tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22357818080404327232024-03-19T23:03:30.784+11:00All Booked UpA literary blog following my reading journey in 2014 as I read 52 books in 52 weeks. Book reviews are posted weekly for fiction and non-fiction books. I welcome recommendations as I try and expand my usual reading selections. Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-56789535915662422912014-05-06T08:52:00.003+10:002014-05-06T09:01:06.153+10:00Book 11: The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>"I decided to read 52 books this year so that I could find & read books like The Rosie Project- books that would make me laugh, sigh and remind me why I love reading"</strong></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">'<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion is a story about the search for love and its rather surprising results. </span>It has been an absolute pleasure to read and review The Rosie Project as All Booked Up's 11th book of 2014. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Rosie Project is a sweet, endearing novel with many laugh out loud moments. And I mean serious, do-not-read-in-public-otherwise-you-will-look-like-a-lunatic, laugh out loud moments. None of this smirking at the page business. Simsion's writing never feels contrived, the characters are lifelike and genuine, and just like I did, you will fall in love with the main character, Don, well before the last page. <br />E</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">veryone who I have mentioned that I was reading this book to has had the same response, that The Rosie Project is a great novel. It has been one of the few books this year I have loved from the very beginning and knew right away it would definitely deserve a 5 star rating.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPuCdxHzuVQejZ8A0Q7pHSD6EeQRCOKQ2J6zg839QyA50RcpRv7KoRyDFUpxF2P-fagVL3XHTEON1CI_GyS2e5a6htYtZN3gYcnugePFlbv02iYE9gXPFovcnpRrDjgc26pUSiNw5OvKC/s1600/The+Rosie+Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPuCdxHzuVQejZ8A0Q7pHSD6EeQRCOKQ2J6zg839QyA50RcpRv7KoRyDFUpxF2P-fagVL3XHTEON1CI_GyS2e5a6htYtZN3gYcnugePFlbv02iYE9gXPFovcnpRrDjgc26pUSiNw5OvKC/s1600/The+Rosie+Project.jpg" height="302" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Two different covers of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Rosie Project begins with Professor Don Tillman searching for a solution to his 'Wife Problem'. That he doesn't have one. Don is a brilliant genetic researcher, bicycling enthusiast, an excellent and<em> </em>extremely efficient cook, and very, very single. Don also has Asperger's Syndrome, a fact of which he remains unaware despite the subtle efforts of his few friends. Don develops the 'Wife Project, setting up a survey as a way of culling potential candidates and to allow for maximum time efficiency, wasting no time on dates with unsuitable ladies. However Don's project doesn't go to plan when the spontaneous, stubborn and unique Rosie crosses his path. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I decided to read The Rosie Project because I heard that it had a main character with a disability and as I work <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">with people with disability who are on the autism spectrum, it tweaked my interest. But make no mistake, this novel is not a book about <em>'disability'. </em>The Rosie Project is a novel about love, friendship, surprises and compromise. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The fact that Don has Asperger's does lead to many hilarious moments with Don's understanding of social situations being slightly off kilter from the 'norm'. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Don acknowledges he has difficulties with reading social cues and developing friendships, and the novel has quite a few funny moments where Don puts his foot in it. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"><em>"You seem very interested in babies" (Natalie said) <br />"I'm interested in their behaviour. Without the corrupting influence of a parent present." <br />She Looked at me strangely. "Do you do any stuff with kids? I mean Scouts, Church Groups..."<br />"No," I Said. "It's unlikely I'd be suitable". </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">In writing the novel in first person, Simsion allows readers to see the world from Don's unique point of view, and laugh along at times when Don is blissfully unaware the effect his words have on others. More powerfully, in writing the novel from Don's perspective, Simsion allows readers to see that the fact Don has Asperger's Syndrome does not prevent him from leading a very interesting life. The Rosie Project reminds readers that someone's 'disability' is not necessarily their defining factor, and can even be more of an 'ability' (Don's ability to remember facts and optimise his time for maximum efficiency come in handy a few times). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Throughout the novel, Don believes that all ice-cream tastes the same and plans to only date women who believe this. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Didn't want to miss a chance to fit in a Ron Swanson GIF</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIpN31O88kma9TdK8wPzJc0ikL0CZ0ccE1GGxdwF9ylf46BwOfMBI3nXnsetj1HtRJQfrUtSkBRfFmrRA8wBcDTtVCnCKUPs2YnOXn7fGsblL3SnlG_4B_pI7UjDpFNwjNpBo0v2Wa9E/s1600/ron.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></a><br /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What is quite a humorous part of the novel actually serves as a reminder that we all get stuck in our ways and beliefs, often limiting ourselves and our ability to have different experiences and the potential to make new friends. When Don chills out a bit (get it, ice-cream, chilled, haha?) he ends up having a lot more fun. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">And the best bit of all is that t<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here will be a sequel! The Rosie Effect is coming out later this year. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Not So Good Bits</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">ummm... that it wasn't longer? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But in all seriousness, there was nothing about this novel that I did not like. Simsion has created a truly excellent novel which is humorous and quirky but without being silly or disingenuous. I am thoroughly looking forward to reading the sequel. Ultimately, I decided to read 52 books this year so I could find books like The Rosie Project, books that would make me laugh, sigh and remind me why I love reading. Thank you Mr Simsion. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">5 out of 5 tasty ice-creams </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>Want more?</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Novels similar to The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion are</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rY3ucn71aqpg1iJBfDTzklyAH4SDCJhP7BTjaBIeLnWocHKFN8-15e4yaZQsyhjJN8xaKMaYr_kiDNZkgUAB2IrvEGccy3ByJ163Mjqa53hgYxbAXiLL53smm5xwmdX6nterMocX4oM/s1600/recommended++5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rY3ucn71aqpg1iJBfDTzklyAH4SDCJhP7BTjaBIeLnWocHKFN8-15e4yaZQsyhjJN8xaKMaYr_kiDNZkgUAB2IrvEGccy3ByJ163Mjqa53hgYxbAXiLL53smm5xwmdX6nterMocX4oM/s1600/recommended++5.jpg" height="308" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Getting the Girl, Markus Zusak, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon, The Fault in Our Stars, John Green </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"></span> <span style="color: #666666;"><strong><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">Bonus section!</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you think the cover of The Rosie Project is as cool as I do, <span id="goog_61927246"></span><a href="http://www.waterstones.com/blog/2014/04/the-rosie-cover-project/" target="_blank">check out this interesting look</a> into the different covers of The Rosie Project around the world! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSavI6qqWV8PsrQtTbrIgIbEKYvsK4enamVqaPwDXNWbwAPm1azL8ykDtiLlmIAKz1kce0gAo6h5x6ooxEvPsTKXrsUcpe65VULW_TDFh6wuiezV8043ogFZWqe8GeXONS9b-uoCIZDI/s1600/rosie+covers+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSavI6qqWV8PsrQtTbrIgIbEKYvsK4enamVqaPwDXNWbwAPm1azL8ykDtiLlmIAKz1kce0gAo6h5x6ooxEvPsTKXrsUcpe65VULW_TDFh6wuiezV8043ogFZWqe8GeXONS9b-uoCIZDI/s1600/rosie+covers+2.png" height="640" width="436" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Next Book</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tell The Wolves I'm Home, a novel about a young girl who looses her beloved uncle to AIDS in the 1980's.</span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-58920645957790281842014-04-29T15:16:00.002+10:002014-05-06T09:18:04.932+10:00Book 10 Review: Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My 10th book this year was the timeless gothic romantic novel 'Rebecca', by Daphne Du Maurier. First published in 1938 the novel follows a young woman who marries the older Max DeWinter, whose glamorous and beautiful first wife, Rebecca, recently died. The novel is full of eerie suspense and a sense of disquiet as the narrator recounts her tale of Manderlay, their house haunted by the memory of the late Rebecca DeWinter. 'Rebecca' is a captivating novel and not a challenging read. It would be a great read for those who don't often read the Classic novels and for those who fall asleep at the very mention of Dickens or Austen. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXMc-mH8jGvl7HIat1rtEXtVSEVUFa0sogY86gZ7Oza7DgX_qgScw-uykFf5Rk7uytJLAvlOLwD5y3D3C8a6DtzFikrZRvhjXwULqP9yNndYW9J9vXoPDwu4IkHp7mXuUKsRTNUIXcAc/s1600/rebecca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXMc-mH8jGvl7HIat1rtEXtVSEVUFa0sogY86gZ7Oza7DgX_qgScw-uykFf5Rk7uytJLAvlOLwD5y3D3C8a6DtzFikrZRvhjXwULqP9yNndYW9J9vXoPDwu4IkHp7mXuUKsRTNUIXcAc/s1600/rebecca.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The book cover of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier from the 70's edition I read.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The narrator, a young and naïve woman, remains unnamed throughout the book, a clever literary technique designed to emphasise the lingering presence of the former Mrs DeWinter, however I just thought I had missed reading the narrator's name for the first few chapters and kept trying to look back for her name. Duh.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My first impression of the novel was that it was not as dark as I thought it would be. I imagined attacks in the night, hauntings, disembodied heads floating down long corridors (okay I didn't really imagine that)....</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is a common mistake for modern readers to hear the words g<em>othic novel </em>and expect the literary equivalent of Paranormal Activity. However, Gothic novels like Frankenstein, Northanger Abbey and Wuthering Heights rely on suspense, on a subtle yet all pervasive feeling of unease to bring a chill to reader's spines. This is a skill that has been lost in the modern age where filmmakers and authors require increasingly shocking and dramatic situations in order to make their audiences to feel frightened. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Daphne du Maurier masters the art of subtle unease and anticipatory dread in Rebecca. With each page turn you almost cringe (in my case it was mostly because my old copy was falling apart), not knowing when the state of uneasy calm will break. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">One part of 'Rebecca' I found hilarious was when the characters in 'Rebecca' spoke about the weather being over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (about 26 degrees Celsius).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNE41h-Z0Gj9Xl_I7eRVnqsO-dlXw-s0eRhDll20L00TQc2fkNEjAfZtbRqunhUVIm0rbPd3cp7vVftkbdLsPblM79Y5_NNtVGO-jdW1asGsm6Ay-L6WIV5v1r4LumY2FBHsgYWSz8A4/s1600/weather.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNE41h-Z0Gj9Xl_I7eRVnqsO-dlXw-s0eRhDll20L00TQc2fkNEjAfZtbRqunhUVIm0rbPd3cp7vVftkbdLsPblM79Y5_NNtVGO-jdW1asGsm6Ay-L6WIV5v1r4LumY2FBHsgYWSz8A4/s1600/weather.png" height="203" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Well everyone could sure cope well with the weather in 1930's Britain... </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">For someone who lives in a rather temperate part of Australia, where the summer-time minimum temperatures sometimes do not dip <em>below </em>26 degrees I had a good laugh at these wimps. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Good bits</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">'Rebecca' was easy to read. The novel has all the conventions of a 19th century Gothic novel, but has been written in the 1930's and is full of familiar and not overly complex language. Old stodgy language normally turns off readers from attempting the classics (it stopped me for many years), so Rebecca is a good introduction before delving straight into Wuthering Heights or Frankenstein. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Not So Good Bits</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">One character in the novel which really rankled me was a man, Ben, the 'local idiot'. This is the narrator speaking about Ben after meeting him on the beach.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">This passage is meant to hold some irony, with Ben potentially knowing some crucial information later in the novel. However at the key moment, when du Maurier could have had Ben become much more than the local 'simpleton', he fails to do so, afraid of being mistreated, thus relegating Ben to the ranks of a truly useless character. It made me sad to read these descriptions of Ben, reminding me how many people with disabilities were (and still are) passed off as idiots and fools. The narrator in the passage above even supposing what Ben must be like without the slightest effort made to get to know or understand him. I am more than aware that times have thankfully changed since the 1930's, but too often in society, people with disabilities are brushed off just like Ben, not recognised for their own strengths, personalities and capacity. </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Okay. Rant over. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">3.5 out of 5 sweaty Englishmen </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />Some other novels similar to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier are; </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Next Book:</strong></span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">My next novel is The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion. </span><br />
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-49161161740444437602014-04-04T11:08:00.003+11:002014-04-04T11:32:34.706+11:00Book 9 Review & Interview: The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals, Wendy Jones <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My 9th Book this year was the lovely novel 'The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals' by British author Wendy Jones. It was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and only took me a day to read. In exciting news, Wendy Jones, the author of 'The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals' kindly agreed to be interviewed for All Booked Up 2014. This is All Booked Up's first <strong>exclusive interview</strong> dear readers, and you are in for a treat! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2cEE8EaxfNdr4VzsvNvJY5HHt1v_4ZMZ46OaDgjWqepBbxJf7BJmnGJwW3CrOIvTNKG8zWBvyArk79IQZqCmKa_-AQbeaDy1ExC3CJ_57s6MmDmbGMAPDUzXYKJ9dJze2PXF4uOdrb0/s1600/The-Thoughts-and-Happenings-of-Wilfred-Price-Purveyor-of-Superior-Funerals-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2cEE8EaxfNdr4VzsvNvJY5HHt1v_4ZMZ46OaDgjWqepBbxJf7BJmnGJwW3CrOIvTNKG8zWBvyArk79IQZqCmKa_-AQbeaDy1ExC3CJ_57s6MmDmbGMAPDUzXYKJ9dJze2PXF4uOdrb0/s1600/The-Thoughts-and-Happenings-of-Wilfred-Price-Purveyor-of-Superior-Funerals-large.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The beautiful book cover of The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Due to the fact that Australia is ahead of everywhere else in the world (in time and number of animals per square kilometre that want to kill you), the interview was conducted via email. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Basically this interview is better than interviewing J.K. Rowling. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Amejoys:</em> There is nothing better than having an author describe a novel in her own words. So this is the perfect time to ask if you could you please describe your novel, ‘The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals’, to my blog readers?</strong></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em>Wendy Jones:</em> The novel is about an undertaker, Wilfred Price, in 1924 west Wales. He inadvertently proposes to a woman he likes but soon realises his mistake, especially when he meets Flora. The novel is about Wilfred's work and romantic life and the constraints and gentleness of the time. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>I have never been to the UK, let alone to Wales, yet I found myself so easily transported to the small Welsh town of Narberth in which the novel was set. Your descriptions of the physical environment almost made the town seem like a character, was that your intention?</strong> </span></span> </div>
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<u></u><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I very much wanted Narberth to be a character and to give the novel a very specific sense of place, to have it rooted. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">I Imagined 1920's Narberth looked just like this</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>For a novel that is so often described as ‘charming’, the novel does touch on some serious issues (which I won’t spoil here for those who haven’t read it yet). When writing your novel did you aim to balance the good with the bad, as life often does?</strong></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mostly I wanted the novel to be comforting; there is dark subject matter and it was important that there was a range for me, of what is light and easy, and what is hard to accept. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>If ‘The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals’ was made into a movie, who would be your ideal actors to portray Wilfred, Grace, Flora and Dr Reece?</strong></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If the novel becomes a movie, I have no idea who would play the parts! Perhaps Antony Hopkins as Dr Reece! I see the characters in my mind's eye so clearly, I can't imagine them as anyone other than they are.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">Exclusive! You heard it here first! Sir Anthony Hopkins to play Dr Reece in the movie adaption of The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals. Haha.</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Cover art does have a large part in how readers choose books in bookstores. The old adage tells us not to judge a book by its cover, but the edition I read, with the blue and gold cover, was beautiful. Are you happy with the look of the book? Who did the cover art?</strong> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />I like the cover very much; it is clear and distinctive. I had no say in it but am very pleased with it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>When I first finished ‘The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price..' I was almost disappointed in the choices of both Grace and Flora. I felt they both made choices that these days would make a feminist cringe. But on reflection, I realised that Grace (And to some extent, Flora) did not have the opportunities that women do today, and that their decisions were not choices, but rather the outcome of events which they coped rather well with. Did you deliberately create storylines for Grace and Flora that would in some way highlight the challenges that women faced in the 1920s?</strong> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />I thought of Grace and Flora as women of their time, as we all are, and their lives were circumscribed by their time, as ours are. I am not sure how free any of us are, especially women, although Flora and Grace both think of themselves as freer than their mother's and grandmother's generations. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Did you find it difficult to transition from writing non-fiction with your Biography of Grayson Perry, to writing a novel? Do you prefer writing non-fiction, or fiction?</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I didn't find the transition from non-fiction to novel writing difficult - they are both the same in that they both demand narrative, and follow strict rules of what a writer has to do to engage a reader. I like writing both; they both fascinate me. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">The book cover of The World is A Wedding, the sequel to The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>I am very excited to have discovered that you have written a sequel to ‘The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price..', called 'The World Is A Wedding'. Where does this novel pick up, and does it still focus on Wilfred?</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The sequel The World is a Wedding starts almost immediately after The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price ends and it is about Wilfred, but also Grace and Flora, as the lives of all three are interwoven more than they realise or perhaps had wanted. They are connected and need resolution and peace with each other and Wilfred, too, feels guilty about how he has treated Grace and the guilt is bothering him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A huge <strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">THANK YOU</span></strong> to Wendy Jones for answering my questions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And a bigger thank you for bringing us such a lovely novel! <br />Pop into your local bookstore and buy a copy of 'The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals' or the sequel 'The World is a Wedding', you won't be disappointed! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For a novel that does deal with some complicated and emotional subjects, it is, as Wendy Jones herself described, a comforting book. It is a charming and enjoyable novel, and will make you want to snuggle up with a pot of tea and buttered welsh cakes and read for a whole day! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As I mentioned to Wendy, the ending did leave my feminist senses twitching, but as Wendy explained, the lives of the female characters realistically and truthfully reflected the lives of many women of the 1920s. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>Rating:</strong></span> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">4 1/2 of 5 bicycling gentlemen.</span></div>
