Books read in 2011

January 2011

1. Soulless – Gail Carriger
2. Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami
3. Angels and Demons – Dan Brown
4. Shame on You – Clara Salaman
5. Possession – Peter James
6. Deadly Decisions – Kathy Reichs
7. After the Quake – Haruki Murakami

February 2011

1. I Am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas – Adam Roberts
2. Fatal Voyage – Kathy Reichs
3. The Player of Games – Iain M. Banks
4. Under the Dome – Stephen King

March 2011

1. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books – Azar Nafisi
2. Grave Secrets – Kathy Reichs
3. Eating Animals – Jonathan Safran Foer
4. hush, hush – Becca Fitzpatrick
5. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen

April 2011

1. The Enemy – Charlie Higson
2. Freedom – Jonathan Franzen
3. Dead in the Family – Charlaine Harris

May 2011

1. Bare Bones – Kathy Reichs
2. Lisey's Story – Stephen King
3. And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie
4. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield

June 2011

1. Delirium – Lauren Oliver
2. Endless Night – Agatha Christie
3. Towards Zero – Agatha Christie
4. Fallen – Karin Slaughter
5. Purge – Sofi Oksanen
6. Leviathan – Scott Westerfeld
7. Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
8. Enduring spirit : convicts or colonists – Len P. Hedges 

July 2011

1. The Shifting Fog – Kate Morton
2. Room – Emma Donoghue
3. The Devotion of Suspect X – Keigo Higashino
4. Horns – Joe Hill

August 2011

1. Ordeal by Innocence – Agatha Christie
2. Portrait of a Spy – Daniel Silva
3. Ham on Rye – Charles Bukowski
4. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

September 2011

1. The Stand – Stephen King

October 2011

1. Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life – Howard Sounes
2. A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie
3. Solar – Ian McEwan
4. Wither – Lauren DeStefano

November 2011

1. 1Q84 – Haruki Murakami
2. Changeless – Gail Carriger
3. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
4. Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury

December 2011

1. The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton
2. Perfect Match – Jodi Picoult
3. City of Bones – Cassandra Clare
4. Monday Mourning – Kathy Reichs

Merry Bookish Christmas!

Is it really that time of year again? With Christmas fast approaching (3 sleeps to go!) I find myself wondering where the year went. It really has gone fast. So much has happened. I started a new job, got married and we are one step closer to buying our own home. All in all, I would call 2011 a big success! 

As for my reading, with everything else that has happened I haven't met my goal. I have read a lot less books that I did last year and my blog has been a little bit neglected. Once upon a time I wouldn't start a new novel until I posted a review of the last book I read. Now I have six reviews pending and don't get to spend nearly as much time here as I used to.

I find this a little bit disappointing but reading and blogging is all about enjoyment for me, so to force it is out of the question. I miss chatting to my book blogging friends, and I miss your comments so I am hoping I can spend more time here in the new year. I will also try harder to comment on all your lovely blogs, because I miss reading them too! 

I am lucky enough to have the next few weeks off work and plan to spend some of it reading and blogging. There is a large pile of books waiting for me under the Christmas tree (did I mention that my husband is totally awesome?) which got me thinking, how many of you have grown up getting books for Christmas? Is this what helped fuel your love of books?

Throughout my time teaching high school English, I was always amazed by the number of kids who were mid to late teens, who would tell me they have never read a book before. How they got through so much schooling without doing so just baffles me, but it also got me thinking about the reasons why kids don't like to read. 

Learning difficulties aside, why do some seemingly bright kids find reading such a tedious task? As an avid reader I have trouble understanding how a person can not find joy in a book. Books are entertaining, they  provide knowledge, they open our eyes up to different worlds and viewpoints, they tug at the emotions, make us laugh and cry... they are fun and exasperating... books are wonderful. So why can't everyone see this?

For me, I grew up reading books. My mum loves books and as far back as I can remember she would have me read to her. For fun, we would read books, I would write my own stories or we would play word/spelling games. It's no wonder I turned out to be a teacher. Also, if I was really good, my mum would take me to the library. If I was really really good, my mum would buy me a book. 

I guess what I am trying to say is kids model behaviour of their parents and the attitude that parents have to books, is something their kids will pick up. If you live in a house full of readers you are more likely to love reading as opposed to those who grow up getting told "why bother reading the book when you can see the movie". 

