More challenges? Don't mind if I do ...

.... er. But at least one of them is mine? That counts, right?

Anyway. First up is the Haruki Murakami challenge, hosted here: http://www.inspringitisthedawn.com/2010/12/haruki-murakami-reading-challenge-2011.html

I've never read Murakami, and I've opted for the easiest level: one book. I think I'm co-reading The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with Care from http://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/ - in June, I believe. :-)

My own challenge is a Kiwi YA challenge, which I'm hosting over here: http://kiwiyachallenge.blogspot.com/ Sign-ups are open throughout 2011, and the challenge runs all year. So, you know ... *gently nudges readers to the challenge*. It's going to be a good one, I hope.

I'm also still hosting the NZ Book mini-challenge in March, which will look exactly like this again: http://justaddbooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/business-time.html so if you can't commit to a year; you could read a Kiwi novel in March, right?  :DDDDDDDD

More challenges than is deemed healthy

I always promise myself I'm not going to do it. And this year I did pretty well. In that I only signed up for a few challenges and ... failed them all, I think. Although I may have accidentally finished http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/'s RIP challenge without realising it. It's possible.

However, in the past few days, I've found myself lurking here: http://novelchallenges.blogspot.com/ which is never a good idea, because my brain immediately goes OH MY GOD SHINY GIVE IT TO ME I WANT ITTTTTTTT about pretty much every challenge ... ever.

Which, of course, leads to sign-ups. Somehow, that's inevitable.

I was going to limit myself to five, but then I remembered Once Upon a Time and RIP. And http://www.inspringitisthedawn.com/ is doing a Murakami challenge at some point. If I stuck to five, that's three slots gone already, and that's just not fair to the challenges! (Yes. This is how my mind works.)

So, without further ado, I have signed up for these:



http://onetwotheme.blogspot.com/ - I still need to pick  my themes, but it appeals to the part of me that wants to learn about everything ever.

http://whatsinaname4.blogspot.com/ - It's like a treasure hunt!!! :D

http://feministclassics.wordpress.com/ - Technically speaking, not a challenge, but a kind of reading group. But I had to Sign Things, so therefore it's a challenge.

http://glbt-reading.blogspot.com/2010/11/glbt-challenge-2011.html - I failed this so hardcore ... last year? Sigh. However, that hasn't stopped me from signing up again...



 http://bareadingchallenges.blogspot.com/p/off-shelf-challenge.html - I was thinking of doing something along the lines of this anyway. I counted yesterday, and I have 120 books on my TBR bookcase by my bed. I've decided to do level three - "making a dint", which is 30 books, but I'm hoping to read at least 50 (ambitious, for a woman who hasn't even cracked 40 books this year) from those shelves.


Also, March 2011 is NZ Book Month: http://nzbookmonth.co.nz/ and I'll be hosting a mini-challenge again, like I did last October: http://justaddbooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/business-time.html So ... clear your calendars, brush up on your slang, and look up some Kiwis ;)

RIP V

I do love a good scare. And this - http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/r-eaders-i-mbibing-p-eril-challenge-v#more-1618 - is always the perfect excuse to dip into some hair-raising reads.

I didn't intend to sign up for Peril the First, but I couldn't decide between the books, so this is my list:

The Passage by Justin Cronin; Daylight by Elizabeth Knox (vampires!), Everything's Eventual by Stephen King, and Imagica by Clive Barker.

I'm also going to try and do the Peril on Screen - I've never seen the original Elm Street, and really want to. It also gives me an excuse to rewatch Psycho - lol.

Let the hair-raising begin!

Of reading slumps and challenges

As most of my twitter feed knows, I've been in a bit of a reading slump this year. I have in fact only finished 10 books since the beginning of January.

I'm ambivalent about that, to be honest. On the one hand, reading isn't a race, and I do read mainly for enjoyment, and to broaden my world view. On the OTHER hand ... I can almost FEEL the books that are slipping through my fingers while I'm not-reading the books I DO have. Er. If that makes sense. LOL.

2010 is also turning into a bit of a re-read year for me, as evidenced by my so-far sparse finished list:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Generation A by Douglas Coupland

The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

Under the Dome by Stephen King

A Soldier's Tale by M K Joseph

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Dark Matter by Juli Zeh

I've read The Graveyard Book, The Hobbit and LOTR before (although I'm still stuck on The Two Towers for some reason) and I have a feeling that the LOTR readalong is going to spur more re-reads. But I'm okay with that - there's nothing quite like revisiting old book friends. :D

Now, at the start of the year, I said no challenges for me this year. So I joined Nymeth and Chris' Graphic Novel challenge. Then it was time for Once Upon a Time ... you see a theme.

