As is usually the case... this meant buying a book - (Pg 85)

I usually start writing these reviews while I'm reading the book. While I was reading Fat, Forty and Fired by Nigel Marsh, words like, funny, inspiring, light, wonderful came to mind. Then I got to the end of the book and felt let down.

I'll go back to the start though. This story is touching, charming and very funny. If you've ever seen the television program Outnumbered, it is somewhat akin to that. Nigel Marsh is father of 4 children and decides to take a year off work to fundamentally change himself and get to know his family again. There are a number of challenges along the way and it is wonderfully told.

I felt let down as most of the story seemed to be building towards this one event that did not happen and it all became rushed and was in sharp contrast to the rest of the story. This reminded me of my challenge and the deadline I originally set myself which came and went, I too felt like I let down myself and my readers.

Marsh has written more, and perhaps I need to read on in order to be appropriately appeased. Read it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, just be forewarned, it does not end up quite where you think.

312 Days Remaining, 24 Books to go

"It's like being stuck on death row with .... Enid Blyton!" - (Pg 91)

Lights out in Wonderland is a wonderfully disgusting, unbelievable yet somehow entirely believable, philosophical story by DBC Pierre. I loved Pierre's Booker Prize winner Vernon God Little, this is right up there. Vernon God Little is still in a box somewhere, I must unpack...

It is very difficult to describe this book. Part sociological commentary, a trip through three countries and through the depths of despair and yet somehow there is always promise. It is beautifully written, even though the subject matter isn't always quite so beautiful, Panda Paws for dinner springs to mind.

I enjoyed the tour of Berlin and the fascinating take on its' people as they emerge into the 21st century. This book truly made me think, about a range of subjects, from the different ways that war can effect people and places, to capitalism, and yes, death, dying and also life and living.

A one of a kind, beautiful piece of work. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

321 Days Remaining, 25 Books to go

National Year of Reading

This year in Australia it is the National Year of Reading. Could there be an even bigger sign to get me back into the covers of a book?! It looks like there is a lot of things planned at bookstores and libraries all over the country. So make sure you don't miss out on all the reading fun. And if you are like me, perhaps you too should stop talking about it, and start reading!

I found this 'mission statement' on the National Year of Reading Website;

The National Year of Reading 2012 is about children learning to read and keen readers finding new sources of inspiration. It's about supporting reading initiatives while respecting the oral tradition of storytelling. It's about helping people discover and rediscover the magic of books. And most of all, it's about Australians becoming a nation of readers


Sounds good to me!

because until it is read, a book is a dead thing... (pg 114)

I am reading, I am I am! Just not blogging, and not reading nearly so much as I should, or would like to...

I finished Howards End is on the Landing By Susan Hill almost a month ago now. Shame on me. I did write notes, however I am not doing the book justice by leaving another large gap between completion and blogging.

This is a book about books and it did inspire me to get reading and even to revisit old books. Unfortunately, after moving in October last year, the majority of my books are still in boxes as they have no shelves on which to live. It will be an exciting day when I open those boxes.

In this book Susan Hill is basically making a list of her favourite books and reasons why. There is a lot of shameless name dropping, authors she knows, swanky parties, literary awards etc, however Hill does warn the reader about this from the outset.

Much of the book reminded me of my blog. The journey I am taking, the stories I have discovered, the issues particular books and reading itself has raised. We had similar views on some books, differing ideas on others. Hill abhors the idea of electronic readers and is certain that books are not an endangered species (as am I). I do however still have a book sitting on my ipad waiting to be read, that will be an experience.

Books are very important. I once visited an acquaintance and came out of their home with a feeling of discomfort and unease. I associated my discomfort to the plates with cats hanging on the walls and the box-house suburbia in which the house had been plonked. However, on my train ride home, loosing myself in some novel or other, I began to wander through the house again in my mind. In no room in the house did I recall seeing a book, not even a magazine.

