On Leviathans and Small Treks

It has been three months and 4 days since my last cigarette.I started smoking not long after my 13th birthday, and smoked pretty much consistently since then. And I have pretended to try and quit before, each time a roaring failure because the love for smoking was stronger than the will to quit. But our new life has meant a big reduction in stress, and so, finally, the will to quit has grown stronger than the love for smoking. I still miss the action of smoking, taking a long drag on a cigarette, inhaling the smoke deep into my lungs and then feeling like a dragon as I exhale – but not as frequently as I used to. I now only think about having a smoke once every few days. I am sure as the months go on, the frequency will reduce even more until I no longer think about it at all.

What I don’t miss is struggling to breathe and smelling like a nightclub and coughing and having to find an ashtray and the constant constant constant craving and burning money. And this will motivate me to remain quit, even when I dream about smoking all night long.

[source]

It is probably no secret by now that I am currently a tiny little bit obsessed with The Expanse series, both TV and books. I fell in love mid-way through the first episode of Season 1, but reading the books really cemented the obsession for me. I am only ⅔ through the third book now, but I had this epiphany last night about why I love the series so much – other than the fact that it is an absolutely brilliant space opera, of course.

Each book, so far, starts with a number of different stories seemingly unrelated on completely different tracks, and things apparently spin out of control and then the stories start intertwining until they end in one beautiful point, and it reminds me of spiral galaxies or tropical storms or star aloes.

(images not my own, found on bing search)

I travelled to Leicester for work this week, which gave me a good opportunity to try out the camera on my new phone.

While I missing having a camera button on the phone, I am getting used to having to take a couple of extra steps to take a photo, and I am quite happy with the quality of the pictures.

Eleven

This week, my most beloved author, Sir Terry Pratchett, passed away.

I was a voracious reader as a teenager, and read just about every book in our public library by the time I was 16. When I asked the librarian for suggestions, she handed me Pyramids, which I devoured in a few hours and returned for more.

When my daughter was a baby, I took her to a local mall one day (just to get out of the house). While walking around, I noticed a sign on one of the bookshops advertising a book signing by none other than Mr Pratchett (he wasn’t a sir quite yet then) for 2pm that afternoon. I bought some of his books not yet in my collection, patiently waited until 2pm and for 1 brief minute got to spend time in his presence while he signed books for me. They are my most treasured possessions.

No other writer has influenced how I see the world as much as Sir Pterry. He will live on in his writing.

(This picture was taken at the Discworld Emporium during our visit in July 2013.)

Five

Today I sat on the grass in Sea Point, sunburnt, homesick, miserable with many, many thoughts floating through my head, reading Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking. And as I read, I cried several times. But in a good way.

A long, long time ago, when I started blogging, I wrote for me and wrote what I wanted to. Over the years, however, I have self-censored too much, to the point where I no longer write anything other than trite little comments. Maybe I will write a bit more for me again.

The bit that got me most though was where she described a conversation with her mother in preparation for a talk at Microsoft, and her mother recalled how teenaged Amanda would say that her mother wasn’t an artist, just a computer programmer. Her mother went on to say:

You know, Amanda, it always bothered me. You can’t see my art, but… I am one of the best artists I know. It’s just… nobody could even see the beautiful things I made. Because you couldn't hang them in a gallery.

While I don’t write programs, I have done and continue to do many, many artistic creative things in my IT career. And while you cannot hang it in a gallery, I am still proud of where I am today. But there has always been this voice, I guess it is the Fraud Police, telling me that I have sold out, because I chose to focus on IT rather than writing. And this happens every time I see a friend or family member publish a book, or do something visibly creative. Maybe now I can finally tell the Fraud Police voice to fuck off.

13 of 30

I recently told my husband to buy me something pretty. So, this arrived today (along with their second book, The Quantum Universe).

341 of 366

My daughter found this in the charity bookshop where she’s been working this week for community service. Happy geek is happy.

