Ireadthereforeiam- April, Come She Will

McHales Road 2 (2009) by Ben Reid, a local artist.

Read so far.....
1. The Art of Travel (NF)
2. Absolution (Crime?)
3. North and South (Historical Fiction)
4. The Wall (Graphic Novel)
5. Snake and Lizard/ Up In the Tree/ Billy A Lolly Leopold Story (Childrens)
6. Complications (NF)
7. The Night Circus (Fantasy)
8. My Side of the Mountain (YA)
9. Blankets (Graphic Novel)
10. Lost in Shangri-La (Narrative Non Fiction)
11. The Siege (historical Fiction)
12. Trapped: Christchurch Earthquake Rescue Stories (NF)
13. Making Toast (Memoir)
14. On Chesil Beach (Fiction)
15. Book of A Thousand Days (YA)
16. Marcelo in the Real World (YA)
17. The Torchlight List (NF)
18. Great Expectations (historic fiction)
19. The Pearl (fiction)
20. Sophie's Legacy (NF)
21. Sea of Poppies (fiction)
22. The Quiet American (fiction)
23. The Ginseng Hunter (fiction)
24. A Monster Calls (YA)
25. The Wayward Bus (fiction)
26. Holes (YA)
27. The Turn of the Screw (classic, horror)

Thread 1(Jan): http://www.librarything.com/topic/129587#t
Thread 2(Feb): http://www.librarything.com/topic/132009
Thread 3 (Mar): http://www.librarything.com/topic/133475

2012 TTR (try-to-read) Classics List
Sons and Lovers
Tale of Two Cities
Great Expectations)
Crime and Punishment
Libra
The Turn of the Screw
North and South
The Bone People (reading now)
Midnights Children
One Hundred Years of Solitude

My get-from-the-library-asap list
Marcelo in the Real World
The Shock Doctrine
Complications
Voyage of the Arctic Tern
The Cobra Event (about to give up on as never on the shelf)
the Demon in the Freezer
Book of a Thousand Days
My Side of the Mountain
Blackwater Lightship
Tigers at Awhitu
Dragon Talk
Lost in Shangri-La
The Ghost Map
Room (loooong wait list, still)
The Siege
The Ginseng Hunter
A Monster Calls

Was overdue for a new thread, so here I am with a few minutes spare, and an energy boost from my Freddo Frog bender.

I am not making great headway with my lists, but I post them again to remind myself to go with ones I have planned instead of veering of course with new ones that jump the queue!

Add into the mix Visitation (a Janet Memorial one), my next bookclub one and An Ice-Cream War...as usual I am snowed under with great books to read. Excellent, just as I like it.

Cool photo, Megan! Those do look like good ones you've got lined up.

I love love love that photograph.

Hi Joe: please present your chest for the pinning of the first place medal! Lucky you're a guy, might have sounded off asking someone else to push out their chest to me.

Joe and Lucy: The work is actually watercolour wash and graphite on paper, according to the blurb. But is so lifelike. But now you've made me think I should find a cool old shed and take a panoramic over-exposed photo of it, as it would look cool! Check out the link to his website, he has lots of buildings, and lots of birds.

Megan - no time to check the threads but since we're on the same island - congrats on the new thread!

Hey ho Megan....that's a really cool picture. I thought it was an old photograph until you wrote that it's a watercolor wash. Amazing!

I love the texture of the artwork.

Turn of the Screw is one of those classics I keep telling myself I need to read, and never remember when I go in search of something. I can't wait to see what you think.

Marking my spot on your new thread!

Lovely photo, Megan! I hope you're doing well.

Hi Megan- Like the new thread. Love the photo!

Hi Megan

What a wonderful photo to open your thread.

Stopping by your new thread to get as close to NZ as I can.
Great picture up there - but I like Lenny & Co. better ;-)

Good luck with your reading!

Paul: welcome! Glad I got a fly by, angling for another bag of Pineapple Lumps methinks? lol (how'd they go down btw, are you a fan?)

Caro: a trap for young players, as can be seen by everyone elses reaction to it! Not quite as photo-realist as Ralph Goings, or Audrey Flack, but in small format like this, does look like RL :)

Luxx: I have read the first few pages of The Turn of the Screw and can report that it is um, how shall I put this, leaning towards sounding a little archaic, so far. Was that delicate enough? hehe, could be a struggle for me to get through but I will persevere

Nancy/Kerri/Mark/Lynda: hello! Thanks for liking the picture, I'll have to let the artist know he has fans worldwide, as he is a friend of my brother it is conceivable I'll see him one day again soon.

Cee:I took a great pic of Lenny this morning, will try to get it on the computer soon and share. Since you asked so nicely :)
btw, thanks for the good luck with my reading, I need it, seriously, where do all the hours in the day go anyway???

Stopping by to say hi! Great looking photo - very interesting! Yes, a trip to Amazon ca / com and your books blues be gone!:) And sometimes even the library has the right books!

Enjoy your next book!

I was going to ask about the pineapple lumps - but there was much salivating on other threads about 'Fish & Chips" .......

Megan - delicious they were (I had to eat them on the quiet as they have gelatine in and I shouldn't really take that, but what the heck!).

Deb: I know what you mean, I was keen to get out and about after being housebound with Lenny all weekend, so went to the University Book Shop...for a look...salivated over a Steinbeck collection ($47...too much) and bought a lovely art book and a literary journal. Bam- all better!

Alex: I have to say that the quality of our fish and chips has deteriorated over the years. Often times now the "fish" that you get is about 4mm fish and 10mm either side batter. You really have to order a proper fillet to get any decent fish. But the chips and other menu items are still a steal and very tasty :)

Paul: oh! Sorry about that, are you sure it wasn't halal gelatine? A lot of confectionery has that now....glad you liked them though :) And that you found one of my dads books! There are a few out there at present, was it New Zealand Landscapes that you got? That's my favourite.

Book 22
The Quiet American

Didn't like, quite like, really liked.
That's the way it went for me reading this book. Initial efforts were hampered by lack of ability to read more than 2 pages in a row, and subsequent lack of ability to remember anything that had happened or who anyone was. But once I could read larger chunks, I started really enjoying it. I know, I sound like a broken record!

As the story progressed I also started liking the main character more. I am sure I positively disliked him right through until 3/4 of the way through. I dont mind disliking a character if I can have some sense of understanding of why they are like they are, but I found Fowler to be a misogynist, plain and simple.

Clever, but slightly lacking for me in depth. 3.5 stars.

>6 LovingLit: I like the picture at the top even more if it's a watercolor wash, Megan! I'd love to see it in person.

*sticks chest out* A first place medal? Pour moi? Outstanding!

>20 LovingLit: I thought about reading that book so many times, and comments like yours always cause me to turn in another direction. Good, but not great, disliked main character.

Hi Megan, fancy new thread you have here!

Did I see a rumour there were more Lenny pics coming? ;)

>19 LovingLit: or is it our memories of what they once looked like ???? no matter what still my goto meal when out & about ....just don't let my Doctor see that.

Appreciate your comments on The Quiet American, Megan. It's one that incites a lot of discussion, but for me the jury is still out as to whether or not I will read.

Joe: I hadnt heard much about it at all before reading it, in fact I benefitted from reading other reviews after I had finished as it padded out my knowledge of it!

Chelle: they are next! I promise :)

Alex: there's nothing like a good feed of F&C!

Nancy: As I mentioned to Joe, I liked reading the reviews....I will try to red some more tonight as they are really interesting, I wonder if I also might benefit from a reread....

Little Lenny as promised. Taken yesterday, a little bit pale but otherwise as is.

He is so adorable! Thanks for sharing!

Such a cutie!

He is such a cutie!

Still chewable, but now with even more charm. I'm so glad you share these with us.

Oh, he is too, too lovely for words!

Oh, I want to give Lenny a big hug - what a sweetie!

cluck cluck cluck cluck .......

Okay going now before the shoes hit me

Mark, Chelle, Nancy, Luxx, Lynda, Amy: thanks so much, I know pride is a sin, but whatever! What's not to be proud of? ;)

Alex: lol, what a great message to follow all the....clucks! That was truly laugh-worthy :) But you cant say you dont find him cute too Alex, really?

Adding my 'clucking' to the mix on your photo of Lenny. I've just 'enjoyed' a picturebook that I'm sure your boys would love - Demolition by Sally Sutton. I'm sure you will have seen it around by now as Sally is from Christchurch. It's a great readaloud.

Hi! I have seen that kids book, "Demolition"...they were giving away toy hard-hats at the book shop one day when I was there browsing. So we got one, but didnt get the full priced book. It does look good, so will keep an eye out for it cheaper. We dont head across town much so the kids dont get to see too many buildings in a state of demolishment (!@!), but have seen enough I suppose.

I thought it would be a great 'noisy' read aloud, though I don't have any little ones to read to anymore. I used to love 'performing' at playcentre back when my children attended. I've had a few newer picturebooks out from the library to look at, just to keep up on what's being published. My current favourite would be Oh No, George!.

#26 - He's adorable!

You are hard to keep up with nowadays, Megan! I'm here now though, and nearly 40 posts behind. Hey, is that Lenny with CLOTHES on!? Well I'm glad to know he wears them sometimes at least. :P

>34 LovingLit: of course not ......

Kerry: I love kids books too, we have a heap as my MIL is a literary specialist and gives books by the arm full to the kids. It is great.

Kerri: thanks for saying....Ill email it to his grandparents and see if they agree :)

Stephen: he does wear clothes, often. Most days actually. Especially now its getting colder :) Thanks for dropping by my humble thread on your rounds.
eta: I have started The Ginseng Hunter now, love it!

Alex: you jest, of course :)

Did you have to pay extra for that beautiful baby boy?
What a yummy treat ;-)

Cee: only in weight gain ;)

Oh he is so cute, Little Lenny! I confess -shhhhh- that the odd time when my youngest son looked very pale - I put a touch of blush on him to make him look a little healthier!;) The things I / we do....

Book 23
The Ginseng Hunter by Jeff Talarigo

A very simply written and cleverly told story of a man, living alone on a harsh land near the border of China and North Korea. He makes his living as the title suggests, and finds his routines disrupted by refugees who are crossing the river from North Korea in desperate need of food.