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If you liked 'The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals' by Wendy Jones you might like:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Notwithstanding, Louis de Bernieres, The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Rachel Joyce</span></td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">The Next book:</span></strong> <br />
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I have read Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier, a very interesting novel, which also happened to be set (and written) in the early 1900's. </div>
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I have entered All Booked Up 2014 into The Best Australian Blogs Competition. If you like what I write and enjoy my gratuitous use of GIFs please click on the picture below and send a vote my way! Tick the box in the survey next to "All Booked Up 2014".</div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-30780753791066599482014-03-20T16:00:00.000+11:002014-04-07T09:28:24.642+10:00Book 8 Review: The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">My 8<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> book this year is the novel ‘The Lowland’ by Jhumpa Lahiri. This novel is Lahiri almost at her best; full of cross cultural observations, complicated relationships, families who don’t always like each other and lots of beautiful descriptive language. The novel is ostensibly about two brothers from Calcutta and the divergent paths their lives take. But at its core, it is a novel about the complexities of families. The Lowland was Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Price and was a National Book Award Finalist, and is certainly worth all of those honours. If you are after a light and happy novel, this is not the book for you. But if you want to be challenged, to look at the complexities of families in a different way and learn a little of Calcutta's past and the ill fated Naxalite movement, The Lowland will do all that and more.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">A little context to start; The Lowland is not a novel about India. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">It is a novel about families. And about how screwed up people are. (Aren’t I erudite!). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The stereotype of 'Indian' books is that they are full of beautiful colour, descriptions of busy families, and descriptions of food so real, you head straight to your local Indian restaurant for some takeaway. This is not that book. The Lowland is a book of cold, strained relationships, of emotions buried, a lifetime worth things unsaid and of distance. This is a novel about universal issues. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Indeed one of the strongest themes that comes through in the novel is distance, both emotional and physical. From a very young age there is a great difference between the personalities of the measured and thoughtful protagonist, Subhash, and his brother, the impulsive and boundary pushing Udayan. This difference between them only increases as Udayan starts receding into the murky world of the Naxalite movement and Subhash moves to The United States to pursue his studies. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Although the novel is about two brothers, the majority of the novel is spent with the brothers separated, and mostly follows the life of Subhash and his life in America. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The Lowland is interesting and quick to read. This is not normally something worth mentioning as an especially 'Good Bit' but I'll allow it on this occasion. The novel deals with the nature of relationships, of marriage, of duty, of truth and love, and is often as bleak as a Subhash's beloved Rhode Island beach in winter. Despite this, I never found it a slow or uninteresting read, and I powered through it in no time at all. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lahiri's novels always include enlightening commentary on the experience of Indian migrants and observations on the changes between old and new, post-colonial India. The Lowland is no exception to this. The experiences of Subhash and his wife in America highlight some of the challenges faced by the members of the Indian diaspora to the West. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The Lowland was very truthful in its portrayal of characters. And just as in life and in families, there are characters you don't like very much. Gauri, (I won't explain who she is to avoid spoilers) and the boys' mother, are both complex characters burdened by their pasts. But for me, they were unlikeable enough not to absolutely love this novel. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Discussing the novel on Twitter with one of my fellow book lovers, she mentioned something about The Lowland: </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Hochu hit the nail on the head with this one and perfectly encapsulated my feelings on The Lowland. It isn't a book that you will spend days thinking about the characters after you have finished, and perhaps this is why it didn't win the Man Booker Prize. It is emotionally taxing, and the resentments, anger and unresolvable issues that the characters face result in a novel without simple answers or happy conclusions. It is still a brilliant novel, but ultimately I prefer The Namesake and The Interpreter of The Maldives by Lahiri. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">4 out of 5 <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Next Book:</strong></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The next book is The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, by Wendy Jones. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">Yes, you beady eyed loyal readers, this is a new section!</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"> If you liked this novel, or want something similar to The Lowland try these novels: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Freedom, Jonathan Franzen, And the Mountains Echoes Khaled Hosseini, The White Tiger Aravind Adiga</span></span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-60768876090437149552014-03-06T12:50:00.000+11:002014-03-13T16:00:18.558+11:00Second Hand Bookstores- A Visit to Elizabeth's Bookshop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Breaking from my tradition of reviewing books on All Booked Up 2014, I thought I would do a <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>BONUS!</strong></span> review of a bookstore and share some photos from my visit to the lovely Elizabeth's Bookshop on Pitt Street in Sydney, Australia. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you have never visited before, Elizabeth's Bookshop is a quirky, second-hand bookstore full of unexpected books, hilarious recommendations and lots of surprise finds. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They also had a super cool</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>'Blind Date With a Book"</strong></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">section.</span> This is a <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">brilliant idea, and a great way to get people to read more. And they are wrapped charmingly in brown paper and tied up with string (Julie Andrews eat your heart out)</span></span><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I Got one myself,</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">which ended up being, '<strong>On the Ropes' by Tom Schrek,</strong> a novel I would have never heard of or bought if I didn't wander into Elizabeth's Bookshop that day. </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Elizabeth's Bookshop also allow you return the book if you have already read it, so win-win for everyone!</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable- the man serving me on the day I visited was just the right ratio of hipster to booklover- and it is a great place to visit to loose yourself and find a great read. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Elizabeth's Bookshop is charming, and exactly what a bookshop should be. Carrying on with my usual rating at the end of the blog post, Elizabeth's gets <br /><strong><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">5 out of 5 stars.</span></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;"> For those of you who remember-<a href="http://allbookedup2014.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/52-books-in-52-weeks-beginning.html" target="_blank"> I started my blog</a> by waxing lyrical about my Kindle. But what my challenge of reading 52 books this year has taught me, is to appreciate the printed book. I have remembered how much I love browsing through old bookshops. I still appreciate my Kindle, especially when reading huge novels like <a href="http://allbookedup2014.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/book-4-review-goldfinch-donna-tartt.html" target="_blank">The Goldfinch</a> or The Luminaries (do all big books have to start with 'The'?), but I am also now growing to love real books and bookshops again. Thanks to Elizabeth's Bookshop for reminding me how great bookshops can be!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Elizabeth's Bookshop has its own <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethsBookshop" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;">Facebook</span></a></strong><span style="color: #666666;">, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ElizabethsBooks" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #666666;">Twitter</span></strong></a><span style="color: #666666;"> and </span><strong><a href="http://www.elizabethsbookshop.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;">Website</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></strong><span style="color: blue;"></span> if you would like to find out more. Elizabeth's also has other bookshops across Australia. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">If you live nowhere near Sydney Australia go visit your own local second hand bookshop, take the time to explore and support someone other than amazon. </span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-4399933342851655862014-03-06T11:08:00.002+11:002014-03-11T10:23:35.288+11:00Book 7 Review: Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em>"I was so twitchy with suspense at one point in the novel I Googled 'Who Killed Amy, Gone Girl'. Those who have read the novel feel free to laugh at me now."</em></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">My 7<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>
book this year was the Novel ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn. This is a novel full
of suspense, a mix of who-done-it and fantastically flawed characters. I try and make all my reviews spoiler-free, and this novel is extremely hard to review without giving away the major plot twists and turns. But I promise this will be as spoiler free as possible. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-size: small;">I enjoyed reading the book, but I
discovered while reading this that I have a zero ability to cope with suspense, and this book is certainly full
of it. As a reader you have no idea of how the story will resolve itself, or
