Kylie's Literary Adventures In 2010

[Kylie]

Yeah, I was thinking about Rory's hammer as I was driving to the hardware store and thinking 'I do not want a hammer like that!' It was way too pink and over-the-top for me. I couldn't believe that Rory actually took it out to use it in front of all those workmen. I would have just said that I didn't have a hammer!

 

My Dad has plenty of hammers that he would have given to me, but I really wanted one of my own so I bought a reasonably cheap one last night. I like having my own tools; it makes me feel more independent.

 

I might put up the bookcase tonight if I can tear myself away from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo long enough! I've already decided to forgo my one weekly social outing so I can read more of it tonight. So I don't like ol' Billy's chances of being put together.

 

I love that you keep books in your drawers. It's so Rory!

[Kylie]

Nice I do hope they come this week though, of course. Happy reading Kylie!

 

Yay! You must have brought me good luck Frankie, because I checked my box last night and found The Plucker by Brom waiting for me.

 

I didn't read much more of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night. I decided to go out after all, even though I wasn't in the mood. Still, I read 200 pages yesterday so I was very happy with my effort. I'm hoping to get through the remaining 100 or so pages today.

 

I usually try to estimate how long it will take me to read a book when I'm starting it, and I'll be finishing a full week earlier than I had thought I would because it's just so hard to put down. It's a nice sense of achievement, especially knowing that I can now squeeze another book or two in this month.

[AbielleRose]

That's great you are moving so quickly on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Do you plan on getting the other ones or are you undecided as of yet?

[frankie]

Yay! You must have brought me good luck Frankie, because I checked my box last night and found The Plucker by Brom waiting for me.

 

I'll be interested to know what you think of Brom when you've read the book, I've seen Kell campaigning for the book but there was something about it that didn't seem quite right to me, and put me off. I'll have to think about it.

 

Maybe Rory had never seen a real hammer and thought they were supposed to be frilly and pink I do like the way you think about the hammer and your independence though, very Thelma and Louise!

 

Any idea about which book(s) you might be able to squeeze in for this month?

[Kylie]

That's great you are moving so quickly on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Do you plan on getting the other ones or are you undecided as of yet?

 

I definitely plan on reading the others. I'm thinking of ordering the second one, but I've already bought a lot of books this month (not that that's ever stopped me before!)

 

I'll be interested to know what you think of Brom when you've read the book, I've seen Kell campaigning for the book but there was something about it that didn't seem quite right to me, and put me off. I'll have to think about it.

 

Maybe Rory had never seen a real hammer and thought they were supposed to be frilly and pink I do like the way you think about the hammer and your independence though, very Thelma and Louise!

 

Any idea about which book(s) you might be able to squeeze in for this month?

 

I had a quick flick through The Plucker and the artwork looks great. I'm interested to see whether the story itself is as good. Kell gave it a 10/10 so I'm sure it must be.

 

Ooh, I love Thelma and Louise! Thanks for the comparison.

 

I have a few options. I brought a PG Wodehouse (Something Fresh) with me to work in case I finish my current read before I get home. I'm also thinking about Aldous Huxley's After the Fireworks, which I received from LibraryThing and feel that I should read soon.

 

And then I realised it's Australia Day next Tuesday and I like to honour the day by reading something by an Australian author, so maybe Blinky Bill by Dorothy Wall or a John Marsden book. Or the next Jasper Fforde in my list, which is The Well of Lost Plots.

 

So many choices!

[Kylie]

I just realised that in my last post I made it sound like Jasper Fforde was Australian, which of course he isn't. I was just trying to work out what else I wanted to read by the end of the month.

 

The Plucker and Something Fresh are keeping me busy for now, although I haven't gotten much reading done in the last day or so.

 

I got 5 books in the mail today:

 

Vincent Bugliosi: Helter Skelter (for Rory's booklist)

Neil Gaiman: Coraline

Melissa Katsoulis: Telling Tales: A History of Literary Hoaxes

William Shakespeare: Macbeth (for Rory's booklist and the reading circle)

Charles Stross: Halting State (for my dystopian challenge)

Edited January 25, 2010 by Kylie

[frankie]

I just realised that in my last post I made it sound like Jasper Fforde was Australian, which of course he isn't. I was just trying to work out what else I wanted to read by the end of the month.

