avatiakh tackles Mt tbr in 2012 #4

WW1 NZ soldiers posing on camels at Giza, Egypt. Photo sent back to my grandmother by her fiance during WW1 from when he was stationed in Palestine and on sojourn in Cairo along with a couple of my great uncles. She later broke off the engagement though I still have and adore the beautiful period engagement ring. I was helping my mother sort through a load of momentoes yesterday and found some dried grasses and leaves that he sent to her from his first port of call, still in the original envelope. She told me that he wrote her mother a letter just before he died many years later but his wife burnt it. His sister was married to one of my great uncles so that's how we came to know about it I suppose.

Currently Reading:

Scramasax by Kevin Crossley-Holland
The FitzOsbornes at war by Michelle Cooper
Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
A wild sheep chase by Haruki Murakami (iPod audio)

The French Tutor by Judith Armstrong - stalled

My other LT threads & challenge family


cover art from The Temporal Void by Peter F Hamilton - I'm currently just getting into his Commonwealth Saga which is set in the same world but about 900 years earlier than the Void trilogy.

My 12in12 category challenge thread:

1) Favourite Writers & Rereads 14/12
2) Israel & the Diaspora 11/12
3) Australia 13/12
4) New Zealand 20/12
5) Fact not Fiction 8/12
6) Short n' Sweet 4/12
7) Neverending Stories - series 16/12
8) God is Back - religious themes/retellings in fiction4/12
9) Big Boys - chunksters / omnibus editions 4/12
10) The Crowded Nest - Mt tbr 14/12
11) The Lists - booklists, longlists, shortlists, award winners etc 12/12
12) Dropbox - anything goes 24/12
Baker's Dozen bonus Category - graphic novels & picturebooks 14/12

The 12in12 Starts with Food challenge thread

My 2012 Orange thread
The Hunter by Julia Leigh - January
Gillespie and I by Jane Harris - July
Disobedience by Naomi Alderman - July
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - July

Themed reads:
Reading Globally 1st Quarter:Turkey + the Balkans:
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis (Greece)
How the soldier repairs the gramophone by Saša Stanišic (Bosnia/Germany)
The bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić (Bosnia)
2nd Quarter: Closed and Selective Societies
I am forbidden by Anouk Markovits
3rd Quarter: Middle Eastern Literature
Only Yesterday by S.Y. Agnon (Israel)
Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)

Links back to 2011:
My last 75 books in 2011 thread
My 11in11 challenge thread

Links forward to 2013:
My 13 in 2013 thread

I've moved my series list over to FictFact as these long lists on my thread do my brain in a little. Over there I'm 'Jelsie' which I'll probably change if I can ever figure out how that happens.
I'll just keep what I'm currently concentrating on here.

Crime / Thrillers

Bruce Medway by Robert Wilson (1/4) The Big Killing
Jack Reacher by Lee Child (17/17)
Rebus by Ian Rankin (17/18) Standing in Another Man's Grave Nov 2012
Hal Challis by Garry Disher (2/6) Snapshot

General:
Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett (3/6) Pawn in Frankencense
The Myths by Canongate (5/15) A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong

Fantasy:
Song of Fire and Ice by George M Martin (3/5) Feast for Crows

Scifi:
Commonwealth Saga by Peter F Hamilton (2/2)

YA/childrens
Aramov CHERUB by Robert Muchamore (1/2) or (CHERUB 13/14) Guardian Angel
Aotearoa by David Hair (2/4) The lost Tohunga
The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper (2/3) The FitzOsbornes at War
Viking Sagas by Kevin Crossley-Holland (1/2) Scramasax Reading
Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher (1/3) Ironhand
Wildensterns by Oisin McGann (1/3) The Wisdom of Dead Men

Adding this here at the top of my thread:
A list of possible reading for my 12in12 categories that I put together last year, I've managed to knock a few off the list but not many. This is just to remind myself what I should be reading every time I pick up a library book. I originally posted this list in July, so I'm not making much progress with it, just changing priorities I suppose.

Favourites:
The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene
The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer (reread)
A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth
Smiley's People by John Le Carre (reread)
Israel & the Diaspora:
The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel
A Journey to the end of the Millenium by A.B. Yehoshua
Great House by Nicole Krauss
Homesick by Eshkol Nevo
Thirty-Three Candles by David Horowitz
Australian fiction:
The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
Just Relations, Silence or The last love story by Rodney Hall
The French Tutor by Judith Armstrong
Notorious by Roberta Lowing
Black Mirror by Gail Jones
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith by Thomas Keneally
The Vivisector by Patrick White
Breath by Tim Winton
New Zealand fiction:
Novel about my wife by Emily Perkins
Magpie Hall by Rachael King
The God Boy by Ian Cross
Owls do Cry by Janet Frame
Tarzan Presley by Nigel Cox
Gifted by Patrick Evans
The Larnachs by Owen Marshall
Somebody Loves us all by Damien Wilkins
Hand me down world by Lloyd Jones
Baby no-eyes by Patricia Grace
Quinine by Kelly Ana Morey
Lunch with the Generals by Derek Hansen
Billie's Kiss by Elizabeth Knox
Continuing series:
The Valley of Bones by Anthony Powell (DttMoT #7)
The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks (Culture #3)
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
Religion theme:
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A S Byatt (UK)
The Book of Rachael by Leslie Cannold (Aust)
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman (UK)
The Four Wise Men by Michel Tournier (Fr)
Not wanted on the voyage by Timothy Findley (Canada)
My name was Judas by C.K. Stead (NZ)
Chunksters:
King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Penman
tbr pile:
A Means of Grace by Edith Pargeter
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Votan by John James
Prizewinners/Longlists etc:
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst (Booker Prize longlist, 2011), (UK)
The Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills (Booker Prize shortlist, 1998), (UK)
And the land lay still by James Robertson (Scottish Book of the Year, 2010), (UK)
A visit from the goon squad by Jennifer Egan (Pullitzer Prize, 2011), (US)
Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis (1001 Books/Guardian 1000), (Greece)
The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić (Nobel, 1961), (Serbia)

YA/children's
River Boy by Tim Bowler (Carnegie Medal, 1997)
The Lark on the Wing by Elfrida Vipont (Carnegie Medal, 1950)
Varjak Paw by SF Said (2003)
The Gentle Falcon by Hilda Lewis
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Ironhand by Charlie Fletcher (Stoneheart #2)
Celandine by Steve Augarde (Touchstone #2)
The Shattering by Karen Healey
Again the Bugles Blow by Ron Bacon
Crow Country by Kate Constable
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Samir And Yonatan by Daniella Carmi
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

To browse through:
Australian Classics: 50 great writers and their celebrated works by Jane Gleeson-White

Nonfiction:
Gödel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid by Douglas Hofstadter

Short Stories:
Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan (Ireland)
My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead: great love stories - ed. Jeffrey Eugenides (US)
From under the overcoat by Sue Orr (NZ)
Selected stories of Patricia Highsmith by Patricia Highsmith

First? Am I first? Not too early I hope! What a great story about your grandma's fiancé!

Keri, love the photo and the story above . . .

Great story and photo!

Wow, look at that little kid on the left, he can hardly reach the reins! Cool photo, what a find.

Hi everyone, yes, I always wondered why she broke off the engagement. I thought she did it when he enlisted. I've brought home heaps of family history 'junk' and photographs to sort through. A lot is stored in the leather suitcases my grandmother travelled back to England with in 1957, she even kept a selection of menus from the six week(?) voyage and a travel diary for that year. I'm going to scan a lot of the photos and have my mother (she's 84) identify those that I can't do and then share with the rest of my family digitally. The workload seems much more daunting now that I'm back home and the initial enthusiasm has worn off! We will be having a family reunion in 2014 for those descended from my grandmother's family.

September Planned reads & TIOLI:
Probably won't achieve my reading goals as I have a few projects to work on including family history, gardening & spring cleaning the house. I need to cull the book collection too.

September Series n Sequels:
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman
Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett
Kittyhawk down by Garry Disher
The FitzOsbornes at War by Michelle Cooper
The Wisdom of Dead Men by Oisin McGann
A Feast for Crows too.

Book Loving Kiwis group on GR
The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames - for a book set in a country starting with 'Z'. My suggestion won the vote.\, and it's a good read. Eames grew up in Zimbabwe and wrote this debut novel when she lived in New Zealand.
I also have the obligatory pile of library books that seems to get higher rather than tapering off.

Challenge #2: A to Z - Read a book whose author first name includes an "a" and last name includes a "z"
Palace Walk - Naguib Mahfouz

Challenge #6: Read a series book by an author who has written more books in another series
The Impossible Dead (Malcolm Fox) - Ian Rankin
Love, Honour, and O'Brien (Holly Love Mystery) - Jennifer Rowe/Emily Rodda
Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga) - Peter F Hamilton
Pawn in Frankincense (Lymond Chronicles) - Dorothy Dunnett

Challenge #8: Read a book with a portrait on the cover
Wisdom of Dead Men - Oisin McGann

Challenge #9: Magic 9
The FitzOsbornes at war - Michelle Cooper
Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman

Challenge #10: Read a book by an author who commonly published using his or her initials
A Journey to the End of the Millennium - A. B. Yehoshua
My name is Judas - C.K. Stead

Challenge #12: TBR Teamwork
*The Fire Gospel - Michel Faber (souloftherose)
*Lion's Honey - David Grossman (lilbrattyteen)
*The Merlin Conspiracy - Diana Wynne Jones (souloftherose)
*The Same Sea - Amos Oz (kidzdoc)

Challenge #16: Read a book first published in 2012
The abominables - Eva Ibbotson
The Bellwether Revivals - Benjamin Wood
Hero on a bicycle - Shirley Hughes
*Queen of the Night - Leanne Hall

Challenge #18: Read a book that is part of a publisher series
The Helmet of Horror (Canongate: The Myths) - Victor Pelevin
*My Brilliant Career (Text Classics) - Miles Franklin
*Ragnarok: the end of the Gods (Canongate: the Myths) - A. S. Byatt

Such a fantastic photo!

Thanks, I have a few from Palestine as well, but locating them is the hard part.

138) Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (1956)
fiction, Egypt

I ended up finishing this on the first day of September instead of being part of August's shared TIOLI read. Added to Sept's TIOLI challenge #2. So many LTers have recently read the Cairo trilogy lately as part of the Reading Globally Middle East themed read so I won't add to it all but just say it was a great family story set around WW1 in Cairo. I want to read the next 2 books but not right away.


Robert Capa: the definitive collection (2001)
photography

I started to glance at the biographical essay at the start of this collection of approx 900 images, but ended up reading it all as he led such an interesting but unfortunately brief life. The photos are outstanding and there are so many of them.
I'd like to follow up with his Slightly out of focus memoir about being a war photographer, Waiting for Robert Capa by Susana Fortes and also have requested Steinbeck's book, A Russian Journal about their combined trip through Stalin's Russia.
"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough" - Robert Capa


CHINA. 1938. Sino-Japanese War


Picasso & wife


Spanish Civil War - falling soldier

'Sometimes, even in the world of photography, miracles happen. On 19 December 2007, three battered, commonplace cardboard boxes arrived at the International Center of Photography in New York. Within these boxes the so-called Mexican Suitcase was a treasure trove of photographic history believed lost since World War II: the legendary Spanish Civil War negatives of Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and David Seymour (known as Chim). The Mexican Suitcase contained 126 rolls of film, mostly shot between May 1936 and spring 1939, that are an inestimable record of innovative war photography and of a definitive episode in Spanish history. The photographs include Capa's images of the Battle of Rio Segre, Chim's famous image of a woman nursing a baby at a land reform meeting in Estremadura, and Taros last photos at the Battle of Brunete where she was killed in 1937.' from ArtKnowledge News site - which has now disappeared from the internet altogether

More info here: http://museum.icp.org/mexican_suitcase/

Fascinating. . . Thanks for sharing!

139) The Helmet of Horror: the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur by Victor Pelevin (2006)
Canongate Myth series

Challenge #18: Read a book that is part of a publisher series. Finally managed to kick off reading this series that's been on my reading radar for a few years. This was a bit surreal and most of the subtleties probably went over my head but I enjoyed this anyway. I have his The Sacred Book of the Werewolf in my tbr pile and will be pushing it up the pile.
All the 'action' takes place in an internet chat room between various entities who are all trapped in similar hotel rooms, each one exiting to a different part of what must be the labyrinth. Between them they try to solve the puzzle of who each of them are, if in fact they are individuals or just part of one mind. A bit like Sophie's World crossed with The Cube movie.
My 15 yr old daughter, Dana, is really keen to read this updated Theseus story after my rather confused recommendation.



My French Life by Vicki Archer & photos by Carla Coulson (2006)
photography & lifestyle

I saw this on display at the library and grabbed it for a look as I enjoyed Coulson's photography book, Chasing a Dream, a couple of months ago. This is more of an indulgent, almost vanity, publication. Australian Archer and her family bought a dilapidated Provence farmhouse on 50 acres about 12 years ago, based themselves in London for school and career then spent a small fortune renovating, furnishing, planting to upgrading the farm, garden and house. Coulson's photographs are staged shots from discarded Prada sandals, cosmetics, expensive and luxurious objets d'Art, not just of the farm and home but also from different places in France including exclusive Paris hotel suites, chateau, street views etc etc.
I lasted about 2 pages of the accompanying text before just looking at the photos. Ok, ignore my comments I'm just insanely jealous of Archer's French farmhouse and lifestyle.




More gorgeous photos here sigh....

140) Love, honour and O'Brien by Jennifer Rowe (2012)
crime fiction, australia

Challenge #6: Read a series book by an author who has written more books in another series. I hadn't read any of Jennifer Rowe's adult fiction but my children and I have enjoyed her fantasy series books, Rowan of Rin and Deltora Quest that she's written under the pen name, Emily Rodda. She's written a few crime novels and this is the first in a new series about Holly Love, a jilted young woman turned detective. This first book sets the scene for the series with naive young Holly finding herself stranded in a Blue Mountain town when she's jilted by her fiancee on the eve of their wedding. She has next to no money, no friends, no job, and a broken down car. Her fiancee has absconded leaving debts aplenty and clearing out their new joint bank account. She hires a down at heel detective, O'Brien, to help trace the scoundrel and ends up taking over the detective's job herself due to the slightly hilarious and surreal circumstances she finds herself in. This was a fun read.

141) The Fire Gospel: The Myth of Prometheus by Michel Faber (2009)
Canongate Myth series

Challenge #12: TBR Teamwork read shared with Heather. I quite enjoyed this, an expert in Aramaic travels to war torn Iraq and after a bomb blast in a museum he uncovers 9 scrolls hidden in a now broken statue. He smuggles them back to Canada and translates them. They are the work of an unknown follower of Jesus, one who met with Jesus on his last day and watched him die on the cross. The content is fairly shocking and we follow the academic on his book tour - his book is part memoir part text of the scrolls, it's a best seller but not everybody likes it. The last part of the story is a bit farcical, and there are a few plot holes right from the start but overall a quick read that entertained.

142) The abominables by Eva Ibbotson (2012)
children's fiction

Challenge #16: Read a book first published in 2012. Eva Ibbotson died two years ago and last year One dog and his boy which was already with the publisher at the time of her death was published. Then they found among her papers the manuscript for The Abominables which is another cute story for children. I have to say that I struggled a bit to get into this, probably it was just a bit too juvenile for my reading taste at present and there were yetis in it.
Anyway it turned into quite a fun read, similar to One dog and his boy in that a journey is undertaken and there are interesting people to meet on the way but it's an overland journey from Nepal via Spain to England and with yetis and yak.
A favourite part was at the mountain monastery in Switzerland, they had a whelp of the most wimpy St Bernards. One didn't like getting its feet wet in the snow, one was scared of the dark and had to have a nightlight in its kennel, another was scared of heights and fainted when put up on a table to have its coat brushed, another was a drunk and raced off to crack the brandy keg and drink the contents rather than performing a life saving rescue etc etc.
This is on the Guardian Children's Fiction Award longlist, the winner will be announced in November.

I'm eagerly awaiting my library getting in Shirley Hughes first children's novel, Hero on a bicycle which is set in Florence during the German occupation of 1943/4. Hughes is well known for her picturebooks and story collections. The guardian review is here.