What are your fond memories (or not so fond, to keep it fair) regarding books? Where one or both of your parents big readers? Did you get books as gifts? or as a reward? Did you look forward to Christmas, because there would always be books under the tree? I know I did and still do! I am such a nerd that I was caught by my mum and husband standing by the Christmas tree the other day, trying to guess which books were wrapped in which paper. My husband said that was cheating, but my mum's response? "you haven't changed". 

I am not really sure where I was going with this post. It's been a while since I have posted on here other than a review and I admit, I am babbling. So I'll stop now. But I would love to hear about your childhood experiences with books and Christmas! Are you expecting  books as a gift this year? Which ones are you hoping for? Just talk to me, I miss you guys!

Word Art

I love seeing 'meaningful graffiti'. Unlike tagging, which is akin to a dog peeing on something to mark it's territory, this sort of graffiti, I find beautiful.

This word meant something to someone. At the moment they wrote this, they felt this word so profoundly that they had to stop and scrawl it on the side of a building. This word has feeling. A story behind it. This word defines a moment in the writer's life. Love it!

Bibliobanter: How to correctly pronounce author's names

I pinched this from Loni, from The Eye of Loni's Storm, who got it from Literary Musings. I certainly have been guilty of mispronouncing some of these names! It's good to see where I have been going wrong. So I thought I would share it with all of you, too.

Just click on the image to see a larger version.

South Pacific Book Chat on Twitter

I am probably a little late to the party with this one, but I have just discovered South Pacific Book Chat on Twitter!

This "is a weekly Twitter chat aimed at providing people within the South Pacific and surrounding Asian countries a time zone friendly bookish conversation." Why did I not know about this before!? 

Basically, every Thursday night at 8pm (my time), Twitter users join together to talk about books. They use the hashtag #spbkchat to connect, and each week there is a topic up for discussion.

I joined in my first chat last night and the topic was all about 'The Classics'! I am so glad I joined in. The chat really got going and I met a lot of really great people who all love books and reading as much as I do! It was extremely enjoyable and I look forward to joining in more chats in the future. 

I enjoyed it so much, I felt I had to share it with you all. Everyone who takes part is really welcoming and it's so great to chat about books in 'real time'. So if you live in the South Pacific and love talking books, then head to Twitter next Thursday and join in the fun!

Blogging and Social Media – Good or Bad?

There have been so many changes in the way information is shared, in the past few years. Twitter has become a popular website for those of us who love to share articles, news and rise to the challenge of talking in 140 characters. Facebook has taken off becoming the most used social media website online, allowing users to share information with a click of a button!

Those of us in the book blogging world have started to embrace this trend by using social media to help get the word out about our blogs, connect with our readers and take our discussions about books to a whole new level. 

I have never really questioned any of this before. As a 20-something who has been online for roughly 13 years, the internet is like a second home to me. I was there when Live Journal was the place to vent your thoughts to your friends, I jumped on the ICQ bandwagon and enjoyed the benefits of online chat, I went through the MySpace phase and along with everyone else, abandoned it for Facebook. To me, these things are just a natural part of interacting with others online. 

Today I came across a post by one of my much loved book bloggers, Dolce Bellezza. Here she wrote a post called 'Do you "like" this post?', where she talked about the 'like' and 'tweet' buttons that are popping up on everyone's blogs. She discussed the feelings of commercialism that she associates with these buttons, and whether they are right for her blog. It is after all, a personal choice.

This got me thinking. I have always had a twitter for my blog, to keep those who don't want to sign up to my RSS feed up to date with my posts. It seems to be quite a popular medium and I get quite a lot of hits from there. I also use Twitter to discover new blogs and read other bloggers posts, if they aren't in my reader.

Recently, however, I gave my blog a makeover. In an effort to help launch my freelance writing career (oh what a dream! one day my friends :) imagine writing from home full time?!), I created a Facebook page and added an Amazon aStore. 

The purpose behind this was simple. Use Facebook as a place where I can share all of my online writing and expand my blog into a larger space that what I have here at blogger. I attempted to start online bookish discussions and share more than just my writing, but other great bookish stuff I found online. So far, the response has been lukewarm. My discussions have gotten minimum response (thanks to those who did take part, so much appreciated!) and people 'liking' my page over there has been slow. 