indeed if the complicated lives of its characters can ever be resolved happily. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.eastonlibrary.org/2013-2014%20BEYOND%20READING%20BOOK%20DISCUSSION/PICTURES/GONE_GIRL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.eastonlibrary.org/2013-2014%20BEYOND%20READING%20BOOK%20DISCUSSION/PICTURES/GONE_GIRL.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Gone Girl book cover</span></td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The novel follows
lovely married couple Nick and Amy as they celebrate their 5<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>
wedding anniversary. Nick leaves for work and by the end of the day Amy is
missing and as a reader you are strapped in for a ride that doesn’t stop until
about 2 days after you have finished reading and mentally processing this
novel. The novel alternates between the perspectives of Nick and Amy as right
from the get-go you start to realise that their relationship is not all roses and sunshine. We follow Nick as he struggles to piece together his wife’s
disappearance, and as the evidence slowly begins to stack up against him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">I am certainly
feeling the pressure to make this a good review because Gone Girl is definitely
the book of the moment. It is a huge bestseller and is soon to be made into a movie
with Ben Affleck. It has been the first time that I have been tempted to read
other reviews before writing my own, simply to find a way to review this book
without giving it all away. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">As a reader, I was shocked when I found that both Nick and Amy were not reliable narrators. I was used to a nice, straightforward relationship between a
reader and a main character. As a reader of a novel written in first person I
always go in with the naïve assumption that the narrator and I have an open
relationship. It is apparently not the case in this novel and I was a little bit shocked. I suppose it wouldn’t be a
very good suspense novel without some suspense and plot twists and turns (fancy that!) and sure enough Flynn delivers on both fronts. If you are feeling a little outraged that I gave this away, don't worry, it is one of the smallest plot twists, a mere wrinkle in the fabric of the novel. </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My scribbles as I tried to figure out how to review Gone Girl</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Good Bits</strong></span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">Flynn's writing is sharp, darkly humorous and she gets the voices of Nick and Amy spot-on. Nick constantly struggles to portray himself as a grieving husband, when the reality of his relationship with his missing wife is far from straightforward. You literally groan as Nick smiles automatically to a mob of media cameras instead of breaking down in tears as one would expect a worried husband to do. You feel just as tied up as Nick and Amy are in their complicated lives, so convincing is Flynn's writing. This makes it even more shocking when you realise that they are not the most reliable narrators.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">Gone Girl also delves into some interesting commentary on how the Media reports on missing women. Families, Husbands, Friends and Neighbours are all expected to conform to their roles, to grieve publically and properly, to swear to find their missing loved one, to cry and sob for the flashing bulbs and watching lenses. The power of public opinion and the media mob once someone does not play their role properly is made fully apparent in this Novel, and will make anyone question their own perceptions when reading about or watching real life cases of disappearances or murders. The current media commentary on the Oscar Pistorius trial is tinged with the exact same themes raised by Flynn in Gone Girl. Listening to daytime TV hosts talk about how he definitely did/didn't murder his girlfriend makes you realise that Flynn's observations on the media coverage of missing/murdered women are spot on. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Not So Good Bits</strong></span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">I was uneasy, tense and on edge when reading this book. Which I imagine is precisely how Flynn wants her readers to feel, but something I am not used to as I have not read a triller in a long time. This year is about reading outside my comfort zone and this book certainly booted me out. I was so twitchy with suspense at one point early on in the novel I Googled 'Who Killed Amy, Gone Girl'. Those who have read the novel feel free to laugh at me now. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">4 out of 5 missing wives</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri, a novel about two brothers growing up in India in the 1970's, a time a great political turbulence for India. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If anyone wants to read a much more intelligent review of Gone Girl that delves deeper into the concepts of identity, gender roles and reality read the <a href="http://rosebenjamins.tumblr.com/post/54890963453/identity-misogyny-and-gone-girl" target="_blank">Piratess's Tumblr post</a> about Gone Girl. Piratess is 'the cool girl' without even trying. </span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-77516926559003943212014-02-25T15:31:00.005+11:002014-03-21T13:41:17.866+11:00Book 6 review: ‘Stories I Only Tell My Friends’, Rob Lowe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">My 6<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> book of this year is Rob Lowe’s
autobiography, ‘Stories I Only Tell My Friends’. To put it simply, this is autobiography is a great book. It was well written, insightful and funny, and just generally a good read. I had only ever seen Rob Lowe in the new TV series Parks and Recreation (in which he was brilliant) and had never seen any of his movies. So I was <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">coming into this book cold, knowing little about Rob Lowe, and not expecting a great deal. Now Rob Lowe now has a new fan, not only of his acting, but as a writer.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">The Cover of Rob Lowe's 'Stories I Only Tell My Friends'</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">‘Stories I Only Tell My Friends’ follows Rob's life as a
young, wanna-be actor growing up in Ohio. then moving with his mother, step-father
and brothers to Malibu in the 1970’s. Rob’s descriptions of Malibu in the 70’s
before it became an expensive celebrity haven, are fascinating. In the audition
circuit, and in his new hometown of Malibu Rob comes across so many of his
fellow future stars; Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr, Emilio Estevez, Charlie
Sheen, Sean Penn amongst many, many others. Rob then details his early
struggles as an actor and his difficulty with the disconnect an actor has from
the finished product of a movie. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I know little of Rob Lowe’s work. I vaguely remember seeing
him in Brothers and Sisters when I was a teenager, and absolutely love him in
Parks and Recreation but have not seen any of his movies. I did not grow up
with Rob Lowe as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the</i> 20-something A-list celebrity so knew little of the rumours that have surrounded his life
since he was a teenager. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in his teenage years Rob was melting hearts with this grin...</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When I mentioned I was reading his book to a
colleague, she simply mumbled something about drugs and celebrities. But apart
from that comment, Rob Lowe’s reputation did not precede him as I read his
autobiography. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #666666;">the so called ‘Brat Pack’ of the 80's <o:p></o:p></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Sure this autobiography goes into Rob’s struggles with
alcohol and his multiple love affairs with every girl from Princess Stephanie
of Monaco, to Cary Grant’s daughter Jennifer Grant. But Rob’s insight into the
film industry and into his varied career is the real star of this book. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">What is astonishing is how Lowe discovers that Hollywood is all about missed opportunities. It is so hard to predict how a movie will turn out once a writer, director, producer and ultimately a studio have had their way with it, and often an actor can give an incredible performance that is either cut from a film, or edited in such a way that ruins it. Rob speaks about how he was so excited to watch a screening of his first movie, the iconic 'The Outsiders' but was devastated when he realised half his scenes had been cut. Lowe talks about questioning whether to take the opportunity to be the leading man in 'Dune' and mentions how Tom Cruise was cast in Risky Business, a movie he wasn't sure would be successful. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">The most obvious sign of how much I liked this book is the fact I have been on a Rob Lowe cinematography binge for the last week since reading 'Stories I Only Tell My Friends'. I have begun watching The West Wing, I have the Outsiders, St Elmo's Fire and About Last Night waiting for me to watch this weekend. It is great when a book can introduce you to something new, and Lowe has successfully introduced me to some of the greatest films of the 80's, and to a brilliant TV show that many had previously tried and failed to get me to watch (I have a Political Science degree so there were plenty of people who tried). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The most surprising part of this autobiography was how well
it was written. Rob Lowe was funny, self-deprecating and above all,
interesting. At no point<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was I bored or
uninterested. He is a great storyteller. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">As I mentioned, 'Stories I Only Tell My Friends’ has inspired me to watch The West Wing for the first time. And I cannot believe how I got through my degree in political science without watching The West Wing, so thank you Mr Lowe for introducing me to this absolute gem. The West Wing holds a special place in Lowe's heart and he speaks of his absolute love of the show. Indeed, Rob starts his book describing John Kennedy Jr.'s support for the West Wing just before his tragic death and the shaky beginnings of the show. He then jumps back to his childhood, throughout his early years of fame, his breakdown and then finishes the book with his rebirth as an actor with the West Wing. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and it all comes together like this...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;">Ultimately, I am very grateful that this book certainly does not fit with the history of celebrity autobiographies being truly terrible.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">Paris Hilton’s biography- straight to the bargain book bin with this one</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;">David Hasselhoff’s autobiography 'Making Waves' comes in a close second for worst celebrity autobiography ever</span></td></tr>
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Not So Good Bits</strong></span> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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I am struggling to find one thing that I didn't like about this book. It is not necessarily a book that will truly challenge you, or change your life, but it will offer new insight into the reality of life as a 'star', the difficulties of pursuing, and staying true your artistic passion, and may even make you a fan of Rob Lowe. </span><br />
