Kylie's Literary Adventures in 2014

[Athena]

I hope you feel better soon Kylie .

[Kylie]

I hope you feel better soon Kylie .

 

Thanks Athena. I got over my illness quite quickly, thank goodness!

 

I've had a quiet couple of days and have managed to read around 200 pages of Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures.

[dtrpath27]

Glad you're feeling better and that you had time to read!

[Athena]

Thanks Athena. I got over my illness quite quickly, thank goodness!

 

I've had a quiet couple of days and have managed to read around 200 pages of Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures.

x

That's great ! Are you enjoying the book?

[Devi]

Kylie, I thought you might like to know. JB hifi now sell e-books, wonder if its a step closer to selling books? Would be great as I generally find them cheap on most things.

[Kylie]

Ooh, cool! Thanks for letting me know. That's very interesting indeed. While I have a lot of ebooks that I've sourced from the Internet, I've actually only recently starting buying a few myself—mostly from the iTunes store, where I've found a few that are surprisingly cheap. I'm off to check out JB's site now!

[Devi]

Ooh, cool! Thanks for letting me know. That's very interesting indeed. While I have a lot of ebooks that I've sourced from the Internet, I've actually only recently starting buying a few myself—mostly from the iTunes store, where I've found a few that are surprisingly cheap. I'm off to check out JB's site now!

They aren't bad I thought. They have an under $5 section, and they have free e-books too. I was really surprised to see they are venturing into book territory.

 

Big W also do e-books now as well.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Devi

[Kylie]

They aren't bad I thought. They have an under $5 section, and they have free e-books too. I was really surprised to see they are venturing into book territory.

 

Big W also do e-books now as well.

 

I tried to sign up with JB but I had so much trouble that I gave up. Perhaps my browser is incompatible. I might try again with another browser at some point.

 

I went to visit my parents for a few days and checked out their local bookshop. I restrained myself and bought only two books:

 

Ken Grimwood Replay

Stanislaw Lem His Master's Voice

 

I've had a bit of a slow reading month, but I managed to finish the huge and wonderful Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, so I'm pretty happy.

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy your new books ! I loved Replay. Congratulations on finishing Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, I'm glad you enjoyed it .

[Kylie]

Thanks Athena! I was thrilled to find Replay because I've read so many great reviews here. The cover is kind of ugly, but I don't really care.

 

I would really recommend Walter Moers' books, if you ever come across them! My favourite so far is The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear.

 

Over the last day or two I started and finished Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I read about 95% of it today alone. I just couldn't put it down! I've now read three of her books, and they've never failed to shock me with their twists and turns. I love it!

[Athena]

That's great, Kylie ! I believe Murder on the Orient Express is on my wishlist. I own a few Agatha Christie books but I haven't read them yet.

[frankie]

Frankie

Kylie

 

And each year I think, I know Kylie has a helluva lot of books, I cannot be astounded by her new log anymore, and each year I think, holy mother fudge making machine...

Haha. I'm seriously going to cut down on book buying this year (yeah, yeah, I know I say that every year). I have been improving every year though, so there is hope for me yet.

This is something that I've been thinking about and I did go and have a look on the first page of your reading log before getting into these posts to comment on. And I found that you've only acquired 9 books this year??? That's so very ... little! =D I'm in awe and I'm hella proud of you, babe! Well done

Also, I know I've said this many times on GR, when commenting your books, but I just keep being so amazed by the speed in which you read books these days! The speed and the amount of books! It makes me very happy for you *huggles*

 

Douglas Adams Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Douglas Adams The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

I really need to read the former soon... I loved the latter! I think you will like these!

Does that mean you read the second one first?

 

I think I did, yes. I'm not sure why. I think maybe I didn't realize at the time that it was a sequel. I guess I thought it was a stand alone book or the first in a series. I didn't have any problems with it, though, even though it was a second book in a serious. It was just fine as it was =) Although I may have missed some things, and if so, I must've just put it down to it being fantasy

 

Muriel Barbery The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This was surprisingly good... I liked it! It's one of the things (books) that made me interested in French contemporary literature. I'm really regretting having given my beautiful copy away!!!

This one is still scaring me. Wasn't this the reading circle book that a few people didn't like?