The reasoning behind this? I am not sure. I am wondering if Facebook just hasn't taken off in the book blogging community? Maybe, people just prefer to communicate via a blog. Or, maybe bloggers look down on those who have Facebook pages as being overly commercial. Only time will tell. 

Another change I made was the aStore. I did this to share my favourite reads, link the books I review and earn a little extra income... all towards my dream of writing full time. Again, the response has not been good. Now, I don't expect you all to run over to my store and spend money.. not at all! I am only broaching this subject here as I wonder if it was such a good idea to add the store.

Which brings me to my point, what do you look for in a blog? If you see a blogger with a Facebook page, Twitter and online store, do you feel they are "too commercial", and you don't want to read their blog? Have I made a mistake linking my blog with my professional online writing? Is having ads, stores, facebook pages etc. off-putting? Or is it considered a normal part of being part of an online community? Is social media a great way to share  information or a mindless way to  spend our time?

Do you have a Facebook page? Do you use Twitter? Do you affiliate with any bookstores? How has this all worked out for you? Or, do you think this cheapens the blogging experience which is ultimately done for ourselves? Is blogging to share our thoughts on a book really any different to tweeting about it? Does length of post amount to quality or substance?

I know I just asked a lot of questions there but  I've been thinking about this all morning (hence, the length of this post) so any thoughts you have will be much appreciated!

Edit - I think it is also important to note that my blog here will always be personal. I have not and will not change the way I write here to look "more professional". I write a lot of literature related articles over at Suite 101 but they are completely different to how I write here. This is my place to write what I want, how I want. So my regular readers do not need to worry about any changes in content just because I have made other changes!

Is this the end of Borders?

What a week for bookstores! First, Borders in the US files for bankruptcy and then REDgroup over here in Australia (owners of Borders, Angus and Robertson, and Whitcoulls in NZ) goes into administration!

I am not sure what to think of this situation. Part of me is worried that this may be the beginning of the end for bricks and mortar bookstores, the other part says serve them right for charging such outrageous prices!

I mean, if you want to compete you need to be competitive. As it stands, both Borders and Angus and Robertson are pretty expensive places to shop. Last time I entered an Angus and Robertson store to buy a book, I was shocked to find it was $36. Dymocks were selling the same book for $30, Big W for $21.95 and Book Depository, $17.64. With prices like that, where would you buy that book from?

Not to mention the lack of customer service at Borders and Angus and Robertson stores. I was talking to a fellow book blogger about this today, and we agreed that customer service at these stores is pretty much non-existent.

You have to basically chase the staff around the store to ask a question and you are greeted with surly looks and a big *Sigh* that you would dare interrupt them while they are working.

It's not wonder REDgroup finds itself in such a bad position... and to make matters worse, Borders are not refusing to accept gift certificates unless the holder spends equal value to the certificate so they can redeem it.

Uuuum excuse me, Borders? You are telling your customers that although you have already taken the money for the certificate, you are going to charge your customers to redeem it?!

So I understand that they have gone into administration meaning they have no money... I get that. But they have ALREADY TAKEN THE MONEY FOR THE CERTIFICATES! surely this is illegal? I am not an expert on these matters but this reeks of a money-grabbing scam.

I am happy I don't have a Borders gift certificate, but even if I did I think I would rather forfeit it than be forced to spend money to redeem it. Forcing customers to spend double is just wrong. Not to mention they are no longer accepting the use of giftcards on their online store (which is cheaper than their bricks and mortar store). They are not only forcing their customers to spend double, but to do so in store, hence spending even more!

Poor poor form, REDgroup. Poor form. Any support you may have had from consumers has pretty much been destroyed by this move. Enjoy the demise of your business.

What are your thoughts on the problems Borders in the US and REDgroup are facing?

Great things happening at And the plot thickens...

There have been some big changes around And the plot thickens... lately. Some are quite noticeable, such as the change of layout. Others, maybe not so much.

Firstly, And the plot thickens... now has it's very own aStore!

Here you can buy books from Amazon, through my blog. I have added the books that I highly recommend to the aStore, and plan on adding more in the coming weeks. I will also add books I review (and give good ratings to) as I blog about them.

