Ireadthereforeiam- October, Summer in the City II

The Aliens have landed! :)

Read so far
1. The Art of Travel (NF)
2. Absolution (Crime?)
3. North and South (Historical Fiction)
4. The Wall (Graphic Novel)
5. Snake and Lizard (Childrens)
6. Complications (NF)
7. The Night Circus (Fantasy)
8. My Side of the Mountain (YA)
9. Blankets (Graphic Novel)
10. Lost in Shangri-La (Narrative Non Fiction)
11. The Siege (historical Fiction)
12. Trapped: Christchurch Earthquake Rescue Stories (NF)
13. Making Toast (Memoir)
14. On Chesil Beach (Fiction)
15. Book of A Thousand Days (YA)
16. Marcelo in the Real World (YA)
17. The Torchlight List (NF)
18. Great Expectations (historic fiction)
19. The Pearl (fiction)
20. Sophie's Legacy (NF)
21. Sea of Poppies (fiction)
22. The Quiet American (fiction)
23. The Ginseng Hunter (fiction)
24. A Monster Calls (YA)
25. The Wayward Bus (fiction)
26. Holes (YA)
27. The Turn of the Screw (classic, horror)
28. Dragon Talk (poetry)
29. Three Masquerades (essays)
30. Visitation (fiction)
31. Go Ask Alice (Diary)
32. The Bone People (fiction)
33. Black Dogs (fiction)
34. The Village and the World (autobiography)
35. An Ice Cream War (fiction)
36. The Swerve (NF)
37. Goodnight Mister Tom (YA)
38. The Pull of the Ocean (YA)
39. Habibi (GN)
40. Notes from Underground (Fiction)
41. The Checklist manifesto (NF)
42. Players (fiction)
43. Bel Canto (fiction)
44. Ten Thousand Sorrows (memoir)
45. To the Last City (fiction)
46. In Patagonia (travel)
47. Everyman (fiction)
48. Night (memoir)
49. Siddhartha (fiction)
50. Jennifer Aniston (biography)
51. Midnights Children (fiction)
52. Meg and the Treasure Nobody Saw (Childrens)
53. Border Crossing (fiction)
54. Of Mice and Men (fiction)
55. Tethered (fiction)
56. Empire of the Summer Moon (NF Narrative)
57. Voyage of the Arctic Tern (YA)
58. The Outcast (Fiction)
59. The Cobra Event (boy fiction)
60. The Word Book (short stories)
61. The Final Solution (novella, fiction)
62. The Island at the Centre of the World (NFN)
63. The Ongoing Moment (NF)
64. Cannery Row (fiction)
65. A Tale of Two Cities (classic)
66. Shipwrecks (fiction)
67. Dandelion Wine (fiction)
68. Room (fiction)
69. Just my Type (NF)
70. The Greatest Show on Earth (NF, pop science)
71. Tracks (fiction)
72. Purple Hibiscus (fiction)
73. The Betrayal (fiction)
74. The Good Doctor (fiction)
75. A Kid for Two Farthings (YA)
76. The White Tiger (fiction)
77. The Garden of Evening Mists (fiction)

Booker's I have read so far
1980 Rites of Passage William Golding 1/2
1985 The Bone People Keri Hulme
1992 The English Patient Michael Ondaatje
1997 The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy
1999 Disgrace JM Coetzee
2000 The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood
2002 Life of Pi Yann Martel 1/2
1981 Midnights Children 1/2

TBR Booker Winners, off my shelf
(all acquired for ridiculously reasonable amounts, 2nd hand)
1978 The Sea, The Sea (first edition, got for 30cents!)
1986 The Old Devils
1987 Moon Tiger
1988 Oscar and Lucinda
1989 The Remains of the Day
1990 Possession
1993 Paddy Clarke ha ha ha
1995 The Ghost Road
1996 Last Orders
1998 Amsterdam
2001 The True History of the Kelly Gang
2003 Vernon God Little
2004 The Line of Beauty
2005 The Sea (50c!)
2007 The Gathering
2010 The Finkler Question

Book 72
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Booker Longlist 2004, Orange Shortlist 2004

This is a lovely portrayal of the inner workings of a 15 year old girl. Painfully shy Kambili (with emphasis the first syllable) lives in fear and in awe of her father, a religious and community leader. She needs his approval, and strives to make him proud of her in school and life. It is not easy, and she sometimes falls short of his limitless expectations. For this she, along with her brother and mother, are punished harshly.

Kambili goes to visit her Aunt and realises there is a whole lot more to the world than what her pious father has indoctrinated her into believing. She gets to know her cousins, marvels at their ability to speak freely, and also a local priest who sees more potential in her than anyone else has.

The simple writing goes well with the young and shy narrator. The story told is big enough to get by without a heavy literary style. But by that same rationale a part of me feels that if I didnt have to work hard for it it isnt quite as rewarding (just call me a sucker for punishment). I still loved the journey this book took me on, and will read more of this author, starting with Half of a Yellow Sun. 4 stars.

Megan - on board for your latest installment after losing huge swathes of time with my computer giving up the ghost last weekend. Speaking of ghosts........your cover photo is....erm....interesting! Great photo of Lenny on your preceding thread though.

Yikes, you scared me! Congrats on the new thread and good review of Purple Hibiscus. Sounds like a winner.
Love the Lenny photo, (you should post it over here). I see those choppers are really coming in. And yes, toddler-dancing. You can't beat it.

Hi Megan - nice new thread - scary picture to open with though:)

Chiming in on the new thread before I get behind again, Megan!

*shrieks loudly, flees scary new thread*

Why do I feel like I wandered into Area 51,, Megan?

#1 Woah!

#3 Almost at 75 Megan! I enjoy Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's books (if that's the right word to use about books which often cover so much tragedy..) I hope you like Half of a Yellow Sun too.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Okay, I nearly spilled my tea ALL over the keyboard. It didn't help that I was reading a horror book last night so I'm all jittery! My goodness, you got me good Megan. :)

You remind me that I need to read something by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Eeeeek! I guess that photo is perfect as a Halloween scare! :-)

Happy New Thread Megan. You remind me I had fun taking some wonky photos of myself at some point and did mean to post them, so will do eventually.

Guess you won't be having any trouble at all reaching that golden 75, Yay!

eta: I've had Half of a Yellow Sun on my tbr seemingly forever, so will definitely have to put it on the list for 2013. Adding Purple Hibiscus on the wishlist.

I love Bighead Maude!!

EEEEK! pic up top....

cut pic in last thread of Little Lenny...

Great new coins :)

Checking for pics of your new horse and camel ..............

From the last thread, Little Lenny cuddling husky dog, and the two lads cuddling each other (sweetness personified)


Wilbur proudly displaying the "Banana Stander" he made!

Woah...that's a great 'alien' picture, Megan. Startled me when I clicked onto your thread. Good one.

Love the latest picture installments of Wilbur and Lenny ... that picture of them both cuddling is so adorable. Make sure you keep that and when they're having a massive physical row when they're teenagers, bring it out and show it to them. ;-)

One question .. is it the angle of the photo or are those bananas bigger than your child?!!

Paul Mark and Calm: oh you scaredy cats, hehe, maybe I should go for a soft focus beauty shot next time?

Stasia: good time to catch up, when there are only a few posts, I can tell you know your LT well :)

Darryl: come baaack, I've put up some nice kiddy photos already to entice everybody (I hope it works as everyone seems very put off)

Joe: I think it was my comment about the Aliens landing, as real aliens wouldnt have such bags under their eyes would they? Or goofy teeth! haha

Heather: dont be scared, its just me, really it is. I have Half of a Yellow Sun to still read, got them both for $3 each, and they are both new looking and lovely editions. I do love a bargain.

Valerie: woops, I didnt realise my enlarged frontal lobe would cause such a kerfuffle. The little girl in the black hat behind me on the wall is also me, looking a lot sweeter in my youth. Its all at my sisters place, on her fancy Macbook Pro. Hours of fun.

Ilana: yes, Halloween has inspired me, seeing as we dont "do" it here. But I have been hearing about it on - well, on Stephens thread anyway :)
I guess I broke my own "only put up the best pictures of yourself on the internet" rule there!

RD: yay! At last a fan of the forehead. In RL my forehead is big enough already, but hey, who doesnt love an alienated distortion? (apart from everyone who has visited so far that is ) lol

Kath: I asked for a past life dream and got a mixed bag including a Japanese hospital (that I got lost in- but met some interesting people in there) and an old friend who knocked on our door asking to store a bottle of beer in our fridge! Could be something in there, nothing that called though.

Hi Caro!
Gotcha, you do realise that that isnt what I really look like though aye? lol
The bananas do look rather long dont they? Might have got a super sized bunch, but the angle definitely helps! Wilbur was proud as punch, but I love the look on his face when tired Lenny was cuddling him, he was really happy there :)

lol .... you ought to get a mask made that looks like that and then you'd have the perfect Halloween costume!

by the way .. have you checked out the Google Doodle today? no? go see .... www.google.com ..and click on the downward pointing tab.

Great pics of Wilbur and Lenny. I agree with Caro - those bananas on the banana stander look huge. If that's like a lemonade stand, he should charge a princely sum for those.

They are gorgeous those boys! cute as can be :)

Caro- thanks for the link, but google knows best and will only take me to the "dot co dot nz" page, not the "dot com" one....but ironic isnt it.......I googled google doodle and found a tribute to Winsor McCay. Haha, what a tongue twister! It is a lovely art work, I love their special doodles.

Joe: we breed our bananas big here....ahem, well import them big anyway. You cant quite see the workmanship that went into the banana stander. Let me explain so you get the full benefit....one piece of firewood, with a flat piece of firewood on top, and one nail. He's a genius I say!
And yesterdays creation was a rope train from inside the house, out the lounge window all the way to the fence where it was attached with a bungee cord. It took him ages. :)

Kath: I reckon too. :) Of course. *gush gush*

Megan, my garage is still housing a collection of wonky preschool carpentry creations from Playcentre, I must do a sort out as my youngest is almost 16 now.