And now Nymeth is tempting me again with her 1930s mini-challenge. The GOOD thing there is I can cross-reference it with the Golden Age of Detective Fiction tour at http://classics.rebeccareid.com/ :D

And the Daphne du Maurier challenge ... I LOVED Rebecca, and I've always meant to read more du Maurier. I actually have a couple more of her books around ... somewhere ... that I picked up from my secondhand bookstore. So it's ... fate or something.

I think I'm just going to accept the fact that 2010 isn't going to be my best reading year ever, relax, and enjoy. Otherwise I'm just going to get hung up on the numbers.

And I hate numbers. :P

Short reviews

Very short reviews of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.


Howl's Moving Castle first.
How have I never read Wynne Jones before? I feel, suddenly, like there's a massive gap in my reading and I need to fix that right quick - lol.

Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, and is somewhat resigned to her fate - she knows that - as the eldest - she's not destined to marry a prince, or have adventures. So she goes to work in her stepmother's hat shop and seems fairly content with her lot.

The only shadow over the town is the wizard Howl; well-known to eat the souls of young girls.

Apart from that little niggle, life for Sophie goes on as normal. Until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself living in Howl's moving castle. And it turns out that Howl's not actually evil - vain and self-centred, but not evil.

Sophie has her work cut out for her with Howl, and with his apprentice Michael - and her sisters.

Howl's Moving Castle is lovely - entertaining and creative; it's a well-written tale that takes fairytale conventions, turns them on their heads and shakes out their pockets.

8/10 That movie that you've watched 100 times and you never get tired of


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Book two of The Hunger Games, so if you haven't read that, there may be spoilers.

The Hunger Games are over, and Peeta and Katniss - having outwitted the system - are back in District 12, trying to adjust to their new lives of privilege.

It's not easy for anyone, and there are rumours and rumblings of unrest from the other Districts, that the Capitol tries to shut down - by initiating another Hunger Games, featuring past winners.

As the rumblings get louder, Katniss and Peeta find themselves back in the arena, fighting for their lives.

I liked Catching Fire, I think, a little better than The Hunger Games. It felt faster-paced and I loved the storyline with the resistance coming together.

I will never, ever understand the compulsion in YA literature for love triangles, but I remain on #teamboyskissing - it's easier that way - lol.

Now to wait for Mockingjay ...

8/10 That movie that you've watched 100 times and you never get tired of

NB: I realised a couple of days ago that these short reviews meant I had finished the Once Upon a Time Challenge as I joined up for the journey. So I'm editing on May 4 to add the logo and add it to the book reviews site. :D

Once Upon a Time

Well, my resolve not to join any challenges this year didn't last long. Carl at http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/ is once again hosting the Once Upon a Time challenge, and it's beyond my control to resist.

I'm keeping it simple, though, and just taking the journey; leaving my reading open. Oh, and Short Story Weekends.

Come play along, right here ... http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=1224#more-1224



of course there's still the LOTR readalong. And the graphic novel challenge. oops

In which I do not join any challenges

At least - not yet. I mean, a challenge that I was at the genesis of doesn't count, does it?

Of course not.

The details for the epically awesome LOTR readalong are here:
http://shelflove.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/lord-of-the-rings-readalong/ and you should all join in the fun.

Er ... there'll most likely be a 2010 challenges post in the next few days. Failing at finishing them doesn't stop me from joining them.

50 Books For Our Time - Review #1

NB: This is "review one" because I chose the Regeneration trilogy, by Pat Barker. And I'm posting them one at a time because this sucker got long!

Also, it's a little stream-of-consciousness, so I don't know how much sense it makes. But these were the thoughts that struck me in reading the first book of the series, Regeneration.

So, a few months ago on http://twitter.com/, http://www.myfriendamysblog.com was talking about this list from Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/id/204300 which they called Fifty Books for Our Times.

And http://www.myfriendamysblog.com found herself hosting this: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/2009/07/newsweek-youre-on-fifty-books-for-our.html _ a reading challenge asking the question: are they 50 books for our times? Or are they titles that Newsweek just pulled out of a hat? (Okay, the last bit is mine.)