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4 out of 5 stars</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Next Book</strong></span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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The book of the moment, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I was meant to read that before this novel but I decided to read Rob Lowe's book first. </span><br />
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-21662073543561389052014-02-11T07:47:00.003+11:002014-02-11T09:43:02.380+11:00Book 5 review: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers, Xiaolu Guo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My 5</span><sup style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">th</sup><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">book out of 52 books this year was the quirky and endearing novel, ‘A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers’ by Xiaolu Guo. Unlike the last novel I reviewed (<a href="http://allbookedup2014.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/book-4-review-goldfinch-donna-tartt.html" target="_blank">The Goldfinch</a>) this speedy little book took me one day to finish, not a week and a half. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">‘A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers’ </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> follows Zhuang “Z” as she is sent to London by her parents to study English. The year that follows is a year of discovery and awakening for Zhuang, as she studies English, life and love. It is a very sweet, charming and beautifully written novel, easy to review and well worth a read.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Guo’s novel is written from the point of view of 23 year old Zhuang, or Z as she first arrives in London with a very limited grasp of English, and a great sense of disconnect and loneliness as she leaves her native China and her family for the first time. <u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The language used in the novel is very sweet. The novel starts with short, almost apologetic sentences as Z narrates her life with her limited vocabulary.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are two or three pages in the novel simply in Cantonese, with an editor’s translation on the reverse of the page. In these pages the sense of frustration that Zhuang feels is palpable as she struggles to convey her thoughts in a foreign language and world. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the novel progresses Zhuang’s grasp of English improves, but she still continues to struggle to grasp the nuances of English culture and its many differences from the familiarity of her Chinese homeland. There are many unique and amusing phrases in this novel as Zhuang finds a way to describe everyday objects she doesn't yet know the words for in English or that have an interesting translation in Chinese. <u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In a shocking development, something I learnt at university resonated with me when reading this novel, meaning</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> my university degree can actually be applied to real life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While reading this novel I was reminded of the concept of </span><b style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">intersectionality</b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">. I know it sounds like a made up word (even Microsoft spell check doesn't recognise it) but bear with me. Intersectionality is the concept that all challenges and oppressions faced by individuals are interlinked. An individual’s life is informed by many different factors; their gender, their race, their language, their age, and not one of these factors can be separated out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zhuang’s experiences are not solely informed by her language and her struggles to understand and to be understood in English. Her life- and the novel- is about many more subtle challenges than that. Zhuang also embarks on a journey of sexual self-discovery and love with an older man, as she discovers her understanding of sexuality is inherently tied to her culture and upbringing in China, as well as her youth and naivete . She also struggles with the reality of cross cultural relationships, with her language school classmates and with her lover. <u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The novel is full of observations on cultural norms. Zhuang discovers that although in many respects Western Culture appears more open than Chinese culture with more nudity and sexuality in the media, in other respects, the British can be closed and prudish. Especially when it comes to farting, frowned upon in the West but not so in China. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ultimately this novel by Guo is a beautiful account of love, life and language. Anyone who has ever struggled with a foreign language can relate to Zhuang's struggle to understand and to be understood. The novel is also a story of sexual awakening and expression, and includes some of the most beautifully written accounts of love I have ever read. This beats your average chick-flick novel any day. So next time you are after a short, quick and lovely novel to read pick </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">‘A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers’</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> instead of a trashy romance and you will find yourself inspired, amused and informed. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Good bits</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have mentioned it already, but every page has an interesting observation on Western culture or the English language. As an outsider, Zhuang's observations of our culture are insightful and at sometimes challenging. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I came away from reading this novel with a smile on my face and a sense that I had read a really good story. Not many novels do that as well as </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">‘A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers’.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Not So Good Bits</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seeing one's culture reflected through the eyes of the other can remind us that our society can be excluding or negative. Reading this novel was an important reminder to respect others who perhaps cannot understand English as well as a native speaker, and to respect the difficulties people face in trying to speak in a new language. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The way that Zhuang introduces herself as "Z" </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“but please no worry to remember…my name too long to pronounce” </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">highlights how many immigrants to a new place feel they must change their identity and name simply to fit in better, to make it easier for the super majority. I have made it a goal next time someone introduces themself with a name I haven't heard before and don't know how to pronounce to take the time to learn their name properly. And to not do the Australian thing of shortening it to one syllable with an "o" at the end (Damo, Johno, Shorto etc etc). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 and a half out of 5 </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>The Next Book</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Haven't started it yet but it is certainly the book of the moment, becoming a movie later this year. </span><br />
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}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script>Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-39133535572121270662014-02-04T20:10:00.001+11:002014-02-13T13:13:22.929+11:00Book 4 Review: The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My fourth book to review of 52 books for 2014 is Donna Tartt’s epic Novel, ‘The Goldfinch’. It is a novel that is epic in size (771 pages in the hardcover edition) and in content, traversing a huge scope of human emotions, desires and follies. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Goldfinch follows the story of the narrator, teenager Theodore Decker from the moment his mother dies in a bomb blast at a New York art museum. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Theo survives the blast, walking out of the building with a ring given to him by a dying man, a priceless 17th century painting of a small goldfinch, and a sense of turbulence and catastrophe that never leaves him. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This novel truly managed to transport me, keep me guessing, keep the (electronic) pages flying through my fingers and has been one of the best novels I have read in a long time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The novel deals with big, complex themes; the blurred definition between good and bad, whether our personalities are inbuilt or nurtured by events and situations in our lives, whether if is possible or advisable to repress one's true personality, and the impact one action can have on the outcome of a whole life. It would be easy to get bogged down discussing these complex subjects, by Tartt avoids this almost altogether. The novel is quick, interesting, current and Theo's voice is incredibly authentic. Although Theo's life revolves around the painting of the Goldfinch, and spends his adult life as an antiques dealer, he is far from stuffy. He reels between nurturing and then rejecting various drug addictions, he spends his teenage years in a drunken, drugged haze in the sandy glitz of Las Vegas and he clashes with various shady gangster types. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tartt has a brilliant descriptive voice and as a reader you are taken from the bustle yet somehow homeliness of New York City, to the desolation and lawlessness of the outskirts of Las Vegas, to the inside of Theo's head with his spiraling emotions. The book is often funny, cutting edge and full of beautiful descriptions of life. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"[He was] unlike the Hobie of my first visit, with his bedraggled aspect of an elegant but mistreated polar bear" <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(page 168 on the Kindle)</span></i></span></blockquote>