 

'Fess up Kylie, you were just trying to hijack Fforde and make him Australian!! But I guess I can't blame you, I remember somebody tried to hijack Markus Zusak for the Americans until somebody gave them the facts! Ha ha I just check the contemporary American authors -thread and of course it was you who was quick to point out that Zusak is Australian I would too if I was an Aussie, I wouldn't let such a great (and handsome) writer slip away...

 

Nice to hear you got 5 books instead of just the 2 you were expecting Almost like winning the lottery aye?

[Kylie]

Heehee, that's right. We have to claim the Aussie writers where we can.

 

It's definitely like winning the lottery. I piled them all up in the car and every time I stopped at traffic lights I tore open another package to examine the book. I like predicting which book will be in which package.

 

I was interested to see if the Telling Tales book told of a famous Australian hoax involving a person named Ern Malley. I have a whole book on this subject but haven't read it yet. Not only is there a section on Ern, but there is a whole chapter called 'Australia' (whereas the rest of the chapters are split into 18th/19th century or hoaxes about a specific topic, eg, the holocaust). I thought maybe the author was Australian and therefore biased, but I think she's actually British. It turns out that Australia has just produced an awful lot of literary hoaxes. I'm so proud *sniff*

[frankie]

It's definitely like winning the lottery. I piled them all up in the car and every time I stopped at traffic lights I tore open another package to examine the book. I like predicting which book will be in which package.

 

Me too, it's like with Christmas presents only this time you know what you're going to get, but don't know which package contains which book. Christmas + lottery!

 

I wikied the Ern Malley case and while I thought it was funny, I do feel bad for Max Harris I don't do poetry myself, but I would like to think that even if Malley's poetry is not 'real' in the sense that he's not real himself and the poems were random words picked out from dictionaries, if it sounds good it can still be good in it's own right. I don't think it was fair to go such lengths to ridicule that poor man =/

 

I'm quite new to the literary hoaxes stuff, I can only think of Stephen King writing some books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and that's it. But you on the other hand should be an expert, being an Australian with a whole section for Australian literary hoaxes! I don't know whether to aplaud or to frown

[Kylie]

I think it should be applause.

 

 

I have edited my post for the Round the World Challenge. It is now up to date. My total stands at 5% or 14 countries. I think I have a bit of work to do.

[Michelle]

Also, I had to empty my underwear drawer so I'd have more room, I keep my thrillers, fantasy novels and smaller paperbacks there

 

Erm.. does this mean you have no underwear now?!

[frankie]

Erm.. does this mean you have no underwear now?!

 

Not quite With -20c any piece of clothing counts. I just keep them in a different place

[frankie]

Kylie, I hope you don't mind but I wanted to comment on your post from the Book Activity -thread on here because it's a very sensitive subject matter and I didn't want people gawking at us :lol:

 

I'm already well ahead of where I was at this time last year, and that was a record year. I'm trying desperately to keep up with my purchases - so far I've read 7 and bought 11 (soon to be 13). Not too bad, I guess.

 

First of all, happy to hear you're ahead of where you were this time last year, who knows this might be another record year for you in a row

 

But Kylie, you've only bought 11 books so far (well soon 13). How on earth have you managed that? Are you taking it slowly this year? I've been really bad, I've already bought like 33 books this year [insert terrified and ashamed face here]. I'm taking a break now though. I must.

 

What's also very respectable is that you've already given away some books this year. I cannot quite decide whether to be afraid of this new Kylie, or to be jealous and admiring. I suppose it's a little both

[Kylie]

I'm glad no one is around to hear me laughing so loud right now.

 

I've noticed the amount of books you've been buying but thought I better not comment in case I scared you off. I'm very proud of you Frankie.

 

I thought I was being pretty bad with the number of books I've bought, to the point where I'm trying to stay away from online bookstores until next month (oh, but I just remembered an ebay auction ending in a couple of days that I must win).

 

My next big bookfair is on in April so I'm trying to be a little bit good until then, when I expect my TBR pile to increase by another 100 books (I'm telling myself I won't buy more than 50, but who am I kidding? )

 

Does it help at all knowing that I'll probably catch up to you in a couple of months? I don't want to lose respect in your eyes. If it means buying more books right now, then I'll do just that!

[frankie]

I've noticed the amount of books you've been buying but thought I better not comment in case I scared you off. I'm very proud of you Frankie.

 

You wouldn't scare me off because I know that in this respect you and I are carved from the same tree

 

I thought I was being pretty bad with the number of books I've bought, to the point where I'm trying to stay away from online bookstores until next month (oh, but I just remembered an ebay auction ending in a couple of days that I must win).