We read a lot of Eva Ibbotson when J was younger. I remember that The Secret of Platform 13 was his favourite.

Enjoyed the story in the first post. Would love to see a picture of the ring.

Ran (virtually) to the library and put a hold on Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection. It looks and sounds amazing. I would never have come across it on my own. Thanks! Ok, went back and added Hero on a Bicycle, too. The Guardian Review pushed me over the edge. Has Shirley Hughes written any adult books?

Katie is re-reading Island of the Aunts currently. We should dig up some more Ibbotson. The only other one we've read is Journey to the River Sea. I hadn't heard that Ibbotson passed away. Katie is still morning the loss of Jean Craighead George.

Oh, and photo and story at top are priceless. What a rich family history!

Lisa - Shirley Hughes (b.1927) was first an illustrator and then writer of picturebook stories and has had a very long career. My children loved her Alfie books when they were little and your daughter might like the storyline in Ella's Big Chance which is a great alternative Cinderella story set in 1920s London. I don't think she's written anything for adults.
Journey to the River Sea was the first Ibbotson that I read. Her The Dragonfly pool and The Star of Kazan would probably appeal, they are both set in Europe as WW2 breaks out. She also wrote lighter adult novels that have been republished over the last few years in the YA format, they are also enjoyable reads. A Company of Swans is about a girl who runs away to join a travelling ballet troupe about to embark on a South American tour.

#20: Morphy - I'll try to rustle up a pic.

#19: Rhian - I've also read most of Ibbotson's books but so long ago.

Thanks for the recommendations, Kerry. I'll check out both the Ibbotson books you suggest. Now that our children's librarian has retired, and the library decided not to replace her, I'll be looking for more tween reading suggestions from you and some others on LT.

143) The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames (2011)
fiction

This got quite a lot of publicity here when it was published last year as the Zimbabwe-born writer was then living in Christchurch. This debut is about a young girl coming of age in rural Zimbabwe during the late 1990s and into the period of violence when white farmers were forced off their land by Mugabe's War Vets. It reads very much like a memoir and Eames does capture the feeling of growing unease as the white farmers, many of whom are second or third generation landowners must face the changing political landscape. It is a good starting point for reading about modern Zimbabwe, and leaves one wanting to read more about these times.
Aminatta Forna wrote a less than positive review of the novel in the Guardian, she preferred actual memoirs such as When a Crocodile Eats the Sun and Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight.
Eames is a young writer with talent, whose novel tackles matters of substance. But a novel should be more than the sum of its parts. Despite some memorable moments and an insight into what life must be like on white-owned farms in Zimbabwe, The Cry of the Go-Away Bird falls short of its full potential.

Eames has since moved to the UK and her second novel, The White Shadow, about a young Shona boy during Zimbabwe's second war of independence in the 1960s, has been longlisted for the 2012 Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers. On her blog Eames recommend's the book by her friend and the youngest writer on the longlist, 21 yr old Nigerian Chibundu Onozu's The Spider King’s Daughter.

Checking in on the new thread, Kerry! I love the picture up top and the accompanying story.

Hi Stasia!

Hi right back at you!

Today is my LT thingaversary, I signed up 5 years ago and this is my 4th year in the 75 group. I have 6 books sitting in the BD shopping basket waiting for me to click on 'checkout'. I've just followed Ilana's example though and bought 3 el-cheapo books in the audible sale:
The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas
Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis
Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds

Congratulations, Kerry, on your 5th Thingaversary. Also, your opening picture is fantastic as is the story that goes with it.

Happy Thingaversary, Kerry! As you know, you get a book per year, plus one to grow on. But 3 el cheapos should count as 1, so you are pretty close!

Happy Thingaversary, Kerry! Nice review of The Cry of the Go-Away Bird.

Happy Thingaversary Kerry! Mine will be coming up in November, and I'm sure I won't have too much trouble picking up 6 books either...

What are the 6 BD books in your basket?

I absolutely love Robert Capa. I've had a posted of a photo of his taken during a ballet class in Russia since... forever. It's in my entrance, and once, a really fashion-minded friend of mine (ex-model) decided to help me fix up my place. One of her suggestions was to get rid of the poster. I got rid of the friend instead. Not really. I didn't take her advice. I no longer speak to her because I know I don't fit into her idea of "successful and stylish people one must know", but that's all good. Anyway, Suzanne had recommended the Fortes book, and I just discovered they have it at the national library. They also have the one you've recommended here, but in the French translation. I may make an exception to my rule about not reading French or English books in translation for that one.

Glad you checked out the Audible sale. I considered getting Bitter Seeds too, but a couple of reviews saying it was good but not great had me change my mind. I'll really kick myself if you end up really enjoying and recommending it, at that price. Pushing Ice also made it's way into my shopping basket, but I have yet to listen to Revelation Space and didn't think it made sense getting a second book of his without knowing if I'd like him, though I know you're a fan... I haven't read anything to do with outer space, other than The Hitchhiker's Guide so we'll see if I take to that genre or not!

#29: thanks Judy.
#30: Roni, I have no problems with acquiring 6-10 books, just where to put them all, actually that makes the audio ones ideal.
#31: Hi Darryl - I enjoyed reading it especially reading the South African dialect - we have a lot of Sth Africans and Zimbabweans living here so I hear that accent and way of speaking daily. I'm looking forward to reading The Spider King's daughter as it is described as a Romeo & Juliet story set in modern day Lagos.
#32: Ilana - would love to tell you what's in my shopping basket, it keeps changing on my various whims. At present and very likely to change:
Agnon's Alef Bet Poems - SY Agnon
The Bridal Canopy - SY Agnon (I'm quite taken with the cover art on this one)
Naples '44 - Norman Lewis
The Honoured Society - Norman Lewis
Slightly out of focus - Robert Capa
The Stranger's Child - Alan Hollinghurst (paperback edition)
Boneland - Alan Garner
Arcadia awakens - Kai Meyer

I've been collecting Norman Lewis' books but have only read one so far, these just had a price drop so are sitting in my basket while I decide. The Capa went in the basket yesterday after reading about him. I intended to get the Hollinghurst when it came out in paperback. My library has most of these but my acquisitive nature wants to own them, so I need to sit it out for a while.

Ilana - forgot to comment on your Capa story - I'd love to have a poster or two of his work. His photos from China in 1938 are really stunning.

And on another note I've watched a few dvds lately, most interesting was Howl which starred James Franco as Allen Ginsberg.
From wikipedia: Howl explores the life and works of 20th century American poet, Allen Ginsberg. Constructed in a nonlinear fashion, the film juxtaposes historical events with a variety of cinematic techniques. It reconstructs the early life of Ginsberg during the 1940s and 1950s (as portrayed by James Franco). It also re-enacts Ginsberg's debut performance of "Howl" at the Six Gallery Reading on October 7, 1955 in black-and-white. The reading was the first important public manifestation of the Beat Generation and helped to herald the West Coast literary revolution that became known as the San Francisco Renaissance. In addition, parts of the poem are interpreted through animated sequences. Finally, these events are juxtaposed with color images of the 1957 obscenity trial of San Francisco poet and City Lights Bookstore co-founder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti who was the first person to publish "Howl" in Howl and Other Poems.

I've got the new Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy & Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead to watch tonight.

Kerry - happy weekend and happy thingaversary too. Good picks if I may say so.

The films choices also would seem to guarantee a great weekend.

Thanks Paul. I've just discovered another writer, Esther David, an Indian Jew and her books sound very interesting...sigh.
I'll get there. Looking forward to my evening.

From the library today as well:
Recipe for murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction - this looks a treat and was a long ago LT recommendation.
Food of the Grand Trunk Road recipes from rural India, from Bengal to the Punjab
Hero on a bicycle - Shirley Hughes
The Rider by Tim Krabbé - cycling classic (Lter psutto recommendation)
The Vanishing by Tim Krabbé (Lter psutto recommendation)
Barcelona noir - noir anthology by Barcelonian writers

Happy 5th Kerry . . . Enjoy your shopping!

Hi Kerry, slowly catching up on your old thread and this one.

I liked your review of What we talk about when we talk about Anne Frank. There was a long article about Englander in the Italien newspaper 'La Repubblica' 2 weeks ago, and now after your review the book is firmly on my tbr.

Interesting discussion on SoA which also wasn't exactly a favorite with me.

I haven't gotten to Stonemouth yet, but will start it soon. I like to read Scotland novels in autumn weather.

And I really must get to the Palace Walk trilogy before the year ends!

And: Happy Thingaversary!!

Happy Thingaversary Kerry!
I went to the library as threatened and got out that book The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer. I am really liking the way it seems to be heading so far, that is rich seeing as Im only about 10 pages in, but you can tell these things. So thanks for the oblique recommendation! Ill try not to lose it ;)

Hi Megan - that's great, I hope it stays interesting. I'm really keen to read his books, he was here for the Auckland Writers Fest and I got to his event which was fun. All his nonfiction books sounded interesting and I got a few out from the library to see what they were like, losing one for a few weeks in the process. I'll probably start with But beautiful: a book about jazz.

Happy Thingaversary, Kerry! You have me beat by nearly a year, you old-schooler you! You always have such interesting reads going and I love your accompanying photos. I love the sound of The Cry of the Go-Away Bird and what a wonderful title.

Happy Thingaversary! Have fun with your book buying and borrowing spree, and enjoy your evening lineup.

#38: Hi Nathalie - I've enjoyed the two books by Englander that I've read. I can imagine that Banks would make good autumn/winter reading, I've got a lot of his work on my Mt tbr.
I'm still deciding what to read next set in the ancient Greek world. My son is currently doing an ancient history paper on Rome and Greece so we have both been reading extracts from ancient sources and found them quite easy to read so I might try some nonfiction.
I need to track down the other books in the Cairo trilogy - I'll probably read them next year.

#41: Hi Mark - thanks for the good wishes
#42: Hi Lisa - still choosing, the list is getting long so I need to start taking titles out of the basket and onto the wishlist. And be realistic as I take in all that I already own and still need to read. I took another pile of unread books back to the library today.

I'm really enjoying the lovely prose in Amos Oz's The Same Sea, it's a very meditative type of read. It's a TIOLI shared read with Darryl if anyone would like to join us.

Oh I love the photo at the top. What a find, what treasure.

Peter Hamilton is a name which keeps coming up. Looks exciting.

144) The Outlaw Varjak Paw by SF Said (2005)
children's fictio

The sequel to the appealing Varjak Paw and also illustrated by Dave McKean. I enjoyed this sequel where Varjak must confront the mysterious one-eyed white cat, Sally Bones.

Amazing opening photo, great story as well.

A very organised start to your thread; some great reads and hopefully I'm not too late to wish you Happy Thingaversary!

145) Queen of the Night by Leanne Hall (2012)
YA, australia

TIOLI challenge #16. Read a book first published in 2012 (shared read). This is the sequel to This is Shyness which I read a few weeks ago. It's a good little urban fantasy, there are still a few mysteries to unfold so I'm sure there'll be a third book. Shyness is a section of the city that for the past few years has remained in darkness 24 hours a day. The residents have either adapted or left, others have moved in. Jethro (Wolfboy) who lives in Shyness and Nia (Wildgirl) from the normal part of the city get back in touch six months after the events in the first book.


The cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse (2004)
picture book, Holocaust

I was talking books by Karen Hesse over on Zoe's thread and noticed this picturebook on a list of Hesse's published works. This is based on a true story that Hesse came across in I Remember Nothing More, a memoir by Adina Blady Szwajger, who was a Jewish doctor at the children's hospital in the Warsaw Ghetto from 1940 till it closed in 1942.
When Karen Hesse came upon a short article about cats out-foxing the Gestapo at the train station in Warsaw during WWII, she couldn't get the story out of her mind. The result is this stirring account of a Jewish girl's involvement in the Resistance. The illustrations by Wendy Watson are in hues of brown, cream and yellow giving the book a period feel.

I'm slowly getting through The Same Sea, I have 50pgs left but that will take me at least two days as I can only read a little at a time. Pandora's Star is continuing to enthrall. I need to read another series book, have made a start on a few...

Picked up from the library today:
The Spider King's Daughter by Chibundu Onuzo
A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck
Surface Tension by Meg McKinley (childrens)
The Killer App & other paranormal stories (YA from India)

Added I Remember Nothing More to my list, and will pick up The Cats in Krasinski Square from the library this afternoon. And I wonder why I never make a dent in my TBR list!

A few picturebooks:


Poonam's Pets by Andrew Davies (1990)
picturebook

I tracked this down on Bookmooch and it took so long that I no longer remember why, but very glad to have the chance to read it. Very delightful simple story with lovely rich watercolour illustration. Andrew Davies is more known for his extensive work as a screenwriter and also for his children's ficton such as the great read aloud, Alfonso Bonzo, and Conrad's War which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979.
Anyway Poonam is a very shy quiet little girl and when the teacher is organising a class pet day she whispers that she's going to bring her pet lions....she does and they are big and bold.

Poonam whispers in her teacher's ear...


The Enemy: a book about peace by Davide Cali, ill Serge Bloch (2009)
picturebook

I read a lot of Davide Cali's work a couple of months back but missed this one. Two soldiers on opposing sides, stuck in their manholes, each one wondering about their enemy. They've been there so long they don't even know if the war is still going on but they know their enemy is a monster, they were told all about them when the war began.



Anna Hibiscus' Song by Atinuke and Lauren Tobia (2011)
picturebook

This is just a joyous celebration of happiness. Little Anna Hibiscus feels so happy and she wanders from family member to family member to find out what they do when they are happy. I must track down the others in the series.
For those still unfamiliar with this charming series, the books are from the point of view of a young biracial child, Anna Hibiscus who lives in “… Africa. Amazing Africa.” In each of these ... professional storyteller Atinuke gently, authentically, and lyrically strings together a series of episodes that present life for one extended Nigerian family. from Monica Endinger's blog post
The illustrations are bold and colourful, just like Anna Hibiscus. Note that the other Anna Hibiscus books are early chapter books not a picturebook like this one.


“Uncle Tunde and Anna Hibiscus dance and dance around the car. And oh! Oh! Oh! Anna Hibiscus’ happiness grows and grows!” more illustrations and other great books on this blog, seven impossible things before breakfast .


Azzi In Between by Sarah Garland (2012)
junior graphic novel

I haven't seen anything by Sarah Garland for ages so jumped at this latest offering. It's the story of Azzi, forced by circumstances of war to leave her country and become a refugee in a new land. Wonderful storytelling and accompanied by Garland's great illustration style.

Earwig and the witch by Diana Wynne Jones (2011)
children's fiction

A great little witch story for younger readers. I was especially taken with the Mandrake who could summon meals from anywhere. Orphan Earwig is adopted by a witch, Bella Yaga and the Mandrake, but all they really want is someone to do most of the work.

I don't think that there are quite so many YA titles of such an enchanting nature available easily over here but it is always interesting to follow you through them. Have a lovely weekend in springtime NZ.

Far away across the sea by Toon Tellegen, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg (2012)
children's fiction

I read Tellegen's Letters to Anyone and Everyone last year and loved the quirkyness of the very short stories and the delightful illustrations by Ahlberg that accompany. This lovely edition is the latest to be translated by Boxer Books. Where else do you have letters delivered by the wind, get invited to a party by a mussel or find a mammoth in the woods. I believe that Tellegen is very popular in his native Holland with over 500 of these animal stories published. These would make delightful gifts to the right child.

I'd forgotten about Sarah Garland. I used to really like her picture books when J was little.

146) The Same Sea by Amos Oz (1999)
fiction, Israel

TIOLI Buddy challenge with Darryl.
Quite a lyrical read and structured more as a series of prose poems than an actual narrative. The book is about the inner lives of a variety of linked characters who come together in different ways over the months following the death of the main character's wife. Oz is concerned mostly with relationships, attraction and intimacy between people. Albert has just lost his wife, his son Rico, his mother. Rico abandons his girlfriend, Dita, and takes off to travel in Asia seeming to unravel more and more. As these three go about their lives, their interactions with others and each other, their relationships seem poised to take new directions. Oz considers the inner impulsions and the mostly lack of commitment to move on, father and son both seem to hold back from the next phase of their lives.
I enjoyed the style of the book, the language was at times quite beautiful but not much happens, nothing seems to resolve. There were diversions such as the late mother reminiscing along with Albert on their courtship and the author himself intruding into the mix, more of a slow contemplative read rather than a riveting one.