That way if you read a review, and you want the book, you have a choice of picking it up through the Book Depository link I will provide, or through the aStore if you prefer to shop on Amazon. All proceeds earned from these sales will go towards keeping this blog up and running! I have chosen to affiliate with both Book Depository and Amazon because I feel they both provide great service, and I also believe in choice.

Another change over here at And the plot thickens... is I now have a Facebook page!

Rachel Ives (Writer/Blogger)

The Facebook page isn't just a place for me to post links to my newest blog posts, here I also post links to other articles I have written around the web. At the moment I am writing for Suite 101, where I write literature related articles. For those of you who love books as much as I do, you may enjoy these articles.

I also use Facebook as a place to keep you all up to date with all that is happening with And the plot thickens... and I am hoping to start some literary discussions. I love talking about books and the discussion that get going on this blog in regards to books I review are awesome! Probably my favourite part about book blogging is the community and the great interaction we have.

The discussions tab on Facebook seems like a great place for us all to talk books. My first discussion, Have you ever read a novel and wished you had written it?, is now up and running! So pop on over to find out which book I wish I had written, and join in the fun! I would love to hear your answers. 

Also, if you have any feedback about the changes to this blog, are any suggestions of what else you think I could do to make this blog a better place, I would love to hear them. Just leave me a comment or send me an email. I am also looking for upcoming Facebook discussion ideas, so email me those too and I will post them in the coming weeks!! 

Lastly, I would like to say a BIG thank you to my regular readers! You guys are what makes blogging so much fun and I have had such a great time running this blog because of you. Something which started out as a way to keep track of the books I was reading has turned into something I really love :) I have also discovered through blogging how much I enjoy writing online, and am now doing so professionally. This is something I am really enjoying and I can't wait to see what the future holds. 

Finding Things in Secondhand Books

As much as I love buying my books new, sometimes I opt for secondhand. If there is a book I want to read but I am not sure if it's worth buying, or during those times I am feeling the credit crunch, I'll Bookmooch a novel or buy from a secondhand store.

One thing I love about secondhand books, is the things you find between the pages... the items that other people have used for bookmarks in the past, then forgotten about. I have found numerous shopping lists, receipts and old newspaper clippings, used to mark a place. These seem to be standard bookmark material.

Sometimes you find little treasures. I mooched a book a while back, 1st to Die by James Patterson, and I was pleased to find a handmade bookmark included in the package!

The owner of this book put this in there as a small gift, as she had accidentally marked the book as sent when it was not. This doesn't really fit the "something left in a book" criteria, as it was not forgotten, but it made my day all the same.

Another book I had mooched, Post Office by Charles Bukowski, came from a man in Portugal and he was kind enough to include a postcard. It is this kind of thoughtfulness that makes me love the Bookmooch community.

Sometimes, you find something strange in a secondhand book. For example, I bought the Stephen King novel IT from a used bookstore years ago (which I still have not read, mind you) and I found this business card between the pages.

I am not entirely sure what the Eagle Spirit Ministry is... some kind of offbeat religion or church, I presume. It makes me question who had this book in their possession, before it passed into mine?

Recently, I mooched a book called Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. When I opened it, I found a page from a different book between the pages, which had been used a bookmark.

It is from a smaller sized paperback and I wonder, how did it become separated from it's binding? I hope it just fell out and fluttered away... because the idea of someone tearing a page out of a book appalls me.

I am also wondering, what book is it from? Maybe some of you may be able to help me out? Which book is this lonely page from? Do you recognise the prose or characters?

When I find these forgotten bookmarks between the pages of secondhand books, I not only question who had this book before me, but if they finished it? I wonder if their saved place was as far as they got through the novel?

These are questions I will never have answered, but it's fun to think about.

What treasures have you found within used books in the past? Have you found anything weird? Leave a comment below and tell me, what is your best find!

The 4th Annual Japanese Literature Challenge 2010 - Wrap up

This Japanese Literature Challenge was hosted by Dolce Bellezza. The rules:

Read one or more works of Japanese literature between 1 June, 2010 and 30, January 2011.

My reads

1. Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami 
2. Real World – Natsuo Kirino 
3. South of the Border, West of the Sun – Haruki Murakami 
4. The Housekeeper + The Professor – Yoko Ogawa 
5. Sputnik Sweetheart – Haruki Murakami 
6. After the Quake – Haruki Murakami

I don't normally take part in reading challenges. My reading tastes and interests vary so much that I don't like to tie myself down to reading a specific genre of novel. For me, reading is fun and fun means NO RULES! This was the first reading challenge that I have taken part in and honestly, it wasn't really a 'challenge', as such. 

