Alexi

Eww! Do you think I can specify to the library which cover I want?

I do two challenges - Around the World and 1001. I very much doubt I shall ever finish the 1001 challenge (which is at 1305 I think with all the revisions) but it was about encouraging the breadth of my reading. I certainly havent set deadlines to complete them - the full lists are there for me to tick off in my own time. I have set myself the "challenge" of reading 10 for each in 2013, and I shall probably read more than that off the 1001 list simply because these are books I'm desperate to read anyway, and a few come up in reading circles too! As for Around the World, I didn't make the target last year, and I didn't give two hoots about it! It depends how you interpret the word challenge I suppose. For me, like my reading generally, they are just a bit of fun!! I have a large and growing TBR and I pick books off it at random whenever I feel like them - if they tick a book off for a challenge great. If not, I shall read it anyway.

Like you Brian I haven't yet managed to read this in my 25 years (plus a few ) on earth. I keep meaning to read it and then never get hold of a copy. I must get one from the library! Your review has made it a more urgent acquisition - thanks

I was glad to finish The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, and am now wading through Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco for my World Challenge. It seems rather unnecessarily complicated at times - as if just for the sake of it! But I'm about 2/3s through now.

#27 The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce Synopsis: When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else's life. (From Amazon) Thoughts: Reading through the reviews on Amazon, this novel has been described as "uplifting", "unbearably moving", "engaging", "touching", and "overwhelming". I found it none of these things, in fact underwhelming sums it up perfectly for me. I picked it up for the Reading Circle and I have put some thoughts there, but here is a non spoilery review. I kept waiting for something to happen. Reading all the 5* reviews I was expecting something unique and extraordinary, yet I found the characters unengaging and difficult to root for at times, aspects of the pilgrimage unbelievable and a book that glossed over its most interesting plot threads. I found Harold's walk got repetitive very quickly, and yet themes such as alcoholism and depression were dealt with in a page or simply alluded to. Bizarre. Harold's connecton to the woman he is walking to is built up over 200 pages so when it is revealed seems extremely underwhelming. Not for me, but I'm clearly in a minority judging by the Amazon reviews! I did find some kindred souls in the RC thread though. 2/5

A great win - and good to see Warren Gatland's team selection totally vindicated. Apart from the anxious spell for a few minutes either side of half time, they were utterly dominant - incredible stuff!

Hi bookworm. I read your comments after posting mine and I completely agreed with them all! I think my expectations were wildly increased by the reviews - I kept waiting for something to fall into place and then realised I was 200 pages in and still waiting! One thing I forgot to mention - I though Maureen's friendship with Rex was great and the map was such a thoughtful gift.

1- Who was your favourite character? Probably Maureen. I felt a lot of sympathy for her feeling left behind and it was good to read about her reemerging feelings for Harold. 2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest? To be honest, it felt very samey all the way through the book. I kept waiting for something to fall into place for me, having read so many positive reviews, and yet it just plodded along. 3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/ by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? I'm not sure the genre was distinct enough to put me off a section of literature for life! However, I will be slow to pick up another Joyce book again for reasons I shall detail in question 4. 4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? I found this book thoroughly disappointing (bearing in mind I voted for it in the poll!!) It found it slow and repetitive and found the characters very difficult to root for and find a connection with. I certainly didn't find it moving, inspiring or life affirming (all words taken from amazon reviews). Sme interesting themes were touched on here - specifically, Harold's drinking, David's depression and suicide (I guessed he was dead although not the cause - the keeping his room exactly the same was the giveaway for me) and yet they a dangled tantalisingly in front of my yearning for interesting plot threads and yanked away again. Harold smashed some glass clowns? That was what we were building up to for 200 pages? Underwhelming, to say the least. Not for me, this one I'm afraid! 5- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? I rated if a 2/5 (simply because to achieve a 1 I have to loathe picking it up/leave it unfinished). So - not really, sorry for such a negative review! 6- How important do you think the girl in the garage was? Extremely - she gave Harold an idea to hold onto, and crystallised his faith for him which became so important to the journey. 7- Why do you think strangers who met Harold wanted to help him? Probably because we can all identify with having regrets about the past and Harold was seeking to do something about his. 8- Are there any morals to be drawn from the other "pilgrims" who joined Harold? They were all pretty dreadful weren't they? Rich is definitely that obnoxious man at work who takes credit for everyone else's ideas in meetings I liked the hospice nurse referring to them as "noisy"! 9- Did he help Queenie in the end at all? Yes I think so. My interpretation was she recognised a good man had been there just before she died, and she seemed to be entirely at peace at the end which is all we can really ask for. 10- Was Harold's Pilgrimage all in vain ? No - as others have said it brought him and Maureen back together at last and gave him a sense of purpose again. I hope I added something to the discussion by explaining why I didn't like it, rather than just moaning!

I bought this two days ago, so great to see it appear on your list!

Personally, I would have been delighted rather than thinking you were nuts! Glad you were encouraged to read it after the review - I will be very interested to see what you make of it.

Oh dear - I'm halfway through The Unlikely Pilgrimage and was hoping it was all going to fall into place later on! Like you I'm struggling to connect with any of the characters and am finding it rather dull tbh!

