Lucybird

Finished Our Tragic Universe- Scarlett Thomas yesterday. Started Frankenstien- Mary Shelly on my I-pod today but not sure if I will continue, was just I had nothing else to read.

Our Tragic Universe- Scarlett Thomas Synopsis (from Amazon) If Kelsey Newman's theory about the end of the time is true, we are all going to live forever. But for Meg - locked in a dead-end relationship and with a deadline looming for a book that she can't write - this thought fills her with dread. Stuck in a labyrinth of her own devising, Meg knows that there must be a way out. And a wild beast living on the Devonshire moors, a ship in a bottle, the science of time and a knitting pattern for the shape of the universe all have a crucial part to play in Meg's release. Review I don't know why I am always surprised at how strange Scarlett Thomas noves are, you would think that after reading two, and thinking the synopsis of a third makes it sound like it too will be strange would lead me to expect it, but apparently not. In some ways Our Tragic Universe is more normal than The End of Mr Y, in some other ways it's more strange. As with Pop Co. there is a little more sense of reality in Our Tragic Universe, the majority of what happens is pretty normal stuff that you could expect from general fiction, relationships, work, you know pretty everyday stuff- and that's not really something I expect much from Scarlett Thomas. There are some strange happenings but they are explained away, more or less. Really what was strange about this book was that it didn't really have a plot, sure stuff happened but nothing was really resolved, I suppose you could say it was like real life in that sense. Thinking on it though I think maybe Scarlett Thomas was trying to make a point, I felt the same about P'op Co. and I am beggining to think it may be a similar theme throughout her novels, it makes me want to re-read The End of Mr Y to see if there might be some message that I missed first time. In Our Tragic Universe the over riding message seems to be about the process of writing, there were a number of times when I felt that Meg may actually be Scarlett, the way she made points about what she wanted her writing to be- but how she struggled with that. There was a lot of content about storyless stories, which is what Our Tragic Universe seemed to be itself, but it also talked about how can a story be storyless, and in some ways Our Tragic Universe did have plot points, just not a real overriding plot. I'm still not entirely sure what I thought of it, I thinki I liked it, but maybe I just liked how it got me trying to puzzle it out, rather than liking the book itself. Has anyone else out there read this? I've never seen another review and I'd like to see other takes on it.

Considering that the Waterstones in Birmingham hosted Jasper Fforde they really are bad for buying his books! It took about a year for them to have Something Rotten in stock, now they don't have First Among Sequels in stock, I want to get to One of Our Thursdays is Missing already!

Did you hear Kathryn Stockett is being sued by her old maid? She says that Aboline is based on her and she didn't give permission

Thank you

Was it any good? Was thinking about seeing it Wednesday

Sarah's Key- Tatiana De Rosnay arrived from bookmooch over the weekend

lol. Have you read Juliet Naked? I thought it sounded good but have seen lots of reviews by people who are disappointed by it.

Thanks Fever Pitch is meant to be really good, so maybe that one, but How to be Good sounds more me

Something Rotten- Jasper Fforde Synopsis (from Amazon) Thursday Next, Head of JurisFiction and ex-SpecOps agent, returns to her native Swindon accompanied by a child of two, a pair of dodos and Hamlet, who is on a fact-finding mission in the real world. Thursday has been despatched to capture escaped Fictioneer Yorrick Kaine but even so, now seems as good a time as any to retrieve her husband Landen from his state of eradication at the hands of the Chronoguard. It’s not going to be easy. Thursday’s former colleagues at the department of Literary Detectives want her to investigate a spate of cloned Shakespeares, the Goliath Corporation are planning to switch to a new Faith based corporate management system and the Neanderthals feel she might be the Chosen One who will lead them to genetic self-determination. With help from Hamlet, her uncle and time-travelling father, Thursday faces the toughest adventure of her career. Where is the missing President-for-life George Formby? Why is it imperative for the Swindon Mallets to win the World Croquet League final? And why is it so difficult to find reliable childcare? Review I seem to forget just how much I love Thursday Next between reading one book and the other, this one was no exception. Funny, exciting, and rather odd. I love Thursday and I liked the addition of some of the new characters. How you can get so much humour from a baby I don't know but I loved Friday, and I really liked Alan too...although I did miss Pickick's 'tricks' a bit. I loved all the fiction related references and jokes, as always. I don't think there is really anything specific I want to say about this one. Or at least not that I could say without spoilers. I think it has been my favourite Thursday Next so far though, I just wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. 4.5/5