In tragic states of malnutrition the children look years younger than they are and the adults are mentally as well as physically spent. The refugees steal from the ginseng hunter's garden but are also given food by him, and he is forced to make decisions about his own personal wellbeing vs theirs.

Lovely, 4 stars.

>44 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb, I dont think I even own blush, so I would be safe from any temptation! Were you doing that for a photo?

Sickness in the Easter Household again unfortunately....Big Bro succumbed and I hate to say it, but am enjoying the very subdued and calm and quiet house. Very unusual. He had a few high temps, and a couple of tiny vomits and a long sleep and appears to be a box of birds again now!

*praying to the Easter Bunny for a lot more sleep than I've had the last 2 nights*

Megan sorry to hear that Big Bro is sick. Hope you manage to find some peace, quiet and good sleep.

Sorry to hear Big Bro is not feeling well! I hope very much that you get a good sleep. It's not so infrequent that little ones seem to get sick over the holidays. I can remember spending the evening of Dec 24 in Children's Hospital - til about Dec 27 or 28 with our eldest. That was really exhausting. I have to say that the staff was WONDERFUL and I tell you the number times Santa came to visit Daniel while in hospital was amazing! They allowed him to go home for about 3 hours on Christmas day and visit the family. He had something called " glomeronephritis " - a sort of failure of kidney function. Thankfully it was just brief and they never figured out the cause, but he certainly got good care. Maybe that evening was the time that I put a bit of blush on him , Megan! That evening, we had not realized that Daniel was unwell - he just seemed a little lethargic and my grandma and I had been asked to light the Christmas Candle at the Christmas Eve Christmas service. But when we got home, Daniel( he had just turned 4 ) used the bathroom -and his urine looked just like Coca Cola! So, we rushed him to the Children's Hospital. I still remember the intake nurse looking kind of huffy at my husband and I - as if to say -why did you bring this child in? Well, I pulled out the jar of his urine and we certainly had excellent care after that.

I hope all is well quickly. Sickness in kids can be so worrisome and exhausting..

>48 calm: Hi Calm, thanks for the good wishes. Its not so bad having sick kids in holidays, at least I have another pair of hands around to help. And nothing that we have to go and do during the days.

>49 vancouverdeb: Deb that Christmas hospital experience sounds scary! It is so wrong that admission staff "get huffy" as you say, I guess they have seen their fair share of over reacting parents, but its not their job to judge people, just to judge their health!

My niece was barely 3 months old when her high temperatures and floppy body were taken to A&E, the admissions person said she "didnt look too bad" so to "take a seat" and it was only that the baby's mother was there too, and happened to be a nurse, who said something along the lines of "this baby is very sick and nearly unconscious, please can someone see her immediately" that she got seen!

Wilbur isnt too bad, just fevers and not much sleeping to be had. He was fine for the easter egg hunt this morning though!But had no stomach to eat any of the chocolate.

45: I'm glad you liked it! :)

Sorry to hear Big Bro is sick on the Day of the Basket Full of Candy. (What? You mean people have other names for it?) I hope he gets better soon...that is, unless you want a bit more quiet time... :P

lol, you've got it Stephen....the quiet time was nice I have to say. He is still off the chocolate which is a sure sign he's not right, but is saving up his piles of goodies and counting them for later!

Am waving hi - and hope W is better soon (but I so understand you quite enjoying the peace... we had both ours vomiting and sleeping on us through the semifinal of the Rugby World Cup last year and it was eerily quiet but memorable). Loved the Lenny photo.

Keen to see how you like Visitation - I have it here but I am not even denting Mt TBR this year.

Hope everyone is healthy soon...

oops! I missed your transition!
sorry Wilbur is under the weather ...
Cute pic of course :)))

Such scary sick little ones stories :(

Happy spring to you all! I hope the bunny brought you the rest you deserve.

Oh, poor Wil and Mommy. But I love your expression that he "...appears to be a box of birds again ..."! So perfectly descriptive ;-)

When do we get another good pic of Wil, btw? It's been awhile.
Are you keeping all your fantastic pictures in books and organized? Or maybe now it's on discs - or zip drives?

Quite a tale of Christmas woe, Deb. You'll never forget that!

Never needed blush for my girls. They both had rosy cheeks - and still do! Bridget had pneumonia once and when I took her to the doc, he said she looked quite healthy! Then he listened to her lungs and changed his mind.

Happy Easter Megan! Hope health comes back to your home quickly

Wow what a great Easter Sunday we had.

Apparently its a big day in Latvia and my dads Latvian friend invited us for a feast at her place with her family. The host is a trained chef and the table was groaning under the weight of all the traditional Latvian food dishes, let me see if I can get this right....
pickled cucumbers
poached chicken
sauerkraut
coleslaw
mackerel
sprats
herring
smoked salmon
bacon rolls
chicken liver pate
4 kinds of breads
potato salad
frankfurters
jellied pork
salami/ham/prosciutto
Everything garnished with dill and radishes!

Eating out under the sun on a windless day. All that plus desert and coffee and wine, and call me full (and happy).

Cushla: that would have made a memorable Rugby World Cup for you! I remember being a sick kid and having mum at my disposal 24 hours a day, it was comforting and now I look back I appreciate it even more.

Kath: little sick ones are so different personality-wise from when they are well, it is scary to see them not themselves. But fingers crossed that yucky colds are as bad as Ill get in this household!

Luxx: Happy Easter to you too Luxx, we have our leaves dropping and the cold starry nights coming on now. And it is darkening earlier and earlier too....

Cee: all my photos are on the computer and on CDs as well, I have a box filled with discs, odd pics and bits and bobs. One day ill look through them all and figure it all out. I have done a "first year" album for both boys, but thats it!

Chelle: hi and thanks! Hope the Easter Bunny got your new address right!

Megan, your Easter meal sounds to die for! Wow!

Yep Nancy, twas great, no need for tea for me that day :)

Book 24
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Written from the perspective of a 13 year old boy, this book follows him and his mother who is undergoing treatments for cancer. The boy is very troubled and feels very alone. He has nightmares in which he is not sure if he is really dreaming or if things are really happening. It is terribly sad to think of his suffering over the potential death of his mother. Troubles at school add to his isolation and general sad state.

It is illustrated with lovely, dark and evocative pictures which would make fantastic stand alone art works. They really added to the story for me.

I haven't cried over a book in a long time, but this one had me blubbering. 4.5 stars.

Yes, A monster calls is pretty awesome. The Latvian feast sounds awesome as well.

Greetings Megan, sounds like you had a delicious Easter! Hope the guys were well enough to endulge a bit.
I've been hearing alot about A Monster Calls but I just couldn't take a sad ending which I'm thinking it must have.

Nice review of A Monster Calls, Megan. I'll be on the lookout for it.

A Latvian Easter sounds really interesting Megan - look at all that food! I associate Easter so strongly with Spring that's very difficult for me to imagine an autumnal Easter in the southern hemisphere.

#60 So glad you enjoyed A Monster Calls.

#63 Mild spoilers Lynda, the ending is sad but not without hope if that makes sense? It made me cry but didn't leave me feeling depressed. I can understand feeling like you're not in the right place for a sad read though.

Enjoyed catching up on your thread Megan.

Not surprised Lenny shared his cold with Wilbur or was it derived from Play School do you think?
Lenny looks a lot happier than I remember him trying to entertain overweight Malaysians. (All the walking in NZ has done a little for me in that regard actually).
I am able to vouch that his photographs only barely do him justice - he is really a cute little fellow.
The book was New Zealand Landscapes and I seemed to notice it in every gift shop we went into in the South Island and I think I got on SWMBO's nerves pointing it out on every occasion!
Nice to see you eventually liked The Quiet American and I must get to A Monster Calls and The Ginseng Hunter in the very near future - excellent reviews of both.
Finally, jealous of most of your Latvian Easter feast especially as we were early in the Airport yesterday and I went 16 hours before sampling my MIL's Mee Soto when we finally landed in Kuala Lumpur.

What a feast! Oh man, that sounds amazing.

That looks like an interesting menu :)
Some of the thing swould probably go untasted by me, but some are among my favorites.
How nice to share a holiday with friends...
and had nice weather for it :)

It was a fairly quiet day here.. not complaining mind you :)
I did a lot of fluffy reading..

Just visiting your new thread, Megan. I really like the picture at the top. And your Latvian feast sounds wonderful! Except the chicken liver pate. :-|

Wow, what a meal, Megan! I've got to track down A Monster Calls. Right now I'm in the chunkster David Copperfield for a group read.

Kerry: It is a beautiful book too, Id love to buy it just to look at the pics again and again

Lynda: maybe when youre in the mood for a good cry you could read it, it is short so you could match it to your mood one day.

Darryl: thanks, and do look out for it. It provides a wonderful perspective from someone who doesnt/cant speak about how they are feeling.

Heather: I know! Spring and Easter are supposed to go together arent they, we have all the icons of easter to remind us of that (the chick, the eggs and flowers etc) but for use it just goes with Autumn! I just loved A Monster Calls and wasnt depressed by the sadness in it, I was wowed by it.

Paul: horray! home safe and sound. Sorry the airport couldnt provide you with more in the way of sustenance before the big flight. Just quietly, you'll be glad to hear the South Island by far had the pick of the weather during your visit. :)

Luxx: It was amazing, so much work went into it. Angel cake for desert too, now that was goooooood.

Kath: yes, the fishy things that Latvians love so much arent really my cuppa, but I forced myself to try everything and they were actually pretty good, even if raw *gasp*
Fluffy reading to match the fluffy easter chicks! nice

Ellen: if you dont call it chicken liver, and just pate, its easier to digest :) I wish I'd taken a photo of the table pre-feast as it was a gorgeous sight!

Joe: Good luck with the GR, Im not tackling Dickens again for a few months, and that'll be A Tale of Two Cities

Aha! Lenny is teething - so that's why he had a cold?
Poor baby. Poor Mommy.

