Ellie's ABC Challenge

OK, I already started this over on the 50 Book challenge, but since I'm reading other stuff over there too this is a good way to keep this section of my reading straight!

I'll be reading alphabetically by author. I started out reading in order and shortlisting as I went, but January's getting ever closer and I don't want too many books left in my ABC challenge to slot into my 1010! So I'll read a little more freely for my remaining letters...




A - Kingsley Amis - Lucky Jim (post 2)
B - Augusten Burroughs - Running with Scissors (post 8)
C - Tracy Chevalier - The Virgin Blue (post 10)
D - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles (post 20)
E - Laura Esquivel - Like Water for Chocolate (post 25)
F - Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (post 34)
G - John Grogan - Marley and Me (post 42)
H - Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (post 49)
I - Miranda Innes - Cinnamon City: Falling for the Magical City of Marrakech (post 59)
J - Jerome K. Jerome - Three Men in a Boat (post 66)
K - Sophie Kinsella - Confessions of a Shopaholic (post 68)
L - Deric Longden - Enough to Make a Cat Laugh (post 71)
M - Robin McKinley - Sunshine (post 73)
N
O
P - Max Pemberton - Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor (post 64)
Q
R - J.K. Rowling - The Tales of Beedle the Bard (post 72)
S - Hank Searls - Jaws 2 (post 77)
T - Adriana Trigiani - Rococo (post 79)
U (FREE CHOICE) - Jane Austen - Persuasion (post 76)
V
W - Richard Wiseman - Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives (post 61)
X
Y (FREE CHOICE) - Charlie English - The Snow Tourist (post 78)
Z

THE 'A' READ
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

I can't think of much to say about this one, really. It's a bumbling, amusing sort of story about a bumbling, amusing sort of fellow - the very 'old-style-British' lecturer Jim Dixon. Basic plot: Jim is trying to up his standing at the university and impress his eccentric superior, Professor Welch, despite being hopelessly inept and pretty much detesting even his own work. Neurotic Margaret is claiming too much of his attention, which is unfortunate as his attention has been captured very much by the rather prim young girlfriend of Welch's odious son Bertrand. Mishaps and misunderstandings ensue as the web of academics and wives and sons and lovers becomes ever more tangled, with Jim trying to keep up at every turn.

It's not as funny as I thought it would be - perhaps some of it went over my head given its age - though there were a fair few 'slight smile' moments and even one or two 'choking on my coffee' lines. It struck me more than once that some of the humour and the mannerisms of the characters might be more smoothly captured on screen than they were on the page. That said, Jim comes across as likeable, confused, rather innocent and childlike at times, and seems to reflect a kind of caricature of every moment that we as men and women in society feel put upon, disappointed, cheered, or just plain bewildered. A nice little novel with a touch of Wodehouse about it - not sure whether it's a keeper or not yet but I'm glad I finally got to reading it!

Quick catchup to get everything off to a racing start: I'm currently reading Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, and have my shortlist for 'C' ready and waiting:

The Family Tree - Cadwalladr
The Plague - Camus
Marked - Cast
The Virgin Blue - Chevalier
The Real Toy Story - Clark

ellie, baby, darlin';
I am so happy to see you here. We are going to get this mission accomplished!~!
I am not even going in order; just gonna get 'er done. Love it.
Talk to you soon.
hugs,
belva

Glad to see you here Ellie. I, too, am hoping this challenge helps with my TBR shelves (before LT I had a TBR pile - not I have a roomful of shelves). Good luck,
Judy

Hi Ellie! Good luck with your new challenge. This seems like fun and a great way to make room on my bookshelves for new purchases. Happy reading.

Hola Ellie. Nice to see you here. The group is filling in well. For C's, I read The Plague senior year in high school and remember liking it. I have The Virgin Blue but haven't read it. I have liked the Tracy Chevalier books that I have read though.

THE 'B' READ
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

W-o-w. I must say, I am ashamed of myself for letting this one slide down TBR Mountain for so long. I'm not sure quite how to review it, except to say that this is one of those books, those turbulent memoirs, that has to be read to be believed. If you can believe it in its entirety at all, that is.

Augusten Burroughs was a strange child. He liked shiny things, making his hair lie flat, and generally being fabulous. His mother was a poet dangling over the precipice of insanity, and his father turned to alcohol to cope. Out of his life fell his father, and into his life wandered Dr Finch, his mother's psychiatrist, in more than a little need of therapy himself. While his mum hails Dr Finch as her saviour and his dubious methods as genius, Augusten is drawn slowly away from her into the madness of the Finch household. Hope worships her father and believes that her cat is talking to her in dreams. Agnes eats dog biscuits and has to put up with her husband's patients taking over her house. Neil, a patient of Dr Finch's, wastes no time in setting up a bizarre gay relationship with 13-year-old Augusten. A lady with OCD lives in a room upstairs and never comes out. And Natalie, cynical and driven to madness by her family, becomes his new best friend.

This world - and the book itself - is by turns repulsive and attractive, brilliant and insane, hopeful and hopeless, hilarious and deadly sober. It is incredible, it is bizarre, and the memorable childhood translates into a memorable autobiography. I liked it so much that I just ordered the movie version (starring Annette Bening and Brian Cox) and I'll be looking for Dry - the follow up and by all accounts just as good - very soon!