I love Japanese literature. I have been having a love affair with Murakami for quite some time now and it is a personal goal of mine to make my way through all of his novels. It wasn't difficult, I didn't 'plan' to read them for the challenge... I just read them. Is this cheating? Shouldn't I have set goals and read books specifically to do well in this challenge? Maybe. But I didn't. I just enjoyed these books that I would have read anyway.

That said, I have enjoyed networking with other bloggers who love Japanese literature as much as I do. It was fun to post links to our reviews and I enjoyed chatting about this genre with others.

Will I take part in another reading challenge? I am not sure. Never say never, right!? But for now, I am happy reading what ever takes my fancy. I am sure I will be reading more Modern Japanese Literature in the future.

Did you take part in the Japanese Reading Challenge? How many books did you manage to read? What are your top recommendations when it comes to Japanese literature?

The Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge

I tend to forget about my Goodreads account. Every now and again I remember, and rush over there to add all the books I have recently read.

I was checking out the website today, and came across the 2011 reading challenge. Basically, you decide how many books you want to read in 2011, sign up and track your books along with other Goodreads users. Pretty simple.

Although I am tracking how many books I read anyway, I thought it would be fun to sign up for the challenge and have a cool progress bar on my blog. It might motivate me to read more!

I decided on 80 books because I tracked my books for the first time last year, and I read 65. I have no idea if that is average for me or not. I really wanted to challenge myself to 100, but figured 80 is more attainable.

So far I have read 6 (almost 7) books this year.

2011 Reading Challenge

Rachiex has
read 6 books toward her goal of 80 books.

hide

6 of 80 (7%)

view books

So wish me luck in reaching my goal!

Have you signed up for the Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge? How many books do you hope to read this year?

New or Old Book Smell?

I love book shopping (I have talked about this before, when I discussed Bibliophiles and Bookstores) and I love browsing new and second-hand bookstores. The town I used to live in had a really great second-hand bookstore! It was big, quiet and musty. Perfect. There is something special about that “old book smell” just as much as that “new book smell”. I love both for different reasons and yes… I do sniff my books… Call me weird but I LOVE the smell of books. Did I just share too much?

© Thalia Press

I was browsing the internet and came across this picture of a bookstore. This looks like the type of second-hand bookstore I could spend hours in, because you are sure to find a gem!

Although, lately I find myself (when not shopping online) browsing Borders more often than second-hand bookstores. Now I know a lot of you hate how overpriced new books are, and I agree.. but I am willing to spend the money anyway just for that “new book smell”.

So my question to you, my readers, is what do you prefer? Do you love that musty old book smell? or do you crave the feeling of crisp new pages fresh off the printing press? Or, have you forsaken real live books for an e-reader? What makes you happy?

Changes at 'And the plot thickens'

Notice anything different around here? Yup, that's right. I decided after spending the last 12 months at Blogspot it was time to change my template.

As my regular readers probably know by now, in November I started writing for Suite 101. I have had a great time writing literature and education related articles. I plan to continue to do this indefinitely which has prompted me to tidy up my blog and go for a more 'professional' feel. I will still be writing reviews as I have always done, and I won't be changing my 'voice' in any way, just my template.

You will notice there is a big slideshow box at the top of my blog, which is viewable from the homepage. Here I will be posting my Suite articles which I feel you might all be interested in! Reviews will be underneath, posted as usual.

I have added a Facebook page (which you can also access on the right hand menu) which will act as a professional writing profile. Here I will post all of my Suite articles and blog posts so you can all keep up to date! I will also continue to do this on Twitter for those of you who prefer that social media site.

So come add me on Facebook! Follow me on Twitter! Subscribe to my RSS feed if you haven't already and join me for this new and exciting ride! I am very much looking forward to sharing my writing, reading and love of literature, with you all.

Literary Blog Hop January 20-23, 2011

Discuss a work of literary merit that you hated when you were made to read it in school or university.  Why did you dislike it?

Easy. Jane Eyre.

I don't usually hate books. There are those I disliked but could see the literary merit in them. I could understand why others liked them and just figured they weren't my cup of tea. No one can like every book they read, right? So no big deal.

