Weave

Great reviews Charm, I really like Odd Thomas, he is a great character I have 'The Lost Book of Salem' on my TBR pile, I am looking forward to reading it and I also have 'The Heretic's Daughter' on my TBR pile, I ordered it after seeing you mention it to Kelly (Lexiepiper) on facebook That is one of the best things about BCF, the great recommendations

Slightly off ~ topic but it is about one of main characters Your theories on a postcard to.... Click ~ here Source: Robsessed Click here

Yes indeed

For peacefield and everyone ~ Source: IMDB 'New Moon' Opens with Deafening Howl The Twilight Saga: New Moon dawned with a hot-blooded estimated $140.7 million on approximately 8,500 screens at 4,024 sites over the weekend, charting as the third highest-grossing opening behind only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3 and the biggest of 2009. With the advent of New Moon, not to mention an excellent showing by The Blind Side, overall business surged 56 percent over the same weekend last year when Twilight and Bolt debuted and was the second-highest seen in history, behind the weekend that The Dark Knight opened. On its opening day, New Moon shattered the records for opening day ($72.7 million) and midnight showings ($26.3 million), thanks to the rush of its fervent fan base. Just like its predecessor, Twilight, the supernatural romance fell over 40 percent Friday-to-Saturday and the Friday accounted for more than half of the weekend business. On each day, New Moon essentially doubled the grosses of Twilight, which is an incredible feat for a sequel Full article Here (Source: box office mojo)

It was a interesting read, thanks Lexie

It was brilliantly done, epic covers it

I agree Chesil, it was a great scene

I haven't read 'Hard~Boiled Wonderland...' yet, I have it on my tbr, personally I would start with 'A Wild Sheep Cheese' or 'Kafka on the shore'

Here goes ~ What did you think of Toru Okada? Did his passivity, and acceptance, bother you? ~ I liked Toru Okada but at points his passivity and acceptance did bother me, I felt like he needed a good shake but at the same time, I could understand his passivity and acceptance because sometimes it easier not to face a problem and just accept it, and that is what Toru does, he is aware but accepts it, which is a pity because I think if he had tried harder maybe Kumiko would not have left him. Are you content or frustrated by the way the book concludes, leaving so many loose ends and so much to your own imagination? ~ Yes, very contented, it is one of the main reasons why I enjoy Haruki Murakami’s work so much, the fact that he leaves loose ends, you make your own mind up, which is refreshing, you are deciding as the reader, the fate of the character. What is your opinion of the interplay between the mystical/magical, and the mundane, in this book? ~ It works well because there are parallel between the two, you have the passive Toru and the extraordinary Kano sisters/Nutmeg and Cinnamon Akasaka who become part his life and change it in so many ways but Toru remains the same, he has the same outlook, it’s only until later in the book that he is begins to change. What do you think of the role of water in the book? Is there a direct link between the flow of Toru's life and the flow of water, or is it all, actually, metaphorical? ~ It’s a metaphorical link at first, Mr Honda warning about the flow, what may happen to Toru but as the story progresses there is a direct link to water because of Lieutenant Mamiya and Mr Honda’s stories, and also how the changes in Toru’s life have stop the flow until the well fills up again. Rather than the more obvious links to something like Alice in Wonderland and similar fantasy type books, do you also see a common thread with modern science fiction, Matrix-style or cyberpunk stuff, where, rather than using "technology" to get sucked into the computer matrix, the linkage is made through a form of eastern mysticism? ~ I will answer this the best way I can, there is a common thread with modern science fiction, the fact that at one point Toru is walking through the well wall, there is something mysticism about it and for me, its stems from the Kano sisters, they have left a mark on Toru, despite his passivity, I think in some respects his minds open to possibilities, thanks to the sisters. May Kasahara doesn't really seem to be linked to anyone else in the story, for most of the book. She isn't part of the loop of Toru, Kumiko, Honda, Mamiya, Noboru, Creta, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, etc. So what's her role? Is she, in fact, channeling Kumiko, as she seems to imply in one of her letters? And is that channeling of Kumiko linked to the fact that she hears Toru's cry for help and somehow saves him? I think May Kasahara represents Kumiko in a small way, they are both crying out for help, Toru can answer May’s call but he can’t answer Kumiko’s call, so by helping May, he compensates for being unable to help Kumiko. May feels the same connection to Toru, she sees Toru as someone who needs to be safe (as Toru wants to save her and Kumiko), May feels guilty because she could not save the boy on the motorbike, maybe she can save Toru, that is why she hears his cry. And is the separation she feels from her shadow towards the end, the splitting of "May Kasahara" and "Kumiko"? I think her shadow splitting is the part of May Kasahara which was lost after her accident, she needed to step away from that part of her life. What is the importance of Lieutenant Mamiya telling the story of Boris the Manskinner? It seems almost completely redundant in the context of the book, to me, although interesting in its own right. Unless Murakami is deliberately "bookending" the war, pointing out, the same as with the pre-European-WWII war stuff, it was also continuing in some form after we in Europe considered it to have ended? I think Lieutenant Mamiya’s story is very important, Haruki Murakami is highlighting all aspects of the world, I don’t see it as redundant because it showed how all history is never clear (if that makes sense), and also one aspect of the war is the story of Nutmeg Akasaka’s father (the nameless vet), with the mark on his face, which eventually Toru shares.

I finished 'Eva's Story' by Eva Schloss and I am about The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

Eva’s Story by Eva Schloss (with Evelyn Julia Kent) ~ Started: 20.11.09 ~ Finished: 21.11.09 Synopsis ~ Refugee in 1938, betrayed and arrested in 1944, Eva was 15 years old when she was sent to Auschwitz -- the same age as her friend Anne Frank -- only now, over 40 years later, has Eva felt able to tell her story... Eva’s story tells the true story of Eva Schloss who survived Auschwitz along with her mother. Eva’s mother married Otto Frank (Anne Frank’s father) after the war. Eva’s story is a sad story and at times I felt like crying because of everything which happened to her, the loss of her beloved father and brother, the feeling of loss is strong throughout Eva’s story, not just Eva’s loss but all of the survivors. A powerful story with a positive ending.

The Wind~Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami ~ Started: 08.11.09 ~ Finished: 20.11.09 Synopsis ~ Toru Okada is an apparently happy man - his domestic routine seems familiar and comfortable. Admittedly, he has recently quit his job, the cat has disappeared, and a strange woman has begun to bother him with explicit phone calls. Then one day his wife does not come home from work. This is my second time reading ‘The Wind~Up Bird Chronicle’ by Haruki Murakami and I enjoyed it more this time. Toru, the main character story begins with his cat going missing, following onto his wife leaving him. Toru finds himself in a world with the strange sisters, Malta and Creta Kano and the unforgettable May Kasahara, Lieutenant Mamiya, Nutmeg & Akasaka Cinnamon, all of the characters are unique in their own way and in some way connected the Wind up bird, a bird which is never seen but is there at various points in the character’s lives, a bird that winds the spring of the world and brings changes to everyone. Haruki Murakami, as I have mentioned before is a very singular author, his style of writing is at times random, as are his characters but they always seem to come together. I will no doubt read it again and again.

Can I just say to you Fi ~ rock!!! I love reading your posts

Following on (sorry for repeating anything) ~ I am easily pleased good people

Ps ~ My sister is almost finished 'Twilight'

Welcome to the gang Amika

I am so moody, I hate people talking in movies, it happens of course but it makes me moody

I love Charlie and his b~squad and roll on 'Eclipse'

My sister just started reading 'Twilight', and she asked me if I had a bookmark with Jacob on it, why would I???? I am ordering one from play.com for her