SouthernKiwi's Divisible 12 in 12

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Currently Reading:

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Thanks to Clfisha, via Psutto, for the idea, my 12 in 12 will be a 'divisible challenge'. A category will be considered finished when the number of books read totals a number that 12 can be divided by (i.e 1,2,3,4,6 and 12), and because it's my rules 9 books can complete a category too because I need something between 6 and 12. I hope to finish 70-75 books.

I'm also borrowing GingerbreadMan's 'blindfold category' idea.

As always recommendations are welcomed - especially for the African Adventures and Novice Novelists categories.

So with no further rambling, my categories are:

1. Blind Man's Bluff (Mount TBR books) .... 3/9
2. African Adventures (Books by African authors, or set in Africa) .... 3/6
3. Buzzed Books (LT'ers Recommendations) .... 3/6
4. Kiwi Corner (New Zealand authors) .... 2/9
5. Science Sources (Non-Fiction, science focus) .... 2/6
6. Novice Novelists (2011/2012 debut books) ..... 1/4
7. Truthful Tomes (Other non-fiction) .... 3/6
8. Familiar Faces (Books from series I've already started) .... 5/9
9. Fluff & Fun (Light and easy reads) ..... 4/6
10. Historical Hijinks (Historical fiction) .... 3/6
11. Wordy Works (Chunksters +600 pages) .... 0.5/3
12. Misfit's Mingle (Catch all category) .... 2/6

TOTAL: 31/76

Books acquired 2012: 33
Books off the shelf: 27
Books borrowed: 4

Category 1: Blind Man's Bluff
Mount TBR books randomly chosen by visitors to my 11 in 11 thread.

Books Read:
1. Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles of Home by Kevin McCloud - chosen by Leonie (p:80)
2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Murial Barbery - chosen by me (p:133)
3. Hell's Angels by Hunter S Thompson - chosen by Lori (p:168)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin
Hell's Angels by Hunter S Thompson
The Butterfly Mosque by Willow Wilson
Princes Amongst Men by Garth Cartwright
Kissing Alice by Jacqueline Yallop
The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Paramedico by Benjamin Gilmour
The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - April group read
Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles Of Home by Kevin McCloud

Category 2: African Adventures
Books either set in Africa or written by African authors.

Books Read:
1. Zimbabwe: Years Of Hope And Despair by Philip Barclay (p:57)
2. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (p:134)
3. The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander MaCall Smith (p:195)
4.
5.
6.

Candidates:
Alexander McCall Smith
Moxyland by Lauren Beukes
Zimbabwe: Years Of Hope And Despair by Philip Barclay
The White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - April group read
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Category 3: Buzzed Books
Books generating some talk here on LT, or in the media, or LTer's recommendations.

Books Read:
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (p:174)
2. Magic Flutes by Eva Ibbotson, Ibbotson recommended by Christina_Reads (p:199)
3. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham (p:225)
4.
5.
6.

Candidates:
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins
The City & The City by China Mieville
North And South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Scott Westerfield

Category 4: Kiwi Corner
Books by New Zealand authors.

Books Read:
1. Hand Me Down by Michelle Holman (p:45)
2. The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox (p:88)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Candidates:
The House Of Strife by Maurice Shadbolt
The Conductor by Sarah Quigley

Category 5: Science Sources
Non-Fiction books with a science focus.

Books Read:
1. A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (p:99)
2. The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins
3.
4.
5.
6.

Candidates:
The Greatest Show On Earth by Richard Dawkins
The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin
Simon Winchester
Chris Stringer

Category 6: Novice Novelists
Books by debut authors released in 2011 or 2012.

Books Read:
1. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller (p:177)
2.
3.
4.

Candidates:
The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

Category 7: Truthful Tomes
Non-Fiction books other than science.

Books Read:
1. Hitchens vs Blair - The Munk Debates (p:62)
2. The Discovery Of The Titanic by Robert Ballard (p:145)
3. The Duchess by Amanda Foreman (p:191)
4.
5.
6.

Candidates:
The Duchess by Amanda Foreman
Planet Word by J.P Davidson

Category 8: Familiar Faces
Books from series I've already started.

Books Read:
1. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (p:51)
2. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (p:125)
3. The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (p:146)
4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (p:174)
5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Colllins (p:174)
6.
7.
8.
9.

Candidates:
Bernard Cornwell
J.D. Robb
Queen's Play by Dorothy Dunnett
A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
A Memory Of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Stormlight Archive book 2 (depending on release date) by Brandon Sanderson

Category 9: Fluff & Fun
Light and easy reads.

Books Read:
1. Sylvester by Georgette Heyer (p:67)
2. Seriously ... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres (p:81)
3. The Witness by Nora Roberts (p:144)
4. Lady Of Quality by Georgette Heyer (p:180)
5.
6.

Candidates:
Georgette Heyer
Nora Roberts

Category 10: Historical Hijinks
Historical fiction.

Books Read:
1. In The Company Of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant (p:172)
2. Young Exile by Eliane Whitehouse (p:175)
3. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir`(p:209)
4.
5.
6.

Candidates:
Sarah Dunant
Mrs Mike by Benedict Freedman
Sea Of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Steven Barnes

Category 11: Wordy Works
Chunkster books with +600 pages.

Books Read:
1. 2666 by Roberto Bolano (DNF)
2.
3.

Candidates:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - June group read
2666 by Roberto Bolano - March group read

Category 12: Misfit's Mingle
My catch all category.

Books Read:
1. A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka (p:66)
2. Virus by Diane Hoh (p:192)
3.
4.
5.
6.

Candidates:
Donna Leon

starred and lookig forward to following along again next year :-)

I am loving the alliterative category names!

Great categories!

A few recommendations for your African Adventures - Bartle Bull is the author of a wonderful trilogy, starting right after WW I in British East Africa, the first book is called The White Rhino Hotel, also for sheer adventure, South African Wilbur Smith has written many adventure stories, one of his earliest, When the Lion Feeds is one of my favoriites. Still in the historical vein, David Saul also has a series that starts with Zulu Hart, set in 1879 and following the British Army as they fight the Zulus at Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana.

Kwei Quartey writes a mystery series that is set in Ghana. The first one is called Wife of the Gods. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is another author I have read, her Half of a Yellow Sun deals with the Nigerian War in the 1960's.

Looking forward to seeing how you fill all your categories next year.

Great categories and interesting books!

>16 DeltaQueen50: These all sound interesting to me, too, and I've written them down. I've read very little fiction set in Africa, but I've enjoyed the Alexander McCall Smith series and I recommend The Poisonwood Bible, if you haven't read it.

Great categories! From South Africa, try The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut and Moxyland by Lauren Beukes. You could also run over to this group to see what they recommend: http://www.librarything.com/groups/readinggloballyficti They have threads broken down by region.

> Great to have you along again psutto.

> Christina, I had a number of theme ideas that I couldn't quite make work. Alliteration seemed much easier, but I still had to puzzle over a couple of categories :-)

> Judy, thanks for all the recommendations! I'll definitely check them out.

> Ivy, The Poisonwood Bible is on Mount TBR, I still have a faint hope of reading it for my 11 in 11, but it's not looking likely. I haven't listed too many candidates yet because many of them are still 11 in 11 possibilites.

> Thanks for the link Cammykitty. I've just realised we even have Moxyland in our stacks :-)

Moxyland is great!

Lovely categories

I second Lauren Beukes (I have read Zoo City and plan to read Moxyland next year). I also keep meaning to try Wolf Hall but I keep being put off by its size..

Oh and there's a group read of 2666 next year if you another chunkster!

I'm definitely intrigued by these Lauren Beukes books! Adding them to my (ridiculously long) TBR list.

Nudges for both Moxyland and 2666 accepted :-) I've just gone and read a couple of reviews for each and they sound really interesting.

Claire I'm currently thinking my Wordy Works category will finish with 3 books, so 2666 slots in nicely, thanks! I'm predicting one of the Sanderson doorstoppers will make the leap from Familiar Faces if the 2nd Stormlight Archives book does get released in 2012 *fingers crossed*

I love your categories and as always will be checking out what you read for the Kiwi corner, I'll recommend Sarah Quigley's The Conductor. I've caught the Moxyland contagion, it has now gone on my tbr list and I'm also starting to consider Bolano's 2666 especially since reading Anders' (@gingerbreadMan) review, I enjoyed The Savage Detectives.

Oooh, The Conductor sounds good! Thanks Kerry, I'll be on the look out for it. I lol'ed at 'contagion', that's really the perfect way of describing what happens on LT :-)

I was wandering in the bookstore today (brought home The Uncommon Reader & Silk) and found the copies of 2666. I'd seen it mentioned somewhere that it was 1050 pages, but this edition is *only* 850ish. I feel much less daunted.

Alana, sounds like you had a good day at the bookstore! I enjoyed The Uncommon Reader and loved Silk. As for 2666, does this mean you will joining the group read next year? I will be picking up a copy in the coming months as I know it will take me longer than the three week loan period from my local library.

Hi Lori, I will be joining the 2666 group read. I don't know how long it will take me to read it, but I suspect I'll be at it for the better part of a month too, probably not helped by the shorter easier book(s) I'm likely to have going on the side!

I'm sure I'm going to break up reading 2666 with some short stories at least.

Your Blind Man's Bluff idea is gold!

Hi letterpress thanks for dropping in. I think the idea of Blind Man's Bluff is pretty genius as well, unfortunately I can't any credit for it. Anders (GingerbreadMan) came up with the idea and quite a number of us have since borrowed it.

Hi Alana, I'm slowly, very slowly making my way through threads in this group (the 75ers take up so much of my time!) and must say I love your categories and alliterative titles too.

Alana - love the alliterative challenge headings and some of the topics themselves are very appealing and creative. Found and starred you!

I'm glad I've switched over to this challenge this year. So many interesting new books to learn about.

Wishing you all the very best Alana!

Love the category names and you have picked some great books to try.

Finally beginning to check out and star threads in the new group! First visit to yours - so I'm sorry if I comment on things from WAAAAY up in the thread!

For African writers, I've enjoyed everything I read by Calixthe Beyala (from Camerun) so far. Naguib Mahfouz and Nawal Al-Sadawi are very readble Egytian writers. Lauren Beukes is on my list for 2012 as well - I have both Moxyland and Zoo City on my TBR- and am really looking forward to seeing if she's as great as everybody says.