Dont tell Wilbur but the banana stander has already hit the log burner....lol.
Ill keep some of the better, and less heavy creations.

Nice new thread here, Megan!! LOVE the photos of Lenny and Wilbur- what cuties! So nice of you to start a new thread since I was so behind on the last one!

You're welcome Mamie! It's all for you I do these things, I know you are busy with moving and everything :) I was just about to go and check on your whereabouts. I hope you are settling in at your new home.

I vote for the "soft focus beauty shot"! The naughty librarian one! Great shots of the boys! Nice bananas!

Hi Megan!
I've had The Purple Hibiscus on my TBR shelf for a couple of years, at least. I like your review of it. I will bump it back up a bit on my mental "I'll get to these, really I will" list.

Hi Megan! Nice review of PH. I really liked it earlier this year and gave it 4 stars too - and I LOVED Half of a Yellow Sun. I'd had both books sitting here for ages, and now she's turned into a favourite author. Hope you love it too.

Hi Megan - your alien photo is incredible and I love the photos of your boys. I was mightily impressed by the size of the bananas until I read on and saw they only look that huge.
Very good review on Purple Hibiscus, one I have got on my TBR pile since I read Half of a Yellow Sun which I absolutely loved.
The one I very much enjyoyed this year as well was Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor which is, more less, a dystopien story set in Africa, but actually felt very "here and now" from the topics the author addressed. Maybe a book you also could enjoy.

Your boys are such cuties-patootie! Thanks for sharing the pictures!

My niece always has things in all of her dining room and play room windows ( and doors ) that Oliver has made. Additionally.. she has a line strung across the windows .. and things clipped to it. And of course she has storage bins. I asked if if she was going to keep everything forever... they do things ..projects .. have "school" every day.. it could get pretty hairy in there. She does plan to keep things at least for now. Mind you.. she will have Owen at that table doing his share before long.. he already finger paints :)
I blame the loss of all of those things on frequent moves. ( true)

Some colorful books on your tbr >30 drachenbraut23:

All-purpose *smooch*

>27 msf59: lol, dont hold your breath, I dont do beauty shots- arty beauty shots maybe. Generally I try to keep shots of me to a minimum!

>28 EBT1002: I recommend that course of action. It really is difficult isnt it with so many books jostling for that coveted number one spot!

>29 cushlareads: Hi Cushla, I have no idea how many she has written, but I def have Half of a Yellow Sun on my hit list for soon. If only all those ones that push in line would keep their noses out Id be able to actually read what I intended to :) (in reality my reading world would be a bleaker place without all those BBs)

>30 drachenbraut23: Hi Bianca!Thanks for the recommendation, I will check it out. Hopefully my library has it. I am pretty lucky in that regard, I am surprised at how many they have available. It is such a great resource for a city (or town) to have.

>31 scaifea: no worries, It is fun whittling the shots down to just a few. I have hundreds I could share!

>32 mckait: I have no mementos of my young childhood! There are a few things from when I was about 10, but nothing from when I was little, me or my brother or sister. I guess i get that from my parents, I dont really want to collect everything.
People in my coffee group were aghast that I didnt want to keep the first lock of hair from the first baby hair cut (!!!) but what on earth would I do with hair for 20 years, and then to present it to a 21 year old male, and have them go: 'oh'. And then cast it aside. It just doesnt interest me.

>33 richardderus: thanks RD, received and filed away.

>22 LovingLit: I agree, Megan, Wilbur's a genius. To make a functional banana stander like that with recycled firewood and one nail is impressive. He's going to go far, that boy.

Seriously, Joe. I cant believe you picked it from afar. But, of course my eldest is pure genius, what mother could think otherwise of their child ;)
Oh no, watch out future teachers, here comes one of those parents!

Oh, and I cant believe Bring up the Bodies won the Booker! happy for Mantel, but surprised.

Yup, I was surprised as well when I saw the news. I wonder how often a person wins the award twice and for a series at that!
Aww, the picture of the boys hugging is priceless!

Do we know if this is the first time ever that an author has won the prize in consecutive years?
It has to be.

Valerie: it was unusual for Lenny to remain so still for so long, and same for Wilby! Great sweet shots, I have 2 more in the series. Definitely for the album.

Ellen: Mantel won it last time with Wolf Hall in 2009, and this years was Bring up the Bodies, so no consecutive years. Peter Carey won it in 1988 and 2001 with Oscar and Lucinda and The True History of the Kelly Gang respectively, and JM Coetzee won it in 1983 and 1999 with The life and Times of Michael K and Disgrace. I feel sorry for the others who prbably had their hearts set on it, but what a coup for Mantel! She'll be having some champagnes tonight :)

You know, I had been seeing things about "consecutive wins" and I wondered.... should have done my research. A couple of years intervening. That makes much more sense. It's still a remarkable achievement, but at least it's human. :-)

Megan, I am right with you! I am sentimental to a point. I like having something to remember a time or place or person. But I don't need a collection of things. I know people who kept the cord, hair, teeth.. macabre if you ask me... hanging on to discarded body bits..

Hi Ellen, I have my little Booker notebook with all the prizewinners listed neatly, and the ones marked that I have read/owned/want to read or buy. It was all at my fingertips :)

Kath: I have kept Lennys hospital baby hat, as it was knitted by a volunteer not long after the earthquakes when there was a drive for baby woollens to make sure no new baby went home cold. We had plenty of warm clothes but the hospital was overrun with knitting so we took a lovely, and tiny, green hat. And it features in the photos so is a nice one to have.
I cant be keeping everything else!

Book 73
The Betrayal by Helen Dunmore
(Booker shortlist 2010

In keeping with my plan to get some of those books that I have really meant to read out of the way before the end of the year, I made a list and have actually stuck to it. This was one to get done, as the follow up to Siege, and a planned double book gift for my sis for Christmas.

Facing the expectation that it wouldnt be as good as the first, I dived in. Hang on I thought, I am actually really liking this....Ill just have to wait for it to get not as good as Siege.....waiting waiting, reading reading. Get to the end. Loved it. ha! I love it when that happens.

Andrei and Anna have survived the siege of Leningrad, through terrible hunger and cold and deprivations. In this book, it is nearly 10 years later and Russia is not a place where you want to stick your neck out. When Andrei is roped into caring for the sick child of a very high up and notorious official, ******POSSIBLE SPOILERS****** he feels his professional medical relationship will shield him from any crazy irrational political stuff. But no.
It felt real to me, the naive hope that "this kind of thing doesn't happen to people like us". The faith that what is good and right will win. That lies, ridiculous lies, will be seen through and that your friends will stick up for you. But no.

Great story, lovely detail and a real feel for the time and era. 4 stars.

I shut my eyes at the last paragraph but I am moving The Betrayal up my list in my head - I was worried it wouldn't be as good too!

Megan- Good review of The Betrayal. It fell a little short for me. Something was missing but I still gave it just under 4 stars. The Siege was a 5 star all the way!

Hi Cushla, I just added the spoiler alert! woops, sorry just about said too much in that review maybe. It felt a lot longer than The Siege, but just as good a read for me. I gave them both 4 stars.

Hi Mark: see my comments to Cushla, as they are for you too :) Talk about cheating on the personal response! *must try harder*
:)

No don't worry, I didn't see anything because I am always paranoid about books I know I will eventually read!

Great pics of your little guys Megan. Excellent review of The Betrayal too. I liked it but gave the edge to The Siege which I thought brilliantly showed the grit of the Russian people.

The thing about the Mantel win that makes it stand out, I think, is the fact that a sequel won. That's never been done before.

>47 cushlareads: Im the same now ever since I got pipped to the post with the ending of Of Mice and Men....a little bit of an anti climax to read it yourself after a flippant comment gave it away :|

>48 brenzi: hello Bonnie. Im not sure the writing in either book gave me the feeling that Id remember it a long time, but the stories both did. I was definitely carried along with them in both books.

Good on Mantel! Having not read either book, but I will eventually, I cant comment, but do we feel there is a very real possibility of there being a third in the series now!!?!? Im thinking it'd be a great idea financially for her!

There's definitely going to be a third - hopefully sooner rather than later!

*just lurking* :)

Hi Megan, happy summer to you!
LOL at alien pic and Awing at the boys!

Hi Megan. I had The Siege on my list of books I wanted to get read this year and so far haven't... but thanks to your glowing review of The Betrayal I'm going to try and squeeze in The Siege this year. I hope your sister enjoys the,.

> 50 I was thinking baby... :)

I thought The Siege was terrific, Megan, and your excellent review of The Betrayal has inspired to put it on my tbr.

Great review of The Betrayal, Megan. It's been on my TBR pile for a couple of years, but I need to read The Siege first.

>50 cushlareads: Kath had me there too Cushla, I thought you meant kids too- for you or me I wasn't sure, but it gave me a fright! Haha. Mantel ('s publishers) would be a fool to leave it at 2!

>51 drachenbraut23: lurk away!

>52 Carmenere: thanks, summer is on hold this at present after making a few false starts already. But its a long weekend here, Labour Weekend, so that is when we feel like its on the way!

>53 souloftherose: i hope my sister does too, Im wondering now, as she isnt that fond of bleak books, but I feel both books have enough nice relationship stuff and god plot to keep her hooked.

>54 mckait: me too!! *panic*

>55 jnwelch: Hi Joe, I felt I had to read it just to tie up the series. (can you call 2 books a series?) I wanted to polish the lot off, and as both were a bargain and practically new.....there was no reason not to!

>56 kidzdoc: thanks Darryl, got to read them in order. Well, you dont have to, as they are both stand alone novels, but it makes sense to me. I couldn't stand reading them out of order. That is just all wrong.

Wait...you're having a third baby?! Ooooh how exciting! A girl this time? Oh whee!

RD....tsk tsk, no rumour-mongering around here please! People will think you are telling the truth and Ill spend the next 40 posts denying the existence of a baby.