 

It's like those 0800-lines that cost a fortune. The cell phones nowadays (or should I say the operators) are so fabulous that one can actually make the phone to be unable to call and access those lines. Like parents who want their kids not to be able to order things via their cell phone or people who try to quit porn. Play.com and amazon.com should come up with something like that. Something within reason. Like only 5 books per month. (And when I'm writing this I already thought of a loophole! I could get a number of different credit cards so when one card and account is up I'd switch to another! Tut tut.)

 

About that ebay a(u)ction... If it's in a couple of days, it's almost February by then

 

My next big bookfair is on in April so I'm trying to be a little bit good until then, when I expect my TBR pile to increase by another 100 books (I'm telling myself I won't buy more than 50, but who am I kidding?)

 

I understand, it's like eating lightly before a big party in the evening! You have to starve a little to be able to eat all the wonderful things. I've been meaning to ask you about the bookfairs, are there new books only, secondhand books only, or the best of both worlds? I wish I was rich, I'd book planetickets this minute and come to the bookfair!

 

Does it help at all knowing that I'll probably catch up to you in a couple of months? I don't want to lose respect in your eyes. If it means buying more books right now, then I'll do just that!

 

It does help, that's the one thing that's keeping me from scolding myself too much And to be honest, the only way you could really truly lose respect in my eyes is if you were to stop reading and buying books altogether. I don't see that happening though! I'm grateful for that, it's always comforting to know that you're just as mad about books as I am

[Kylie]

It's like those 0800-lines that cost a fortune. The cell phones nowadays (or should I say the operators) are so fabulous that one can actually make the phone to be unable to call and access those lines. Like parents who want their kids not to be able to order things via their cell phone or people who try to quit porn. Play.com and amazon.com should come up with something like that. Something within reason. Like only 5 books per month. (And when I'm writing this I already thought of a loophole! I could get a number of different credit cards so when one card and account is up I'd switch to another! Tut tut.)

 

I love that you came up with a loophole before you'd even finished talking about it. Atta girl!

 

 

About that ebay a(u)ction... If it's in a couple of days, it's almost February by then

 

That's true. Maybe I could delay making payment until February.

 

I've been meaning to ask you about the bookfairs, are there new books only, secondhand books only, or the best of both worlds? I wish I was rich, I'd book planetickets this minute and come to the bookfair!

 

They are secondhand books that are donated and all profits go to charity. The great thing is that a lot of the books look brand new (I think people just read them once and then donate them) so a lot of the time it's like you're getting a brand new book for at least 75% off. I took photos last time and I've been meaning to put them in an album here. I'll try it now.

 

And to be honest, the only way you could really truly lose respect in my eyes is if you were to stop reading and buying books altogether. I don't see that happening though! I'm grateful for that, it's always comforting to know that you're just as mad about books as I am

 

Rest assured that I will never stop reading and buying books! I can't even contemplate the thought. *shudder*

 

ETA: OK, I've added a pic to an album in my profile. It's only one photo and it doesn't do justice to the scale of the fair.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Kylie

[Kylie]

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Synopsis (from blurb):

Ella Minnow Pea is the strangest, most original and delightful book you'll read this year; a novel told through the correspondence of the people of Nollop, who worship the author of the sentence The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. When the z falls from the monument they've erected to their hero, Nollop's priests - interpreting this as a divine commandment - outlaw the writing or even speaking of any word containing it. And then q falls, and then j...

 

As the alphabet relentlessly shrinks, the islanders are left with an ever-smaller pool of permitted words for their communications, love letters, urgent messages, threats - and underground resistance. It's a race against time as letters continue to fall until only l, m, n, o and p are left. How can they save themselves from being silenced forever?

 

My thoughts:

This was quite an interesting novel, and while it wasn't on my dystopian reading list, I added it myself because of noticeable dystopian elements.

 

The story is told via letters from the residents of the island to each other, and I found that this kind of kept me at a certain distance from the characters so I couldn't identify with them very well.

 

Still, it was really interesting to see how their language (which they cherish above all else) changes as the letters drop by one by one. And how much of a devastating impact it has on their lives.

 

As more letters drop, the correspondence becomes more difficult to read, but it's enjoyable for all that. I originally gave this an 8/10 when I read it, but thinking back on it now, and realising how much it has stayed with me, I'm going to revise it to a 9/10. Highly recommended.