Loki and I both love chicken livers whatever they are called - we share what comes with the turkeys in our life :)

Oh, sorry about the chick... forgot it was autumn for you. But what animal signifies autumn? Hmmm... dunno. Maybe Canadian geese, lol? (Doubt they make it to NZ)
Here's one for you, Megan!

26: What a face! Lenny has those pinchable cheeks too. Works better than blusher!

Sorry to hear that Wilbur was sick for Easter. You mentioned that he didn't want chocolate. Was he okay with the Latvian feast? Sounded great to me.

Hope everyone is well now and that you are getting caught up on sleep.

Cee: we do have Canadian Geese here. My friends had a rescue one they called Audrey, I thought the name suited! Canada Goose, the poster bird for Autumn! lol

Donna: Poor big bro made do with some bread and some pate for the Easter Feast....but has eaten one chocolate egg today so must be looking up! Sleep-wise we are on the up. Woke up this morning to light, thought my partner must have been up to one of the kids and had the light on (as if....its always me getting up), but it turned out to be morning and the sun was coming up! Imagine!

I walk in our of our local city parks almost every day, and it's home to Canada Geese - all kinds of them. I'm surprised you have them in NZ, Megan. That's neat!

I love it when the geese fly over... it is like a gift :)

Huzzah for some much-needed rest!

nancy: I think they are considered a pest here? (eek, have I said the wrong thing?)

Kath: dont read my post directed at Nancy please, dont want to offend anyone around here

Luxx: hell yea, second night running! Might even have the energy for some wifely duties tonight ;) We'll see if I get any help with the dishes first though.....

Tell him that doing the dishes is foreplay.

Megan: Get OUT! No foolin'? You have Canadian geese?
Well, they do make a bit of a mess - but I think they are handsome.
Pssst! Kath... don't look up when they fly over - LOL

LOL @ > 78 :)

We have a pair of canada geese 'resting' in our pond. Today Posey went down to the 'beach' area (tiny pebbles) and the geese starting swimming over to investigate her! I called her home (foodfoodfood - the call for mealtime) and she came running, but the geese even came up to the beach and got out and kept looking around where she had been.

Living in a city now, I miss watching the large V of Canada geese flying overhead. It was one of my favorite sights in the Willamette Valley, which has a few bird/wildlife sanctuaries sprinkled around. Sometimes we'd hear them, and we'd go outside and look up and see hundreds of them flying over! It was breathtaking. Makes me think of that film from a few years ago, now what was it called? About birds migrating.

Oh those Canada Geese, and the Snow Geese! They are very plentiful here. Nice looking birds but they can be a real pest, with all of their droppings...

Luxx: if only they knew ;)

Cee: no jokes, they live here too, go figure. They are a nice big bird really arent they, i like them too.

Kath: :0

Lucy: were they really tame or just fearless, or maybe in search of food!? They might learn the mealtime call and turn up then!

Ellen: I dont think Ive ever seen a whole flock flying over, I bet it's an impressive sight. And sound too?

Deb: I havent seen a snow goose around these parts :) Not likely too either Id say. The main birds I see are a flock of pigeons that fly around the same time each day, let loose by their owners I reckon.

And now its time to fess up what Ive been doing these last days....not posting for over 24 hours- unheard of! Yesterday I visited the Bookarama, annual (or so I thought) Rotary book sale. (Last time I went I took Lenny in a front pack, and as he is not yet 9 months old, it cant be that annual).

Book Haul as follows:

Journey to the Centre of the Earth Jules Verne (Puffin Classic, which I collect)
Nineteen Eighty Four George Orwell (Penguin Modern Classic, which I love)
The Easter Parade Richard Yates
Revolutionary Road Richard Yates
A Perfect Arrangement Suzanne Berne (1999 Orange Prize Winner)
Best Foot Forward Joan Bauer
Essential New Zealand Poems (have wanted since it was published)
Libra Don DeLillo ) (have wanted for ages)
Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri (was on WL)
Mourning Ruby Helen Dunmore
Middlemarch George Elliot
The Jane Austen Book Club Karen Joy Fowler (as a gift for a friend)
A book of short stories translated from French
2 little pocket penguins
Jack and Jill and Other Nursery Rhymes Lucy Cousins
Old King Cole illustrated by Tracey Moroney

All for $34! Hooray! I was very happy to bring home all that and will be attending again this weekend as I heard they have a container of books that they haven't even opened yet.

Pricing was strange, $3 for paperbacks, and $2 for hard covers!? Kids books 2 for $1. $2 for classics, although I was only charged $1 for them at the counter. Go figure.

Megan - now that is not fair! Why the heck did they wait while I had gone home? 15 books for about $30 - that was the price of one book in the container mall. Still it would have cost me an arm and a leg in excess baggage. Great haul my dear and I see Lenny knows how to get his way too with the last two on your list.

Wow, nice haul from the Bookarama!

Oh, and I forgot one....On the Road Jack Kerouac (classic, $1)

Paul: you know, I did think of you when I first saw the advertising for Bookarama, as you were still meant to be in the country then (before the itinerary revision). But, didnt want to tease you by mentioning it in the end:) I'll swing by your WL and if I see one you want, will hold it here for your next visit. lol

Terri: hi and nice to see you here :) I am very happy with my haul, and if truth be told, am considering going back today for a second little look.....I mean I got out $60 to spend on books and only spent just over half!

Megan- Great book haul! Yah! I read Revolutionary Road back before the film came out and it was my 1st Yates and it was excellent. I've been meaning to read more of his work.
Interpreter of Maladies is an absolute Must Read! You will be hooked. I finally received a copy of Middlemarch too. I may not get to it this year but I NEED to get to it.
Enjoy!

My copy of Revolutionary Road is pre-film so I like the look of it :) And I like the fact that the film was snubbed by mainstream movie goers as being too slow, I like that kind of film, so thought I might like the book.
And Interpreter of Maladies has been all over LT, so I grabbed it as soon as I saw it and couldnt believe my luck. I was like a greedy child in a bakery....

Wow, great book shopping, Megan! The Jane Austen Book Club caught my eye; haven't read it but I loved the movie. Looking forward to many fab reviews!

Congratulations on adding more books to your library. Aren't books sales wonderful!!!
Next week the installers will put down new hardwood floors. I have to move all my books because while they will move furniture, I cannot expect them to move cases with books in them.

I'm stacking them high, high, high in the closets where the hardwood floor will not be installed. It is a quite a sober reality to realize how out of control my books hoarding is. But, it is great fun to handle the books and see which ones I've purchased a long time ago.

All the best to you

Second visit to book sale resulted in the purchase of:

Novels:
Last Orders Graham Swift
Spies Michael Frayn
Close Range Annie Proulx
Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides (a long time WLed book)

Poetry:
Rest Your Dreams on a Little Twig Joyce Rupp

Essays:
Three Masquerades (Essays on Equality, Work and Human Rights) Marilyn Waring

Humour:
I Hate Myself and Want to Die (The 52 Most Depressing Songs You've ever Heard). As a gift for a friend who actually uses this phrase, in jest. He says.

$16....added to the $34....equals a mounting total of $50....

Nice! Can't wait to hear what you think of Middlesex. Its appeal escaped me entirely, but it's SO well reviewed here at LT. Perhaps I'll give it another shot one day.

Nancy: I wasnt going to get that one (The Jane Austen Book Club), but the edition was lovely and I thought my friend might like it, so got it to give to her. As for reviews....have to read them first. Which is becoming more and more problematic for me these days :)

Linda: dare I ask how many books you have handled so far? Believe it or not, before LT, I rarely bought a book without reading it straight away. This is because I hardly ever bought books, but also because it never occurred to me to put it on the shelf and read others before it. Thanks to LT, I now have a huge (for me) unread section on my shelves!

Great book loot!!

I laughed at I hate myself and want to die - was wondering what it was for the split second before I read the rest of the title. So what are they?

Cushla, just for you, a few titles:

Sister Morphine, Marianne Faithfull
Prayers for Rain, The Cure
Love Will Tear us Apart, Joy Division
Send in the Clowns, Everybody
One, Metallica
The End, the Doors
Captain Jack, Billy Joel
In the Air Tonight, Phil Collins
The Rose, Bette Midler.....

The books has chapters under which the songs are categorised, such as "She Hates Me I Hate Her", "I Mope Therefore I Am" ( I like that one), and "Im Trying to be Profound and Touching, but I Really Suck at it".

Wow, you got a great double-book-haul there! I loved Interpreter of Maladies when I read it a few years ago. And I also think Middlesex and Close Range are good reads.

And now I have "In the Air Tonight" stuck in my head. Oh Lord. Oh Lord.

Oh Lord Oh Lord I have the Rose stuck in my head. I think I need to switch to Phil Collins...

Megan - so 23 books for $50 - not fair! Most depressing songs should include Lennon's Yer Blues surely - what a happy ditty that was.
The Smiths' Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now ought also to be a contender.

>99 EBT1002: did you have that Cadbury's chocolate ad with the gorilla drumming to the song "In the Air Tonight" and then going a bit mad where the drum solo bit came on? That'll cement the song in your head now for sure. *sorry* ;)

>100 cushlareads: Ack, the Rose. Or do I mean Ack, Better Midler? Not sure....although I cant say I didnt blub like a baby in Beaches....

>101 PaulCranswick: Pretty much anything by the Smiths might make it into that category wouldnt it? Morrissey, a very down gentleman to say the least. Or is he having us on? In which case a very smart gentleman!

Megan I didn't see Beaches, but we had to sing The Rose in Form 1 & 2 choir... imagine 300 or so 11 year olds singing it altogether. Looooovely!

Nice book haul .........

Smiths/Morrissey are more dark than depressing ........ sorry why anyone would voluntarily listen to Phil Colins is beyond me

Nice haul of books, Megan. I read Interpreter of Maladies earlier this year and very much enjoyed it.

Yes, I forgot how far south that you are ! We don't really get snow here, but we sure those messy snow geese during the spring and fall, when they migrate from the North. And those plentiful Canada Geese, even if I am Canadian!! And the seagulls..... messy, messy.

Great haul of books Megan! I quite enjoyed The Jane Austen Book Club when I read it several years ago - it's not literary but it was a nice, gentle read which is never a bad thing.