Rhian same for me, I loved her Having a picnic and so on series.

#51: Hi Paul, lovely to see you visiting.

Hi Kerry. I've finally caught up with your thread(s) and got hit by several book bullets:

The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames
Varjak Paw by SF Said
Mage's Blood by David Hair - I know this isn't a book you've read but it's a David Hair book which will shortly be released over here and his other books don't seem to be available.
This is Shyness by Leanne Hall

And reminded to check out Peter F. Hamilton and more from Eva Ibbotson. Tiptoeing away quietly before I get hit with anything else...

I like Ibbotson -

The Cali illustrations are great - new to me, so I'm grateful to you.

I liked The Cats in Krasinski Square when I read it earlier this year.

Both of the books in message 47 are book bullets--onto the wishlist they go, Kerry!

AND I just finished Wrapped, which was a lot of fun. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention.

Hi Kerri. Happy Day To You

Last month I obtained a copy of The Cats in Krasinski Square from my library. Alas, I had to return it unread. Your description motivates me to obtain it again and to be sure to read it this time.

#57: Heather - I've been lurking on lots of threads lately but not saying much. Sorry about all the BBs but most are quick reads. David Hair is fairly new and quite prolific at present. When his wife, who is a diplomat, was stationed for a couple of years in India he decided it was a great chance to devote his time to writing. I saw a couple of his newer books at my local bookstore yesterday though notMage's Blood, though I see now that it's an adult series which my library has on order.

#58: Lucy - Cali is the writer who collaborates with a range of interesting illustrators, Serge Bloch is the illustrator.

#59: Lori - I've had to add the Szwajger memoir where the cat story is mentioned to my tbr. Must catch up on your thread too.

#60: Roni - hope you enjoy those. So pleased you enjoyed Wrapped, it's a fun read for that age group.

#61: Linda - lovely to see you visiting again. At least The Cats in Krasinski Square is a quick but interesting read. I've been following all your Newbery reads with great interest. Next year I'm intending a focus on English children's classics from the 1950s through 1980s, I haven't read enough of so many great writers - Henry Treece, Geoffrey Trease, Rosemary Sutcliffe, Mollie Hunter, Cynthia Harnett etc etc etc. I have so many old paperbacks lying around that I've collected these past few years so I really must make an effort. I have a lot of literary biographies and essays to read as well.

Every few weeks I visit the nearby Scholastic warehouse shop and look through their damaged and sample stock. My last trip I brought home $3 copy of Among Others and 1001 video games you must play before you die (ex-samples). My oldest son has loved reading the 1001 video games book, it's very nostalgic as it covers games from the 1970s through to 2010. Our first video game was Alex the kid on a Sega Master System that was a birthday present to my son when he was about 4 yrs old. Sonic was popular in our house too. From there we went to computer games, first was Loderunner on an Apple IIe and then Populous.

Market Day by James Sturm (2010)
graphic novel

This sounded quite promising but turned out to be a fairly depressing read for me so I'm glad it's over and the book can go back to the library. Mendleman is off to the nearby town for market day, his wife is about to give birth to their first child and he has woven some beautiful carpets to sell. When he arrives at the market he finds that his regular buyer has retired and the new business owner is not interested in paying more for quality. His day goes downhill from here...

eta: mikewick's LT review explains the premise behind the book, but doesn't change it from being a depressing read. ...describes the tension between art & commerce, between making art and making a living...

I'm also reading another GN, Not the Israel my parents promised me by Harvey Pekar and it's not doing much for me either. I'll push myself to finish it in the next couple of days but need to pick up something joyful to read to wash these two away.

What fantastic illustrations in some of the kids picture books you have reported on. Love the one of the little girl whispering in the teachers bent over ear. Sweet!

Sorry I missed your Thingaversary, Kerry. A happy belated one from me!

Not the Israel my parents promised me by Harvey Pekar & illus. by J T Waldman (2012)
graphic memoir

Another graphic novel, this one is set over the span of a day that illustrator Waldman spends with Pekar as Pekar discusses his childhood growing up with Zionist parents in Cleveland and his growing disillusionment with Israeli politics over the years. Interspersed is the history of the Jewish nation from biblical times. Pekar is very critical of Israel and this GN is an expression of his views. Waldman does some wonderful illustration work here but overall it is just Pekar explaining his outlook on the Jewish state.
I haven't read any of Pekar's other work though I'm aware of American Splendour. I have Waldman's GN, Megillat Esther, and looking at his work in this has me interested in reading it sooner. I've also made a good start on another GN, Guy Delisle's Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City which is a little more interesting.

Kerry - I'm glad that I've made another LT friend. Have you read Waldman's Megillat Esther yet? As you know, I'm interested in Biblical fiction, but I'm especially interested in graphic novels retelling or dealing with Biblical themes. Waldman's is on my list.

I'm interested to get your take on The Same Sea, Kerry. I read it sporadically and when I was still jet lagged last week, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I probably should have.

Kamo's escape by Daniel Pennac (1997)
children's fiction, france

TIOLI challenge #4: Read a book with the word anticipation or patience found within the first five pages of chapter 1. This was a delightful story with a poignant twist at the end. I really enjoy Pennac's books, he writes for both children and adults and is perhaps best known for his The Rights of the Reader. I'm still waiting for my daughter to send on The Scapegoat so I can continue with his Benjamin Malaussène series.
Kamo refuses to ride the old bicycle when on holiday....he can sense a deep sadness. Later, back in Paris he is knocked off the bike by a speeding black car and while he lies unconscious in hospital, his friends try desperately to help him before his mother returns from her family research trip to Russia.

#67: Jonathon - Hi, I've been enjoying catching up on your threads in Club Read and the 13in13 challenge earlier today. I have Waldman's GN but haven't read it and now I'll have to find it. If you haven't read it yet I'd also recommend The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar.

#68: Darryl - I'm finding it hard to string a few words together about the Oz book. I liked it but didn't love it, more of an appreciation for what he was trying to do. I'll probably throw a few thoughts together when I get up in the morning.

*waving* at Kerry

#68: Darryl - I finally updated my thoughts on The Same Sea back in message #53.

#71: Hi Stasia!

147) Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (2004)
scifi, iPod audio

TIOLI challenge #6: Read a series book by an author who has written more books in another series. I've read quite a few Hamilton books and always enjoy the world building. This is no exception and ends on such a cliffhanger that I just have to pick up the sequel. It's 2389 and through the discovery of wormhole travel and re-lifing, humans have managed to move off Earth, colonise a large commonwealth of planets and live long multi-generational lives. But the Commonwealth is now threatened by a hostile alien force and there seems to be a deeply buried secret about how those wormholes were first discovered that will radically change the truth about everything.
John Lee remains a favourite narrator of scifi books.

148) Jerusalem: chronicles from the Holy City by Guy Delise (2012)
graphic memoir

Because his wife works for Médecins Sans FrontiéresCanadian cartoonist Delisle and their 2 young children accompany her when she is stationed for extended periods in politically unstable regions. They spent a year based in East Jerusalem while his wife travelled regularly to Gaza. During his time in Israel, Delisle wanders around the country and the old city recording his impressions in this memoir. I found this quite an interesting read, he focused his time on meeting and talking to Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, others working for aid organisations or NGOs and seemed to be less interested in meeting ordinary Israeli Jews. He was more inclined to introduce the reader to the religious jews of the Mea Shearim quarter or the activist settlers, so a lot of the comparisons seemed a bit contrived, though I think living in Jerusalem is very different from the other areas of Israel.

149) Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms:: Magic, Mystery, & a Very Strange Adventure by Lissa Evans (2011)
children's fiction

Published originally in the UK as Small change for Stuart (with the same cover art). I have to say it was the retro cover art that attracted me to the book when at the library. This was a good old fashioned children's adventure mystery with lots of clues to be solved. When Stuart and his parents move back to the small town where his father grew up, Stuart uncovers a mysterious clue about his long lost great uncle's magic workshop. Stuart must track down and solve the clues quickly as there is a demolition contract on the house his great uncle lived in. At first he's hindered by the annoying triplets who live next door, April, May and June, but eventually April proves to be made of more stellar stuff than her sisters.
This was a fairly irresistible little read and budding magicians will love it. The sequel came out earlier this year and looks to be equally fun. Shortlisted for the 2011 Costa Award for Children's fiction, the 2012 Carnegie Medal in Literature, and the 2012 Branford Boase Award.

Lissa Evans is more known in the UK television world as a producer/director of Father Ted, Crossing the Floor and The Kumars at No. 42. Evans has also been longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2009 for her adult book Their Finest Hour And A Half.

We seem to have a similar opinion about The Same Sea; I thought it was beautifully written and enjoyable, but the lack of signficant action or resolution made it an unmemorable book for me. I don't think I will read it again, and I'll write a short review of it sometime next week.

Kerry- I'm glad to see all the GN activity. I haven't seen any other LTers reading any lately.

Darryl - yes, not one of my favourites at all. I still have a pile of unread Oz books to get through.

Mark - I seem to do a burst of GN reading from time to time. I took Berlin: city of stones and The Unwritten back to the library and will have to try them at a later stage.

150) Lion's Honey by David Grossman (2005)
Canongate myth series

TIOLI Buddy Read with lilbrattyteen (Jonathan). This has sat on my tbr pile for a few years and so was good to dust it off and read. It wasn't what I expected which would have been a retelling of the biblical story of Sansom. In fact it was better, Grossman explores the story inside out and discusses in detail the psychology and motivations behind Sansom. I really liked this and am even more impressed with Grossman's versatility as a writer and must move some more of his writing further up my tbr pile. So far I've read The Zigzag Kid, See Under: Love and To the End of the Land. I also started his nonfiction The Yellow Wind a few years ago but found it a little dated.
I'm impressed that so far this month I've read 3 Canongate Myth books, a series that I've been meaning to start for so long. I have another 2 lined up for the month but I've got so many shared TIOLI reads still to complete that I'm not sure I'll get to both.

And Jonathan's review of Lion's Honey and his thread in general over in Club Read makes fascinating reading. Reading this book has introduced me to yet another intriguing LTer, so thanks to Zoe for setting up the challenge.

A few books arrived by mail today:
The Bridal Canopy by S.Y. Agnon
Shalom India Housing Society by Esther David -an Indian Jew
Sing, morning Star by Jane Oliver - historical fiction
The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns

from the library:
Blood on the saddle by Rafael Steig - Bk 1 in the Futuristic Madrid series
The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson - sequel to The Adoration of Jenna Fox
No.1 car spotter by Atinuke (children's fiction)
Fire in the Sea by Myke Bartlett - winning manuscript of 2011 Text Prize - I've enjoyed reading all the Text Prize books so far)

Congrats on the new arrivals Kerry! I've added Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms to the, and one more David Grossman novel to the wishlist, for a total of 3 books for this author, all of which landed there thanks to you (though I remember both Madeline and Eva loving that one too). As it is I read too many books from the library and hardly any from my own well-stocked shelves and I'm thinking of cracking down on that, but of course there will always be too many reasons to keep going to the library!

I love visiting here. There are so many wonderful books that I want to add them all to the tbr pile.

Happy Da to you.

I was putting books in order yesterday and found that I have a copy of The Fox Inheritance. The Adoration of Jenna Fox is an incredible book that haunts me still.

Ilana - I find children's fiction a great way to break up more serious reading. I want to read Grossman's Someone to run with and Be my knife, I think they're both YA.

Linda - The sequel had slipped my notice so I got quite excited and requested it. The plot sounds really interesting.

And today's haul from the mailbox:
The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler - children's fiction, Deern and a couple of other German LTers were discussing this writer the other day and I took the plunge with this one as it sounded like a good read for Halloween!
The story begins by Amos Oz - continuing my quest for Oz reads
Two omnibus Inspector Wexford volumes by Ruth Rendell - I've read quite a lot of her books, several Wexfords but thought I'd try the early ones. From Doon with Death, A new lease of death, The best man to die, Simisola. Plus The Crocodile Bird. I blame entering all my series data onto fictfact for this one.

And from yesterday for my son, the collector of Darren Shan books, his latest, The Lady of the Shades - With the darkness of John Connolly and the quirkiness of Neil Gaiman, Lady of the Shades is a dark supernatural thriller for adults. It's possibly one I'll read next month for Halloween if he lets me, he wants me to finish the Demonata series - I still have 2 books to go, though I promised ages ago that I'd finish it.

Bought in a bookstore:
Rome: a cultural, visual and personal history by Robert Hughes - I've been eyeing this for a few weeks and gave in today. It's a lovely hardback that had a good discount on it. I have his Barcelona on my shelves and only read a little way into it a long long time ago.

Library:
A wanted man, the latest Jack Reacher - I'll probably drop everything else and read this as there are 900+ requests for the book, I got in early this time.
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon - probably won't get time to read this
Water-blue eyes by Domingo Villar - Spanish crime series set in Galicia - someone on the 13in13 category challenge linked to a crime tour of the world in 100 books and this was one of many that I noted.
Or the bull kills you by Jason Webster - Spanish crime series set in Valencia - saw bk 2 at the bookstore and read up on the author at home.
In the beginning:a short history of the Hebrew Language by Joel M. Hoffman - lilbrattyteen did an interesting review of this

Nice review of Lion's Honey, Kerry. I had planned to read To the End of the Land this month, but I may have to put it off until October. I also own The Yellow Wind and Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature and Politics, and I'll keep Lion's Honey in mind after I've read these other books.

Darryl - I enjoyed To the End of the Land and am surprised that it doesn't seem to get read by that many LTers. I found See under: Love to be one of the most difficult books I've ever read but one with an outstandingly beautiful beginning, so worth starting even if you don't end up finishing it! The Zigzag Kid was a lot of fun. I also have Writing in the Dark and should pick it up.

Ok, I possibly won't get much reading done for the rest of the month as I've been called up for jury service for next week. So I'll either be there for just 1 or 2 days or if I'm chosen then sitting in on a trial that's expected to last two weeks.

151) Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher (2003)
fiction

TIOLI Magic 9 challenge. This is the second in the Hal Challis crime series which is set in a rural area just south of Melbourne. Homicide Inspector Challis and the other staff at Waverley Police station all have their personal problems and weaknesses which play out alongside the local drug and murder investigations. I'm enjoying the characters in these books and will keep reading the series. I'll probably switch to one from his Wyatt series next though, I'm curious.

I'm watching BBC World News in the US, and David Grossman is currently being interviewed about To the End of the Land. I missed the first part of the interview, but I'll look for an online link to it.

ETA: It was from the BBC series Talking Books with Razia Iqbal, which was originally broadcast on 21 Sep 2010:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tykls

I only discovered Ruth Rendell last year, and the first book I read by her was The Crocodile Bird which I thought was rather brilliant. I'm listening to Asta's Book right now (written as Barbara Vine) and I'm not quite sure what to make of it quite honestly, but she's definitely an author I intend to keep reading.

I look forward to reading David Grossman eventually, and I think I would start with To the End of the Land. Would love to see that interview Darryl mentions so I'll look out for a link.

eta: I just found this BBC interview from 2010 in which he talks about To the End of the Land (and reads an excerpt too)—am watching it now: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8966634.stm

#80: Lion's Honey looks like a good one. Thanks for the recommendation, Kerry. I will have to see if I can get my hands on a copy!

Thanks for posting that link, Ilana. That's a different interview than the interview I saw, so I'll look at that one as well. I've fallen a bit behind on my reading this week, but I still plan to read To the End of the Land before the end of the month.

Darryl / Ilana - I haven't had any success with either link, I think it must depend on which country you are logging in from or something. I did listen to a short interview on youtube. I also read quite a few interviews back when the book first appeared.

There's an interesting essay by Philip Pullman in the Guardian about re-telling the Grimm fairytales. His new book, Grimm Tales: For Young and Old, comes out in a few days. I'm currently reading his The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ but not really finding much in it, it's part of the Canongate Myth series.

#90: Stasia - it was an interesting read and one I think you'd enjoy.

Hi Kerry. Although I need another sci-fi series like I need a hole in the head I'm intrigued by Peter F. Hamilton as I keep seeing his name popping up - does it matter which of his series I start with?