Jane Eyre, however, is so bad it fills me with rage. Rage that I had to read it. Rage that my brilliant university professor who was able to make any book seem wonderful, couldn't do that with Jane Eyre. Rage that I may have to teach this in the future. Rage that it is considered literary. Rage that it even exists.

Yep, I can be a person of great, irrational extremes sometimes. I have no idea what it is about this book that I disliked so much. I apologise to those of you who are sitting there is a rage directed towards me because you love this book. I just don't get why it is considered an important text. Sure it's old.. and there are gothic elements and feminist elements and Jane is supposed to be 'endearing' (gah!)... but I just don't get it. 

There have been other books I read at school and did not like... The Hobbit (forgive me) being another... I also remember a book called Midnight, about a bushranger, that almost put me in a coma. But I doubt very much that was 'literary'.

The way I see it, literature is subjective and sure the critics and academics might tell us that such and such a book is a classic and is amazing and all that, but that doesn't mean it is. It just means from an academic point of view, it meets the standards of what is considered 'classic'. It doesn't make it a fun, entertaining or breathtaking read.

Is there a book you can't stand?

Reading in 2010: Recap

This year has been a good year for reading. I read 66 books in total. I am not sure if this is good for me, or average, as I have never counted before. I look forward to book blogging again in 2011 and comparing my numbers at the end of next year.

As for 2010, the following books were my favorites in no particular order.

 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson

 The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Passage - Justin Cronin

 The Crucible - Arthur Miller

 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

 

I have no reading plans for next year. I know a lot of you are signing up for challenges and working out your reading plans... but I think I prefer just to take life as it comes and see what takes my interest. My reading interests change so often that I hate to commit myself to anything as I never know what will take my fancy next! 

Happy New Year Everyone!

Books read in 2010

January 2010

1. From Dead to Worse – Charlaine Harris
2. Graceling – Kristin Cashore
3. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger
5. Sam the Night Person – Lisa Ruszcyk
6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K Rowling
7. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
8. My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult

February 2010

9. The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas
10. The Rule of Four – Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

March 2010

11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
12. Post Office – Charles Bukowski
13. The Way of Shadows – Brent Weeks

April 2010

14. Shadow’s Edge – Brent Weeks
15. The Life O’Reilly – Brian Cohen
16. The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
17. Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
18. The Fiftieth Gate - Mark Raphael Baker
19. The Island - Peter Benchley
20. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón 
21. Cell - Stephen King

May 2010

22. The Giant's House - Elizabeth McCracken
23. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
24. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
25. The Swan Thieves - Elizabeth Kostova
26. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
27. Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

June 2010

28. Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
29. Smokey Joe's Cafe - Bryce Courtenay
30. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith
31. The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

July 2010

32. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - Stieg Larsson
33. Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris
34. Real World - Natsuo Kirino
35. Déjà Dead - Kathy Reichs
36. The Library of Shadows - Mikkel Birkegaard
37. The Road - Cormac McCarthy 

August 2010

38. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami
39. The Passage - Justin Cronin
40. Broken - Karin Slaughter
41. The Rembrandt Affair - Daniel Silva
42. Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
43. The Burrowers Beneath - Brian Lumley
44. American Gods - Neil Gaiman

September 2010

45. The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
46. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
47. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
48. Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist
49. Death Du Jour - Kathy Reichs

October 2010

50. Rose Madder - Stephen King
51. The Crucible - Arthur Miller
52. The Collector - John Fowles
53. The Housekeeper + The Professor - Yoko Ogawa
54. The Simple Gift - Steven Herrick
55. Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
56. Shanghai Tango - Jin Xing
57. Paradise of the Blind - Duong Thu Huong

November 2010

58. Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel García Márquez
59. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
60. Needful Things - Stephen King
61. Cat Among the Pigeons - Agatha Christie

December 2010

62. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
63. The Atlantis Code - Charles Brokaw
64. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - Stephen King
65. 1st to Die - James Patterson
66. The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

End of year update

2010. Oh what a year! It sure has had it's ups and downs. Despite what was going on in my work and personal life, I have enjoyed book blogging.

Reading, reviewing and discussing books with all of you lovely people has been a lot of fun. Not only that, I have gotten to know some of you quite well due to long MSN or Twitter chats. I love being a part of this wonderful community and am looking forward to continuing to blog again, next year.