OK, now I'm reading The Virgin Blue and have five 'D' books to choose from for my next read:

Waterlog by Roger Deakin
Stranger on a Train: Daydreaming and Smoking Around America by Jenny Diski
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

THE 'C' READ
The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

Simply put, this book is like an interesting fusion of Labyrinth and Practical Magic. Isabelle is a young woman in rural France who finds herself increasingly despised by those around her. Her bright red hair links her to the Virgin Mary, and whispers of witchcraft float around her as the Calvinist 'Truth' spreads through the people and the Catholics turn to persecution to fight back. Marrying into the wealthy but arrogant Tourniers, she is still marginalised and life becomes ever more difficult. Several hundred years later, Ella Turner moves from America to France with her husband, to a little provincial town that doesn't take kindly to strangers. Increasingly miserable and lonely there, she takes up the search for her ancestors as a project to pass the time, enlisting Jean-Paul, a local librarian, to help her. Tormented by a smothering nightmare of billowing blue and chanted words, she moves ever closer to discovering the fate of Isabelle and her children.

The book began disastrously for me. It was clunky, irritating, confusing and disjointed. In fact, if it hadn't been for jhedlund mentioning having a similar experience but really liking it in the end, I might have given up before the end of the first chapter. I'm glad I took that advice and persevered! I enjoyed seeing the parallels between Isabelle and Ella building, wondering if anyone else in the 'modern' chapters might be descendants of those in the 'old' sections, and how the tangle of characters around these women fitted together. The ties between women, in friendship as well as through the generations of a family, is nicely explored, with the whispering echoes of Isabelle and her red hair reminding me of the mysterious family curse at the centre of Practical Magic. The chapters alternate between Isabelle and Ella, between the third and first person voice, and between narrative styles, until the climactic chapters where both alternate ever more quickly, building suspense and a horrible sickly sense of dread and fear. That said, I worked out what was coming a little too early, which meant that I was waiting more for the WHY than the WHAT - and was therefore disappointed when the truth was revealed but never explained.

All in all, I'm really glad I carried on reading it - but I was a bit distracted by it's similarity to the later Labyrinth, which I read a few years ago now. It was evocative and exciting and suspenseful, but the anticlimactic ending let it down to some extent. I think the story will stay with me so I'll hang on to it a while and let the reflection run its course before I decide whether it's a keeper or not!

Next up is The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with my shortlist for 'E' running to:

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Coffee House: A Cultural History by Markman Ellis
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett

What a great idea!

It can't be a bad one... all from the TBR pile and I haven't fallen off the wagon yet! :-D

#11 I hope you'll choose Like Water for Chocolate - that is the book I'm planning for "E", and I'd enjoy having someone else's reaction to compare mine to.

If you've never read a Stephanie Plum book, you should go for One for the money.

I tend to go for the 'read a couple of pages of each and see which I get dragged into most' approach... I'll let you know! I will say that I will have read a couple of 'darker' books in a row, so it might be that I sway in favour of something bright and breezy.. THEN AGAIN, I'm leaning towards Fluke or Fforde next, so maybe not! Watch this space!

#16 Anxiously awaiting your announcement!

Jasper Fforde is laugh out loud funny, so would fulfill your desire to read something cheering. Although I find that dark, noirish tales make me more optimistic by making my pleasant life look downright charmed.

Just a quick flybyhi!~!
blub u,
belva

THE 'D' READ
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Quite the classic - and one of the longest-standing books on my TBR list - so I'm glad I was finally, ever so gently pushed into reading it by my ABC challenge. Basic story: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson get called in to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, and to protect his heir, Sir Henry, from falling foul of the family curse - the dreaded Hound of the Baskervilles, a demonic monster on the moors. Twists unfold, characters become suspects before falling out of suspicion again... poor Dr Watson struggles to fulfil his detective duties in the bleak Devonshire countryside, and Sherlock Holmes sits quietly in the background, smoking his pipe, cultivating his ego, and like the Miss Marple of classic literature, forming spectacular conclusions from overlooked details. The joy of this novel is that the likeable Dr Watson narrates the tale, so his fear and curiosity becomes our own without clever Holmes spoiling the excitement by working everything out too quickly.

Even though I've seen the television adaptation (starring Richard Roxburgh and Ian Hart) a couple of times, I still couldn't remember all the details of the climactic unravelling of the mystery - and there is something fundamentally chilling about the bleak moors, the craggy limestone and treacherous marshes, and the blood-freezing howl of the unseen, fiendish hell-hound echoing across the empty landscape. A very, very good little book.

Update: next up is Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett, and the shortlist for 'F' will be:

White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Moonraker by Ian Fleming
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

OK, enough's enough - I've given up on Rupert Everett. I like the guy, ego and all; he's posh and rude and eloquent - a proper old-fashioned Wildean darling - but reading this book was getting painful. The eloquence and the wit is still there, but the name-dropping is pretty tiresome, the chronology is muddled, and the 'scandalous' exploits of this young, gay, flamboyant theatrical wannabe are... well, dull.

So, Esquivel has replaced Everett and I've started Like Water for Chocolate instead. Hopefully now my reading will get back on track and I'll feel more inclined to go back to my book instead of playing online or watching DVDs!