Books bloggers being ... books bloggers, we shouldered arms and took on those books, the challenge, and Newsweek.

I got the Regeneration trilogy, by Pat Barker, which is primarily about shell-shocked soldiers during World War I. I'm breaking the reviews down separately as I read the books, because this post is accidentally getting long.

Regeneration is short at about 250 pages, but it pack an emotional punch.

Here's the thing. We're pretty much out of World War I soldiers by now. They've gone into that good night; age has wearied and condemned them, and their stories are no longer memories, but tales passed down through families, or newspaper accounts, or novels like the Regeneration trilogy.

So yes, I believe that these books are for our times. In more than one way, too. Most of the figures in Regeneration - Wilfred Owen, Siegfired Sassoon, Rivers, are historical. They really lived through those awful times.

Owen, of course, is a celebrated war poet. Sassoon _ who wrote an incendiary statement saying he believed the war was being continued for profit _ is the protagonist of Regeneration. He comes to Craiglockheart _ the mental hospital that Rivers runs, to be "cured" of his supposed pacifism. Owens and Sassoon met at Craiglockheart, and apparently Sassoon had a profound influence on Owen's life and work.

Sasson didn't really see himself as a pacifist, but as someone with something important to say about the war. He also suffered from flashbacks and hallucinations _ what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder.

So. That's one way Regeneration is a novel for our times. The other reason? Owens and Sassoon were gay. Deeply closeted, although their sexual orientation would have been enough to get them out of active service.

But in the light of the rather weak "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the US - and probably other _ military outfits, and the continuing debate _ and struggle _ on legalising gay marriage _ Regeneration is a novel that does still matter.

The sexuality of these characters is dealt with subtly rather than outright, but it's easy to pick up in context. And I think _ in terms of when the novel is set _ it's a good approach. These men would have struggled with this; and possibly even remained closeted for their whole lives.

And, of course, this is set only 17 years after the death of Oscar Wilde, something that does prey on the mind of Sassoon, who was friends with with Robert Ross, a close friend (and lover I think? can't remember _ of Wilde's.)

Regeneration still has relevance, as a lot of the issues raised _ young people going off to war, the emotional and physical consequences of those actions, sexuality, repression and every day struggles _ are all present.

There's a gorgeous, sad passage about halfway through the book that talks about the very young now being like the very old as they watch their friends die around them, which _ for me _ summed up the war experience.

Plus, it's a bloody good read, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

So. Well done on this one Newsweek. You've hit the nail on the head. On to book two ...

New Zealand Book Month challenge wrap-up post

Argh, it's the end of October. How did that happen?

It's time for wrap-up posts and, of course, jaffas. If you've taken part in this, leave me a link to your wrap-up post, email me your details at maree_jane30 at hotmail dot com and I will send you chocolate-orange goodness.

I read one (1) book by a Kiwi author this month: Access Road, by Maurice Gee. I'll be doing the review as part of a mini-reviews post soon as I have a couple of other books that I need to review as well.

Thank goodness for Kiwi music, eh?

Hope you guys had fun with this. I know I did. :)

Badges, we have badges!

Thanks to Eva at http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com/ and Care at http://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/ the NZ Book Month challenge has BADGES!!!! LOOK at the PRETTIES .... choose your favourite. Play along! Celebrate the Kiwi awesomeness! :D

Business Time

OR ... the NZ Book Month challenge, if you want to be all formal and stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU

Edited to add ... and LOOK at this awesome button that Care made for it. How can you say no to jaffas? NO ONE can say no to jaffas:

October 1 marks the start of NZ Book month: http://nzbookmonth.co.nz/ Chatting with Care - http://bkclubcare.wordpress.com/ - on Twitter yesterday, I happened to mention this, and idly suggest I might run a mini-challenge for October. She offered to help, and automatically gets jaffas just for that (see near bottom of post).

And so, here we are. :) Um. This is pretty much on the fly, but here's the plan:

During October, read one (1) book by a Kiwi author (there's a very helpful post about that right here: http://justaddbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/care-package.html) and I believe the origins of this was borne out of a Weekly Geeks.

Anyway.