Great book hauls! Hope you love Middlesex and On The Road! I'll keep an eye out for your comments ;)

Very nice book sale haul, Megan ... enjoy:)

I'm an On the Road fan, too, Megan. My son hasn't read it because he says it's "just typing". I'm trying to persuade him otherwise.

Have you read other Joan Bauers? She's been a favorite in our family, and my mother used to love her books, especially Hope Was Here and Rules of the Road.

Some great classics there, Megan - The Penguin Modern Classics series is beautiful. Enhances the reading experience with introduction, notes and all. 1984 is due for a reread for me soon.

102> :-D

>103 cushlareads: Cushla, that story reminds me of when I taught Kindergarten in Taiwan, the teacher in the class next to me taught her kids that song from Titanic.....every day they practised it, and now I cant even stand the sight of the movie poster.

>104 roundballnz: Alex, my partner is a huge Morrissey fan, I actually really enjoy listening too as think he has a great voice and a great attitude towards his fans.

>105 vancouverdeb: I had heard a lot of people raving about Interpreter of Maladies here in LT, plus the little matter of the award it won ;)

>106 souloftherose: Hi heather, I have already given the book to my friend, so I might just have to borrow it from her. I also have to borrow it of her to lend to my sis as she is keen :)

>107 ChelleBearss: Chelle, Ive already read On the Road and loved it, Middlesex Ive been looking out for for ages. I was looking on TradeMe (online auction site here in NZ) but they weren't cheap enough, and keeping my eye out at all the usual cheap places, finally paid off:)

>108 calm: thanks Calm....part of the fun is having them stacked around the room and looking at them all day, then I get to re-shuffle the shelves and, let's face it, probably buy a new book case to deal with the haul.

>109 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I had read Hope was Here a while ago, and that's why I picked up the Bauer book. Plus its a nice copy.
"Just typing"- that's a good one!

>110 ctpress: Carsten: you are so right, the Modern Classic series (in both formats) are beautiful.....I think I read 1984 at school, so a reread is definitely on the cards for me!

>111 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, In the Air Tnight only charted here at #6, almost everywhere else in the Western world it was at #1 or #2. NZers have taste maybe? haha, I dont actually mind the song, it seems I cant stop talking about it now!

Wow, woman! You did great with the book haul! (If I give you $50 could you buy 23 books? - lol)

Many sound good - I've only read 3 of them. Well, (clears throat importantly) ... winter is coming up for you and you really do *NEED* to stock up for those chilly days - snuggling up with a good book. It's called winterizing your home library.

"It's called winterizing your home library" - love it !!

Cheers Cee! Fattening up the old book shelves for winter alright!

Alex: spoken like a true bibliophile!

Wow! I think you might be shopping for new shelves soon at this rate!
Middlemarch! I have it .. it is no longer waiting patiently. I swear it glares at me
when I walk past. I avoid that corner of the room :P

Love theidea of the book of songs.. lol

I love Bette Midler, and the song The Rose :)
go figure !

Hi Kath, We have needed new shelves for a while now, its just the wall space to place it near that is lacking. And that perfect shelf...needs to be low and long to fit. More like a side board I guess.
I like Better Midler as an actor, she's sassy!

She is sassy - good fun.

>118 London_StJ: and not just cos of the red hair right? :)

*******
So I went back for *one last look* at the book sale on the last day. Turned up at 1.55....to be told they were shut, or that the shut at 2 so I wouldnt be allowed in. The look on my face must have said it all as he relented and I did a 10 minute whip around and managed to get:

Fences and Windows by Naomi Klein
Love Etc by Julian Barnes
The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis (Booker Winner 1986)
My Life by David Lange (ex Prime Minister of NZ, as a gift for my partner)
Notwithstanding by Louis de Bernieres (as a gift)
The Wives of Henry Oades by Johana Moran
The Last Deception of Palliser Wentwood by Imogen de le Bere

All for the discounted $2 each. People call me crazy for going on 3 out of 4 of the book sale days but I know you lot will understand!

What a book sale!!! I would have hated to hear that you didn't get that final ten minutes since you did so well in it!
As for the rest, Cee (about the box of birds) and Donna (about Lenny's cheeks) said what I wanted to, so I'll just wish you a happy, healthy autumn from here on out with the guys!

Hi Peggy- Thanks, I reckon I did OK considering. It was a serious case of trying to get my eyes to see more than they could actually fit in! I was scanning for my life! lol
Autumn is lovely (this week anyway), sunny calm days and cool starry nights. Well, cold starry nights!

Woot! Well done, Megan!

Oh yeah. You're crazy! Crazy as a fox! :)
Good work!

Megan 3 days out of 4 - what the heck happened on the day you weren't able to go - no family crisis I hope!

102: Megan, I can't even think about "Beaches" without tearing up...that and "Mr. Hollland's Opus". Your song title book sounds like a hoot! I plan to make my own book haul a week from tomorrow at our library system's semi-annual sale.

119: Hooray for that ten minute whirl. If I counted correctly, you were only $4.00 over your original budget. Good work!

Fun times with book hauls around here!

Congrats on all the new books.

Hi Megan - nice book load you've got there! I'll be reading Jake’s Thing by Kingsley Amis this year and will probably get to The Old Devils at some future point.

My friend Karola had a shelf that went all round the room, at the level of the top of the door frame... just above it, actually. It was a fabulous book storage place.

eta

BEACHES...my closest friend died of a heart issue. I watched the movie because Bette Midler was in it.
I had no idea what it was about.. Cried? oh yea.. I cry at the movie when I watch it, and I do any time I come across it, and I cry at the song..

You did well at the book sale :)

Nancy: Thanks, it didn't stop me from going to the library yesterday and getting 2 more books out though! *sigh* It's an affliction this Library Thing!

Cee: crazy may be a word for it, I prefer biblioholic!

Paul: well, I decided to go to the fancy outdoor food market on the one day I didnt attend the book sale as I *needed* some dutch almond butter cake. Food took precedence on this occasion :)

Donna: you're right! Only $4 over my original $60 budget, not bad. And its not every day you can say you got 27 (or so) books for 60 odd dollars....

Ellen: yeehaa! Im so into it, once again I come across the problem of making time to read some. I hope to become as adept as my grandmother was who could smoke and do anything, except Id like to read at the same time as doing anything :)

Kerry: thanks, it does really feel like I have won lotto

Kerri: I hope The Old Devils isnt too boy-ie, the cover certainly makes it seem so. Not that Im into girlie literature either, but you know.

Kath: Yes, a tear-jerker it certainly is. Especially when its is associated with a real sad situation. Songs are such instant reminders....I cant listen to The Cranberries (an Irish band) without crying as it is too painful a reminder of a close friend who died of a brain tumour at about the time when we were all listening to it together. It was 17 years ago this Saturday. That is nearly half my life ago, but it can still get me crying just like that.

Book 25
The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck

**contains a tiny spoiler**
Much has been said already here about this book. My impression is that it is a marvellous and special novel. The chapter where Alice drinks herself into oblivion is one of the saddest pieces of writing I have read, and the short few paragraphs describing Van Brunt's realisation of his illness health situation, is downright depressing. I loved it.

4.5 stars

#130 - I've never read Kinsley Amis and don't know much about him (he pops up in my Booker 12 in 12 category, which is why I'll be reading him). I'm hoping it's not upper-class, mid-life crisis, male angst literature (YAWN). That's definitely one of my least favorite sub-genres.

>132 DorsVenabili: you said it! hehe. Although, Im not sure I've seen the genre (upper-class, mid-life crisis, male angst literature) listed on the library shelves!

*waving* at Megan

Hooray! Stasia's back, nice to see you mass posting today Stasia, I guess you have a spare few minutes to do a quick visit to all and sundry. Hope you are getting along well :)

Skimmed through ... if only so my conscience won't prick that I'm not making an effort ... but I am just about caught up on your thread now, Megan. :-) Here's hoping I stay caught up for the next few weeks. haha

Bookarama sounds wonderful, Megan! You chose some books that I have screaming at me on my bookshelf. Maybe you'll coax me into reading Revolutionary Road or Middlemarch or Middlesex when you get around to them.

#135: Doing just fine, Megan. I hope you and your boys are the same!

Caro: I cant imagine how many posts would be stacked up for you once you returned from your holiday Caro! Best not to read them all I reckon :)

Lynda: I think I only bought Middlemarch as it reminded me of Middlesex, which is one I have wanted to read for ages. Oh well, its a classic and may sound good dropped into casual conversation "Oh yes, Middlemarch, Ive read that; very quintessential", or some such bull-pucky, lol

Stasia: good to hear, and yes, we are all dandy and growing speedily, or in my case not shrinking as rapidly as desired :)

Busy today resurrecting a failed recipe from last night and remaking it into a mexican pancake stack extravaganza. Making the pancakes (time consuming) ......very suspiciously quiet outside so I go to check, and there is Wilbur *helping* me with the washing. Hose, on full blast, washing on line all sprayed and dripping. lol what fun it must be to be 3!! He has also sprayed his painting table and all the bits of wood he painted to "make beautiful for Daddy". I could have guessed something was up!

Just trying to keep up with you Megan :)
Middlesex.. I was one who didn't like it.

That was so nice of Wilbur to help you with the laundry (tee hee)

Kath: I didnt like The Virgin Suicides, so who knows?

Chelle: dont I know it :) He is such a card, and cracks me up on a daily basis. No matter if the washing spends another day and night on the line hey!?

Just ordered this as heard from Ilana that there's a little 10% of sale at bookdepository, hooray!

Hi Megan- I bought this same Steinbeck collection a couple months ago. You can't go wrong with those selections.
I loved Middlesex but have not read The Virgin Suicides or his latest, The Marriage Plot, although I own both.

#144: I read that one a couple years back. It is a good one! You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for the tip, Megan .. I've ordered my Steinbeck collection from Book Depository too! :-)

Hi Megan! The fun never stops at your house!
Reminds me of the time my daughter "helped" me with the wash...
She was very quiet one day and I found her in her closet taking every newly washed and *ironed* cutie dress she owned off a low rack and dumping them ALL in the big diaper pail I had... right in there with all the dirty diapers destined for the diaper service! What a mess!
Might have been a good idea to take a hose to those!

