avatiakh (Kerry) settles down to read 75 books in 2011 Part 2

Borges posters in Buenos Aires street

New thread time and a bunch of books read that I haven't posted about yet. I'll try to get up to date this evening.

Currently Reading:

Here are my 11 in 11 categories:
1) Science Fiction/Fantasy 11/11 + Bonus Reads
2) Spotlight: Bernice Rubens 4/11
3) Conflict 2/11
4) Young at Heart 11/11 + Bonus Reads
5) Jewish writers 5/11
6) Wanderlust 2/11
7) The Grand Tour 10/11
8) LT Challenges & Theme Reads 9/11
9) Meandering 3/11
10) Down Under 10/11
11) Magic in the Air: folklore, fairytale, myths: retellings, anthologies, etc... 2/11

My 11 in 11 thread is here

My first 2011 75 book challenge thread is here

Found you again!

Found you, Kerry! (Stil have about 50 messages on your old thread to read too...)

Hi Stasia & Cushla - I need to catch up on a few threads as well.

30) The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (1918)
fiction
This met the TIOLI embedded word challenge (there) as I was delighted to discover once I'd finished listening to it. I downloaded the free LibriVox audio of the book. The narrator, Elizabeth Klett, was very good, so I've downloaded a few more classics read by her.

The Return of the Soldier is an enchanting love story. It is a short novel brimming with beautiful descriptions. The soldier, Chris, an officer in the trenches returns home suffering selective memory loss caused by shell shock. He spends his days reliving his early life and his first love, unable to acknowledge his wife and their beautiful home.The novel echoes the lost youth of the young men who won't return from the trenches. The story is narrated by his cousin who observes everything in meticulous detail. Just wonderful.

#6: I just finished that one last night. I did not realize it was on the TIOLI challenges. I will have to post on the wiki. Thanks for letting me know, Kerry.

BTW - It was your discussion with Ilana on your previous thread that prompted me to finally pick up the book. I have owned it for 2 years now, ever since Tad reviewed it back in 2009, so double 'thanks' are in order.

I also had it on my tbr pile for a couple of years but ended up listening to it while I looked for another audiobook to settle into. I'll probably read it again so I'm pleased to own my own copy of it. Quite amazing that she wrote it in 1918. I was checking the date for Lady Chatterley's Lover which was written in 1928, but that doesn't capture the 'lost love' appeal of West's book.
I was delighted that it fit Madeline's challenge because I'd given up all hope of finding a book.

#8: I just started Marcelo in the Real World which also fits the challenge for the same word as Return of the Soldier - there. I know you have already read it though.

I really liked that one. I want to read his latest, but too many books already on my tbr pile and I'm trying not to get too many from the library - not succeeding though. I just read The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight which was inspired by Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar, it was really good and fit the Valentine challenge.

#10: I enjoyed Brat Farrar (my second favorite Tey as a matter of fact), so I will have to look for the other book. Thanks for the mention, Kerry.

31) The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith (2010)
YA fiction

I read this for my scifi/fantasy category of my 11 in 11 challenge.
16 year old Jack is a few days away from a trip to the UK when he gets drunk and starts to walk home from a party. He gets abducted and wakes to find himself chained to a bed in a small room. His abductor starts to play a few mind games but luckily Jack is able to escape.
When he arrives in London, a stranger gives him a pair of glasses with strange purple lenses. When he wears them he is transported to a world full of horror, Marbury.
This book pulls some interesting mind games on the reader, you don't know what is happening, where or what. The tension builds, the visits to Marbury become addictive. You want to know why this is happening to Jack, is it because of what happened before his trip? Is Jack just buckling under psychological pressure or are the ghosts and strangers really there.
Roll, tap tap.
Great reading for older teens especially boys. NOT for the squeamish or prudish reader.

32) The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (2001)
fantasy

I read this for Fantasy February and my 11 in 11 challenge. Thanks to Roni for recommending this for my first Bujold.
This is a great fantasy, and as I mentioned elsewhere it was a delight to read a fantasy book with an older adult protaganist. It was sheer delight to follow Cazaril's progress from broken man to the hero of the story, his body broken from years as a galley slave, he returns home and is shunted directly into political intrigue, magic and romance. I have the sequel lined up to read in the next couple of months.

33) Mr Wakefield's Crusade by Bernice Rubens (1985)
fiction

I read this for my 11 in 11 challenge. I'm so pleased I decided to focus on Bernice Rubens this year, this story was such fun and clever, I never guessed the twist in the tail of this story - what a laugh when the resolution came. Luke Wakefield, a failure in life and slightly paranoid, is participating in his weekly highlight of standing in the Post Office queue on benefit day looking for some chitchat with his fellow queuers when the man in front of him keels over and dies. Luke's hand sneaks out and grabs the letter the man was about to post, and so starts his 'crusade', a search to find justice and the truth about the mysterious disappearance of a woman.
I'm almost certain I have read this before but only a small part of the book felt familiar, when Luke is convinced the police have him under surveillance. Rubens is great at writing the paranoid slightly 'off key' personality. Recommended.

#12: I think I will skip that one. I am definitely a reader of the 'squeamish' variety.

#13: I am reading that one right now myself, but I am only 6 chapters into it.

#14: I have not heard of that one before. Into the BlackHole it goes!

34) Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin (1984)
scifi

I'm participating in the Future Women in scifi group read of this book. There is a fascinating ongoing discussion on this thread. I finished the book because I didn't want to draw out the next couple of weeks reading it when I wasn't enjoying it and that was starting to affect my other reading. Overall I'm pleased to have read it, mainly due to our discussions about linguistics and the depiction of men/women in the novel.
Set two hundred years in the future when women have lost their fight for equality and the most powerful families are those with unusual linguistic abilities, capable of communicating with aliens.

I don't think I can read fantasy any more. The Curse of Chalion sounds interesting, but can't get any traction with me. The Marbury Lens sounds really intriguing, though.

35) The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight by Jenny Valentine (2010)
YA fiction

Read for the TIOLI Valentine challenge.
I loved this and am now looking forward to discovering more of Jenny Valentine's work. A homeless teen turns up at a youth shelter in London, seeking for food and rest. A social worker thinks he's Cassiel Roadnight, a boy who went missing two years earlier, he looks just like him. Here's a chance to be part of a family, to finally be someone and to get off the streets and away from the gang that's after him. But all is not as easy as it first appears. A thrilling read.

edit: Just wanted to add that Valentine acknowledges that a Josephine Tey novel was the inspiration for this.

#15 & 17> Stasia & Richard - Curse of Chalion is standard fantasy fare. As I read a lot of YA and children's books, I found it a refreshing change reading with an older and much wiser protagonist.

#18: I am definitely going to have to find that one some time or other.

36) The Song of the Whales by Uri Orlev (1997), (2010 English trans)
children's fiction, Israel

This is an unusual story almost a fable. Mikha'el comes to live in Jerusalem from New York as his parents want to be near his grandfather who is old and possibly under the influence of his housekeeper which could upset their inheritance. Mikha'el is lonely and soon forms a strong friendship with his grandfather and even begins to warm to the housekeeper. Eventually the grandfather shares with Mikha'el his secret - his ability to share dreams and together they have many adventures in the dreams, but then the dreams start to get darker in context and reality and dream begin to mix a little.
I really like Orlev's semi-autobiographical novels such as The island on Bird Street and The Man from the Other Side but this little fantasy has a weirdness to it that just doesn't quite gel. Its magical elements are really interesting but I think I'd find it hard to recommend to children, I see it more as something fable-like that adults could enjoy.

#21: I think I will give that one a pass.

I keep seeing Marbury Lens pop up with very favorable reviews, so I just might have to check it out. I have the same dreadful edition of Native Tongue and I cannot motivate myself to read it with it's itsy bity print.

What a beautiful cover for The Song of the Whales. It sounds like something I would enjoy. I'll have to pick up a copy.

Hmm, two strong recommendations for The Return of the Soldier on the same day, along with a positive comment from Tad. Onto the Kindle it goes.

I liked The Elected Member, so I'll add Mr. Wakefield's Crusade to my wish list.

#24 Make that three Darryl, I've listened to the audio version as recommended by Kerry and also loved it.

Kerry, I'm just starring this thread for now. Tried to catch up here, but will be back to read your reviews. I liked your impressions on The Return of the Soldier. I'm behind on my own review writing, but that one is up next.

36b) Sophie's Misfortunes by Comtess de Ségur (1859) (2010 English trans)
The Fleurville Trilogy Bk1
children's fiction

Recently translated French classic for children, apparently Les malheurs de Sophie is a popular read for younger students of French. Young Sophie is only 4 years old and is a bundle of naughtiness, never listening to her mother or Nanny's advice, never following the example of her cousin Paul, never learning from her mistakes. The trouble she gets up to would never pass in a children's book of today, I was skeptical at first but gradually came to adore little Sophie and her irrepressible temper...though I did feel sorry for any animals in her care.
Little escapades such as eating the horses' bread or cutting her eyebrows off are mild in comparison to when she tries to keep a pet squirrel, or what happens to the poor donkey. Quite a few escapades revolve around her appetite for special treats.

The author wrote this when she was a grandmother for one of her granddaughters. Here is the wikipedia info on Comtess de Ségur

edit: adding that this is in the 1001 children's books to read before you grow up.

Yikes, TBR pile is tottering: adding Return of the Soldier, Island on Bird Street, and will see if I can get my daughter to read Sophie's Misfortunes en francais.

Wow, so many great reads! Am adding The Marbury Lens and Mr Wakefield's Crusade. I've never read Bernice Rubens and am intrigued.

I've never read anything by la Comptesse de Ségur, but I think my mum's told me it was very popular in her day and Les malheurs de Sophie certainly sounds familiar. Adding that one to the WL as well since it's high time I find out for myself what it's all about. Just had a quick look at the library catalogue, and there are FIFTY different versions of it available in the original French. A few audio version and of course loads of books illustrated by various artists.

Have you had a chance to listen to more novels narrated by Elizabeth Klett yet? I'll look her up as well as also found her quite good, but curious to know what you would recommend.

#23> Tanglewood> I wouldn't rush to get that particular Orlev, though lots of reviewers have loved it, I just couldn't feel it.
My daughter always exclaimed whenever I picked up my copy of NT, with that dreadful cover, 'not that one again, are you ever going to finish it'. So for her sake and mine I pushed through the last 150pgs in a day.

#24> Hi Darryl - very classic story, I really liked how Stasia summed it up.
#27> Lisa - both excellent books. Return of the Soldier is a novella so won't take too long to read. I hope your daughter enjoys Les malheurs de Sophie, the text seems suitable for children (so shouldn't be too difficult in the original French) and the mischief is wonderfully tomboyish, not at all the 'proper' behaviour of little girls of those times.

#28> Ilana, wow, fifty versions! I'm pleased I read it, I saw it in a bookshop a few weeks ago and thought it was just another new children's book but saw that it was translated and that the author was a Comtess, so looked at the copyright page to see when it was published. My library had a copy luckily and I read most of it in one sitting this morning. I'd love to try this in the original French, but I've forgotten most of what I learnt.
I downloaded a few by Klett, but am listening to To say nothing of the dog at the moment which is about 20 hours of audio and I'm lucky to listen to about 20-30 mins a day so it will be a while till I get to them. I got classics that are on my tbr list - Lady Audley's Secret, Age of Innocence, Fighting France,Howards End, The Awakening, and Incidents in the life of a slave girl. She's also done Passing and Quicksand which I've seen on the TIoLI challenge this month. Make sure to do an advanced search with her name as some of the books have 2 or more versions with different narrators. These will keep me busy for a long while.

I've got to read some Bernice Ruebens!

gotcha :)

Whoa! I'll come back to look at your recommendations when am more awake. I knew I could count on you, and you ALWAYS wayyyyy surpass my expectations! ;-)

Man, so many great reads, am finding the fanasty ones very intriguing.

37) In a strange room by Damon Galgut (2010)
fiction
I read this for the Reading Globally's Journey theme. In a strange room was one of the shortlisted books for last year's Booker Prize.
This contemporary novel about three different journeys taken over several years is quite something. Each journey is separate from the other, in the first the narrator goes trekking in Lesotho with a German he doesn't know that well and like the other two stories it doesn't end well. The third story, set in India, was the highlight for me, I found it riveting reading with his companion spiraling out of control and descending into some form of insanity far from home. The stories feel very real, it's like reading nonfiction. The narrator jumps between first and third person narration, even within the same sentence, and it works. Recommended.