*****for the record******
There is no third baby in my womb, Cushla's I cant vouch for, but mine is baby free :)

Yah for the baby-free womb! Yah for the baby-free womb!

Glad to see you sparking interest in Dunmore! She deserves it!

Thanks Mark :) Thanks for your support in this odd matter. lol
I am waiting patiently for you to start a new thread so I can be first. But I only have 5 more minutes, will you oblige?

Meerp! Wasn't ready for that pic up top. But I have just melted into puddles over that pic of your two having a cuddle together. That is just the dearest pic!

Meerp
hehehe, gotcha.
And isnt it just the sweetest pic of the two lads. A rare still moment.

Oh. Okay, we'll spin your new pregnancy that way if you want. No problem.

>64 richardderus: do I know you?
The name sounds familiar.....hmmmmm......nope! Ha.
*secretly names RD godfather for qualities including great sense of humour*

Heh. Do that and I'll find a way to get to Bounty Island or wherever so I can be in at the kill...I mean, there for the christening!

Christening? We heathens aren't even married, there will be no christening. Certainly not of a non-baby anyway. Althoooouuugh....where there's a christening there's a party, so might re-think that when the time comes ;)

Eight months or so, then? Is the midwife on tap yet? Yes, those baby parties are a hoot and a holler, indeed. Boozers with infants to pass around! What could possibly go wrong?

>RD: I admit, when Lenny was 2 weeks old and I attended the wedding of a life-long friend (well, she was born on my 1st birthday, so Ive only known her since I was 1), I was a tad nervy when mother of the bride asked for a hold. She was tipsy the thought did cross my mind "am I making a mistake in handing him to her?". So I hovered closely, and then grabbed him back.

I had made a rule not to let anyone hold him, as newborns and strangers covered in germs dont make a good combination in my book. My mum, and my sis were to be the only exception. But mother-of-the-bride got 30 seconds too:) So babies and booze? Not a good mix really. The christening is off!

I used to get annoyed when people played with the babies' hands or feet...strangers...family...anyone! I mean, what are you, stupid? First thing a baby does is shove some extremity in their mouth! The germs! The unwashed pottyfingers! EW!!

Of course, childless people have no clue, but c'mon, ASK ME FIRST.

Oh, I sooo much agree with you two. I always got really cross when people wanted to start kissing, hugging and cuddling Alex. Once he was toddler age I taught him to say NO, which some of my friends and family felt was very odd. However, the reason for that was that I hated it myself as a small child when aunts and uncle's forced me to kiss them or be kissed by them - you know this "come on give your aunty a nice kiss crap" - Baaaaaaaaaaaah - and that was something I didn't want for Alex. What I also always hated was when people started this terrible baby talk with him - I usually ended up asking, in a very concerned voice, whether I could help - you know me being a nurse and such - and if they thought that I should get an ambulance for them. :) That's why my child was never allowed to watch the tele tubbies.

Entertaining as usual from RD in his efforts to convince the world that our favourite CChurcher is thrice preggers. I do remember SWMBO having a carry of little Lenny but as I recall he was full of cold anyway at the time and her germs would have only been helpful! Your main point is right though there is nothing worse than strangers wanting to grab hold of babies when you don't know where the heck they're from or going to.

I've had Helen Dunmore on my authors-to-read list for a while. Now she's in bold.

>70 richardderus: Little ones have no defenses really do they. People have been known to keep their babies at home with no visitors for the first month! I never went that far, but I sort of get it now.

>71 drachenbraut23: My eldest doesnt like cuddles of kisses from people he isnt very used to. I hate it when people try to force him into a close situation like that.
I am guilty of baby talk! Only to little babies though :) I dont know what it is that makes my tone raise 2 octaves in front of a baby. Even Wilbur would talk in a high voice in mimic of me! But I am the first person to ask Wilbur to talk "in a normal voice" when he reverts to baby talk.

>72 PaulCranswick: I was totally happy to pass Lenny around at that age, Paul. I meant when he was a newborn. The little tiny babies have immunity issues to say the least. I know so many second children who ended up in hospital, I'm sure, from being dragged about to social functions and passed about.

>73 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, In bold! That means business :) Good luck, they are both a great read. Ive also got Morning Ruby (funny touchstone), which I may get to this century.

Thanks for giving H. Dunmore a nudge, Megan. I avoided Half of a Yellow Sun for years, and then when I read it, I was as much in love with it as everybody else. Read it!
And your boys cuddling is the best.
(I don't think that any child especially enjoys being kissed by or kissing a smelly old person; we just never realize that we are SOPs. I do try to do as I'd be done by with children though.)

#74: Megan - have you read Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! to your boys, Kyle lives down in Otago somewhere.

Megan - just a stop by to wish you a lovely weekend. Btw I know you meant when Lenny was really a babe in arms, my dear, my tongue was in its usual place firmly pushing into my cheek!

LOL... always a party here....

Peggy: Half of a Yellow Sun may just get read this year, as I have been really churning through them lately. It has been great. Im loving the speed I have maintained in the last few months.

Kerry: I havent heard of it, but will certainly look for it now. My sis is a bit naughty in that she intentionally forces Wilb in to a kiss and a cuddle, but I dont like the scene, he squirms and really doesnt like it. Maybe I need to as her to refrain, as it is a huge power imbalance.

Paul: I take you too literally Paul! Im afraid that you have taken offense when really that seems impossible. Maybe Im too sensitive! haha. Thanks for the weekend wishes, its a long weekend here. Already had a picnic in the park with friends and all our kiddos, great fun. Now Wilbur is begging to go swimming, which will have to wait for tomorrow now.

Kath: I wish! You bring a bottle of wine and its all on :)

Antipodeans and Sth East Asian 75'ers (that means you Paul) look sharp.

Who is interested in doing a Christmas book gifting session?
My idea is for names to be drawn out of who is interested and whoever is designated the giver, makes a list of 10 books they are willing to part with, and the receiver picks the one most to their liking. All done through private messaging once I have drawn and allocated the people involved.
Cushla
Alex
Leonie
Kerry
Paul (the SE Asian contingent)
Prue
Wookie?
OK, now I need help. Who have we got out there in the region?

love the photos of your little munchkins....

Hi Megan! I hope you're having a lovely weekend. Nice photo up at the top there, even though it nearly gave me a heart attack.

I think I already have these Dunmore novels on my wishlist, but your comments remind and further encourage me to pick them up.

Hi Megan- I'm glad you guys are going to try your own Swap! It's a lot of fun and there is nothing like receiving a good book(s) as a gift.

>81 Whisper1: thanks so much! I just got some printed off in the hope of finally getting a year 1 album done for both of them this century.

>82 DorsVenabili: heart attack? Poor me, am I that hideous? I think I look cute with an engorged cranium ;)

>83 msf59: Hi Mark, you inspired me to do it as it sounded so fun last year, and I was gutted to miss out on account of my antipodean status. But fully understand the reasons behind my exclusion *sob sob*.
Just joshing Mark, I know you'd include me if it was you that footed the bill ;)

I suppose we could strap some books to a passing porpoise or something, see if they make it to...to...well, whichever barren little rock it is you are on in the Southern Ocean.

Heh. *smooch*

Hey waitaminnithere waitwaitwait it's not even 7am there! What are you doing up at this hour on a Sunday?!

I have children :)
And it was 8am, actually, as daylight savings started a few weeks ago. So a very decent and respectable time to be LTing. Often if I have an early start, like 530am, all that is required of me is to be here while Wilbur zones out in front of a DVD. So I hit the computer and catch up on all the goings on of book readers around the world. Its great.

mmmm.... so what's for breakfast this sunday morning, Megan?

Hi Caro,
Cheese and vegemite on toast, and a strong coffee :) Thanks for asking. Lenny had weetbix with yoghurt and milk and hot water, and Wilbur had cheese on toast. Goodness knows what my lovely other had, he is a force unto himself.

Book 74
The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut
Booker shortlist 2003 (I think) and as seen on Paul's recently read list.

Frank is doctor, but the good doctor is Laurence who comes to the remote unnamed African hospital and wants to make changes. Frank is a little inert. He is happy, in his own way, just existing, keeping under the radar and treading water. The hospital barely functions other than to make referrals to the bigger hospital in the next town. Laurence wants to tidy it up, get things moving. He is an idealist. He is only on a one year placement, so intends to get things accomplished.

In this book we learn about Frank. And he is an interesting character. He isnt exactly a nice man, but through some fantastic and retrained writing we learn about him and by applying his own logic we could excuse him for his poor judgement.

So there was nothing to face up to in the end, except the ridiculous figure that was myself. Heavy, long past his prime, gasping for breath. Standing doubled over in the centre of this deserted theatre, watched only by rotten canvas and rusted barbed wire.

This sums up Frank, really. Yet we are in his head and we want good things for him. We want him to live up to his fathers expectations of him, we want him to find love and be happy and excel in his work. But we know that he has to want this too for him to do anything about his life. 4.5 stars.

Wilbur is hilarious, his words for stuff get me every time.

tongs (like you use on a BBQ): snippy pickers
flippers: flippy shovers
his made up giant character is called : Floody Guts
his name for his beautiful little brother: Stinky Len! (fantastic!)

There are more, but I cant recall them as they are in such constant useage, I have forgotten to pay attention.

LOL at the Wilbur-isms..... he sounds like he takes after you?

Glad you like Frank :) I feel too much like his description of himself to take the chance, though...

I laughed right out loud at Wilbur's words....It is amazing the images he paints. Floody Guts...I love it!

passing thru now I have caught up with you ...... no doubt I will be ####%%^&* posts behind next time as well :)

Have a great weekend - enjoy the wet weather with a book !

"Snippy pickers" LOLOL

The Good Doctor sounds like it would make me mad.

Hi Megan- "I know you'd include me if it was you that footed the bill." You know it, sister! If we lived closer, you would be set for life!

Running through to say yes I'm keen on the Christmas book swap idea!