It was an RC (hosted by yours truly, coincidentally) book but I don't particularly remember people disliking it... I'm sure there were some, but I don't think they were hating on it... I don't think there's anything to be scared of. You might find it 'meh', but I don't think you would really dislike it... Try to go into it in neutral mode =)

 

EL Doctorow Ragtime

I've been wanting to re-read this for a while... I think Books do furnish a room did a review on it some time ago (or someone...) and ever since then I've wanted to revisit the book. When I do, I'll come by and harass you into reading it with me.

Does that mean you enjoyed it a lot the first time you read it? It sounds like a great read.

I read years and years ago, for uni. I don't think I enjoyed it immensely the first time round, but I think that might be because it was a uni read, and because there were more enjoyable books on the course list. But there were some unique elements to the book (like having real life characters such as Houdini in the book). I don't remember much about the book, it's just sort of this vaguely magical thing in my head. It might be a crap book, and I wouldn't know it! =D Can only re-read it and see...

 

Jeff Lindsay Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Jeff Lindsay Dearly Devoted Dexter

Jeff Lindsay Dexter in the Dark

Jeff Lindsay Dexter by Design

Jeff Lindsay Dexter is Delicious

Oh, I wish I could read this for the first time... Sigh!

I should add the first Dexter book to my list (or perhaps secondary list) of 'must reads' for the year. It is ridiculous that I haven't read one yet.

Yes. It really is.

 

LM Montgomery Emily #1: Emily of New Moon

LM Montgomery Emily #2: Emily Climbs

LM Montgomery Emily #3: Emily's Quest

I'd forgotten you had these... I really hope you enjoy them!!

Well, they came highly recommended by someone who has very good taste in books.

Hurraaaah! I hope you won't be disappointed!

 

 

Dai Sijie Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

I loved this. And it's really odd how such a short book could be so captivating...

I should really bump this up too. Would you say it was a page turner?

Yes I would! You'll read it in a day. Such a gem! I'm sad that I don't know that many people who've actually read it =(

 

Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole

Wohoo! I hope we shall love the book!

Ha. Have you ever noticed that I always get you books that I would like (or already have) myself. 

Now that you mention it, yeah! But you and I have such similar wishes and tastes that I don't mind one bit!! *huggles attack*

 

John Kennedy Toole The Neon Bible

I really hope you like this one!

I'll blame you if I don't! Another short one. Maybe I should make this a year of short reads.

Are you available for the read-a-thon next week?

 

 

Beach | Sylvia Beach Shakespeare & Company

I have a feeling you will like this one

I hope I do! Not least because I have other Shakespeare & Co/Sylvia Beach books on my TBR pile.

Haha I'm sure you will like it, no worries. 

[frankie]

Sorry for multiple posts, but the forum's complaining about the amount of quote blocks ....

 

Burroughs | Augusten Burroughs Running with Scissors

I will not say anything, but you will know what I want to say... =D

I *promise* I will read it this year!

Hey. I will make a deal with you. If you read this book this year, I will read Phantom Tollbooth. Aye? =D  (No pressure though!! I swear.)

It's a deal!!

Ding dong You've already done your duty, now it's up to me.... I honesty have been thinking about it and I will read it, it's just that lately my mojo can only take re-reads. Sigh.

 

 

I've had a good couple of reading days. I finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt yesterday and then started and finished The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.

 

I thought The Secret History was wonderful, and I rate it 9/10. It's an excellent book, but I'm not sure that I would ever re-read it now that I know how it all happened. Oddly, for such a slow-paced book, it was also a gripping page-turner. I'll post more thoughts in the reading circle thread later.

I really happy you enjoyed it! Quite oddly I always wanted to re-read it, and did for the RC this year. And I had to admit, I'd forgotten one huge twist from the book, and how it was all resolved. So I was really enjoying the re-read and enjoyed it almost as much as the first time round. But that's just my opinion, of course.