Part the second (2nd): Watch a Kiwi film, or a film by a Kiwi writer/director. Therefore, the LOTR movies count. (Anything from Peter Jackson ALWAYS counts.) As does The Truman Show ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/ - the screenplay writer is a Kiwi); the Shrek films (the co-director is a Kiwi); the Narnia films ... OR, really go Kiwi and try and dig up something like Goodbye Pork Pie ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082464/ - my hometown is featured at the end) or Once Were Warriors ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110729/)

Part the third (3rd): Listen to some Kiwi music. Once again, I have a blog post featuring said Kiwi music: http://justaddbooks.blogspot.com/2009/05/music-munday.html although I'm sadly lacking in this area. However, go forth, and google. Kiwi musos are AWESOME. Seriously. Try Midnight Youth, or Kids of 88 (their song My House is really catchy) or Gin Wigmore. Or Steriogram. Or Computers Want Me Dead.

Choose one, two, or all of the above. Or, hell, watch the first series of Flight of the Conchords.

I'm offering options because although it's New Zealand Book Month, we Kiwis are a diverse lot.

Um. There'll be a giveaway at the end of the month. I'll send out ... jaffas, or something. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffas_%28candy) Yeah. I'll send everyone who joins (pleasedontlettherebehundreds) a packet of jaffas at the end of October.

Kiwi as. "You're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata!"

Plus also, if some creative person could make me a badge of some kind using the above picture - I'd be really grateful.

AND ... play. You know you want to ... one month. A little slice of Kiwi life ... go ooooooooooooooonnnnn.

To play, sign up in the comments. Or smack me in the face on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/home

Banned books challenge

It's Banned Books Week, and I've decided to join the challenge, here: http://thebibliobrat.net/?page_id=1109

I'm late to the game, I know, but better late than never! My one and only plan for this challenge is to re-read To Kill a Mockingbird, which I've been meaning to do for the longest time.

And I want to read a banned/challenged book that I haven't read so ... Orlando by Virginia Woolf. Because I have it, and I loved Mrs Dalloway.

One of the best gifts my mother ever gave me was that she never, ever censored what I read. So, thanks mum. This challenge is for you, I guess. (Which means I might actually complete it ...)

Another challenge

What? Oh shut up. Details are here:

http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=1132#more-1132

And I'm doing ... the easiest one. So Peril the Third. So one book from any of the sub-genres. And maybe the short story thing as well, because I have a book of Roald Dahl short stories somewhere ...

And THIS time I'm not making a list of books. I'm just going to let a suitable book fall into my hands. OR I'm going to re-read The Stand by Stephen King because I've been meaning to anyway.

Go forth, Readers and Imbibe some Peril ....

(Sorry. It's 1.30am here and I'm a little loopy - well, loopier than usual anyway).

Gilbert! Or, you had me at Oscar Wilde

Oh, Oscar Wilde … this is all your fault.
Here I go again. Amanda is hosting the Challenge That Dare Not Speak Its Name, and it's all about GLBT literature.
Read all about it here: http://zenleaf.blogspot.com/2009/05/glbt-challenge-2009-sign-up.html

The idea is to read six books in six months that are either GLBT (I want to call it Gilbert. I feel like it should be a word on its own) or are written by Gilbert authors.
And I wasn't going to do this challenge, but then I bought The Angel's Cut by Elizabeth Knox.
Most of my books are re-reads and I need a recommendation for one more, because I only have five.
They are:
The Passion by Jeanette Winterson, which I haven't read for years and coincidentally have been meaning to re-read.
Pages for You by Syliva Brownrigg, which I've read a couple of times, and is one of my favourite books ever. It's just so …...... romantic.
The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox. Because of this: “The terms of the pact are this: 'Xas shall go freely. God shall have his pains and Lucifer his pleasures'.” And because the last line of this book pretty much breaks my heart every time I read it. It's my second-favourite last line after Lord of the Rings.
The Angel's Cut by Elizabeth Knox, because it's the sequel to The Vintner's Luck.
The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde because … it's Oscar Wilde.
I would have had Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List here, but I accidentally read it a few weeks ago.
So … any suggestions?