I also plan on reading Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe (often dubbed the best African novel ever written) for this challenge. Would be happy to do a tandem if you're up for it :)

Happy New Year Alana! Looking forward to see what you read this year.

Hi Anders, thanks for the suggestions, Moxyland is already on the list, but I'm adding Things Fall Apart - how can I resist including the best African novel ever written?! A tandem read sounds like a great idea.

Hi Leonie, hope you're enjoying your holidays.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Cool! Should we post on the Group reads thread too, see if we have more takers? When would be a good time for you? I'd prefer after march, I think. It's rather short, so it shouldn't take us more than a week or so. Early april?

Not sure why I haven't stopped by before?! But, here now and wishing you a great new reading-year! :)

Happy New Year, Alanna.

Anders I'll be reading 2666 in March, but if Things Fall Apart is short I should be able to fit it in. Otherwise April works fine.

Hi Eva, great to have to you along again in 2012.

Happy new year to you as well Kerry!

I have a deadline march 31st, so april is better for me. I'll ask if anyone wants to join us over at the group reads thread!

Hand Me Down by Michelle Holman
Romantic Comedy
4 Stars
Category: Kiwi Corner
384 pages

Growing up April Ritchie was a spoilt princess, and living in a small town where everyone knows of her behaviour doesn't earn her any fans. But at 17 April is either kicked out of home or walked out - depending on who tells the story. Returning home 9 years later, as a kiss-o-gram girl much to everyone's amusement, April is a very different person but will anyone in Pisa believe it?

For me, Michelle Holman's books are the perfect light summer reading, and Hand Me Down is no exception.

Holman is known for her unique New Zealand settings, but I particularly loved this one - the fictional town of Pisa is based on the township of Cromwell, a place where I've spent plenty of time as it's very close to where I grew up and went to high school. Hand Me Down is also set on a cherry orchard, and like any self respecting Central Otago kid, I spent more than one summer holiday working on orchards picking fruit. I found plenty to relate to in this story.

I always enjoy Holman's inversion of the typical romance genre 'woman tames bad boy' plot. Her women tend to be strong, somewhat troublesome to deal with and have oodles of sass, and while there's inevitably a good man to sort her out, he has to put up with plenty of smartass one-liners along the way.

Holman's writing style is distincly Kiwi and down to earth, with her quirky humour providing some great banter between her characters and lots of chuckles until the very last page.

Not for me, I don't think, but a nice review. I love how you define a "Kiwi writing style!"

Hand Me Down sounds like it was a fun read for you!

Romance isn't really my genre either, but I would like to read something else that has a distinctly Kiwi writing style. The only authors I have in my library (and I am aware of how pathetic it is!) are Witi Ihimaera and Janet Frame. (I do have Pauline Gedge too, but her books are about ancient Egypt, so that hardly counts.)

Hi Alana, I didn't realise that Michelle Holman had written another book. I will definitely be adding Hand Me Down to the TBR pile. I have read her other books and they are light hearted fun reads.

lol thanks Anders, I'd be very impressed with any guy who'd willing read something so blatantly chic lit!

Lori it was fun reading, my first 2 books have been breezy summer reads, because it is summer after all and I was on holiday. My current book is much more serious :-)

Eva, Holman's books are what I'd call light romance, it's probably more sassy chic lit. If that makes any sense. I have to admit that I've yet to read anything by Witi Ihimaera or Janet Frame, I should probably make an effort to rectify that this year.

Hi Diane, I didn't know she had another one out either, I just happened to spy it at the airport on my way south for Christmas. Her next one is apparently due December this year, so I guess that's roughly when we can expect them to appear in the shops each year.

My first SantaThing book has just arrived - The Interpretation Of Murder, which looks very interesting, and I spent the day at the SPCA, after being away for a month, we were kept on our toes with lots of adoptions. A good day, all in all :-)

Edited because I have a new laptop and the keys are more sensitive than my last laptop. I have doubled up letters appearing everywhere. Annoying.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
Mystery
2.5 Stars
Category: Familiar Faces
305 pages

As only Stephanie Plum can, she steps off the plane from Hawaii leaving behind one 'situation', only to become immediately embroiled in another, far more dangerous one. Something happened in Hawaii, with either Morelli or Ranger or perhaps both. Stephanie has a tan line on her ring finger but no one is particularly willing to talk. Back in Trenton Stephanie has received a mysterious photo and it turns out a lot of not-so-friendly people want it. Cue mishaps, near misses, explosions, and weirdo skips.

Explosive Eighteen is typical Stephanie Plum. I used to really enjoy these books because they were pure fun and quirky. Now the books are so formulaic that the laughs are getting fewer and further between, and the quirkiness is nothing new.

Both Ranger and Morelli are in this book which was fun to begin with, but by the end Stephanie was sleeping with both and I had some trouble with that and found it a bit horrible. But I was left hoping that a resolution to the seemingly endless Morelli/Ranger merry-go-round might not be far away.

I do still read these books as easy mind candy, but I think I've nearly had enough of this series. I just wish Stephanie would make a choice between Morelli and Ranger, or move on from both because with a same old, same old plot which guy gets the girl is the only thing keeping me vaguely interested.

I movie is opening up here in a couple of weeks called One for the Money starring the beautiful Katherine Heigl as Stephanie. It sure looks like fun and will probably help bring new readers to the series.

Mamzel, I'm waiting to see when that movie makes it to New Zealand, I'll be quite interested to see it. I was initially a bit surprised at the choice of Heigl playing Stephanie, but I think she might do quite a good job. And since I'm thinking about it now, I'm off to see if I can find a trailer online.

Have stayed up to finish Zimbabwe: Years Of Hope And Despair. What a sad, dismal and gripping book. Reveiw to come when I can collect my thoughts.

I haven't read anything by Michelle Holman though I've seen her books and been vaguely aware that she was a NZ writer. Nicky Pellegrino writes similar light vein fare though she sets her books in either the UK or Italy.

You have me intrigued by the Zimbabwe book though I try to stay away from 'sad and dismal' even if gripping.

I was looking at some of Pellegrino's books over the holidays, Kerry, very nearly brought one. I think if one had been set in New Zealand I would have brought it, but I'm sure I'll try her books out in the not too distant future.

I now have 2666, Seriously ... I'm Kidding, The Alloy of Law and The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency sitting pretty on my shelves. I was only in the store for 15min! I'm sure if my EFTPOS card could wince it would ...

Zimbabwe: Years Of Hope And Despair by Philip Barclay
Non Fiction/Politics
4.5 Stars
Category: African Adventures
230 pages

Somewhere near the end of this book Barclay states he both loves and hates Zimbabwe. This is evident in the book, and it's easy to understand why.

Barclay is a British diplomat who worked for the British Embassy in Harare from January 2006 to April 2009. During this time the infamous violence that accompanied the 2008 elections and the rise of Morgan Tsvangirai were defining events.

When Barclay arrives in 2006 he is immediately smitten with a country he describes as being "a temperate paradise of green hills and waterfalls, orderly and organised, filled with happy people". But it doesn't take long before the problems of modern Zimbabwe become blatantly obvious - the country is in a steep decline in almost every respect. The health care and education systems have failed, the economy is dead, agricultural production has collasped and a country that was not long ago exporting surpluses now can't feed itself, infrastructure is neglected, there is no law, order or justice and elections haven't been free or fair for years. And therein lies the tragedy of Zimbabwe: two decades ago this was still a thriving, 1st world country.

Even though Zimbabwe only covers the period that Barclay was in the country there is just enough backgroud detail of Zimbabwe's independence and postcolonial history to get a sense of how things have devolved to produce the current situation. Barclay highlights the friendly chattiness, convictions and courage of the Zimbabwean people, and their amazing ability to continue to hope for something better. But this book is predominantly a catalogue of failures, greed, horrendous violence and fear illustrated both by Barclay's own experiences and observations, and the stories of people he knew or came into contact with through his job.

Zimbabwe challenged my knowlege on a couple of basic things. I hadn't realised that the collapse of the country had happened so recently. I had thought it was a fairly long decline when in fact most of the damage has been done since the mid 90's. I was also a little surprised to read some of the details of Mugabe's leadership of ZANU-PF. After Tsvangirai's election win in 2008, Barclay even reports Mugabe was willing to retire but other senior members of ZANU-PF quickly put a stop to that line of thinking.

This is a hard book to comprehend simply because of the violence and brutality. But Barclay's political analysis was great. He is unbiased, insightful and kept me fascinated. He even manages the occasional moment of dry wit to break things up. And while there is a clear preference shown towards Tsvangirai's MDC party this is only logical given the only current alternative is Mugabe and his cronies. But Barclay is not blind to the MDC and Tsvangirai's shortcomings either and offers up his criticisms and, particulary toward the end of the book, he doesn't pull his punches.

Sounds a like a hard but fascinating book. Thanks for the review

Sounds like a difficult one indeed. Great review - thumbing!

I had to look up "EFTPOS" - we call them debit cards over here and mine winces on a regular basis! :)

A good review, not one for me at the moment but still looks like a good book. I'm impressed you found and bought 4 books you wanted in 15mins! I can take forever to make up my mind sometimes.

Hi all!

Leonie, most often I'll take half an hour or an hour to decide on a book or two, or just wander around the store and not buy anything. But occasionally I'll just walk in and everything looks good! Thankfully for my bank balance I'm usually more restrained than I was last week :-)

Hitchens Vs Blair - The Munk Debates (text edited by Rudyard Griffiths)
Non-Fiction/Religion
3.5 Stars (for how interesting the debate was, I can't rate this as a book)
Category: Truthful Tomes
76 pages

Hitchens vs. Blair is a transcription of their debate which took place in Toronto as part of Canada's The Munk Debates series on global issues, with the moot point "Be it resolved that religion is a force for good in the world".

The usual arguments were made on both sides, but perhaps especially given Blair's career and current global events, the relationship between politics and religion is reasonably prominent in this debate.

I think the choice of Hitchens and Blair for this debate was a really good pairing and the ideas were certainly interesting, although I think the arguments seemed a bit superficial and weren't able to be fully developed given the time limits employed during the debate were so short (but typical of a formal debate). A few times I wanted examples to help me understand more clearly points just made, but the examples often weren't there.

