On the dark side now

I've joined twitter.

Riiiiiiiight here: http://twitter.com/biblio_mum

Sigh.

I still kind of don't get it, but I like the idea of having "conversations" with people.

So, you know, if you read here, and you twitter .... um .... you could follow me, or whatever it is that twittererers do. :)

Booking Through Thursday

This week's question is here: http://btt2.wordpress.com/

1): Currently, yes, I am reading more than one book. Quite by accident. I tripped. I'm reading The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera, in my break at work, Latro in the Mist by Gene Wolfe and tonight I started City of Bones, the first novel of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.'

2): Oops. Um. Three.

3): Yeah, this is pretty normal for me. I have a short attention span.

4): Depends where I'm reading. Near the couch, if I'm on the couch, or on the bed if I'm reading in bed.

Happy BTT :)

Short reviews

Short, because the books are backing up a little. How, may you ask, can you have read three books in the past week, yet claim to have lost your mojo?

I have no idea. But that's the way it works.

Let's get started, shall we?

First: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E Pearson

Jenna wakes from a coma with no memory of her life before. Something, however, is not right. She's recovering incredibly fast, and her grandmother seems to hate her. The family lives in an isolated area, and it's not long before Jenna suspects that it's because of her.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a short novel, but it certainly packs a wallop. The central theme, or question of the novel is: what truly makes us human? Jenna discovers that, after much sneaking around and surgical hijinks on the part of her parents (the novel is set in a slightly scary future and Jenna's father develops an even more scary bio-gel) there's only 10 percent of her original brain left. Which leaves Jenna with a deeply fundamental question: Who am I?

It's a very thoughtful, and thought-provoking read, although I thought it ended slightly on a down note.

Next: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

The first adventure featuring Hercule Poirot, and where we meet his sometimes-Watson, Captain Hastings. Poirot is a Belgian refugee in an English village, while Hastings is staying at the manor house. Where, of course, there are Currents. This being an early novel, it's very easy to see where Christie's themes _ secrets, seemingly impossible mysteries and yes, even some social commentary _ started. As she goes on, she hits her stride more and more, but it's always fun to go back to the early days.

Lastly: Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Iactually finished this in a couple of days; it was a pretty quick read. And, I have to say, I enjoyed it more than Kinsella's Shopaholic series. Lexi Smart wakes up in hospital, with no memory of the past three years. She thinks she's a loser, with a loser boyfriend (whose nickname is actually Loser Dave) and a crappy job.

However, when Lexi wakes up, she finds out that she's a driven career woman with a movie-star handsome husband and now she's the boss.

It's fairly light-hearted, and a pretty fast read.

Kittens and rainbows. :)

The Reading Week

It's that time of the week again, where http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/ asks bloggers what are you reading?

Here's the stark truth. Right now: nothing. I finished a book (Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella, which I actually enjoyed more than the Shopaholic series) and I'm still only reading one book at a time, so I have ... nothing. I also read The Adoration of Jenna Fox, by Mary E Pearson and The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.

But nothing on the go, unless you count The Ladies of Grace Adieu for Short Story Weekend.

Sigh.

Weekly Geeks

The Weekly Geeks subject is here:

http://www.weeklygeeks.com/

Lots of fun topics, and I truly couldn't decide what to do. Then I thought hey, I could make haiku out of the Twilight saga. And, much like the books themselves, the idea wouldn't leave me alone.

Disclaimer: I have actually only reviewed the first book, although I did read all four. And I'm no poet, but this was fun.

Ahem.

The Twilight Saga haiku by Maree, of Just Add Books

*tap ... tap* are the internets on? Here we go:

Twilight:

Bella hearts Edward
Edward wants to nom Bella
Let's go to the prom


New Moon:

Edward leaves Bella
Bella hearts wolfish Jacob
Off to Italy!

Eclipse:

The vamps are coming
Oh noes Edward says Bella
Let's take Jake camping

Breaking Dawn:

It's nearly over

The Volturi are coming

But nothing happens

The case of the disappearing mojo

Sigh. This is the sight that greeted me when I innocently turned around this morning.

I'm really not sure about this whole "climbing" thing. Seriously. He likes to bodysurf the coffee table as well, which is very cute, but we're trying (and trying) to discourage it.

Anyhoo, that's not the point of this post. Remember when I celebrated getting my reading mojo back? Yeah. Spoke too soon.

Oh, I'm reading. But I'm reading Agatha Christie again. Which I usually only do occasionally, as an in-between fix while I figure out what to pick up next. But this will be the ... third? Agatha Christie novel I've finished this year.

Not.Good. I did just finish The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which is very well-written, and a very, very moving treatise on just what it is that makes us human _ what are the connections that truly hold us together? Our souls? Other people?

Very, very good. But not enough to pull me out of the slump. Reflecting on Wyrd Sisters, I think Mr Sir Terry Pratchett got me to the top of the cliff, but I'm still hanging on by my fingernails.

I also finished a novel called The Roar of the Butterflies, by Reginald Hill. Kind of a cosy mystery, centred on PI Joe Sixsmith, who works out of Luton. Lots of pubs, and posh golfers and no-nonsense women. Pretty good, you know.

So. Other reading bloggers. What would spark your imagination. What makes you read, and read into the wee small hours? That's really what I'm looking for _ that breathless, headlong reading experience, where the rest of the world just ... disappears.

What's good out there?

Booking Through Thursday

"I saw that National Library week is coming up in April, and that led to some questions. How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?"

Oh ... I love the library. They let you take books, like, for free!!! I mean, you have to bring them back, but still ...

When I was a youngster, we had a poky cosy sort of library, with lots of books, but very little space. The children's library was upstairs, where I'd browse while my mother would be downstairs. On one of the landings, I'd stop at the window to see if I could fix her position so I could go straight to where she was.

Now, the public library here is a lot more spacious. It lends books for a month, but I would say we end up going every 2 to 3 weeks. It's kind of our Saturday morning thing, if we go out on a Saturday morning. We start at the library and go from there.

As long as the library has plenty of books, I really don't care about the design of it. Easy to get around would be the top of my list. And no, I don't think the coffee/bookstore has replaced the library. Partly because we don't have one here, and partly because I'd always use the library, no matter what.