I figured I should write this post as I have been a little bit absent lately. With the end of the work year and my new writing job over at Suite 101, I have been busy. A bit too busy to read.

I am now on summer holidays, however, and I plan to get some reading done! So expect more reviews over the next 6 weeks.

I also plan to write more articles for Suite. I am enjoying writing articles related to my teaching area and about literature. Here a few I've written recently:

• How To Keep a Reading Journal
• Literary Techniques Used in The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• Harry Potter Gift Ideas
• Freewriting Tips and Ideas
• Gothic Literature

If I don't get to blog again before Christmas, I hope you all have a fantastic holiday. Eat, drink and be merry!, whether you are enjoying a beautiful white and snowy Chrristmas, or like me, live in the land down under and will be soaking up the sun.

I will be back again in the new year. Merry Christmas everyone!

Literary Blog Hop: December 9-12, 2010

The Literary Blog Hop is hosted by The Blue Bookcase. This week's question is:

What is one of your literary pet peeves?  Is there something that writers do that really sets your teeth on edge? Be specific, and give examples if you can.

Bad sex.

Yup, bad sex.

I don't consider myself a prude, I have nothing against sex in novels and if it adds to character and plot development then by all means, write away! But what I cannot stand are sex scenes that are stupidly long, tacky, gross, dumb or overly graphic.

So many authors seem to miss the mark when it comes to writing sex scenes.

Examples:

Australian author of The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas was recently nominated for the Bad Sex in Literature award. I can understand why. Using the "F" word or the "C" word in a sex scene is tacky, in my opinion. I guess if you are trying to show the sex is tasteless and senseless then it could work (and it this case it really was) but I just found it to be bad.

I recently read, The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw. The main character in this book was a university professor who seemed to be a cross between Robert Langdon, Indiana Jones and Fabio. In once scene, a much-younger-than-him-woman throws herself at him and they get all hot and heavy in the bathtub. He treats her like he is *ahem* stuffing a turkey.

Although I really love the Sookie Stackhouse series I did struggle with Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. That is a whole book of bad sex! I guess when you bed a vampire it's bound to get rough. I only kept reading the series because I had bought a seven book boxed set, and I am glad I did because once you get past the bad sex, it's quite a fun series.

So there you have it...

I really think that it takes a certain talent to pull off a sex scene in a novel... books that allude to or describe briefly, tend to work better in my opinion.

Have you come across any really bad sex scenes in novels that make you want to gag/throw the book away/laugh out loud?

Literary Blog Hop: December 2-5, 2010

The Literary Blog Hop is hosted by The Blue Bookcase. This week's question comes from Gary at Parrish Lantern:

What is your favorite poem and why?

Another difficult question! I don't think it is possible to pick 'just one' poem. There have been so many poems and poets that have influenced me that I cannot possibly focus on one. So instead, I am going to talk about those poets that have influenced me the most.

The first poet I came to love (and still do) is none other than Dr. Suess!  He taught me how to read, how to love books and fueled my desire to devour every book I could get my hands on. My mum used to get me to read a book to her every morning and Dr. Suess was one of my favourites. I still enjoy his rhymes.

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
~Dr. Seuss

When I was a teenage I went through a Sylvia Plath stage. I was angsty and Plath was good company. I think she is probably the best friend of a lot of teenage girls. Although I still have a respect for Plath, I no longer hold her in the same regard I once did. Which is kind of sad but understandable. It's been years since I have read anything by her though. 

I am terrified by this dark thing
That sleeps in me;
All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity. 
~ from Elm by Sylvia Plath

In my senior year of school I had the most fantastic English teacher. He is part of the reason why I decided to become a teacher myself. He was so passionate about literature and poetry. His favourite poet was Coleridge, so we studied him closely. This guy loved Coleridge so much, he named his first son Samuel (that is true love!). His enthusiasm was infectious and I grew to love Coleridge too. 

And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work ém woe:
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
~ from Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge

Edgar Allen Poe has been a long time favourite of mine. I love horror stories and the macabre, so Poe is right up my alley. My mum has a big book of stories and poems by Poe and she used to read them to me when I was young. I especially remember her reading his most famous poem, The Raven. I have fond memories of Poe and he is a poet I will continue to read. 