After the debate there was a Q & A session with questions coming from both the live audience and from the online discussion. Some interesting ideas were raised through this session, although a couple of times each man avoided answering the question (or if they did, the answer was not clear to me), and frustratingly they were often the questions of most interest. The book ends with a one on one interview with each man. I think the three sections of the book work well together to provide some great insights.

I identify myself as being an aetheist, however from my point of view Tony Blair won this debate. While I don't have a faith myself, I do believe that religion does a lot of good at the global, national, community and individual levels, despite some of the nasty things done in the name of God. This was one of Blair's major points, although Hitchens never really out right acknowledges it as being true. While Hitchens' also had some undeniable points to argue, he lost me with the argument that religions would have to undergo major fundamental changes (i.e dropping the supernatural claims - the existence of heaven, hell, miracles, an all powerful divinity etc) before he would consider them a 'good' force in the world. While I found the idea thought provoking, and I followed his logic, I consider his interpretation of the moot point a bit narrow.

I've added your Zimbabwe book to my WL - sounds excellent. I read one set there last year called The Last Resort and it was a horrifying introduction to what's happened (and very funny in places too).

Catching up on a thread or two before putting the kids to sleep :) Agree with everone here, a great review on the Zimbabwe book. Thumbed!

Hi Cushla, I always find humour in such books unexpected because of the seriousness of the subject, but often I think it's necessary (I think that touchstone links to the wrong book).

Hi Anders, I hope the kids were good and went to sleep! Thanks for the thumb.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
General Fiction
3.5 Stars
Category: Misfit's Mingle
324 pages

Estranged sisters Nadezhda (Nadia) and Vera are brought together again by their fight to save their elderly widowed father from Valentina, a much younger, big-busted, gold-digging Ukrainian woman who is on the hunt for an English visa.

Nikolai knows how bad things are in the Ukraine and is seduced both by the idea of saving Valentina from a hard life, and her boobs. Initially he's happy to buy her what she wants so that she can have the better life she demands, but this leads to financial difficulties for the pensioner. Trying to say no to Valentina results in her abusing Nikolai psychologically and physically. Nadezhda and Vera step up their attempts to convince Nikolai to file for divorce.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is light-hearted and farcical, with moments of both laugh-out-loud humour and sadness. But underneath the chic lit-ish surface is a darker story.

Valentina is callous, manipulative and just plain nasty, but towards the end of the book we begin to see that she acts out of desperation and while she is not redeemed her motives are at least understandable. Some light is also shed on the disfunctionality of the Mayevskyj family, the generation gap that drives a wedge between Nadezhda and Vera and their family's near disasterous experiences during World War II.

For the majority of the book the characters are quite one dimensional. But finally in the last third we are given some back story which helps to explain their motives and allows some character development to occur (although retrospectively) while adding some needed depth to the story. These characters are products of their time and cultures, and putting them all under the same roof results in a lot of conflicting world views.

Initially I found the structure distracting - paragraphs are barely used, instead there are section breaks everywhere. But once I got used to it I got the impression of the plot moving along at a fast pace, even if that wasn't strictly the case.

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and as eccentric as the title promised, while still managing to highlight the plight of immigrants. But I have to admit to being at a bit of a loss as to why Tractors was longlisted for the Man Booker and shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
Historical Fiction/Romance
4 Stars
Category: Fluff and Fun
343 pages

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has decided it's time he got married, not only because he should but also so that his new wife can keep his beloved mother company. He dutifully creates a list of required attributes and shortlists five likely ladies who might fit the bill. Then his godmother suggests that Phoeboe Marlow might be a good choice, so Sylvester travels into Wiltshire to find out. And Phoebe promptly flees from her home.

Phoebe, who when trying to act as she should becomes insipid and when she lets her guard down is exactly what she shouldn't be, intrigues the Duke. A succession of adventures follow, with Phoebe getting herself and her faithful friend Tom entangled in various predicaments of increasing seriousness.

As always, I enjoyed this one from Georgette Heyer. The dialogue and wit that she is known for works perfectly for the hoydenish Phoebe and straight-laced Duke. Add in a lovable young nephew who's just becoming curious about the less polite phrases spoken around him, and Sylvester is the most fun I've had with Heyer yet.

However, Sylvester is also in some ways the least convincing of Heyer's romances (that I've read, anyway). I can well imagine what Phoebe and Sylvester see in each other, and I think they are probably my favourite pairing so far, but the reader is never really told, let alone shown what they think of each other. We simply know that because it's a romance genre book they do like and love each other, and the reader is left to intuit the reasons for this themselves.

Sylvester does sound kind of fun. Does Phoebe know what she thinks of him? More importantly, what does the mother think. ;)

> 66 I read and enjoyed A short history of tractors in Ukrainian a few years ago. I can't remember ever reading that particular story before (children trying to save a parent from a gold-digger), and I thought it had nice take on the immigrant experience. But I wouldn't call it exactly a prize-winner either.

Hi Katie, I think both Phoebe and Sylvester know what they think of each other. They both certainly know each others shortcomings, but their awareness of the other's strengths I think is there, but very subtle. Mother-in-law is one of Phoebe's biggest fans, mostly because she absolutely does not fit with Sylvester's original list :-)

Hi Anders, I was intially surprised about your comment about not having read the "child saves parent from gold digger" plot before, given how it tends to come up in modern society. But I can't think of another one I've read either. I've come across the "woman everyone believes is a gold digger but actually isn't" plot once before though.

I keep seeing The short history of tractors in Ukranian on sale at Whitcoulls at the moment and am still wondering whether to spend the money. Might be a library book but I feel I'm missing out on the whole child saves parents from gold-digger plots.

Leonie, Suzanne has also just reviewed Tractors in her thread. Her reaction was quite similar to mine. It is entertaining, but given the Orange prize books I read last year in particular, I was a bit underwhelmed by Tractors. I'd say give it a go, but maybe get it from the library.

Leonie, I would have to agree, get it from the library to start with.

Excellent, thank you guys, it shall be a library book then.

Apparently my second SantaThing book never turned up because it's now unavailable. So I get to choose another book for myself but there's so many choices and I can't decide!

My favorite kind of dilemma!! :) Too bad about the SantaThing book, though.

Phew, RL had been busy the last couple of weeks but hopefully calming down a bit now. Have finally finished Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles of Home, which was really good. Whatever's next up willl be fast and easy to give me the illusion of catching up after 2 weeks of not getting much reading done!

Sylvester is sounding even better. I love it when the mother knows what the son wants even when the son doesn't know it. ;)

Hi Alana, hope RL calms down for you soon!

Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles Of Home: Enjoying Life In The 21st Century by Kevin McCloud
Non-Fiction/Design/Lifestyle
4.5 Stars
Category: Blind Man's Bluff
391 pages

There are so many things to like about Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles Of Home. This is a book absolutely packed with ideas and in which McCloud presents his manifesto for a more thoughtful and responsible lifetyle - I'm avoiding the term 'sustainable', because like McCloud, I think it's overused and often rather meaningless.

As on his TV series Grand Designs, McCloud is able to mix romanticism with pragmatism, the Big Picture issues with the design minutiae. 43 Principles moves through ideas such as carbon emissions and embodied energy, the characteristics of common construction metals, from choosing taps and handles to town planning and the preservation of historic buildings to buying authentic goods and the importance of context and design narrative. The 43 Principles presented throughout the book are both philosophical and practical, and while this is not a DIY book anyone carrying out home renovations, or with an interest in sustainable design, will find plenty to mull over.

I loved the style of this book. It is intellectual and conversational, and written with a lot of humour and wit. McCloud discusses modern design and environmental issues against a background of architectural history and philosophy, social history, gadgetry and technical detail all while displaying an infectious enthusiam.

43 Principles is fantasically laid out with coffee table book styling, wonderful thick, tactile pages and a range of great illustrations including photography, sketches and diagrams.

This is a wide ranging, comprehensive and very readable book, but perhaps most importantly it's thought provoking and suggests workable solutions to all manner of modern lifestyle issues.

Seriously ... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Non-Fiction/Humour
2.5 Stars
Category: Fluff & Fun
269 pages

I specifically picked up Seiously ... I'm kidding because I wanted a fast, funny and light read, and it is all of the above. But as much as I enjoy DeGeneres' humour, I was underwhelmed by this book.

Each chapter is Ellen's humourous take on everyday things, so there is no narrative thread to bind the book into a cohesive whole. So while I liked the first half in particular and there were definitely lots of laughs, I found the structure wore quite thin during the second half of the book.

Even though I wanted a light read, Seriously ... I'm Kidding was a bit too shallow for me. With DeGenere's comedic timing and inflection I think I would have enjoyed the audio book more, but overall I think I've learned that I prefer my comedians on the screen or stage.

>77 SouthernKiwi: That's usually my tactic too :)

Hi Alana - Hope RL is settling down. 43 Principles looks interesting.....

I'm also going to have to take a look at 43 Principles. I was in Wellington for a few hours last week.

Anders I think it's a great tactic! It usually works too :-)

Hi Lori, RL might be settling down, or maybe I'm just being hopeful! Either way I spent almost all of yesterday afternoon curled up with my book and with one eye on the cricket. It was fantastic.

Hi Kerry, I think I saw in someone else's thread (Cusha's?) that you had the fastest of stop overs here recently, hope you enjoyed the time you did have.

ETA - For those interested in 43 Principles my copy is a lovely big hardback, I noticed in Unity the other day that there is now a paperback edition which doesn't look nearly as pretty.

It's tricky with comedians - sometimes their comedy style works really well in writing, but sometimes it doesn't work at all. And, you can't know which is which until you try. :)

I think that is the Kevin MclCloud book we own so I'm thinking it is time to have a closer look at it. Passing on the Ellen book as your review sums it up beautifully and it really doesn't sound like my thing.

The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox
Historical Fiction
4.5 Stars
Category: Kiwi Corner
239 pages

In 1808 Sobran is 18, an apprenticed vintner on his father's small vineyard which he will one day inherit. On a night just after mid summer Sobran is refused permission to propose marrige to a local girl, so walks up to the vineyard's ridge with a bottle of wine to drink away his troubles. Xas is already there, and on first seeing him Sobran faints, only to wake in the arms of the angel. After a night spent sharing wine and conversation, Xas and Sobran agree to meet again on the same night the following year. As the years pass Sobran and Xas develop a close friendship, and The Vintner's Luck eventually grows into a love story.