Also enjoyed your reviews of Small Change for Stuart which I've had my eye on since the Carnegie Medal shortlist was announced this year. I think I like the Australian/US title better though. And Lion's Honey sounds like another interesting retelling from the Canongate series. I'm still hoping to squeeze in The Fire Gospel this month.

#92 Thanks for the link to the Pullman essay. I'd seen some articles about the Grimm Tales and thought it looked interesting.

Kerry, that was quite a book haul this last week, although I hadn't heard of any of them!!

De-lurking to say I've added This is Shyness to my growing wish list! :)

Sorry the link didn't work. You're right, these things are often managed by country. Lots of stuff in the US I can't watch. It was a good interview, though slightly depressing as he talks a bit about losing his son, and a lot about what he thinks the future of Israel and a peace process might be like... he doesn't seem all that hopeful. Can't say I blame him.

Adding my October Halloween reading here, just to remind myself.

The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler - childrens or YA fiction, just love the title. Thanks to Deern's thread for bringing this German writer to my notice.
Dark Calling, Hell's Heroes and/or The Lady of the Shades by Darren Shan - the first two finish off the YA Demonata series and the last is a supernatural thriller for adults.
The Radleys by Matt Haig

October GRs: IQ84 & Don Quixote, I hope to finish this in October, I've decided to just continue with it on audio.

Not sure if there'll be room for many TIOLI reads as I'll want to finish up so much of my current reading.

#93: Heather, I don't think it matters where you start with Peter F Hamilton, I'm sure you've already checked out the size of them. I started with the Mandel bks and went on to the Night's Dawn trilogy. I bought a whole set of his books in an online auction years ago, so am cheating a little to have listened to the audio version of Pandora's Star, but the size of those books are intimidating.
My daughter will be getting a copy of Pullman's Grimm tales book, she loves this sort of thing and I'm sure to want to read it as well, though I have a lot of Angela Carter to make my way through as well.
The Fire Gospel was a quick enough read, I must admit to being a bit stalled in the Byatt one, Ragnarok. I'm slowly getting through our shared read, The Merlin Conspiracy, just not making it a priority yet.

#94: Roni, most of them are new-to-me authors as well.

#95: Tina, I hope you enjoy it when you eventually get to it.

#96: Ilana: I still haven't made my way through one of Grossman's nonfiction political books. And yes, I've read a lot about how Grossman lost his son while he was writing the book. I think Haaretz did an extensive article about it all when the book first came out.

I managed my first stint of jury duty yesterday and thankfully wasn't called up though I'm part of a standby group that might have to go in again on Wednesday. I have to check the website this afternoon. I managed to read a book while I was there so that was a small bonus.

152) Hero on a bicycle by Shirley Hughes (2012)
children's fiction

TIOLI #16: Read a book first published in 2012. Shirley Hughes is well known for her picturebooks and illustration work and at a grand age of 85 years has written her first children's novel. She went to Florence when she was 19 at the end of WW2 and this book is based on one of the stories she heard about a local family.
The Allied front is advancing but the Nazis still occupy Florence and the surrounding countryside. Paolo, his older sister and English-born mother are living just outside Florence, their father is in hiding with the Partisans. Paolo has a chance to prove his bravery when they are asked to look after two soldiers who have escaped from a POW camp. The story involves all three members of the family and I liked how Hughes managed to introduce to the younger reader some of the complexities of the Italian politics of the time without being overwhelming. Overall a great old-fashioned adventure story.

153) The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman (2010)
Canongate Myth series

TIOLI #9. Magic 9 challenge. I've been wanting to read this for a while as I enjoy Pullman's work and it sounded intriguing with his idea of splitting the Jesus story between twin brothers. So it wasn't a brilliant read, I had to put aside My name was Judas which was covering similar territory and getting me confused between the two stories. in Pullman's version, Christ both chronicles Jesus' journey and also acts the part of Judas and to be honest I just didn't care to think any deeper into what he was trying to do with the story.
I'm keen to get back to the CK Stead book which is a far more entertaining retelling, one in which Judas, living under an alias, finally tells his side of the story 40 years after his betrayal of Jesus. And yesterday I picked up Naomi Alderman's latest book, The Liars' Gospel which is yet another retelling of the time of Jesus from four points of view - his mother, a friend, a rebel and High Priest Caiaphas.

154) Airman by Eoin Colfer (2008)
children's fiction / iPod audio

One of the delights of listening to a book by an Irish writer is that the narrator will have an enchanting Irish lilt, and I have to say that was a big drawcard for this one. I've had the book Airman sitting on Mt tbr for a long while but downloaded the audio when I saw it in my library's digital collection. This is a great steampunkish adventure story set around the invention of flying machines and a fictional kingdom on The Saltee Islands just off the coast of Ireland. Loved it loved it....so many great and despicable characters. I saw it described in one review as swashbuckling - yes, indeed. Think Count of Monte Cristo crossed with maybe Biggles or Those Magnificent Men in their Flying machines. Airman made the Carnegie Shortlist in 2009.

From wikipedia: Colfer was inspired to write the book after a frightening skydiving experience. He combined this with his childhood observation that the Saltee Islands would make an excellent prison

155) A Wanted Man by Lee Child (2012)
Jack Reacher #17

TIOLI #16: Read a book first published in 2012. I put my name down for this one at an opportune time as there are now over 900 requests for it at my library. Another instalment in the Reacher canon, I'll keep reading them but I'm not as much a fan as I once was.

Hi Kerry- Good luck with your October reads! And you have some big guns in there too. I have not read Don Quixote, one of many classics I have still not tried. What do I do all day, anyway?

Hi Mark - I'm lining up the IQ84 which will be my main focus. I have Don Quixote on audio and am into the home stretch of a year long group read. The Halloween reading is just filler!

In my mailbox today :
from BD finally -
The People of forever are not afraid by Shani Boianjiu, young Israel novelist & about young women doing their military service
from abebooks -
The Women's Decameron by Julie Voznesenskaya - calm recommendation
My father's glory & my mother's castle by Marcel Pagnol - been meaning to get this for a while
The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian

library:
The Liars' Gospel by Naomi Alderman - her latest and looks interesting
the knife drawer by Padrika Tarrant - looks quirky, noticed on the new & shiny shelf
The Apartment by Greg Baxter - looks interesting
Necropolis by Santiago Gamboa - Colombian writer but set in Jerusalem, another new & shiny

bookstore:
A thief in the house of memory by Tim Wynne-Jones - loved the title

And also from the library, a dvd documentary, Empire of the Word, based on Alberto Manguel's A History of Reading.

156) Dark Calling by Darren Shan (2009)
YA horror

This is book #9 of 10 in the Demonata series. I'm only reading this and the final book, Hell's Heroes, in order to finally complete the series. This series is not my usual 'cup of tea', but I wanted to see where the storyline ended up. Lots of blood n' guts and demon fighting which will appeal to budding horror lovers.

Hey, Kerry, you hit me with two book bullets back in message 98--not the Pullman book but the other two you mentioned while reviewing it!

>102 avatiakh: sometimes youve just gotta read the lot to have them done and dusted. And with your reading pace, you can fully justify that and hardly lose any reading time

Roni - they both look to be good, just feel that I'm crowding myself with biblical novels!

Megan - Shan has been my son's favourite writer since we went to a Halloween talk he gave when he visited Auckland a good 10 years ago now. He's great for capturing the reading attention of 'switched off' teens. I want to try his adult supernatural stuff and yes, these books are quick reads.

More library books:
The Queen and the nobody boy by Barbara Else - children's fiction, hot off the press
Michael Morpurgo: war child to war horse - biography
Ghetto cowboy by Greg Neri - saw this on a blog discussion about YA book covers

Kerry- I also have The People of forever are not afraid high on my WL. It sounds like a must read. I've never read the books but did you see the film versions of My father's glory & my mother's castle? They are excellent.

Hi Mark - I haven't seen those films but will once I've read the book. I loved both film and book of his Manon des sources and ages ago picked up an old copy of his memoirs, The Time of Secrets and the Time of Love which follow on from My father's glory & my mother's castle. Now I just have to read all four books.

My October reading:

October TIOLI:
1. Read a book found through LT’s Random Tag Generator
House of Many Ways (July 2008) - Diana Wynne Jones
The Radleys (December 2010) by Matt Haig

3. Read a book first released for publication over 100 yrs ago or in 2012
The cleansing of Mahommed by Chris McCourt
The Liars' Gospel (2012) - Naomi Alderman

4: Read a book set in China or a neighbouring country
White Duck: A Childhood in China - Na Liu

6: Read a book with a title word that starts with "un"
Judas Unchained by Peter F Hamilton

7: J*A*S*P*E*R
Erebos - Ursula Poznanski
Enchanted Glass - Diana Wynne Jones
Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card

8. Read a book by a dead author
Crusade in Jeans - Thea Beckman Reading
Deep Secret - Diana Wynne Jones
Don Quixote - Miguel De Cervantes

9: Read a book about survival
All fall down: a story of survival - Sally Nicholls

11: Read a book with a word in the title or author associated with a cemetery
The Impossible Dead (dead) - Ian Rankin

14. Read a book whose title includes both letters and actual numbers
1Q84 - Haruki Murakami - group read

15: Read a book from ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books 2000-2009
The Great Gilly Hopkins - Katherine Paterson

16: Read a book that has two or more 4's in it's ISBN
Lady of the Shades (9781409143604) - Darren Shan
Ragnarok: the end of the Gods ( 9781847670649) - A.S. Byatt
18: Read a book by a German author
Ghost Knight - Cornelia Funke
The Satanic Mill - Otfried Preußler

19: Read a Diary or Journal
A Russian Journal - John Steinbeck

October Halloween theme:
The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler
Hell's Heroes and The Lady of the Shades by Darren Shan
The Radleys by Matt Haig

I have lots of others, including too many library books, but I think the group read of IQ84 will be my main focus for the month.

157) The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones (2004)
YA fiction

TIOLI Buddy Read with Heather (souloftherose). This is the sequel to Deep Secret, but I think it can be taken as a standalone read set in the same Magid world. I've had this since it was first published and had tried and failed to read it once before. It does take time to gel as there are two storylines that need to get underway, but once it gets going this is a wonderfully imaginative read. Now I really should get on and read Deep Secret.
I've read heaps of DWJ's books and it amazes me when I realise how many I still have to read. I've added 2 or 3 to the October TIOLI challenges.

Roddy lives in a parallel world full of magic and is part of the Royal Procession that constantly moves around Blest (Britain), but something is wrong with the new Merlin. Nick knows there are alternate worlds, he was born on one of them but he just doesn't know the trick of moving between them.

158) The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson (1978)
children's fiction

October TIOLI: Banned Books challenge. I had come across this the other day when rearranging a book shelf so when I saw it on the Banned Books list thought it could finally come off my tbr pile. I intend to read all of Katherine Paterson's books at some stage but at present settle for a couple now and then. This is about a difficult foster child, Gilly, who has been unloved and moved on all her young life and so has plenty of tricks and barriers to play when she arrives at her latest place. It's in this unconventional family that Gilly finally finds what she has been seeking....but her schemes to reunite with her real mother might prove to be her downfall.
Lovely little story that's possibly been banned due to Gilly's racist attitude at the start of the book. This is dealt with within the context of the story.


159) The cleansing of Mahommed by Chris McCourt (2012)
fiction

Oct TIOLI #3: Read a book first released for publication over 100 yrs ago or in 2012. This debut was a wonderful read that I simply flew through. It's based on a true episode in Australian history, 'The Battle of Broken Hill' which ....may be the least-known action in Australian history. On New Year's Day 1915, two Afghan cameleers armed themselves with a couple of outmoded rifles, hoisted the Turkish flag on an ice-cream cart, and opened fire on a picnic train near Broken Hill.

The story plays out between a young Afghani, Gool Mahommed, and an Australian girl, Alice. He's returning to Broken Hill after 5 years away in his home country and servce in the Turkish Army. He's come back to seek his fortune in the mines, vowing not to work again with his fellow Afghanis and their camel trains. Alice and Gool meet briefly on the train from Adelaide back to Broken Hill, a great first chapter. Local attitudes do not go well for young Gool and the other foreigners, coming up against indifference, racism and religious intolerance and with the Great War breaking out, they are now also considered a possible enemy. The burgeoning romance barely takes off before tragedy must strike. The 'cleansing' is a theme carried through the book to an especially poignant last scene.
McCourt is an accomplished scriptwriter and has written for sterling Australian tv series such as 'McCleod's Daughters' & 'Packed to the Rafters'. Here, she tells a very fine well-paced yarn.

Kerri
Please tell me more about The Queen and The Nobody Boy. I love the title.

Hi Linda - it is the second children's book set in the imaginary Kingdom of Fontania. I really enjoyed the first book, The Travelling Restaurant. Not sure if these are available outside of New Zealand yet.
The full titles are:
The queen and the nobody boy : a tale of Fontania : Hodie's journey (in five parts all about bad choices)
The Travelling Restaurant : Jasper's voyage in three parts : a novel for children

Kerry- It looks like you have an action-packed October coming up. Good Luck. I've had an advanced copy of The Radleys on my shelf forever. It really looked good.

Mark - I've started The Radleys and am enjoying it. I've read and enjoyed all Haig's other adult fiction and one of his children's books.


160) Hell's Heroes by Darren Shan (2009)
YA horror

This is #10 and the final book in the Demonata series. I read this series more to know the content as it is really popular with teens, especially those who otherwise aren't keen readers. I was wondering how the final showdown was going to work and now I know. From book one we've followed newly orphaned Grubbs Grady and his adventures with the Disciples fighting the chess loving demon, Lord Loss and his followers across various worlds including Earth.
Read for October's Halloween theme read.

eta: those three on the cover are the good guys!

Oh I do love that Diana Wynne-Jones.

I must read some Hamilton.....

Yes and yes. I've got about another 6 or 7 DWJs to read as well as her essays in Reflections.
I caved this morning and bought Hamilton's latest, a real doorstopper, Great North Road. What I like is it's a standalone book but the equivalent reading of other writers' trilogies that take years to publish in full. Will be reading it in November, which means I have to tackle Judas Unchained this month.

161) Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones (2010)
children's fiction

Read for TIOLI *Jasper* challenge. Another immersion into the wonderful magical world of DWJ. I had intended to carry on with my rereads of Harry Potter, I'm up to book 4, but finding myself enjoying DWJ too much to bother at present.
I've got House of Many Ways and Deep Secret lined up to read as well this month.

162) Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes (1605)
fiction

Added to TIOLI Book by a dead author. This was my 12in12 year long group read which I started back in February. I ended up listening to an audiobook, Robert Whitfield narrating Tobias Smollett's 1761 translation and only read one section of the Edith Grossman translation.
I really enjoyed Book one which contains the most well known of the adventures of Quixote and Pancho. The second part which was originally published a decade after the first book just felt a little contrived and I struggled with it to be honest.
I'm really happy to be have finally read this and will be spending the evening watching Peter O'Toole & Sophia Loren in 'The Man from La Mancha'.

I had no idea Don Quixote was so old!
There are definitely some books out there that I am just happy to have finished reading, rather than glad that I am reading. Well done for getting over the line!

Thanks, the first half of the book was really fun, the second half more of a grind. DQ is one of the first novels ever and well worth persevering with. I loved the bawdiness of the translation I chose and just couldn't bring myself to read a more modern interpretation.

#118 Congratulations on finishing DQ Kerry!

I must get around to reading some Diana Wynne Jones. I've seen such good things about her.

Hi Kerry - finally caught up here! Good on you for finishing DQ... especially if some of it was a slog.

I have *got* to read some DWJ to the kids. I didn't read her when I was little but a good friend did and was just saying at the weekend how much she's enjoying her. I think she mentioned Charmed Life - do you agree or have any other recommendations for which book to hunt for? Karori library has tons by her.

You can't really go wrong with DWJ and the Chrestomanci novels such as Charmed Life or The Magicians of Caprona are a really good place to start. Just take care as some of her work is definitely YA, a couple were originally published for adults and there are a few quite juvenile as well. Her last book Earwig and the witch is one for younger readers.
There is a great story in Stopping for a Spell, 'Chair Person', which would make a great introduction too. She's a bit like Margaret Mahy in that she wrote wonderful stories for all those age levels.