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

Cross-posted here: http://dreamkingchallenge.blogspot.com/

You know what's a bad idea? Reading Mr Gene Wolfe and Mr Neil Gaiman back-to-back. After finishing Soldier in the Mist, I went ahead and finished Smoke and Mirrors. I feel like I just took a masterclass in the art of writing _ by both of them.
This is one of those posts that makes perfect sense in my head but is going to come out all wrong.
The writing of both authors is distinct, their voices in the stories they tell impeccable, but reading them back-to-back was like eating fillet steak when you've been eating lettuce for a week. The reading part of my brain wants to say “stick a fork in me _ I'm done” and just read nonsense for the rest of the year.
This isn't really a review of Smoke and Mirrors is it? It's a fan-girl post _ a Wayne's World-meets-Alice-Cooper moment. I'm sorry. I can't help myself.
The more Gaiman I read, the more room he takes up in the fan-girl part of my heart. (And I have to say, i'ts getting crowded in there). Gene Wolfe is there too, but he's just kind of laughing at me. Like he's saying “yes, yes I am that awesome. And you didn't know” …. cue Vincent Price laugh from Thriller
Um. Smoke and Mirrors is a collection of short stories that precedes Fraglie Things.
While Fraglie Things contains my favourite Neil Gaiman story _ October in the Chair _ I think Smoke and Mirrors is a more cohesive collection. No, I don't know why. It just works a little bit better as a whole, somehow.
My favourite story in this collection was Murder Mysteries. I can't really put my finger on why _ I just loved the premise, and would gladly read a whole novel set in this particular universe. It could be that my Catholic upbringing means I'm comfortable with stories about angels. Or it could just be that it's a great story. Which it is. They're all fantastic, but Murder Mysteries stood out, for me.
And … okay this is a bit more shameful somehow than my other fan-girl admissions: I've never read H P Lovecraft. There's a huge gap in my reading knowledge. Our library has one (that's 1) copy of a collection of stories.
Sigh.

Short review - books 2 and 3 of Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Spoilers, probably. You Have Been Warned.

I took advantage of having the house to myself today and got stuck into both books. I finished the second one; and started and finished the third. It's late here, so these will be potted thoughts, but I wanted to get it done.

Book 2: City of Ashes:
For me, this is the most action-packed one. The parents of Isabella and Alec _ and Max _ a nine-year-old that Clare keeps forgetting is there _ even to the point of leaving him completely home alone at one stage in the book _ come into the action, but only periphally. However. The Inquisitor shows up who, for me, bore a striking resemblance to Dolores Whatsername from Order of the Phoenix. She's bonkers. But, as it turns out, Tormented. This is the book that has much in the way of Revelation, and Sweeping Tragedy. Seriously _ a lot goes down, and in a lot of ways I liked it better than the first book Fewer similes, for one thing. And the aforementioned action.

However. Clary. Clary Fray is one of the most annoying fictional female characters I have ever come across _ and I am including Bella Swan. Clary just reacts. All. The. Time. Then she goes dashing off, does stupid things and has to be pulled out of them by Jace and the other Shadowhunters.

Still. Clare is pretty good at pacing, which makes the book page-turnery enough to want to keep going.

Book 3: City of Glass

If City of Ashes is Revenge of the Sith (and it kind of is, just in terms of the amount of action that goes on _ ROTS has more action than the previous two incarnations, Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones put together) then, sadly, City of Glass is Phantom Menace. There's a lot of Talking. And a lot of Menacing. And, to be honest, with pretty much nothing happening for the first 200 pages or so, I was sorely tempted to put it aside. But that would have meant getting up off the couch and finding something else to read, and I had a very lazy day. So I persisted and there is some good stuff in it. It's just very well-hidden. The scenes with the angels are particularly well-drawn, I thought _ sad, and somewhat magnificent all at once.

Part of it is a little jarring, because I thought Valentine's motivations were ... not suspect, because the bad guy's motivations are always suspect _ they just didn't make any SENSE, and he's been written, I think, as someone extremely cold, and logical. I actually said out loud to my cat at one point, "But that doesn't make any SENSE!" Yes, I talk to my cat. What of it?

He's called on the demon hordes, to destroy the Shadowhunters' Clave _ purify it, so they don't sign Accords with Downworlders [vamps, werewolves, etc]. He basically says to the Clave that it's their fault he's called on demons to destroy them all because the would side with filthy Downworlders. Only .... the Clave hasn't really by that stage in the books. And I will admit that maybe I missed something, but it really made me go ... huh? and kind of pulled me out of the story because I kept going back over that part.

Still doesn't make sense to me though.