The story of Sobran and Xas' enduring relationship and the love they develop is a wonderful one. Xas and Sobran are quite reserved characters, so engaging with them can be a little difficult, but the understated way in which their story is told manages to emphasise the depth of their bond and the growth they both undergo. A new dimension is added with the arrival of Aurora who, for the period setting, is a fascinating woman - intelligent, capable, courageous, strong-willed.

Through Sobran and Aurora, Xas learns what it means to be human, while they begin to understand what life could be on 'the other side'. And in between are all the trials and triumphs of life, love and family.

Knox's writing is simple and elegant, conveying vivid imagery and a strong sense of place while also expressing interesting theological ideas. She also has a lovely turn of phrase. The structure of one chapter per year keeps the pace of the story moving along, and makes it very difficult to put this book down. I think much of the power of The Vintner's Luck comes from the subtlety of the writing and characterisation.

I have the 10th anniversay edition of The Vintner's Luck, and the publishing information in the cover tells me it has sat on my shelf unread for the last 4 years. Now I wonder why on earth it took me so long. This is a beautiful, compelling story that will stay with me for quite some time.

I totally know that feeling, when you find a gem among your hordes of dusty shelf-dwellers. One of the true perks of keeping a huge TBR, that mixture of joy and bewilderment! Good review!

What a wonderful review of The Vintner's Luck. I have it on my bookshelf because I picked up a cheap copy somewhere. You've motivated me to actually read it. :)

Anders, adding to the bewilderment is the fact that a good friend whose book taste I completely trust first introduced me to The Vintner's Luck, she adores it, and raved about it way back when I brought it. And still it sat on the shelf!

Thanks HRO, I don't feel like I did The Vintner's Luck any justice with my review, but inspiration failed to strike and the reviews need to be written eventually :-) Do read it.

And I've just noticed I spelled 'vintner' without the second 'n' throughout that review. There comes a point in the evening when I should know to just not bother. Can't even blame my useless keyboard for that one since I did it about 5 times!

Ah well, we can't all be ferpect.

We can't all be prefects.

Vintner is such a weird word. I always misspell it when I'm writing that title!

I've never even heard the word before, but I'll never spell it wrong now! :)

Lol Katie and Anders.

Vintner is odd, HRO, it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

I'm glad all my ex-typos were useful for something Eva!

I liked your review of The Vintner's Luck too. I adored this story and writing style. The book sat on my shelves for much more than 4 years before I tackled it 3 or so years ago. I was spurred to read it because they were making the movie but once the reviews came out I couldn't bring myself to see it.

I have it the Vintner's Luck sitting here somewhere - I'm going to try to find it now. Great review!

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Non-Fiction/Science
5 Stars
Category: Science Sources
574 pages

In A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson sets out to write a book on science that is not only comprehensible to the general public, but also conveys just how amazing the world around us really is. He attempts to answer not only the question of what we know (and therefore highlights just how much we have yet to learn), but also how we know it.

A Short History takes us on a concise tour through the natural sciences, and the people behind the discoveries. Timing, luck and politics all play their part in some of the greatest scientific breakthroughs. Bryson has a great turn of phrase which brilliantly emphasises the chain of improbable events that led to life on earth, and he includes anecdotes and examples to illustrate the amazing/intricate/mind-boggling aspects of our world.

The scope of this book is ambitious and Bryson covers a huge amount; from The Big Bang, our solar system and quantum physics to geography and plate tectonics, chemistry, evolution, the primordial ooze and the rise of humans. And it’s all very accessible. I have some knowledge of a number of the fields covered, and undoubtedly this made it easier to follow, but even those areas I have no background in I could still understand. Well, except for parts of quantum mechanics and the whole of String Theory, my brain just couldn’t compute those.

A Short History of Nearly Everything is filled with curiosity about our natural world, and how we know what we know. This is a fantastic overview of the sciences, thoroughly researched and fascinating from start to finish.

A Short History of Nearly Everything looks like something I would find interesting. Happy to see the 5 star rating you have given it!

Hi Lori, it is a good one, my first 5 Star read of the year too.

I've been mostly missing from my own thread, but I have been lurking around LT. My reading has taken a bit of a dive this year and I'm already thinking that my 70-75 book goal might be a little ambitious the way the year's going so far. Amongst all the general busy-ness I've been organising the adoption of this little guy ...





He's an SPCA baby, I can't officially adopted him yet because he hasn't been chipped and desexed. So until that all happens in early April, officially I'm just his new foster mum - a friend of mine was fostering him and his brother Ollie. Currently his name is Josh, but I'm thinking of changing that.

What a cutie! Always good to have a new "baby" in the house. :)

Awe..... little guy is adorable!

He is adorable, Alana, he has beautiful markings.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the coloration. Does he have blue eyes, too?

Thanks ladies, he is very sweet and lots of fun - even when he wakes me up for a cuddle at 6am :-/ He's now starting to treat our place like home, and is quickly getting over his skittishness. Mamzel, his eyes aren't blue, they're a dark golden colour, although he's just getting over a little bit of conjunctivitis so we haven't seen too much of his eyes so far.

gorgeous, he can come for a play date with my kitties any day!

What a sweetie!!! Enjoy your new cat. I love the pictures.

Awwwww lovely new cat!

Hi Kerry, Katie and Cushla!

Today is one of the rare lovely days that Wellington can claim lately, but I've been inside all day catching up on some reading. I've been missing my books. As wonderful as Joshie is, he's playing merry hell with my reading in bed at night! In the last couple of days he's also decided he likes to chew electrical cables, including laptop cords, and he's bitten a couple of my books (20 pages of 2666 now have a puncture wound) - two habits I'll be breaking him out of very quickly!

Just finished Part II of 2666 and I'm quite lost. Lots of allusions I don't understand, and the 2 Parts are quite disconnected so I don't know where this is all going. Taking a quick break for a easier read, then back to Part III of Bolano.

"he likes to chew electrical cables"
That's not good. At all!

I do want to read it, but I'm thinking I'll wait until there's an annotated 2666 so that I get all the allusions and symbols. :) It seems that those who have gotten through it think it's fantastic, so it'll stay on the wishlist.

I feel for ya! I'm fostering young dogs right now, & no destruction yet, but they've got no respect for a book. They think their noses belong between my face and the page.

Too bad on 2666 - kind of glad I missed the group read. I'll try Bolano, but I'll start on something shorter.

I think he's getting the message that chewing stuff isn't cool. He's moved on to climbing stuff instead :-)

Katie I am enjoying 2666, I just have no idea yet what it all means!

So my easy read in between parts of Bolano didn't turn out so easy. I got to page 160 of my second hand copy of The Discovery of the Titanic and realised that the next 33 pages were missing. Very frustrating! Now I have to go and work out the Amazon system to see if I can get another copy or a refund. I had just got to the good part too.

Ha, and I've just worked out that not only are 33 pages totally missing (from the look of the binding they were never there), but the next 31 pages which immediately precede the inserted photographic section are duplicated immediately after the photographic section. Something was seriously shonky with that print run!

1st Quarter Recap

Books read this quarter: 10/76, 3 in progress
Pages read: 3,571
Books Owned vs. Books Borrowed: 10 (13) : 0 (0)
Best Reads:
Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles Of Home
The Vintner's Luck
A Short History Of Nearly Everything
Worst Read:
Explosive Eighteen

Blind Man's Bluff
Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles Of Home by Kevin McCloud

African Adventures
Zimbabwe: Years Of Hope And Despair by Philip Barclay

Buzzed Books
None Read

Kiwi Corner
Hand Me Down by Michelle Holman
The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox

Science Sources
A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Novice Novelists
None Read

Truthful Tomes
Hitchens Vs. Blair - The Munk Debates
The Discovery Of The Titanic by Dr Robert Ballard - In Progress

Familiar Faces
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
The Alloy Of Law by Brandon Sanderson - In Progress

Fluff & Fun
Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
Seriously ... I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

Historical Hijinks
None Read

Wordy Works
2666 by Roberto Bolano - In Progress

Misfit's Mingle
A Short History Of tractors In Ukranian by Marina Lewycka

When it comes to 2666, I strongly recommend you to relax and just let the parts be different. It won't magically come together in the end - even though a story of sorts is formed by the five parts.

>111 -Eva-: Considering that the UN-annotated 2666 clocks in at 1100+ pages, I suspect an annotated edition would have to come with a free wrist operation ;-)

"33 pages totally missing"
How annoying! Stuff like that is almost guaranteed to be revealed only when you're really into the story. :)

->116 GingerbreadMan:
Oops, maybe a separate edition for the annotations...? :)

Eva I was thinking that an annotated 2666 would be a good idea, but Anders now has me reconsidering. It would be a beast of a book.

I knew 2666 was meant to be 5 different books, but still, you publish them altogether and I still expect there to be some common threads. Happy to know there is some kind of over-arching story though.

Whoops, we crossed posts :-) A seperate edition sounds like a good compromise.

->119 SouthernKiwi:
It's wonky but it works, it's how I read Ulysses and Ulysses Annotated: left hand's fingers following the text in one, right hand's fingers following the text in the other. :)

Love the 2666 discussion and have to say I don't have the patience to read an annotated version..... I am happy to be lost on not understanding the literary allusions made ;-) Still looking forward to starting Part 2.

Don't have a Nook, but I think it was invented for the Annotated 2666 - it's the only way that would ever be workable in one volume!!! I'm still looking forward to reading Bolano, but I'm even more convinced now than ever to start on a shorter novel. :)

Happy easter everyone!

My only two goals for the long weekend were to finish another book, review of The Alloy of Law coming tomorrow, it's been a while since A Short History but it feels even longer. The second goal was to do a complete tidy up of my LT account which got quite messed up when my ex and I parted ways. Going through my catalogue took 6 or 7 hours but I'm glad it's done and out of the way and now I can get back to reading.

Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend.

Start "fixing" things in LT and 6 hours can disappear completely!! :)

Happy bunny-day to you too!

The Alloy Of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Fantasy
4 Stars
Category: Familiar Faces
332 pages

The Alloy Of Law is set about 300 years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, and the names Vin, Elend and Kelsier are a part of history - or religion. And while Scadrial is coming to grips with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, magic still has its place.