Thanks. Both Charmed Life and Earwig and the witch are in at Central... might have to do a library trip soon. I'll report back!

Congrats on finishing DQ Kerry! I guess it wasn't meant to be for me this year, but I'll definitely keep in mind the audiobook as an accompaniment to my Edith Grossman book.

Ilana - I still feel a bit of a cheat by doing it by audio, but it was a fun listen for the most part. I kept the book close by and referred to it quite a lot. I'm thinking of listening to The Count of Monte Cristo, my library has it and the narrator is John Lee.


163) The Radleys by Matt Haig (2010)
fiction

An October Halloween Read and added to TIOLI Random Tag challenge. I'm addicted to this writer's dark comedic style of writing and this was another satisfying read. The Radleys are a middleclass, muted sort of family, one that doesn't stand out, they've blended into a small town community but....they are different, they're abstaining vampires. The problem is, is that the parents have never told their two teenaged children and unfortunately that was a very bad move.
I must move his The Possession of Mr. Cave up my tbr list.

I was asked over on the 12in12 challenge about a possible influence of To kill a mockingbird on the choice of the name 'Radley' and did a bit of sleuthing and found this informative PW interview:

Matt Haig's The Radleys depicts a British family of "abstaining" vampires thrown into crisis after the teenage daughter discovers her "overwhelming blood thirst."

Were you influenced by Boo Radley of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Yes, Boo, pale-faced, misunderstood suburban outsider, was definitely my inspiration, though I later discovered Radley means "of the red meadow," which can have vampire connotations.

I have added The Radleys to my wishlist!! Sounds fun! :)

Hi Tina - it was a fun read.

It is amazing that the power of To Kill a Mockingbird continues. It is an incredible book and my all time favorite. I immediately thought of Boo when you noted the title.

All good wishes to you Kerri.

Hi Linda - I feel that I should reread it as it's been years since I did read it.

164) Ragnarok: the end of the Gods by A.S. Byatt (2011)
Canongate myth series

Added to TIOLI Challenge #16: Read a book that has two or more 4's in its ISBN. I had to read this rather slowly as I wasn't appreciating the eloquent language and almost gave up in what felt like an endless section on Jörmungandr, the sea serpent that encircles the world. Byatt encases this telling of the Viking gods inside a young English girl's reading of a German edition of Norse mythology during World War 2, this girl is in actuality Byatt, herself.
I found it rich in imagery and luscious prose but overall I think I prefer a more direct sort of telling. I loved Kevin Crossley-Holland's Book of Norse Myths and would recommend that over the Byatt. I've enjoyed couple of Byatt's other books so will keep reading her work.
Here's Ursula Le Guin's take on Byatt's book:

Ragnarök, A S Byatt's contribution to the Canongate Myths series, is a brilliant, highly intelligent, fiercely personal rendition of the Scandinavian mythology. Its personal element has particular resonance for me because, like A S Byatt, I was a child during the Second World War. I, too, read the Norse myths, and like her I found they made sense of the strange world we were growing up in. But California was a long way from the north of England, and the versions of the story I knew were very different from hers. She read the translation of Wägner's scholarly edition; I read Padraic Colum's, written principally for younger readers. Colum gave the often incoherent material narrative shape, humanised its brutality to some extent, brought out its harsh humour, and told it in fine, clear prose. Byatt was dealing with something nearer the raw material. But we were both reading a story that moved inexorably through war towards doom.

And a quote from the book:

The thin child walked through the fair field in all weathers, her satchel of books and pens, with the gas-mask hanging from it, like Christian's burden when he walked in the fields, reading in his Book. She thought long and hard, as she walked, about the meaning of belief. She did not believe the stories in Asgard and the Gods. But they were coiled like smoke in her skull, humming like dark bees in a hive. She read the Greek stories at school, and said to herself that there had once been people who brought 'belief' to these capricious and quarrelsome gods and goddesses, but she herself read them as she read fairy stories, Puss in Boots, Baba Yaga, brownies, pucks, and fairies, foolish and dangerous, nymphs, dryads, hyrdra and the white winged horse, Pegasus, all these offered the pleasure to the mind that the unreal offers when it is briefly more real than the visible world can ever be. But they didn't live in her, and she didn't live in them.

I've added The Radleys to my wishlist as well. I've had Ragnarok: the End of the Gods on my kindle for quite a while - I really must get around to reading it.

Some junior fiction that I've been reading this weekend:

The No.1 Car Spotter by Atinuke (2010)
children's fiction

This was a great beginner's chapter book, telling the story of No.1 and his friend Coca-cola, living in a small rural community in Nigeria. You fall for the irresistible charm of Oluwase Babatunde Benson or No.1 as he prefers to be called from the first page as he tackles a very different way of life with flair and enthusiasm. This is the first in a series about No.1 and just like the Anna Hibiscus books the style of language would make it a great read aloud. I'm a fan and the illustrations by Warwick Cadwell are great.
Here's the link to a short clip of Atinuke 'telling' an excerpt from the book.


Saffron: so quite excellent by Victoria M. Azuro (2012)
children's fiction

Another beginning chapter book. Saffron's mum is quite exhausted by the new baby and work demands so Saffron decides to 'help'. Hilarious mayhem with fab design and illustration done by Azaro. This is the third Saffron book and I like it more than the first one, I haven't read #2. Azaro is from Argentina but lives in New Zealand so she likes to add a bit of international flavour into the books. So the Dad and Mum are quite the globetrotting business person/artist and Saffron manages to get in trouble in France and Spain and also at her ballet class. There are now three daughters - Saffron, Sage and baby, Star-Anise.
http://www.saffron-sage.com/


Diary of a bat by Sally Sutton (2012)
children's fiction

This won me over, I started it thinking it would be a chore to read but slowly the little bat's personality started to shine through. Every time he goes to sleep, the text inverts and you have to turn the book upsidedown to read alongside the illustration of the little bat fast asleep and hanging from his branch. Very cute for emergent readers.
The little bat goes to school, learns the truth about the shining (sun/daylight) and completes three dares in order to join the Batty Gang.


Fishing Fame by Melanie Drewery (2012)
children's fiction

I didn't hit it off with this book though emergent readers might lap it up. It's a slapstick adventure of two young boys who decide to take a paddleboat out past the sharknet so they can catch a big fish. The only sensible thing they do in the book is wear life jackets. Their fishing line gets caught up by a shark and eventually they manage to rescue themselves and the shark ends up in the local aquarium. I just felt that the danger aspects of the story were too big for the humorous style, I know I should lighten up but....that's a pretty fearsome great white on the cover.
NB: I do like Drewery's other books.


The Robber Hotzenplotz by Otfried Preußler (1962)
children's fiction

Firstly I want to announce that Mr Preußler will be 99 on Oct 20, I know because I was going to add one of his books to the TIOLI Dead Author challenge and then found that I couldn't! This classic German children's book is included in the 1001 children's books you must read before you grow up and I came across mention of it on Nathalie's thread when she was looking for sentimental childhood favourites to read. When wicked Robber Hotzenplotz robs Grandmother of her new musical coffee mill, Kasperl and Seppel decide they'll catch him. But the robber captures them and trades one boy into service with a nearby evil magician. What a fun and comical story, accompanied by great illustrations by Franz-Josef Tripp, though in my edition they were in b&w.

OK Kerry, you just plonked 4 books onto my wishlist for the next library trip - thanks!! Got 2 DWJs out the other day (The earwig one and Charmed Life) and hope to read them with T soon.

I hope she enjoys them. I'm never that keen to read emergent chapter books, but when they're good they can be a lot of fun. I have a couple of longer junior novels to read now, Norcliffe's Enchanted Flute and Barbara Else's latest. Did you see that Kate De Goldi has a new children's book coming out, The ACB with Honora Lee. Bob Docherty has reviewed it on his blog.

I'm catching up with threads but wanted to say that I "read" the John Lee narration of Count of Monte Cristo a couple of months ago and quite enjoyed it.

Anne, I'm planning on 'reading' that same John Lee version of The CofMC next month.

Aaaw... you read The Robber Hotzenplotz! So glad you liked it. I can't find that first part in my local library (I read and reviewed parts 2 and 3 only), and I am considering buying it - it's worth the investment.

#133 "overall I think I prefer a more direct sort of telling" Yes, I'm starting to wonder if the books from the Canongate Myths series are a bit too clever for me and whether I'd be better off sticking with the more straightforward retellings.

Nathalie: I'm always up to read children's books in translation. I'm planning to read The Satanic Mill for the Halloween theme read.

Heather: I still have Baba Yaga laid an Egg to read after giving up after just a few pages last year but will now make this series less of a priority.


165) Killer App & Other Paranormal Stories (2012)
YA anthology

I was interested to read this anthology as it was published by Penguin India and the stories while standard scary are also a little exotic. New Zealander David Hair has a story included as he was living in India around the time he contributed, and I have to say that his Bloodied Hands was one of the better ones, making use of Indian mythology as did Janine Perrett's Rashiraya Palace. Not all the stories were that great but I enjoyed reading one or two each time I picked up the book. Most other contributors were from India.

You got me with Diary of a Bat. I love the whole idea of flipping the book around when he is asleep!

>143 lkernagh: I also thought that was quite clever!

Kerri, I purchased a copy of {1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. It is such a delightful format. I love the way in which they show the cover and then proceed to describe why the book is worth reading.

Lori & Brenda - the book is a local one and probably not worth looking out for unless you're in New Zealand, but I can recommend Jeanne Willis' Daft Bat, a great picturebook that also has that upsidedown appeal.

Linda - I've got a copy as well and enjoy browsing through it. I'm about to read a Dutch favourite from 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, Crusade in Jeans which might appeal to you.

I had an early morning meeting today, so great to start the day chatting about literature and book related matters. We will be hosting an international children's literature congress in four year's time and there is a lot to plan (and funds to source).

So I came home via Onehunga where I stopped at Luscious for a late breakfast and my morning coffee. After I went to the nearby Hard to Find but worth the effort used book shop for a little browse and came away with a number of interesting books.

Captains of the sands by Jose Amado - set in Bahia in Brazil, I don't think I've read a book set here before
Tieta by Jose Amado - looks good too
Beat of the city by Hesba Brinsmead - 1960s YA set in Melbourne
Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen - enjoyed her Out of Africa years ago
Napoleon: the song of departure by Max Gallo - #1/4 French historical fiction series
The Oxford Book of Scottish Short Stories
Chatterton by Peter Ackroyd - Booker prize shortlist in 1987
Brothers by Yu Hua
Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas by Morgan Llywelyn

also yesterday I picked up a copy of Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and in the mail today my son's copy of the US edition of Zom-B for his Darren Shan collection.

I've also got 3 books to pick up from the library, luckily they are all children's books.

Last night I laughed my way through several episodes of The Book Group, has anyone else seen this Scottish comedy from 2002?

Kerri. Thanks for your recommendation. Crusade in Jeans is now on the tbr list.

Linda, I was talking to a librarian this morning and she was saying how useful the 1001 children's books is to refer to when they are culling their collections.

Kerry, I hope you go ahead and give A Face in the Frost a chance--it's one of my favorite reads!

Wow, Kerry! You can really pound through the books! Go girl! 1Q84 is hogging most of my reading time.

#147 An international children's literature conference sounds exciting! I've seen lots of buzz for Seraphina so I'll be interested in your thoughts.

A few shorter books:

Little White Duck: a childhood in China by Na Liu, illustrated by Andres Vera Martinez (2012)
junior graphic novel / memoir

Added to TIOLI challenge: Read a book set in China. Reflecting the changing face & modernising of China, Na Liu tells 8 short stories from her 1970s childhood, and these have been illustrated by her husband, Martinez. This would be a powerful read for the age group it's aimed at especially the story where she visits her father's rural village and her less well-off cousins are mesmerised by the little fluffy duck applique on her coat. Here's the link to an excellent and expansive review from NYPL librarian Betsy Bird.
Na Liu is a doctor of hematology and oncology. She moved from Wuhan, China, to Austin, Texas, in 1998 to work as a research scientist.




This moose belongs to me by Oliver Jeffers (2012)
picture book

Another wonderful picturebook from Jeffers, a young boy has a pet moose, or thinks he does....I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking.




The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey (2012)
novella

I really love Silvey's work and this novella is a delight. The cover looks like a tatty pulp fiction paperback but inside is a keen story about a boy who patrols his neighbourhood as the Masked Avenger each evening and not to forget his sidekick, Richie the Power Beagle. Silvey writes a truly sympathetic story that works on the heart. The story was included in an Australian anthology, 10 Short Stories You Must Read In 2010, a couple of years ago and has also been turned into a theatre production.
Comes with great retro-style illustrations.



Meet the author


Recipe for Murder: Frightfully Good Food Inspired by Fiction by Esterelle Payant (2010)
nonfiction
I had more of a browse through than a thorough read. This gives you a background on some of the most villainous of villains in fiction, served up with an extract from the literary work and a suitable recipe. Snow White's stepmother gives us 'bewitching caramel apples', the big bad wolf serves up 'pigs in a blanket', Cathy Ames from East of Eden dishes up 'Cathy's Dead Bean Salad'. There's a lot of villains here and, for me, many European literary characters that are probably worth investigating - Pretaxtat Tach from Hygiene and the Assassin, Ennemonde etc. The artwork is cool too.


Patrick Bateman from American Psycho
Dracula
The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland
The Ogre from Charles Perrault's fairytales

UBU from Ubu Rex

Book installation

> 154 - Nice!

#154 Love the books!

Wow! And some fascinating illustrations, Kerry! Thanks for sharing.

I should be reading IQ84 but my reading has slowed down and I'm drowning a little under the weight of YA books from the library that I'm trying to get through before their due dates. I think I'll ditch Rebel Heart, which is book 2 of the Dustlands trilogy. I liked the first book though it wasn't quite as good as Divergent, but this second book is a real drag so far and I'm 100 pages in.
Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke is similarly underwhelming me though I'll finish it.
All fall down by Sally Nicholls is historical fiction about the plague and has a good feel to it so far
The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson - is a revival of a fantasy by Eden Phillpotts that was first published in 1910. I should just read it straight through instead of in piecemeal bits like I'm doing at present.
The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler is great, really dark and fairytale-like.
Erebos by Ursula Poznanski - started this one as well and can't wait to get back into it.

I'm also trying to find time to read My name is Judas which is a left over from September.

Hi Kerry! I think you're the only other person I know who has enjoyed The Book Group. Except perhaps the friend who borrowed my dvds and never returned them. It got a late-night re-run here about 8 years ago and was always good for a giggle before bed!

I hope we'll get to meet in person at the IBBY conference. I was in London for this year's and we were all trying to figure out how to finance the trip to NZ. Time to save the pennies, I think! Hope the planning is exciting! There are so many NZ children's writers I'd love to see in person.

The Satanic Mill creeped me out when I was a kid and I could never finish it. Time for a new try, I guess. In the 70s there was an animated TV version even more creepy but also very well done, black and white (no greys), only silhouettes, with a dark background music and a narrator just reading the story, no character voices. Gave me nightmares.

Yes, it's really creepy! That animated version sounds real scary. I can imagine children not being brave enough to keep reading, there is a strong sense of black magic in the first few chapters. There are some great book covers if you do a google search.

#159: Hi Eimear, yes, I found the Book Group quite fun to watch. My daughter ended up having to watch Green Wing as well.
We're excited and also a little petrified to be organising the congress. Please start saving those pennies and tell everyone they just have to make the trip out here.

166) Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke (2011) (2012 English trans)
children's fiction
TIOLI Read a book translated from German. It's been a while since I read something by Funke, I still haven't got round to reading Reckless, but the plot of this one sounded interesting and I love that they kept the cover clear of any writing. The Ghost Knight is William Longspee, Earl of Salisbury, an illegitimate son of Henry II who died soon after serving in the Crusades of the early 13th Century. He is 'called to help' a boy who is newly arrived at a boarding school in Salisbury who has family ties to the past and is being haunted by ghosts after revenge.
It started a bit flat and the action was slow to get going, once it did it was quite scary. An average read rather than a great one.


167) Long ago in France: the years in Djon by M.F.K. Fisher (1991)
memoir
Newly wed Fisher and her husband Al, arrive in Djon in 1928. They stay for 3 years while Al studies for his doctorate in literature. Fisher wrote this many years later, so in many ways is quite nostalgic. She focuses more on people than the food. I liked it but didn't love it.