So sorry to hear about Rupert, but DVD's and playing online are good indications that it's time to put a book to rest. Hopefully you'll have better luck with Esquivel. I'll be interested in your thoughts for I read her several years ago.

#23 I'll also be watching for your thoughts. I ordered Like Water for Chocolate for my "E" book the other day.

After a false start with Mr Everett, and a shameful glut of DVD-watching and fan-fiction addiction, I am very pleased to be able to finally post my next offering!

THE 'E' READ
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

I'm not entirely sure how to review this exquisite book in a way that will do it justice. I started it with only the most basic idea of the plot: namely, that Tita, our young heroine, who has practically grown up in the kitchen under the tutelage of their cook Nancha, is deeply in love with Pedro, a local boy. Their love is condemned by the cruel family tradition stating that as the youngest daughter, she can never marry, instead living at home and tending to her mother all her life. In order to remain close to his beloved Tita, Pedro accepts her mother's suggestion that he instead marries her older sister Rosaura.

Thus begins a sensual whirlwind of emotions, colours, flavours and scents, as Tita, under the fierce eye of her mother, pours all of her repressed feelings for Pedro and the torment of her life into her cooking. Cloaked in the mysticism of Mexican lore, each of those who taste her food are miraculously overtaken by powerful urges and emotions, manifestations of Tita's mood as she prepares each dish.

Like Water for Chocolate may turn out to be one of my favourite reads of the year. It is magical and mystical, and burns with fire and passion as Tita and Pedro circle each other through the years, tantalisingly close yet worlds apart. My heart broke for Tita each time her life was torn apart anew, I smiled when she was happy, and my tears must have rivalled hers by the end. I could hear the bubbling saucepans, sense the spices in the air, and taste the sumptious creations one by one. A beautiful, beautiful novel about the power of true love - and one I'll be treasuring for many years to come...

At the moment I've read a few pages each of Madame Bovary and Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, and might just end up reading them both...

The next shortlist:

The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid by Pat F. Garrett
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto
The Future Homemakers of America by Laurie Graham
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Wonder of Girls: Understanding the Hidden Nature of our Daughters by Michael Gurian

Hi Ellie, it's not my cup of tea but I really liked your review of Like Water for Chocolate. Anyway I will be interested to see how/if you get on with Madame Bovary (I have always been too intimidated to read it!).

Wow, your review of Like water for chocolate has now given me a rather fierce urge to go out and find a copy and read it stat! Any book that induces tears is a great one in my opinion and that sounds like it'll do just the trick.

Yeah, I finished reading it in bed last night with a cup of tea and a Kitkat, and I had to get back up when I finished because my nose was so stuffed up from crying that I couldn't lie down! :-)

I'm also very interested to read Like Water for Chocolate based on your review.

I read The Virgin Blue for my 'C' author, as well, and had the same mixed feelings. I haven't read Labyrinth yet (it is now on my wishlist), so I didn't have the problem where I was comparing the book to something else; I just was disappointed by the ending.

I just finished Like Water for Chocolate this morning, and I have to say that you seem to be more affected by it than I was. I liked it, but thought that it was a charming story, nothing more. Not a single tear, I'm afraid. However, from reading the other reviews posted, I appear to be in the minority on this! Very nice review.

ETA - Apparently I'm not the only one who liked your review - it just showed up on the hot review list! congrats!

Well I just read your review for Like Water for Chocolate and have to say that I have wishlisted it. I will be looking for that book. Your review really touched me and I actually started to tear up as I read it. The book sounds fantastic and something I will surely enjoy.

Happy Reading!!

Monic'a

Thank you lovely people! Ah well, we can't all like the same things, but for me it was so moving, such a passionate love story, I couldn't help but wax eloquent...

THE 'F' READ
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

* SPOILER ALERT *

I thought I'd better put that in since every reflection I have seems to mention key plot points.

Well, first let me say that I am 95% sure that I will never read this novel again. That is not to say that I'm not glad I read it, or that I disliked it particularly, more that I don't think I could put myself through it again.

It is a novel riddled with complex moral and social issues - and Emma Bovary is a complex anti-heroine. At times I felt sorry for her. She is a woman seeking something bigger for herself, something that her role as wife and mother can't offer her. But she is also a very silly character, reminding me somewhat of Catherine in Northanger Abbey in her futile pursuit of idle dreams. Every emotion coursing through her body is absolutely genuine and heartfelt - until disillusionment comes and it vapourises again. She is reaching for a love and a life that exists only in stories, a terminal case of greed, of always seeing that vibrant, greener grass on the other side of the fence, of vanity and utter selfishness. Yet have we not all occasionally felt unhappy with our lot in life? Can we not look around nowadays and see hundreds of selfish and deluded young people indulging their vanity and trying to win fame, fortune, more money, a richer partner?

Was Madame Bovary just too vain for her time? Should she have taken a long hard look at her life, at her loyal husband and little daughter, at her friends and her situation, and been content? Of course. But then, with such corruption dragging her down, could she be blamed entirely for her downfall? One of the most dreadful things about this novel is the violence of Emma's end, the torment of her descent into despair. Worse still is the fact that in the last chapter, the fairytale she has been seeking is utterly demolished: everyone who contributed to her downfall continues with their life, while those around her are ruined. While Berthe is poor, Charles dies of a broken heart and her father is paralysed, Homais is applauded, Lheureux continues to gain from others' ruin, and her two lovers walk away without so much as a word of recrimination or a twinge of remorse.