After the death of his uncle and sister Waxillium Ladrian is forced to return from The Roughs, where he’s built a reputation as a formidable Lawman, to take up his new role as the head of House Ladrian in Elendel. Despite the turmoil House Ladrian finds itself in, Wax is soon lured back into a high stakes mystery and is once again fighting for justice.

This is a very different book from Sanderson’s usual, but that’s by no means a bad thing.

One of the best aspects of Sanderson’s writing is his world building which is missing from this instalment as he revisits the world of his Mistborn books. But enough detail is given so that it isn’t necessary to read the trilogy first.

The Alloy Of Law is fantasy with a well thought out magic system, The Roughs is a setting straight out of a western and Wax is a hero to match. Add in a hint of Steampunk and a subtle romantic sub-plot and this is a fairly unique and compelling book. Sanderson has given us a peek at the Scadrial Eland, Vin and the others helped to create, while exploring how new technology and magic can co-exist, and how each can develop in the presence of the other.

Because there is little need for world building, and there is no grand, sweeping story to drive the character development these characters are perhaps a bit under developed compared with what I’ve been used to from Sanderson. Marasi in particular is the only female character given any real role in the story, she is interesting but her reactions can be a bit scattered, a little more information would have been good to understand her better. Wayne is the comic of the story, and his banter with Wax was always fun. In my mind he became characterised as an Aussie/Irish larrikin.

Of all Sanderson’s (adult) books The Alloy Of Law is the one with the least depth, without its need for world building, and being a stand alone book Sanderson has far fewer pages in which to develop layers of complexity. But none of that really matters. This is a fun adventure with interesting new characters that kept me eagerly turning the pages. I would happily pick up a sequel if Sanderson were to write one.

I must read me some Sanderson. I confess to reading the first of his Alcatraz Smedry books but that doesn't really count methinks.

Hi Kerry, I love Brandon Sanderson so I'd recommend him to anyone who reads fantasy. Why don't the Alcatraz Smedry books count?! :-) I've read all 4 and I don't think I've laughed so much while reading, I remember thinking they were brilliant and very creative.

I do agree with you that the first one was fun, but I've seen how popular his adult fantasy is and I just feel that I need to try it before I can truly say I've experienced his work.

Brandon Sanderson has never crossed my path, but sounds very interesting. Thanks!

Anders do give Sanderson a go. Elantris is his other stand alone book and a good place to start to see if you'll like his style, the rest of his books form a trilogy or are massive bricks from what should be an epic series. Sanderson's also finishing the last 3 books of the fantastic Wheel of Time series that Robert Jordan didn't live long enough to write.

I've just finished Things Fall Apart, and a few days ago I crossed The Elegance of the Hedgehog off Mount TBR. I enjoyed both, although struggled slightly with a few parts of tEotH. Reviews for both to come.

I'm curious about Hedgehog since it has such a strange title and everyone seems to be talking about it. Can't wait to see your reviews.

The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Fiction
2.5 Stars
Category: Blind Man's Bluff
325 pages

Within the walls of 7 Rue Grenelle live some the elite of Parisian society, including Paloma and her dysfunctional family, and the building’s concierge Renee. In this privileged world where neighbourly gossip is rife, both Renee and Paloma have secrets to hide.

Renee is a highly intelligent bibliophile with an interest in philosophy who goes to some extraordinary lengths to ensure she resembles the lowly concierge stereotype – a role she has played for 30-odd years. 12 year old Paloma is also highly intelligent and she has no patience for her sister’s ways or her mother’s neurotics. Paloma sees adulthood as a series of compromises and so decides to commit suicide on her 13th birthday, but between now and then she will document the things of beauty around her in an attempt to discover why she might want to live.

I have mixed feelings about The Elegance of the Hedgehog. The first half of the book is hard work and dense with tedious philosophical passages. And while some of Paloma’s thoughts are wonderfully observed and thought provoking, she is uncompromising in her ideas and verges on insufferable.

I found it difficult to engage with the story and struggled to relate to much of what was happening. Both Renee and Paloma are insular and introverted, and while they eventually prove to be quite likable it takes awhile for their more sociable sides to be revealed, and for their characters to become more understandable.

I did however, enjoy the Parisian feel and Barbary’s occasionally snide humour on modern life. I also liked Monsieur Ozu, whose kind thoughtfulness brought some welcome life to the story. The structure is almost episodic, and some of vignettes which feature the neighbours are amusingly depicted. The ending was unexpected, sudden, and very moving but I’m not sure what the point was, everything was just starting to look promising for Paloma and Renee when their lives are turned upside down again. Apparently Barbery couldn't have both of her leading ladies happy.

Hedgehog is a slow burning book, and if you enjoy a more philosophical read you might like it. For me, it was just a little too much work.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Fiction
4 Stars
Category: African Adventures
187 pages

In just 187 pages Chinua Achebe builds up a detailed picture of the values, customs and everyday life of the Nigerian Ibo people at the end of the 19th century only for that culture to be on its knees by the final pages.

In a sparse but direct and nuanced prose Achebe tells the story of Okonkwo, one of the leading men of in the village of Umuofia. The Ibo are a patriarchal society where strength is valued, and their belief systems have created a stable, if sometimes brutal, community. Okonkwo is a conservative man, and has moulded himself to fit the ideal Ibo male to help negate the disappointment caused by his father. Through Okonkwo’s eyes we see Umuofia as it has been for many decades, and we see the rapid changes wrought by the arrival of the white man and colonialism. And we see a community lose almost everything they know and value.

Okonkwo himself is not particularly likeable, but he is certainly understandable. Things Fall Apart is full of interesting detail and the use of Ibo words throughout adds another layer of richness - even if sometimes the meanings aren’t totally clear. The blatant male dominance can be hard for a modern reader to comprehend, but it is authentic.

This is a quietly powerful and moving story. The themes of cultural heritage and the repercussions of its loss, ambition and perceptions of success and failure, the often destructive power of missionaries, and the balancing of tradition with inevitable change are timeless. Substitute the Ibo people for any indigenous group that was (or is) exposed to the forces of colonialism and the broad relevance of this book is global. Things Fall Apart is deservedly a classic.

Two solid reads for you, I've already read both books and felt basically the same about them.

Very good review of Things fall apart. Sums up my feelings too! Very glad I've read that one.

Great reviews for both The Elegance of the Hedgehog and Things Fall Apart. Barbery's book didn't appeal to me until I had passed the half-way mark but after that I was rather taken with it!

Hi Kerry, seems like most people have the same reaction to those two.

Thanks for bringing Things to my attention, Anders! I'm glad I've now read it too.

Lori, I was well passed the half way point and still unsure if I was enjoying The Elegance of the Hedgehog and then I found myself in tears for the last few pages! So I obviously, eventually, connected with the story on some level :-)

After a hectic start to the year, and the news about a month ago that my mum had been diagnosed with cancer, again, it finally seems like I'm getting my reading mojo back. Currently focusing on some quick, lighter reads as I battle my way through 2666, so now I'm 3 reviews behind. I'll be back in the next couple of days to get everything all caught up again - I can feel those missing reviews hanging over me!

So sorry to hear about your mom. Best wishes and prayers for her recovery!

So sorry about your mother, Alana!

I'm also very sorry to hear about your mother, Alana.

Thanks for the thoughts, everything is looking very positive at the moment so hopefully it stays that way. Mum has an amazing attitude which helps.

The Witness by Nora Roberts
Romantic Suspense
3.5 Stars
Category: Fluff & Fun
488 pages

After having had enough of her mother’s cold manners and controlling directives, 16 year old Elizabeth finally rebels. But one foolish decision has fatal consequences, and then on her 17th birthday Elizabeth is again faced with tragedy. On those two days the events Elizabeth witnesses make her a target, and forces her to run.

12 years later in rural Arkansas, Elizabeth is now known as Abigail but she hasn’t stopped watching over her shoulder. Her reclusive lifestyle and unwillingness to talk draw the attention of Bickford’s Chief of Police Brooks Gleason. And before too long, he (and most of the rest of his charmingly persistent family) have wiggled their way into Abigail’s life, with Brooks determined to understand who Abigail is running from.

The beginning of The Witness grabbed my attention, and is one of the better starts to a Roberts book. A mother conducts a social experiment centred on her own daughter, and leaves the young girl struggling to break free and be her own person. I found the relationship between Abigail and her mother really interesting, but this book soon settles back into the kind of good lazy day read I expect from Roberts.

The pacing is a bit different to normal, much of the action occurs in the first 100 or so pages, then the plot becomes much more about the everyday life and a blossoming romance. The ending works well for the storyline, but there was little build up or tension. Brooks and Abigail are nicely portrayed, although there is no conflict between them and everything in their (emotional) relationship is perhaps too easy.

But all in all this is another entertaining, solid read from Nora Roberts.

The Discovery Of The Titanic by Robert Ballard
Non-Fiction/Exploration
4 Stars
Category: Truthful Tomes
281 pages

On the night of April 12, 1914 the RMS Titanic sank and became one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks. Although a few tried, it was another 73 years before Robert Ballard, Jean-Louis Michel and the combined French/American team found her again.

This is the story of Ballard’s initial interest in the Titanic and of the two gruelling expeditions that finally led to her rediscovery. The first part of the challenge was to locate her, the next was to dive down to the wreck. A year after Ballard and his team found the Titanic they were back with newly developed technology to explore the ship and debris field.

Through The Discovery Of The Titanic we get a real sense of deep sea exploration in the 80’s. Simply, but passionately written it is as if we are right there with Ballard and his team through all the glitches, failures, and for the ultimate success. Beautiful, ghostly photos compliment Ballard’s account.

The events that lead to the sinking are briefly outlined, but given the fantastic YA book I once owned also by Ballard, I was expecting much more about life on the ship, her construction and scale and more personal stories of some of her passengers. There are snippets of these things but I felt they were too brief. To be fair to Ballard though, this book was never written to be a full account of the Titanic, it is the story of her rediscovery.

The only other gripe I have is the details given of academic politics. Whilst certainly they were a part of the discovery story and gave some extra insight into the kinds of things Ballard’s team had to overcome to succeed, I felt they were peripheral, unnecessary and on occasion verging toward petty.