A journey is a gesture inscribed in space, it vanishes even as it's made. You go from one place to another place, and on to somewhere else again, and already behind you there is no trace that you were ever there. The roads you went down yesterday are full of different people now, none of them knows who you are. Dust covers over your footprints, the marks of your fingers are wiped off the door, from the floor and table the bits and pieces of evidence that you might have dropped are swept up and thrown away and they never come back again. The very air closes behind you like water and soon your presence, which felt so weighty and permanent, has completely gone. Things happen once only and are never repeated, never return. Except in memory.pg123

38) Just as Well I'm leaving: to the Orient with Hans Christian Andersen by Michael Booth (2006)
nonfiction

I read this for my 11in11 challenge and the TIOLI Travel challenge
When journalist Michael Booth married a Danish actress, he moved from his comfortable London world to Copenhagen and had to adjust to life in Denmark. While learning Danish he discovered the stories of Hans Christian Andersen in their original form, vastly different to the censored Victorian era translations we are all used to, not to mention the sanitised Disney versions. He finds Andersen to be an interesting, intriguing personality and also discovered his travel writing. To get away from Denmark for a time he decides to travel the same path that Andersen took in 1841 in The Poet's Bazaar on his journey through German, Italy, Malta, Greece, Turkey and back along the Danube River.
Along the way Booth discusses all sorts of interesting aspects of Andersen and his writing, his inspirations, quirks etc. Quite fascinating, at times Booth is a bit much, he gets a bit obsessed at the start with the question of Andersen's sexuality (over which there has been much debate to give Booth his due) but is also funny and laughs at his own predicaments. Overall this book just makes you appreciate and want to read everything Andersen has written and has been written about him. It's an interesting travel narrative as we are visiting these places in the 21st century with Booth, but also seeing them through Andersen's 1841 eyes from A Poet's Bazaar. I enjoyed this, Andersen was a complex character and I think Booth does a great job of impressing on us the 'greatness' of the man and his legacy.
I also have Journey in Blue:a novel about Hans Christian Andersen by Danish writer Stig Dalager on my to-read list.

>34 avatiakh:: Hi Kerry. The Booth books sounds great. I love travel writing and Andersen.

Interesting travelogues. One dark, one light. I'll keep an eye out for the Booth book as well. The juxaposition of a modern day travel and a 19th century one is always an interesting way to structure the book.

ETA: Do you add your reviews? I was unable to find them. It would be especially nice to see your Booth review as there is only one other, and it is not nearly as helpful as yours.

>30 arubabookwoman:: Hi Deborah, Rubens' family story is quite interesting. Her father, was immigrating to the US from Poland, got off the boat in Wales thinking he'd arrived in New York, and ended up settling there.
>31 suslyn:: Susan - hi!
>32 Smiler69:: Ilana, I won't be racing to listen to all those at once, I'll pace them out over the year.
>33 KiwiNyx:: kiwinyx, lots of good fantasy out there and it's easy to make it all sound tempting. My son is pressing me to read A Game of Thrones which means reshuffling my reading pile once again.

>35 TadAD:: Tad, I'm hoping to read a few travel narratives this year, one of the writers I'm interested to read is Norman Lewis. We're probably travelling to Buenos Aires and Rio again this year so I'll be looking through my selection of South American nonfiction to read too.

>Lisa: Thanks, I've posted the Booth review.

As a big fan of Hans Christian Andersen, I'll have to check out Booth's book. This is what I love about LibraryThing, hearing about books that I missed (sometimes I curse LibraryThing for this too). Look forward to hearing your thoughts on Dalager's book when you get to it.

Both books sound very interesting. I've already added Game of Thrones to the WL and seen it's available at the library. It's been mentioned quite a lot on the Fantasy February thread this month so was hard to miss.
Thanks for the list of audiobooks. Lady Audley's Secret is a new title to me and sounds like a great story so I'll be sure to download that one. I've already got Age of Innocence, Howards End and The Awakening on my shelves, and I'd seen Passing at the used bookstore once and was intrigued about it, so I'll likely get that audio version as well.

Adding the Booth book to the wishlist.

I am too!

#1 Ah, you're further ahead through Les Mis than I am - still only at about pg380...

The Return of the Soldier definitely sounds like one to add to the list...

#10 ...as does The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight - I love Brat Farrar.

#12 The Marbury Lens sounds intriguing also - I'm can have a bit of a squeem sometimes though, so I don't know...

#34 Just as Well I'm leaving: to the Orient with Hans Christian Andersen sounds interesting also - among other reasons, travelling from country to country down the Danube is something that I've always wanted to do...

Hah! The Return of the Soldier is already on my wishlist!

Kerry, I feel like as soon as I catch up with your thread I blink and whoosh, another 40 posts unread!

The Return of the Soldier, Mr Wakefield's Crusade and The Various have all gone on the wishlist.

39) The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (2010)
YA fiction
I found this a trifle hard to get into but persevered as I'm a Fforde fan. Overall the story turned out to be quite fun and I liked the heroine, Jennifer Strange. The story is slightly over the top like the Thursday Next books but just a bit of slog at the start, probably to do with the world building or just me being slightly off-mood when I started it.
Jennifer Strange lives in an alternate world UK, where the only undeveloped land left is in a 350sq mile protected park where lives the last dragon. Protected by magic, only a dragonslayer and their apprentice can pass through.

40) Hush by Eishes Chayil (2010)
YA fiction
I put this in the TIOLI Touchstone challenge and also my 11in11 challenge.
Set in an ultra orthodox Jewish community in modern day New York, the book transports you to a world of prayer, ritual, innocence, purity, arranged marriages, closeknit family and tradition. In this closed world it is possible to hush down scandalous events and pretend they haven't taken place. For 18 year old Gittel about to enter marriage, those hushed memories from 9 years earlier resurface and she dreams of her long lost friend, Devory, who took her own life.
Eishes Chayil is a pseudonym and means Woman of Valour, the book was written to expose the abuse that the author also observed as a young girl. Recommended.

41) Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (2010)
YA steampunk

This is the second in the series and continues to be an exciting read. It's YA but at the lower end. Not as engaging as Philip Reeve's Hungry Cities series but nevertheless a good introduction to steampunk, with the action taking place in Istanbul.
Read for the TIOLI challenge.

#45: I am reading Hush right now. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did, Kerry.

Kerry, I can't remember exactly where you are in NZ, but if you're anywhere near Christchurch or know anyone there, I hope you are (all) OK?

I'm in Auckland, which is on a different island to Christchurch. We don't have any family there, but it has been awful watching the coverage.

#46> Stasia - I hope you like it too.

42) To Say Nothing of the Dog: How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis (1997)
scifi
I listened to this on my iPod, it was narrated rather well by Steven Crossley. Last year I listened to Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) in preparation for this. I really liked the characters, the plot was lots of fun and I want a dog like Cyril. I'll be picking up her Doomsday Book in the near future.

Ah yes, I should have remembered you were there as I think we had a conversation about it at some point. Actually, I whizzed through Auckland on my way down to Christchurch to meet my mum years ago when I was on my Gap Year travels. I'm sure it must be horrible watching the coverage - those poor people.

#49 ...really must get hold of a copy of that... (and I think you'll enjoy Doomsday Book!)

I had a feeling you were on the North Island but wanted to drop by and check. Glad to hear you're ok and don't have any family members affected.

Hush has gone on the wishlist. Hope you enjoy Doomsday Book; it's more serious than To Say Nothing of the Dog but I thought it was the better of the two.

Just calling in likewise to make sure you and yours all ok. I'm glad you don't have anyone personally involved in the earthquake - it looks terrible.

I really must get on to some Connie Willis soon - I keep hearing such good things, but no copy of any of hers has come my way yet...

Glad that you and your family are okay. The photos of the devastation look terrible.

Hush looks very interesting. I'll have to add that one.

Oh TG that you and yours are okay. South Island's gettin' whacked this past few months...horrible pictures from there.

Glad you're nowhere near the earthquake's epicenter and that you're okay. I was thinking of you today as I watched some of the tv coverage.

#49 have added Three Men in a Boat and To Say Nothing of the Dog to the WL and wouldn't you know? they have both at the library (not audiobooks though).

Glad to know you and yours are doing fine.

Oh my, how did I miss your thread. I found you now and starred you. I wouldn't want to miss out on your excellent recommendations.

By the way, I had a gift certificate for Amazon and used it to purchase a copy of 1,001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. This book has become one of my favorites. I simply love the illustrations and descriptions of the recommendations..

Thanks again for recommending it!

Hi everyone - thanks for showing your concern. We are just watching the coverage and hoping that the aftershocks finish once and for all for everyone down there in Christchurch.

#58> Linda - It's hard to keep up with everybody. I'm finding the 1001CBYMRBYGU pretty useful too, though lately i'm noticing the books in it after I read them.

#57> Ilana - I listened to a fairly bad librivox audio of Three Men in a Boat, mainly it was the low volume of the recording. Next up is Josephine Tey's Daughter of Time narrated by Derek Jacobi.

I don't think I'd have patience for a poor quality recording, so thanks for the forewarning I'll just take the book at at the library when I get to it. For my part, I just started listening to The House of Mirth narrated by Elizabeth Klett (who else?) it's my first Edith Wharton novel and definitely not my last.

#60> I haven't read any of hers yet, but several are on my tbr pile, now they're also on my tb-listen stack.


43) The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (2009)
YA fiction

I've wanted to read this for a while since seeing it mentioned on a few blogs and it was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal last year. The story's setting is Bad Münstereifel, where Grant lived for several years, a small picturesque town in Germany. Pia, the young narrator, is the last person to see Katharina before she disappears during one of the town's festivals. Pia has been ostracised by most of her schoolmates since her grandmother suffered an unfortunate fate and is forced to befriend the only one who will still speak to her, StinkStefan. Inpired by local folktales of Grimm and gothic nature, they try to solve the mystery of the missing girl and then girls. What shines through in this story is the town itself, Grant uses her local knowledge to great advantage creating a truly sinister setting in such a picture postcard place (I googled the town and it looks totally delightful). Pia is an unhappy child, her parents' marriage is crumbling, girls are disappearing, her grandmother has died, she is an outsider at school and might have to move to England with her English mother.
Sprinkled throughout are words and short phrases in German which adds to the book's appeal.
This book has been marketed in the US as an adult book but reads as a scary YA.

First sentence: My life might have been so different had I not been known as the girl whose grandmother exploded.

Glad to see you posting, Kerry. I was worried that you may have been affected by the earthquake over in Christchurch even though you're in Auckland. Did you feel anything at all?

That sounds like a really interesting books! Thanks for the review!

I had added Katharina Linden to my WL solely based on the short blurb you had about it on the YA 'what we are reading' thread. But the first sentence definitely clinches it! They don't have it at the library yet, but maybe I can suggest they purchase it.

Nice review of The Vanishing of Katharina Linden. I've added it to the wish list. Glad to hear that you are safe.

#61 Wishlisted!

I hope you all enjoy the Helen Grant book when you get to it.

#66> fliss - you might be interested in Gifted which is on the Commonwealth Writers Prize shortlist for SthEast Asia & Oceania region. It's a re-imagining about Janet Frame's year in Takapuna with mentor Frank Sargeson.


March is New Zealand Book Month, a celebration of reading and books. So my priority for March has to be to read some New Zealand fiction, I'll have to concentrate on YA novels as I have so many still unread from last year and a couple already from 2011.
Newish New Zealand fiction includes an interesting short story collection From under the overcoat by Sue Orr & Wulf by Hamish Clayton, Hand me down world by Lloyd Jones and the above mentioned Gifted by Patrick Evans. But I'll probably read something on my tbr stack by Chad Taylor or Dead People's Music by Sarah Laing.

Can I read all this and more in March list:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - finish last 400 pages.
A Game of Thrones by George Martin - my son is constantly asking me to read this so I've started. He's reading book 3.

NZ Book Month:
Dead People's Music by Sarah Laing (also fits TIOLI city on pg17)
Electric by Chad Taylor
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey (also fits TIOLI 17 letter title)
The Bone Tiki by David Hair
Into the Wilderness by Mandy Hager (also fits TIOLI 17 letter title)
August by Bernard Beckett (also TIOLI philosophy challenge)

Reading Globally Journeys Theme:
The General in his Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez (also fits TIOLI city on pg17) - already reading
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

TIOLI:
The Radleys by Matt Haig (city on pg17)
Outwitting history:The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky (city on pg17)
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (wind+up)
How to cure a fanatic by Amos Oz (Middle East)
There once lived a woman who tried to kill her neighbour's baby: scary fairy tales by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (short stories)
The Lead Soldiers by Uri Orlev (obscure work by a favourite writer)
Living in Argentina by Ana Cadinale (book that isn't meant for reading)
Saraban: a chef's journey through Persia by Greg Malouf (book that isn't meant for reading)
Sunday Best by Bernice Rubens (sun + day)

Mystery March

61 Hours by Lee Child & next one
The Snowman by Jo Nesbø (also TIOLI city on pg17)
Surrender by Donna Malane (a New Zealand writer)

edit: forgot Mystery March

#66 I absolutely would - thank you for the recommendation Kerry!

that's quite a list of reading for March - good luck!

Good luck on your March reading goals, Kerri! Glad to hear you are faring well, as you were one of the people I first thought of when hearing the news of the earthquake. I thought To Say Nothing of the Dog was really fun and have to admit to reading it more than once.

Wow, looks very ambitious, but then, who am I to speak? I'm very happy to see that you've managed to fit in so many TIOLI reads in the various categories including the one I created of course!

I got a whole bunch of audiobooks lately, including Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) on Audible.com and quite liked the narrator in the sample I heard. I've also been reserving every audiobook I come across at my library as can just put them on my hard drive and listen in my own time. Speaking of which, I'm off to finish The House of Mirth. Must do so before midnight so I can start the new month with my planned reads!

Wow, that's quite a list, Kerri ..... will you have the time to finish them all by the end of March?