My eyes popped out when I thought you were preggers with a third child, but in a good way of course. You make such cuties, why not?? ;)

I had to chuckle when someone said happy summer to you because we are smack in the middle of winter with the white fluffy stuff coming down on and off all day. Still hard to wrap my head around the fact that you are experiencing the complete opposite.

>91 mckait: yep, that description of Frank is at his worst, he usually dislikes himself a little less than that!
Wilbur and me do share a love of words, and word play. One of his favourite books was a book where the word "sock" was subbed in for parts of other words. Soctapus, socksaphone, etc. He would crack up each page, it was so fun.

>92 Whisper1: Floody Guts the giant! It does roll off the tongue well doesnt it. Goodness knows where he gets these things, but I like it. That word cropped up after a bout of diarrhea was in the house, and I wondered if it was connected somehow....I'll never know now.

>93 roundballnz: Alex, the southerly never hit here! Its been low 20's most of the day, and I have loved it. There is real warmth in the sun, and it is feeling a lot like summer today. Picnic yesterday, outings today, and a bottle of wine for each :)

>94 richardderus: Snippy pickers is one of my faves RD, it is just so fun to say. And it kind of makes sense- in a 4 year old kind of way. Bless 'im.

He is funny though, he will fiercely maintain that a word for something is what Ive said, only with one sound changed. I guess it is just paying about with sounds, and the pig headed in me wants to push it and make him acquiesce, but ultimately I just say OK then, that is what the word is.

Dont get mad RD, get even ;) Make your next book a Booker shortlisted novel! And then have it win, mwa haha.

>95 msf59: hoorah for that Mark.
One day Ill move in next door and your entire library will be miiiine, all mine. *more evil laughter*

>96 cushlareads: Great Cushla, Ill draw the names once I have all the keen ones, and let you know.

>97 jolerie: I do make cute ones, I swear if Lenny gets any cuter he is going to explode! I am shocked on a daily basis by his cute hair flicks, big old baby cheeks, wide open innocent eyes, sweet talking attempts, and general babble. Not to mention the rolly poly thighs!
But no, no more thanks. terrible but true. We have our two angels and that is enough for us. Now I have just got to stop that awful niggling fear in the back of my mind that something terrible might happen to either of them :(
*shudder*

We've def stopped at two as well - I always figure you have two hands and can therefore keep a good grip on two! I don't think that niggling fear ever goes away if my Mum is anything to go by.

Oh and my Will also having a n extra cute stage - the starting to talk thing is great. He is now learning to differentiate a Tractor from a Digger. Boys! He is, however, substantially less cute this morning (only in my eyes) after giving me a rotten night.

98. That fear never goes away. Sorry. Some people are worriers.. others just go blissfully on their way.
I am a worrier, and that fear has been there for 40 years. The best you can hope for is that you can push it to the way back.

Megan - Am so pleased that my prescription for The Good Doctor turned out to be good medicine for you.
Wilby has a great way with words Maurice Gee, Maurice Shadbolt and Keri Hulme better watch out!
Don't worry by the way I am not in the least bit sensitive myself but often worry about my ability to cause offence!! x

I love Wilbur's inventive nature Megan because his words actually make so much sense. LOL

>99 BekkaJo: Hi Bekka, little ones cuteness levels rise in proportion to the amount of sleep they let you have! A little bit of child free time can make them seem that much cute as well. something about a well rested parent maybe? lol
My siblings have both had only 2 kiddos, my others 2 siblings have both had 3 each. I am happy to have two, as you say, one for each had and one for each parent.

>100 mckait: lucky #100 foes to Kath :) You have won a bunch of flowers, a small car and a dozen unicorns. Congratulations!
I am not crippled by worry, but that fear sits at the back and as you say, I do an OK job of pushing it back :)

>101 PaulCranswick: I loved The Good Doctor Paul, I am so glad it pushed in line. Im just sad it ended, as my current, and 75th, book (#%!!!!*!&^#@!!) is rather poor in comparison. But it is mercifully short.
A Kid for Two Farthings was described as "A small miracle", maybe after that it read "...that it ever got published".

>102 brenzi: He is a very inventive boy. Always telling me how things operate (in is own mind), making "in-bentions" and contraptions with ropes, and allsorts. Its great, full on, and great.

A Kid for Two Farthings? Hm.

yes, Hm.
Indeed.
:|

Hi Megan, I was feeling pretty smug because I've read (and loved) the first two books you reviewed. But then you got me with The Good Doctor. Actually, Paul got me first but you moved it up the list.

Love the alien pic. I don't have the nerve to play around with the photo booth thing on my MacBook Pro. Maybe I should for Halloween. I'll think about it. My goodness, your boys are getting big. What's this about a new baby? Just kidding. ;-) rumors can get started easily around this place.

haha, new baby? Where? *looks around a cricks neck*
Hm, I blame RD for the rumour and the neck :)
lol
You must play with the photo booth thingy, it is seriously fun. And dont be afraid to share the results, we are all friends here and will not laugh at you (too hard).

You scared me a little with your "evil laughter." Especially coming out of such a sweet person. LOL. Hope the weekend went well.

Hi Mark: I may look sweet (see top pic and make up your own mind, lol), but I am actually as capable of evil laughter as the next person. Jokingly evil laughter, but evil laughter it is.



Book 75
Two Farthings for a Kid by Wolf Mankowitz

This book may have a cool cover, but its contents are a big old bore. The font was strangely large, and the volume strangely slim, so to call it a novella would be generous.

Written from the perspective of a 6 year old boy, there is a lot of "this happened and then this happened and then this happened...." type writing. Which may be an accurate portrayal of a young boys speech, but also happens to be tiresome to read. The plot went everywhere and hence nowhere. Although, there was "an ending" I suppose, more than just the words stopping, but not much more. 1.5 stars

I found the Mankowitz book quite nostalgic and featuring a glimpse of a part of London that is now long gone. I also wondered why it was among the chosen few to be revived under this imprint of Bloomsbury though and it did start to colour my thoughts on the others in the series. Miss Hargreaves is probably a more interesting read and I haven't read any others as yet. I agree about the overly large font, it did distract me as well. One of the more interesting things I learnt from reading this was about Mankowitz, that he was one of the original screenwriters for the Bond films etc etc.

Megan, I've read one of the others republished by Bloomsbury - Henrietta's War and happened to pick it up last night. I couldn't even remember it, but at the time I gave it 3 1/2 stars!! It wasn't bad but it wasn't as good as some of the other diaries of English life in WW2 that I've enjoyed. (I think 3 1/2 was a good half star too generous).

Woo hoo!! 75 books and it's only October!

Go Megan! Go Megan! Hooray for 75!

Hi Kerry: I think I was too annoyed by the shortcomings to see any good in this little book. Poor it....it just wasn't for me.

Cushla: woohoo alright, I feel very very proud of myself for getting to 75, my best reading year yet. I'll wait til I get to 80 before I really feel like ive got to 75, if you know what I mean. Some of the books are pretty small.
I hadn't heard of the Bloomsbury series before I spotted the lovely looking cover at the library the other day.

Mark: *party time*
I'm pretty happy about getting so many books read, and have Lenny's good sleeping habits to thank, as well as awesome husband person who takes Wilbur out somewhere every weekend and guarantees me some day time reading time.

Congratulations on reaching the 75 mark.

1.5 stars?! Is that the lowest you have marked anything before? Anyway congratulations on making through to 75 and at least you can take comfort from the fact that such a stinker was mercifully so short.

Congrats on the 75 books read! WahHOO! I skipped your review of The Betrayal because I have The Siege in my TBR, and I am planning on getting to it soon. (That sounds so good, doesn't it? I am HOPING to get to it soon? I am hoping to get to it sometime in the next five years? I think I might read it before I die?) Anyway, I wanna read it!

LOVED the Wiburisms - snippy pickers is my favorite and makes perfect sense to me. Totally stealing that!

Seemed an appropriate acknowledgment somehow. I wish it had been a book more to your liking!

Congrats!

Kerry: thanks, its my best reading year yet!

Paul: I think I gave one 1 star once (so many singulars in that sentence!). It was a terrible tattle tale ranty book about how do-gooders only want to do good. As a do-gooder I objected!

Mamie: I skip reviews of ones I want to read too. It makes sense to me to go into a book with an open mind, as far as that is possible anyway :)

RD: thanks (this post was sponsored by Disney) Donald!

Dr Jim: why thank you. How do you hear about these things? You always pop up at the 75 book mark on people's threads :) Great to see you.

Megan - Good point about Jim - How does he know when to crop up at the appropriate juncture - has he some manner of divinity bestowed upon him for creating this group!?

If not...he should.
Maybe all the 75ers should sens Jim a $10 note for Christmas, then he can retire early. haha (hope he doesn't get wind of that, he might be keen)

Congratulations on the 75 Megan, sorry it was a stinker.

A little known secret is that Jim reads all the threads - he just doesn't post very often. But he created the group and keeps an eye on everything!

Therefore your little secret plan is known:)

Hooray for reading 75 books!

Congratulations on the 75, Megan!

Congrats for reaching 75, Megan, and with 2 little ones at home!!! You serve a medal of some sort. :) But, of course, I also noticed the 1.5 star for the book which sucks. Hopefully your next book is home runner!

Congrats Megan! You are putting me to shame - I'm stil so far off I don't think I have a chance! Glad it's been such a good reading year for you - overall I mean :)

>122 calm: Hi Calm, so Jim is the almighty lurker then? Its nice to know theres someone looking out for me up there;)
For my 75th book I picked up The Periodic Table by Primo Levi, but then put it down as realised I still had 2 library books to read, one on hold at the library, and my list of must-read-before-end-of-year books. So I put it down. Poor it. That has happened before :)

>123 norabelle414: Thanks Nora, I am really happy to have made it. I posted on facebook that I had reached my impossible goal, and my friends cant believe it either :)

>124 jnwelch: Thanks Joe *happy dance*
Off to your place for a champagne in celebration. Who cares if it is only 745am, and Ive only had 4.5 hours sleep.