But I’m nit-picking with those last two points and this is really a wonderfully informative, very readable book. Throughout the text Ballard’s respect for the Titanic, and the memory of those who were lost, is obvious. This is a first hand account of the Titanic’s rediscovery from the man who masterminded and led the team that found her, and as such The Discovery Of The Titanic is a must read for anyone with an interest in the Titanic.

The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts
Contemporary Romance
3 Stars
Category: Familiar Faces
319 pages

The Inn Boonsboro trilogy continues in this second instalment. With Beckett and Clare happily settled and getting married it’s Owens turn to juggle a new romance with the final renovation details before the inn’s big opening. Owen and Avery have been friends their whole lives, and Owen was even Avery’s first ‘boyfriend’, but they’re suddenly seeing each other in a whole new light.

The characters are well developed as usual, but from past experience I tend to enjoy the first and last books of these trilogies better – it’s something to do with the types of characters present in each. There is nothing new in this book, but Roberts’ formula obviously works, and is part of makes her such a great go-to author – you know exactly what you’re going to get.

For me extra interest in this trilogy is added by Roberts’ own connection with the real Inn Boonsboro, and I wonder just how true to life both the renovation process and the final look of the inn in the book is to real life, and the same for Turn The Pages bookstore and the town of Boonsboro itself.

If you’re in the mood for something light and frothy then The Last Boyfriend is a good way to wile away a few hours.

Also sorry to hear about your mother

Am making a note of the titanic book as a possible for my 1912 category...

Very sorry to hear about your mum. Hope she'll battle through it!

Really sorry to read about your Mum Alana, but it's great that she has an amazing attitude to it. I hope there is some positive news for you and her soon.

Terrible new about your mum, wishing you all the best.

Getting caught up here and very sorry to read your news about your mom. Sending good hope vibes your way!

Hi Pete, Anders, Cushla, Claire and Lori, thanks for all your words.

2666 by Roberto Bolano
Fiction
1.5 Stars
Category: Wordy Works
463/893 pages

I got half way through 2666, but I think it is going to be one of my rare DNF's. Almost all of it that I've read has been hard work, and my original curiosity about how and which (if any) of the very different threads of the story Bolano was going to tie together has been worn down.

I found none of the characters particularly likeable, and none where developed enough (well, at least not yet) for me to claim that they were at least understandable. Part IV in particular I found a bit depressing with the many repeated murder victims described, in a fairly cold and distant way. This would have been fine if I could also see that these vignettes were helping to progress the story, but the point of the repetition wasn't getting any clearer.

This is a sprawling book, but given it's size there was never really enough happening for me to stay interested.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for your mother too. Hope she pulls through.

I've been watching the comments on 2666 and have finally decided I'm glad I didn't join the group read. I'll read Bolano probably in 13 13 when I'll have a Mexican & Central American authors category, but I'm going to pick one of his thinner works! 2666 weighs too many pounds for an introduction to a complex author.

& thanks for your review on Elegance of the Hedgehog. I've been fence sitting on whether or not I should read it. I've finally decided it would annoy me more than it's worth. ;)

Ack I have part 3 still to read and I keep putting it off, I am feeling pretty much the same as you

So sorry 2666 didn't do it for you. I enjoyed it a lot, but can certainly see where you're coming from. I'm thinking part four is the dealbreaker for many people. And with it's dulling down nature, I think it's too loose connection to the rest of the book is 2666's main flaw. The fact that all those murders are just background noise comes across a little speculative.

I am preparing to dive back into 2666 next week with plans to finish both Parts 2 and 3. Time will tell if I am as captivated with the rest of the book as I was with Part 1.

I'm hoping to tackle this next year maybe... I liked The Savage Detectives though I had to push my way through it.

@156 murders are just background noise!!! I'll definitely start with something shorter than 2666.

Hi everyone, don't let me put you off 2666, from the average ratings here on LT I appear to be in the minority so I will be very interested to read your reveiws. Anders, interesting to hear that Part IV is something of a deal breaker and that the murders are background noise - that is a lot of background noise! If there were 200 pages less I think I would have stuck with it. I'm even contemplating attempting to read the last 50 pages to see where Bolano was going with his unconventional structure, but I suspect it wouldn't be that straight forward!

@160 - I was very ambivalent about 2666 and yes the 4th book almost made me give up, not sure reading the last 50 pages will do anything for you to wrap the book up though!

Just found an email in my inbox from Book Depository - a chance to win 50 crime books. Because, you know, we all need to add 50 books to the TBR pile in one hit! The info is here for anyone interested.

I need to write a review for In The Company Of A Courtesan, which I really enjoyed, but haven't got any motivation to write right now.

Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend.

I read Hamish Clayton's Wulf last year, one of the things that I loved and which still sticks in my mind was the imagery, so I was happy to read this morning that he's won the Best First Book Award here in NZ. The judges "bravura lyricism" comment seems very apt to me.

ditto on Wulf, I loved it too and that was the first bit of news I heard this morning when the radio woke me up.

!!! 50 mystery books would fill my category for the next 8 years. :) Good luck winning them!

Just catching up after my vacation. Sorry to hear about your mum - hope she's doing OK. So scary, right!

Too bad that 2666 didn't work for you - I've been looking at it at the bookstore, but the heft makes me put it back. I'll probably go for one of his thinner one for my first as well.

I've had Wulf on my wishlist since Kerry read it, but it's only POD here, so I haven't gotten around to it - sounds great, though!

I remember you talking about Wulf too. Thanks for the reminder to keep an eye out!

Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson
Non-Fiction/Journalism
3.5 Stars
Category: Blind Man's Bluff
284 pages

Covering about a year of the mid Sixties when the Hell's Angels first gain notoriety in the American press, Thompson follows the activities of the Hell’s Angles through California and beyond. While presenting the drinking, drugs, rape complaints and motorcycle runs to unsuspecting small town USA, Thompson also briefly traces the Angel’s origins to World War II and wandering Okies.

I don’t really have much to say about this one. It was really interesting and easy to read for the first two thirds, but the last third of the book felt repetitive with the same things happening just in a different places. Thompson presents the Hell’s Angels as they are – with their own sense of loyalty and friendship, the brawling and retributions, the interest and sometimes overblown hype or outright lies associated with the Angels in the media.

Thompson writes as both one of the Angels and as an outsider, and seems to have mixed feelings. Sometimes he shows understanding and respect, other times he is baffled or disgusted.

Thompson’s writing is vivid and the quotes he uses at the beginnings of the chapters were always interesting or revealing. In Hell’s Angels Thomspon has given us a unique perspective of this infamous gang.

I've been kind of turned off of Hunter S Thompson - a friend of mine was *blessed* by seeing him live - late and drunk. Hell's Angelssounds really interesting though.

I think the early Hunter S Thompson is great i.e Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail, his later stuff just struggles somehow, seems to fuel his own stereotype.

It's been a pretty hectic week so I've disappeared from LT altogether. I've decided to cheat on my reviews a little and review all the Hunger Games books together. Still behind on reveiws though.

Hi Katie and Claire, is the first book I've read by Thompson, so I have no idea about his style development, but I kind of had an idea in my head that he was quite irreverent which was sort of how this book was.

In The Company Of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Historical Fiction
4 Stars
Category: Historical Hijinks
400 pages

When Charles V’s troops sack Rome in 1527, famed courtesan Fiammetta Bianchini and her pimp Bucino are forced to flee. Joining other refugees on the road, Fiammetta and Bucino are eventually able to reach the safety of Venice. With none of their accustomed luxuries, and with the meagre resources they were able to take when they fled, Fiammetta and Bucino begin to plan how they will once again rise through the ranks of the courtesans in a new city.

I really enjoyed In The Company of The Courtesan. The Renaissance Venetian (and to a slightly lesser degree the Roman) setting were vividly written with plenty of historic details included, especially on the themes of prostitution, religion and aspects of everyday life. The sordid hypocrisy of elite Venetian society, who try to reconcile the Catholic Church’s teachings with their greed, need for status and their desire for a lavish lifestyle, is also quite fun to read.

I particularly liked Bucino’s perspective as narrator. As a dwarf, Bucino faces challenges I never considered and this adds a uniqueness to the story. Bucino is quite a sympathetic character and readers learn quite a bit about him, and while Fiammetta is also likable her development seems more one dimensional. La Draga, a minor character, is also very interesting and, along with Bucino, adds some flair to the story.

In The Company Of The Courtesan is not overly driven by plot, and the characterisation of Fiammetta in particular could’ve been stronger. Despite this, it is still a very engaging and entertaining story. I’ll definitely pick up more of Dunant’s books.

I keep on glancing at Dunant's books...... one of these days I will pick one up to read. Nice review!

The Hunger Games/Catching Fire/Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Science Fiction/Dystopia
4.5 Stars/4 Stars/4.5 Stars
Categories: Buzzed Books/Familiar Faces/Familiar Faces
454 pages/472 pages/455 pages

It took me a long time to pick up these books because I was put off by all the hype – I was sure I would end up disappointed. I was wrong.

The Hunger Games drags you in to the place North America has become, where every year the horrific main event forced upon the citizens of Panem is The Hunger Games. Each District must send two of their children into an arena where they battle to the death until one emerges victorious. The year District 12’s tributes Katniss and Peeta are drawn in The Hunger Games will change Panem forever.

I really enjoyed the characters throughout The Hunger Games trilogy. They were really believable given the situations they were placed in. As the trilogy is written from Katniss’ point of view, she is the character who develops the most, but it is mostly a psychological development as the layers of scars inflicted during and after the Games build up.

The Hunger Games is full of world building and the initial Hunger Games take place, and Mockingjay is full of action as the trilogy reaches it’s conclusion, but I think Catching Fire is the weakest of the three. There is less action and the reasoning for the second Games is contrived, and the overall plot isn’t advanced much. Although read together this pacing works.

Strong themes run through all three books, primarily survival and resourcefulness, power and manipulation. These are quite dark and violent books, but friendships and a romance keep things in balance. I was quite happy that Katniss ended up with who she did – for me this choice made complete sense. I also found the ending, the epilogue in particular, very poignant, as were the many emotional moments scattered throughout.

I could not put these books down. They have a great mix of sci-fi world building, good characterisation, emotion and action. This is a very engaging trilogy.