Well, I embrace Madeline's take it or leave it theory though I am being a bit optimistic to be sure. Quite a few are YA so shouldn't take too long to get through. I forgot my monthly Bernice Rubens book, and have added her Sunday Best to the TIOLI list. Most of these books fit my 11in11 challenge so I should be getting to them eventuallly if not this month.

#71: Ilana - you are really hitting those audio books. I've been listening to the radio all week and only got about 10mins into my next audiobook! I do the same with audiobooks, borrow them and copy to my harddrive. I really enjoyed the audio of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash last year, I got it from audible.

I've added Snow Crash to my WL because I figure if you remembered it from last year, then it must have been really good!

#74> it's cyberpunk scifi, and I think you'll like it.

I've got to share this gorgeous animated book trailer starring the White Rabbit for a fairytale popup book by French illustrator Benjamin Lancomb.

I'll put in a second vote for Snow Crash being an enjoyable read too ;o) I don't get on with his longer tomes, but I liked both that and (even more) The Diamond Age very much...

#61 Wishlisted too!

#67 Glad I'm not the only person who has set some ridiculous goals for March. But then March has 3 more days than February had so it will be fine, right?

#75 WHAT AN AMAZING TRAILER!!! I MUST get this book. I love Benjamin Lacombe's work, which is just such a satisfying treat, and the book is also an encouragement to revisit some great works of children's literature.

RE: Snow Crash I don't think I've ever read any cyberpunk before, and only a trickle of sci-fi, so will be an interesting discovery for me.

#76 Thanks, I've added The Diamond Age to my WL also. Sounds like a great premise.

#77 A whole 72 hours into which I can surely we can probably fit another dozen books or so, right? Off to grow my March reading list by a couple of extra inches. ;-)

>75 avatiakh: Wow, that trailer was fantastic. I must get the book! If only the bunny (and music) came with it.

#78 & #79>I found that one on the Sur La Lune Fairytales blog. I'll look out for some more interesting European illustrators, they have some very interesting work. I was lucky to stumble across a fantasy in children's literature exhibition in Siena a couple of years ago and got to see some fabulous artwork. I also visited the Jewish Museum in Amsterdam when they had a 'Jewish memories in comic strip art' exhibition and saw originals of a lot famous graphic novels and comics such as Superman, Maus and The Rabbi's Cat.

So I'll share this one as well - it's the book trailer for The boy with the cuckoo-clock heart by Mathias Malzieu, a French singer. This gothic punk book & song was also made into an animated film. I really enjoyed reading this.

And a reading promotion from the New Zealand Book Council that I never tire of watching.

And from Fourth Estate, their 25th anniverary clip celebrating books they've published.

Plus the organising the bookshelves clip I posted on the kitchen thread the other day.

Now I have them all in one post.

I had The boy with the cuckoo clock heart out last month and I thought it started quite slow so I took it back to the library unread. If I didn't have such a big list of TBR books to read I would've persevered, especially as the reviews all sound good. Maybe later..

Thanks for sharing the clips, my daughter particularly loved the paper art in the Fourth Estate one. My favorite was organizing the bookshelves. If all my books were the same height like those, I would be tempted to do the color schema! What made the clip even funnier is the timeliness. I currently have all the books off one bookshelf, lying on the floor, and waiting for inspiration to strike me for organization!

44) Fall-out by Gudrun Pausewang (1987) English 1994)
YA fiction, germany

I've enjoyed all the books that I've read by Gudrun Pausewang and this was no exception. Recommended by PersephonesLibrary during one of the many readathons as a memorable read in its original German, Die Wolke (The Cloud). It's included in 9066684::1001 children's books you must read before you grow up. Pausewang wrote this in response to the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
An accident at a nuclear power station a few kilometres from the town where 14 yr old Janna lives sends the whole region into panic. Janna's not sure what to do, her parents are on a business trip, so she must take charge of her young brother and decide whether to flee like everyone else or stay put in the family's cellar. They decide to flee on their bikes, an attempt to outrun the radioactive cloud that is blowing towards their town.The story continues with the aftermath of the disaster and how the state treats the survivors.


Greek Cookery: From the Hellenic Heart by George Calombaris (2010)
cookbook, australia

George Calombrias is one of the judges on the Australian Masterchef reality cooking show which I really enjoyed watching last year. He's a real inspiration, 'George Calombaris has been awarded more accolades for his work than most receive in a lifetime, and this exuberant chef is still just 31 years of age. George's molecular gastronomy has seen him become a much talked about chef in the international cooking circuit. In 2004, the Global Food and Wine Magazine voted George one of the Top 40 Chefs of Influence.'
While I wasn't totally in love with a lot of the photographs of the restaurant/family bric-a-brac, I found the recipes really good, authentic and unpretentious. The several we tried all turned out very well and I was sad to have to return the book to the library. Calombaris also inspired me to plant several more herbs in my herb garden.


The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal (2008)
illustrated by Dave McKean

Petermc has mentioned this cookbook a few times and when I saw that it included illustrations by Dave McKean I just had to have a look for myself. First I must mention that my daughter and I love to watch his tv show, Heston's Fantastical Feasts. Here's a link to his Gothic Horror Feast. Anyway I've just scratched the surface of this book, and while I possibly wouldn't cook out from it, I do feel an overwhelming desire to own a copy. This sumptious, gorgeous book tells the story of one of the world's most famous and top rated restaurants, the chef's story, the story behind the recipes, essays about techniques and the recipes themselves.
And another clip, this time his famous egg and bacon icecream dish.
Wikipedia: Blumenthal is famous for his scientific approach and has been described as a culinary alchemist for his innovative style of cooking. It could be said that he is a molecular gastronomist, though he dislikes the term. Apart from a week's work experience in Raymond Blanc's kitchen and a short time in Marco Pierre White's, he is self-taught.

Now due back to the library, I have to part company.
Here's a link to the original blog post about Dave McKean that sparked my interest in the book.

Like many others, I've been spending a lot less time reading lately. Every time I post an ambitious reading list at the start of the month I seem to slow right down. I have several books on the go so it will take me a while to finish one of them. My current priority is to finish Les Miserables which I'm really enjoying.

edit: fix image.

Oh! Let's talk cooking shows and cook books..... :)

This year's MasterChef was fantastic, as was (very surprisingly) Junior MasterChef; I thought some of those under 13-year olds cooked more advanced dishes than the adults!

Right now, we have two cooking reality shows running back-to-back on Channel 7 (and I'm glued to both) - My Kitchen Rules and Conviction Kitchen. This is the first season for Conviction Kitchen in Australia, which originated in Canada (where it is currently in season two).

For the information of your readers, who may not be aware... The Fat Duck Cookbook is the paperback version of the hardback version in the slipcase, titled The Big Fat Duck Cookbook. They are basically the same book, but the paperback has been slimmed down a tad, and is far cheaper. And while it may not be a cookbook you'll ever cook from, it will serve as a huge inspiration, and it will be extraordinarily educational. It's a book that every food-lover / food-geek should own....... At little more than 4 times the price of the paperback, I recommend you grab the hardcover. You won't regret it :)

Well Peter, I need to get a couple of hours sleep as I have a 7am meeting to get to in a few hours time! But I really enjoyed last year's Australia's Masterchef - they ran it here a couple of months after it ran in Australia, so many great challenges, and the contestants were so talented. We don't get the junior version. The NZ version is now on, but lacks the personality of the Australian judges.
I watched a few of the Kitchen Rules episodes, very ambitious people on that one.

Re The Fat Duck, I was angling on getting the paperback, though the hardback would be a collectable!

Oh wow, egg and bacon ice cream. You know, that actually sounds quite nice...

I second that.

Delighted you enjoyed both The Curse of Chalion and To Say Nothing of the Dog, and I think you'll really like Paladin of Souls when you get to it.

I have both Snow Crash and The Diamond Age on my tbr shelves--for years now. Some day!

I finally got around to watching those clips you'd given links to (don't ask) and enjoyed them lots. So much so that I've posted a couple of them on my blog tonight. With thanks to you of course.

45) August by Bernard Beckett (2011)
11 in 11 Down Under category

This is New Zealand writer Bernard Beckett's latest offering. He has a new publisher and it's being marketed as adult, but there are teaching notes for upper secondary on the publisher's website. I think it's a crossover novel that will appeal to mature teens. It follows on from his YA novel Genesis and explores similar themes and would be an interesting novel to use in the classroom.
A teenage boy and girl have just crashed in a car and are suspended upside down over a slope, both are badly injured, and as they wait for the night to pass and hopefully help to come they tell each other their life stories and the events leading to their being in the car that night. This is set in a sort of dystopian future with a repressed society dominated by the religion of St Augustine. Tristan has been the subject of an experiment in free will by the monks in his repressive school inside the walled city and is still grappling with philosophical questions. Grace, an orphan has had a hard life, is much more practical in her outlook having been forced to survive outside the city walls.
Well crafted and intelligent, this one deserves a reread later in the year.

edit: I read this for the TIOLI philosophy challenge.

#86 & 87> I couldn't resist adding the icecream, he does much more weird stuff on his fantastical feasts programme. He's so passionate about experimenting with food, and has so much fun with it.

#88> Roni, my son is asking me everyday how much further I've gotten in Game of Thrones and I've hardly read 50pgs so far. I really want to read everything and now, but the next Bujold will have to wait as I know that as soon as I finish he'll have book 2 lined up for me!
I adored listening to Snow Crash, and it was the only way I could fit in a book by Stephenson last year, whose work I've been dying to try for a few years as well. The same reason why I listened to To say nothing of the dog as I've been wanting to try something by Connie Willis for ages and never seem to get to them. Now that I've mastered the art of listening I really enjoy squeezing in a few extra books while I'm at the gym and driving around.

#89> Ilana - they deserve a wider audience so that's great.

Late on the cooking thread but just thought I say that I love watching Heston's TV cooking shows and was surprised to find out he is self-taught. That's quite impresive, hasn't he won a few michelin stars as well?

#83 Thank you for the Dave McKean interview link - I must come back to read that - loved the "faust" painting they show...

I can't decide whether I actually want to read The Fat Duck Cookbook though as alchemist or not, I like recipes I can play with myself rather than recipes that have already been played with, if you see what I mean! That said, you and petermc between you are working on that reserve...

#90 "August" sounds fascinating...

...right, off to follow those links ;o)

46) The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (1951)
fiction
Read for Mystery March and also fits the 17 letter title' TIOLI challenge.
Inspector Grant is laid up in hospital with a broken leg and investigates the story of Richard III and the mystery behind the princes in the tower. Really well done and gives me a hankering to read some historical fiction.


7540880::Living in Argentina by Ana Cardinale (2008)
nonfiction

A Taschen lifestyle book that I read for wandering star's Read a Book that's not meant for reading TIOLI challenge. Not too much text and the three columns were divided into English, French and German so even less than I first thought. A glimpse into some interesting apartments in Buenos Aires and country homes out on the Pampas. Not elaborate or sumptious interiors but rather simple and elegant, sparsely decorated with natural materials. Very nice on the eye, very chic.
Taschen's website gives you a peek at some of the images in the book. A delirious romp through Argentina's most beautiful and exceptional interiors

47) 61 Hours by Lee Child (2010)
fiction
Read for Mystery March and fits the TIOLI challenge - 'City on pg17'.
This is Jack Reacher #14 and i have faithfully read each one. This time Reacher is running around in the bitter cold of a South Dakota winter and it is cold. A little slow but still a good yarn. I have #15 ready and waiting, but will probably let my mother read it first, she's a Reacher fan too.


48) The Bone Tiki by David Hair (2009)
young adult fiction, new zealand

Added this to the YA Fantasy TIOLI challenge. David Hair has written an exceptionally thrilling adventure that takes us in and out of the mythical world of Aotearoa/New Zealand. I really enjoyed this and revel in the thought that there are at least two more books to read - The Taniwha's Tear and The Lost Tohunga. A great debut and Hair, who now lives in India, has also got a new series based on Indian mythology on the go too, first book has just come out - Pyre of Queens.

I have several other books on the go and seem to be well into them all but just not finishing anything much this month. I'm going away for five weeks in about 10 days and find I don't have a lot of spare time for reading at present. I'll also be busy with the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival when I return.
So much for posting such an ambitious reading list for the month!

>94 avatiakh:: I loved the Tey book and, you're right, it leaves you wanting to read more historical fiction. That particular story is so perfect because there is so much ambiguity in what happened.

Hi Tad - yes, I loved how they kept discovering coverups, hidden agendas etc etc. I think Sharon penman might have a novel that covers this period.

She did, The Sunne in Splendour. I have it sitting here at home but haven't gotten around to it.

If you're interested in the various theories about whodunit, check out the Richard III Society's web site; it has a lot of information plus some links to other places. I found it fascinating reading.

I was in London the year before last and took the tour of the Tower. They talked about the grave with the skeletons of two boys under the White Tower (now moved to Westminster Abbey). I, along with everyone else there, was so disappointed that the decision remains not to do DNA testing on the bones to determine if they are the young princes.

ETA: Here's the specific link to the suspects page since that site is a bit hard to navigate.

I've just had a longer look at the Taschen website and you can actually look at the entire book, 'Living in Argentina' online. So now I'll have to browse through some of the other books in their catalogue.