Ah! sweet babies ;-)

Just stopping by to say hi! I'm busy with the group discussion of The Detour but I want you to know that I am still alive and kicking!:)

hmm I'm going have to give Mark a nudge about all of his unread books!;)

Nice order from the book depostitory! Wilbur sounds like a lot of fun! With my younger son, when he was about 3 or 4 - he was insistent that he was going to marry me when he grew up - just like they say in psychology books... I was so surprised. I did not know what to answer. I think I said - the thing is, I am already married to daddy. So, then he would suggest his grandma - and I would have point out the grandma was also married to grandpa. Finally he settled one of my sisters, who was still single. I am happy to tel you he developed normally and I think may eventually marry his girlfriend of nearly 4 years. Kids really are cards, aren't they!

In reverse order, just cos I feel like it...

Deb: Wilb is into weddings at the moment as his preschool teacher is getting married soon. He was grappling for a bride the other day too! He settled on his little friend Isla, who is very sweet, so I didn't protest :)

Cee: I know that my helper knew he wasn't supposed to be hosing down the washing, but I still thought it was funny! One of those times when I had to pretend to be stern :)

Caro: nice! There'll be a run on the copies and they'll up the price. Get in now people! I had seen this edition for $50 or $60 recently and was severely coveting it. So I had to get it, naturally....

Stasia: that one? Try that 6! I will be counting each one separately, that's for sure. I was actually about to purchase 3 from the collection on their own, and saw that it added up to more than the collection itself. So, as above, I had to get it, naturally.... ;)

Mark: it is a beautiful looking edition. Having had my mitts all over it recently at the University Book Shop, I know it will suit me fine. I'm looking forward to Middlesex as my sister loved it and told me a bit about it at the time she was reading it.

#150: I guess counting one book as 6 is fair in this case :)

Book 26
Holes by Louis Sachar

This YA book jumped out at me at the library, or rather the golden disc depicting the Newbery Medal did!

The notion of a child being incarcerated for 18 months for taking a pair of sneakers didn't ring true for me, and it irked right up to the point where the story grabbed me. That was in the second quarter, and then I ran with this story the whole way to the finish. The holes refer to the main task that is dished out at the juvenile detention centre in the middle of dried up Green Lake. The kids are made to dig a large hole each day as part of their punishment and rehabilitation.

It is a very clever plot, and an unexpected one. And I love how the narrator is called Stanley Yelnats. What a great name. 4 stars.

Book 27
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

*sigh* what have I done setting myself the task of reading ten whole classics this year. I dont think they agree with me. I may have to revise my list ......and by that I mean take out all the ones written before 1900.

When reading this little novel, I felt like the method for getting the words down on paper was for the author to hold all the words in his hand, stand back 2 paces and throw them at the blank pages. That's about how much sense it made to me. I simply cant ingest the verbose style. I'm cross at myself though as I could sense snippets of beauty amongst it all, and just wish I could get with the programme. 1.5 stars

#153 - I read that last year and sort of enjoyed it, but he can be a bit tedious. The most exciting thing I took away from the novel is the next time I adopt cats, I'm going to get a boy and a girl and name them Miles and Flora.

>154 DorsVenabili: Miles and Flora seem excellent names for cats! What a chuckle it would be too, explaining it to people.

Megan - your comment re the assistance rendered by Wilbur reminded me of watching SWMBO have her hair tended by a young anglo-dutch girl by the name of Bodelena who somehow managed to brush her hair backwards sort of against the grain. The look on my dearest's face as she was trying not to scream and/or lose her temper was wonderful to behold.

>156 PaulCranswick: ah, the things we do for kids :)
Poor Hani must have needed a lengthy visit to the hair salon to right her mussed up hair, I bet.

I hugely enjoyed Holes. I like James, but I know he's not everyone's cup of tea.

144 that is the same edition I have, but mine is eBook format.

Nate keeps pestering me to buy a line and start doing washing like that. I've never used an outdoor line though so my luck I'd forget it out there during the rain or something silly

I remember having to read Turn of the Screw back in school and I haven't re-read the book, Megan ... what does that tell you? ;-)

Lucy- Holes was a really fun and quick read for me. A good antidote to James ;)

Chelle: never used an outdoor line!? How can that be? I love the collection of Steinbecks, Im so looking forward to cuddling it in my arms

Caro: it tells me....that.....you dont like being told what to read? :)

Megan- I love the photos Paul posted of you guys! And as usual Lenny makes the biggest impression. He's a scene-stealer.

Oh Mark! Too kind *gush gush*
You should see him in real life, he'll melt your heart (spoken like a true mama in love with her baby!)

Mark - the smallest one always makes the biggest impression! He is a cutie and he rightly takes the limelight!

Holes is a favourite here, I gave my copy to one of my son's friends years ago to use for SSR reading at high school, it was the first book he'd read in years.

Just popping in to say that I saw Paul's pics.. you are BEAUTIFUL!

Amazing book haul (s)! Enjoy!

Megan I couldn't be greedy and take all the photos for myself - Here SWMBO looks like she thinks Lenny is good enough to eat:

Megan trying to keep her jetlagged companion awake

Paul: they are so little for so little time. Lenny's 15 minutes of fame, I hope he hasn't peaked too soon!

Kerry: that must be a great feeling- to get someone back on to books, I hope he continued on with reading after Holes.

Kath: *blush blush* I think you might be overstating things somewhat, but I appreciate the sentiment :)

Anne: hehe, 3 visits to one book sale, counts as one haul I'm sure :)

Paul: sheesh, did you have to post such big photos? What about the enigma and mystery I've been cultivating all this time. Blown. ;)

"Paul: sheesh, did you have to post such big photos? What about the enigma and mystery I've been cultivating all this time. Blown. ;)"

Hahahahaha!!!

Huzzah for meetup pictures!

I guess it depends on one's idea of what is beautiful..
I already knew that you have a loving heart, are a good mom..are sweet and cheerful ..
have the best of intentions.. and now I see that your face is open and lovely and
that to me = Very beautiful :)

Wonderful pictures--of all of you! It's fun to see them show up on both threads.

144: I love that cover, Megan. My copy of The Short Novels of John Steinbeck is the original 1953 hardcover. I'm looking forward to completing it by year's end as I continue the Steinbeckathon.

153: So you're saying that Henry James is no John Steinbeck? At least Turn of the Screw is short. I loved his Portrait Of A Lady but understand your very clever visual of his wordiness.

Ooh, a new Lenny pic! I love those pictures of your meetup. I think Wilbur should accompany you next time. He seems like "the life of the party" kind of guy!

Sorry the pics were oversized! Want to just confirm that you did clear the photos in CChurch already - Lenny kept quiet but I guess he would be pleased with the reception anyways!

I come across the problem of making time to read some. I hope to become as adept as my grandmother was who could smoke and do anything, except Id like to read at the same time as doing anything :)

LOL! If finding time to read were as easy as acquiring books, our threads would be unmanageable.

Oh, they are.

Megan, I read Middlesex several years ago and very much enjoyed it.

Alex: that was exactly the response I was going for, phew, I pulled it off ;)

Luxx: it is pretty great to see two strangers who have become friends online actually meet in RL and get on as well as could be!

Kath: I love it when you visit my thread an drop such lovely comments. That's it, I'm getting a comfy chair here just for you!

Anne: When I met with Cushla last year in Wellington, we didnt get any evidence, and it was the same with Paul and Caro in KL.....so now we must both prove that we exist in person :)

Donna: lol (re: Wilby being a life of the party kind of guy). So true! At the Dr yesterday (to investigate a week-old limp) he was trying to persuade the Dr to get him an Xray. As much as he was convinced his foot was broken "up to here", the Doc had to disagree.

Paul: I remember, I demanded right of veto at the time of the taking of the photo. (All done in the spirit of my motto to always present yourself in the best possible light on the internet)

Ellen: (x2) finding time is really the hardest bit isn't it! I am looking forward to working my way through the pile, however long it takes.

Great to see the pics!! Well done guys on the cameras.

Love the photos! Yay!

Megan- Oh, don't worry Lenny will get much more than his 15 minutes of fame. This smiley kid is destined for hours, if not days.
Were you guys eating outside in that picture?

Megan - IMHO you look great in the photos and you were right not to exercise the veto priviledge we did agree upon!

Mark - sort of half-inside. Upstairs in a coffee shop with three sides open.

btw Megan have a great weekend and I hope the weather is still holding up for you in my favourite place.

Love the pictures! Thanks for sharing them, Megan. It is always great to see 75ers meeting up together.

Yes well done on the cameras. Seeing your photos makes me realize that when Suzanne and I met a few weeks ago we didn't get any evidence either--at least no photographic evidence; perhaps our book purchase lists are evidence enough.

Anne knowing Suz and yourself - if book purchases is the guide there was forensic evidence aplenty.

I saw the pics on Paul's thread, but thrilled to see a new one!

Cushla: re the cameras, indeed....did I ever say to you that the second I got back to my hotel room after meeting with you, I found my camera! Funny.

Nancy: The photos are good aren't they. Thanks must go to Pauls PA and #1 daughter I think! She seemed in charge of the camera.

Mark: I dont know if I would wish fame upon my children, happiness is good enough for me!

Paul: weekend progressing well, aside from the de-cluttering session my partner is conducting around the house (occurs on a semi-regular basis). "Do we need this? Do we need this?". I regularly fear for my possessions during these whirlwinds. At least he knows not to touch the books.

Stasia: I am so glad to have been able to host one! Seeing all the US meetups inspired me.

Anne: It is fairly well known that the 75ers want to see the pictures of all and any future meetups! If the impatient posts are anything to go by......

Lucy: yes, nice of Paul to post them here so everyone can see.

...................

Nearly finished my book of political essays from a feminist perspective. *partner rolls eyes and prepares for a ranting diatribe*
It is very interesting, fascinating even, but a little too scholarly for me for me to seek out more any time soon. NZers may have heard of Marilyn Waring, her essay on being a female politician in the 1970's was shocking.

Nearly finished my book of political essays from a feminist perspective. *partner rolls eyes and prepares for a ranting diatribe* Oh, Megan, you are too much!