Young Exile by Eliane Whitehouse
Young Adult/Historical Fiction
4 Stars
Category: Historical Hijinks
128 pages

During the 1849 typhoid outbreak in London, Jess’ whole family succumbs to the disease leaving her alone and destitute. When the local priest finally traces some of Jess’ relatives they take her in just long enough for her to regain her health, before presenting her with her passage and details of the position they have arranged for her … in New Zealand.

Alone in a new country, 15 year old Jess arrives in the remote settlement of Waikouaiti to begin housekeeping for a farming family. It is not long however, before Jess decides to move on to avoid her employer’s unwelcome attentions. Heading south, Jess makes it to Dunedin before falling ill and being taken in by the McQuarrie family – where Jess finally finds some peace and happiness.

Young Exile is simply told, and quietly evocative. Its episodic nature means the plot is fast moving, but manages to cover living with poverty and disease in London, the arduous voyage settlers made to New Zealand, and the hard and sometimes uncertain life they made for themselves in the colonies.

The theme of lending a helping hand is present throughout the book, many of the colonists didn’t have much, but were happy to help in any way they could. This is contrasted with Jess’ London neighbours who only help because they can get something out of it.

This is a book written for Intermediate school children (approx 10-13year olds). The setting is one I know well (in modern times), which adds an extra layer of interest. I really enjoyed this book – it’s a feel good story with a resilient and intelligent main character, with some good historical details of two quite different societies subtly woven throughout.

I owned this book years ago, but got rid of it when we cleared out our childhood stuff. The story had stayed with me though, so I decided to get another a copy. Somewhere near two years later I finally found one on Abe Books ... being shipped from Wellington :-) I had thought I remembered most of the main events of Young Exile, it turns out I remembered almost the entire story. I can see now that the story lacks a little in depth, but given the age range Young Exile is aimed at, this is being very picky. This is what I suspect is one of those rare childhood books that stands up well to a reread years later.

Young Exile sounds good. It's going on the WL!

The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Historical Fiction/Greek Mythology
5 Stars
Category: Novice Novelists
352 pages

When a young Patroclus is exiled to Phthia and placed under the guardianship of the renowned king Peleus, he is soon befriended by Peleus’ son Achilles. The two young boys could not be more different, Patroclus is an awkward youth and a constant embarrassment to his father while Achilles is beautiful, charismatic and prophesied to be the greatest warrior ever, but they build an enduring friendship that becomes the foundation of their great love story. The idyllic days of their youth are brought to an abrupt end when Agamemnon, with his brother Menelaus, invoke an old oath to raise a Greek army to storm Troy and return the stolen Helen to her husband. And so begins the Trojan War.

With the timeless themes of friendship, jealousy and war expertly mixed with Greek mythology, ancient Greek culture and customs, and a moving love story all set against the epic backdrop of Homer’s saga the Illiad Miller beautifully rewrites this well known tale for a modern audience.

Many Greek myths are violent, as a man’s ability to gain honour and status through war was paramount, and The Song Of Achilles is no exception, but Miller balances this with Achilles and Patroculs’ relationship, creating some emotional and powerful moments and giving the story a level of humanity which is often absent from the myths themselves. It is obvious Miller has a background in Classical Studies, the often complex relationship between different myths was quickly and effectively explained for those who didn’t know, and principles such as hubris, exile and patronage were deftly woven into the story. The eternal question of the free will of mortals versus fate (read: the whims, machinations and interventions of the Gods) is also subtly introduced into the story.

The one big omission I noted was that no explanation was given as to why Helen had been taken to Troy – although the role of Aphrodite is very briefly alluded to.

I was kept enthralled from the first page to the last. The early descriptions of Achilles’ divinity and otherworldliness had me spellbound, the antics of Patroclus and Achilles as boys were endearing. I particularly liked the ending and Miller’s way of keeping the first person narrative going, which was very poignant, as was Thetis' final act in the book.

The Song Of Achilles is richly detailed, has layers of complexity and was completely riveting. A deserving winner of the Orange Prize.

173> Thanks Lori, I think Dunant would be worth trying out.

Katie, Young Exile was published about 15 years ago in New Zealand, and seems to have had quite a small print run - it took me ages to find a copy and nab it. But if you manage to get your hands on a copy I hope you enjoy it.

Loved your review Alana and have thumbed it. I heard a podcast with Miller last week on Books on the Night Stand and she sounds really nice and so young. And I bought Teresa an Usborne book of Greek legends yesterday with tons of pictures. (Can you say "mother projecting her own interests onto child" fast enough?!)

Thanks for the thumb Cushla :-) And if Teresa wants to read about Greek myths then where's the harm? You're just helping to broaden her horizons a little!

I managed to sneak in one last book before the end of the month - probably should have picked a different book though.

Lady Of Quality by Georgette Heyer
Historical Fiction/Romance
2.5 Stars
Category: Fluff & Fun
252 pages

On the road to Bath, Miss Annis Wychwood comes across two fellow travellers in a spot of bother. Quickly befriending Ninian and Lucilla, she offers to take Lucilla home with her with Ninian to follow when he can.

Annis quickly discovers the truth of why the two young people were on the road together, and is shocked to learn that Ninian and Lucilla’s families are attempting to coerce the two to marry – against their wishes. This was what caused Lucilla to run away from her guardian with Ninian, unable to stop her, accompanying her in an attempt to keep her from further trouble. It is not long however, before Lucilla’s second guardian, the famously rude libertine Oliver Carleton, comes to find his niece and sparks begin to fly between him and Annis.

Given the few other books by Heyer I’ve read, Lady of Quality was a disappointment. The sparkling characters are still here, as is the intelligent and witty dialogue. However, the minor character of Maria was not only irritating to the other characters but was also extremely irritating to the reader. Annis and Oliver are fun characters, but the change in their relationship was very abrupt. Annis started thinking of an ‘imminent proposal’ when it wasn’t at all clear to me that that was the case (although it is obvious that that would be how the book would end), and it was also not clear why Annis fell in love with Oliver as his better qualities are not revealed until the final 30 pages. Outside of the two main characters none of the minor characters were particularly engaging.

The whole plot was quite shallow, with only one real main plot line and a minor secondary one. But this didn’t bother me so much as the main premise of Annis taking in a stranger who had run away and with no authority taking over her care. For the time period, this seems an extremely unlikely scenario and not one that could be so easily explained away to the gossips of the gentry.

I wouldn’t recommend this one to anyone but the biggest of Heyer fans.

2nd Quarter Recap

Books read this quarter: 12 (for total of 24/76)

Pages read: 4,721 (for total of 8,292)
Books Owned vs. Books Borrowed: 11 : 1
Best Read:
Song Of Achilles
Worst Read:
Lady Of Quality

Blind Man’s Bluff
The Elegance Of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson

African Adventures
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Buzzed Books
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Kiwi Corner
None Read

Science Sources
None Read

Novice Novelists
The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Truthful Tomes
None Read

Familiar Faces
The Last boyfriend by Nora Roberts
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Fluff & Fun
The Witness by Nora Roberts
Lady Of Quality by Georgette Heyer

Historical Hijinks
In The Company Of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Young Exile by Eliane Whitehouse

Wordy Works
None Read

Misfit’s Mingle
None Read

Lady of Quality is not Heyer's best. I would rank it in the bottom third. Not a good one for 'beginners' at reading her books.

Hi Alana, sorry to hear of the disappointing Heyer. I usually find her a fairly reliable author. Hope you have some great books in your immediate future!

Hi Hailelib and Judy, I've really enjoyed the other few Heyers I've read so far, so I'll keep picking up her books. I guess even great authors write duds occasionally!

Definitely try more Heyer! I agree that Lady of Quality isn't one of her best; I hope you enjoy your next one more!

A couple of reviews coming, hopefully tomorrow. But in the meantime my trip to Rarotonga with 2 friends in September was confirmed and paid for yesterday, and there'll definitely be some time for reading on the beach. I'm already considering what my plane/beach books will be. Very excited!

What a cool trip! I'm sooooo jealous!

I love islands. Jealous as hell!

Yes, jealous!

Rarotonga is on my bucket list, have worked with a lot of lovely Cook island people in the past and always wanted to visit. My daughter was there earlier this year for a wedding.

Hi Mamzel, Anders and Katie - I think this going to be an awesome trip :-) Kerry, I know a few people who've been to Raro and they've all loved it and said the people are great.

The Duchess by Amanda Foreman
Non-Fiction/Biography
3 Stars
Category: Truthful Tomes
405 pages

The Duchess is a fascinating look at the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, one of the most talked about women of the late 18th century. Popular, charismatic and hugely wealthy Georgiana was nevertheless a troubled woman, stuck in a marriage where there was no affection and beset by massive debts from her compulsive gambling.

This biography focuses heavily on Georgiana’s role in Whig party politics, her constant inability to repay gambling debts and her and the Duke’s relationship with Lady Elizabeth (Bess) Foster. All three of these themes become repetitive at different points of the book. I enjoyed the final 100 or so pages best, as the focus shifted to Georgiana’s relationship with her children, the discussion of her impact on the Whig party and Georgiana’s declining health and final years.

While reading >i>The Duchess I couldn’t help comparing it to Wedlock, which was a little unfair. Wedlock has a much broader context of both the laws and societal dictates of Georgian Britain and, from the stand point of a modern reader, evokes quite a strong emotional response. Whereas The Duchess is a much more personal story, with the context limited to the aristocratic lifestyle of the 18th century, and my response to the Duchess’ predicaments was tempered by the fact that she brought plenty of it upon herself.

This is an extensively researched book about a woman who was, in many ways, a pioneer of her day but a complicated and flawed personality. Parts of The Duchess were engrossing, but there were also sections where I got bogged down in political detail or the repetition of Georgiana’s debts.

Overall, a good read about a very interesting woman but would have benefited from better pacing and some editing of details.

Virus by Diane Hoh
Young Adult Fiction
4 Stars
Category: Misfit’s Mingle
276 pages

A new virus has surfaced in Grant, Massachusetts and the staff at Med Center are struggling to deal with both the patients and the rising panic when it becomes known that this virus can be deadly. With lives and Med Center’s reputation on the line can a cure be found in time?

This is another book I used to have when I was a child, and after I caught 3-4 minor continuity errors in the first chapter I was beginning to wonder if my memory was playing tricks on me. Happily, this book was as I remembered.