>125 jolerie: thanks Valerie, and thanks to Lenny for being a good day sleeper, now that he only has one sleep a day it is usually quite a good one. And I take full advantage of it. I predict a less successful reading year next year!

>126 BekkaJo: Hi Bekka, its all circumstantial. I have been a home body this year, barely leaving the house in the evening, and finding television a complete bore. Add to that a new couch I can lie down on (!!) and Im in reading heaven :)

Hi Megan,
congrats on 75 books from me as well. *wave*. And I love the idea of a husbands who actually gives you some reading time. *laugh*.

Congratulations on reading 75 books Megan AND for having your best reading year yet! Sorry no. 75 wasn't so enjoyable. Whenever I get close to a significant number I feel like I should line up something really impressive to read to make that number... and then I forget and just read whatever comes to hand.

Congrats on reaching 75, Megan! Sorry your 75th was a dud (and it sounds like 1.5 stars might have been generous on your part).

Bianca: i am lucky that my passion for reading is supported. And that my frazzled days are recognised by the husband person as being worthy of an hour or two off at the weekend. He takes #1 somewhere fun and Im left at home with sleeping #2 and some time to myself.

Heather: I had great ideas for number 75, but it was not to be. 76 will have to fulfill that role instead.

Ellen: I never give a 1 star, or very very rarely. And never never a half or none, I feel like the author is doing Ok just for the effort of writing it, and getting it published. In saying that though, if I were to read some hate filled propaganda, I may just break my own rules and give that a zero star rating!

>109 LovingLit:: oh darn, that one is sitting here tbr

Hooray for 75!

I agree with you, Megan! I think a book deserves something for getting published, but I do reserve the right to question the sanity of the publisher... ;)

Tui: there is every chance I was harsh on it, but it did frustrate me from the start. But being one of those little books, you can read it just to see and it takes no time at all!

Valerie: yes! That is a great position to take :)

Congratulations on reaching 75!

Megan, I'm sorry your 75th wasn't a stellar read. I hate it when that happens. It sounds like a dreadful book so thanks for the heads up.

Husband person gets a hubby point for giving you a couple of hours to read while he takes Wilbur off while Lenny is sleeping.

I'm a little late to the party, but yeah, I read all the threads to keep an eye on things. I've been on a plane today, so I'm a little behind!

BTW, anybody wanting a meetup, I'll be at CB&Potts microbrewery tonight in Littleton, Colorado about 6:30...

Oh, and retirement contributions gladly accepted. Or chocolate. :)

Lucy: thanks! Still feeling proud and puffy about my achievements in books. ;)

Caro: hes about to get a hundred hubby points: for two weeks solid I am under strictest doctor's orders to have my feet up after surgery. And then minimal heel only usage for the next 4 weeks. Eeek, its rolling around fast now, even though its not til December.

Jim: All this time and I didn't know you were there watching. I hope I haven't said anything silly :/ lol
We have a Lyttelton here in Christchurch, so it'd be close, but not close enough unfortunately. I hope you get some takers. Try Mark, he likes beer :)

Hi Megan -Congrats on hitting 75! And for having a stellar reading year. I'm proud of you.

Thanks Mark!
I am now a local hero amongst my heathen non-reading friends who can scarcely believe my reading for the year. Oh how little they know, I am but a middling reader compared to this groups members! :)

I don't even mention it to my " heathen non-reading friends". They would just roll their eyes and make gagging noises. Poor lost souls.

lol, Mark, Poor lost souls! Exactly.
I was talking about this the other day with someone. She hadnt read a book since she was made to read one at high school?!?@#@?!

What am I to do? I feel like she needs to give reading another try, but what book should I give her to read? Any suggestions? I would happily give her any of my books if it turned her on to reading, but it is a great deal of pressure.

Do you think she would like the Hunger Games? Something fast, dark but fun.

>142 LovingLit: I usually try to find a book (even if it's not a great one) that is REALLY closely related to something that she likes. So if she likes a TV show or movie, find the book it's based on, or a spin-off book, or something. I got one of my friends hooked on reading by giving her The Help when she said she was excited to see the movie, and another friend got hooked with books by Candace Bushnell because she liked the tv show of Sex and the City. Once they found one book that they liked, it was easier for me to give recommendations of other books.

>137 drneutron:: Jim, you must get an eyeful, not to mention daily confirmation that some of us are stark raving mad!

Meh, no more than me. :)

>143 msf59: good suggestion, I wouldn't have thought of that. Im not sure how it would go, but then again- im not sure how any book would go!

>144 norabelle414: thanks Nora, another good suggestion. Ill do some research adn see what the last few movies she saw were, and see if I can come up with a good first book for her!!

>145 tiffin: hi Tui, if I perused all the threads I'd have to make it my full time job. And what a job it would be, I wonder if it pays well? :)

>146 drneutron: Hi again Jim, Id say there's an element of stark raving madness in us all. And if there's not, that person would be the crazy one!

Book 76
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Booker Winner 2008

This is the story of a man from a poor Indian village who goes against what is expected of him, in some pretty big ways. He narrates the story of his life in letter form, to a dignitary who has asked for the story of some local Bengalorian entrepreneurs (this is all revealed in the first 2 pages, so no spoilers there).

The story is told in a very flippant way, but what transpires is a fairly dark story of poverty and the ingrained injustices that make up the lives of millions of rural poor people. Our 'hero' is weighing up his duty to remain in his place as a poorly paid worker with a master, and his need to fight his way out of that very cage. His self-proclaimed status as a successful entrepreneur tells us early on that something has happened that has enabled him to break free, and the story of his life pads out this big break for freedom.

Criticisms? The light hearted telling of the story doesnt mirror the intensity of the events, so it is hard to take it all seriously. I guess this was meant to add to the darkness of the tale. But it distracted me. Also, this book confirmed my fears that Indian society if rife with corruption, and it seems that fair and just people will get nowhere. I found this sad. 3.5 stars.

I do give an occasional one star. No apologies... Nice review of Tiger :)

eta

thumbed.

When our book circle read it a few years ago, I put my one-line review up: "Pseudo-hip maunderings of a pseudo-Robin Hood."

Hi Megan- Good review of the White Tiger. You gotta Thumb! I've had this one in the TBR stacks for nearly 2 years. I NEED to get to it.

Megan - There are a few Bookers that don't really appeal to me for some reason (even though they are on the shelves). The White Tiger and The Life of Pi are 2 such. Your review doesn't make me feel that me feeling of ennui towards them are unjustified - RD's summation would indicate that I am probably 100% right.

>149 mckait: a thumb! Thanks so much. I am a new poster of reviews so appreciate the thumb a lot, :)
1 star isnt even that bad really is it, I mean it is 20%!

>RD, I definitely got that feeling from it too. But at the same time, I did enjoy the reading of it. It wasnt until I discussed it with someone else who had read it that I thought better of it, better enough to give it a fairly good rating.

>151 msf59: hi Mark, another thumb! *happy dance*
It is a quick read, as even though it is 300+ pages, the words per page are relatively few. I zoomed though it in 2 and a bit days.

>152 PaulCranswick: hi Paul. I loved Life of Pi, partially as it was unlike any other book that i had read, and that it surprised me. But also because I loved it. I think I gave it 5 stars.
But given our recent discussions on life in India, my latest read did nothing to change my intentions not to visit there. It sounds like a hard place to live honest.

I have both books, The White Tiger and The Life of Pi sitting on my shelves. I feel compelled to read The Life of Pi as well as Cloud Atlas sometime soon since the movie versions are coming out!
Thumb from me too! ;)

Cloud Atlas is a challenging, but so rewarding, read. imo.
It is very unique in that it tells the story in various chapters that have a completely different writing styles. I would like to see Life of Pi on the big screen, if just to see how they portray such a tale!

I have not read Pi. Personal reasons.. but I never will. Also, it does have a prominent animal and I can't help but think that things will not end well there. The movie trailer looks pretty fabulous, but ....not for me.

I love Life of Pi, and I'm excited for the visual aspects of the movie, but I have a feeling they will completely destroy the themes and meaning that I enjoyed the most.

>156 mckait: hi Kath, I remember the gist of it, and the trailer did look enticing, even if not my usual cuppa. I worry about all the CGI in the film /all films.....where is the space for out imagination?

>157 norabelle414: I get what you mean! It will certainly be a visual extravaganza, but will the feeling be behind it? I am interested to find out. I wont go see Cloud Atlas though, I just dont see it possibly being as good as the book.

Yesterday I chanced the weather and plonked Little Lenny in the bike seat on the back of my bike, got Wilbur kitted out in his high visibility biking vest, and we rode to the local library. It was Wilbur's longest bike ride yet and he did so well! I was proud to see his little 4 year old legs pedalling like mad to keep up with me!
He was determined to be a proper bike-rider so was signalling with his arm when going around corners. The first time he copied me in doing this he promptly fell off his bike, looking very surprised at the fact. :) But then he got it, and just to be sure was signalling about 20 metres out from the corners. CUTE

So now I have another local excursion in my repertoire, and it combines two of my favourite things, books and bikes!

Megan- I was crazy about cloud Atlas. It's one of the most dazzling books I've ever read. I'm not sure about the film. The trailer makes it look like a trippy thriller, but who knows, trailers can be deceiving.
2 of the film-makers are from Chicago (they also did the Matrix films) and they had a piece on them in our local newspaper today. They are very media-shy.
Thanks to you, I was listening to a couple of Smith tracks. Great stuff.

Megan - I should clarify - they don't appeal but are on the shelves anyway - I'll get to Life of Pi first then - a 5 star recce from Megan is surely not to be sniffed at!

