August #bookadayuk on BCF

[Anna Begins]

August 12th - Most practical book

 

Hmm.. I'm not sure what they mean by this? Any ideas?

Was just thinking the same- I'm not sure!

[chesilbeach]

If I had to pick a novel, then I'd probably pick one of the books that includes descriptions of baking and recipes, such as Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan, and if it's non-fiction, I guess almost any of my baking books could be in this category, but what I'm actually going to pick for today is Sea and Shore Cornwall by Lisa Woollett, which is a fabulous photographic and anecdotal book about the beaches of Cornwall.  It's beautiful and useful, so therefore, practical.  An absolute gem of a book, it's one of my favourite finds of the last year, and one I frequently pick up to browse, and take with us on holiday.

 

[Anna Begins]

August 13th- The Most Controversial Read...

This one is too hard.  I just don't know- I've been thinking about it since yesterday  There are so many to choose from.

Can I say the Bible? 

Edited August 15, 2014 by Anna Begins

[Michelle]

Yesterday was Best quick read and today is Best long read... there must be lots of ideas for these two? 

[Anna Begins]

Yesterday was Best quick read and today is Best long read... there must be lots of ideas for these two? 

I know!  I wish more there were more posts in here- it's so fun!

August 14th- Best quick read

At only 280 pages, Go Ask Alice by Anonymous is in journal form, so it really is shorter than 280 pages.  It's an interesting insight of drugs, written by a 15 year old, the journal/ book made an impression on me.  Filled with weight issues, crushes, etc she realizes she has a problem with drugs after having an LSD trip.  And the end took me by complete surprise.  The "written by" Anonymous part is very interesting as well.

 

August 15th- Best looooong read

I'm giving this to Ayn Rand.  Atlas Shrugged.  The 1188 pages fly by (believe it or not) and is not heavy on philosophy and controversial topics.  In Rand's elegant prose, I don't think I will ever forget Atlas Shrugged and I will probably read it again.  Other than the Stand, this is the longest book I have read to date.

 

I have lots of ideas for tomorrow, Book that defends the underdefended.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Anna Begins

[chesilbeach]

I have to admit, I can't come up with anything for the most controversial read - I guess I read more for escapism and entertainment to read anything that has a "controversial" theme. The only think I can think of is reading children's and YA books, but I guess the most high profile of those would be the Harry Potter books. Woah, look at me, what a rebel, eh?!

 

Best quick read … another tricky one for me as I'm a pretty fast reader, so nearly ALL my books are quick reads! The one book that springs to mind is one I've picked far too many times already, so I'm going to abstain from this category too.

 

And onto the best looooong read - finally, one I can get my teeth into.  In fact, I had a few to choose from, but in the end, I had to go for the longest book I think I've ever read, and one that remains on my favourites list, many, many years later - A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.  I read it in hardback when it first came out, and at a 1400 pages, that's quite a book to carry around!  I love this epic saga set around the time of the independence of India.  Beautifully written and plotted, and a totally captivating story, I read it in about a week on holiday, and loved every single page.  Close runners up were Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke and The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber.

[Anna Begins]

August 16th

This book defends the undefendable...

?

Edited August 16, 2014 by Anna Begins

[Anna Begins]

August 16th

This book defends the undefendable...

?

Ok there is no definition for undefendable, but it is in honor of the first S Dowd Memorial Lecture:

 

The Siobhan Dowd Trust works to give young people the opportunity to read and enjoy literature. It is the money earned through royalties and foreign sales of Siobhan’s books that allows the trust to support deserving projects.

The Siobhan Dowd Trust exists to fund any person or groups that:

• Take stories to children and young people without stories;
• Bring the joy of reading and books to children and young people deprived of access to books and of the opportunity to read;
• Fund and support disadvantaged young readers where there is no funding or support. In accordance with Siobhan’s wishes, our funding process is very open, flexible, and we hope, simple.

Sounds cool.

 

The lecture will be given by Patrick Ness, two time Carnegie medal winner and Author of A Monster Calls at the Edinburgh Book Festival on Saturday 16th August, 5pm.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Anna Begins

[frankie]

Defending the undefendable... I immediately think books that have protagonists who are committing crimes, and the book trying to okay their actions. 

 

Oooh I think I've got one: the Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay. 

[Athena]

These have been very interesting to read, but I'm finding it difficult to come up with anything of my own. Choosing is hard..

[chesilbeach]

For Defending the undependable, I was also a bit bemused by the category, but in the end I chose a YA book I read earlier in the year called If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch.  It's about a teenager who has lived in a camper van in the heart of the woods with her mother and six-year-old sister, and the girls often have to fend for themselves as their mother abandons them for weeks at at time.  I thought this would fit with the category as the two girls have no-one to care for them and defend them.

 

Today's category is Most Beautifully Designed Book and I haven't chosen a single book, I've chosen the whole catalogue from the publishers Persephone.  Whether it's their plain dove grey covers or the classics with paintings from the period when the story was written, they look stunning on the bookshelf.  But not only that, the size of the paperback, the weight of the paper they're printed on, the typeface they're use, and the layout of the pages all add to beautiful books that compliment wonderful stories that are a joy to consume.

[Anna Begins]

Defending the undefendable... I immediately think books that have protagonists who are committing crimes, and the book trying to okay their actions. 

 

Oooh I think I've got one: the Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay. 

I always get Dexter recommended for me- both the show and the books!  That is an interesting translation.

 

For Defending the undependable, I was also a bit bemused by the category, but in the end I chose a YA book I read earlier in the year called If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch.  It's about a teenager who has lived in a camper van in the heart of the woods with her mother and six-year-old sister, and the girls often have to fend for themselves as their mother abandons them for weeks at at time.  I thought this would fit with the category as the two girls have no-one to care for them and defend them.