#97> Thanks for the info. I did the Tower Tour so long ago.
I read Penman's Here be Dragons and that inspired me to explore more of Wales when I was last in the UK. I have The Sunne in Splendour but the size of it has been putting me off, maybe I should take it on holiday with me.

Hi Kerry, The Daughter of Time sounds really good and will be heading towards my giant wishlist. I've heard of David Hair and only good things as well so your review just cements that view. His Indian series sounds intriguing as well. Great reads.

I was going to add the Tey book on my WL and then realized I'd already added two of them based on your recs. And of course I'll be starting on a Lee Child audiobook this month as well. As I mentioned on the Mystery March thread, I also discovered a bunch of other Child audiobooks at the library so will be 'reading' the series out of order, though apparently that doesn't matter. It's been quiet here. Nice to see some action, though you'll be missed while you're away... do you think you'll check in once in a while?

#100> I'm going to try to read David Hair's latest, Queen of Pyres this week, it's a library book so I have to get it back. I have a couple pf other YAs out from the library i'd like to finish, one of them is Dust by Arthur Slade which looks to good to send back unread.
I've enjoyed all the books by Josephine Tey that I've read so far, 3 of them now. Daughter of Time was an audiobook narrated by Derek Jacobi, that I didn't warm to at the start but when I adjusted to his voice I really enjoyed it.

#101> Ilana, you'll enjoy the Tey books, they are interesting, riveting but not dark like the more modern crime novels. The Franchise Affair was particularly good.
I enjoy my Lee Childs, they not the greatest literature but when they're good they're really exciting reads.
I'm not sure how the internet connections will go for us, we'll see. I've been a bit quiet on here as I also caught a taste of that book funk that was going around.


49) There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor's Baby: scary fairy tales by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (2009)
short stories, Russia

Read for the TIOLI short story challenge and my 11in11 challenge.
I really enjoyed these stories, quite refreshingly surreal. I had to take the book straight back to the library as it was overdue so can't talk specifics on particular stories.
I won't comment further but will link to Tim Jones' excellent review in the December edition of Belletrista. And if you've always been looking for a more contemporary Nikolai Gogol, or a less rococo Angela Carter, then you should definitely bother. Tim has a thread over on Club Reads and if you follow his thread you soon realise that he has a passion for Russian literature.

50) Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede (1990)
Book 1 of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles
YA/children's fiction

My daughter read and loved the Enchanted Forest series several years ago and I'm late to this particular party. I adored this book and highly recommend this story of unconventional Princess Cimorene who ends up living with a dragon and not wanting to be saved by a prince. I have to go and raid my daughter's bookshelves for the next one!

A few picturebooks to savour:


Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess (2009)
A celebration of growing up a free-spirited girl.


Instructions by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess (2010)
Follow along with our traveller and learn that it's important to follow the instructions you have been given because in fairytale land not doing so can have dire consequences.


Won Ton: a cat tale told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (2011)
Cutsey story of cat rescued from animal shelter and given new home, all told in series of haiku. The cover is possibly the best thing about it, colourful and so adorable (does this cat remind me of Sfar's The Rabbi's Cat?).
Your tummy, soft as
warm dough. I knead and knead, then
bake it with a nap.


I am Thomas by Libby Gleeson & Armin Greder (2011)
These two have collaborated before. Greder is a Swiss national who has lived in Australia, not sure if he still does. Greder has done some very fine illustrated work and is worth looking out for.
This is a sophisticated picturebook about finding your own way. Definitely one for the middlegrade/highschool classroom, not kindergarten. Teacher's notes available here.
As the voices in his life crowd in on him, Thomas looks for another way.
Powerful illustrations and a spare text make a parable of Thomas's journey, which reflects the courage we all need to find our passion and be ourselves.
A masterful and compelling story.

Quaky Cat by Diana Noonan, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (2010)
picturebook, new zealand
Written by Noonan after the first Christchurch earthquake last year and illustrated by Christchurch artist, Gavin Bishop in record time, the design and print run was all done by Christchurch businesses. Copies were given to all young children living in Christchurch and part of the proceeds from the sale of the books goes to the Red Cross charity for Christchurch.
A well told tale of how Tiger the cat survives the earthquake, he wanders to Cathedral Square and sits in the tree with all the other cats till it feels safe enough to come down, but his house is no longer liveable and his family is gone. There's a glossary and several eminent Christchurch residents share their enthusiasm for the Quaky Cat project and about the earthquake in general in the afterword including a great poem from Margaret Mahy who lives in Governer's Bay.
Waking in the morning - it is almost half-past four -
the windows rattle wildly! Yes! The wolf is at the door!
My gliding and colliding books leap freely into space,
and all the things that seemed secure are quickly changing place...

Oh, somehow I'd missed Instructions. Besides being a fan of Gaiman's writing, I love Charles Vess' work. Thanks too for sharing the cute cat Haiku poem.

Just getting caught up on your thread and have added both The Vanishing of Katharina Linden and Die Wolke to my wish list. I think I'll seek out the original German as my husband grew up in Germany and I've been trying to learn the language (and he'd probably enjoy reading it, too).

The concept of The Last Dragonslayer sounds interersting, too. I've not read anything by Fforde yet so I may give it a try.

How wonderful to write and publish a book, Quaky Cat, so quickly after the quake and then give copies to all the children! I may need to buy a copy just to support them.

I'm going to mark Dealing with Dragons for my daughter. She is not quite ready yet, but I am always looking for books with strong female characters.

I'd never heard of Quaky Cat but I love the concept and that the money goes to the Red Cross. That poem by Margaret Mahy is great, as always.

As I mentioned on your other thread, I've already added There Once Lived a Woman to the WL based on your rec (I would have no matter what you said about it—the title alone is worth it!) Have now added Dealing with Dragons as well and will of course eventually make my way to the Gaimans'.

Such a great story about the Quaky Cat book. Love the little excerpt you gave too! Of course, I can't reasonably hope to find that one at my local library like the others though...

eta: forgot to ask where it is you're off to?

Ironic that the artwork for Quaky Cat is stuck in a building which will probably get demolished, it was being stored before being exhibited before the latest earthquake struck.

Ilana - We are going back to Buenos Aires for a couple of weeks (we've been these past two years and love it there) as well as having a look around Uruguay, a week in Mar del Plata and a few days in Rio de Janeiro. Very exciting, but lots to organise around home before we leave.

I love the idea of the Quaky Cat book - have just had a look for it on Book Depository and they say it's 'out of stock'- either that or they don't really have it...

Have a great time in Buenos Aires. You'll be locals soon!

Very exciting indeed! I'd say I'm jealous, but I'm content staying close to home these days. Hope you take (and share) loads of pics though!

Your trip sounds amazing, my sister was in all of those countries last year and love it. Have a great time.

Thanks for the good wishes, I'm really looking forward to my time in BA.
Well, I managed to finish two books during the readathon on Monday:-

51) Sunday Best by Bernice Rubens (1971)
fiction
I read this for my 11in11 challenge and the TIOLI word split challenge. Another good read from Rubens, this one possibly not as strong as the previous two of hers I've read this year. Rubens has a wicked sense of humour, and this story features another twisted main character. George lives an ordinary little life, he's a teacher, has an unexciting marriage, and lives in one of those streets with neighbours peering out through the net curtains. But George has a delicious secret, one that his wife tolerates - on Sundays, he dresses up in his wife's discarded dresses and spends the day in his study enjoying his subterfuge. He blames it all on his long dead father.

52) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1862)
fiction, france
What a wonderful wonderful story at the heart of this weighty tome. Hugo's story of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his redemption is masterful. Hugo packs in a heap of social commentary, that is at times a bit hard going, but I set a daily page limit to my reading so I never felt overwhelmed. The story at the heart of the book is worth every page spent on the Battle of Waterloo, the history of sewers etc etc.. I confess to shedding a few tears on the last pages.
I read the Penguin Classics edition, but did not read the intro essay or the appendix. After failing to read this last year I'm pleased that I was disciplined enough to tackle it early on this year.

Congrats on finishing Les Miserables! That is truly impressive. I just saw a stage adaptation of Hunchback this past weekend so I'm contemplating picking up that tome in the nearish future. Novels with political commentary aren't always the most compelling reads (I'm looking at you, sections of Anna Karenina) but a good central narrative does help make it easier.

Oooh well read on the Les Mis, that's one I like to get read one year. I did see a movie version with Liam Neeson of it a few years back and really enjoyed it.

Thank you - it was a bit of a marathon read and yes, there's usually a bit of political commentary in these classic novels. I did the math before I read it and decided that three months at 400 pages per month/100 pages per week/20pgs most days would work out ok for me. I was convinced to read it after seeing a segment on our local book show - The Good Word, our at-the-time Chief Censor, Bill Hastings, brought it along as his favourite book and had a very impassioned discussion of it with writer/presenter Emily Perkins.
I haven't seen any film/theatre/musical of this yet so have that to look forward to now.
Now I just have to leave French novels behind me for a while and concentrate on Spanish and Russian writers for a change.

53) Venice for Lovers by Louis Begley & Anka Muhlstein (2005 English edition)

I listened to this on my iPod and thought the narrator did an excellent job. I think this should have been titled 'For Lovers of Venice'.
Writer, Louis Begley and his wife Anka Muhstein, a biographer, have been visiting Venice for their annual working vacation for the past 30 odd years, and put together this collection of three pieces which was first published in French & German and later a revised English edition.
The first piece, "The Keys to Venice", is by Muhstein who gives us a travelogue on their favourite restaurants, about four of them, ones they return to each year, where they are now friends of the owners. This is a delightful glimpse into one particular aspect of Venice and the couple's passion for the city.
Then comes a short novella, "The Only Way to Enter Venice", by Begley about a young man who falls out of love and then finds love while visiting Venice. Finally his literary essay, "Venice: Reflections of a Novelist" on Venice in the novels of Thomas Mann, Henry James and Marcel Proust. He also touches on his own novel Mistler's Exit which is also set in Venice.
I enjoyed all three parts of this short book, loved canvassing my memory for scenes of the city to go along with the text. Louis Begley is probably best known for his book About Schmidt.
“The experience of Venice is an intensely personal one, if only because la Serenissima is so mysterious and wins one over so completely. That is what we have tried to convey in our very different ways. We have also hoped to infect our readers with our own love for Venice, which runs very deep and has brought us great happiness.”
Anka Muhlstein & Louis Begley

54) The General in his Labyrinth by Gabriel García Márquez (1989)

Read for the Journey theme of Reading Globally Group and TIOLI 'City on Pg17' challenge.
Well I must confess I read this book badly. When I came across the book I was really keen to read it, a re-imagining of Simon Bolivar's last journey into exile and written by a great author. But I just didn't do the book justice, kept on putting it down and only reading a few pages at a time. I also didn't have the knowledge of the events and need to read more South American history.
We follow the great liberator as he takes his final journey along the Magdalena River to Cartegena where he is to board a ship to Europe and exile. He is in poor health and as he travels he steps in and out of the past. We see what a great man he was, his legacy and the tragic downtrodden ending of his life, the slow deterioration just like his dream of a unified America.
Wikipedia: Simón Bolívar is regarded in Hispanic America as a hero, visionary, revolutionary, and liberator. During his lifetime, he led Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela to independence, and helped lay the foundations for democratic ideology in much of Hispanic America.
edit: added book cover chosen purely because I like this one

55) how to cure a fanatic by Amos Oz (2002)

Read for the TIOLI Middle East challenge.
This is a very compact book of two speeches Amos Oz gave in Europe about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. This 2005 US edition includes a short interview with Oz by the Princeton University Press titled 'The Order of the Teaspoon'.
Amos Oz sets his views clearly, both sides are right, there is no wrong side and compromise is necessary on both sides and yes, compromise is painful for everyone. He also tells Europe to look at their own track record before bossing around the Middle East, how many hundreds of years of conflict there before the unification of Europe. He tells his European audience that both Jews and Arabs are victims, victims of Europe's colonisation, interference and power struggles in the Middle East. He defines a fanatic rather well. A quick and interesting read and I want to join the Order of the Teaspoon.

You are just humming along with the reading! I'm having major problems this year keeping at it...too much other stuff in real life.

Okay, I give, what is the order of the teaspoon?

Yeah, I'm imagining from what you said that it's part of his message that both sides should put down their metal instruments of violence and instead pick up another metal instrument, their teaspoon, and have a cup of tea while they sit down to listen and talk to each other. No?

Here you are:-

"I believe that if one person is watching a huge calamity-let's say a conflagration-there are always three principal options. 1) Run away, as far away, as fast as you can, and let those who cannot run burn. 2) Write a very angry letter to the editor of your paper demanding that the responsible people be removed from office in disgrace. Or for that matter launch a demonstration. 3) Bring a bucket of water and throw it on the fire, and if you don't have a bucket, bring a glass, and if you don't have a glass, use a teaspoon-everyone has a teaspoon. And yes, I know a teaspoon is little and the fire is huge, but there are millions of us and each one of us has a teaspoon. Now I would like to establish the Order of the Teaspoon. People who share my attitude-not the run away attitude, or the letter attitude, but the teaspoon attitude-I would like them to walk around wearing a little teaspoon on the lapel of the jackets, so that we know that we are in the same movement, in the same brotherhood, in the same order, the Order of the Teaspoon. This is my philosophy in a nutshell-or in a teaspoon, if you wish."