 

 

The Uncommon Reader was a sweet little book. A good read, but not great. I had a hard time believing that the queen would talk in such a way, and the style of writing really irked me. The lack of punctuation and weird sentence structures kept confusing me and I often had to re-read sentences to try and work out what the author was saying. 6/10

I'm glad you thought it was at least okay, sorry you didn't like it as much as you probably hoped. I find it odd that you were irked by the style of writing! I now wonder if I've read it in Finnish or in English, and if that's why I don't get what you mean. Maybe if I read it in English, I would understand. I'll keep my eyes open for an English copy!

 

(For such a long time, I've been unable to use the keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+B to make my titles bold, but all of a sudden it works again! Happy days!)

You knew about this and never told me Well now I know... In fact, I've known for a few months (when I first read this post by you) and have completely forgotten about it. I shall dedicate today to keyboard shortcut action

 

Beyond the Great Indoors was so lovely. Frankie assured me she didn't buy it for me because I reminded her of any of the characters (who are rather inept in social situations), but the main character, Elling, reminded me a lot of myself in such situations! And in other respects. It was such a charming book. I have tracked down the movie and can't wait to watch it, but first I need to find some subtitles to go with it.

Like I've already told you before, I'm so happy you enjoyed it! I think it's definite re-read material, as well. It makes me laugh every single time =)

 

Have you found the subtitles already?

 

 

Today I finished reading a rather lengthy graphic novel called Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware. I wasn't sure whether I was actually enjoying it for the first, say, two-thirds. Indeed, I'm not sure even now whether I enjoyed it! It tells the story of a man who meets his father for the first time when he (the son) is in his 30s. The story includes day dreams and jumps back in time for other characters, so for a while I wasn't sure whether I was even following what was happening. Happily, at some point there was a summary of what had happened so far, and I realised then that I was following it OK. I think I started to enjoy it more then, and I started to understand the brilliance of Chris Ware and what he was doing. The main character, Jimmy, is pretty socially inept, which makes for uncomfortable reading at times. I wanted to shake the characters to tell them how to behave normally (although who am I to say what 'normal' is?) I think this is a rather slow-burning book—it took a while for everything to sink in, but I think it will stay with me for a long time. You also need to have rather good eyesight if you're going to read it, because some of the writing is tiny! The illustrations are very good though, and excellent at conveying particular emotions and feelings—even without the use of any text at all.

Great review, Kylie! The title seems familiar... It wouldn't happen to be a FTBC book?

[frankie]

My next piece of bookish news is certain to make Frankie (and others) very happy. Today I started reading Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs! I've barely started but hope to read a bit more tonight. I won't have much time for reading in the next few days, but I plan to properly tackle it next week. I seem to be having a very 'Frankie' reading year—first The Secret History, then The Uncommon Reader and now RwS. Maybe in return she will finally finish reading The Phantom Tollbooth.

I love the theme Frankie =D Keep going at it, heheheheeee!

 

I finished Running with Scissors today. I flew through it and would have finished it even earlier if it wasn't for work. It was an excellent read, although perhaps not quite as disturbing as I expected it to be. I'm not sure if that's because I had hyped it up in my mind, or maybe I'm more disturbed than I realised so found some of the stuff less disturbing? Hmm...! Afterwards I started Googling the Finch (aka Turcotte) family to see what I could find out about them. I found a great article in Vanity Fair from 2007. I haven't read all of it yet, but I thought I'd post a link here in case anyone else is interested in reading about the family's reaction to the book. I very much look forward to reading more by Burroughs. Luckily I enjoyed this book because I already have a few more of his on my TBR pile!

We've talked about this, too, before, but I'm so psyched that you finally read the book (I was already pestering you about it in 2010 when I was living under your wonderful roof, remember?) and that you liked it so much!! I hope this means you'll be looking into his other books?

 

Maybe you are a disturbing broad yourself and can't be easily disturbed....   

 

Thanks for the link, I'm going to read it a bit later.

 

As a reader, I find it a bit frustrating to read memoirs like this and not know exactly how much is true and how much isn't. I wish I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall! I try not to think about it too much, though. I accept that it's just one person's version of events. Surely Burroughs must have known that the family would find out and be very upset by it all? And surely the publisher would have expected trouble? I would be very worried about writing a memoir that talks about other people in an unflattering manner. It's just asking for trouble! Luckily my life is pretty boring and the people in it are very normal (or at least normal compared to the Finches!) so I don't have to worry about this problem.