All in all, a novel that is valuable for its portrayal of society in the 19th century, including its ideas about women, marriage and adultery, religion, and about medical theories and advances. The characters are strongly drawn and as real in their complex and flawed personalities as any I've ever read. It raises questions, it provokes thought about blame and morality, it parallels certain worrying trends that continue into today's society... and despite everything, I was moved by Emma's tragic demise. But I think the repetitive nature of the novel - mistake, regret, repentence, repeat - and the unlikeable, unredeemable nature of the title Madame will stop it being a keeper for me.

* SPOILER END *

Since you say Spoiler Alert I won't read the review right now because Madame Bovary is a book I want to read. I hope you enjoyed it.

I did and didn't, it was one of those books that I think I'll have to reflect on a little longer before I decide. Frustrating, moving, thoughtful, relatable, alienating, all at once!

So, given the heavy themes in Madame Bovary and the impending start of the group read of People of the Book, I'm going quick and fluffy (literally) this time with Marley and Me. Within three pages I'd giggled aloud and welled up with tears, so I figure it'll be a good one. Plus I used to have a dog (despite now being a stalwart cat woman) so it's nice to revisit the good old days without the little deposits or that all-pervading doggy smell...

And for my 'H' read, ladies and gentlemen, I will be choosing from:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Sea Trek by Martha Holmes
Children of the Jungle by Per Host

Ah Marley and Me is one I plan to read for my 1010 challenge. The book looks like a fun and easy read.

Can't wait to see what you choose to read for your 'H' read!!

I recommend A Moveable Feast as your "H" read. It's my favorite book in the world. All Paris and gossip about famous people from back in the day (his recounting of a road trip with F. Scott Fitzgerald is especially good) and writing and true love.

I must admit A Moveable Feast sounds interesting, I keep meaning to try Hemingway so its a bit of an ulterior motive :)

I've never tried any Hemingway either, but this one seems to be one of the best-liked of them all. Not sure yet... I have them all out on my kitchen table ready to choose in a day or two!

THE 'G' READ
Marley and Me by John Grogan

I put off reading this book for a long time, suspicious of the hype around the book and then, not long after, the movie. I needn't have worried so much. John Grogan has done for American dog lovers what Deric Longden did for British cat lovers. He has written a memoir with a deceptively simple premise - one man's story of life with 'the world's worst dog', his labrador retriever Marley.

What actually leaps out of the story is a wonderful portrayal of family life with this huge personality in its midst, a heartwarming tale of one dog from bouncy puppy to geriatric old dog. There is enough humanity to keep the book grounded, enough Marley to fill the whole with boundless energy. It made me laugh out loud, it made me cry so much I had to do some serious mascara damage repair, it made me think, it made me smile... I'm definitely a cat person, but Marley's personality won me over from the word go, with his fierce loyalty and sheer enthusiasm for life.

"Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."

Beautifully written, full of hilarious anecdotes, and well worth a read!

I have been wanting to read Marley and Me for awhile but I keep putting it off. I think I will read it for my 1010 challenge. I have always been considered a cat person even though I love dogs too.

We had a dog when I was little. I think she died when I was 9 or 10, a big dopey German Shepherd called Belle. But since then we've had cats and now I couldn't go back to having a dog - all that energy and mess on the lawn and the all-pervasive doggy smell. The youngest one's near-constant stomach troubles aside, cats are clean and cute and relatively hassle-free!

OK, next up is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. It was almost 84, Charing Cross Road but if I can restrain myself until January it'll fit nicely into my 1010 challenge, so we'll see!

My choices are pretty limited for 'I', especially since I don't want anything to clash with People of the Book too jarringly - so just two to pick from this time:

Cinnamon City by Miranda Innes
Authors in Context: The Brontes by Patricia Ingham

Why do people divide themselves into cat people and dog people? I have two very good dogs (a greyhound and a mutt) and one very bad cat and I love all three of them and they love each other. I'm not sure if I'd be able to pick one or the other.

Maybe you can be a 'both' person if you have them both together? My stepdad is a dog person. I'm a cat person. Then again, maybe if I'd had Belle from a puppy like my mum and dad did, I might think differently, be more torn between the two... Oh I don't know - all I know is, I couldn't go back to having a dog now we've got our two little cutie pies!

I have never owned a dog. I grew up with a guy who raised German Shepherds as possible Seeing Eye Dogs. If the dog failed or was found not to be able to be a seeing eye dog he would finally get to have one as his own. As far as I know that never happened. I have always had cats as pets so that is why I am considered a cat person.

I have always wanted a dog and hope to get one in the near future. Then maybe I will be considered and cat/dog person.

THE 'H' READ
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I must admit, I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this one. On the one hand, I absolutely loved the voice of Christopher Boone, and the way Mark Haddon really got into the mind of a boy with Asperger's. It is an innocent and naive voice, yet in other ways an utterly brilliant one, throwing the world into a whole new light. I found it absolutely charming to read, and found some of Christopher's extensive knowledge on his favourite subjects quite fascinating.