- Amos Oz

>125 avatiakh:: I love that! I know some people who are always saying, "Oh, I'm just one person, I can't make a difference!" and that attitude just drives me crazy because they think that absolves them from doing anything--even from speaking out. Every action starts with one person, and if you can't be the first person, you can always be the 23rd or 2,000th person to act.

Great quote at #125. Can I join the Order too?!

About the Order of the Teaspoon and the idea that each of us can make a small difference which combined, makes big changes...

I keep signing petitions online, sometimes several times a week and quite often wonder if it's not all just to make myself feel like I'm doing something when I'm *not actually doing anything*. I grew up with an activist mom, who in the early-to-late 70s used to drag me out to countless demonstrations and marches and was on a bunch of committees, which makes my puny contributions nowadays seem so silly. But then once in a while I get feedback from the various associations saying that the petitions HAVE made a difference and that decisions HAVE been taken, or reversed (depending on the desired outcome) and I always find that tremendously encouraging.

One recent example was that Donald Trump wanted to buy a bunch of land in Scotland to build himself a golf course. Problem was a bunch of people were facing being thrown out of their homes. Pressure was put on the local government, who were initially very gung-ho about taking Trump's money, but they finally decided against letting him go ahead with it due to the public outcry. Might seem like a small thing, but it's a small victory I feel happy that I participated in bringing about.

The moral is of course that small actions can in fact make a big impact.

Ooh, I used to be one of those people that said 'what difference can I do'. I'm happy to say that in recent years I do anything I can to help people in need. I've recently sponsored a wee boy in Guatemala, I donated my house to Christchurch family, we helped my daughter raise $1000 for cancer research etc. It is very satisfying. To be honest, I used to be a collector for many fundraising drives as a kid but my dad always signed us kids up to do it. It feels better when you choose to do these things yourself.

I used to be a collector for many fundraising drives as a kid but my dad always signed us kids up to do it. It feels better when you choose to do these things yourself.

But what a good role model--and you obviously got the message! :-)

I think Oz talked about that on a Fresh Air interview or somewhere, I haven't read the book, but it is familiar to me -- I love his novels.

One thing I've learned too is to volunteer for things I CAN do not things I think I OUGHT to do. I CAN tutor, I CAN'T sit in meetings.

55) Dust by Arthur Slade (2001)
children/YA fiction, canada

I added this to the TIOLI YA fantasy challenge. I really liked Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments and saw that this book has garnered a lot of positive reviews so decided to try it.
It's set in a small rural area in Saskatchewan during the Depression years. There is a really creepy horror element that sends shivers up your spine. It starts with a young boy getting a ride with a stranger and going missing. His older brother, Robert, senses something is wrong, he seems to have a 'sixth sense' about these things. A new farmer to the area arrives in town and Robert immediately feels that something is not right with him, and boy, is Robert right. Adam Harsich soon has everyone mesmirised with his promises of ending the drought by building a rainmaking machine.
Slade manages to give you a great creepy thriller along with a realistic look at farming life during the depression years. There are fantastical elements to the story and I lapped it all up.
There is one quite negative review here on LT that gives away a few plot points so don't read it (they gave the book 1 star), I think she was unfair and too picky by far.

This will probably be my last book posting for a while, I'm away next week till early May. I hope to get some reading done while i'm away, it's fun but also frustrating looking through my books and choosing what to take. My current read is Game of Thrones, but I doubt that I'll finish it in the next few days as I have to concentrate on housework and some paperwork.

I'm also excited about the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival in early May. I went to a preview meeting last night for the volunteers and got the gossip on this year's writers and what they'll be like. Can't wait! Ok, the volunteers t-shirt is not that great this time round though. Giant orange commas or speechmarks on black - all they do is emphasise your boobs!
#129> kiwinyx - you and/or your daughter might like to check out Saturday's WORDY DAY OUT - 'A fun day featuring some of the best, brightest and liveliest authors around – all of whom happen to be labelled YA authors'. Cassandra Clare, Brian Falkner, Meg Rosoff, Garth Nix, Margo Lanagan, Mandy Hager, Karen Healey, Bernard Beckett, Paula Morris & David Hair.

Thanks Kerry, I just checked out that link and the Wordy Day Out looks great. My daughter is pretty excited too, she just read the Karen Healey book Guardian of the Dead and loved it.

I hope you have a great trip!

Of course, I just HAD to add Dust to the WL. If you'd posted your review on the main page, I would have thumbed it as well because it really makes me want to read it soon. I saw that it had won the Governor General Award, which is a very prestigious award here in Canada. Sort of like the American National Book Award, I guess.

eta: I added The Hunchback Assignments on there as well. Both are available at the library, yay! Thanks to you, my options for YA and children's books have grown exponentially.

You'll be missed while you're away.

Yes, I hope your trip is easy traveling and pleasant and rewarding whether it is work or play.

Happy traveling!

Have a great trip - I hope you enjoy the Susan Hill books. The Auckland festival looks great!

Catching up with about 50 messages - I hope you have a fantastic trip! The writers for the Auckland Festival look brilliant - what a great variety!

I know you are out of town, Kerry. Maybe when you get back we can catch up together :)

Kerry, I hope you have a lovely time away. Your comments regarding the book Dust are intriguing. I'm adding the book to the huge tbr pile.

Thanks for all the good wishes, we currently have internet access here in Mar del Plata but leave tomorrow and doubt we'll have free internet again.
I've posted a few pics on my facebook page - just Mar del Plata and a small surf town south of there that I fell in love with - Miramar. We are here in the Autumn so aren't having to cope with the vast numbers that descend on the area during the summer months.

Reading - I haven't been reading so much but have finished A Game of Thrones and Dissolution - both good. I'm well on the way to finishing The Buenos Aires Quintet and Pyre of Queens. Will be starting Perdido Street Station and Jean Raspail's The People which is set in Patagonia. And continuing to listen to The Night Villa.

I will have to check out the FB pictures!

I love the pictures!

Great pics Kerry. I'm relieved to see you're keeping up with your reading. ;-)

What a gorgeous place, enjoy your trip.

I loved 82096::The Buenos Aires Quintet when I listened to it. What a perfect book for relaxing on holiday with!

Have a great trip!

Finally back from South America - loved our time away. I'll post a few pics and add in my holiday reading over the next few days. I'm quite busy this week with an awards nomination to make and I'm volunteering at our local writers and readers festival - a little miffed that I'll probably be missing David Mitchell due to a couple of programme clashes as I just finished Cloud Atlas and thought it was great.

We took a laptop with us as my husband wanted to use skype and I was able to read LT threads from time to time so I'm mostly up to date though haven't been posting.
I've just started reading Suite Francaise for the 11in11 group read.

Hi Kerry! Great to have you back. I saw you popping in here and there over the past few weeks, but you were still missed!

I wish I could join in for Suite Française because it's on this year's reading list but this month doesn't work for me.

Welcome back!

Oh welcome back, can't wait to see some photos.

Glad you're home and back on here - looking forward to the pics too!

I really liked Suite Francaise (hmmm where is the cedilla...?) - hope you're enjoying it too.

Welcome back home from your trip, Kerry!

Suite Francaise was a wonderful novel. I think it'salso a superb choice for a group read. After reading that book, I hope you'll also get a chance to read Fire in the Blood, another novel byIrene Nemirovsky which I and my husband liked even better than Suite Francaise.

#148 Forgot to say welcome back when you posted on my thread so I thought I'd pop over to give you a proper welcome!

Looking to forward to the huge wishlist hits when you post your holiday reads...

I just picked up a copy of Suite Francaise yesterday. Wish I could join the group read, but I'm swamped right now.

I wanted to thank you for posting the link to the Batchelder Award winners on Linda's thread. That's a great list.

I have sadly neglected you and couldn't even find you. I am ashamed :(

Welcome back! I just got back myself from a 2-week trip home to Kansas, so am also trying to get caught up. The good (?) thing is I didn't get much reading done during that time, although that didn't stop me from buying a dozen books, so I don't have reviews to catch up. Looking forward to your pictures.

Kerry

I'm stopping by to thank you for recommending that I read books regarding WWII transport of children to New Zealand. I just finished Land of Milk and Honey by William Taylor

Back in August 2010 I was reading a lot of books regarding the kindertransport and you directed me to this book.

Finally have some time to spend on updating my thread after a hectic few days at the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival. I read a few books while I was on holiday but the reading has completely slowed down since I got home. OK, no reviews just a comment on each one as I lost my original post where I had poured my heart out on each book!

56) The People by Jean Raspail (1986)
fiction
A fascinating story of the Kaweskar people, who inhabited the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego, and how they fared with the arrival of the European. Very well imagined. Strongly recommended and a memorable read for the year.
wikipedia: Raspail is a French writer....During the first twenty years of his career, he traveled the world to discover populations threatened by the confrontation with modernity. Raspail's seminal work is The Camp of the Saints (1973). In it, he predicted the overwhelming of Western civilization in a 'tidal wave' of Third World immigration. The book evoke a huge controversy leading some of his critics to accuse him of right-wing extremism on the basis of the views expressed in the book

57) The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1997) (2003 Eng)
fiction

This is the 22nd Pepe Carvellho book, and Pepe is usually to be found doing his detective work in Barcelona, but here he sets off to Buenos Aires to find a lost cousin. Set 20 years after the military dictatorship this novel examines the consequences of those times. What sort of life can you live if your loved ones disappeared? Great writing... a little different but in a good way.
I picked this one up because of the Buenos Aires setting, but also to read a Montalban book as his Cavellho was the inspiration for Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano books.

58) Dr Brodie's Report by Jorge Luis Borges (1970)
short stories
My first entry into the world of Borges and I'll definitely be back for more. I have his Collected Fictions on my shelves, just need more hours in the day.

59) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1902)
fiction
A dark look at the European lust for the rich resources of Africa and their shabby treatment of the native peoples. A riverboat captain tells of his trip deep down the Congo RIver and what was found there. A psychological mind trip - I loved it. And now I must watch Apocolypse Now again.

60) The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa (1958)
fiction
Another great read. A look at the end of an era in Sicily as the traditions and privileges of the aristocratic lifestyle comes to a close with the unification of Italy and politics change society forever. My old Penguin edition had photos of the film starring Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale, another movie i'd like to see.

61) The Ponsonby Post by Bernice Rubens (1977)
fiction
Another good one from Rubens. This is set in Java and looks at Western meddling via UN and other agencies in the Third World. Do we make a difference or does our 'progress' upset the balance that generations of traditional village and rural life has managed to attain.
A new and enthusiastic liaison officer is appointed much to the dismay of the Europeans already ensconced in Djogjakarta.

62) The glass-blowers by Daphne du Maurier (1963)
historical fiction
Du Maurier writes a story based on her own family background. Set during the French Revolution years we follow the changing political landscape through the fortunes and misfortunes of a rural family of glass-blowers. Wonderful. While mostly set in the French countryside, there are several sections set in Paris. I enjoyed this and felt it complemented my recent reading of Les Miserables.

63) Dissolution by CJ Sansom (2003)
Historical fiction
I read Sovereign a few years ago and always meant to read more Shardlake. Very enjoyable and i'll be reading more.

64) Nemesis by Jo Nesbo (2003) (2008 Eng)
Norway, crime fiction
My first Harry Hole and unfortunately an out of sequence read. A series I'll continue with. Harry definitely grows on you.

65) Electric by Chad Taylor (2002)
fiction, new zealand
A moody evocative piece set during the crippling power cuts that Auckland suffered through in 1998. Taylor has used the disturbances of the cuts to unbalance his characters.

66) As I walked out one midsummer's morning by Laurie Lee (1958).
travel memoir, Spain

In 1934 poet, Laurie Lee, walked and busked his way through Spain and saw the country as it sat on the cusp of civil war. This was an unexpected pleasure, I loved the style of writing and I have to track down a copy of Lee's experiences of fighting in the Civil War - A Moment of War.

67) Montenegro by Starling Lawrence (1997)
fiction
Set in the pre World War 1 Balkan region, the story was hampered by too many interfering s*x scenes which added nothing to the story. A young Englishman is sent into Montenegro to spy on the Austrian and Turkish interests in the region.

68) Game of Thrones by George Martin (1996)
fantasy
Finally read this and really enjoyed it. I'll be reading the rest of the series. Again, please give me a few more hours each day reading time!

69) Perdido Street Station by China Mieville (2000)
fantasy
This won't be for everyone, but I loved it and will be lining up more of his work in later months.
Weird, grotesque and riveting.

70) Pompeii by Robert Harris (2003)
fiction
Lighter fare but still interesting. The Vesuvius eruption as seen from the POV of an aqueduct engineer. I learnt quite a bit about aqueducts and water flow too. Enjoyable.

71) Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey (2010)
YA fantasy
Healey's debut novel is an interesting mix of darker elements from Maori mythology and urban fantasy which starts off in a New Zealand boarding school setting.

72) Pyre of Queens by David Hair (2011)
YA fiction
First in a new series based on stories about Ravanna, the demon king from India's Ramayana. This is an action-packed adventure story with three modern Indian teenagers finding that they have common history from previous reincarnations that go back almost to mythological times and Ravanna is after revenge. Exciting with dabs of horror.

73) Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (1938)
fiction
This novel has the best first and last sentences I've come across in a long time. Anyway, a re-read for me as it's been a long time and I was intrigued when reading King Dorkwhere it was mentioned several times.
It's very good, very black and has just been made into a movie for the second time and I have won tickets to see it. I'll also be looking up the original film from the 1940s.

74) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (2004)
fiction
My first David Mitchell book finally, finally. I liked it though I find it hard to comment on.
A book in six parts with very loose links between the different characters. I enjoyed the structure leading away from the first story and then back towards it, with an Orwellian tone at the heart of the novel.

75) The Night Villa by Carol Goodman (2008)
fiction, audiobook

I didn't really engaged with this one. The plot revolves around a bunch of Texan academics, survivors of a campus shooting incident, on an archaeological dig of a particular Roman villa in South Italy. They stay in a replica of the villa, owned by the philanthropist millionaire who is funding the dig. The modern story is juxtaposed with the diary readings telling of life and intrigue in the villa in the days leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius. Soon all turns into a sort of murder/thriller as a cult tries to grab precious scrolls in the tunnels under the excavation.
It's better than it sounds but not great.

76) Just Jack by Adele Broadbent (2011)
children's fiction, new zealand

Jack's first job in a stable as an apprentice jockey is not going according to his daydreams. His boss does not let him ride the horses. There are unexplained tensions in the house where he boards alongside his boss and the other apprentice.Set in the early 1930s around the time of the Napier earthquake. Overall a satisfying read.

Wow! That's a great list of interesting books, Kerry. Let's see...Who Will Remember the People by Raspail goes onto my wish list, along with Brodie's Report (which I almost bought at Book Culture in NYC earlier this month), The Ponsonby Post, As I Walked Out One Midsummer's Morning, and Brighton Rock. I'll read The Leopard and Cloud Atlas later this year, and Heart of Darkness sometime soon.

Wow, what a list!

I keep picking up Game of Thrones because so many people have told me it's amazing, but putting it back down again because it looks like so much effort! Is it worth a read then?

I loved Perdido Street Station when I read it last year. It's a strange book but it works somehow.

Good grief! It is like wandering into one of Stasia's threads! Good info on your reading list, kerry :)

Darryl - definitely look out for the Raspail book.

Hanna - my son read them all and pushed Game of thrones on me. It is good and worth the read though doesn't really cover new ground. Just that it's a big story with a big cast of characters, and he's quite the brutal storyteller from time to time.

I'm currently reading Suite francaise, and also picked up Geek fantasy novel. I'm listening to Sorry by Gail Jones and as soon as I can I'm starting The Conductor by Sarah Quigley, it's about Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, I can't wait to dive into it.

Thanks Kath - I hadn't posted any reading for about six weeks though!

Wow, that's a whole lot of reading lists. I have to comment on A Game of Thrones, it's the book I'm going to read next when in comes in throught the ILL, which I hope is today, otherwise I'm going to be mad. Other than that, I don't see any titles I recognize. Actually I do, but none that interest me. Welcome home!

Good to see you here, Kerry. Lots of good reading going on.

Wow, what a lot of reading! The Glass Blowers is a du Maurier I haven't read so I will look out for that one.

I've just started on the Matthew Shardlake series and I'm really enjoying Dissolution so far.

The Game of Thrones series is definitely on my radar but I think I might wait until he's finished writing the series before I start.

I also really enjoyed Perdido Street Station and I've been meaning to get round to The Scar and Iron Council since last year...

Impressive list of reads. Congrats on hitting the magic number! :D

Great stuff! About a third of those books are already on my WL and for some reason, I've resisting the book bullets quite well lately. Game of Thrones has been on my radar since Mark's Fantasy February, but I've been watching the excellent HBO series and it's really making me want to dig in to it more than ever.

Wow! My first thought was what an incredible selection of international reading you do. My next thought was how am I ever to read all of the title that interest me from your list (that means most of them). Good to have you back here, now I've got to update my wishlist..

*groan, staggering under weight of wishlist*

The Rubens sounds so timely despite being thirty years old.

I'm very interested in hearing more about The Conductor. Your description immediately made me think of The Line by Olga Grushin. Have you read it?

Congratulations on reaching the 75 challenge goal already!

#176> No, but I have it on my tbr list, gaskella did a review of it a year or so ago and I really liked the UK coverart, it was titled The Concert Ticket. I'm now reminded of a French/Russian movie I watched a few weeks ago, The Concert.
The Ponsonby Post does still read well. I'm enjoying reading her books, I have a few more lined up for the year.

#175> Leonie - I spent quite a bit of time selecting from my tbr pile for my holiday reading and it mostly worked out. I chose ones that fitted my 11in11 challenge. I didn't get to a couple of books but hopefully I can make time for them next month. May seems to be a non-reading month for me, I'm just not making any headway in any of the books I have on the go at present.

#170/172/174> Game of Thrones - read it before seeing the TV series - really. It's great watching the book come to life on the screen.
Ilana - at least you'll have time to read the other books before season two starts!

#171/173> Thanks for dropping by.

OK, I'll try to post a few pics from the trip later tonight and a few comments on the Auckland Writers Festival.

Congrats on hitting 75 already!

I was so overwhelmed with the titles that I missed your 75! Congratulations.

Congrats!

Congratulations!

Yay!! ...on 75!

Yes, I think I'll order the whole lot of the Games of Thrones series, considering how addicted I am to the show at this point. Hopefully I should be well ahead by the time season 2 starts. Congrats on hitting 75. For myself, I can't believe how many books I've read this year already. Couldn't have done it without this group!

Congratulations, Kerry!

Lots of interesting sounding reads there. I've just put the Karen Healey one on my wishlist!

Congratulations on reaching 75!

Lots of good reading going on--I've added several titles to my wishlist.

Congratulations, Kerry!

Congratulations on 75 books! :)

I also missed the fact that you'd made it past the 75 mark. Congratulations!

Thanks everyone for the congratulations. I spent all of April and a little of May away in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Here are a few pics of my trip - I took heaps of photos, so many in fact that my camera had heart failure and died on me a couple of days before we came home!

First up are links to my facebook albums, I just realised that I haven't uploaded the bulk of my photos to my photobucket album yet.
Uruguay
Buenos Aires
Mar del Plata
Rio de Janeiro

Some literary and feline images from Rio de Janeiro:

Dana with friends

Flamingo Park - man with cat food. He had a dog who kept well away from this sort of action.

Famous writer, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, statue on Copacabana.

I'll come back later and post a few more images - just need to upload them first.

77) Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky (2004)
fiction, france

Némirovsky, a published writer, wrote this during the Nazi occupation of France, before she was arrested and sent to Auschwitz where she died. The work is unfinished, only 2 novellas of a proposed 4 or 5 and her manuscript languished in her daughters' possession for many years before they realised the significance of the writing.
The first novella concerns Parisians fleeing Paris as the Nazis advance to occupy the city and the ensuing chaos as cars run out of petrol, food is scarce and accommodation in villages and small towns nonexistent. The second novella looks at life under occupation in a small rural village where the local people must billet German soldiers for several months. Characters from the first novella link into the second.
I thought this was a great piece of writing and if Némirovsky had been able to finish the project it would have become a significant work. I read her David Golder a couple of years ago and loved that as well.


78) Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (2010)
fantasy - Peter Grant Bk 1

Loved this fantasy caper. Peter Grant is a probationary constable in London who meets up with a ghost at the scene of a murder. This encounter ends up with Peter apprenticed to Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.


79) Billionaire Boy by David Walliams; illustrated by Tony Ross (2010)
children's fiction

Having a Dad who suddenly made a fortune out of a new type of toilet paper presents a new set of problems for Joe, such as how to make a real friend. At times hilariously silly, this is also a heartwarming tale.
David Walliams is better known as one of the stars of the tv series Little Britain. This is his third children's book, I really enjoyed his first one, The boy in the dress.


80) Sorry by Gail Jones (2007)
fiction, australia - iPod audiobook

I attended a couple of sessions at the Auckland Writers Festival that featured Gail Jones and I must confess I became a fan without even having read any of her work. She is so intelligent and thoughtful and I later discovered she was even born in the same small town in Western Australia as my father - so even more reasons to become a fan. I bought a copy of Black Mirror and have her Five Bells out from the library. But first I just had to listen to Sorry as she read the opening passage at one of the sessions.
This is the story of the child, Perdita, her relationship with her mother and her friendships with an aboriginal girl, Mary and Billy a deafmute boy. It starts with powerful imagery as a tragedy is unfolding, the death of her father. The book then voyages into the past and the future as we follow the hows and whys and watch Perdita's life unfold. At the heart of the story is silence, an inability to speak and here Jones is subtly hinting at the treatment the aboriginal people suffered from at the hands of the Australian government policy, especially their lost children. The writing is quite magical in it's elegant and poetic style. I loved listening to this and yet there were passages where I longed to revisit the written word, so I now have a copy of the book out from the library.

By the time I was ten, when I began seriously to read - so that silent words, not utterance, would be my form of expression - half the front room was crowded by books....I would fall asleep watching my parents read at the kitchen table, and if I woke in the night I found myself in this peculiar, librarian city, the massive architectonics of other people's words. Terraces, ziggurats, prominences and voids. In the darkness the pillars of books seemed to tilt and arch over me, yet I fancied not collapse, but a kind of shelter, the roof-shaped protection of open volumes.....Because we were stranded together, and because I stuttered, we read. There is no refuge so private, no asylum more sane.

Kerry, your photos of South America are simply stunning, is photography a hobby of yours? They are so artistically composed and as a non-facebooker I really appreciated the direct links to view the pictures.

Leonie - thanks. I take lots of photos but don't take photography too seriously. The photos are my souvenirs and I love trying to capture the flavour of a city - though these are very photogenic destinations too. I have hundreds more photos in my photobucket album as I often re-visit places through my photos.
When I did my OE many many years ago, there was one time when I didn't have much money saved and my future husband and I did a no frills hitchhiking trip around Norway, sleeping rough and sneaking into youth hostels for showers. On that trip I learnt to make every photo count as I couldn't afford to buy more film. A little thought makes good composition and it soon becomes intuitive. On the other hand with digital you can allow for a lot of failures for every successful photo.
I use two digital cameras - a larger Nikon SLR and a small one for more candid situations.

I have had Sorry in the BlackHole for far too long now. I really wish my local library had that one!

Love the pictures, Kerry! Thanks for sharing them.

Sneaking into hostels for showers, I love it! I also love digital SLR's, no more fiddling around with f-stops and apertures. You make me wish I took more photos.

81) The Conductor by Sarah Quigley (2011)
fiction

I saw this book at the Auckland Writers & Readers festival bookstore and just had to have it. Unfortunately I couldn't get to the session with Sarah Quigley but I have enjoyed this book to the nth degree. Quigley is a New Zealander who has lived in Berlin since winning the inaugural Creative NZ Berlin Writers' Residency in 2000.

Quigley blends fact with fiction to create a wonderful story set in 1941 Leningrad. Shostakovich writes his symphony amid the hardship of the Leningrad siege. We also follow the fortunes of shy, introspective, Karl Eliasberg, conductor of the second-rate Radio Orchestra and Nikolai Nikolayev, violinist and friend of Shostokovich, who suffers from the unknown fate of his talented daughter, one of thousands of children evacuated from the city.
I found this to be a riveting story and could hardly put the book down at times. Quigley manages to maintain a narrative drive through the force of Shostakovich's creative genius and the ongoing hardship of the siege as the city stumbles towards that harsh winter without food supplies. She has created a remarkable fictional personality for Eliasberg, the conductor who was charged to bring the symphony to life for its premiere in Leningrad in August 1942.

Bonus feature: the book comes with a Naxos CD of the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra recording of the Leningrad symphony tucked into the back flap. I'm listening to it as I type and reliving the trials and tribulations of Shostakovich and also Eliasberg as both struggled to bring the music to life.

Wikipedia: Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 dedicated to the city of Leningrad was completed on 27 December 1941. In its time, the symphony was extremely popular in both Russia and the West as a symbol of resistance and defiance to Nazi totalitarianism and militarism...
...When Eliasberg was asked to conduct the Leningrad premiere only 15 members of the orchestra were still available; the others had either starved to death or left to fight the enemy. The concert was given on 9 August 1942 in the Lenigrad Bolshoy Philharmonic Hall under the baton of Eliasberg, the second conductor with any people who could be gathered from the main orchestra, the reserve orchestra and military bands, and was heard over the radio and lifted the spirits of the survivors.

Kerry

A book I recently read mentioned Shostakovich's Symphony #7!

Once again harmonic convergence is in the air.

Lol, music is in the air!

The Conductor sounds interesting, I'll look out for it.

#196: Looks like a 'must read' for me! Thanks, Kerry!

That one sounds really good and a bonus CD as well, that means it should go on the 'purchase one day' wishlist.

Sorry sounds good to me... thank you !