There is a great group of intelligent and likeable characters, and while a couple of basic stereotypes are the basis for two characters in particular, Hoh adds plenty of depth to her characters. This book (and the other 5 in the Med Center series) are from the mid 90’s so the race conflict between Susannah and Will now seems a little dated, but still works well to create tension.

There was action throughout the book, plus a nice G-rated romance. The one quibble I have with the writing is that these characters are meant to be about 17, but I picture them as being in their mid 20’s, however, this doesn’t really impact on the storylines which aren’t that age specific.

This is enjoyable book with engaging characters, and almost as good now as it was 15 years ago.

Lucky most kids don't care about continuity errors! Sounds like topic is still current.

Rarotonga sounds great!

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Cosy Mystery
2.5 Stars
Category: African Adventures
250 pages

When her father dies and leaves her his large herd of cattle, Mma Ramotswe opens her own detective agency in Gaborone, Botswana.

No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is effectively a collection of short, cosy everyday mysteries with an exotic flavour and some lovely descriptions of life in Botswana on the rim of the Kalahari Desert.

This book was not what I was expecting. I thought there would be a traditional overarching mystery story rather than the various short ones that were completely unrelated to each other and very straight forward for Mma Ramotswa to solve.

This was a quick, light read with little real action. Although I could see that the characters would probably develop to be quite interesting with some quirkiness, and I liked reading about the setting, I don't think I'll continue with this series. Even for a light read there wasn't a whole lot to engage the reader.

I found it a little disappointing as well. I too had expected a longer story-arc instead of smaller stories and I think I had been more emotionally invested had that been the case. I did enjoy the descriptions of life by the Kalahari and I wish it had had more of that.

Interesting review on #1 - I thought they were a little on the light side, but I hadn't thought of it as something closer to 3-minute mysteries. Now I can pass on them without feeling like I've missed something.

Eva I agree, if there was more of a traditional story arc I would have found it much easier to engage with the story as well.

Katie, "3 minute mysteries" is a great description!

I was visiting my parents for a few days over the last weekend, and was finally able to bring these lovelies home with me. I spied them when I was last down at Mum and Dad's, Mum went back to get them for me. Cats and books - they suit me very well!

Magic Flutes by Eva Ibbotson
Young Adult/Historical Fiction
4 Stars
Category: Buzzed Books
255 pages

Unbeknown to anyone, Tessa, the Republican Princess of Pfaffenstein, is working at a menial job (for free!) backstage at the International Opera Company in Vienna, and she loves every minute of it.

Guy is an English foster child who was dumped at birth. He fell in love with Nerine at first sight, and has spent the intervening years building his considerable fortune to prove himself to Nerine and her snobby, social climbing family.

Tessa and Guy's worlds collide when she relunctantly finally agrees to sell her beloved ancestral home, Pfaffenstein Castle. Guy is the buyer and he hopes a week of lavish entertainment amongst the remnants of the Austrian aristocracy in the grand setting of Pfaffenstein will be enough to woo Nerine into accepting his proposal. All that's standing in the way is the fact that Guy and Tessa are perfect for each other - but will they realise it before they both marry the wrong people?

Magic Flutes is a light-hearted romance, and while the characters are fairly stereotypical there is enough depth for them to be engaging, and readers do end up reacting to the main characters. I was even disappointed on one occasion in Guy's treatment of Nerine, although his (reasonable) logic is later explained and does absolve him. I enjoyed this sweet Cinderella-esque story.

The rural landscapes had a fairytale feeling to them, but also seemed believeable. For me, Magic Flutes was also a nice, easy introduction to the setting of pre World War I Austria where the aristocracy are quickly losing their relevance.

This was pure escapist fun, and I'll definitely pick up some more of Ibbotson's work.

Love the bookends - especially the one with the magnifying glass!

I've only read Ibbotson's childrens books, but I'm looking to try at least one of her "romances" just to know what's what. I have A Countess Below Stairs on the wishlist, but this one sounds good too.

I'm sorry you didn't find the Precious Ramotswe book your cup of tea. What I love about this series is the respect and traditionalism shown by the characters. At this stage of my life I don't always need deep, dark, and difficult mysteries as a platform for an enjoyable read. It's the only series by McCall Smith that I follow.

Alana - those bookends are amazing! In fact, I think they are purr-fect!

Great bookends! They're a-meow-sing!

(Sorry, missed out on the obvious punning opportunity!!)

They are paw-some! :)

Those are fabulous bookends!!! I'll spare you from more puns, only because everyone beat me to the best pawsiblities.

Loving all the puns!

Eva, both the bookend cats have cute glasses and magnifying glasses, it's just much harder to see on the crouching cat :-) A Countess Below Stairs was the Ibbotson that Christina recommended to me, but it was on loan when I visited the library.

Mamzel, I don't mind a light and cosy mystery either, but I think I was just caught off guard with No. 1 Ladies in that it wasn't what I thought it would be. I did like the setting and thought the characters had potential, but to carry on with this series I think I need a little more than that.

I like the No.1 Ladies series but I don't really read them as mysteries but for the setting and the everyday life of the characters.

@ 206 -- Well, I'm glad you liked Magic Flutes! All of Ibbotson's romances are similar in tone and theme, so I think if you enjoyed one, you'll like them all!

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
Historical Fiction
3.5 Stars
Category: Historical Hijinks
404 pages

Lady Jane Grey was the unwilling Queen of England for nine days, a position she attained as a result of the endless scheming by her parents and her father-in-law the Duke of Northumberland. On his death bed King Edward VI was persuaded to change the succession to favour his devoutly Protestant cousin Jane, in the hopes of safe-guarding the Protestant religion in England from his half-sister, the staunchly Catholic Princess Mary.

The first half of this book gets off to a slow start, as we’re introduced to Jane and her family. It’s also a slightly surreal start, as four year old Jane narrates in a voice better suited to a grown woman. There is plenty of intrigue in Innocent Traitor, and the various points of view used by Weir helps to convey all the many threads of the plots being set in motion.

Most of the other main characters are politically ruthless, and Jane is pious, a bit self righteous but still very naïve about court politics, so while it was difficult to engage with the characters I still found myself hoping Jane would receive some kind of reprieve. The outcome for Jane however, was never really in doubt.

Weir is a historian so this is a well researched book, with a strong sense of authenticity. In places the plot was sluggish, but once the action gets going this is a good read.

Eeek, Rarotonga is two days away!

I've got a reveiw for Ross Poldark floating in the back of mind, where it's been for the last week, and I'm (optimisitcally) hoping I'll write it tonight or tomorrow. But tomorrow is packing day and I'm trying to finish The Greatest Show on Earth before I go on Sunday otherwise it will join the already obese A Dance with Dragons in my suitcase. Tomorrow might just have to be a hibernate-at-home day ....

Good luck with that hibernating!!!

Thanks Katie, I did indeed hibernate and will finish The Greatest Show On Earth before I go but I won't get any reviews done tonight - with perfect timing I've caught a mild head cold and my brain cells aren't up to writing reveiws just now.

'See' you all in a week!

:( Get well, and have a good break!

I want to go to Rarotonga too!! Have a great time and hopefully get rid of the cold!

Have a great time in Rarotonga!

Have a great trip!

Unfortunately I returned to reality yesterday after an absolutely fantastic week, and have now caught up with everyone's threads although I haven't been posting. Managed to read a whole 140ish pages while I was away, but I had better things to do ...

Looks like you had a great time Alana!

Looks fantastic! I want to go horseback riding in the ocean as well!

Hi Alana, that beach is just breathtaking!

jealous!

Hi all, the beaches were indeed wonderful and we managed to pack quite a bit in to 6 days. Even though the flight is only about 4.5hrs from Auckland, because of the timing of the flights and the fact I can't sleep on any form of transport means I arrived home seriously jet lagged and have only just gotten back into a normal routine in the last couple of days. I don't know what I would do on a long haul flight ... invest in some sleeping tablets I think!

Still jealous, jet lag and all.

I can't sleep on planes either and I have tried medication, but they just made me woozy and then I felt unsafe. After that, I just prepare with books and try to deal with jetlag as best I can. Still, jetlag is a cheap price to pay for a great trip! :)

Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
Historical Fiction
3.5 Stars
Category: Buzzed Books
455 pages

When Ross Poldark returned to Cornwall after fighting in the American Revolution, he found life had moved on in his absence. His father had died, the woman he loved was now engaged to his cousin and his family home and farm were in a shambles. And when he takes pity on a young girl at the Market and employs her as a kitchen maid his life changes yet again.

Ross Poldark is a family saga with an unhurried pace, this book is about the characters. Ross is unconventional and flawed, his calm is contrasted with Demelza’s energy and curiosity. Both characters grow as the story moves along, but it is Demelza in particular who matures and develops. A strong sense of the personalities is the driver of this book, even in the minor characters.

Ross Poldark is the familiar Cornish mix of the aristocracy (in this case fallen on hard times), farmers, fishermen, miners and the smugglers who build close knit, if occasionally fraught communities. Graham’s skill at evoking this charismatic setting is just as good as Daphne du Maurier and Gloria Cook.

I enjoyed this book and will pick up the next one or two in the series, but having just found out that this is an epic which runs to 12 books, I’m not sure I’ll read them all.

I do like a good family saga that I can sink into and wile away the winter months with. I just noticed your mention that this is book one in a series.... Darn it!...... caught by another series.

Edited to add: Just checked my local library. They have the Poldark Omnibus - which comprises books 1, 2, 3 and 4 for a total of 1152 pages!

You'll need a wheelbarrow to bring that home!

Looks like you had a fantastic holiday!

I think Mum and Dad watched Poldark as one of those Sunday night epic TV series when I was little. The first book sounds really good.

I read the Poldark series quite some time ago and remember loving it. My favorite character was Demelza. The PBS series was quite well done, although it definitely appears somewhat dated today.

I have the TV-series on my Netflix list - I might just try that one instead of adding (yet) another book-series. :)

@ 225 -- I read Ross Poldark earlier this year and had a similar reaction. I'm also planning to watch the TV series on Netflix when I get a chance.

Hi everyone, I've been seeing a lot of mentions about the Poldarks on PBS. If I get the time I might have to check it out.

Christina I think I first saw Ross Poldark reviewed on your thread, so I guess I should thank you :-) It was also recommended by Chatterbox on her blog.

Alright time for a new thread for the rest of the year ...