The story started off well for me. Christopher finds his neighbour's dog, Wellington the poodle, dead in her garden, run through with a garden fork. He sets about 'doing investigating' to find out who could commit such a terrible murder, and with the help of his aide Siobhan, writing a book about his experiences. This is that book, filled with observations and trivia, thoughts about life and the rituals and logic that make him feel safe.

To my surprise, the mystery was solved sooner than expected and the story veered off on an entirely new tangent that I didn't enjoy as much. By the end the strangeness of Christopher's family situation had lost me a little; where I should have felt for him and his courageous struggle to set everything straight, I felt only a vague kind of sympathy. I wasn't as moved or stirred as I thought Haddon probably intended me to be.

Not a keeper for me, but nevertheless I really enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any of the, hmmm, ten people in the world who haven't read it yet!

Well, only two choices for 'I' and having read a few pages of each, neither of them are gripping me... I'll give them a bit longer and if I'm still not thrilled I might have to put my foot down, scrap them both and take this one as a free choice!

For 'J' my choices will be:
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
The Mummy Diaries by Rachel Johnson
Paris: A Biography by Colin Jones
To the Baltic with Bob by Griff Rhys Jones
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Ellie are you still having trouble with an "I" read? I recently read Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and I really enjoyed it. It consists of many short stories pertaining to Indian culture. Some of the stories take place in the U.S. and some take place in India, but they are very well written and thought-provoking. I really loved this book and it's a pretty quick read. Just a suggestion :)

Awww man, I just realized you are doing alphabetical by author. Oops. Well, maybe if you wanted to cheat on that letter you could do a title instead :) Sorry about that!

#50 For my "I" author, I'm reading Arnaldur Indridason, who writes a mystery series set in Iceland. I seem to recall that you said you weren't interested in reading mysteries for a while, so I didn't make the suggestion earlier, but now I can't find that comment. Maybe it was someone else? Anyway, if you like mysteries, I'd recommend him - the first in the series is called Jar City (Maandagskinderen).

edit because touchstone doesn't work on English title.

Ah, but, sweet bringers of temptation, I'm supposed to be sticking to my TBR pile for this challenge! Soooo, the current plan is to stick with BOTH books a little longer, and if I'm really not in the mood for either of them then I'll pick from my whole library. So far Authors in Context: The Brontes is interesting but a little dense to settle in with after work, and Cinnamon City is, well, a bit dire, to be honest. Ah well. :-)

#54 A worthy goal. I guess in that case "I" can stand for "I don't like either of these books so I am choosing something else"! Hope one of them picks up soon!

Well, I've given up on the Bronte book - flicking through it, it became apparent that it's more of a critical text than a biography. Plus it's not that well written anyway. On reflection, I may have bought it when I was doing English at uni, possibly in a 3-for-2 Oxford World's Classics sale... Anyway, it's now leaving my library for the bookshop 'lit crit' shelf. So now my hopes rest on Cinnamon City getting better before I'm forced to Pearl-Rule it!

I have Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go that I could read instead, but it might clash a bit with People of the Book...

>56 elliepotten: I have been wondering whether I should try and read Never let me Go as I'm under the impression it's pretty good and is probably something I should read at some point. Although I'll have to actually find a copy first... maybe my uni library has one...

Good news: it seems my initial dislike for Cinnamon City had more to do with my own tiredness turning the foreign names and terms into a swirling vortex of incomprehension than it did the book itself... I started it again and 90 pages in I'm going strong this time!

THE 'I' READ
Cinnamon City: Falling for the Magical City of Marrakech by Miranda Innes

I picked this up while I was still at university, never got around to reading it, and was pretty close to pulling the Pearl Rule on it this time. I'm very glad I persevered (well, started it again from the beginning THEN persevered) because it actually turned out to be rather delicious.

It's essentially a typical 'couple make completely out-of-the-blue impulse purchase of house in foreign country' travel writing book. The difference is that while most books in this genre seem to be about olive groves in Italy, villas in Spain or vineyards in France, Miranda and Dan had already moved to Spain from England - this book is about their purchase of a shabby old riad in Marrakech.

The book takes us from their first visit to Marrakech with their friend Maggie, through the trials and tribulations of renovating the house, right up to the moment when they realise it finally feels like home, a palace to be proud of, ready to open to the world. Innes is a mistress of exotic magic, conjuring heavenly images of spices and snake charmers, bustling streets and belly dancers. At the same time her British sensibilities allow her to bring to life the exuberant characters who transformed the riad - and their lives - amid the pink stone and crying muezzins of Morocco.

It is amusing and down to earth, yet also descriptive and deeply evocative of a different world, a different culture, a different way of viewing life and its triumphs and tribulations. The one thing I would have liked is a few photos. There are a few of Dan's line drawings scattered through the book, but it would have been nice to see how the house had progressed. That said, given that the riad is lettable accommodation it wasn't too difficult to locate it online (http://www.riadmaizie.eu/) for a nosy at it in all its finished palatial glory.Recommended for a bit of scrumptious escapism that might just leave you wanting to follow in their footsteps...

Next up: Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, which I have been looking forward to reading (yet somehow never have) since I found it in a Warwick charity shop several years ago...