I've just finished my last TIOLI book for May, an unexpected read of Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck, thanks to the Memorial Readathon hosted by Chatterbox (Suzanne). I know I'm lining up an ambitious TIOLI month for June and thought that I better list them all here:

Challenge #1: 'Low' book
The Borribles across the dark metropolis by Michael De Larrabeiti (YA) - last in a trilogy that I've really enjoyed.
Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones - another DWJ that I've not read yet

Challenge #2: (my challenge) - Foreign Language title
Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources by Marcel Pagnol
Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene - if I can find my copy
Le Bal by Irène Némirovsky

Challenge #3: Caribbean Heritage
The Long Song by Andrea Levy - longtime tbr pile
Tide Running by Oonya Kempadoo

Challenge #4: Local setting
Departure Lounge by Chad Taylor

Challenge #5: Book to Film
A room with a view by EM Forster - 100 yrs on my tbr

Challenge #6: New writer/own 2+books
Lips Touch: three times by Laini Taylor (YA) - longtime tbr pile

Challenge #11: Workplace setting
Hotel Bemelmans by Ludwig Bemelmans

Challenge#12: Nonfiction/Fiction
Just my Type by Simon Garfield - shared read

Challenge#18: Equal # of letters in title
Clash of Kings by George Martin
Dirt Bomb by Fleur Beale (YA)
Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - shared read

Challenge #19: Day of week in title
The Wednesday Wizard by Sherryl Jordan (children's)

Challenge #21: short work
Briar Rose by Robert Coover

17 books and I know I have others I'd love to list! Most will count towards my 11 in 11 challenge and a few are YAs or children's books so shouldn't take as long to read. Needless to say this is an attempt list and I'll give priority to shared reads and the books in my own challenge - Foreign Language Title.

That is an ambitious list, Kerry! Good luck!

Great photos! The Conductor and Sorry have both gone on my wishlist but my library doesn't have either book yet...

I'm also hoping to read Moon over Soho this month.

Wow, both The Conductor and Sorry sound amazing. Thanks for the great reviews. Thanks also for sharing your TIOLI list. You are so organized!

Has The Conductor been published in the US yet? I looked for it to add to the wishlist, but couldn't find it. Sorry also looks great.

And I also enjoy your photos of your travels--wouldn't mind seeing a few of New Zealand either, as we may be visiting there later this year or early next year.

Hi Kerry, I borrowed Visitation from the library a couple of weeks ago after seeing it recommended by Nathalie (Deern), I borrowed another book by her as well, her first novel The Old Child after reading in a Guardian article that she is "a multi-prizewinning German who is one of the finest, most exciting authors alive", no less. I've listed them both for TIOLI #1 this month.

Read your review of The Conductor again (sounds amazing) and now listening to Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60 right now... so many sublime moments, though I can't say I've ever found Shostakovich exactly easy to listen to. But then, that's hardly the point.

Hi again Kerry. Have you read books in the Temeraire series? I came across it via Audible since I'm looking up recordings by one of my favourite (and very prolific) readers, Simon Vance, as he narrates the whole series, and when I checked it out here on LT, I saw your name come up. Sounds really interesting. Comments?

Hi Ilana - I've been away from my thread for a few days. No, I haven't read the Temeraire books. I have a couple in the house but haven't got to them. Quite a few people in this group have read them and I think the verdict was that the first 2 or 3 were great and then it got bad. I think Zoe read them all.
I thought Visitation was really good, I need to do a review for that one and a couple of others. I've got a big pile of books out of the library that I want to read but I'm reading really slowly at the moment and it seems to take forever to finish a book.
I've had the Shostakovich No7 playing in my car for a couple of days and quite enjoyed some parts of it. I'm not a great fan of symphonies, but this one was interesting to listen to and imagine the music blasting out of loudspeakers across to the Germans.

I spent most of yesterday as a marker for the Auckland heats of the Kids Lit Quiz which is for 10-12yr olds. I've helped several times over the years and it is a lot of fun watching the teams of 4 from all the schools do battle to answer 100 questions across 10 categories. The national final next week is in Parliament as several politicians wanted to see it in action! Quizmaster Wayne travels to the UK, China, Sth Africa and now Canada to find a national champion team and then they meet up for a World Final. It's really fun to see the children who love reading being able to compete like this and be acknowledged for being voracious readers.

Here some sample questions taken from the KLQ website:

If a trilogy means three novels what is the word for four related books?
What type of powder was used by wizards to travel using fireplaces?
What boy discovered that he was the modern day son of the Greek god Poseidon?
What is the name of Wallace, the inventor’s dog?
Who was the character that sought revenge after being publicly humiliated by Simon Lovelace?
What was the name of Lola's brother in the series of books by Lauren Child?
Because she was a black girl Grace wasn't allowed to play what role in the upcoming school play? This was a book by Mary Hoffman.
What mouse featured in a story about a princess, some soup and a spool of thread?
Who had two nasty aunts called Spiker and Sponge?
Who had a teacher called Miss Honey?
Who was the vegetarian and animal rights activist who suddenly found herself as the Royal Highness of Genovia?
Queen Lillian and King Harold are the parents of which princess?
What colour was Beegu the small alien stranded on Earth?
What type of animal accompanied Postman Pat when he delivered the mail?

#207: Deborah - I haven't taken that many photos in New Zealand but will upload a few from Northland. The Conductor has only just been published here but I'm sure it will get a wider release. I've just looked at online options and it's showing up as unavailable even here in New Zealand.

#206: I've shared the list but I'm reading so slowly that I think I'll be lucky to get through 3 or 4 books this month! I recommend the Gail Jones book, I have two more lined up but at my current pace.....

#205: Heather, I'm looking forward to the Peter Grant book, I've already sneaked a few pages but I have to get through Clash of Kings which is epic but with such small print I'm finding it hard to get through. My son is nagging me to get done with it.

#204: Hi Stasia - yes, ambitious and I can already see undoable especially since I've already added a couple more books to the wiki!

Abandoned:
Reading on Location: A Guide to Great Books Set in the World's Top Travel Destinations - I have this listed in gennyt's fiction/nonfiction challenge before I saw the book. I won't be reading it as it is just an annotated list of books divided by countries. I'm only interested in a few countries and can get enough recommendations from the Reading Globally group or here. SO I'll dip into it a couple of times before returning it to the library.

Geek fantasy novel by E. Archer - YA novel:
also not finishing this one, I read a good 80-100 pages and finished the first part which I had read somewhere was the boring nonaction part, but honestly I want more bang for my buck faster in a children's book please and I didn't care for the main character or the setup - I felt impatient and didn't care either for the page numbering in Roman numerals especially during the readathon when I was keeping note of page count. This book has rated highly with other readers whose opinions I value.

The Keep by Jenny Egan - audiobook that I also abandoned, the premise didn't really attract me and I listened for a couple of chapters. I got A Visit from the Goon Squad from the library so thought I'd read that instead, but it's almost due back.

Yup, I've read all the Temeraire books and would definitely recommend them. It was only the sixth that I found mediocre, and I'm still planning to continue with the series despite that.

What fabulous reading you've been up to.

I had fun doing the quiz -- did better than I would have thought - a little over half.

The Keep is my favorite of Egan's books -- I'm not sure why exactly, but I read it, rather than listened to it. I was trying to think if I would have liked it if I had listened to it and I'm not sure. I liked the setting a great deal. I tend to enjoy the premise of a bunch of unlikely uncomfortable people crammed together someplace.

You have been reading some very interesting books. I just checked to see if my library has any Gail Jones books, and it does, so I have requested Sorry. I have read very, very few books set in your part of the world.

Oh, dear, Kerry, we need the key to your quiz questions above! I'm only at 40%!

Enjoying reading your thoughts on the good reading you've been doing.

(Had to chuckle at chinquapin's comment on reading very few books set in New Zealand, as I read 53 of Essie Summers' 56 Harlequin romances, set off from all others when I was reading Harlequins in the 70s by their vivid descriptions of New Zealand scenery and places--so I've read a LOT about NZ, but perhaps in a rather limited scope. Ya think?)

What a great quiz idea, it's a pity my kids are too old for it now but it sounds like so much fun. I got 50% but I 'know' the answer to the Harry Potter powder question (it will come to me about 11pm tonight!) and the two aunts one - I know I've read this story. Kids are so clever these days. Btw, what do you call four books in a series?

I've usually seen it called a quartet, but quadrology is more in line with trilogy. Hmm.... (Edit: apparently more often spelled quadrilogy, but that seems weird to me. There's also tetralogy.)

Tetralogy is what came to mind for me. Kerry?

LOL, don't look at me for the answer - I have no idea, I usually say quartet. So what is two? Elizabeth Knox's Dreamhunter & sequel were marketed as a duet but I don't think I've come across that before. The quiz is very audience friendly, my son used to love going to watch the national final when it was held in Auckland. Wayne throws questions out to the audience at the end of each round and gives away lots of book prizes.
For each round the markers are given the list of questions and the answers on a separate sheet, so we also had the fun of trying to answer the questions before peeking at the answers. One delightful thing is that the students sometimes write their answers phonetically, the best example of the day was 'Donkey Oti' for Don Quixote.

Lots of great Australian and New Zealand writers for you all to discover then. I don't think I've read anything by Essie Summers and I did read lots of Mills & Boon for a few years as my mother and sister in law would give me stacks of them.
Two favourite classic novels are: Australia: The Getting of Wisdom, New Zealand: The Scarecrow

I picked up a few more books from the library today and saw my pick for YA cover of the year:

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury looks like a complete departure from her first novel, Shift, which I sort-of enjoyed and I'm looking forward to reading it.
An 1815 parlor diversion leads to a fizzy, frothy caper . . . Bradbury weaves Egyptology, Napoleonic conquest and a flirtation with the supernatural into a spy thriller --Kirkus Reviews

Oooh, that cover is PRETTY! The story sounds interesting too. I look forward to reading your opinion on it.

82) Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck (2008) (2010 Eng)
fiction, germany

An original piece of writing, well executed, that I enjoyed but didn't love. Erpenbeck takes us on a journey through the 20th century Germany by giving us glimpses into the lives of the various residents of a house situated in the countryside near Berlin. This definitely deserves the high praises and acclaim that it has garnered. Just thinking about it again to write this makes me like it a little more.
Read for May's TIOLI one word title challenge.


83) Lips Touch: three times by Laini Taylor (2009)
illustrated by Jim di Bartolo
YA fantasy

I loved this and can't believe how long it sat on my tbr pile. Three stories all about the consequences of a first kiss, all based on folklore, beautifully romantic but with darker edges. Sumptous, rich and let's not forget di Bartolo's evocative illustrations that precede each story giving a glimpse of what's to come - lovely stuff. Jim di Bartolo is Taylor's husband and this is their second collaboration. I've enjoyed reading Laini's blog for several years but have been remiss in reading her books which have languished on my tbr pile. I did start her Blackbringer a couple of times. I read this for the TIOLI New to me author with 2 or more books on the tbr list challenge. Her latest book due out in September is being heavily promoted by both her US and UK publishers - Daughter of Smoke and Bone looks to have a really interesting plot set in some inspiring cities.





84) The Borribles: across the dark metropolis by Michael de Larrabeiti (1986)
YA fantasy - Book 3 of The Borribles trilogy
'There are books we like, and books we love, and books we need. And then there are books that mean so much to us that they embed themselves in us, irresistibly, and become permanent parts of our mental landscape. Ever since I first read it, The Borribles has been such a book for me' - China Miéville
Do I need to add anything more? The omnibus edition has an introduction by Miéville.
Read for Madeline's TIOLI Low book challenge.


85) Hotel Bemelmans by Ludwig Bemelmans (1956)
nonfiction

Read for the TIOLI Workplace challenge. An, at times, hilarious account of Bemelmans' experiences working as a banqueting manager at New York's Hotel Splendide (a disguised Ritz Carlton) during the 1920s & 30s. My edition came with an interesting introduction by Anthony Bourdain. Bemelmans is best known for his wonderful Madeline books.

How does she keep her hair that pink?? Laini Taylor looks like an author I would love so definitely will check out some of her books. May have wishlisted some other titles too... just one or three...

Wrapped definitely has a fabulous cover, and I think I have to read it for the 19th-century Egyptology.

I'm so glad you liked Lips Touch, too. I really enjoyed it last year, though for some reason I haven't read any of her other work. Daughter of Smoke and Bone sounds fascinating, so I'll keep an eye out for that one this fall.

86) The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones (1998)
YA fantasy

Loved this. So pleased to keep finding books by Diana Wynne Jones that I haven't read, and this has a sequel that I have to look out for at some point. A magical world has been forced for many years through blackmail to accept tour groups on fantasy quests organised by a Mr Chesney from a non-magical world. His list of demands each year grows more and more outrageous and the various factions are fed up with him turning their world into a glorified theme park. One faction in particular is determined to make this the last season of questing. Read for Madeline's TIOLI Low book challenge.


The Contract with God trilogy: Life on Dropsie Avenue by Will Eisner (2006)
graphic novel (497pgs)
An omnibus of several publications from 1978 through to 1995.
I picked up a few of Eisner's graphic novels after reading a review of Minor Miracles by Madeline. This was my favourite, it's a collection of various work that Eisner did exploring the idea of man's relationship with God. He also tells stories from the various occupants of a New York tenement building in Dropsie Avenue based on his childhood memories of growing up in a similar building. Very recommended, I read this in one long sitting.


Minor Miracles by Will Eisner (2000)
graphic novel (110pgs)
Not quite as good as the other two, but nontheless a good read. Several stories with strange twists.