#163: Sounds like I can safely give both of those books a pass. I hope your next read is truly spectacular, Kerry!

It does slow the reading down when the books aren't appealing.

>147 avatiakh: Nice book haul, Kerry. Will you be reading Brothers this quarter?

Kerry, just de-lurking to say you read such a fantastic array of books. I love all the illustrations you accompany with the books. Lots of ideas here for when my little guy is a bit older and can appreciate the stories more, or at least sit down long enough to read through an entire book. :)

Thanks for all the great reviews!

Hello Kerry,
just returning your visit. We share indeed some books. I don't think either that the Ghost Knight is one of Funke's best. Did you ever read the Drachenreiter (Dragonrider in English - oh crumps I don't seem to be able to get the touchstone to work) or When Santa fell to Earth or the Ghosthunters by her. That are some of her better children books. Especially the Christmas one is absolutely great and the Ghosthunters are hilarious.

And I have to say I love the stories by Ottfried Preussler and I have to agree that the Satanic Mill was a bit creepy at times.

Some other of my other old time favourite children books (which I forced on my child) are The Brothers Lionheart and Ronja Robber daughter by Astrid Lindgren, and Momo and The Night of Wishes by Michael Ende.

I wish you a lovely weekend. :)

Whoa, am I behind, Kerry. I liked your review of Guy Delisle's Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City. I liked his Pyongyang, set in North Korea. Are you the one who suggested balancing Jerusalem: Chronicles with How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less? I just ordered the latter.

Did you get a chance to read that new Jack Reacher novel yet? (Maybe I missed it up above). I liked it, as usual with that series.

#166: Darryl - There's a slight chance of me reading Brothers before the end of the year. More likely that I'll tackle it in my Reading in Translation category over on the 2013 category challenge.

#167: Hi Valerie - Thanks, I enjoy adding the illustrations as some of these books are quite outstanding. I hope you find lots of good stuff to share with your little guy.

#168: Hi Biance - great to have a return visit. I have read Funke's Inkheart trilogy, The Thief Lord and Dragonrider and a picturebook about pirates. I've seen the Santa one but never felt compelled to pick it up, I'll have to have a look out for it. Never heard of the Ghosthunter books but will see if my library has them.
I read The Brothers Lionheart & Momo a couple of years ago and really liked them, I have the Ronja book & The Night of Wishes on my tbr pile but still haven't picked them up. I visited the Michael Ende Museum at the International Youth Library in Munich a few years ago and have been meaning to read as much of his work as I could, but have become sidetracked as usual.
Must get back to The Satanic Mill which is continuing to be creepy, I'm now also reading Erebos by Ursula Poznanski, another German writer.

#169: Hi Joe, yes that was me suggesting the 'Israel in 60 Days of less' GN. I've picked up Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea from the library the other day, along with a few other graphic novels. Yes, I read the Jack Reacher, and agree that it is fairly standard read for the series. I can handle him once or twice a year but not more than that. I'm still outraged that Tom Cruise got the part in the film.

I've managed to finish a few children's books, a GN and the ever lingering My name was Judas, but at the expense of reading IQ84 where I'm only a couple of pages into chapter 2....and now I've just read about Alison Croggon's new book which I'll pick up from the library in a couple of days, 'Black spring'...
Lina is enchanting, vibrant but wilful. And her eyes betray her for what she truly is a witch. With her childhood companion, Damek, she has grown up privileged and spoilt and the pair are devoted to each other to the point of obsession. But times are changing. Vendetta is coming. And tragedy is stalking the halls of the Red House. A stunning new novel by Alison Croggon, inspired by the Gothic classic Wuthering Heights.

And a link to an Australian site where Croggon writes about how the book came to be

*waving* at Kerry

*waving back*

>170 avatiakh: I had intended to read Brothers for the Reading Globally fourth quarter theme, but it's a door stopper, so I may also have to put it off until next year.

I'll probably be joining you on that, I'm already rather overcommitted till the end of the year with my planned reads. I just made a rather lengthy list of what I'd really like to finish before the year ends and it doesn't include the myriad of library books that I insist on getting out.

#168 & 170 I read and enjoyed Momo by Michael Ende for the German author challenge this month (and thank you to Kerry for the original recommendation back in 2010!) so I'll look out for Michael Ende's The Night of Wishes.

#170 & 171 The new Alison Croggan book sounds interesting Kerry, although you've reminded me that I have the first two books in her Pellinor Saga in my TBR pile and should probably start (and finish) that series first.

Heather, so pleased you liked Momo, it was quite different. One of the reasons I like reading these older books is to see possible influences on current writers. I often look out for books that writers mention as being their childhood favourites.
I've only read the first Pellinor book, but this new one does look interesting, I pick up my library copy today.

I've got lots of books to update hopefully will get this done over the weekend.

Look forward to seeing your updates Kerry as your prodigious reading continues. Have a lovely weekend.

Hi Kerry! How is it coming with 1Q84? Hope you are enjoying it. The Group Read thread has been kind of quiet.
Have a great weekend.

I'll group my recent reading by type rather than date read. First up are the illustrated books:


Werewolves of Montpellier by Jason (2010)
graphic novel, Norway
OK, this is a fairly slim little GN with an even slimmer storyline but I just loved the crisp clean artwork. A jewel thief dons a werewolf mask, clambers over rooftops and breaks into homes at night, hoping that the mask will cause anyone who discovers him to at first hesitate, giving him enough time to make a quick exit...eventually he's discovered by a coven of actual werewolves.
From his bio: The Norwegian cartoonist Jason combines a poker-faced minimalist anthropomorphic style with more than a passing nod to the "clear-line" ethos of Hergé.



Glacial Period by Nicolas de Crécy (2005)
graphic novel, France

This is part of a series of four graphic novels about the Louvre. This one is set in a post-apocolyptic future with an ice age having destroyed much of Europe. A group of explorer/archaeologists are sledding across this bleak white expanse of snow and ice with some genetically engineered dogs. They eventually discover the Louvre and as visual art plays no part in their society they assume that the art treasures are telling the story of the destruction of Europe, if only they can get them in the correct order. The story goes quite surreal but there are some great ideas in the story. A list of the Louvre treasures that de Crécy included in the story is at the back of the book. The art work has beautiful hues but the size of the book is a bit small to fully appreciate the art.
I'm interested to see more of his work and the other 3 books in this series.

House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block, illustrated by Barbara McClintock (2010)
YA storybook
I just had to read this after glimpsing the beautiful cover online. The book itself is fairly petite and full of intricate b&w line drawings. The end papers are rather gorgeous as well. The story is quite delightful, the dolls are alive but not quite, they have been in the dolls house since the grandmother was a girl. The granddaughter is bored and lonely and resents the dolls' beautiful costumes, all made over the years by hand by the grandmother, while she is ignored by her parents.


The fantastic Drawings of Danielle by Barbara McClintock (1996)
picturebook
This was mentioned on Laini Taylor's blog, she's been enjoying this book with her young daughter who loves to do art just like her parents (Laini is an artist/writer & her husband is a graphic artist). The artwork is delightful and the story is quite lovely. Danielle accompanys her father most days onto the streets of Paris where he takes photographs. Danielle draws, but her drawings are never able to be as realistic as her father's photos. I'm keen to seek out more of McClintock's work.

Several more illustrations from the book here


Mister Whistler by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Gavin Bishop (2012)
picturebook

One of the last books we'll see from the wonderful Mahy and a first collaboration with Gavin Bishop. Mr Whistler wakes up with a song in his head and when he buys a train ticket he can't remember where he put it. He has to check all his pockets inside and out, all the while dancing to the tune in his head which he needs to remember as well. Quite delightful, the ending slightly falls flat for me but only a smidgen.
More pics can be seen here

And some YA and children's books:


168) A hen in the wardrobe by Wendy Meddour (2012)
children's fiction

Ramzi's Dad is sleepwalking, he's looking for a hen in Ramzi's wardrobe. The doctor says he's homesick and so the family leave the UK to spend a summer in his father's village in Algeria. In the village Ramzi's father is able to get all the sleep he needs, but the noisy village life and early morning call to prayer keep Ramzi and his mother from sleeping in. This is a sweet, humorous story about having parents from two cultures. Meddour incorporates a lot of village life and Muslim customs seamlessly into the story.

Wendy's bio from her website: Wendy spent many years teaching English at Oxford University but has taken a break from academia in order to concentrate on her writing. With a farm in North Africa, a wobbly old house in Wiltshire, 4 young children and a Berber husband, there's always plenty to write about!
The book was shortlisted for the Muslim Writers’ Awards 2011, Winner of the Islamic Foundation’s International Writing Competition (and overall winner of the illustration category) and recipient of The John C Laurence Award 2010 (A national award given to a writer whose work is considered to improve relations between the races).

169) Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay (2011)
children's fiction, Australia

Cassie was born the day that her family's town, Old Lower Grange, was drowned by the new dam. It's still there submerged under the new lake and Cassie has always been fascinated by the idea of this hidden place of memories that she can't share. Swimming at the lake she and her friend Liam uncover a secret, something that someone had hoped to keep in the past.
I enjoyed this, McKinley covered quite political aspects of heritage as well. Cassie's sister works for the council and as the Old/New Lower Grange is about to celebrate a centenary since being founded she's putting together a commemorative book and the council leave out all mention of the protests about the drowning of the original town.


170) The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preußler (1971) translated by Anthea Bell
children's fiction, Germany

October Halloween Read and TIOLI Read a book translated from German. Nathalie first mentioned Otfried Preußler on her thread and this was one of the few books available at my library and entirely suitable for a Halloween read. Set in 16th century Germany, 14 yr old orphan Krabat has been travelling the countryside begging for food. He's drawn to an old mill and finds work there as an apprentice. The miller already has 11 strong men working there, and over time Krabat finds he is in a school for Black Arts and that each year there must be a sacrifice from among the men for the mill to keep working. Deliciously creepy read that won a few awards back when it was first published.


171) The Flint Heart by Katherine & John Paterson (2012)
freely abridged from the original story by Eden Phillpotts (1910)
children's fiction

The original story can be downloaded here. The Paterson's have revived the story for a new generation of children and the new storybook edition is full of lovely illustrations by John Rocco. They came across the story when talking to Margaret Mahy about out of print books and Margaret mentioned it as one of her favourite childhood books.
I ended up enjoying it quite a lot, though I always wondered at the back of my mind what changes had been made to the original story, so will be flicking through that original one at some stage.
The flint heart is made as a talisman for a powerhungry caveman back in the Stone Age, eventually after much misery the charm is cast out. A few thousand years later it is dug up by a kind farmer, who immediately turns cruel and ambitious. His children and their dog seek help from the Enchanted World to rid their father of the evil charm.


Book trailer here

172) Inside out and back again by Thanhha Lai (2011)
children's fiction
This won the National Book Award for Youth literature last year and was a Newbery Honour Book. I added it to the TIOLI Challenge to read a contemporary novel set in the 1970s.
I love reading prose novels and this is a really good example of the genre. Lai writes a semi-autobiographical story of living in Saigon during the Vietnam War and then of her family's time as refugees and coming to live in Alabama where they must fit in. Recommended and I have to say I love that cover art.
Here's an excerpt from the Alabama part of the book:
The Outside

Starting tomorrow
everyone must
leave the house.
Mother starts sewing
at a factory;
Brother Quang begins
repairing cars.
The rest of us
must go to school,
repeating the last grade,
left unfinished.
Brother Vũ wants
to be a cook
or teach martial arts,
not waste a year
as the oldest senior.
Mother says
one word:
College.
Brother Khôi
gets an old bicycle to ride,
but Mother says
I’m too young for one
even though I’m
a ten-year-old
in the fourth grade,
when everyone else
is nine.
Mother says,
Worry instead
about getting sleep
because from now on
no more naps.
You will eat lunch
at school
with friends.
What friends?
You’ll make some.
What if I can’t?
You will.
What will I eat?


173) All Fall Down: a story of survival by Sally Nicholls (2012)
YA fiction
Added to TIOLI Survival challenge. Nicholls brings the 1349 Year of Black Death to vivid life through the eyes and heart of young 14 yr old Isobel, who lives in a small village about 2 days walk from York. Really good reading, and with my daughter suffering from a bad bout of flu as I was reading it, I did get quite fraught with anxiety for her health.
I've read and enjoyed all 3 of Nicholls' books.


174) Erebos by Ursula Poznanski (2010 German) (2012 English translation)
YA fiction
Read for TIOLI JASPER challenge. Ursula Poznanski is Austrian not German as I first assumed, but anyway this book is set in London. Ok, there's a couple of bits that probably didn't really get explained but who cares, this is a great YA thriller set partly in an online computer game and partly in the real world. DVD discs are being passed secretly around at school and Nick is really curious about it. He knows that it's a new computer game but no one will say anything, then at long last he's approached and finally can enter the game of Erebos. And he's hooked, the game is everything you could hope for...but how and why does the in-game messenger want to know about other students from school.
Once I started I couldn't put this down.

175) My name was Judas by C.K. Stead (2006)
fiction, new zealand

This was my first book by C.K. Stead who is one of the New Zealand's grand old men of literature. He's known for his poetry and short stories. He's probably most famous here among the hoi polloi for writing Smith's Dream which was made into the 1977 movie Sleeping Dogs which kickstarted Sam Neill's acting career. His daughter Charlotte Grimshaw is also an award winning writer. His other daughter, Margaret Stead, is the editorial director at Atlantic Books in London.

I had marked out two of his books to read this year, the other is his biographical novel, Mansfield which still looks enticing. While I've found his poetry really difficult to delve into this novel was ideal reading material. He doesn't do dense, he does spare, a style I found totally appropriate for this retelling of the life of Jesus. Stead's main man is Judas, who has lived to an old age, those stories about him hanging from a fig tree are just that, stories that have been exaggerated just as much of what is claimed of Jesus is being embellished. We find Judas as an old man, living in Sidon as a Greek, a passing preacher from the Jesus sect, sets off his memories of his past life, one that he's shut away. We go right back to the childhood friendship between the privileged Judas and poor boy, Jesus. This story has been done very well, Stead/Judas give a more skeptical account of the miracles that Jesus is said to have performed, acts which make more realistic sense and that have quickly been exaggerated to miraculous feats by hearsay. At the heart is the relationship between the two men, a childhood friendship between Jesus, now seen as a Messiah, and Judas, always the questioning skeptic.
I still have two more novels to read about Jesus, but I really think I'm on 'religion' overload and will have to take a break, blame it on my having a 'religion in fiction' category for my 12in12.
The Book of Rachael by Leslie Cannold - Rachael, sister of Jesus, loves Judas - her story
The Liars' Gospel by Naomi Alderman - more political from Jewish/Roman viewpoints


176) A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck (1949) & photos by Robert Capa
memoir

TIOLI Read a journal or diary. Steinbeck and Capa want to know what is happening in Russia to the ordinary people. They're not interested in the news, or politics they just want to see how the farmers, the factory workers are getting on and how they are recovering from the war and destruction. Their application to visit Russia is approved and they travel there in 1948. What stands out in this account is that their visas are different from that of straight news journalists, they had much more freedom and were able to travel around the country, there were restrictions but news journalists at the time were treated with great suspicion and not allowed to travel outside of Moscow. They visit Moscow, Kiev, Stalingrad and Soviet Georgia in their six weeks there.
The camera and equipment caused untold problems at times, but no photographs had come out of Russia for years. I enjoyed reading about Steinbeck's relationship with Capa, they have to share a room everywhere and Capa sounds like a total eccentric, but truly professional in his craft. There's even a three page interlude in the journal where Capa defends himself against Steinbeck! But what they see and do is so interesting, and just the process of getting anywhere, Steinbeck writes about it all, openly and honestly. The book has Capa's photos throughout but the quality was not very good in the edition I was reading. I recommend Lisa's review over on the ANZ Lit Lovers Blog.

We found, as we had suspected, that the Russian people are people, and with other people, are very nice. The ones we met had a hatred of war, they wanted the same things all people want – good lives, increased comfort, security and peace.

I'm too tired to update these two, so will do that in the morning.