Haha, of course you have no idea that I'm currently writing an explosive expose on you! Muahahahahahah!

 

I absolutely agree about the mojo! Unfortunately my lack of reading mojo does not affect my buying mojo, so I've still been buying loads of books, but now I can finally start making a small dent in my TBR pile.

What does this mean, then? Buying loads of books? But you've only bought 9 books according to the post of acquired books?  (This was before I'd read all of your latest posts!)

 

I started and finished Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None in about 24 hours. Brilliant book! Yet another page-turner that I couldn't put down until I'd found out whodunnit. Today I watched the 1945 movie to see how it compared. Not a bad adaptation, but the ending was changed a bit!

Wasn't it awesome! Had no idea what the hell was going on. No idea!

 

Thanks everyone.  My mojo has slowed down a little in the past week or so, but I'm not too worried.

 

I have rather a lot happening over the next few months, so I expect my reading will slow down even further. We have started rehearsals for 12 Angry Men, so that takes up a few hours a couple of times per week. (I suppose I can only count the play as one book read this year, even though we'll be reading it a couple of dozen times!) I've also joined the committee for the theatre group, but I have absolutely no idea what this entails (I think I just have to attend a meeting once a month). I'll be missing tomorrow's rehearsal though because I have my annual strata meeting (blergh, I hate strata meetings!)

I was going to ask about the rehearsals and what your role is in them, I was already wondering if you've taken up a career in acting But then I read what you'd said to Athena later on.

 

I'm also planning to see a couple of plays soon. On the first of March, an acting group is doing Romeo and Juliet in an outdoor setting next to the river that runs through my town. I saw Macbeth there a few years ago, and it was a lovely atmosphere. In early April I'm going to see a production of 1984. That should be nice and cheery. Then in May, there's a Shakespeare festival in my parents' small town of Gloucester. I went for the first time last year and saw a great production of Romeo and Juliet, and there was a cool medieval-type fair. They're doing Merchant of Venice this year, which is cool because it's not a play that I'm familiar with.

Wow, you have been and are going to be really busy =D Where did this R&J production take place in particular? Was it somewhere we visited when I was there? I loved going to the river <3 Remember how much fun we had there that one particular time? Sorry, I'm going off-topic!

 

The 1984 should be interesting. And cheery, like you say I've not read the book (yet!) but I know the very basic idea of it. I wonder if they'll put up cameras in the audience and you will all be filmed when you are picking your nose and yawning with boredom when watching the show. Try not to pick your nose, Kylie! And keep your legs together, preferably crossed if you are to wear a dress/skirt.

[frankie]

(Sorry, one more )
 
(Oh hell, the coding got messed up I'm going to have to do color-coding. So sorry You are red, I am blue, Today's Friday, and so are you!

 

Kylie, on 23 Feb 2014 - 3:09 PM, said:
I'm going to see one of my favourite Australian artists, Kate Miller-Heidke, do a show at the botanic gardens in the Blue Mountains in a couple of weeks. That should be a lovely picnic-type thing if the weather is nice!
I saw the picture, and I was so happy that you got to meet her!! [ ] Was she nice? I bet it's one of the highlights of the year, to meet an artist you so much admire =)

Kylie, on 23 Feb 2014 - 3:09 PM, said:
And I found out yesterday that one of my favourite Scottish bands, The Fratellis, is coming to Sydney in early April—yay! They'll be playing the day after I see 1984, so that should be a good pick-me-up.
Wow, that's so great! Sydney is the hub bub <3

Kylie, on 23 Feb 2014 - 3:09 PM, said:
Thanks Athena! I just got back from our third rehearsal. We were on the stage for the first time and starting to get used to moving around. I say 'we' because I have to fill in for one or more roles when others miss rehearsal. Our two biggest roles will be absent from the next rehearsal, so I'll have to speak a LOT of lines. I'm a lousy actor because I'm shy and I don't like talking in front of a group of people at the best of times, never mind 12 other men who all have experience in acting! It's very new and weird for me, but it's also fun.
I think it's so brave of you to be doing something like this, something that you probably didn't feel comfortable with to begin with. Who knows, maybe you will start loving it and will get into acting []

I noticed in the later posts that you'd made some new book purchases, but still, they were only a few, you've been doing so good!