....I cant wait to start spouting how the invisibility of women's (unpaid) work is criminal in the maldistribution of public sector resources....

Megan - huh??Would welcome a little prejudice if the alternative was accompanied by such turgid and incomprehensible english! I already know that Ladies are superior in almost every way than their Male counterparts. My good lady wife sends me off to work daily to grind out a dollar or two (ok three) and then either spends all of it or tells me what to do with any balance. Good job I have a stash that goes on books!

Yes, that sentence doesn't quite make sense does it, as didnt the section on how women's unpaid work in the home contributes to GDP. I should understand it by now, as there was a whole section on it, but I dont. That's not to say I dont think the work I do in the home isn't valuable, it just doens't have a dollar value attached to it.
Isnt Hani the Marketing Manager and PaulCranswick Enterprises Inc Ltd? So she earns as much as you probably!

If she only earned as much as me I would be happy - I am on a small percentage of her takings!

>193 PaulCranswick: you'll need to talk to the boss about a new remuneration package, with benefits! lol

I will get round to it when she wakes up....on second thoughts I better not disturb her.

Never disturb a woman in rest. Good thinking.
My poor partner has been on the receiving end of some god-awful looks (and dare I admit it? rants!) after waking me to discuss some inane thing or other.

Great pics Megan, Paul, SWMBO and Lenny! How nice to see that you were able to hook up despite Pauls travel woes.
I too love your Steinbeck edition. It's great that it includes many of the novels which we are reading this year.

ohhhh which Marilyn waring book are you reading - was very lucky to have Marilyn as a lecturer - deep dark secret was a sociology/social policy major ......

Lynda: I really must get on board with the dates for reading the appropriate novel. I have just been picking and choosing according to what was available at the library.

Alex: the book is Three Masquerades (Essays on Equality Work and Human Rights). I saw her interviewed one night on TV7 and found her very interesting, I have since found out more about her, all of which backs up my original judgement! Its been a while since I read academic writing, so full of references and a dry style. But it fits so well in to my own passionate interest of human rights....that i love it.
Am I right in guessing that "Social Policy" has more of a foot hold in real life than "Sociology"?

I'm a big Marilyn Waring fan - which book was it? I have one by her here, unread so far - but numerous volumes of feminist perspectives on XYZ books from my Youth! (I think the first heated debate I had with Tim was on pay equity. Still married him though.)

Turns out everyone knows Marilyn Waring apart from me! (until now). Book is Three Masquerades.....from the Rotary Bookarama.....$2, worth every cent. :)

Settling in to see developments from my comfy chair..
I haven't a thing to add, today.
*waves*

Great pictures of you, Paul , Lenny and family! What treat to see them! You look wonderful, Megan!

>202 mckait: he he, glad you find the comfy chair, well, comfy :) Its even got a wooden panel on the arm rest for your hot drink, did you notice?, and a reading light positioned just behind.

>203 vancouverdeb: thanks Deb, i love seeing other 75ers in photos, it adds so much to your perception of them and their lives. (us and our loves?) Im the first to demand a photo of a meetup, even if Im the last one to bring a camera to my ow!

Must check out Marilyn Waring (in other words, you weren't the only one).
Love your thread, Megan.

I did notice, and my coffee is resting there right now.. sigh.. bliss!

Ellen: oh good, I hope you can find something she's written, even just to see what you think.

Kath: oh good! And I dont care about things like coffee rings on the furniture so sup away :)

Lenny doesnt mind mess either.....

Hah! I like what an adventurous eater Lenny is, too. That's a great photo, Megan. Somewhere we have a photo of our Jesse after he plowed his face into his birthday cake at that age.

Looks like a fun get-together, and Lenny is definitely a star on the rise. :-)

Oh, bring on the spaghetti! Love it!

#208 - Lenny is adorable (of course), and I love his dinner! Soba noodles and zucchini?

Joe: Maybe Ill make Lenny a cream pie to get his face into for his first! I love this pic as he has a fist full of noodles, a mouth full of noodles, and he is trying to figure out how to have more noodles somehow!

Nancy: its such a tactile food for the littlies!

Kerri: Correct on all fronts for food guess. It was more a time filler before the mashed veges etc arrived. And it worked, took him ages to ingest that lot.

There's my boy, chowing down again! He likes good food, he likes to read and we know he likes the ladies. I'm sure he'll be a beer guy too but that will come much later.

Megan - his level of concentration is adorable - he is desperately trying to get all that food back out from his mouth and onto the table all the time thinking - "where's the chocolate?!"

Mark: if he's anything like his brother, he'll be talking about 'home bwoo' in no time, although hopefully not tasting it for a while yet! I do recall an incident at pre school where Wilbur was role playing the removal of beer bottle tops, explaining how to do it, and doing the "chhh" noise as it come off! The teachers must see a lot I guess, they laughed at the time thankfully!

Paul: he's all about food that "Little" Lenny :) When he sees it coming he practically jumps out of the high chair! And same with the milk....grabs it (at the source so to speak) with both hands and launches at it!

Three Masquerades is the one - very good book - one text book I would have quite easily read for pleasure ..... can't be said for social stats papers. - Like all good graduates in New Zealand I don't work in the field I was educated in !!!! social policy does not Equal Electricity :)

P.S if you even get the chance to see marilyn speak take it up .... very inspirational & passionate

Megan- That description of Wilbur & 'home bwoo' just made my day! LOL.

Lovein' the Lenny pic :)

You do have wonderful stories! Good you're writing them down too - believe it or not they fade from memory, not all of them, but too many!

Super cute Lenny! Looks like he is very determined to get to all that food. Love the look of concentration!

Oh my - Lenny loves those noodles! So cute:)

Great photo of Lenny! And a good choice on your part to give him plain pasta.

I'm with Lenny, Megan - more noodles!

>216 roundballnz: Thanks Alex, I will seek her out as one to see speaking. As I mentioned up there somewhere, the interview I saw her in on TV7 (the very interesting public service broadcaster soon-to-be turned into to a shopping channel- all thanks to National), was a great one.

>217 msf59: Mark, the teachers were laughing when they told us about it, they even took a photo of him holding up some metal thingy that he said was the bottle opener! Another case of like father like son.

>218 mckait: thanks Kath, ever since you offered to come cook for me when he was born, you have become honorary auntie!

>219 sibylline: Lucy I tend to remember things my sisters kids have said and regurgitate them to her, she is shocked I can remember them. But my own ones, I swear Ill remember them when they happen as they are so cute....but they do fade.

>220 ChelleBearss: hehe, food is his friend

>221 calm: too right Calm, he was intense in his thoughts on how to get even more in fists!

>222 kidzdoc: hooray! Endorsement from an international pediatrician! :) I swear, if I ate as healthily as Lenny, I'd be trim as anything, pity I dont have the will power. I cant stand seeing kids eating junk food, but for some reason I am totally Ok with me eating it!

>223 jnwelch: well Joe, its a pretty simple menu item if you're considering it for your cafe. Boil, serve. That's it.

Book 28
Dragon Talk by Fleur Adcock

A collection of poems written to chronicle the authors childhood spent in Britain during the war, and then the move of her family back to NZ, where she was born. I find poems with rhymes more easily accessible, but loved the story telling feel of these. The one that follows could easily be imagined as part of a conversation.

Strangers on a Tram

I was on a tram going home from school
when who should get on it but my mother,
wearing the brown tweed costume Mrs Dowle
passed on to her before we left England.

This wouldnt have been so bad except that
she'd let the hem down because Mrs D.
had said skirts were going to be longer.
Well, if so New Zealand had not yet heard.

Mothers were supposed to be stout, with grey hair,
and not go around predicting the New Look.
There were some girls on the tram I sort of knew.
I pretended this woman was a stranger.

Amazingly, she pretended the same
(apart from giving me a furtive wink).
How dare she have the cheek to understand me!
It was hard to work out what to resent.

I liked the flow of the poems, and their collective story. 4 stars.

Nice review of Dragon Talk, Megan, and I like the poem.

BTW, is there a National Poetry Month in New Zealand?

is there a National Poetry Month in New Zealand?
Not that I know of, Darryl. I cant recall seeing or hearing about poems or poetry much at all here, ever! Not that I see much of mainstream media, so these things could fly under my radar.

Book 29
Three Masquerades by Marilyn Waring

This book is comprised of three essays, as the subtitle says...on Equality, Work and Human Rights.
I am very interested in the idea of women's unpaid work done in the home, having economic value.

If their (women's) labour were paid or given a proper market value women would emerge the as the major breadwinners in most societies.

I cant quite get my head around Waring's concept of "the non-recognition of unpaid work as a human rights violation". This is partly because "non-recognition" has not been defined in this context. And partly because I am thinking only of my own situation as a stay at home mother, where I feel quite lucky to be able to look after my own kids, make my own meals and leave the vacuuming til later if I feel like it (which I always do). The concept makes more sense in the rural developing world where the husband owns the land, has the say and gets the grants but the wife is spending all day collecting water and doing all the menial agricultural tasks that contribute to the farms success in making money.

This collection of three long essays raises a lot of very interesting points and I can see myself, a glass of wine in hand, soap box at the ready, discussing said points with politically minded friends after a hard day at the "office". 3.5 stars.

How dare she have the cheek to understand me!
It was hard to work out what to resent.

Isn't that quite typical of mother/daughter relationships the world over and a very acute observation by Adcock? I also have a preference for verse that has rhyme and rythmn as I find it is often a sense that there is real craftsmanship at work. I'm not such an old fogey of course that some more "modern poetry" can still resonate.

I loved those lines too Paul, and loved them being the final lines.
It is true, I remember thinking the exact same thing about my mother when she showed some insight into me or my life. It pissed me off! I can laugh with her about it now, but then....

No thoughts on the feminist political essays?

#226: We have a National Poetry Day, this year it's 27 July. There is also an online Tuesday Poem collective. I see some of the poems published on various blogs each week as part of my weekly online reading.

Must read me some Marilyn Waring, she was the local MP in the rural area where I grew up.

mmm Megan it is a case of treading on egg-shells isn't it?!
My views are simple on this actually. There has long been a calculable disparity in earnings between men and women doing exactly the same role in the workplace and this is merely the absence of a penis reducing salary - not justifiable. full stop.