It's been out in hardback since last year but only recently came out in paperback

Finished Something Rotten- Jasper Fforde and started Put Tragic Universe- Scarlett thomas Yesterday I acquired a lovely signed copy of One of Our Thursdays is Missing at theJasper Fforde talk at Waterstones. Really want to read it now but need to read First Among Sequels first which I don't have yet

I hope you like The Eyre Affair Kidsmum, Jasper Fforde is one of my favourite writers. Last night I finished About a Boy- Nick Hornby. A good and easy read, but I preferred High Fidelity. Started Something Rotten- Jasper Fforde today

About a Boy- Nick Hornby Synopsis (from Amazon) Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off the royalties of his father's novelty song. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy". As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers. In one of Nick Hornby's many hilarious (and embarrassing) scenes, Will falls into some serious misrepresentation at SPAT ("Single Parents--Alone Together"), passing himself off as a bereft single dad: "There was, he thought, an emotional truth here somewhere, and he could see now that his role-playing had a previously unsuspected artistic element to it. He was acting, yes, but in the noblest, most profound sense of the word." What interferes with Will's career arc, of course, is reality--in the shape of a 12-year-old boy who is in many ways his polar opposite. For Marcus, cool isn't even a possibility, let alone an issue. For starters, he's a victim at his new school. Things at home are pretty awful, too, since his musical therapist mother seems increasingly in need of therapy herself. All Marcus can do is cobble together information with a mixture of incomprehension, innocence, self-blame, and unfettered clear sight. As fans of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity already know, Hornby's insight into laddishness magically combines the serious and the hilarious. About a Boy continues his singular examination of masculine wish-fulfilment and fear. This time, though, the author lets women and children onto the playing field, forcing his feckless hero to leap over an entirely new--and entirely welcome--set of emotional hurdles Review I've been watching the film About a Boy for years (being somewhat of a Hugh Grant fan it was never an option not to watch it, I've even seen the terrible Did you Hear About the Morgans?) and enjoyed it especially as it makes somewhat of a deviation from Hugh Grant's normal characters. So I had been planning to read About a Boy for quite a long time, it just took me this long to get round to it, and I still may not have was it not for the Take a Chance Challenge prompting me. It's the only the third book by Nick Hornby I've read. The first was The Complete Polysylabbic Spree which probably doesn't really could as it is non-fiction but the other, High Fidelity, I liked enough to want to read more by him, and About a Boy is one of his more popular novels. I did find it a little difficult not to compare to the film, simply because I know the film well. I was glad to find that seeing the film didn't spoil the book for me, which is something that often happens when I see the film first. I did find myself picturing Nicholas Hoult when I read about Marcus, but possibly that was just good casting as I didn't picture Hugh Grant when I read about Will, I terms of changes in plot it pretty much balanced it out, the end of the film is a bit stupid with Hugh Grant saving the day, I much prefer how it was written . I was a little disappointed with the way Marcus met Ellie as it's one of my favourite points of the film, but that isn't much of a big deal really. As with High Fidelity I found About a Boy really amusing, I do think it could have been more touching, but I did care about Marcus at least, even if I wasn't bothered about the other characters. I thought Will was a bit of an idiot but I still grew to like him, or at least the new him. I did prefer High Fidelity, but About a Boy is well worth a read too 4/5

GLEE

My boss has said I an at least have an early shift...so should be done by 4 at the latest!