And for my 'K' shortlist:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

THE 'W' READ
Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives by Richard Wiseman

Not much to review here, because there is so much information contained in this book that it really has to speak for itself. Suffice to say, it is just what I like best - a fascinating look at the quirky side of human psychology. Wiseman has compiled a huge amount of research on the funny little aspects of human life that we might not otherwise think twice about, weaving them together in a very accessible and humorous way that compliments the subject matter.

Do you want to find out why there are so many fishermen named Fisher, or so many people called Louis in St. Louis? The funniest joke in the world, and how you can be led to remember events that never happened? Why Friday 13th is really unlucky, and which religion produces the best Good Samaritans? How much life has really sped up over recent years, and how to tell whether someone is lying? If the answer is yes, read this book!

Wow Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives sounds really interesting. I will have to see if I can find it and possibly ask for it for Christmas or buy it for someone then borrow it. Sounds like a very fun read.

#61 Nice review. I really enjoyed Quirkology when I read it earlier this year. Some of the experiments are really surprising! The website is quite interesting too http://www.quirkology.com/UK/index.shtml

THE 'P' READ
Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor by Max Pemberton

I don't read The Daily Telegraph, so I'd never heard of Max Pemberton until I started to hear the gentle murmurings about this book. I picked it up on a whim when it arrived in a box of books at our shop, and it turned out to be well worth a read.

It's a kind of diary of Pemberton's first year as a junior doctor, fresh out of medical school, terrified, and absolutely clueless as to the day to day running of a hospital ward. Along with his friends Ruby, Supriya and Lewis, he has to negotiate the egos of his consultants, befriend the nurses and secretaries who will help him adjust, learn to book scans and prescribe medication, cope with his mistakes and develop a confident bedside manner. Along the way there is death and despair, hope and uncertainty, joy and laughter.

I learned a lot about the way a ward operates, and developed a whole new respect for the doctors and nurses who fight every day to alleviate suffering, sometimes against the most horrific odds. There are also some pertinent points made about the way the NHS has been politicised by the government and the changes that are being made against all common sense. It's nice to here a doctor's view of these issues rather than just the political spin placed on it for the media. All in all, this is a great little read; amusing, informative, eye-opening and full of heart.

Ellie I read Pemberton's book earlier this year and thought it was hilarious although it was pretty eye-opening in places but it was really interesting to get the insight into what actually goes on in hospitals. I'm glad of though that I didn't really want to be a doctor as reading that book would have scared me a fair bit :P

THE 'J' READ
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Quintessentially British, this little novel-cum-memoir exudes a Wodehouse-ish humour that is quite charming with a cup of tea of an afternoon. Jerome based his book on a journey he made with two friends (but no dog) up the Thames from Kingston to Oxford in a wooden skiff.

In the book J, George, Harris, and the endearing Montmorency the dog, set off for Oxford in order to boost their health and wellbeing after a fearful bout of terminal hypochondria. Taking turns rowing and towing their little boat, they share meals and memories, arguments and laughter. They explore the pretty riverside villages and spend the clear nights camping in the boat. Of course there are scrapes aplenty given their hopeless ineptitude and fearsome laziness...

The book is certainly very amusing, and I read most of the first half with a stupid smirk on my face. But I don't know whether it was my own 'winding down to Christmas' tiredness or the book itself, but it enchanted me less and less towards the end. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing, perhaps it was the same thread of humour growing thin, who knows. The final verdict: quite funny, yet also quite beautiful, with evocative descriptions of life on the river that reminded me of the narrowboating holidays I've enjoyed over recent years. Well worth a read, and I'll be reading Three Men on the Bummel soon...

Rachel - I thought I remembered seeing it mentioned on your threads! That's one of the reasons I recognised the name and picked it up in the first place... Glad you enjoyed it too! :-)

THE 'K' READ
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

A fun, quick girlie read perfect for a pyjamas-and-pizza kind of day. It was quite amusing, it was ditzy, ridiculous, romantic, and completely fluffy. I didn't like it anywhere near as much as The Undomestic Goddess (my favourite Kinsella so far) but perhaps that's because I'm definitely not the stereotypical clothes-and-makeup girlie shopper. I thought the fixing of all Becky's money problems was a little TOO convenient, even allowing for the chick lit thing, and I'd have liked a little more romance and a little less bimbo... but ultimately it is a well written little novel and I found myself carried along quite nicely in spite of my lack of shopping expertise!

Perfect for these last few days on the run up to Christmas!

how ironic! Last night even though it was already quite late I read my "K" book although mine was My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson which is also was a chick-lit book. Now I've just got my "I" and "P" reads left (not that i'm gloating :P) But i'm rather worried for my book journal since I've only got 3 spaces left so I'm probably going to have to write some entries in the back sections :S

I used to have a book journal too but I got so sick of having yet another place to try and keep up with my reviews! I have BookTracker, my ticker, and a note on Facebook to update, then my threads, tickers and profile here, and posting the review to the book's page as well... oh, and Amazon sometimes too. I just couldn't keep up with another one!

I'm trying to read some quick and fluffy chick-lit type books right now so I can get some more books ticked off by the New Year. Plus, the fluffy reads are more likely to go back into the shop if I know I probably won't read them again, which means more post-Xmas Brownie points for me! Some of my planned Christmas reading will fit (like The Angel's Game or The Book Thief for 'Z'), but some won't so the ABCs might have to take second place for a few days!