On the other hand to call a conscious decision by a partnership between consenting adults for one to rear children and the other to work to the benefit of the whole is in no way worthy of discredit and seems highly disrespectful and insulting to those people who make those life choices. It doesn't matter to me whether that partner maintaining the home unit is male or female and there seems an equal amount of ignorance for parts of the feminist movement to pre-suppose this will be a woman.

I like the idea of poetry as a conversation, Megan. Good one! Feminist political essays makes me think of long past, very hot summers in Ottawa, sitting in university classrooms, listening to sociology professors ... But I do agree wholeheartedly with your quote, If their (women's) labour were paid or given a proper market value women would emerge the as the major breadwinners in most societies.

Kerry: oh we do! Good, I had no idea. I though it was pretty poor to not have something. Thanks for letting us know.

Paul: no eggshells broken Paul, everyone is free to speak their mind here :)
there seems an equal amount of ignorance for parts of the feminist movement to pre-suppose this will be a woman
True, there is the breast pump to enable dads to be the one who stays with a baby at home, as ownership of the feeding mechanisms seems to be the one thing that keeps women in that role. That and actually wanting to!

I think the essay in question assumed a lot of prior knowledge of the concepts she was talking about, either that or my feminist side has lapsed. Now that Ive got kids I see real merit in the gender based division of tasks. I do inside stuff as I am the one best suited to respond to the needs of the (young) kids, and that is where they are mostly based; and my partner does the outside stuff as, someone has to.

Nancy: the question remains, where is the money going to come from to pay me for looking after my own household? In my case, recognition for what I do would mean that society values the contribution I make in being there for my kids rather than having them raised by strangers. I guess that means that in my ideal world I would be able to state that I am a housewife, and have people look upon that as a worthy occupation and not just have their eyes glaze over!

Caffeine has got a lot to answer for.
While I was on a coffee high this morning, I decided to break free from my usual routine and visit an excellent cafe with little Lenny in tow. They sell locally made artisans goods as well as fair trade thingies from all over. I took a bundle of my homemade greeting cards and peddled my wares. They liked them, and now I have to actually make sure I have enough to let them sell. Eeek, I may have overstated my current stock levels. So looks like I'll be churning out another line of cards. :)

#235 Oh, post some photos of your cards, Megan. Would love to see!

These are the cards, I usually go for a slightly off-kilter look, like the anatomical drawings of body parts you might be able to make out....not to everyone's taste, but there you go :)

And while Im at it....here's Lenny about to go cruising the neighbourhood, Wilby "this is how you do it mum!", and my newest little bookshelf :)

I can see myself, a glass of wine in hand, soap box at the ready, discussing said points with politically minded friends after a hard day at the "office".
I'll join you (and Paul, if we that's okay with you) for that glass of wine and that conversation any evening!

Lenny is too cute!

Hi Megan - congrats on the card-selling! They look great. Do you sell them on Etsy, or anything like that?

Darling pictures of Lenny -and your cards! I make home -made cards too. I'm big on whimsical, hedgehogs and copic markers and the like.

BTW - in case you have not figure out, I am very silly a lot of the time. :) You know, Tom Cruise, Carstenovich.... the list goes on..

Fun Poem :)

I love being an auntie.. including an honorary one...!
I am still willing to cook, you know.. maybe I need to plan a trip :)

You have your own business!!! Hooray! How very exciting
and cool! I love your quirky, fun cards :)

Your boys are, as always... adorable.

What a great thread you have.. fun, funny, thought provoking, serious and
sometimes filled with little cuties :)

Great shots of the boys - Lenny, my man pedalling his way towards the Southern Alps. Wilbur already completing the second page of his memoirs and looking for an eraser.

Hi Meagan!
Great goings on here...
Love the poem by Adcock, commentary on the worth of women and ...
THE PICTURES!!!! ALL of them :)
You should post the one of you eating pasta while preg next to Lenny's own adventure! They are together in my mind ;-)

Thanks for posting your cards, Megan; they're great! So original. I'm intrigued. Love the pics of the kids, too, and your new shelf : ).

There's my little daredevil! I used to ride my daughter around like that. She loved it too and sometimes would fall asleep and I would feel her head resting against my back.
How did Wilbur put a pencil through his ear...oh it's not through...never mind.

>239 EBT1002: I love a good discussion. I even have a very right leaning friend who is great to discuss politics with, he is a very good listener which helps and always presents his arguments respectfully and in an unheated manner. I always let my emotions run wild and use arguments like "it just doens't feel right!".

>240 DorsVenabili: I have sold cards through shops before, but most places who sell on behalf only cough up the cash once they sell, and I prefer to sell a lot in bulk rather than wait for the money to trickle in.

>241 vancouverdeb: Cards are so expensive to buy, I cant face it now that I make them. Who would pay $7-$8 for a greeting card!?

>242 mckait: thanks Kath! *polishes comfy chair and tops up hot drink*

>243 PaulCranswick: that's about right with big bro's activities, Paul. I swear, that kid is too smart for his own good, or is that for MY own good? He cant actually read or write yet (understandably) but the concepts that he grasps and his general cognition seems to me to be unbelievable.

>244 -Cee-:


I see what you mean, like mother like son!?

>245 lit_chick: thanks Nancy, I love my cards, but a lot of people prefer the scrapbooking style, which I think can come over as a bit generic.

>246 msf59: hi Mark, we arent into body piercings with pencils just yet! Only prob with the bike seat is the helmet, he keeps grabbing it and trying to take it off, i swear Ill crash one day from trying to wrench around and keep it on. Kind of counter-productive....

Eeek, heated discussion on facebook about the National Government here changing laws to suit them and their big business friends. Had to come back to LT for some peace and calm.
grrr, John Key is a grinning fool.

Hiya - just come a stalking from the prospect of baby photos referenced on Richards thread - Lenny's so cute!

Starred for the books though :) Honest...

I'm exhausted just catching up!

I'm glad life seem to be treating you well, Megan - keep the photos and stories coming, please.

Hah! I doubt the cafe's chef would go for "boil, serve" for noodles, although I remember that recipe well from my bachelor days. On the other hand, we could have a noodle fest, with a prize for the denizen who best imitates Lenny's noodle-eating style.

Noodles are so handy, don't you think?
They can become almost anything, with a bit of imagination.

Like a sheet of paper. You never know what is hiding in there until you begin to cut or fold..

>249 BekkaJo: Hi Bekka. You live in the Channel Islands, cool! It a place I never got to visit when I was in those parts, but had wanted to. Glad to see a new face around here, so welcome. I'll look for your thread too soon.

>250 Dejah_Thoris: Hi Dejah, glad you like the pics and stories, I always have a funny kid story but try not to only talk about my kids, as want to feel like Im a person in my own right too...oh yea, and books too :)

>251 jnwelch: noodle eating competition at Joes! Make it a fundraiser and I'd come, but in general contests to eat the most food make me feel a little uncomfortable. Even though I dont doubt Id be good at it :)

>252 mckait: love noodles, my friend used to love noodles so much she was called Noodles for quite a few years.

Megan - I love the noodles competition photos - I seem to recall you telling me about vetoeing photos as you didn't like to see yourself - great self-confidence to put that one up - it's a great one!

great self-confidence to put that one up
Paul! That is such a back handed compliment! lol, true though.
We'll just call that one of me a novelty shot! I obviously threw my rule book out the window posting that, and now twice (it was the first ever photo I put on my own thread).

Behind! Behind!! Behind!!! I finally just gave up and enjoyed the pictures and read little snatches here and there. Young woman, I was not as pretty as you are on my wedding day when I was at my best ever! The kids are stars... Your cards are fun... And, as usual, I wish the picture of the new bookshelf were a little bigger so that I could read the titles.

"grrr, John Key is a grinning fool" no argument there - but will he get away with current mischief? noe there is a question ..... That I ask today with protest marches thru Auckland is uncanny.

Megan - have a lovely weekend. I meant a compliment for sure either front handed or back handed.

Peggy: most of the books on the new second hand shelf are ones I got at the local book sale....listed in posts#86, 94 and 119. You are too kind with the other comments you have made. :)

Alex: marches? what are these about? The National government? (surely not) And I suspect Key will get away with everything.

Paul: Ill take all the compliments I can get :) So thanks. Hope your weekend is good and stress-free too and that you are able to catch up on things you've been planning on doing, or that Hani has been planning on you doing.

Marches against National government policy - real shocker there - :) am sure you know all now

Book 30
Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck (read in memory of JanetinLondon)

I sensed greatness in this book. The poetic style, the repeated phrases, the minimal descriptions that hinted of this and that. I liked and looked forward to reading it for its language- even if at 2/3 of the way through I all of a sudden wondered if this was a book translated into English (it is).

But, large parts of it escaped me. I couldn't keep track of the characters and how they fitted in to the story. I couldn't picture the house where it all happens (this to me was the biggest clue that I wasn't getting all I could be from it).

I would like to read this book again and see how I go a second time. I even look forward to reading it again sometime. But for now I give it 3 stars.

>261 LovingLit: I just heard it on the 8pm radio news, Alex (that would read the 4am news in LT time). Good to see the people still have a voice! My voice is confined to social media on this issue. But is fairly loud.

Just stopping by to say hi! I don't mind so much the price of cards, but I like to put my own " footprint on them." If ever figure how to put a photograph on thread, I'll post a few of my cards.

>247 LovingLit: Oh, Megan! The pictures of mother and son are just too precious! Thanks for putting them together for me.
If you ever make a scrapbook for him, you must include these.
Better yet, when he grows up and you attend his & fiance's bridal shower, give them a pasta cookbook with these pictures inside the front cover ;-)

"...large parts of it escaped me. I couldn't keep track of the characters and how they fitted in to the story. I couldn't picture the house where it all happens ..."
You aren't pregnant again are you? Sometimes that messes with your mind lol.

Deb: if you follow the instructions on putting photos in from the instructions thread, it is easier than you think! Even I managed to learn :)

Cee: what a great idea! (the pasta cookbook with the pictures :))
And, no, def not preggers again. Just addled by patchy sleep.