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<i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Maybe this is one instance where you can't boil down to pure 'good' or pure 'bad' like you always want to do-? Like, your two different piles?..Maybe not quite so simple"<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (page 863)</span></span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Although it was an incredible novel, it was really really long. It didn’t at all feel like a tedious book when I was reading it and was easy to read quickly, especially as I was so engrossed in the story. I was however conscious of the fact I only had a week to read it in (I cheated- took me a week and a half). I </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">felt a bit</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">like</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> this guy when I managed to finish it in under two weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u>If I didn't have another 48 books to read this year, I would right away re-read The Goldfinch. No-one should let the length of this book dissuade them from reading it. Reading this novel was also a good reminder to me not to shy away from any book because of its length.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the title of the book suggests, the novel centres around a 17th century painting by Fabritius of a small, chained Goldfinch. I didn't look at the painting before I read the book and I am now very glad I didn’t. Donna Tartt describes the painting in a way that transcends what most of us will do; a quick glance at the painting on the internet before going back to Facebook. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The cover of Tartt's book shows only a sliver of the painting, alluding to how the painting remains hidden, a secret constantly eating away at Theo. However, more practically the cover doesn't show the reader the painting before they have had the chance to view it through Theo's eyes first. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you would really still like to look at the image that </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">so totally</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> captures Theo, </span><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Fabritius-vink.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">have a look at it here</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. You have been warned. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ultimately there will be many more in-depth, intellectual reviews of this book elsewhere online, describing it as Dickensian, arguing against describing at Dickensian (if anyone cares visit <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/books/the-goldfinch-a-dickensian-novel-by-donna-tartt.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank">here</a> and then <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/10/13/the_goldfinch_21st_century_dickens/" target="_blank">here</a>), or using pretentious sentences like <i>"</i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="line-height: 22px;">There is Holden Caulfield’s eye for the inauthentic, the perilous interactions with the adult world transpiring in a dreamscape New York — the specter of the dead"</i><span style="line-height: 22px;"> (yes it's a Catcher in the Rye reference). However this review is not one of those. In essence this was a great book, it was worth the read and is the sort of novel that you will be thinking about for weeks after. Read it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On my travels through twitter I found this beautiful review of The Goldfinch, written and illustrated by Kevin Thomas. He did my job in 8 pictures. Sigh. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">The Good Bits</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Secret History was Donna Tartt’s first novel and was one of a few books that I never fail to suggest to others. It was my favourite novel for many years. Tartt’s second novel ‘The Little Friend’ I didn’t enjoy anywhere near as much. So it is very good to have another novel by Tartt that compares to the brilliance of The Secret History.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This has been the first book this year that I didn’t think about how I was going to review it while reading it. Which is a testament to how engrossed I was in the book. But also makes it really hard at this stage to try and sound like I actually read the book when reviewing it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The ending of the novel languished in several pages of contemplation upon the nature of good and bad deeds, which lead me to tune out right at the very end, only half concentrating on the ending. <u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you don't like reading about drug use, this is probably not the book for you. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Four and a half out of five elegant polar bears</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">'A </span><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">Concise Chinese</span><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">-</span><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">English Dictionary for Lovers'</span><span style="line-height: 16.12px;"> by Xiaolu Guo. A novel about a young Chinese Woman who moves to England to study English, and finds that studying love is just as tricky. (Gosh how corny does that summary sound). This is a suggestion from a friend and am really enjoying it. </span></span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-36586355164700947332014-01-29T08:37:00.000+11:002014-02-05T09:03:09.895+11:00Book 3: A Season In Hell- Robert R Fowler<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My third book of my
52 books in 52 weeks challenge has been ‘A Season in Hell’ by Robert Fowler. ‘A
Season in Hell’ is the first non-fiction book I have read this year, and
couldn’t be farther from the </span><a href="http://allbookedup2014.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/the-husbands-secret-liane-moriarty.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">wishy washy romantic novel I started the year with</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">. This is a book of hard facts, political analysis and lots and lots
of sand. In the book, Robert Fowler recounts his 130 days in the Sahara desert
as a Captive of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) along with his United
Nations colleague Louis Guay. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">“A Season in Hell” was given to me by my mother last year as a present, and I had been half ignoring it and always finding another book to read first as I prefer reading fiction. However this year is not just about reading what I already like, it is about branching out and expanding my comfortable reading world. Overall the book was interesting, well written and insightful but it wasn't an especially quick read.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;">Robert R Fowler’s
name is familiar to many Canadians, not simply because of his kidnapping but
because of his career as a high profile diplomat and through his work at the UN
as Canada’s representative to the UN, and more recently as a special envoy to
Ban Ki Moon. In this book he recounts his capture in Niger in 2008, the
extremely long and painful trip in the back of a ute into the middle of the
Sahara, and his subsequent months spent in the desert with a hardy bunch of
religious AQIM zealots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">As a westerner, my image of being hostage is being held in a camp or locked in some sort of room. Fowler and his fellow captive Louis Guay obviously thought likewise. However this does not at all conform to the reality of the extremely nomadic life that his Al Qaeda captors live. In fact, I was shocked to read that during his 130 days of capture Fowler and Guay not once were kept in a room or any kind of structure at all. They spent their time as hostages living as their captors did, in the desert, perhaps by a scraggly tree or a few rocks, and sleeping on the sand with a blanket. Only once did they sleep in a tent. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is similar terrain to where Fowler and Guay spent the majority of their captivity<br /> Imagine 130 days of really, really sandy undies</span></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The book provides a
very interesting insight into how Al Qaeda operates, the mindset of its members
and the absolutely dogged determination of its members to succeed in removing
the 'infidels' from Islamic lands, no matter how many generations it will take. Fowler's captors were extremely religious men, prescribing to a fatalistic view of the world, if Allah wishes it, it will be. If anyone narrowly misses death for any reason (a rocket propelled grenade misfiring for example), it is simply shrugged of as the will of Allah. Fowler describes how he had never encountered a group of men more dedicated to Allah; in all his time as their capture there were never any women and no suggestion of fun or games to pass the monotony of life in the Sahara as an Al Qaeda operative.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The descriptions of each of Fowler's captors serve as a reminder that no
‘terrorist’ is the same. The Western media portrays Al Qaeda as turbaned extremists in Afghanistan
and it is rare that we are offered any greater insight. Fowler describes the different personalities of all of his captors, ranging from
the extremely intelligent, to those full of hatred,
to a few very young boys who mostly seemed scared, to those who were businesslike and respectful. Fowler emphasises that he did not like his captors; the extremism of their religious Zealotry made finding any common ground impossible, as did the constant threat (never followed through) of violence or execution. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><o:p>It is not much of a spoiler if I say that Fowler was released after 130 days, as he wouldn't have been able to write this book if he had been executed as he feared. However what is surprising is <em>who </em>helped secure his release. Fowler is extremely critical of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade for which both he and Guay had worked, explaining that they both contributed little to the negotiations, and their bureaucracy and hubris greatly hindered the process. In fact the majority of assistance and bargaining for their release came from the most unlikely of African politicians, as Fowler discovers after his release. </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><o:p>Ultimately, if you are after facts, detail and geopolitical observations, this is the book for you. You can tell “A Season in Hell” is written by a diplomat as every word feels carefully chosen, and never inflammatory or provocative. Fowler’s tone is always measured and thought out, even when describing the extreme emotional and physical challenges he faces. The book would have perhaps be a quicker read if Fowler sensationalised the events surrounding his capture but it is a better account for his dedication to providing a truthful and measured account.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Good Bits</strong></span> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Fowler's descriptions of West Africa before he is kidnapped at the very start of the book are fantastic, and they really transported me back to some time I spent in West Africa a few years back </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Not So Good Bits</strong></span><br />