Finished When God was a Rabbit- Sarah Winman and really, really enjoyed it. Started About a Boy- Nick Hornby

When God was a Rabbit- Sarah Winman This book was sent to me in return for my review. Synopsis (from Amazon) WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT is an incredibly exciting debut from an extraordinary new voice in fiction. Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives. It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life. Stripped down to its bare bones, it’s about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister. Review I was glad to find that When God was a Rabbit didn't carry on exactly as the first chapter had. Although I enjoyed the first chapter I felt like too much happened at one and if that had carried on the book would have been too plot driven for my taste. I can enjoy plot driven books but I never find that they really get into my mind and stay with me, I can say I thought about When God was a Rabbit when not reading it. It was still very readable, which is an element sometimes lost for more ponderous writing. Although at times there wasn't a great deal happening a sense of atmosphere was really well built and the characters were easily loveable. I especially liked Elly- although that may be simply because I got to know her the best. I didn't like Joe so much, there was something a little self serving about him, but I can see why he might be like that considering certain events I did find the synopsis on the back of the book a little misleading, it suggested that it was a story of a brother and sister, it was that but it was also much more, it was a story about family, and friends, and life. I must admit on reading the synopsis thinking that it was a story about a brother and sister put me off a little, and I may never have really wanted to read it without more information. I'm glad I did read it though. It was very touching, and sad, and funny. Really quite beautiful. If I had to say anything bad about it I would say that it was maybe a bit too issue-y and that made it a little far-fetched and unbelievable. I also did have a feeling at the end that some things had not been revealed, although if you tried to get me to tell you what I don't think I could, at least not without a re-read. 4.5/5

And me! Even though I haven't read that far yet!

I saw Gnomeo and Juliet today. Was cute but nothing special really.

I am hoping to get some TOIL on the 28th so I can go see Jasper Fforde, keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have managed to acquire a few books over the weekend. About a Boy- Nick Hornby arrived in the post I picked up 2 for myself from Waterstones; Sheep Chase- Haruki Marukami Something Rotton- Jasper Fforde (at last they had it in stock!) And The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ- Phillip Pullman for my sister I also found out Jasper Fforde is visiting my favourite Waterstones next Monday, I am hoping I can finish work early to go. Oh and am almost finished with When God was a Rabbit- Sarah Winman

I've just finished Shades of Grey- Jasper Fforde, he's a good one to look out for, you could loosely call it sci-fi because it's set in the future but I'm not generally a reader of sci-fi and I loved it. Otherwise you could try Everything is Illuminated by Johnathan Safron Foer. A few of us are reading or have just read this one and I for one loved it.

Shades of Grey- Jasper Fforde Synopsis (from Amazon) Hundreds of years in the future, after the Something that Happened, the world is an alarmingly different place. Life is lived according to The Rulebook and social hierarchy is determined by your perception of colour. Eddie Russett is an above average Red who dreams of moving up the ladder by marriage to Constance Oxblood. Until he is sent to the Outer Fringes where he meets Jane – a lowly Grey with an uncontrollable temper and a desire to see him killed. For Eddie, it’s love at first sight. But his infatuation will lead him to discover that all is not as it seems in a world where everything that looks black and white is really shades of grey . . . If George Orwell had tripped over a paint pot or Douglas Adams favoured colour swatches instead of towels . . . neither of them would have come up with anything as eccentrically brilliant as Shades of Grey. Review I will happily call myself a Jasper Fforde fan. I love the Thursday Next series and really like the nursery crimes series, when I heard Fforde had a new series coming out I was really excited but managed to hold myself off from actually buying it until it came out in paperback.I had heard that Shades of Grey was different from anything else by Jasper Fforde so was a little concerned that I might not like it. Initially I did find things a little confusing, probably because the world that Shades of Grey is set it is so similar but so different from our own, but after a while I began to understand a little more and as the story got going I began to get gripped by it, finding it difficult to put down.I would still say I prefer the Thursday Next novels because they're a bit easier to get your head around but there are also things that I prefered about Shades of Grey. Overall I found the character's more engaging. I especially liked Jane- she was so strong and didn't care about what others thought of her so long as she was doing what she thought was right. I think she could quite easily be seen as a bit of a feminist icon. I liked Violet too because she was so beautifully horrible and manipulative, in some ways she was quite similar to Jane but she directed that energy in different ways. It was more serious than Thursday Next to in that it looked at issues we have in our world but from a different angle, I liked that because I like books that make you think, but it still had the familiar Jasper Fforde humour so wasn't depressing, I can't wait for the next in the series. 5/5