>160 msf59: so the film has already been made then? I havent heard about a release here yet. But then again, I dont get out much :)

>161 PaulCranswick: oooooh, I thought you had black-listed them completely. Will look forward to your thoughts when you finally get to them then. But beware the raised expectations ;)

I was a major dunce this afternoon, I decided to yank out a whole celery plant from the garden, to use as a base for the leek and potato soup. And lo and behold- a bloody great parsnip came out instead. I totally mistook the green leafy stems for celery. lol. So will have to sort out a meal including the parsnip soon, as leek and potato and parsnip soup doesnt cut it in my mind.

Roasted parsnip soup. Same as potato, no leek, roast the 'snip until goldish, add a widgin of ginger and hot chili flakes and bob'syernuncle.

Hi Megan! I'm stopping by but I'm too far behind to comment on anything.

Megan, I think this bach in Taranaki would be an awesome place to stay: http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/622272_10151217215869490_270455337...

Megan- I think the film version of cloud Atlas opens today in the states.

I really liked The Life of Pi and for that reason I don't want to watch the movie ... at least not on the big screen, because I'm afraid it won't be done well and will annoy me.

Cloud Atlas on the other hand, I want to watch because I'm a sucker for special effects and this one will, I'm sure, bowl me over. Plus it has Halle Berry and Tom Hanks, both of whom I admire for their body of work.

>163 richardderus: the ginger and chilli appeals to me greatly! I generally find parsnip a but sweet on the dinner plate, but with those additions to zing it up, I can handle it. Thanks for the rec RD

>164 AnneDC: Hi Anne, thanks for stopping by, no need to comment, just a hi is good enough for me :)

>165 avatiakh: Hi Kerry, yes, it looks absolutely the kind of place I can see myself staying. 5 hours to Picton, 3 hours on the ferry, 3 more hours to Taranaki....maybe when the kids are a bit older! Lenny, in spite of his relaxed nature, isnt a fan of car travel.
Have you been there? Stayed in that bach? Looks like kid soup is on their menu ;)

>166 msf59: aaah, that would explain why I havent seen or heard much about it here. We are behind the eight ball with regard to new releases. We only just got Back the the Future II last month ;)

>167 cameling: Hi Caro,
and for that reason I don't want to watch the movie
I get what you mean, and I wouldnt have gone near it either but for that I accidentally caught the trailer when I went to see The Sapphires at the movies. It looked pretty close to how I imagined it!
I really like Tom Hanks. His voice is on Toy Story which I just watched with Wilbur for the first time the other day. Its a great movie!

The Los Angeles Times article about the movie says:

"... 'This is by no means the best movie of the year, but it may be the most movie you can get for the price of a single ticket {says A.O. Scott of the New York Times}.'

When you put it that way, six stories, 500 years and 172 minutes in one movie isn't just ambitious — it's also a bargain."

Almost three hours! Already my Sitzfleisch says no.

Three hours sitting down in a row.....food on lap, total escapism......
I think I just found the film I will be going to to get out of this crazy house when I am needing foot up time after my operation!!
And I do love a bargain.

you make a beautiful alien! well - at least you are a happy one :)
pics of the boys are precious - per usual!

so glad you liked betrayal - i was afraid to read it too close to siege as some were not liking it as much. i think i will dive in now - sooner than later.
CONGRATS ON 75!!!! (even tho it was a bummer - it still counts)
4 y/o biking to the library with mom? wow! impressive... scary???
i imagine i will watch both upcoming movies eventually. loved both books.

ok - all caught up. hope i can stay that way for awhile :}
have a great weekend.

Thanks for visiting me Cee, in your condition and all. :)
Wilbur has done amazingly well learning to ride his bike so early, only 3 1/3 years age, and riding a pedal bike without training wheels! And now he listens to me well, and stops at each corner and we walk the bikes across the roads. On the footpath the whole way too.
And mustnt forget little Lenny on the back of my bike, quite a family outing. It was really fun, and I want to do it again soon. Only trouble being Lenny makes a run for the automatic doors at the library , every time. Wilby was the same....little boys and their flight tendency!

add me to the cloud atlas fan base ...... the movie trailer looks very enticing

where is the space for out imagination? >158 LovingLit:

See, I worry about imagination all the time. Books that read themselves to kids, CGI, the toys for kids nowadays... I feel like they are edging imagination out of existence . . .and it makes me sad.

>174 mckait: yup. Gotta give the kids a plank and a cardboard box some days and just see what they come up with! There is a cool kids book about that, called....It's not a Box...or something like that. Where the kid makes a box into a plane, a car, a hut. Its cute.

Last night I had had too many wines to concentrate on reading, so I watched a documentary that I got from the library...called This Way of Life. It was so so great! And not just because I was a little tipsy either ;)

It follows the Karena family, a Moari family of 8, and their quest to live well. And by well, they mean not being caught up in the rat race. Father Pete rides,and loves, horses. His kids all ride bare-back, and without helmets. They trek into the hills to go hunting deer for venison and pigs for pork. They breed horses to sell, and run the odd horse trek. The kids are so loved and cared for by their parents even in times when they live communally in a shed, or in a caravan/tents.

I found it so refreshing to see a well functioning, but very poor, Maori family, as most of what we see in the news here portrays the other side of life. Poverty equalling abuse/addiction/violence. It was lovely to see a strong patriarch who showed affection and love so freely, and whose strength was in his passivity and aversion to violence. It is probably virtually impossible to get hold of outside of these parts, but give it a go, its worth it.

wow. It looks wonderful...

Kath, hello. It was wonderful. It has been ages since I watched a dvd at home too, so it was nice to lay on the new couch and veg-out. :)

It sounds great Megan. I'll keep my eyes out for it (although it is AGES since I watched a DVD!)

Wow that movie sounds absolutely great. I have to see if I can get it somewhere. To chime in into your discussion about kids - I am sometimes horrified, that a lot of kids can't play anymore and are unable to use their imagination. I never say anything when my collegues (doctors and nurses) proudly report that their youngsters between the age of one and three years tackle the use of ipads, iphones, laptops and all kind of other elctronic sets, but don't do crafting or other fun stuff with them. To me it appears that it is more important to them to train their kids very early on to be proficient in the use of all this devices, but don't give them anymore any room for creativity. When I tell them about the VERY messy stuff I did with Alex when he was little they just look at me with big eyes and ask me "What about the mess and dirt?" My answer to that: "You know, there are bathtubs you can immerse your kids in, and then you can do some cleaning!" I never care, when Alex comes home covered in dirt or paint, we have got a washing maschine and he can go and have a bath.

Wish you a great weekend Megan.

nice discussion here - wish i could see that documentary
i love to see families finding a peaceful, meaningful, and loving way to exist.

i remember once when i was a kid having played in mud all afternoon my mom said to me 'you are a mess!' and my response was 'the messier i am means the more fun i had!'

i liked when my kids/ and now grands immerse themselves in such fun. And i have a well-stocked 'craft box' just for the kids when they visit. all four - as different as they are - love to pull it out and get creative.

i also believe getting messy and creative (no matter how silly) is not just for kids!

That vid. goes right on my wishlist!

That looks like quite a movie, Megan. I'll try to track that one down, too. Hope it's been a good weekend for you.

>179 cushlareads: it had been ages since I had seen a dvd too, Cushla. Why put 2 hours into watching TV when you could be reading? hehe

>180 drachenbraut23: wow, that is scary. I remember "teaching" kindergarten in Taiwan and the 3 year old had to reach me how to use the computer! And that was 10 years ago. (Now I know what Im doing on a computer...maybe thanks to them!)

At Wilburs pre school they have messy play days. The kids are asked to dress in old clothes rather than the latest fashion (*@#) and they have tubs of goo, mud, tables with clay and play dough and are allowed to get the hose out and make mud puddles etc. Its so cool, Wilbur always loves these days. He loves getting soaking wet outside with our hose too. Mess isnt such a big deal is it, it comes off eventually!

>181 -Cee-: oh Cee, one handed typing? No caps :) Thanks for going to the trouble, its great to see you around here. I used to love our craft box at home when I was a kid. Mum was a weaver, knitter, felter and painter, so we had all sorts of creative outlets.
i also believe getting messy and creative (no matter how silly) is not just for kids!
me too! I was/am looking forward to the kids being at an age when the big art projects can come out, like making houses out of cardboard boxes, paper mache, pinatas, painting them all etc. cool!

>182 sibylline: hi Lucy, yay- a convert. Its a nice film. Maybe a little glossed over with regard to the drudgery of having all those kids to wash and cook for. Or maybe the mother really liked all that stuff? Who knows.

>183 jnwelch: hi Joe, I have had a great weekend, my dad is back from Panama- I know! Who goes to Panama!? (he had the opportunity to housesit a house there for 7 weeks, so took it). So it has been good to see him again, lots of coffee, lots of wine, lots of noise. And then some quiet reading of The Garden of Evening Mist - which I am loving btw.

Dropping in to see how the twins are treating you. Any morning sickness yet?

Sounds like a fun time with your dad, Megan. And I'm glad you're loving Garden of Evening Mists!

Megan- I'm glad you are having a terrific weekend. I NEED to request The Garden of Evening Mists, ASAP!

I remember those teeth gnashing days of crafting with the kids.. lol
I am so not a crafter! But we did it.. and I have rughs and magnets and xmas doo dads to prove it..
at least a few..

180/181 agree... imaginatin and actual play are getting scarce these days... and it is a sad thing. Very sad.

#168: it was the outdoor side by side baths that caught my eye. I haven't been there, just saw the pic posted on Taranaki's FB page.

Messy/mucky play was a daily feature at Playcentre when I went with my children - we always packed several changes of clothes for each child. Sandpit with water hose running constantly, clay with water, gloop (my favourite) etc etc

Megan - Your Dad is amazing - housesitting in Panama! I can just picture the two boys making a run at the library doors - at least Wilbur was no longer on his bike.
btw I noticed that Yasmyne had given away The Life of Pi to her school library, grrrrrr - so I bought it again yesterday so if I hate it now I will really hold you responsible!

>185 richardderus: RD *stern maternal warning voice*, I dont want to have to send you to your room :)

>186 jnwelch: Im glad Im loving Garden of Evening Mists too! It was a slow start for me, I considered abandoning it at page 30, but then kept on with it thank goodness.

