - Voltaire

Okay, so vol 1 started off filled with humour and commentary. Good fun. Gradually beats out your will to live as his life turns to hell. Which is of course what Voltaire was after. And the end of Vol 1 leaves you with a sense of melancholy and hope. I thought it was a good ending.

Then there's Vol 2. Totally not needed. Grind him down more and more - over and over. Then finally (spoiler) he ends up happy and says its all worth it. But doesn't that completely contradict the whole of Voltaire's commentary that life and people are evil? Huh?

Anyway - book 1, good. Book 2, rubbish.

And thank you for the Xmas wishes - it was a chilly Christmas day. Actually I tell a lie - the weather wasn't too bad but the water was a bit on the cool side...

Great - you posted a picture! Is that you in the water? I had to think of you when I saw a picture of some VIP taking a Christmas swim somewhere in Cornwall, where it was clearly very cold and stormy. (I don't remember which thread it was but you had announced your plans somewhere). I'm so impressed, I don't think I could ever do that!

Yup - that's me! My Dad is the sensible one holding my son. In the water are me, my brother in law and my husband (from left to right).

Definitely rougher and more seaweedy than in previous years!

Very brave Bekka - I'd have been with your dad and the baby, safely wrapped up on shore!