All I can say is WOW what a lot of recent reading and such a heady brew. I haven't read that Steinbeck and I will be interested to see what you made of it.

Kerry, I've just read The Radleys based on your recommendation a little while ago and really enjoyed it. Glacial Period also really appeals.

My word, you have been busy!

Hi Paul - I've updated my reviews in #185. You would enjoy the Steinbeck.

Rhian - I've found Haig's books deliciously dark and enjoy diving into one from time to time. He's used Shakesperean themes for some of them.

Hi Morphi - yes, busy reading when I should be doing other things. A lot of these were slim quick reads while IQ84 sits quietly waiting for me to get going on it.

>185 avatiakh: I recently got given CK Stead's memoir South-West of Eden, beautiful hard cover. I had only barely heard of him til I got this book.
Your review makes me even more interested in him now!

Megan, I've always been a bit terrified of him, most photographs show him looking quite grim. His writing has always been stalled by his successful career as an academic. I think his memoir would be quite interesting, looks like he's from quite a political family and he's just had another book published, Rush.

Books that I've abandoned lately:
Michael Morpurgo: war child to war horse by Maggie Ferguson - I've read the first chapter and decided that it's not for me. I've already read his lovely child-friendly memoir Singing for Mrs Pettigrew and prefer at this stage to just stick with his books.
Rebel Heart by Moira Young - book 2 of Dustlands. I enjoyed the first book, but this one didn't engage me.

A trip to the library this morning to drop off a large number of books and pick up Batavia by Peter FitzSimons which looks like being a wonderful read if I can fit it in, I do need one more non-fiction read to finish a 12in12 category. I've also got the YA Saltwater Vampires here which is based on the same shipwreck. I've finally started Fire in the Sea, a YA which is also set in Western Australia.
I also picked up Adam Gidwitz's In a glass grimmly, his second book inspired by Grimm fairytales and inspired by Inside Out and back again, I got another Newbery Honour Book out, Breaking Stalin's Nose.

177) The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin (2011)
fiction

TIOLI Cemetery challenge. This is the second Malcolm Fox book, so now I'm up to date and ready for Rankin's latest which will come out next month. Edinburgh-based DI Fox investigates other cops so he's not the most popular man on the force. Fox is sent to investigate a fairly straightforward case, but ends up uncovering a political mess involving Scottish separatist terrorists from the 1980s. Another page-turner, if Rankin writes it, I'll read it. I think that Fox is becoming a worthy successor to Rebus.

Here's Rankin on his favourite Rebus moments: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/aug/23/rebus-ian-rankin-favourite

178) Telling Lies by Tricia Glensor (2012)
children's fiction / New Zealand

Inspired by her father's war diaries, Glensor has written a quite riveting novel about life in Occupied France and the French Resistance. 15 yr old Simone and her family do all they can to help Paul, a New Zealand airman, whose plane has been shot down near their farm. They must avoid detection, get him papers and a chance at crossing the border to Spain.

193 "I think that Fox is becoming a worthy successor to Rebus" - I concur ......

Lots and lots of good reading and reviews here, Kerry!

Glacial Period really caught my eye so I'll have to see if my library has that one.

What an interesting group of books you've been reading, Kerry! I read Athos in America and, like you with Werewolves of Montpellier, didn't find the story earth-shaking, but really enjoyed his drawing style. I liked Glacial Period a lot on both counts, and didn't realize it was part of a series. I'll have to look for the others.

I've been curious about Inside Out & Back Again, and your review is helping convince me to give it a try.

Wow, you have done an incredible amount in interesting reading. I especially enjoyed your reviews on the children books. There are quite a few I am unfamiliar with, but which sound worth investigating. Thank you for the lovely reviews. :)

179) Fire in the Sea by Myke Barlett (2012)
YA fiction

Added to the TIOLI 100 years or 2012 challenge. This won last year's The Text Prize which is awarded annually to the best manuscript for children or young adults by a Australian or New Zealand writer. This one was more of an adventure fantasy with shades of Percy Jackson and Pirates of the Caribbean maybe. There's a lot of action, fighting, goring by a sea-based Minotaur and mystery, all set in Fremantle, Western Australia. When Sadie and her friend Tom stop an old man from being mugged on the waterfront her summer turns into one big adventure that just gets weirder and weirder.
This reminded me of the first Text Prize winner, The Billionaire's Curse, it's just a little silly plot-wise but as a reader you don't really mind as the fast pace has already sucked you in. And you're left with the possibility of a sequel at least.

I'm focusing on IQ84 now and am into the last 7 hours of the 45 hour audio of Judas Unchained. I have a few more chunky reads planned for the next couple of months - the new Peter F. Hamilton, some older Peter F Hamilton, an Anthony Powell omnibus and Batavia.

180) Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton (2006)
scifi / audiobook
Commonwealth Saga #2

TIOLI Book with an 'un' word in title. Coming in at 1236pgs or 45 hours of audio this is the sequel to the equally monster-ish Pandora's Star, though you wouldn't want anything to be cut out of these space operas because the story is king here. I loved this big big story and ended up ditching the last 5 hours of audio to pick up the book and race through the final exciting chapters.
I'm looking forward to re-entering the world of the Commonwealth with the Void trilogy which is set a few hundred years in the future of these two books. First though I'm picking up Hamilton's latest book, Great North Road.

I've started listening to Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks, love those Aussie accents.

Hi Kerry,
Peter F. Hamilton sounds very interesting. Have seen his books around but haven't read anything by him yet. Will definately have a look out for him. :)

I started reading him a few years ago and really enjoy them. I'm mainly going for his latest book as it's a stand alone and set in the near future like his Greg Mandel books.

Well, I definately will check him out as I do like a little bit of Science Fiction myself. I also will keep an eye out for Erebos which you recommended to me. However, with that one I probably will go for the German edition. :)

I going to try Ready Player One if I can ever fit it in, it's similar in some ways to Erebos but for adults.

Can't wait to get my hands on Philip Pullman's latest fairytale retellings

Thanks for the link :) Sounds very interesting. I wonder what he has done with the tales. *grin*

Oh, you got me with Peter F. Hamilton. Where is a good place to start??

Valerie, I'd suggest starting with this Commonwealth Saga, the first book is Pandora's Star, or if you want a shorter read then Mindstar Rising which is the first in the Greg Mandel trilogy. I've also read the Night's Dawn trilogy but that is quite a mammoth undertaking too.


181) Steel Pelicans by Des Hunt (2012)
children's fiction, new zealand

I really enjoyed this one though I'm a bit unsure at it being considered a children's book, for me it was definitely more YA.
Pelly is getting quite concerned over his best friend Dean's increasing experimentation with home-made bombs. The latest explosion was quite scary and Pelly is almost relieved when his parents say they are moving back to New Zealand.
Des Hunt was a physics teacher and has written a heap of books since retiring, most with an ecological theme wrapped up in a big adventure. Here the ecological message is more muted and the danger stakes are much higher.
I think I'll have to take a drive out to Port Waikato where much of the action is set.

>200 avatiakh:: Hi Kerry. I'm always game for a good space epic. I've never heard of Hamilton but you make it sound worth hunting a copy of Pandora's Star.

Wow, I had a lot of catching up to do here, so of course I got hit by some book bullets! House of Dolls and The fantastic Drawings of Danielle both greatly appeal to me and are happily available at the library. I got a copy of A Russian Journal earlier in the year and was hoping to get to it before 2013... it's really too bad that Penguin haven't made a greater effort in the printing quality and paper choice given the great talent of Capa. Your review makes me want to pick it up immediately though.

>208 avatiakh: i love the atmosphere in that photo, I am such a sucker for a moody shot like that.

Hi Tad - I think you'll enjoy any of his books. He might not be as well known in the US but I know that he's very popular in the UK. I'm looking forward to Great North Road which I'll start on as soon as IQ84 is out of the way.

Ilana - that Penguin edition of A Russian Journal might be ok with the photo reproductions. I read a much older copy from the library and couldn't find an image of the cover online so substituted.

Hi Megan - yes, there are some great shots from Port Waikato but most were copyrighted over on flickr. I used to go there quite a lot but haven't been for years.

182) Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones (1997)
fiction

TIOLI Dead author challenge. This is the first 'Magid' book, I'd read the sequel last month. This one was published for adults while the second book has a younger touch to it and I don't really think it I lost too much by reading the second book first.
The setting for much of the action for this one is a fantasy convention in a confusing hotel in a small English village, confusing because there are magical forces at play and the corridors can at times seem endless with too many corners. The many normal attendees don't realise that there is an influx of visitors from parallel worlds, that dark forces are playing for high stakes. Fun to read as usual though I did take my time with this one.

November Planned Reads:

Finish: The FitzOsbornes at war

TIOLI:
1. Read a book with a culinary fruit in it
Black Spring by Alison Croggon (apples/peaches/cherries in text)
The Enchanted Flute by James Norcliffe (strawberries/crabapples in text)

2: It's About Time: Read a book with a tag which includes the word 'time'
A High Wind in Jamaica - Richard Hughes (Time reading program)

6. Read a book whose title includes a word related to a card game or board game
Pawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett

9. Read a book where the first letter in the title words has a Scrabble value higher than 6
But Beautiful: a book about Jazz (19) - Geoff Dyer
My brother's war (10) - David Hill
A woman in Jerusalem (14) - A. B. Yehoshua

10. Read a book with a LT Average Rating of 4.00 to 4.50
Great North Road (4.5) - Peter F. Hamilton
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein (4.27)
Seraphina (4.39) - Rachel Hartman

15: Read a book with "who" "what" "where" "when" or "why" in the title
Who Could That Be at This Hour? - Lemony Snicket

Also:
Batavia - nonfiction from the library
some NZ children's books for a November talk

I might try to read The colour of tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe for a group read (Book Loving Kiwis) on Goodreads, but flicking through it I don't think it's my sort of book. It's set in Macau and I haven't read anything set there yet and it has a rather gorgeous cover. Tunnicliffe is an expat kiwi who now lives in Vancouver.


edited to add 3 more books

Hi Kerry, nice planned reads for November. I am curious how you find Black Spring by Alison Croggon, I very much enjoyed her Pellinor series.
Hm, I don't get the touchstone to work properly. Nevermind :(.
Wish you a great Sunday *big smile*

Kerry- I hope you are having a good weekend and that you are enjoying 1Q84. How far along are you?

Bianca - Already Monday morning here, so I'm about to leave for my gym session!
I'm looking forward to Black Spring, I read Wuthering Heights about four years ago and the first couple of pages feel very similar in tone. I only read the first Pellinor book and must get back to the others. Most comments I've seen on goodreads about Black Spring have been about the scary witch on the book cover. The touchstone & search don't recognise this book at all.

Mark - I'm really enjoying 1Q84 and I'm 100pgs into Bk 2, Aomame is about to meet 'the leader'. I've been avoiding the group read thread as I don't want to see any spoilers. I'm hoping to get onto Bk3 before the end of the month.

I've fallen appallingly behind on the threads... and now I see why I've had yours starred. Hooked me with the photo at the top.

Hi Kerry, your November reads do look very interesting. That cover of Black Spring is very eye catching, I noticed it when you posted it on the Culinary Fruit Thread. I am also interested in how you find A High Wind in Jamaica as I am planning on reading that next year.

#219> Hi qebo - I think we're all behind on the threads. I do a lot of skimming and lurking, much less posting and am still behind.

#220> Hi Judy - Darryl got me interested in High Wind in Jamaica when he read it last year. A lot of my planned reads are recently published New Zealand children's books as I'm part of a RL group to discuss these.
I'm looking forward to Black Spring which has been inspired by Wuthering Heights.

I managed to finish 1Q84 yesterday though it was a bit of a marathon read at the end, I didn't mind as I was enjyoing the storyline so much, though I'm having a day off from reading today to get my head cleared. My son's birthday today so we might be heading out to have lunch & movie somewhere. He's in the middle of exams so not really into celebrations at present.

We had one set of trick n treaters turn up late afternoon yesterday, I managed to scrounge up 3 carob coated health bars for the three boys but then their sisters came running up the drive and I had to disappoint them. My daughter made some gingerbread men in case anyone else came but that was it for the year.

You were 100 pages in and now you are finished!?!?! wow, thats some fast reading.

We didnt get any trick or treaters, possibly because we shut our gate these days, or maybe because we shut the curtains that face the street. ba humbug :)

Congrats on finishing 1Q84, Kerry! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Me, too, big time. I had to clear my mind, too, after finishing it. I got so wrapped up in it, that it was hard to transition to reading something else. It took me a couple of days to readjust.

I wasn't planning on reading it so fast but the last book turns into a bit of a thriller and you can't put it down. I think Alex read it in a weekend.

We don't have a gate but are up a long driveway at the end of the street and so don't usually get any visitors at Halloween. Most of the houses in our street are fairly formidable with electric gates etc.

Hi Joe - yes, you do need some clear head space to pick up another book. I'm still in the 1Q84 world and enjoying thinking about it all.

Love this




from today's paper - Disney has bought Lucas Films and rights to Star Wars movies

Congrats on getting 1Q84 finished this month! It was quite a story, wasn't it?

And I love your picture and cartoons above, Kerry!

183) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (2011)
fiction, japan

TIOLI challenge books with a number and letters in the title. This was the October group read and I'm amazed that I managed to finish it in October as I only picked it up and really got going these past few days. Just like with Kafka on the Shore I was completely captivated by the story and ended up flying through books 2 & 3. This is my third book by Murakami and I'm now quite keen to tackle his Wind up Bird Chronicle, probably next year.
I loved so many aspects of this book, the weirdness, the love story threads between Tengo and Aomame, the minor characters such as Taramu the bodyguard and the grotesque Ushikawa; the Cat Town story, Chekov's 'if there is a gun in the play then it must be used', Aomame reading Proust. I loved the length of the book, that we could soak in all the atmosphere, the description of the moon/s, Tengo then Ushikawa sitting on the slide at night, having to imagine an air chrysalis, the NHK collector knocking and haranguing.
What I didn't so much enjoy was the overly sexual imagery that constantly cropped up and I wasn't so taken with the idea of the 'little people'.

In my mailbox today:
Bury me standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey by Isabel Fonesca - nonfiction
Ashes by Naomi Shepherd - short stories
The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan
Factory Bookshop visit:
Claws by Mike & Rachel Grinti - children's fiction
No more dead dogs by Gordon Korman - I think I've read this
Artemis Fowl and the last guardian by Eoin Colfer

Library:
Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Hesser
Mage's Blood by David Hair - new fantasy series
Joanna the notorious queen of Naples, Jerusalem & Sicily by Nancy Goldstone - caught my eye

Yay for finishing 1Q84! In the beginning I was like, what the heck is this guy on and I guess I was more prone to thinking that because it was my first experience with Murakami. As the story got going, I still thought the guy was high on something, but things got interesting and I just went with the flow. It was hard transitioning to other books after spending a solid week in that one world, or two in this case. I think I'll try The Wind-up Bird Chronicle next year as well since it's on my shelf.

Kerry, you've reminded me there are some TIOLI challenges I didn't even try for. I plugged a tonne of books in #2 (the Time one) and should have made more of an effort to diversify.

Congrats on completing 1Q84, and so fast too! I couldn't have done it that fast as I have it on audio, unless I listened at 2x speed, which I actually did try. But I completely gave up on it for this month and decided I'll return to it when I'm in the right mood. I wasn't up for lots of weird stuff this month, even though I've read half a dozen books by Murakami (including The Wind Up Bird and enjoyed them. What really turned me off was the first instance of explicit sexual content. Maybe I can just sort of skip over it, now I know there is more ahead too.

Hi Valerie - I'm so pleased to have finished the book alongside so many other readers who felt the same way.

Ilana - I find that with audiobooks too, you can't 'speed' up your read as it always goes at the same pace. That said, I might try The Wind up Bird Chronicle as an audiobook as I really enjoyed listening to Kafka on the Shore. There is quite a lot of sexual & weird stuff in 1Q84, but it sort of goes with the territory of the story. I'm ready to read & listen to more regular stuff right now.

Just added a re-read of The Hobbit to my November reading.

Congrats to finishing 1Q84, indeed a huge book to tackle, but worth every page of it. However, I read three books by Murakami so far as well and found in all three of them were a lot of odd sexual references and I started to wonder if this is something to be found in all of his books?

