If he was reading he was reading - (Pg 9)

The Red House by Mark Haddon was quite a let down for me. Haddon's previous two novels, including A Spot Of Bother which I read in my original quest, had warm voices, interesting characters and humour.

These elements were completely absent from this story. It actually made me feel depressed and unsettled about life and what it's all about, pretty horrible really. Two families, 8 characters, and all of them horrible, uninspired, and terribly sad with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

I also had to consciously remind myself it was set in England, it seemed to have such an American feel to it.

It was readable, if a little confusing with the pointless inclusion of excerpts from books that the characters were reading. I would only recommend it if you were in a dark mood and didn't want to be lifted out of it.

96 Days Remaining, 6 Books To Go

Day 125 - Reading those birthday and Christmas books we never got round to reading (Pg 471)

I found A Spot of Bother to be rather enjoyable. There are some parts that are a little graphic and not quite so amusing (mainly the character George performing surgery on himself using scissors) but all in all, it’s an entertaining read about just how mad families can be.

I don’t often say this about books, however I can really see this as a film. It’s English, and the Brits do this type of humour very well. I couldn’t find anything through google about plans for a film, however I think it would be very remiss of the British Film Industry to let this gem pass them by. Perhaps I should buy the film rights from Mark Haddon as an investment... hmmm don't you go stealing my idea now...

159 days remaining, 22 books to go.

Day 120 - But you had to let the atmosphere of one novel seep away before launching into the next... (Pg 88)

I haven’t quite finished book #14, A Spot of Bother , I am enjoying it though. The way the characters face the dramas of life is actually funny (although one shouldn’t laugh at the misfortunes of others). It’s also nice to find a few likable characters for a change, something that has been seriously lacking in the last few books.

I’m blogging before I’ve finished this book as I want to dabble in a little ‘make believe’, are you ready? Let’s make believe for a moment, that someone is actually reading this blog, Hi Mum! Then let’s pretend that one of my readers writes to me saying; “Hi Karen (because that’s my name) where’s the best place to get books from?”

Well! What a good question, and an excellent topic for a blog entry.

First port of call for me is always the library. It’s good for the world and good for your bank balance. You can also keep your eye out for a good olde library sale, that time of the year when they clear out a huge number of books for a myriad of reasons (which is of course how all this began). However not everyone wants to be on a waiting list for a book, and the library doesn’t always have what you’re looking for.

So where can you turn in today’s materialistic capitalist society? This may come as a shock, but you don’t always have to go to a big bad bookstore.

One place, Better World Books (which mum sent me the link to just the other day!) is an online second hand bookstore that finds a home for old books and raises money for literacy programs, lovely!

You could also scour ebay for that book you are looking for. Once again though, if you’re looking for something in particular it may take you a while to find it.

Then perhaps my reader would write in and say; “those are all fantastic ideas, but I need a book for a gift” or “I can’t stand the thought of reading a book that someone else has touched with their tongue moistened fingers or left coffee rings on.”

In this case, try the following;

Booko is a very useful Australian site to search for a book (or a dvd) online. It will search a number of sites and list all places that stock the book from cheapest to most expensive including postage.

I've mentioned The Book Depository before, they have pretty much everything a book-lover could ask for, at very competitive prices and free delivery worldwide.

Then we get to the 'big bad bookstores' such as Borders, which can be pricey, however if you sign up to their newsletter you get the odd 40% off coupon. Angus and Robertson and Dymocks don’t often have special offers, but you never know.


There are of course many places you can find a book, these are just some of my personal preferences. Now with ebooks and readers becoming so popular, perhaps the idea of a book and a bookstore is becoming somewhat archaic (I do hope not).

So now that my avid reader has bought all the books they want, I imagine that they might come back to me one last time and ask; “I now have a whole lot of books that I’m not going to read again, what do I do with them?”

Well obviously you can go back to Better World Books, mentioned above, or you could go to your local op shop / second hand bookstore, donate to your choice of charity such as Rotary, primary school fetes or the Footpath Library, which is a wonderful charity. Alternatively, if you’re feeling the entrepreneurial pull, there’s always ebay.

And so ends my make believe journey. I hope you gained some helpful tips on how to procure a book thanks to my imaginary reader. Although I have now confused myself as to whom I am addressing. Perhaps I am slowly going out of my mind, much like George in A Spot of Bother.

164 days remaining, 23 books to go.

Day 111 – Holding up a copy of The Naked Chef and a tin of Maisie Mouse pencils (pg 53)

I'm inspired, and very tired! I attended a lecture last night given by the Australian Directors Guild featuring 3 female documentary makers who achieved their goals against all odds. The financial rewards were non existent, in most cases the money didn't even cover the amount of work put in, and yet they completed what they set out to do and it was acknowledged by both national and even international audiences. Perhaps this is what I am aspiring to.

Lucy Paplinska - Alone in a Crowded Room
Charlotte Roseby – Still Breathing
Rhian Skirving – Rock & Roll Nerd

Somewhere in between working and reading, my social life, domestic duties and whatever else comes along, my goal is to make a documentary that is broadcast nationally, if it takes me 20 years to do it, so be it.

To the books now, and 65 pages into A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon I'm not quite swept away. I really enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Which is why when I saw A Spot of Bother sitting in an op shop, I picked it up. I’m ever hopeful that excitement and adventure lies waiting just over the page...

173 days remaining, 23 books to go.