Will Eisner's New York Life in the Big City (2006)
graphic novel (422pgs)
An omnibus of several publications from 1981 through to 1993
This was another great read, Eisner really captures a lost flavour of New York here. in the early pages he focuses on ordinary aspects of city life such as windows, garbage, stoops, lamp posts, the subway, privacy etc etc and grows his ideas from there. Another very recommended book.


Bracelet of Bones by Kevin Crossley-Holland (2011)
Viking Sagas book 1
YA fiction
This at times reminded me of his wonderful Gatty's Tale which also features a journey at its heart. This time Crossley-Holland goes back to Viking days and has his heroine Solveig, a resourceful girl/young woman, travel from Trondheim in Norway to Constantinople (Micklegard) following in the steps of her father who has gone to join the palace guard where his hero Harald Sigurdsson (Harald Hardrada) serves. The first of a planned sequence of books. Recommended.

Adding Bracelet of Bones to the BlackHole. My local library does not have it yet. I am hopeful that it will - probably about the time the last book in the series comes out!

Stasia - Have you read any of his other books? I still haven't read his Arthur books - The Seeing Stone et al and I have his memoir The Hidden Roads as well on my tbr.

Moving The Dark Lord of Derkholm a little farther to the top of my list. Thanks for the nudge, Kerry!

#226: No, not yet, Kerry.

Dark Lord of Derkholm is one of my favorites, Kerry. Glad you liked it too.

I so enjoy visiting your thread. It is great that there are others who appreciate YA books.

I've added the Dark Lord of Derkholm and Bracelet of Bones to the list. Not sure I need another series to begin but if it's only just begun then I've got plenty of time to get to them all. For some reason the name Will Eisner is very familiar to me but I can't place it..

I'd had The Dark Lord of Derkholm on my tbr list for a long time but the cover did not appeal so I kept putting it further down, but flissp's challenge of re-reading all DWJ's books got me thinking that I should read the ones I hadn't got round to. It is a very fun read.

Leonie: Well, you know more about Viking lore than me, Crossley-Holland introduces the younger reader to lots of interesting historical concepts throughout the story including the introduction of Christianity. I also recommend Melvin Burgess' YA novel Bloodtide for a great example of adapting Norse mythology into a dystopian wow factor of a story for teens, in fact I might just have to re-read it - it is quite gory though, there's a sequel too.

Will Eisner is considered to be the 'father' of the graphic novel - you can read more about him here: http://www.willeisner.com/biography/index.html

Although I'm not a huge graphic novel reader, I think I'll add The Contract with God Trilogy to my wishlist. Thanks for tempting me outside my comfort zone.

Edited to fix my grammar!

Just got caught up with you Kerry. Have added a couple of books to the WL of course. No Borribles at the library though, BOO!!!

I still have the last book in the 5 volume Rabbi's Cat series to read, and then... it's over! Snif!

Have yet to read Visitation and recently got A Visit from the Goon Squad, both from the library. Did you have the time to read Goon Squad finally?

#233: Lisa, I hope you enjoy A Contract with God. I don't read that many graphic novels either, just a couple now and then.

#234: Ilana, I didn't get to A visit from the goon squad, just too many books out from the library at the same time, not to mention the towering piles of tbr books around the house. I'll get to it eventually just not at present as I'll be a the end of a long list of requests now.
I've noted The Tiger's Wife for Orange July though - have you seen the LT Orange group? We get active twice a year reading books that have been on the Orange Prize long list/short list etc, lots of familiar faces in there.

Hi Kerry, just stopping by to see what you are reading.. and to say hello :)

of course, father of the graphic novel.. I think it was actually his Fagin the Jew that I'd heard of recently.

I do want to read more viking books so I've got those titles wishlisted. I don't know what it is about the vikings, especially as they can be some very violent stories, but I've always loved the tales since I was a kid.

I remember finding out about the Orange group back in January, and telling myself I should plan for it in July. Then promptly forgot about it. July is already looking quite full, what with Children's & YA month, but I'm sure I can fit in at least one Orange book. Or I can try, anyhow.

90) Moon over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (2011)
Peter Grant Bk 2
fantasy

This is my favourite new series that I'll be reading as each book gets published. It's fun, entertaining and with enough supernatural happenings to keep a person happy. Maybe a tad too much s*x, but then that adds a bit of spice to the mix.
This story has Grant investigating murders of promising jazz musicians among other mysteries.
One comment - the US covers are not anywhere as inviting as the gorgeous UK covers... and a warning - this story could make men squirm at times.
I read this for the TIOLI Equal number of letters in title words challenge.


91) Just my Type: a book about fonts by Simon Garfield (2010)
nonfiction

Fascinating look at fonts and how they've been developed for our modern world. Garfield has covered a large playing field of fonts, print history, graphic design etc and made it an interesting read for the layman. He mentions several youtube clips, some I'd seen before but I got my daughter to watch them too and we had fun watching the font fight and the font conference. And Mrs Eaves takes some beating for bizarre font behaviour. Read for gennyt's TIOLI Fiction/Non fiction challenge

I'm still going on Clash of Kings, I'm enjoying it but just seem to be reading it so slowly. I also picked up Raffaela Delmonte's The Fragrance of Basil: Food and Memories of my Italian Childhood after spending Saturday on an Italian Food Discovery Tour of Auckland with her - it was lots of fun and quite inspiring. She founded the Slow Cook Movement in Auckland several years ago and prepared our small group a lovely rustic lunch at her organic farm just north of Auckland.

#239: I am still waiting to get my hands on the first book, Midnight Riot! I am glad to see you enjoyed the second book, Kerry.

I am a total font geek so of course I've added the book to my TBR list and thoroughly enjoyed the YouTube videos.

Good to see the second Peter Grant book is as good as the first, I will get to it, I will... I loved those youtube vids, so funny.

92) A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (1998)
Bk 2 of Fire and Ice
fantasy

Read for TIOLI Equal number of letters in title words challenge. Enjoyed this as much or more than book one, just took me a while to get through. Definitely will start book 3 fairly soon, just need to read my way through a pile of library books first.

I have that book, probably will read it soon. Can't wait for that!

#244> I didn't say much as there is too much possibility of spoilers, but my son has read all four books and says book 3 is the best. I'm already thinking of picking it up and reading a little alongside the other books I hope to finish by the end of June.

After seeing some of the TV shows this week and getting a little more familiar with the story, I picked the first book up this morning and it made sense to me this time round so hopefully I'll get into it now, although it will probably be alongside the many library books I've currently got out as well. Why do I keep going to the library when I have so much to read at home?

We've also been watching the tv shows of GoT, and when my son and husband couldn't get enough of it, they switched to Rome and watched both season 1 & 2 in a few days.
I'm just feeling over committed on the reading front once again - too many to finish for June's TIOLI, usually I don't feel guilty but I haven't read anything for my own challenge yet so do feel I need to at least try to get that done. And several must-reads from the library are starting to get close to their due back dates and I can't renew them because of the waiting lists. Oh dear, and I want to get a head start on spring cleaning... and I ache all over because I got talked into doing a boot camp at my gym!!

Definitely sounds like you've got lots going on Kerry! That being said, although I completely empathize with your TIOLI worries... it really ought to be the least of them, you do know that, right? Although I've read lots of books with "foreign" (to English) titles this month, I can hardly put any of them in your challenge since I'm reading the "foreign" (i.e. original) versions... too bad! :-(

I started Game of Thrones on Sunday, right after seeing the finale of season 1 on HBO. What a great show that was! Now I'm just under 100 pages into the book and absolutely loving it. Have to say that contrary to what one would think, in this case, having seen the show is actually helping me appreciate the book that much more, as otherwise I might have a hard time keeping all the storylines and characters straight—always a challenge for me.

I do intend on having at least book 2 finished before they air season 2 next year... will be interesting to see how many I've read by then! Will have to create a fantasy category for 12/12 to encourage me along!

93) Departure Lounge by Chad Taylor (2006)
new zealand fiction

Read for TIOLI read a book set in your locale challenge. This was my second book by Taylor and I really like his writing style which is described by critics as 'noirish cool'. The Washington Post commented, 'Smart, original, surprising and just about as cool as a novel can get.' I love his descriptions of Auckland and enjoy his characters. That said the plots are a little evasive and openended and leave me a tad disappointed. I'll keep reading his work, though I need to move onto some more NZ writers that I've so far neglected to read.
When small time criminal Mark Chamberlain breaks into an apartment he finds photographs of a long lost school friend which brings back memories of her sudden disappearance, the police investigation, and the neighbourhood they grew up in. Present and past choices start to come together.

#248> Ilana - yes, I'm enjoying A Room with a View for the Academy Award challenge and hope to get at least one book finished for my own challenge. There are enough days left in June for that, and hopefully The Long Song for Darryl's Caribbean challenge. All have spent too long on my tbr pile. I'll commit to less for July and concentrate on the YA books.

Regarding the Game of Thrones books - my son is really keen for me to pick up the next two asap. He has to remember what he can and can't say all the time due to spoilers.

I guess it would be hard to remember what can and cannot be said. I have a hard enough time during group reads making sure I don't divulge spoilers, and that's WHILE I'm reading the books, so with a bit of distance, it would be almost impossible. No wonder your son can't wait for you to catch up. Has he read all five books already? If so he must be really anxious for the new book to come out!

A week left in June, so yes, still time to fit in quite a bit. As for July, I'm mostly reserving it for YA books, and I've already got more books on that tbr than is reasonable to expect I'll manage to read in even TWO months. But it's all good. I figure YA is the perfect summer reading—plenty of substance, but not too heavy.

I have Game of Thrones on my shelf for summer reading after thoroughly enjoying the series, too. I never read the Tolkein books or Harry Potter for that fact, until after I saw them on the screen. I have since read them and I think enjoyed them more after having an image of the characters and worlds in my mind.

#224 The Dark Lord of Derkholm is a DWJ book I'm really looking forward to reading. Glad you enjoyed it.

And Bracelet of Bones has gone on the wishlist. I've also been meaning to read some of Will Eisner's books for a while.

#239 Glad you also enjoyed Moon over Soho :-)

#247 I also have some reading guilt especially in respect of library books. I seem to have been reading at a slower pace this month and also checked a lot of books out of the library.

I had been avoiding A Game of Thrones because I'm reluctant to start a series which has taken so long to write and is still unfinished, but all the positive reviews are tempting me more and more!

With the TV series of GofT we actually decided not to let our 14 year old watch any more than the first episode because we didn't realise it would have quite so many mature scenes in it. Do you think we're being overly strict here? She is an absolute fantasy nut and is a little gutted but I don't mind her reading the books as I think they are okay. Now I'm really wondering if we're overreacting..

Back to books, Chad Taylor sounds like a great local author to watch out for.

>253 KiwiNyx: Personally without any child experince, I think a little matureness here and there may be healthy. My reason for that is very long, and it probably is totally wrong.

#253 I don't have children either, but do have friends with teens and I also think some supervised adult content can be healthy—making it taboo can backfire sometimes. With a show like that you can discuss the more mature scenes afterwards and clear the air if you feel it's needed. By that age, they've probably heard more about all things adult than you imagine, so it's a great opportunity to broach sometimes difficult topics.

#253 Although I haven't seen the show in question, I can speak for myself and say that it is much easier for me to read about violence, than it is to see it on tv/movies. I just cannot bear to see violence, but when reading, I can create a filter that helps me deal with it better. Do you know how your daughter processes that sort of thing?

All good points, she's actually pretty mature for her age and has a good head on her shoulders. I just heard that some episodes later on in the series get more graphic and reading it and visually seeing it are very different. When do we start to let them go? Isn't it about age 25? ;) She's my oldest girl but also still my baby.

Sorry, I haven't commented yet, keep mulling over a reply. My youngest is 14 and as we are fairly liberal I would let her watch GoT along with fair warning that there are aspects that I'd prefer weren't in there. Like books, the more explicit content and violence usually go by the wayside when the story is good. I do spend quite a bit of time talking about film theory etc as my oldest daughter did an MA in film studies so quite a bit of theory has rubbed off over the years. For me, the more troubling movies/programmes are those aimed for their age group which feature girls only interested in their looks, fashion and boys. At least GoT has some strong female characters.

I agree with you Kerry about the last point, and I should say that I'm fairly liberal as well, as is probably evidenced in my own previous response.

#257 I imagine it's hard to let kids go, at any age. I had the reverse problem growing up though, in that my parents ('liberal' doesn't even begin to describe it) didn't set very many boundaries outside of "respect yourself, respect others" (very important, of course) and generally treated me as a friend to share things with, without much thought to whether it was age-appropriate for me or not and then ousted me and my step-brothers from the nest when they'd had enough of us. As a result, I've always thought that had I had kids, I'd probably be on the strict side and probably also would be over-nurturing (or maybe under for all I know), but on issues like adult content, I have the same mentality as Kerry. I have lots of discussion about this with my best friend, who also has a 14 year old daughter and shares a similar mind-frame.

Interesting, we've now seen 6 episodes and only 2-3 contain parts we're unsure of for her. The show we know she'd love and I actually asked my husband last night whether we should just let her watch the series, given she is pretty mature. Violence isn't the issue by the way, it's the sex scenes mostly because there is occasionally violence included in these scenes. Gotta say though that the production quality of this show is outstanding.

Kerry ma vieux...260 posts? Not time for a new thread? BTW Hi!

My new thread is here