Aw ... a lovely book award :)

From a lovely blogger _ Karen Beth at http://kbpinkbookmark.blogspot.com/

Here are the Rules...
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

3) Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Wow. Okay, well, the award is really flattering and makes me smile, but the truth is I don't think I have discovered 15 new blogs lately. I kind of wish I had, because it would mean I was doing something more useful than googling Adam Lambert and obsessively reading the Idol forums. Yes ... I'm going through puberty a second time. Because the first one was ever so much fun!

Anyway. I'm sure that I can come up with at least three new (or new-ish) blogs to me _ I tend to be the same way about my Subway sandwich (chicken fillet on roast garlic bread with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and salt and pepper) that I am with the bloggers I read: I have a few that I read every day and kind of stick to them. Which doesn't make me elitist, I promise.

Just lazy.

Anyhoo, three new(ish) to me blogs are:

1) Jodie at http://bookgazing.blogspot.com/ We did one of the Dewey mini-challenges together, and now I regularly check out her updates :)

2) Chris at http://www.dreamstuffbooks.com/blog/ Who isn't exactly new-new to me, but I've only recently started tracking his posts and commenting more. :)

3) http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/ Who I only just started reading recently.

Great blogs, all. And thanks again :)

The reading week

The question asked every Monday at http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/

This past week I finished books 2 and 3 of the Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare. I'm still reading Soldier in the Mist by Gene Wolf, because I keep putting it down and accidentally starting other books. Also still reading The Matriarch, by Witi Ihimaera, at work, but that's going pretty slowly as well.

Yesterday I accidentally started Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman; so I'll probably finish that next, if I don't buckle down with Soldier in the Mist.

I'm also trying to break this weird hoodoo, where I don't read my favourite authors. I love Charles de Lint, for example, but don't remember when I last read one of his books. I remember what it was _ Spirits in the Wires _ but I don't remember when. And he's not the only one.

Happy reading week everyone. :)

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. :)

Weekly Geeks

Full explanation here: http://www.weeklygeeks.com/

This week you are asked to share books (fiction or nonfiction) and/or movies which center around an animal or animals.

Which are your favorites?
Um. I don't have one. I love animals (obviously, as we have 10 cats) but I find animal-centred stories a little hard to read, or watch. Especially if I think the outcome is going to be bad. I even get upset when I see horses hurt/killed in movies or TV shows.

I did like Watership Down, though. And The Wind in the Willows, although that isn't the same thing, I guess. Also, many years ago, Tad Williams wrote a cat-centred book called Tailchaser's Song. Which I do remember enjoying, and I still have my copy of it.

Which touched your heart the most?
Uhm … Watership Down, I guess.

Which have found their way onto your wish lists or TBR stacks?
The only ones I can think of are the Ratha books, that Nymeth at http://www.thingsmeanalot.com/reviewed.

Is there a childhood favorite?
Only if you count The Wind in the Willows.

Have you ever named a pet after an animal from a book or movie?
Three of our cats are named after book characters. Fagin is fairly obvious, even though I don't get on with Charles Dickens. Our Fagin was a stray, who came to my ex and me when he started stealing our then-dog's food. Scout is named after Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Merlin after … well, pick your Arthurian tradition. :) Mostly it's Merlin for the very prominent “M” on his forehead.

You get the idea! Have fun with this; use your imagination. Share your thoughts!As an adjunct to this post, consider sharing photos of animals (domestic or wild) which have inspired or thrilled you, or graced your life with their presence.

I apologise for my lack of skills in this area, but below are pictures of all of our cats. As for wild cats, my most favourite animal is the tiger. Well. White tigers. And snow leopards. And little wild cats, like margays, and ocelots. Um. Never mind.

Cat photos!

JD

Merlin

Misty

Fagin (left) and Piper

Chloe (pale grey), Sam (ginger)

and Casper


Scout

Marx

Happy Weekly Geeks everyone. Live long, and prosper. :)

Memememeeeeeeme

I need distractions as my boys _ large and small _ left today for five days in the North Island. It's where Jeremy is from, and his parents still live there. Apart from his mum and one of his sisters, they've never met Patrick. He'll be meeting his grandad for the first time. So it's a good thing, but man the house is quiet!!!!!!

So I totally stole this from Chris at http://www.dreamstuffbooks.com/blog/

1. What author do you own the most books by?

Agatha Christie, I think. I have 19 omnibuses that have three novels each in them.

2. What book do you own the most copies of?

The Hobbit I think, although I only have two. Oh wait _ I have two copies of The Lord of the Rings and The Wind in the Willows as well.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

Nah :)
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Odd Thomas. Although my teenage crush was Legolas.
5. What book have you read the most times in your life?

The Lord of the Rings

6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

Ten? Um ... The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan maybe? Oh wait no. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The Dark is Rising came later. :)

7. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

I don't know. If I'm not enjoying something I tend not to finish it. I found Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult annoying, though.

8. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. And Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. And American Gods by Neil Gaiman. And The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox. Hmmm .... that's more than one. I was always bad at maths.
9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Un Lun Dun, because I don't think enough people have.
10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?

I'm with Chris on this one _ Neil Gaiman :)
11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

I don't know ... I'll have to muse on that a bit.
12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Once again, I agree with Chris _ American Gods by Neil Gaiman. But I think it could be a great TV series.

13. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

Okay. This is going to make me sound like a total stalker. And Paula Abdul, because describing dreams always makes me sound like Paula Abdul. I dreamed that Neil Gaiman was at my house, to sign my copy of The Graveyard Book, but I couldn't find my copy. I had a copy, it just wasn't mine. He kept insisting that it was okay, he'd sign that one, but I was determined to find mine. Then I woke up.

14. What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

Define lowbrow. :p Star Trek novels, I guess? I read them for fun sometimes.
15. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

I have no preferences. They both have rich histories, and literary traditions. :)

17. Roth or Updike?

Haven’t read either.
18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Once again, I haven't read either, although I got a David Sedaris book at Christmastime as part of the Book Bloggers exchange. So Sedaris, because I have one of his books to read. :)

19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Chaucer. I did three years of Medieval Literature at uni, and LOVED it. But Shakespeare is a very close second. Then Milton.

20. Austen or Eliot?

Jane Austen, although I haven't read Eliot.

21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

Um. New Zealand fiction. I do read some, but not as much as I would like.

22. What is your favorite novel?

I'm a walking cliche, but The Lord of the Rings.

23. Play?
Macbeth
24. Short story?

October in the Chair.

25. Epic Poem?

I'm not big on epic poetry. They kind of make me want to cross my eyes. So The Waste Land by T S Eliot, which isn't LONG long.

26. Short(er) poem?

Going with Eliot again: The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. And No Ordinary Sun by Hone Tuwhare. Oooh! And I'm Nobody by Emily Dickinson.

27) Work of non-fiction?

Um. The last non-fiction book I finished was Up Till Now by William Shatner, but my favourite is Richard Ellman's Oscar Wilde biography.

28. Who is your favorite writer?

Is it weird and stalkery to say Neil Gaiman again? I have this weird thing, though. As soon as I find a writer that I love, I stop reading their books. So I don't want to jinx Mr Gaiman.

29. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

Wouldn't have a clue. :)
30. What is your desert island book?

Um. Um. Something long and involved that I can read, and then use to light a fire. War and Peace? (Never read it).

31. And … what are you reading right now?
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare; The Matriarch by Witi Ihimaera and Soldier in the Mist by Gene Wolfe.

The Reading Week

The Reading Week
What are you reading on Monday? Is a question asked every week here: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/
Wow, the readathon was something else, wasn't it? Fun, I think, tinged with a little bit of sadness. For the readathon I managed to get through Under the Mountain, by Maurice Gee, and The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien.
Under the Mountain is a very short YA science fiction novel about 11-year-old twins Theo and Rachel Matheson, who find out that they are the key to defeating a terrible, alien evil that's about to awaken and destroy the world. Their ally is Mr Jones, another alien, who has been striving against the evil aliens, The Wilberforces (yes, really) for centuries. It's a bit of a Kiwi classic, and a good, short read.
There was a TV series made when I was but a little reader, and the movie is now in production.
The Hobbit, of course, needs no introduction, and is just as magical now as it was the first time I read it at about age 12.
Apart from that, I still have Soldier in the Mist by Gene Wolfe on the go. I was reading Fernleaf Cairo as well, but will most likely set it aside for now, although I do plan to finish it. So I'm thinking of picking up one of my other would-be readathon reads. Howl's Moving Castle, maybe.
The good news is, I'm on track for finishing a challenge! With Under the Mountain and The Hobbit read, I think that makes … four? Books that qualify for Once Upon a Time III, with City of Bones and The Adoration of Jenna Fox. One more, and I will have finished my first challenge.
How's everyone else's week going? Sleep well?

If you click on the pic, you'll be able to read it. Just a little silliness for Monday. :)

Readathon - last meme

Only 10 minutes or so to go; I finally finished The Hobbit. Which pretty much took all day!!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? About 3am, when I decided to get some sleep and then couldn't properly. Kept dreaming about blogging, and Twittering.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I loved re-reading The Hobbit. Also Under the Mountain is good, and short. :)

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. You guys are great. :)

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Having the blog updated every hour, and the feeds.

5. How many books did you read? Two ... eventually.

6. What were the names of the books you read? Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee and The Hobbit by Tolkien.

7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Hobbit.

8. Which did you enjoy least? I only read two, and did enjoy both.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Stay enthusiastic, and find a way to keep track of the readers you visit. I totally lost track. Also Twittering is a good way to keep up and stay motivated.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Very. What role would you be likely to take next time? Hybrid, same as this time. :)