[Kylie]

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

 

I was looking forward to reading this for a long time and it didn't disappoint. It was rather disturbing in places and it kept me guessing as to how it would end (and the ending didn't disappoint either).

 

The relationship between father and son is touching. Despite all the horrors, he tried to protect his child as much as possible. I even got used to the style of writing, with its lack of speech marks.

 

This is another one knocked off my dystopian reading list, although in reality it's not dystopian at all but purely post-apocalyptic. Highly recommended.

 

9/10

[Kylie]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

 

Very well-written characters and a very engaging story line with plenty of mystery made this book very hard to put down. It has been my highlight of the year so far (and I've read quite a few excellent books already) and I can't wait to read the next two and hopefully see the Swedish movie at some point.

 

10/10

Something Fresh by PG Wodehouse

 

Another wonderfully funny book from Wodehouse, full of mischievous characters and young love. I'd recommend a good dose of any Wodehouse to anyone who needs a pick-me-up.

 

8/10

[Fi.]

Great review of Ella Minnow Pea - glad to hear you enjoyed it as I picked this up from the library over the weekend, it had been lingering on my wishlist for quite some time

[Kylie]

The Plucker by Brom

 

I bought this on Kell's persistent recommendations ()and wasn't disappointed. The Plucker is beautifully illustrated and a great tale to boot, though very dark and certainly not for children. I squirmed at the descriptions of teddy bears having their eyes ripped out; I used to cry and get very distressed if my Dad or my big brother were mean to my teddies and tormented them because I always believed they had feelings and shouldn't be hurt. So this story confirmed that I was right all along .

 

Highly recommended and I will certainly be seeking out Brom's other works at some stage.

 

9/10

[Kylie]

Great review of Ella Minnow Pea - glad to hear you enjoyed it as I picked this up from the library over the weekend, it had been lingering on my wishlist for quite some time

 

Excellent I can't wait to hear what you think.

 

Ella Minnow Pea didn't strike me as particularly brilliant when I first read it, but it was really upon reflection, and after reading some comments on the Goodreads website (where the Rory Gilmore group chose it for their reading circle) that I really began to appreciate how good it was. It's really very subtle, I think, in getting its points across.

[Kylie]

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

 

I don't think she is well-known overseas but Melina Marchetta has a great reputation as an author of young adult fiction (and now fantasy) in Australia. She wrote a very popular book called Looking for Alibrandi which is studied by most high school students.

 

Marchetta has a gift for exploring themes relevant to teenagers and this is shown in another of her novels, Saving Francesca, and now On the Jellicoe Road as well.

 

On the Jellicoe Road is about the life of a young girl named Taylor who is abandoned by her mother on the Jellicoe Road and becomes resident of a nearby boarding school. She develops a close relationship with the woman who found her, Hannah, but when Hannah disappears, Taylor's world starts to crumble, and she realises she must find out what happened to her own mother.

 

The plot actually goes much deeper than what I've described, and for the first half of the book, it's rather a confusing process trying to follow the characters (there is a separate story running throughout and it takes a while to get the gist of what's going on).

 

However, the reader who sticks with it will be rewarded for their efforts, for when all the dots are joined at the end, it is just beautiful (have some tissues handy). I cannot recommend this highly enough; it's really a unique and lovely read.

 

9/10

[Kylie]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling

 

As a companion to the Harry Potter series, this is an OK read. I recognised a lot of the beasts from the HP books, with some new ones thrown in (unless I just didn't recognise them). There are some humourous quotes added by Ron and Harry throughout (although I would have liked to have seen more).

 

Having a book about the beasts in the HP world is never going to be particularly fascinating, and it's not really one that I would re-read, however I'm glad to have read it.

 

7/10

[Kylie]

Yay, I've finally caught up on my reviews! I hadn't meant to write such lengthy ones, but once I start rambling it's hard to stop.

 

I read 10 books in January, which is great for me. I don't expect to read nearly as many in February because I'll be spending most of the month reading Gone with the Wind. I'm currently 60 or so pages in and enjoying it very much.

 

I've also started on Macbeth and am part of the way through the 1st act. To my pleasure, I've found that I can understand it quite well without having to resort to the modern-day translation, although I read that afterwards anyway because otherwise I won't feel as though I've read the whole book.

 

I also have to note to myself that I should try to read Cloudstreet by Tim Winton this month as it's due to be reviewed on the book club TV show here early next month. It's quite a lengthy book though, and I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in alongside GwtW.