I don't hate myself quite so much for Mortal Instruments like I did for the Twilight series. They're readable, and set a pretty good pace, apart from the first half of the last one, and Clare's secondary characters are, I think, better drawn than Meyer's. Apart from wee Max. It's almost as if she just shoved him in in odd places, because she kept forgetting that she'd created a younger brother for the Lightfoots (Lightfeet?). So, okay, but I'm happy to lend them out and not get them back any time soon.

As always, with reading, onward!!!

And I do believe that means I've completed Quest the First for Once Upon a Time III. Yep, I have. But five is just a number, and I'm not done yet. :)

Short Story Weekend

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

You know, I only remembered it was Short Story Weekend at something like 5pm today _ Sunday.

So I picked up my copy of The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and headed outside to read the first story. Why outside? Well, it's autumn here, but today was warm, and had one of those winds that makes you feel like you're about to go on a long journey, or see faeries at the bottom of your garden. So I settled in a sheltered, sunny spot, and read the first story _ the titular story of the collection.

And it was magical. Set in the same world as Clarke's debut novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, it takes place in the village of Grace Adieu. Three young ladies of the town _ Mrs Field, Miss Parbringer (Mrs Field is Miss Parbringer's stepmother) and Miss Tobias _ are great friends, and spend all their time together.

It's hard to get hold of the substance of The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and I have this terrible urge to just throw out random words, after which you would have to imagine exclamation marks.

The story does make me wish we had more of Clarke than one great novel, and one short-story collection, because she is remarkable. I have a weakness for names, and I do love the names in here _ the name of the village and, especially, the name of the house where Miss Tobias is the governess: Winter's Lament. Her ability to tell a story _ long or short _ just leaves me wanting more.

It's hard, in a short story, to give a sense of depth, and history and magic, but Clarke is some kind of storyteller, because it has all of these. And the perfect day to read it? A windy day, where the wind is whispering of journeys, and faeries, and the Raven King ...

April mini catch-up challenge

Can anyone tell me how to make this a sticky post? Using small words, and possibly a powerpoint demonstration. I have no idea.

Okay. This is the official post for my mini-challenge for April. I notice that I have quite a few playing along (yay!) so if you are, leave a comment on this post with a link to your own list.

The rules, such as they are is to read up to four books in up to four challenges with specific subjects you're involved in.It'll run from April 1-April 30.

Mine is:

For the Dream King challenge, http://dreamkingchallenge.blogspot.com/2008/12/dream-king-challenge-rules.html I'll read Smoke and Mirrors.

For the Art History challenge, http://www.arthistoryreadingchallenge.blogspot.com/ The Agony and the Ecstasy

For the Dewey challenge, http://deweysbooks.wordpress.com/March, by Geraldine Brooks.

For the Once Upon a Time challenge http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=1083 .... Dreamhunter, by Elizabeth Knox.

Wyrd Sisters _ review

Hey, look at that! I finished one already! Okay, I started it last Thursday, but that's the small print.

And to our left, we have Marx (black and white, although you can't tell there) and Sam, a ginger tabby who moved in with us one day, from the next door neighbours. Marx I got as a kitten from the SPCA, many, many years ago now. As you can see, they've both forgotten their traumatic early beginnings.

Anway.

Wyrd Sisters by Sir Terry Pratchett:

Ah ............ it's back. I have my reading mojo back. Thank you, Mr Sir Terry Pratchett.
I started Wyrd Sisters on Thursday, and finished it Sunday morning.

It's ... you know how you read a book and it's so good you just want to read bits of it out to people, rather than write a review? Exactly.

The very first page made me laugh out loud. Specifically, this bit:
"As the cauldron bubbled an eldritch voice shrieked: 'When shall we three meet again?'
There was a pause.
Finally, another voice said, in far more ordinary tones: 'Well, I can do next Tuesday'."

And it gets better from there.

I'm reading all of the Discworld novels for the first time. I'm reading them in order, because I'm sort of built that way. I like order, sometimes. And I'm beginning to suspect that Mr Sir Terry Pratchett might be something in the way of a genius.

There's just so much! There's Death, and ghosts, and kings and witches (of course) and ... oh .......... everything!!! But it's never in danger of falling apart. The whole thing hangs together really, really well.

And it's incredibly funny, and sad all at once somehow. And moving, and Shakespearian and ... I have no more words.

April mini catch-up challenge

Callista at http://callistasramblings.blogspot.com/ very kindly made this button for my mini-challenge.

Don't forget to save it to your own computer if you're playing along.

Thanks Callista, it looks great. :)