Hi Megan- Hope you are enjoying your weekend and your books are treating you well.

Thanks Mark! My books are loving me at the moment, I have a whole heap of goodies lined up:
The New Penguin Book of American Short Stories, (exposing me to greats like Faulkner, F Scott Fitzgerald, Updike, Richard Ford....).
Next is The Bone People, then An Ice Cream War, and then on to some of my recent purchases.

#267 - The Bone People! One of my favorites. I'm so looking forward to your comments.

Megan - hope you are having a great weekend with or without protest marches - also had them here actually which inconveniently closed the easiest route to the Mall! You have some good reading planned. Hope you like An Ice Cream War for obvious reasons.

>268 DorsVenabili: I hope Ill like it too Kerri, and you share your name with its author! I just noticed you have a picture on your profile now, is that new? You look happy and lovely.

Busying myself with preparing a roasted chicken this afternoon....and starting early on a wee glass of red just to kick start the evening. Very pleasant it is too :)

Hi Paul (cross posting there!)
Weekend good despite only 4 hours sleep last night. Am so used to it these days, but it still seems strange to say that that is all I managed to get! (young Wilbur had a fever in the night so was up down and up again....) The warm still Autumn day is making up for it though, that and the wine!

Delurking as announced, though belatedly. I enjoy your thread a lot and love the pics, especially the combined one in #247.

Sorry you didn't enjoy Visitation as much as you had hoped. I don't know what the translation is like, but the original German is in fact very poetic. Erpenbeck is the only contemporean German writer I know who can do 'beautiful language in prose texts'.

The story, or better the scenes and situations she uses, are very German and maybe cannot be well translated. The "home" always had a special meaning in a country where buying your own ground, building an own house (and ideally planting some trees) used to mean you are intending to stay for the rest of your life. 'Home' also means safety. Losing this home due to political circumstances means also losing all protection, leaving your life shattered. I loved this book, but it was a hard read for me, almost too intense.

#270 - Hi Megan - Thank you! That was a lovely vacation to Portland, OR, last summer. The photos have been there for a while.

Hi Megan, Ah, I love visiting and seeing how big the boys are getting. What?! No messy red sauce on the pasta?! That's half the fun, mom! Have a great day with the kiddo's!

Megan, I caught up with your old thread last night and was all set to make comments about the edible Lenny, the wonderful Wil, food and a ton of other things--when I got to the end, I saw the thread had ended and was continuing. Couldn't believe there were over 250 posts on the new one! So I'll just say hi instead.

>272 Deern: thanks for visiting Nathalie, and for your great summary of Visitation. I suspected some of what you say about the book, and I do feel like it is in there for me when I reread it. I feel like it is there for me to discover when I do read it again. I havent felt like this about a book before and find it interesting.

>273 DorsVenabili: woops, I must have been thinking of someone else as I was sure I didnt know what you looked like, but I do! Portland is, yet another, city that interests me. Do you have family there?

>274 Carmenere: trying to minimise the mess until the sauce is needed for the extra nutrition. I know, Im a nerd. He has enough fun with plain pasta thats for sure!

>175 Donna828: hello, thanks for all that effort in catching up on the old news. Scanning for photos is a good way of catching up (dont tell anyone that I sometimes do this on other threads). Im going to start a new thread for May....so this one will have to do til then :)

#276 - Yes - my dear niece and her husband live there now. We'll probably go out again next year and do Seattle and Portland. We're also thinking of renting a car and driving down to San Francisco, although that would be a 10-hour drive. A lovely drive though, I would think. I would definitely live in that area, if I could (Seattle or Portland).

Kerri: 10 hour drive- cool (if you dont have screaming kids in the car that is!). I love a good road trip. Music, car lollies, intense conversations that can only occur when participants arent looking each other in the eye!

***********

Junk food overload today :/ Mainly consisting of Shrewsbury biscuits....and mexican pesto on crackers. Along with multiple cups of Caro....*sigh*...at least there's home made bread and pumpkin soup for dinner!

Hi Megan. Cruising through to see what you're up to over here. Getting ready to read The Bone People, eh? I think I tried it about 15 years ago and didn't get very far. I'm a different reader now, though, so I could imagine putting it back on my TBR pile. Actually, I think I still have a copy on the shelves somewhere......

And I'm with you re: long car drives. Some of the best intimate conversations I've had have been in that context.

Cool cards! I wish you well in your endeavor; just don't use your reading and LT time to make cards. Just when do you find the time? There's only so much that caffeine can do.

I've read The Bone People twice now, and I'm still not certain I understand everything about it, but I do love that book. I'll look forward to your reaction as a Kiwi, Megan. All I know about the Maoris (sp?) come from that book.

Ellen: I have heard of a few people who have had multiple goes at the Bone People, I am aiming to read slow and steady and actually concentrate while Im reading so that I dont want to abandon!

Donna: Time (as you know) is grabbed in dribs and drabs, and I dont worry too much about cleaning :) I already see so many references in The Bone People that I wouldnt get as a non-New Zealander. It must have been hard trying to figure them out for you.

Hi Megan- Just cruising by to say hi! Hope all is well in NZ. Are you keeping little Lenny well-fed?

*waving* at Megan

#280 and #281 - I'm probably the only one who didn't realize this the first time I read it, but there's a helpful glossary of words in the back of The Bone People. It's not very well advertised, but it's helpful.

Mark, hello! And, yes. As parents, our latest game is to put a bit of food in front of Lenny and watch his hand shoot out at warp speed to grab it. Its like the arm is spring-loaded! hilarious.

Stasia: hi back, great to see you around again! Hope you arent too snowed under with school work.

Kerri: I read on here about that, but havent had to use it yet as Maori words and phrases are commonly used here by all. NZ is actually a tri-lingual country with English, Maori and NZ Sign Language all 3 being official languages. I would have to say that the numbers of people who are actually tri-lingual are probably few.

I absolutely loved The Bone People when I read it last year before we visited NZ. I can see what you mean about it possibly being a difficult read for someone unfamiliar with NZ and Maori culture. I know that there are probably many things in it that I didn't get. Nevertheless, it's a book I think I will reread someday. I know some people who haven't liked it, because some of the horrific events that occur are difficult to read, and because the main characters are so deeply flawed.

I love reading your thread--always so upbeat. And I especially like the pictures of your beautiful children. Keep them coming!

>286 arubabookwoman: hello! Thanks for your comments on The Bone People. Im looking forward to cuddling up in bed and reading it soon....kids both quiet at last in their beds.....cold night...just right for an early night. It was a shame we didnt meet up on your visit last year, next time!

I hope you like The Bone People too, I finally read it a couple of years ago and loved it.

Again, I find myself saying that I have The Bone People , but it is yet unread....
someday...

Today, I am expecting a vine book.. one that I have been looking for for years, and it popped
up on vine as an ARC. Have you read The Birth House? Her next book is finally out...
and I am pretty excited :)

I'm eager to get your take on The Bone People, Megan, as I'm planning to read it this year.

>284 DorsVenabili: I didn't realize that! Maybe, now knowing that, I'll give the book another try this year. Megan, I hope your slow and stead reading of it is rewarding.

I have never been brave enough to attempt The Bone People, so I will also look forward to your review!

I loved The Bone People when I read it last year. I look forward to what you make of it.

Kerry: It seem to have a reputation as being tough to read, that is certainly why I have put it off. But I'm guessing its like a long walk, all you have to do is one step at a time and you'll get there in the end

Kath: vine books? Is that a series? And I'm afraid I dont know what ARC is either :)

Darryl and Ellen: I'm reading it alongside Peggy....maybe we should have coordinated better and done a group read!

Susan: hello, I'm only a little way in but already feel like I'm getting to know the characters, this must be a good sign!

Calm: good to hear you loved it, The Bone People seems to divide people quickly into loved or hated (or should that read: didn't get?). I'm hoping to love it but Ill let you know :)

Megan, do we want to chat here as we go? I'll read more tonight, but I'm guessing that the Prologue is going to mean a lot more when we've finished the book. I think I can see a thing or two, but right now I'm just having Kerewin meet Simon and give his foot some first aid. I'll be back later when I've read more! (And I figure that if other people here can read and love it, you and I can too! I will not be afraid.)

Hi Peggy, I reckon we can chat as we go with The Bone People. Kerewin Holmes (is that her name?) and Keri Hulme....I dont think that is the only similarity between character and author so far either. I wonder if there is an autobiographical angle to this book?

**********

Bit of a slip up at the library this morning. Came home with 4 books. All YA...couldnt help it as the YA section is right near the kids area where I have to be to watch the kiddos. I figure I can read 4 short ones alongside my others!

Go Ask Alice (good one to read bits of during the day)
Firegirl by Tony Abbott
Uncle Trev and his Whistling Bull by Jack Lasenby
Organ Music by Margaret Mahy

These last 2 are NZ books recently reissued in pretty covers and as I can get them out on the kids cards there are no late fees. *evil laughter* So I can hog them a bit and blame the kids for "misplacing" them if I have to return them late :)

Just popping by to say hi! You were mentioning that NZ is tri-lingual. Canada is so big that really, I'm not sure how many languages we really have. Officially, we have two languages, English and French, but on the West Coast were I live, virtually nobody speaks French - except for high school french. However, our bank machines, notices from the city and schools etc come out in English, Mandarin and Farsi, I think.

Go Ask Alice - I think I read that back in grade7 ... not so long ago, really! ;)

Hi Deb: I think NZ is fairly progressive in making NZ Sign an official language. On our ATMs we also have many options, Mandarin, Tongan, Samoan, Korean...maybe Farsi, maybe others.

So far from what I can see from Go Ask Alice, is that it is a thorough endorsement of the joys of LSD...but I havent got to the downsides yet.

Forgot to use the continuation function...woops....here's the new thread.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/136559

ARC is advance copies.. you know, like the LTER books.
I get a few each month, and have to review them.. so I read them first.. before my
" I really really wanna read it now" books. It's a trade off.. free books and I delay some
other books. works for me.. that is what a vine book is .. an ARC from Amazon..not much different
Then LTERs