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I found this a slow read, and at times dry (duh, it was in the desert). I was not as drawn in by the story as I thought I would be, perhaps due to the sometimes dry and diplomatic tone used by Fowler. <br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Courier New; font-size: large; mso-bookmark: _MailOriginal;"><o:p><strong>The Next Book<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span></strong></o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">I am currently reading The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (readers of The Secret History rejoice, she has written another novel!). It is incredibly good, but at around 1000 pages it is not short and taking me a long time to read.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Buy the book </span><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Season-In-Hell-Robert-Fowler/dp/1443402052" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"> if you like the sound of it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Please let me know what you think of my review!</span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2012%2F08%2F01%2Fmali1_wide-4d8bac91f248d6cd99efaff801b9d8b170d9ef3d-s6-c30.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgNmMZtDYtJA2nspZ3qjMDaNpidphnMIBY3NWoH8NO2K8boVKLQwfInZCQ4Og0I9evFcTW9_Jncf9MVr0dGdMITPdraWO_0fa47M_3DHuBExQtmqtCq8aQYMpUXJdr-1gt4LN5syA-rXlVc9wRnMt-JHdscn8Pxg7wtxxXuS9zadmZkyY19UMScEhP1Tiab2TC3wDuidu-Z2dcqoYndKoMRiCKNl5VSGfVm=" -->Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-50719512572931210472014-01-16T14:25:00.002+11:002014-03-21T13:39:01.552+11:00Book 2 Review: Room- Emma Donoghue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><strong>"It has layers, like an onion"</strong></span> </span></span></div>
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Room, by Emma Donoghue, is a novel that will grab you by the
feels and not let go until about 3 days after you have finished it. It is an
emotionally challenging novel, but extremely rewarding. Although some
might find it contains some difficult themes, it is not hard to read and
you are easily drawn in by Donoghue’s incredible writing. This novel will be very tough for the rest of the 50 books out of my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge to follow. </span></span><br />
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Jack, who lives in ‘Room’ with his Ma. Room is Jack’s world and only other
person except his ma who is a part of his world is Old Nick. As a reader you
realise that Jack and his mother are confined to Room,
kept hostage by Old Nick. On Jack's birthday his world starts to rapidly expand when his mother explains that there is a whole world outside of Room and they start plotting an escape attempt.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Room is a hard book to review, not simply because early on there is a big plot development that I don't want to spoil, but also because it is the type of book that people tell you "It's awesome, it's about stuff, just read it okay, <i>read it</i>." I now understand why. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is a cliché to talk about how great things are 'through a child's eyes'. Many books attempt to portray situations through the perspective of a child and ultimately end up sounding contrived or overly simplistic. Jack's image of the world is so unique and so beautiful that each line in 'Room' is interesting, especially when he describes everyday situations in a creative way. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><em><strong>Some of my favourite quotes from Jack :</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em><span class="notice" style="color: green; font-weight: bold;">Liked!</span></em></span></span><a class="actionLinkLite" href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/408203-people-are-locked-up-in-all-sorts-of-ways"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>view quote</em></span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span><a class="facebook_connect" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23613.Emma_Donoghue#"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img alt="Facebook_icon" src="https://djgho45yw78yg.cloudfront.net/assets/icons/facebook_icon-5cad521446193f9d99d77af40264cf15.jpg" style="margin-bottom: -3px;" /></em></span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><img alt="Twitter_icon" src="https://djgho45yw78yg.cloudfront.net/assets/icons/twitter_icon-7d4a7be5917c6c8e687413669d687b1c.jpg" /> Share on Twitter</em></span></h3>
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<textarea cols="75" id="twitter_status" maxlength="100" name="status" rows="3" style="width: 340px;">Likes the quote "People are locked up in all sorts of ways."</textarea><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em>always post: </em></span></span><input checked="checked" id="twitter_updates_review" name="user_preferences[twitter_updates][]" type="checkbox" value="Review" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> <label class="greyText" for="twitter_updates_review">reviews</label> </em></span><input checked="checked" id="twitter_updates_userstatus" name="user_preferences[twitter_updates][]" type="checkbox" value="UserStatus" /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> <label class="greyText" for="twitter_updates_userstatus">user statuses</label> </em></span></div>
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<a class="inlineblock twitter_account" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23613.Emma_Donoghue#"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I remember manners, that's when people are scared to make other persons mad.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Vitamins are medicine for not getting sick and going back to Heaven yet.”<br /> "Is there a word for adults when they aren't parents?" Steppa laughs. "Folks with other things to do?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Seeing the world through the eyes of Jack made me consider when the last time was that I saw something that I had never even conceived of before. That doesn't mean seeing a new TV show that I hadn't heard of before or trying a new sport or having a turkey burger for the first time. When is the last time I saw something I never even imagined existed previously? I certainly can't think of anything, and I doubt many people with access to all the glories of the interwebs have either. Jack experiences so many ordinary things and situations that are so mundane they are almost invisible to us and his reactions on seeing them for the first time (like stairs for example) are fantastic. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">'Room' also makes us consider how the way we perceive the world is a result of our surroundings, and our upbringing. It is incredible how different someone's understanding of the same 'reality' can vary so much from another. Although someone's understanding of 'reality' is so different it is not any less true, and is in fact, even more valuable. </span><span style="color: #666666;">The novel can also be seen as a modern interpretation of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;">Plato's Cave </span></a><span style="color: #666666;">, and how we perceive reality. I could say a lot more on that but you didn't sign up for a philosophy degree, just a book review. Safe to say, the book has lots of layers, like an onion. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Good Bits:</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Can I just say- all of it? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although the book contains implications of kidnapping and sexual assault, the book is overwhelmingly positive. The way Jack views the world, and describes his world to the reader, is positive and optimistic. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">I really enjoyed how as a reader you gradually realise other plot points as Donoghue cleverly lets out little hints, or signs that Jack misses but as a reader you pick up on. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">The ending was fantastic. Leaves you with a cathartic sense of conclusion and brings the novel full circle. No need for a wishy-washy epilogue here. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Not So Good Bits:</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia;">The Novel has implications of kidnapping and sexual assault (only implied). If this is a trigger, probably best to give this book a miss. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>Rating:</strong></span> <br />Five out of Five scaredybrave boys</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><strong>The Next book:</strong></span> <br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"A Season in Hell" by Robert R Fowler, a true story of the author's capture in West Africa by Al Qaeda. Am half way through at the moment. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Also, Emma Donoghue did a </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/504548-spoiler-friendly-discussion-of-room" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Q and A session</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"> on 'Room' for Goodreads. Once you have read the novel head over there and see how she describes some of her decisions as a writer- its really interesting</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Not just a bunch of middle aged women talking <br />about their husbands"</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My first book of my 52 books in 52 weeks challenge is The Husband's Secret By Liane Moriarty. The novel tracks the impact of one tragic instant through the
lives of three families irrevocably tied together from that moment on. In the novel, the
protagonist Celia Fitzpatrick’s understanding of her comfortable and
structured world is thrown into turmoil when she discovers a letter written
from her husband to be opened upon his death. The letter unearths a horrible
secret from his past which not only affects Celia’s family, but two other families
from their small Sydney Catholic school community. It has been an easy novel to start my book reviews with and was overall an enjoyable, but not overly challenging read. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the beginning of this novel I wasn’t glued to every word and wasn't desperate to read on. However Moriarty’s storytelling has a way of drawing you
in. I was unimpressed and skeptical even after the big reveal of the letter (I
called it a holiday read in my</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://allbookedup2014.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/52-books-in-52-weeks-beginning.html" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">last post</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">)</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">yet by the end I was easily caught up as the pace of the novel sped
towards a much anticipated climax. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the beginning, the novel mostly felt like a bunch of middle
aged women sitting around talking about their husbands and children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Yep, this is what I imagined)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However I soon realised this novel is about much more. It raises serious questions of
whether justice for past crimes can ever be achieved. The novel makes you
question if one person’s life can be equal to that of another and whether a lifetime
of good deeds ever absolve one from the crimes of the past. It shows how hard it is to truly know those you are closest to and how easily the sense of stability and normality in our lives can disintegrate. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On a less serious note, this novel was set in Sydney’s North, my
hometown. It is quite a refreshing change to read about a character rushing
down a street that I drive down daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This one to be
precise) </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Great novels can
transport you anywhere in the world with a few carefully selected adjectives.