>187 msf59: Hi Mark, I had it on request at the library in anticipation of it winning the Booker, it didnt so my turn came up quick!

>188 mckait: those teeth gnashing days of crafting with the kids
haha
I love crafty stuff with the kids. Not that I would call myself a crafter though, and definitely not a scrappbooker. I cant stand that stuff. Its more like compiling pre-made printed material than being artistic.

>189 avatiakh: I loved the double bath too! My sis has an outdoor bath at her place, but the view isnt nearly as dramatic as the Taranaki one, that is spectacular.

>190 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, being the adventurer that he is, he disliked that all the ex-pats stuck together, and wanted to eat at all the local joints rather than the expensive restaurants for foreigners.

Im sorry Yasmyne gifted your book...did you have a word or two to say to her? I still have one of my dads books that I borrowed as a teenager, the Stephen Hawking book A Brief History of Time. I have had it so long now I maintain it is mine, he disagrees, but possession is 9/10 of the law, so.

Congratulations on reaching the 75 goal!!!

yeah, i think the worst part of being one-armed is the sloooow typing

glad your dad had that opportunity in panama. he must have taken many pictures!

possession is 9/10 of the law....

I feel like when we got first married, we pilfered a lot of things from the in-laws and originally it was supposed to be a "borrowed" item, but we've been married for 5 years and those items have yet to be returned....

Thanks Linda!

Hi Cee, I know all about one-armed typing from my holding-Lenny-in-my-arms-as-a-baby days :) Poor you. I hope you are healing as expected, or are ahead of plans for healing!

Valerie, if a pattern is established its hard to break out of! Good on your for having a long term relationship with your in-laws items :)

Lol - I think we fall somewhere between the two camps. Cass I may not have a 'crafty' day planned but I think it falls on that side of the coin today - def arty at any rate - halloween cup cakes to make, various face painting to practise on her (I'm painting a party of 14 tomorrow!) and an evil fairy wand to create.

Then I think she can play on CBeebies/Sesame street games on the Computer whilst I read for half an hour!

She adores books and wouldn't think of trying ipad them but her Daddy did show her a game joystick thingy at a shop a while back - it had a little screen on it and she wanted that to be touch pad! She also completely stumped my Mum last xmas by asking her to pause the film so she could run to the bathroom. My Mum just looked at me in such startlement we all had to crack up (my parents do not have Skyplus and Cass has grown up with it - spoilt kid I know!).

Sorry Megan - longer than intended!

>196 BekkaJo: Dont apologise for a long post- the more words the merrier.
Kids are so adaptable that whatever goes on is the norm for them. Funny about screens all being tried out as touch screens. Wilbur only had his forst turn on an iPad a few months ago, he was putting his finger behind the thing he wanted to move to try pushing it around. It was sweet, I had to teach him to put his finger on the thing. :)

Book 77
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, Booker Shortlist 2012

To think that I was about to abandon this book at page 30! The metaphors were too obvious, the words too flowery, the happenings too thin. If I had abandoned it I would have missed out on so, so much. Before half way I thought I had a 4, then it was definitely a 4.5, but in the last 40 pages I knew I was reading a 5 star book.

The writing was always beautiful, even if it took me a while to get into the spirit of it. But that there is a story of such drama and emotion amongst it all is what made this book so special to me. The drama and emotion arent spelled out, but by the time we get to all that stuff, we know the characters so well, we know what is going on for them. This clever author makes me want to write my first fan letter. *gush gush* 5 stars

Megan thoroughly enjoyed your review of The Garden of Evening Mists. I haven't seen a negative word about the book yet.

Hi Paul, cross posting! I was just raving to you on your thread about my 77th book. But as it is getting late here, nearly 920pm (!!@#!!), Ill just go to bed and let the book meander about in my mind. :)

Megan, I've liked anything that Tom Hanks has been in, including Toy Story. even if it's just his voice. He picks his roles well, I think. He's wonderful in Cloud Atlas so definitely go watch it. It didn't feel like 3 hours when I was in the movie theater. I enjoyed it .. the trailers don't do it as much justice ... which was a delightful surprise. Sometimes they show the best parts of the movie in the trailer and then the rest of the movie is just blah. Not the case in this one.

Oh, sounds tantilising Caro, thanks for the heads up :)
I still have 4 free movie tickets to use up too.

Ooh.. if you're looking to use the tickets up, this is a good one. Another is 'Argo' which, despite knowing the ending since it's based on a true story of the rescue of the 6 Americans from the US Embassy hostage crisis, was thrilling till the very end. Ben Affleck is a good directory and actor.

Another rave for Tan Twan Eng! Mr. Tan really hit this one out of the park. Nice review!

>198 LovingLit: I'm glad the Tan Twan Eng hit the spot, Megan! Clever is right. I've gone over those concluding events with Darryl and Bonnie - wow.

>Caro, I have seen that one advertised and thought to myself, gosh, for an actiony film, it doesnt seem too bad. Which is high praise for me. It could be one of the films that uses up my tickets.

RD: I couldnt be dealing with discussing the plot for that one, it is so involved and I just wouldnt be able to do it justice. So I just went with feelings :)

Joe: It reads like a thriller at the end! I was thinking it was about to wind up about 30 pages from the end, and then more and more stuff kept coming to light. It was a very exciting last 1/4 of the book.

Sort of caught up!

Fun and frolics here as always!

And Kath, we are sunny, hot and dry here. We are all wearing singlets and bare feet (which I will pay for later).
Not like at yours, I hear you are hosting Sandy at your place today :|

Great that you loved TGOEM! 2 copies of it in Wgtn library so I might just have to buy it. (I think the chances of it turning up at the big 2nd hand book fair next weekend are close to zero, but you never know.)

Gorgeous day up here too.

Hi Megan! I'm so glad you enjoyed The Garden of Evening Mists! It may be the first thing that I read after school ends. Too many pages for now!

Hey - were you talking about Split Enz on a thread somewhere this week? I love them! I'm actually more of a Crowded House/Neil Finn solo stuff fan, but I do listen to Split Enz occasionally. Yay, New Zealand rock!! Neil Finn has many rabid fans in the U.S. I've seen him (and Crowded House) several times and the crowds are unbelievably devoted.

Just breezing through and inhaling the springlike air over here. Have a good one, Megan.

Nice to see that the weather is treating you so nicely over there. Makes me reminisce about our time earlier this year - wish we could do it again next week!

Cushla: Id say you have a near zero chance of finding such a new book at the book fair :(
If you do find it you best buy a lotto ticket as well, it could just be your lucky streak. Good luck!

Kerri: Crowded House were the first live band I went to see, it was for the Woodface album. I was 15 and went with a group of friends. I still remember it really well. And I saw Split Enz in concert 2 year later as they did a reunion gig. It was the night before one of my final exams! But I had to go anyway, it was great too. Ive not seen Neil or Tim Finn in concert since then.

Lynda: hello! There's plenty of Spring air to go around, it is another beautiful day here. Sunny and warm after a misty start. Beautiful. I hope your day is good too .

Paul: I'm so glad you had a great time in NZ, Im just sorry I couldnt show you around more. Time constraints, then baby constraints, then sick baby constraints. Etc. When you come back to NZ Ill be a better tour guide :)

Book 78
The Call of the Wild by Jack London



I have a nice little collection of these Puffin Classics, and started with this slim volume. I hope to work my way through the rest that I own over the next few months.

The story is written from the perspective of Buck, the dog. He is large, he is faithful and pragmatic, and he is kidnapped by a worker on the ranch he lives on, and sold to a trader who sends him north to run with a team dragging sleds. Poor Buck is mistreated, and faces a hard run. It is not just humans who are cruel to him, other dogs resent his size and presence, and battles for position as alpha male take place. The dog team are run to the ground, and Bucks saving grace is his size and stamina. He is passed to and from inept and cruel owners until he finally meets an owner he can trust and bond with.

It's a nice, if somewhat violent, story. Nothing too deep, but a read that carries you along. 3 stars.

Congrats on hitting 75!!
I love your little cuties fun words! I am going to think "Snippy pickers" every time I pick up the BBQ tongs from now on haha

Ditto message #215

>215 ChelleBearss: Chelle, he said some other hilarious stuff today in the car.
"Muuuum, but why cant I see the air?"
"Muuum, what's under our skin?"
"Muuum, is a sky-light for firefighters to rescue dogs out of?" (we have neither a sky-light nor a dog!@!)
*furiously searching for simple succinct and correct answers to all qns* lol

>216 Whisper1: HI Linda! ditto message #217 :) hey now, that was easy!

Book 79
If I Die Before I Wake by Sherwood King



It was the Penguin Modern Classic publication that drew me in. And although I enjoyed the reading of it, it annoyed me. I dont generally read thrillers, or crime. Im not sure this would even be a great example of either, but it wasnt my cuppa, thats for sure. I finished it and went, meh. Neither here nor there. 2.5 stars.

From the library, the Alessandro Baricco book jumped out at me, honest it did! And Valerie had success with Genesis last month, and she made me get it ;) (Hi Valerie!)

Twisted your arm, did I?? Well I sure hope you like it then. ;)

Oooh...I like the cover of your version!

>220 jolerie: uh oh, busted, and so soon :)
That cover is way better than the monkey cover ay, they look like they would be about completely different things. Such is the power of imagery.
It is way out of my normal reading confines, but I am breaking out!

Haha, after you read the book, you'll see why both covers make sense...but I do like yours more than the one I got from the library.
Good for you for breaking out! Even if it turns out to be a total disaster, at least it's short so you don't feel like you wasted too much of your life on it. ;)

Megan, I've read Genesis a couple of times and really enjoyed it. Beckett is a high school drama teacher and the book started out as a play. Last year I supervised a workshop he took with a bunch of students at our writers festival and have to say he was just fantastic, would have loved to have had a teacher like him at high school.