THE 'L' READ
Enough to Make a Cat Laugh by Deric Longden

This was a re-read for me, but there's nothing so nice as a couple of days of sweet reading with a Deric Longden book. My mum bought me my first Longden many years ago and I would thank her very heartily for the pleasure. Deric is a local man - he grew up in the same town as me, albeit rather before my time - and his books are peppered with Derbyshire places and the occasional phrase my grandparents throw out every once in a while.

But this book could be read and enjoyed by anyone. Provided you're a cat lover, that is. Deric lives with his registered-blind wife, the writer Aileen Armitage, and a veritable army of cats. Officially the line up for this book goes like this: Thermal (young white tom, has a pet sultana called Ralph), Tigger (saintly tortoiseshell who lives for her charity work amongst local strays), Arthur (old black cat who has seen it all) and Frink (small white turbocharged kitten). On top of that there are plenty of other felines - and even the occasional canine - dropping by from time to time to join the fun.

Deric Longden's gift is to make the most ordinary of days, the most uneventful of situations, into something worth telling, something amusing and insightful and brilliant: a foggy day, a walk to the shop, an afternoon in the study... Oh, and he talks to his cats. In fact, one of the most charming things about his books is the fact that he gives each cat a voice of their own. It sounds eccentric, it sounds ridiculous, but beneath his clever and capable pen it just WORKS.

I have read all of these books several times since I was given that first one (The Cat who Came in from the Cold, where Thermal is introduced to the Longden family for the first time) - and I'll be keeping them to read again. I have a beloved kitty of my own (two, until recently) and I think Longden just perfectly captures what it is to live with a cat, all the humour and heartbreak and companionship and character quirks that make life with such a demanding little member of the family worthwhile. The bottom line? If you like cats, you'll love it!

THE 'R' READ
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Slim, sweet hardback with stylised illustrations by J.K. Rowling herself. It's made up of five little fairy tales, each with a magical moral, with each tale followed by a short discourse by Albus Dumbledore. The tales are traditionally styled and each quite different, while 'Dumbledore's' commentary is amusing and gives new insights into the world we already know from the Harry Potter series. Rowling makes the wizarding world so plausible, it makes for a magical little read. A nice accompaniment to the series, and benefits the Children's High Level Group to boot, which is just the icing on the cake!

THE 'M' READ
Sunshine by Robin McKinley

I'd heard good things about this one - that it was dark and exciting and just a little bit spicy to boot. I've never read an out-in-the-open vampire fantasy novel before (as opposed to one where no one even knows they exist, like 'Twilight') so that was quite novel for me. And I liked it!

It took a chapter or two for me to start to settle into the world McKinley has created, a world riddled with vampires and demons and Weres, in the aftermath of a nasty war between humans and Others. But it was 'normal' enough not to push the fantasy too far, and McKinley's narrator, the Sunshine of the title, explains many of the little facets of magical life that the reader isn't familiar with. Soon enough I'd sunk right into the story and then I was away!

The basic plotline is that Sunshine, a bakery girl at her family's coffeehouse, drives out to her family's old lake house one night and is captured by a band of vampires. They dress her in a long red dress, drag her to one of the deserted lakeside mansions, and shackle her to the wall in the old ballroom as a tasty temptation for their other prisoner: a vampire enemy of their master. It will take an unlikely alliance and a whole lot of courage and unexpected strength to get themselves out alive and survive the vampires' wrath at their miraculous escape.

I did think maybe the chemistry between Sunshine and Con could have been a little, well, hotter; every time she starts to look sideways at him she seems to hastily remind herself - and therefore the reader - how repulsive vampires are, and it kills it stone dead! But other than that, I was completely absorbed and enjoyed it thoroughly. Four stars, and I'll be looking for more of McKinley's books in the future.

What a terrific idea! I've *starred* you and look forward to seeing what you read for the rest of your challenge. Do you have a deadline? So tempted to start one myself, but I've got enough going on for now......um...probably......

No deadline, really. I wanted to get as much as I could read before New Year, to avoid clashing too much with my 1010, but I was far lazier over the break than I should have been! I'll just meander through them now, since that self-imposed deadline has flown by already - it's proving quite helpful in tackling some of the old TBR's...

THE 'U' READ
FREE CHOICE: Persuasion by Jane Austen

*SLIGHT SPOILERS*

Oh, how I loved this book. I have just officially found my new favourite Austen novel. And the ridiculous thing? Once again, I was guilty of repeatedly skipping over this one on my shelves because it might be, well, a bit boring... Since I started getting stuck into Mount TBR I'm learning that some of my favourite books of the year/ever turn out to be ones I had repeatedly rejected, underestimated and shoved to the back of the queue.

Anyway. Anne Elliott. What a girl. Although the style of this novel was a little archaic, and sometimes I had to go back and reread a particularly convoluted sentence or two, Anne Elliott captured my heart completely. She has all the virtue of Fanny Price and none of the weakness. She's loyal and loving and perceptive - but she has a much deeper inner strength, and doesn't have to sit down in a rose garden every time she ventures out of doors for two minutes.