This comes as close to the as closet  definition I could find: not capable of being defended especially by military action.

I chose (but didn't post for fear of sounding like a moron  ) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by America investigative journalist Katherine Boo.  This is a beautiful book about a gritty topic- life, death and hope in the slums of Mumbai.  The book is filled with all you can imagine- horrific sanitation, widespread recycling of trash- and what you can't.  The characters are unforgettable and it all goes down in the shadows (literally) of luxury hotels and Mumbai's International Airport (You fly over one of the largest slums in the world as you come in, Dharavi).  Winner of a gazillion awards, this was my favorite read of last year and came late in the year, around August.  Boo won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and has been a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine since 2003.

(The first time I wrote this, it was better lol)

 

These have been very interesting to read, but I'm finding it difficult to come up with anything of my own. Choosing is hard..

 

That is sort of the challenge, you should take part (you too Frankie!).  I'd love to see what you'd both pick.  You can see future topics in the link on the first post.  Tomorrow is I read it to impress (and did it?) And then best YA book.  I kinda think about it on and off in the day   (Although tomorrow's I had picked long ago  )  Best YA book is TOUGH.  Almost makes me wish I had a Twitter, just to follow!

Edited August 17, 2014 by Anna Begins

[Michelle]

I think the problem may be with titles such as Most beautifully designed book - I keep thinking that I need to keep thinking to come up with the best. So, I'm going to block words like that, and think A beautifully designed book.

 

Of course, saying that, I can't think of anything! 

[frankie]

I always get Dexter recommended for me- both the show and the books!  That is an interesting translation.

 

I don't know if you're going to like this or not... But I would definitely, most heartily recommend both the books and the TV series, too Good stuff! But only if you don't mind a bit of gory details.

Edited August 17, 2014 by frankie

[Anna Begins]

But only if you don't mind a bit of gory details.

Oh ya- all the better  Which one to start?

[frankie]

The books ought to be read in this order: 

Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004)
Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005)
Dexter in the Dark (2007)
Dexter by Design (2009)
Dexter Is Delicious (2010)
Double Dexter (2011)
Dexter's Final Cut (2013)

 

As for the TV series, the first season goes along the lines of the first novel, although there are a few different ideas thrown in. But as far as I know, the rest of the seasons differ from the novels, so there's a lot of stuff to take in  

[Michelle]

Aug 18th - I read it to impress (&did it?)

 

Hmm.. I don't think I've ever read anything to impress anyone. Anyone else?

[Anna Begins]

Aug 18th - I read it to impress (&did it?)

 

Hmm.. I don't think I've ever read anything to impress anyone. Anyone else?

Sort of- 1984.  It was really the first thing I had read after a long drawn out, painful relationship.  I was just getting back into reading and I started with 1984.  And yes, everyone was impressed.  I was 24 and a mess, living on my own for the first time.  And here I show up with a book for the first time in 6 years (my partner didn't like me to read, we would reunite, but I never lived with him or stopped reading again).  And I show up with 1984 no less!   I loved (and cringed, I think I even read through one eye, wincing at a some points lol) every page.

[chesilbeach]

Today is I read it to impress (& did it?) and I can only think of one occasion I ever did this. I remember reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, as I thought it might impress one of my work colleagues - not sure if it impressed him, but we did talk about it then and we're still talking about it decades later!

Tomorrow is Best YA book and I'm really struggling to narrow it down to just one!

[Michelle]

I know - I can't really pick a best YA. I may have to come up with a few!

[Anna Begins]

The books ought to be read in this order: 

 

Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004)

Dearly Devoted Dexter (2005)

Dexter in the Dark (2007)

Dexter by Design (2009)

Dexter Is Delicious (2010)

Double Dexter (2011)

Dexter's Final Cut (2013)

 

As for the TV series, the first season goes along the lines of the first novel, although there are a few different ideas thrown in. But as far as I know, the rest of the seasons differ from the novels, so there's a lot of stuff to take in

Thanks Frankie- I will check out Darkly Dreaming Dexter *goes off to Amazon for the sample*  And oh wow- all of them are all 7 or 8 seasons are available streaming on Netflix *high five*

[Anna Begins]

Today is I read it to impress (& did it?) and I can only think of one occasion I ever did this. I remember reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, as I thought it might impress one of my work colleagues - not sure if it impressed him, but we did talk about it then and we're still talking about it decades later!

That's adorable

[Anna Begins]

Shirley we can come up with a book or two for Best YA book????

[Michelle]

I certainly can't come up with just one! i will be posting something, but later on.

[chesilbeach]

Well, in the end, I narrowed it down to three books plus one author:

Stolen by Lucy Christopher - a compelling story written as a letter from an abducted teenager to her kidnapper, which completely absorbs you from the very start. With an obvious bias to the narrative with only one perspective on the story of the kidnapping, it is a challenging book that leaves it up to the reader to decide on their own truth about the story.

Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden - such an interesting premise - while a group of teenagers have been away for a few days in the mountains, Australia has been invaded and their town is close to one of the main ports the occupying forces have used for entry into the country. Told in the form of a reported story by Ellie, recalling the events that have led them to their living as resistance fighters. Brilliant characters and the story is exciting, realistic and justifiably tough at times,

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch - I've already mentioned this one earlier in the month, but it is a very arresting story, and one I highly recommend.

Finally, anyone following this on Twitter will know that the author I've chosen is closely associated with the charity that is running the #bookadayuk hashtag this month, but I can't even think about YA without thinking about Patrick Ness. I've loved every single YA book of his I've read, and I definitely recommend reading his Chaos Walking trilogy and the incredible A Monster Calls.