Oh gosh yes, I find I read almost clumsily as I get my head round the author's written interpretation of a cockney accent!! Here goes... #26 And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Synopsis: So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one... Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari - as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named - is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled. One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us. (From Amazon) Thoughts: Let me begin by saying I've found this review very hard to write, to articulate what I felt about Hosseini's third novel, so I apologise if it sounds a bit convoluted. I read the Kite Runner a few years ago and was blown away, to the point where I put off reading A Thousand Splendid Suns for a long time after it was published for fear of being disappointed by my own expectations. It was better than the predecessor, so I downloaded this one for my kindle just weeks after release and got straight to it. My expectations for this were therefore incredibly high, and if this has been the debut novel of another author, perhaps I would have raved about it, rated it full marks and urged you all to read it. I enjoyed this read, but I felt it was much weaker than the other two. We begin so promisingly, and I had tears in my eyes within the first 50 pages as in 1952, siblings Abdullah and Pari are separated despite their strong bond. I was devastated for them both, and keen to follow their lives. At this point, we abruptly switch to the point of view of someone else, who tells his life story (which intersects with Pari's for a few years) from 1949 to the early 2000s. And then we switch again, and so on and so forth. I didn't find this confusing per se, but I did find it frustrating. I yearned to know what had happened to little Abdullah, and although we eventually catch up with him we don't see the detail as to how and why he got there. So while I found too little time was devoted to some characters (Abdullah being top of the list), it was a tad galling to devote 50 pages to the backstory of a character who would prove so peripheral to the others. Ultimately, the power of the first two novels was in the emotion they sparked in me, and I felt this constant chopping between characters (several of whom take us further away from the story we started with) detracts from that. That said, I enjoyed the read and comparing pre-war Afghanistan with the post-Taliban era when the Americans have already moved in, as well as viewing the country through the eyes of those who were forced to flee when young. I've looked at the reviews on Amazon, and most are 5*, so I'm obviously in the minority! The character of Pari was fabulously woven, as was the multi-layered Nila, and it does tug on the heart strings (although not as much as the previous two!) Undoubtedly, this book would benefit from being treated as a separate entity (it is, after all not a sequel), and that's maybe reflected in my rating. 4/5

Hi Frankie, So glad you had a nice trip - it sounds great! I'm trying to stop worrying about my TBR - 200 isn't so bad, and I figure I will get to them all someday! You're PMing with writer dude sounds promising - hope for updates!

It's a real shame we've lost so many - especially now Federer and Nadal have departed in more traditional fashion. Losing some top quality players at far too early a stage.

I've enjoyed all these for wildly differing reasons, but my favourite reads so far: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon The Book Thief by Markus Zusak My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher I'll also throw in Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson. The former three really stuck with me after reading them, and while Watson's book didn't in exactly the same way, I devoured it and couldn't wait to get to the end. With a good second half of the year though, it's unlikely to make my top five by the end of the year.

I can't multiquote on my phone (well I probably can, I just can't work out how!) so Janet and Chalie - Yes, I did enjoy it, but I don't think it lived up to A Thousand Splendid Suns, or my (perhaps unrealistic!) expectations following that novel. I can now entirely see what you meant about jumping time periods! I didn't find it confusing as such, but I did find it a tad frustrating in places... I will aim to review it fully tonight. I enjoyed reading it though, so don't pass it by!

I finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. I'm struggling to articulate my thoughts on it into a review to be honest! In the meantime, I've started The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce for the reading circle.

#24 and #25 Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris and Mrs Harris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico Synopsis: Mrs Harris is a salt-of-the-earth London charlady who cheerfully cleans the houses of the rich. One day, when tidying Lady Dant's wardrobe, she comes across the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life - a Dior dress. In all the years of her drab and humble existence, she's never seen anything as magical as the dress before her and she's never wanted anything as much before. Determined to make her dream come true, Mrs Harris scrimps, saves and slaves away until one day, after three long, uncomplaining years, she finally has enough money to go to Paris. When she arrives at the House of Dior, Mrs Harris has little idea of how her life is about to be turned upside down and how many other lives she will transform forever. Always kind, always cheery and always winsome, the indomitable Mrs Harris takes Paris by storm and learns one of life's greatest lessons along the way. This treasure from the 1950s introduces the irrepressible Mrs Harris, part charlady, part fairy-godmother, whose adventures take her from her humble London roots to the heights of glamour. (From Amazon) Thoughts: I'm reviewing these two together because they came in the one book (Bloomsbury edition) and I read them in quick succession. Plus I'm lazy. I picked this one up at the library after seeing it discussed favourably on BCF recently - the first of the two is also on the 1001 list. Mrs 'Arris is a fabulous character, and the story holds based on that rather than any particularly unique plot. A hardworking London char, our title character saves for three years to go to Paris and buy a Dior dress - not to war, just to own! - and leaves her mark on a host of characters along the way. It is almost saccharine sweet this one, and I think you definitely have to be in the right mood for a story which does have a moral feel in places. That said, I went straight on to the next one and I think enjoyed that more, even if the ending was thoroughly predictable! This time, she's smuggling a boy who has been abandoned by his mother and left with foster parents who beat him over to America to search for his father. A decent enough read, with a fabulous cast of characters who gave a real flavour of 1950s Paris and New York for a range of classes. I'm not sure what made the first in the series sneak onto the 1001 list though. 3/5

An excellent win for Laura Robson today. Love me some Wimbledon.

By some strange coincidence I picked up Flowers in the Attic from the library quick reads shelf at my last visit. I'm now eyeing it with some trepidation!

I'm kindling. Someone gave me £10 for amazon for my birthday, so I spent a bit more on an ebook than I would normally. Like you, I find hardbacks very difficult to get on with! Chalie, I'm only 25 pages in so we haven't jumped about yet. Hope it will be ok!

I've just signed up for coursera, there's a course I'd really like to take starting in August. Will definitely check out the other links too.

With some trepidation (simply because I loved the previous two novels and I'm concerned my expectations might be too high!) I've started And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng It's been on my wishlist for this challenge for a while, and is 99p on kindle for the month of June (iirc) so I snapped it up!

Yep I've got Poland. I've also got Iceland, Hungary, South Africa and Malaysia on my kindle. My book buying habit has got out of control over the last 12 months I'm not sorry to report!