Yet again Austen's world has translated into a story this modern girl adored and understood completely. Within a chapter or two I was swept up in the heartache of Anne's separation from her beloved Captain Wentworth seven years ago, and her horror at having to meet him again, knowing that she was still in love with him. Her humiliation was heartbreaking, her dignity enviable. I watched their slow reconciliation with bated breath, tried to figure out the good guys from the bad guys... and I must admit, the Captain's heartfelt, desperate letter to Anne as he clutched at his chance to marry the woman he loved made me cry. I have never cried reading Austen before!

I also recommend the Sally Hawkins/Rupert Penry-Jones adaptation, which against my better judgement I watched immediately after finishing the novel. I wasn't disappointed at all - although a few details had been switched around or made a little more concise, much of it was quite faithful, particularly the dialogue. Anne's misery is perhaps even more heartbreaking as a visual representation than it is in Austen's polished prose, and I cried all over again... Five stars - read it!

THE 'S' READ
Jaws 2 by Hank Searls

What a little cracker this turned out to be! I came to it in exactly the same way as I came to the original Jaws a few years ago - I idly picked it up off the shelf in a bored moment, read a couple of pages, got utterly sucked in, and ended up devouring the whole thing. I had expected very little of this one, it being not only a sequel but also a novelisation of the film screenplay, rather than the other way round.

In actual fact it was a taut and atmospheric thriller, haunted by the looming white threat of death circling the deep, which held me captivated from start to finish. Giving the shark her own 'mind' (if that's the word for it) in short segments between the human story, clearly demonstrated the lethality of her instincts and the single-mindedness of her life, and added to the tension. All the way through I was just waiting for the next fatality - who would it be? Man, woman, child, beloved animal (which, let's face it, is often just as heartbreaking)? The string of twists hiding the fishy truth from the people of Amity was incredibly frustrating, each death painful to read, and the final frenzied climax genuinely nailbiting. The political side-story through the novel was a little distracting but everything came together in the end so all was forgiven.

Final verdict? Just what the doctor ordered - and better than I could possibly have imagined.

THE 'Y' READ
FREE CHOICE: The Snow Tourist by Charlie English

What a fascinating book this turned out to be. I'd heard vague whispers about it in the newspapers when it was first published, but it was only a chance spying of it in Waterstones just before Christmas that reminded me it even existed! I'm so glad I asked for it for Christmas because it turned out to be a pretty delicious little gem.

Charlie English has grown up with a love of snow, passed on by his mountain-sport-enthuasiast father in his childhood and nurtured ever since. In this book he formulates a plan: a Snow Tour of the world to delve to the bottom of snow's mysterious attraction and intrigue. From France to Vienna to the Alps to London, he travels in search of knowledge and understanding. He learns about avalanches and the history of skiing, visits perilous glaciers and stops at the mountain claiming to be the snowiest place on Earth, explores the lure of snow to artists and poets, learns how to build an igloo from an Inuit, and looks back at the scientists who helped form our knowledge of snow and snowflakes down the years.

This friendly and accessible homage to snow is a genre-defying mix of science and travelogue, sport and nature, history and literature, memoir and art, which means there is something for everyone and it never failed to keep my interest. I have no knowledge of winter sports or of the wintry places English describes, but I never felt that I was being shut out from his journey. The only thing I would have liked was photographs - I felt that the book would have been enhanced still further by being able to see some of the incredible sights being described, evocative though the author's prose was as I was reading. There was, however, a nice little section at the back of the book filled with snowy trivia, survival tips and snippets of poetry, which was a nice touch, as well as a glossary of scientific and indigenous terminology. All in all, highly recommended - though I would caution that it's definitely best read snugly wrapped up with a mug of tea, as it's hardly the most warming of topics!

THE 'T' READ
Rococo by Adriana Trigiani

This was my first Trigiani, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of her books. It tells the story of one Bartolomeo di Crespi, interior designer extraordinaire of coastal New Jersey. In between brief flirtations with beautiful women of the design world and dealing with the dramas of his boisterous Italian-American extended family, Bartolomeo manages to secure the job he has always dreamed about: the renovation of his beloved local church, Our Lady of Fatima. However, it soon becomes apparent that there will be huge obstacles to overcome in the quest to turn this old Gothic building into a heavenly haven, and Bartolomeo must bring together all the people he loves and learn a few lessons along the way in order to fulfil his dream.

The novel is, quite simply, delicious. It drips with colour and texture, fabrics and furniture, and our charismatic narrator's knowledge and passion for his work infuses every page. The characters are larger than life, and the dialogue within the feisty family just sparkles. I looked forward to returning to the book each time I had to set it aside, and thoroughly enjoyed savouring each and every moment I was reading it. I can't wait to see what else Trigiani has to offer!

The Snow Tourist sounds fascinating. I love winter so much more than summer and am always sad whenever the snow begins to melt. I'm going to be looking for this one.

Rococo is one of those books that I read pre-LT and promptly forgot the title of. That tendency is one of the reasons I was attracted to LT - I kept re-reading books because I didn't remember that I'd already read them. Anyway, I DO remember that I didn't care very much for it. I don't know just why, since all the individual elements that I can remember were all fine. I just didn't like the whole. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, though. And I'm glad to have a title/author to put to a book memory. I'm adding it to my catalog now, so that I won't ever forget it again.

Glad to be of some small help! And we can't all like all the same books, or LT would be such a dull place... :-)