It is a different experience entirely being transported by Moriarty, only ten
minutes up the road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This made me think. I realised that novels don’t have to be
placed in historically significant times or exotic locations to make an impact.
In fact I would contend it is harder to impress an audience when your novel is
centered on the everyday and the mundane; the picking up and dropping off of
children, the amount of butter left in your fridge, the Easter Hat Parade at
the local school. Moriarty does an excellent job of showing how emotional
turmoil and life changing revelations occur in everyday life, in the least glamorous
of places and that people have to cope with these changes all while trying to
maintain a semblance of normality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Good bits </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a good reminder that I should read more Australian
literature. I’ll be making sure to include more Australian books in my reading
list this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The plot is interesting and unexpected. As it progresses
Moriarty builds a palpable sense of foreboding as the plot progresses as you
feel that sooner or later past crimes must be paid for. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It had an epilogue! Not many serious novels have epilogues,
perhaps because its not cool among writer folk. It was nice to have a more solid
sense of conclusion that is often missing from novels what leave you guessing
at the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Not so good bits</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I felt like I would have enjoyed this more if I was a
mother, or perhaps a Catholic. Some of the biggest themes in the novel centre on
children and the concept of ‘sin’. Having neither children nor ever sinned I
couldn’t possibly relate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Thanks Clueless</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Joking aside it did feel like the book was tailored to a
specific audience that I wasn't a part of and although this feeling abated as the
novel progressed, it never quite went away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The novel was not life changing for me. It didn’t force me to open my eyes to anything new or unexpected. I did end up liking the
novel more than I expected to but overall it felt a bit ‘soft’ for me. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It had an epilogue. Yeah I did say it was one of the good
bits but it did again leave me feeling the ending was a bit ‘soft’, as if the
author wanted to give us all a happy ending rather than a kick in the guts to
finish. Perhaps a kick in the guts is what all the cool writers are doing these
days. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Quotes that made me think </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"What can you say or do to make up for a horrible incident? The
words ‘I’m sorry’ felt like an insult. You said ‘I’m sorry’ when you bumped
against someone’s supermarket trolley. There needed to be bigger words."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three and a Half out of Five well-buttered hot cross buns </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<b style="color: #666666; font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">The next book</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Book number two will be 'Room' by Emma Donoghue as suggested by Cat. It has been sitting ignored halfway down the list of books on my Kindle for about a year now so time to get reading! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like the sound of the book? Buy it </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Husbands-Secret-Liane-Moriarty/dp/0399159347" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">here on Amazon</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> or at your local bookstore. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Please let me know what you thought of my review below please. Its my first time doing this since a year five book report so I am feeling rusty! Agree with me? Think I'm spouting a load of rubbish? Let me know :)</span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235781808040432723.post-77984596865481837402014-01-06T20:08:00.003+11:002014-03-10T14:14:25.412+11:00All booked up 2014- reading and reviewing 52 Books in 52 Weeks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><em>“Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.”</em> </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Diane Duane, author of 'So You Want to be a Wizard'</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I belong to the special club that makes bookstore owners
weep and true bibliophiles scorn- I own a Kindle.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And I really like
it. I can select from thousands of books whenever I want. </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can read huge books without doing weird head tilts every second page. </span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Books no
longer cost upwards of $30 from overpriced bookstores. I can go traveling and not have to carry the three or four books I've half finished with me. </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I no longer have to
trawl through my local council library to try and find a book I haven't previously read or one that isn't called ‘The
Pirate’s Mistress’ or ‘Legacy of lust’ with a cover that features a woman trying to fuse to a man with either luscious flowing locks or a waxed chest. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">(Well gosh)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With my Kindle I can now read basically any eBook that exists thanks to the interwebs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">But despite having access to all these books on my Kindle, I
hardly read at all. As a child my bedside table would be perpetually be overflowing with books. I loved losing myself, and any chances of schoolyard popularity,
in a novel and wouldn't emerge until the novel and all its sequels were
finished. I even tried reading with a flashlight under the covers of my bed
until I discovered it was super uncomfortable and that the children who tried it
in the movies obviously never read for more than three minutes at a time. (Being a child actor is not really synonymous with being a bookworm). But now, It's time to get back to what I loved most as I grew up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">So, this year, I have
set myself a challenge of reading </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">52 books in 52 weeks</span>. </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These are my
guidelines:</span></span></div>
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<li>I will read as varied as possible a selection and step outside of my comfort zone of just reading award winning novels.</li>
<li>I won’t read anything I’ve read before.</li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I will read books I can’t find reviews for online.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I will read books in hard copy and not just on my Kindle.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I will read books in genres I haven’t before.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I</span><span style="text-align: left;"> will read one book in French or German (my two half fluent backup languages)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I will read a book by an author I dislike or in a genre I hate.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I will take suggestions of books and read them.</span></li>
<li>Buy books from second hand bookstores and support someone other than Amazon for a change.</li>
<li><span style="text-align: left;">I will document it all by reviewing each book here after I’ve
read them.</span></li>
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So being the first week of January, the week where New Year’s Resolutions are normally fiercely forgotten, I have begun my challenge. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">What have I started with? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">The Husband’s secret- by Liane Moriarty</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Funny considering it sounds exactly like the type of Mills
and Boon novel I have been trying to avoid. However, there is a reason I chose a
book described as a ‘holiday read’. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465450-the-husband-s-secret" target="_blank">Here's the Goodreads reviews page</a>. Recently I</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"> have found myself struggling to stick to
reading one book and not drift back to sitting in front of the TV. So this is
my easy start to a year of reading. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">One more day to finish it, with just over half completed. Time to go read.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Amejoyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13433824778501033120noreply@blogger.com6