Oh and Split Enz - I first saw them perform in Hamilton in 1975, just loved the utter craziness of their makeup, costuming and stage presence. I probably also saw them at their first outing at the 1973 Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival when I'd just turned 15 but we saw so many bands that weekend it was impossible to keep track. The festival was held on our neighbour's farm so my mother let us young 'uns attend (my father was in hospital and we were doing all the farmwork), a wonderful experience and I'll never forget the Black Sabbath performance.

Add me to the long list of huge Split Enz fans - I love them!! And Crowded House. Husband loves SE but loathes CH - go figure. Kerry that is a neat story about seeing them in 1975.

Megan, I loved Call of the Wild even if it made me cry .. it was one of the first classics I started to read as a teen. *sigh* It was also because of this book that I decided back then that I much prefer animals to people.

>222 jolerie: thanks to an unscheduled 3 hour sleep from Lenny today, I have managed to read half of Genesis already, so I see the point about the monkey, orangutan....simian. All that and I got a sleep too. Makes up for Lenny doing an also unscheduled wake up between 8pm-1030pm last night!

>223 avatiakh: Black Sabbath! My deaf friend liked them as a child as he could feel the music easily through the speakers! I bet you can attest to that having seen them live.

Split Enz, whacky. So odd, which I guess was even more odd then. Nowdays odd is the norm. They are so interesting, and although their songs can sound over done now, or over played anyway, they still have so much in them.

>224 cushlareads: Hi Cushla. I like Neil Finn, he comes across as very humble, Tim comes across as a little bitter, but hey. Who am I to judge?

>225 cameling: Hi Caro, it wasn't very nice reading about animals getting beaten up and overrun. It was so sad. I dont feel I got enough back from the animals perspectives to forgive the author for all that graphic violence. I was quite turned off by it. I ca see how a teen would like it though, as they are a bit more hardened than a soppy old mother like me :)

3 hour naps are heavenly...
I can't have those anymore because then they wreck havoc on his night time sleep... :/
Lenny pulls another one of those marathon naps and you'll be done the book!

Lenny pulls another one of those marathon naps and you'll be done the book!
yup! Oh man, I love the 3 hour day sleep. And to think some nights that is all I get! Kids huh! They get it good. Funny how when you have kids you all of a sudden have a lot pf respect for your parents and what they did for you. I do anyway :)

It is a hot howling nor'wester here today. I feel frazzled so have cancelled home made tea, and we are getting Indian takeaway instead. Friday night! Yippee.

Congratulations on hitting 75 Megan. The thing Bout The Garden of Evening Mists is how it stays with you. I find It keeps popping up in my head as I reconsider what that ending really meant and did I actually misread it. Or maybe not. Just such a fascinating book.

Three hour nap?? That's got to be bliss for you:)

Will you just look at this child? What was I doing in not enrolling him in baby-modelling school? Im not sure he could get any cuter.

Love the picture of course! Are those the amber teething beads? Do you have any thought on them? I wanted to get them for Owen, but the idea was met with horror by his mom and gram so I didn't.

Sandy didn't do much here.. just a lot of rain..I am hoping thats over... it started raining due to another system last week and was stil raining yesterday. IT got tiresome, but compared to what the NYC and NJ area are dealing with, I can't complain.

Oh, would you just look at him, he is just so... *faints from an overdose of cuteness*

Lost you there for a while..my bad!! Love the pictures and books top to bottom!! Yes, even the alien one up top. It gets points for creativity if not for beauty!!

Hi Bonnie: I almost missed you there, sorry. I miss being in the Garden of Evening Mists, it was such a lovely place to be. It is nice to be able to go back in my head though :)
Three hour naps are as rare as hens teeth around here and are either a sign of a terrible nights sleep the night before (as that one was) or an oncoming illness. But yes, it was bliss, I got a nap (which I needed after said terrible nights sleep the night before) and a good read!

Hi Kath: Im not 100% convinced on the amber beads for teething, but I am willing to take the chance that they work, at least a bit. Lennys first tooth was a nightmare for him, and he hasnt had it as bad since I got the beads, so...? And they look cute too, plus have the added bonus of being Baltic Amber, which is the region my dad was born.

Rain can get tiresome after the first day. Especially when it is more than just rain for you. I hope there is a huge high over you soon, and all the water can dry out and the rebuilding can begin!

Mamie: ten points to you for a correct response (did you get the feeling I was fishing for opinions that were aligned with mine when I posted that photo?) lol
It's the chins! I want to tickle them - all! He had his 15 month inoculations this week, his smile quickly dissolved into howls of injustice that his mother would let him be stuck with a needle three times in quick succession. And guess what saved the day? A lolly pop, ended the tears, immediately. :)

Hi Kim! found me now, in time for a new thread. And a non alien photo :) Which I thought was sweet, but apparently it scared some. tee hee.

Book 80
Genesis by Bernard Beckett

I didnt realise this was a New Zealand author, and even when the book talked of Aotearoa, I just though, oh cool, someone is thinking globally. Duh. But yes, this book is set in future New Zealand. And the world has gone to the dogs.

Plagues have wiped out everyone bar the lot inside the safe sea walls surrounding Aotearoa/New Zealand. Sentries guard the coast and shoot any stray survivor refugees on sight. Society is pleasant. Everyone behaves and accepts the place they are assigned and the duties that go with it. Until Adam Forde starts to question things.

This book is set at various points in the future. So Adam Fordes actions and their consequences are being discussed as past events by our hero, Anax. She is delivering a spoken assignment on her take on Fordes life and the event that is to shape all their lives. It raises, and discusses, a lot of existential issues. Consciousness, societal roles, philosophy all play a big part in the dialogue. All intertwined with artificial intelligence and its role in this new world. All this and a cracker ending. A pretty good read. 3.5 stars.

And a quick trip to the local church fair has paid dividends :)

For me:
The Thing Around your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins

For the kids (eventually):
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Miserable Mill
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Austere Academy
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Vile Village all by Lemony Snickett

For film buff friend:
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and other stories by Tim Burton

Form my Mum:
Deadlier Than the Male: Dangerously Witty Quotations by Women about Men by Michelle Lovric

All for $17 and all bar one brand new!

Hi Megan- OMG, what a great shot of Lenny! And look at those choppers! Never heard of Genesis or the author. Sounds interesting. Nice book haul. I'm curious about the Burton collection.
See, I didn't just stop by and a say "ditto" & wave? I'm so much better than that.

Aww...how you manage to get any reading done, let alone 75 this year is beyond me with all that cuteness surrounding you. :)
Glad the book wasn't a dud for you! Did you expect that ending??

Mark: the Burton book is notes, little tid bits and stick drawings. Maybe all tied together in a story, havent read it yet.
Next time I stop by your thread, Ill say a lot more, I promise :)

Valerie: its not so much the cuteness that slows my reading as the noise and speed at which the two boys move about the place! haha. I didnt expect that ending at all, but wonder if I should have. Im not much of a reader of that kind of book, and wonder if I should have picked it?

I guess both the cuteness and the speed/noise factor can be rather distracting. :)
Well it was a shortie so no huge time loss right? Haha, I think we like totally opposite kind of books. Genesis totally grabbed, but then again, I'm a sucker for that kind of dystopian story.

I did enjoy the reading of Genesis , I dont think the story will stay with me forever, but it rated a solid 3.5 stars. Which isnt too shabby!
I am about to hit the couch right now with The Pilots Wife which is coming over as rather bland for me so far. I will polish it off quick and start a cerebral one next I think. Test my brain cells for once!

omg - supercute lenny!
what a happy baby!
looks like he needs a smushy hug and a tickle ;-)

great shot, megan

Hi Megan. Three things:
1. Lenny is adorable (as always).
2. "This Way of Life" is going on the Netflix list. Thanks for the comments you shared about it.
3. I love your description of being a bit too tipsy to concentrate on reading. That doesn't happen to me often but when it does, I feel a bit sheepish. I'm just pleased to have someone else note it.

Lenny is a chip off your block if you ask me - but then I've seen him close up. Adorable can be confirmed!
Have a lovely weekend (what's left of it anyways).

Hi Cee! I have another in the series to head up my next thread. I love his yellow stripey jumpsuit too. Baby modelling - I say it again. I should have enrolled him, Id be a millionaire my now :)

Ellen: Its half the reason I dont drink as much as I want to! I want to be able to read with a clear mind in the evening. Gosh, now I know I am addicted to reading. Ten years ago I would have laughed you out of the house if you had suggested I would choose a book over a bottle!

Hi Paul: as all parents probably say, me and the significant other are shocked on a daily basis on how we managed to pull off two such gorgeous kids. Im not sure he looks like either of us??!! Maybe me when I was little, I was a chubster too :)

Book 81
The Pilots Wife by Anita Shreve

This is my first read of this author, and despite seeing so many of her books around at the second hand fairs, I dont think Ill be trying another one soon. In fact, that there are so many books doing the second hand circuit probably says it all.

It was all too.....I dunno. Obvious? Padded. Blah. The kind of book you'd be pleased to find in a tramping hut if you had forgotten your own, but who would do that!? A fast, easy and fairly forgettably written story. I prefer character-based stories I guess, rather than events-driven ones. And these events were thrown at me but not backed up with much. 2.5 stars

#247 Someone in my local reading group picked an Anita Shreve book for us to read for this month's meeting. I hope I enjoy it more than you enjoyed this one...

Popping in to say Good Morning! I have mixed reactions to Shreve's books. I liked PW better than you did, but they all get about a 3 from me. I have read 5 of hers, and now I have to ask myself, Why?

>248 souloftherose: I hope so too Heather! If it was written really well it could have been quite a story, but the story just sort of laid out there, on the page. Like words. ;)

>249 Berly: I just read some reviews and discovered that there is a lot of ambivalence about her out there. I had thought she was very well thought of, but then again I could be getting her confused with the author of the Stone Diaries. Which is filed next to The Pilots Wife in my system.
I think you are allowed to stop trying her now Kim. :)