Kylie, on 23 Feb 2014 - 3:09 PM, said:
Over the last day or two I started and finished Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. I read about 95% of it today alone. I just couldn't put it down! I've now read three of her books, and they've never failed to shock me with their twists and turns. I love it!
Isn't it great, that you've finally read some of her books, after having collected them for a while now, and to realize they are great and that you have so many of them to read?! []

 

 

Edit: Honestly... Sorry for all the mess on your amazing reading log! I got complaints about too many emoticons, so had to butcher most of them, and then when I did that, I got complaints about too many block quotes, so I had to do many separate posts. And then I could've used more emoticons!! And then the coding was all messed up in this last one (and it's not that I didn't try that BBCode Mode in the top left corner, because I did. I'm no spring chicken! )

Edited March 28, 2014 by frankie

[Devi]

I think I have been doing your spending for you kylie.

 

I didn't end up buying any from the latest BD sale, added a heap to my wish list though.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Devi

[Kylie]

I just ordered my first book in ages from the BD—it's Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the World. I saw him read from it last year, and I wanted to get it when it came out in June, but I ended up waiting to preorder a much cheaper paperback edition that's being published next week. I can't wait to read the rest of it, and then I can lend it to my partner, who has also been wanting to read it.

 

I've been a little sad all weekend because the book fair is on in Canberra and I've been a very good girl and not attended this time. To cheer myself up, I've been thinking of how my TBR pile is not growing and how much money I'm saving by not going.

 

Yesterday I read the last unread Trixie Belden book I own, which is called The Pet Show Mystery. It was a typically enjoyable light read. I haven't read the last two books in the series, but they're rare and very expensive to buy, so I don't know if I'll ever be able to read them. I also read a short story in Arthur Conan Doyle's Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, which was excellent, and a few more pages of HL Mencken's A Mencken Chrestomathy.

 

Because I've been spending around 80 minutes per week going to and from rehearsals, I've put an audiobook on my iPod, which I'll hopefully be able to start listening to tomorrow. It's Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great, which I started reading last year and then put aside for a while.

[Athena]

Wow Kylie, that's very strong of you (to not go to the book fair)!

[Kidsmum]

Wow Kylie, that's very strong of you (to not go to the book fair)!

 

I agree very restrained..... well done 

[dtrpath27]

Trixie Belden!  Now that is a blast from the past.  We had the series when I was little and used to love reading them.  Every time we played at anything we would choose Honey, Mart and Trixie as character names. Lol.  Such goofy little kids we were.

[Kylie]

Bit of a reading update.

 

I finished reading Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, which was brilliant. I was so glad to finally read the infamous Final Problem (which takes place at the Reichenbach Falls).

 

I also read The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (coincidentally, just before Townsend died). It was an OK read, but I didn't think it lived up to the hype that surrounds it. It got a few smiles from me, but nothing more.

 

I then made a start on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but got distracted by Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, which I'm enjoying very much.

[Kylie]

Unfortunately I haven't had much time for reading lately, but I'm about halfway through Rivers of London.

 

Recently I had to buy a couple of books as props for the play I'm doing (which starts next week!), and I found a few books for myself while I was there.

 

Dale Cooper The Autobiography of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper

John Perkins Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Carlos Ruiz Zafon Niebla #1: The Prince of Mist

Carlos Ruiz Zafon Niebla #2: The Midnight Palace

 

[Athena]

Books as props? That sounds interesting.

 

Congrats on your new books, I hope you enjoy them .

[frankie]

Recently I had to buy a couple of books as props for the play I'm doing (which starts next week!), and I found a few books for myself while I was there.

 

Dale Cooper The Autobiography of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper

 

Well hello there Agent Cooper! Where the heck did you find this? I hope you enjoy it. And I hope you won't be disappointed with the fact that it doesn't have to do with the events in the show themselves, only Cooper's own past. But I've enjoyed it all the same I've read it maybe three times and own a copy, of course. 

 

Are you interested in reading The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer? 

[Kidsmum]

I really enjoyed Rivers Of London, Kylie, i still have the third one of the series to read just haven't got round to it yet. Hope you like it