Polka Dot Rock

Ah great stuff! I'm glad I've taken the plunge! Someone's already 'Mooched' from me (sounds wrong doesn't it?! ) which is great, but have a problem with my first RISI swap - they've lost the book! :motz:Hopefully, it'll all be sorted out soon... Btw, if anyone wants to add me as a friend on Book Mooch (or RISI, I'm not sure if that has a 'friend' thing on it) - I'm Polka Dot Rock, predictably!

Thanks Louise! I'm really liking the way BookMooch operates as a site and it's easier to use (so far) than RISI... I've now registered with RISI as well, and have placed 10 on each site, as a trial.

I've just joined BookMooch.com after seeing Louise mention it in her reading blog - does anybody else use it? Do you prefer to other swapping sites? Also, does anyone think it would be also worth signing up with Read It, Swap It?

Half of a Yellow Sun is a much better book than Purple Hibiscus I found Purple Hibiscus to be quite similar to a few other books I've read, whilst Half of a Yellow Sun felt like an original (to me). It's a war novel with a difference, I suppose!

Kell, I thought this book was brilliant I hope you enjoy it when you get to it! (I posted my thoughts a couple of weeks ago: Review here) I'll be keeping an eye out for your comments on this: I think we may be reading extracts from it for one of my MA courses...

It's one of literature's greatest assests, isn't it? You can learn so much about so many different subjects from it.

I know what you mean - those scenes are, however, written well. They're also very short (as the whole novel is, thinking about it). There's a twist to those dreams but that might spoil a minor narrative point so I won't say what it is

Hey Andy! I hope you don't mind, but I've just finished reading a book that I thought you might be interested in: The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (trans. Daniel Hahn). There's more info about it on Arcadia's website. From reading your blog, it seemed like it could be up your literary street, lol. How's the Roth continuing to shape up?

(You seem to have re-discovered your reading Mojo again, Michelle! )

Hey Andrea! I'm glad to read that you're enjoying Dracula: it's one of my favourite books. It's such a pacey 'romp' (), isn't it? I think Mina is my favourite character, and one of my all time favourite literary characters. Where are you in the story so far?

List Updated I've given it (another) revamp: Months are now from the current month descending so I/you can see what I've read most recently, and - next to those books that have them - there are links to corresponding Reviews I've posted on the forum (To Be Read and Wanted lists have had general updates too) That's the admin stuff out of the way! Yesterday, I finished The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (trans. Daniel Hahn) and I really enjoyed it: I definitely want to read it again and it's so short that there's no excuse for not doing so! It's very provocative and also, once again, provides some little snippets of the political background of modern Angola. I learn so much about different African countries through fiction! I shall write up my full thoughts on it very soon. I've decided to embark on Meg Rosoff's latest, Just In Case, which I've been looking forward to: her style is amazing - it's certainly a gift to be have that confidence in what teenagers can and want to read. She aims really high and I love that about her. For example, this novel is definitely about a teenager having an existential crisis but is waaaaaay more ambitious than Catcher in the Rye. Great stuff so far!

Very true!

I've been popping the small flyers in any books I sell I've been hoping that someone will join up because of it and I can take the glory! Would be ace if it happened SOON tho'...

Wow! If you don't mind me asking, what did you sell? Were they new releases or classics, for example? Aw! Don't worry, Michelle: I'm sure someone will want them! As I've said previously, I recently sold one I thought no-one would ever request! I think sales can be very influenced by trends/new releases and even articles - I've just sold Norwegian Wood and I think it might be because Murakami's new (paperback) release has been reviewed over the weekend. Also, it's holiday time: perhaps a lot of people are buying their holiday reads from GM!

Me too: in supermarkets, there's very rarely anything I really want to read but I manage to find a lot of books on my 'Wish/Wanted' list in charity shops

Just a quick update on selling progress - I've just looked at my records, and I've averaged between 1-3 books a month (I've been selling since March). Business is picking up again!

Hmm... Not really, although there was a fairly gruesome moment in a fight scene during the first book that scared the beejezus out of me! (It was unexpected!)

Michelle & Lovesreading: I hope you don't mind me asking - how much do those charity shops usually charge? I've read similar comments over the last months on the forum from different members. My local charity shops and those I used in Manchester are all very cheap. The few I've been to in London are reasonable, too. I wonder why they vary?

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie After enjoying Half of a Yellow Sun, I thought I'd read Adichie's first novel. And what a debut! This is a highly atmospheric book about a timid, naive young girl who is part of a family that, to the outside world, is a model of perfection. Yet Kambili, her brother Jaja and her mother are basically prisoners in their own home, with her charismatic father seemingly controlling every aspect of her life. The first part of the book takes place at Kambili's family homestead and I found these opening chapters very intense and quite claustrophobic: I felt like I was being slowly crushed! This clearly shows that Adichie found a very effective way of conveying that sort of emotional repression and fear. I'm not sure how I'd have felt if the whole of the novel was like that. However, the sense of oppression lifted once Kambili's aunty, Ifeoma, enters the narrative. I really enjoyed the scenes between Ifeoma and her family, as they were feisty and likeable characters. These were the moments that really reminded me of one of my favourite novels, Nervous Conditions, especially the tenuous relationship between Kambili and her female cousin. It's very hard to discuss this novel without revealing the plot! It is a solidly constructed Bildungsroman narrative, yet it may have felt a little 'generic' if it hadn't been for the elements of Nigerian politics that subtlety infiltrated through the novel. This is was set it apart from other novels that deal with journeys into adulthood and self identity and, like Half of a Yellow Sun, Adichie interweaves actual events in Nigeria with the plot development of her characters. (15th July - 20th July)

Hey H&D! I read Wicked early on this year and posted a review of it... Here! Overall, I quite enjoyed it but I felt the first half was much stronger than the latter parts. (Funnily enough, I only sold my copy last week!)

Yes, that's happened to me too! Only thing is, it makes me paranoid that ones I've sent might not have been quite up to scratch But I am honest and I think I have quite high standards when it comes to book condition The GM staff are great so if anyone does exploit/abuse their descriptions, I'd imagine they'd sort it out without fuss.

What's he been in before? I thought I recognised him! I feel quite sorry for his character - that's one superpower I definitely wouldn't want! (And how grisly was that murder scene?! )

Fair enough, that's understandable It's the literary critic in me emerging (clearly I'm in practice for September )

I enjoyed it: I think it'll start off as a slowburner then once the storylines are developed and interweaving, I think it'll become addictive! He he, he is kinda cute. And so is the Professor's son, I thought Wednesday nights are looking up!