frankie Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Another? Are bookshows/fairs a weekly event in Sydney? (we only tend to get them once or twice a year over here!). Well we've only been to that one book fair and this was the one book show that we were going to go to, and both of these book related events have been discussed before on my language/culture thread, so it shouldn't come as a surprise if you had paid any attention to the thread There won't be any more book (af)fairs for us, if that'll make you feel any better One book? Okay, who are you and what have you done with frankie? I read a huge chunk of Pavane yesterday, and hope to finish it before I go back to work on Monday. Interesting book, a bit florid in places for my liking but I'm enjoying the overall story. I've already bought sooo many books here that I know I cannot take them all back to Finland, so really I can't be buying any more books, at all. I was going to buy three books, but then Kylie (the nice, considerate person she is) made me stop and think if I'll have room for all of them and if I would be ready to pay loads of money to ship them to Finland. So I said my reluctant goodbyes to two of them and only bought that one. I read a bit of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit before I fell asleep. It was a long and exciting day yesterday so no wonder I didn't stay awake for longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Rave, the book fair was in Canberra and was a massive sale of books; around 150,000, I think. The book show, on the other hand, is a monthly TV show that airs on the ABC here, called the First Tuesday Book Club; so called because it airs on the first Tuesday of each month from March to December. We went to the taping of the December show yesterday, which is a Christmas special so it's an hour-long episode and therefore we got to see a longer taping. It was absolutely awesome. None of us had been before (we went with another friend) and it was heaps of fun. I might put a longer post in Frankie's Australian thread later. Then we went to quite a few bookshops and I bought another 5 books. Two of them are to replace editions I already have (and one of those I'm giving to Frankie), another is an extra edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which had such a lovely cover I couldn't resist, and I also bought Benjamin Black's The Silver Swan and Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia. I finished Hard Eight yesterday and started on Chris Priestley's Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. I also started If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino. I fell in love with the style of writing in the first couple of sentences. I have a feeling this book will be going on my favourites list. Today Frankie and I are going to a local bookshop that Frankie found a couple of days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Rave? I'll start calling you Ky if you're not careful! (thanks for the explanation!). I came home with a frankie/Kylie-esk sized pile of books today: A Murder of Quality, by John le Carré The To-Do List, by Mike Gayle Magician, by Raymond E. Feist (all three for two at Waterstones) Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami (I had a £5 off when you spend £20.00 or more voucher for Smiths, as I had £13.00 worth of stuff to buy this just tipped me over the qualifying line, almost a free book!). The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World, by Harry Harrison (second-hand) and Drawing, A Complete Guide, by Giovanni Civardi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World, by Harry Harrison (second-hand) I haven't read any of The stainless Steel Rat sreries in years might have to go and find them again I loved them. I had a pretty good haul from the library today Linda Farstein - Hell Gate pretty sure this is one I have yet to read Erica Spindler - Blood Vines this better not be a rerelease of an earlier book with a new title synopsis doesn't seem familiar so hope so Jayne Anne Krentz - The Perfect Poison a but if trashy romance just what you need on a wet windy night Maria Snyder - Poison Study looked intersting and haven't read any fantasy in ages I bet it ends up being part 1 of a 20 part series Simon Clark - London under Midnight not sure about this one synosis looked good but I am hoping its not true horror or I won't be sleeping at night. Also started reading the 3rd Jo nesbo book The Devils Star and am loving it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Gonna try and stay off the 'puter at work tonight and read all of Courtesans. After I have had a little browse what youse are all doing of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 I haven't read any of The stainless Steel Rat sreries in years might have to go and find them again I loved them. I've been picking up odd copies as I see them second-hand and with todays copy I now have the first three books. If you are looking to buy them again, there is now a new omnibus edition that covers the first three or four novels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Geek alert!! I re-bought two books that I already own - Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, both by Peter F. Hamilton - purely because I prefer the new cover art. Gives me an excuse to re-read them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Started The Confessions of Max Tivoli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Blaine Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Geek alert!! I re-bought two books that I already own - Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, both by Peter F. Hamilton - purely because I prefer the new cover art. Gives me an excuse to re-read them. I do this constantly. Specifically with some of my classics; I own seven copies of 'The Secret Garden' by Francis Hodgson Burnett... and don't even get me started on my Bradbury collection. Also, I found a condensed, illustrated kid's version of H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds'... I'm so excited for my son to read it! I bought... seven new books today, and brought ten home from the library... I also slammed through two Goosebumps (they make me happy, shh!), finished 'Bombshell' by Jimmie Robinson, and started 'Lost Boys' by Orson Scott Card. Productive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 ^ Yep, you're gonna fit in here no problems at all . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I came home with a frankie/Kylie-esk sized pile of books today: Good haul! I'll be interested to hear what you think of the Murakami novel, haven't read that yet, and don't even own it yet. And btw, 'Ky' actually sounds kynda nice I started and finished Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs, so far the only fictional novel by him as far as I know. I really enjoyed it and had some great laughs over it. Good stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I came home from my friend's tonight with 2 books that her mom wants me to read: Giants of the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie by O.E. Rolvaag My Ever Dear Charlie: Letters Home from the Dakota Territory from the Draper Family Trust Ever since I read that book earlier this year about pioneers heading west into the Dakotas, I've wanted to read more. They are both true accounts of what it was like to settle in untamed territory of the 1800's. My own Norwegian relatives did the exact same thing as the people in these books so I find it very fascinating . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Finished The Importance of Being Seven by Alexander McCall Smith and Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead. Started I Capture The Castle for my reading group, and downloaded another eBook for evening reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I'm now 3/4 of the way through Vanity Fair. I'm finding Becky's story rather dull and only really want to hear about Amelia and her family. Seeing as the reading group for Vanity Fair finished in October I'm feeling a bit of a sluggard with this book. I am very excited because all the libraries in Auckland have now merged so we can get books from any library! Auckland has 55 libraries- up from the previous 7 I used to be able to borrow from. Awesome! I just log in from home and request books for a $1 charge. Requesting kids books is free. The whole library catalogue is at my disposal. *evil cackle, rubs hands together in glee* Ooh. I just looked at the website. There are 3.1 million books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Rave? I'll start calling you Ky if you're not careful! (thanks for the explanation!). Oops, that was a typo, but I kind of like 'Rave'. I've been picking up odd copies as I see them second-hand and with todays copy I now have the first three books. If you are looking to buy them again, there is now a new omnibus edition that covers the first three or four novels. I think I'm only missing a couple of the Stainless Steel Rat books. I saw a few in a secondhand shop recently, but I couldn't remember which ones I already have. And btw, 'Ky' actually sounds kynda nice Don't encourage him! I started and finished Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs, so far the only fictional novel by him as far as I know. I really enjoyed it and had some great laughs over it. Oh no, another book I need to read! I think I saw a copy in the local bookshop the other day... I haven't done much reading this weekend, although I did start and finish Robin Klein's Thalia the Failure last night. It was a book from my childhood, but unfortunately it hasn't really stood the test of time for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I started on my pile of books yesterday but today I have been listening to audio books with a John Wyndham theme, Yesterday it was The Midwich Cukoos and this morning whilst driving around The Kraken Wakes, one of my favourites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Good haul! I'll be interested to hear what you think of the Murakami novel, haven't read that yet, and don't even own it yet. It will probably be a while before I get around to reading that one as I already have two other Murakami's on my TBR pile. And btw, 'Ky' actually sounds kynda nice I suspect "Ky" has different connotations in the UK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I finished Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. Kylie expressed an interest in what I thought of this book, so here it is. It was a page turner for me, even though I found parts of the book confusing. (I suspect this is mostly because I am not that familiar with Hinduism, which features heavily in the story.) The plot is interesting. It takes place far in the future, where certain humans have essentially set themselves up as gods, using technology that would seem like magic to us. There is lots of political intrigue, which I loved. It reads like a mythology, which I believe was the author's intent. The writing style is simple, yet eloquent. I would definitely recommend the book for anyone that is interested. I am now reading The Invention of Solitude, a non-fiction work by Paul Auster. It is excellent so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 My mojo has been non-existant, so even though I have a few books to finish, I've picked up the ole favourite The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toíbín, to perk up the mojo a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Raven, what kind of connotations does 'Ky' have, I had no clue? [/i]Oh no, another book I need to read! I think I saw a copy in the local bookshop the other day... Well you are totally welcome to have my copy, I was going to offer it to you anyways or take it back to the bookshops if you didn't want it. I'm going to order myself a brand new copy from play.com when I get back to Finland, I want to support Burroughs I picked up Bel Canto by Ann Patchett last night. For some reason I had thought that the book was a difficult read and not easily approachable, but I was mesmerized right from the start and I'm truly loving it. Will hopefully finish it today. I took a sneak peak at Kylie's bookshelves and it seems that she doesn't own a copy so there's another book coming her way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emelee Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Bought a book by Nicotext. 99 inventions for people in a hurry. But I bought it in Swedish so its slightly different like all books from Nicotext that has been made into Swedish. (Like adding some and removing some other)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I finished Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. Kylie expressed an interest in what I thought of this book, so here it is. Thanks Pixie, that sounds quite interesting. Raven, what kind of connotations does 'Ky' have, I had no clue? I had no clue either. I didn't realise I was potentially being insulted! Well you are totally welcome to have my copy, I was going to offer it to you anyways or take it back to the bookshops if you didn't want it. I'm going to order myself a brand new copy from play.com when I get back to Finland, I want to support Burroughs I picked up Bel Canto by Ann Patchett last night. For some reason I had thought that the book was a difficult read and not easily approachable, but I was mesmerized right from the start and I'm truly loving it. Will hopefully finish it today. I took a sneak peak at Kylie's bookshelves and it seems that she doesn't own a copy so there's another book coming her way Oh no! Potentially two more books for my TBR pile? Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNinthWord Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 (edited) Seeing as I went to my nan's today, which is a 40-minute bus journey, I had plenty of opportunity for reading today. I've read the entirety of Part 2 of Dragonflight (about 75 pages). I'm really enjoying it now. I'd like to have read it more quickly than I have been (my aim was to finish it by today), but I've been too busy these last few days. I also took a little look around Waterstone's since I had some time to kill waiting for my bus. They've got a 3 for 2 offer on all their fiction at the moment. I didn't have enough time to pick out three books and buy them, so I'm going to draw up a list and go in tomorrow. By the way, does anybody know if the Penguin Popular Classics (the ones with the bright green covers) are the full text, or just an abridged version? They didn't say they were abridged, but they seem too thin compared to more expensive editions of the same texts. They're really cheap at £2 each, so I'm tempted to buy a few, but only if they're unabridged. Edited November 8, 2010 by TheNinthWord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfy Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 I have been finding a hard time to read, but when I can find time, I read my current book, House of Leaves. So far I am only around 100 pages in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 I've made some pretty good progress on Deja Dead this weekend, in spite of being busy. I'm up to about page 120 now and am hoping to get more in tonight before bed. While I'm finding it interesting and engaging, I'm not sure how big of a fan I am of plot-driven books like this one. I mean I like them from time to time and when I'm in the mood, but who knows, I may be speaking too soon, so we shall see. I'm also not really picturing the actors from the TV show in my head, since the book is SO different, which is a good thing! (I think ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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