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door- 
Only this, and nothing more."
~ from The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

For the past few years I have been enthralled with the beat poets. Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowsi are amazing. I love my big book of collected poems by Ginsberg.. every now and again I will pick it up and read a few poems. They make me smile, frown, think and laugh. 

I believe that all poetry is best read out aloud. So here is a video of Ginsberg reading the first part of Howl. I always felt Howl should be read a bit faster, more breathless.. almost manic.. he nearly gets there. 

Bukowski... I have conflicting feelings about Bukowski. In one respect his poetry is just amazing. It is so raw and honest. I love the way he writes. On the other hand, I was watching an interview with him once, and his girlfriend said something he didn't like so he called her horrible names and started kicking her really hard. It was disgusting.. I DO NOT agree with, or condone physical violence against women (or anyone for that matter).. so for a while there, I could not bring myself to read anymore Bukowski.. but regardless of his obvious flaws as a human being, he is a genius. 

I guess his flaws and the hard life he lived acted as a breeding ground for his creativity. I have come to the conclusion that I can love his poetry, but that has nothing to do with how I feel about him as a person. What he is like as a person is really irrelevant I guess.. although sometimes it's hard to differentiate because he more than likely wouldn't have written such brilliant poems if he was not that way he was. It certainly gives me something to ponder.

I think that about covers my favourite poets. There have been others I have studied, read, taught and enjoyed but these guys have influenced me the most. So I will leave you with one of my favourite poems by Bukowski. Enjoy.

Blasted apart with the first breath

running out of days
as the banister glints
in the early morning sun.

there will be no rest
even in our dreams.

now, all there is to do is
reset
broken moments.

when even to exist seems a
victory
then surely our luck has
run thin

thinner than a bloody stream
toward death.

life is a sad song:
we have heard too many
voices
seen too many
faces
too many
bodies

worst have been the faces:
a dirty joke that no one
can understand.

barbaric, senseless days total
in your skull;
reality is a juiceless
orange.

there is no plan
no out
no divinity
no sparrow of
joy.

we can’t compare life to
anything—-that’s
too dreary a
prospect.

relatively speaking,
we were never short on
courage

but, at best, the odds
remained long
and
at worst,
unchangeable.

and what was worst:
not that we wasted
it
but that it was
wasted
on us:

coming out of
the Womb
trapped
in light and
darkness

stricken and numbed

alone in the temperate zone of
dumb agony

now
running out of days
as the banister glints
in the early morning sun.

~Charles Bukowski

BBC 'The Big Read' - Top 100 Books

I completed this list on Facebook recently and I have seen it on a number of blogs, so I thought I would join in the fun on my blog too and share this list with you all! 

"Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here, in their The Big Read list. Instructions: Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt."

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4. Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6. The Bible

7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8. Nighteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12. Tess of the D'Ubervilles - Thomas Hardy

13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (I've read Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet)

15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20. Middlemarch - George Eliot

21. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (Only two to go and I'm done, I think)

34. Emma - Jane Austen

35. Persuasion - Jane Austen

36. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38. Captain Correlli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41. Animal Farm- George Orwell

42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47. Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50. Atonement - Ian McEwan

51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52. Dune - Frank Herbert

53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon

60. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66. On the Road - Jack Kerouac

67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68. Bridget Jones Diary - Helen Fielding

69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72. Dracula - Bram Stoker

73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson

74. Noted from a Small Island - Bill Bryson

75. Ulysses - James Joyce

76. The Inferno - Dante

77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78. Germinal - Emilie Zola

79. Vanity Fair - William Makepiece

80. Possession - AS Byatt

81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert (Currently Reading)

86. A Fine Balance - Robinston Mistry

87. Charlotte's Web - EB White

88. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94. Watership Down - Richard Adams

95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98. Hamlet- William Shakespeare

99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I have read 38 of these books. I have started and not finished 6, and I am currently reading one. Pretty good effort I think. I have 13 of these books (including a few of the ones I have not finished) sitting on my shelves, so I really should get around to reading them. I am tempted to give myself the challenge of reading all the novels on this list but a number of them don't interest me in the slightest so I wouldn't bother with them.... I do wish to read quite a few on here though!

How many of these books have you read? Any recommendations from the list of 'not read' books, which you think I need to read?