There were many quotes, in this book, about books. I would like to include a few more;

24 - 25 - Blyton taught me what books could do, where the imagination could take me, how I could be transported to other places, know the sort of people I might never know in reality... I would very much like to include one Blyton book in this campaign

171 - A strange competitiveness has emerged among some readers in the last few years. I have known book-bloggers boast of getting through twenty plus books, a week, as if they were trying for a place in the Guinness book of records. Twenty plus books a week?! That doesn't seem fair to the author. I am an advocate of Hills' Slow Reading (mainly as I don't have a choice!)

193 - It is saddening to know that the majority of children never have stories read to them at home. This i cannot fathom. My father always read to us up until and even after we could read for ourselves. We have been reading to our child even before he was born and he is read at least one story at bedtime every night, if I counted children's books, I have already read more than 30 this year!

This book was interesting and comfortable, in that Well's ideas about books and reading weren't too far removed from my own. I couldn't help get the feeling though that I was wasting time reading about books, that I should've been reading instead!

347 Days Remaining, 26 Books to go

The Joy of Books

A lovely short film that makes you want to fight to keep bookstores alive!

I want you to read me that book, Momma. I wanna know all those words (Pg 199)

 

I'm becoming slack again. I finished this book well over a week ago now, shame shame shame.

The Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman was an impulse read. I was in the library, feeling a litte hungry when I walked past a display with various books that had a Christmas theme (I love Christmas!). Like I said I was a little hungry and a cookie and a cup of tea appealed to me. So the book came home with me.

I borrowed it with the intention of reading the first few pages and most likely returning it. It didn't seem like a 'me' book. I started it, and I read the whole thing.
It was an easy read, easy to get into, the only thing that I really had an issue with was the amount of characters. Trying to keep up with 12 people, some with similar sounding names, was annoying.

It is based on a true story / true stories about these women who meet once a year, swap cookies, recipes and tell stories about their lives. Lots of drama and tradgedy, there were some positives, but as it was a work of fiction, I feel like there could have been some more positive moments through the story. Less characters would've also worked in it's favour and been much less confusing.


I feel it would also have benefited from more varieties of cookies! Recipes were included for each of the 12 cookies,  however ten of them seemed to be pecan cookies, with slight variations. I was excited by the idea of making your own fortune cookies, and will possibly give it a go.
 
I really enjoyed the facts included about ingredients, a really nice addition. In between chapters there were notes of the history of things such as flour, spices, chocolate, where they originated, how they were originally used, and how they are used today


This book hasn't changed my life, but I'm glad, thanks to my stomach, it has been a small part of my life. I may even start my own cookie club one day.

384 Days Remaining, 27 Books to go

I'm one of those guys who likes to read things. Anything (Pg 81)

A number of people have told me 'you must read The Happiest Refugee by Ahn Do' and finally, I have. I finished it just last night in fact, so it is still fresh in my mind!

If I had started writing this post about 100 pages before I reached the end of the book, I would've given an overall glowing review. Beautifully written, Do covers so much and tells a very touching and heartwarming tale. The characters of his family are amazing, especially his mum. Also everything they went through was astounding and I loved how the book never read like they were victims or hard done by, these things happened and they got through.

The humor is lovely and, whether by design or not, it doesn't read as stand up comedy until we have passed the point in Ahn's life where he has become a comedian. Nicely done.

The issue coming towards the end of the book is that it begins to read more like a resume  than a biography. I got a little tired of hearing about numerous channel 7 appearances. I was also put off by the endorsement on the cover of David Koch and Melissa Doyle, it was all a little too A Current Affair to me.

The television appearance list also detracted from things I would consider to have been more important in his life, like the birth of his children. There was nothing about his delight in learning his wife was pregnant, nor about the birth of any of his children, they simply appeared in the story.

It feels as though there were a few too many 'producers' involved in the editing of this story. That being said, it was lovely, laugh out loud and inspiring and made me ever grateful for what I have.

28 Books Remaining, 399 Days to go