Nice book haul you had in your mailbox. Hehe and The Hobbit awaits me next week again. The favourite audiobook of my son and we very often listen together. I think I listened already three times this year to it. :)

Audible just recently released the whole series of Lord of the Rings, including The Hobbit read by Rob Inglis in the unabridged version. When I checked at the library, I discovered they had that very same version of The Hobbit, and have been very tempted to pick it up. I may cave in and do so this month to join you. I think I was ten years old last time I read it and of course I absolutely adored it.

Good comments on 1Q84. I liked what you did, and I thought the Little People aspect was . . . unfinished. An interesting idea that wasn't developed as well as the others in the book.

Do we know why it is called 1Q84? Or have I misses it? I bet it has already been discussed...

Re: Disney buying Star Wars, does this mean an animated version of it, surely they cant Disney-ize it too much...could they?

Bianca - I also think the odd sexual references must come with the territory when you read Murakami. I'm happy with that as I find his work such an interesting contrast to other writers. Yes, my daughter finally discovered how awesome The Hobbit is earlier this year. I must must take a trip to Hobbiton, it's only a couple of hours away from here so I keep putting it off.
Note to self: need to read more of China Miéville too.

Ilana - I've got The Hobbit on audio so might just listen to it too. It's a quick and favourite read, one that I repeat every few years.

Joe - I just found the Little People unusual.... you're right, maybe they just didn't get enough of the story dedicated to them. I presume they came from Japanese folktales or similar though not sure if Murakami uses sources like that.

Megan - the book is set in 1984 and the characters transition to a weird parallel world with two moons, so one character decides to call it 1Q84, the Q meaning 'question'. The whole concept works better in Japanese and you could read about it in wikipedia, just the opening paragraph there explains the tile quite well.

Stuffing my face with pavlova & strawberries at present, I made one yesterday for my son's birthday and it disappeared so fast that I had to make another. I added greek yoghurt and honey to the whipped cream as per a recipe I added to Madeline's fruit challenge on TIOLI. Chef Peter Gordon sure knows his stuff.
I'll be making a fattoush salad this afternoon to make up for the calorie splurge.

Currently reading among other books, A High Wind in Jamaica and the first chapter describes a horrific storm really vividly.

Kerry- Good review of 1Q84. I'm glad you enjoyed it. He is such an interesting writer. I would give it the edge over The Wind up Bird Chronicle, although I preferred the 1st half of that one. I thought the 2nd half of 1Q84 was very strong.

Hi Mark - I saw quite a few LTers struggling to get through a group read of tWUBC last year or whenever it was so am expecting to find it challenging. I really loved that second half of 1Q84 too.

I picked up the first book in David Hair's new fantasy quartet which has been described as Game of Thrones mixed with the Crusades and while I look forward to reading it, am also dismayed to see that he has gone from writing compact YAs to a more epic looking 670pg chunkster. My son also expresses interest in reading it so we might have to get our own copy as I hate having library books this big.

While I was at the library I looked at a new book, Fiasco by Imre Kertész which says it's the last book in the Fatelessness trilogy to be translated/published. So now I have two more books to add to my tbr list as I loved Fatelessness. Kaddish for an Unborn Child is the other book.

Movies and Documentaries:
Lately I had a few of these out from the library so over the past few days I've seen:
To Hell and Back which is the movie about Audie Murphy's experiences in WW2. He is/was the US's most decorated soldier and he played himself in the movie which was based on his autobiography. I'm sure to be reading his book at some stage.
Purple Balloon and other poems which is a documentary about iconic New Zealand poet Sam Hunt. I found this a bit disjointed and would recommend his book Backroads : charting a poet's life which was a great read.
The Uninvited, a 1944 film based on the book by Dorothy Macardle. My mother asked me to get this and some other films starring Ray Millard, but this was the only one I could source for her. It's a creepy ghost story set on the Cornish coast. I'll probably track the book down and read it as the story is pretty sinister, her other books look interesting too.

Looper - finally saw this yesterday and it was entertaining but not as good as we'd hoped for.

I've brought home Apocalyto in honour of my daughter who is on holiday in the Yucatan at present and will be visiting all the Mayan ruins. She lives in London so I'll only get to see the photos if she ever puts any up on flickr or facebook. I've had several trips to the Yucatan so am looking forward to watching this.

184) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle (2003)
graphic memoir

I followed up reading Delisle's Jerusalem graphic memoir with this older one. He spends a couple of months in North Korea overseeing animation work being done for a French production company. It's a quite interesting glimpse into the dictatorship of Kim Jong-il. What a barren existence for most of these people. I don't think much has changed since his son took over...

A news story from a couple of days ago:
The young wife of North Korea’s leader has made her first public appearance in two months, bringing to an end what might have been a period of ‘home detention’ for being too carefree. dailymail.co.uk

My library has digital audios of Haruki Murakami's A Wind up bird chronicle, A wild sheep chase, Dance, dance, dance and The Elephant Vanishes, all narrated by Rupert Degas. So my next audiobook looks likely to be a Murakami.

I've just read Pyongyang as well - I'll keep a look out for his Jerusalem one. I'm really enjoying the graphic memoir format at the moment.

It is always a joy to visit here and to have a buddy who, like me, enjoys YA books.

I very much liked Inside Out and Back Again and thought it was a good call in awarding the Newbery honor.

Breaking Stalin's Nose was great and also well deserving of the Newbery honor.

Have you read Dead in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. That was the medal winner this year.

All the best!

I liked Pyongyang, too, Kerry, and his Jerusalem is in my future somewhere. Right now I'm reading Sarah Glidden's How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, which is good. I've just started the Jerusalem part.

What is it with writers and the bricks they write? What happened to the 300 page fantasy/sf novel??? Maybe it is a conspiracy - big books are so heavy - and so maybe the industry is trying to get everyone so fed up they buy e-books?????

Anyhow - LOVE the cartoon.

Lucy - it sure is off-putting. My current read is the latest Peter Hamilton, Great North Road, which is over 1000pgs, but I know I'll fly through it once I'm about 50pgs in. As Mage's Blood is David Hair's first adult book and I've enjoyed what I've read from his 2 YA fantasy series, one based on Maori mythology and one on Indian, I'm definitely going to read this chunkster. Just won't be squeezing it in between the other big books I want to read.
I still haven't adapted to reading on the iPad though I've downloaded a number of free books, just too many real ones around here to read still.

Pyongyang sounds good for when I'm ready for another dose of North Korean misery... am still recovering from Nothing to Envy!

>246 avatiakh:: I still haven't adapted to reading on the iPad...

It's been perfect these last few days in the wake of Sandy. I read regular books during the day when there is sunlight and iPad after 6:00 when the sun goes down and we're in darkness. ;-)

Tad - I read your thread this morning and saw you've been without power. I was planning to read a book each month on the iPad to get in the swing of it, but so far have only managed to read one Jane Austen. I quite enjoy reading on it and should try again, I just keep forgetting about it when I plan my reading. I have to share with my daughter and she uses it quite a lot for illustration.

Cushla - Delisle puts quite a bit of humour into the book, but even so the life the people lead must be so bleak, hardly any electricity, shoe shops with one style of shoe and two choices of colour, only official vehicles on the motorways...

Poo Bum by Stephanie Blake (2002 French) (2011 English translation)
picture book / Simon le lapin series
What I like is the illustration style, similar to Dick Bruna's Miffy books though a larger format than his books. The 'story' follows a little rabbit, Simon, who says 'poo bum' in answer to everything. It's almost appealing, though I'm not fond of toilet humour in children's picturebooks and I really did not go for the last page when baby rabbit finally comes out with a new word, "fart".
Blake is an American who lives in Paris, and this book was published by New Zealand's Gecko Press who specialise in translating popular European picturebooks.


Stupid Baby by Stephanie Blake (2006 French) (2011 English translation)
picture book / Simon le lapin series
Another translation in the Simon the rabbit series from Gecko Press. Simon has to deal with a new baby brother. I'd be concerned that 'stupid baby' would quickly become the catch phrase of any toddler with a new addition to the family. The illustration style is really vivid.


A home for Bird by Philip C. Stead (2012)
picturebook
I loved A sick day for Amos McGee which won the Caldicott Medal last year and this one is a quirky followup. I enjoyed it, love the illustrations. The bird from a cuckoo clock falls out of a removal van and Vernon the frog, thinking the little bird is just too timid to speak, embarks on a journey to find the bird's home.
http://philipstead.com/


A great cake by Tina Matthews (2012)
picture book
Matthews' first picturebook, Out of the Egg, was an outstanding sampling of printblock illustration. This one isn't so interesting from an illustration point of view but the story is heartwarming. A little boy wants to make a cake and over the course of the book makes several pretend ones just using whatever props he comes across and the mother makes use of the 'teachable' moment each time. At the end the father unpacks the weekly grocery shopping and declares they have everything to make a cake, so they do. 'A great cake to share with friends' and they do.
Matthews is a New Zealander who lives in Australia. http://ttinamatthews.com/


Grandma McGarvey's Christmas by Jenny Hessell (2012)
picturebook
The Grandma McGarvey books are a bit of a New Zealand institution and this latest one still hits the spot. They have all been illustrated by Trevor Pye, who has a lovely comic style and Hessell always successfully manages to produce prose that flows well. Grandma McGarvey is a bit of an eccentric, and here she arrives at a caravan park for a summer holiday. Madcap madness begins when she settles down for a quiet spot of celebration.
'the pudding went WHOOSH and glowed in the dark,
then it spluttered and flared and shot out a spark.
And the dog gave a yelp and scampered outside...

Kerry - wishing you an enjoyable remainder of your weekend.

Thanks Paul, I'm about to muster the energy to get Sunday dinner underway.

185) Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks (2008)
children's fiction / audio

This is the second in the Evil Genius trilogy, I read the first one years ago and decided to pick this one up when I saw it available on audio at my library. Loved the Aussie accents and kinda enjoyed the story. I couldn't remember all the details of the first book, but Cadel was a bit like Artemis Fowl, a bit of an anti-hero keen to have a life of crime, but eventually sees the error of his ways. So in book 2, instead of having an ambiguous hero, we have a scared boy who is living in fear of his enemies, which doesn't quite have the same appeal. I'll pick up the final volume and see how it all turns out.

The Composition by Antonio Antonio Skármeta (1998)
illustrated story / Chile

This powerful story won the Americas Book Award and the Jane Adams Award for best picture book promoting peace and social justice.
Pedro is a young boy whose main interest in life is getting a proper soccer ball and scoring goals. But he and his parents live in Chile under a repressive regime. One day a soldier, Captain Romo, comes to the classroom and asks the children to write a composition 'What my family does at night', write about everything, who comes to their house, everything they do, what they talk about, what they say about television programmes and there'll be a prize for the best composition. We know that Pedro's parents listen each evening to anti-dictatorship programmes on the radio but not till the last page do we get to know what Pedro writes about.
The artwork by Alfonso Ruano is done in a sympathetic realist style.

Can't get over how many books on the Carnegie longlist announced today.
Karen Robinson, Chair of the Judging Panel for 2013 and Youth Libraries Group Chair elect, said: "This fantastic longlist - the largest ever - represents the high quality of children's publishing that we have here in the UK and is a testament to the enthusiasm of children's librarians across the country. In these difficult times it is really heartening that more CILIP librarians than ever can still find the time to nominate. Judges have a hard task in front of them to read and assess all these exceptional books by our specific awards criteria but their dedication and enthusiasm is second to none and we are all looking forward to the challenge!"

The shortlist will be announced on 19th March 2013. The winners for The CILIP Carnegie Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal will be announced on 19th June 2013 at a ceremony in London.
I've read quite a few of them and lots of others on my tbr list.
Read & Recommended:
Scramasax by Kevin Crossley-Holland (currently reading)
Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes
The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson
The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls
The Sleeping Army by Francesca Simon
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

want to read but never enough time (in bold are books I own or currently have home from the library):
The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean by David Almond
Soldier Dog by Sam Angus
The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird by Atinuke
The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne
Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari
Spy For The Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin
Naked by Kevin Brooks
Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess
Dead Time by Anne Cassidy
Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers
The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Sektion 20 by Paul Dowswell
Trouble in Toadpool by Anne Fine
Far Rockaway by Charlie Fletcher
The Double Shadow by Sally Gardner
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
After by Morris Gleitzman
To Be A Cat by Matt Haig
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
The Prince Who Walked With Lions by Elizabeth Laird
In Darkness by Nick Lake
The Treasure House by Linda Newbery
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver
Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley
This is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees
Goblins by Philip Reeve
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton
The Flask by Nicky Singer
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A Skull in Shadows Lane by Robert Swindells

and there's another 20 or so that I haven't listed plus another massive longlist for the Greenaway Medal for illustration.

That is a long list....
Makes me wonder how many books make it to the shortlist or if they even do that?

The only books that jump out at me is Code Name Verity, Seraphina, and The Scorpio Races - all books I want to get from the library one day.

A really long longlist indeed, but so many great reads on it. I've read a lot of buzz about many of these books over the past year so will be even keener to get to more of them. I've got Seraphina on this month's TIOLI if you want to do a shared read.
Code Name Verity is a really great read.

The list daunts me...most prize lists do, though.

Thanks again for dropping in to help celebrate my return to the 21st century...where you've been a busy reader! poo Bum and Stupid Baby worry me, though my grands are all past reading at that level.

>250 avatiakh: Wilbur got Poo Bum for Chistmas last year, and it marked the start of nearly a year of toilet talk. I know its a phase that would have reached him anyway, but with those style of books you do wonder what came first, the talk, or the book that has the talk in it!?

Btw, the toilet talk has finally stopped now thanks to this genius plan I devised called.....totally and completely ignoring it. I cannot believe it took my so long to figure this out. I feel like a prize chump for letting it get to me all year, and not considering the obvious (and easiest) course of action!

Hi Richard, lovely to see your face in here. I understand it's the longest longlist that they've had.

Megan, books like Poo Bum and Stupid Baby seem to attract good sales, as they are so colourful and adults seem to like gifting toilet humour. I'm not a fan, though I'm sure the talk comes with or without the book. So many other great picturebooks out there.
From a local point of view, Dawn McMillan's latest picturebook I need a new bum is very underwhelming yet got promoted at the Frankfurt Book Fair thanks to her publisher.

The book is currently checked out at the library and there is a substantial waiting list for it. :( But that's okay I have about 15 books checked out myself right now with no hopes of reading them all within the next month. I will just have to wait and see what your reaction to the book is and go from there!

Currently reading A wild sheep chase by Haruki Murakami so felt it appropriate to place this here:


and I won a book giveaway on our NZ Bookseller's blog which I only read occasionally so feel very pleased with myself. I had read this interview in The Listener last week and had requested the book through the library.

Good for you re:win, and wow is that bingo card weird...even creepy....

I am probably prudish in this, but I don't even let Wilbur say "bum", in our house we say "bottom". I am allowed to say what ever I want of course, but kids- different matter :)

Ouch ouch ouch! Got hit with multiple book bullets! I was a bit miffed when I checked to see if they had The Composition at the library, which they did, in French, and in the book's description they totally gave away the ending! Boooo! Anyway, I'll still look out for it. I just read 10 petits insectes tonight before I had to return it to the library. Very very cute. The illustrations really are a lot of fun.

I'm happy that I already have Code Name Verity on my tbr. A couple of other books I thought might appeal to me aren't in the library system (yet?): The Brides of Rollrock Island and All Fall Down. I'll wait, and eventually maybe ask them to purchase them if they don't do so in a little while. They do have Seraphina, but oh my, that it a very big volume! Maybe not this month...

Love the Murakami Bingo. So bang on! lol

I should be starting a new thread but feeling a bit lazy today.

#264: Megan, I was the same. Mums have to draw the line somewhere as the level drawn out on the street is very low.

#265: Ilana, sorry about the BBs but there were so many good books on this long longlist that I had to list most of them. I think you'll love Code Name Verity, I still have to read Seraphina but would suggest Sally Nicholl's first book Ways to live forever if you haven't read it yet. You could try a short story collection by Margo Lanagan, her stories are unusual but really good. The Composition would be good to use in the classroom.
I'm hoping to finish A high wind in Jamaica this afternoon.

Stopping by waving hi.