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Spent the day reading the last Spud book, and came across this Monty Python reference, which made my day, especially because John Cleese also plays the Guv in the movie(s).

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While reading A Wild Sheep Chase (Haruki Murakami) I came across this. I wonder if it was an intentional Discworld reference, or completely coincidental. Either way, it made me feel warm and squishy inside.

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I've been slack on the reading of late, but recently picked up a copy of The Land of the Painted Caves by Jean M Auel. Somehow, I devoured the previous books in the series and thought that this one would be the same. JM is to dialogue what Tolkien is to scenery. So, I am struggling with this one.
Maybe it is time to give the Hunger Games a bash.

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Randomly found a copy of my mother’s book on a shelf in a bookshop. This is a rare thing indeed, as the book has never really been sold in bookshops. Can only hope this will change now, and we will see it more often.

Book: Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

I am really not sure what to rate this book. Gut says I should give it a 5 or 6, at the very least. Head says 1. I will compromise, for now, on a 3 out of 5.

But look, this book, it is about porn and the porn industry. And about men. And, well, about penises and vaginas. But mostly, it is about people. But it’s not for everyone. Most will find it offensive and vulgar, possibly even badly written. And this is definitely not a book for younger readers. Or sensitive readers.

This was my first introduction to Chuck Palahniuk's writing, and it was an interesting choice. I’ve had Fight Club and a couple of others on my wish list for some time, but could not resist when I saw this one on sale recently. But I enjoyed these 198 pages more than I did the whole of the Twilight saga, so that must say something. It is brilliantly written, and the voice is strong and musky, possibly smells a little like Mr 600.

Buggrit, I am going with my gut and giving this book:

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Current obsessions

Wenchy posted hers, and it was so awesome, I decided to steal it :)

Book: Currently reading Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk. It is the first book by mr Palahniuk that has made it into my reading list, and I am thoroughly enjoying it, but I also have A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami sitting on my bedside table, waiting for me – and it calls to me.

Snack: Anything cheesy, but especially oven-grilled Haloumi cheese.

Restaurant: Home for now. I recently changed my eating habits quite considerably, and haven’t ventured out to a restaurant that caters for the new lifestyle yet. I am giving Cynthia’s Indigo Moon quite some thought at the moment, as this is where Hubby and I will be celebrating our upcoming 15th anniversary.

Beverage: Anything berry, really. Absolutely addicted to berry juice.

Decor: Steampunk all the way, blended with some Safari style :)

Actor: Tough one. I’m a Johnny Depp girl, but Alexander Skarsgård is quite nice to look at at the moment.

Actress: Aishwarya Rai without a doubt. So beautiful. And then, of course, there is Monica Bellucci.

Movie: I have been obsessing about Avatar for months now – simply because it is such a box-office juggernaut. I have also spent a fair amount of brain time on Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (mostly because I am still trying to decide how I feel about it), but the movie that is really keeping my attentions right now is the next instalment of the Harry Potter franchise.

TV show: Lost. We recently started watching the show from Season 1 again, to give my daughter a chance to catch up, and it is stuck in my head all over again.

Hobby: Other than blogging and playing games on Facebook? You mean I am supposed to have time for other stuff? Although, I have had to start cooking seriously again, due to aforementioned lifestyle change.

Band: Kaizers Orchestra. Yes, still. And, of course, Johnny Hollow.

Song: This week’s song seems to be Superhero (Johnny Hollow)

Blog: Oh No They Didn’t. An ever present guilty pleasure.

Lover: My husband, always.

Friend: My husband, always.

Peeve: Selfish people.

Sport: No, don’t do sport. But I have no choice but to have football on the brain right now.

Singer: Nick Cave.

Quote: We are formed and moulded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them. - Buddha

Holiday 2009 reading list

I read a couple of really great books over the past month while I was on holiday.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I’ve read the books individually over the past almost twenty years, and I have lost my copies of all but Mostly Harmless, so at the beginning of December, I picked up this complete volume containing all five books in the trilogy, as well as the short-story Young Zaphod plays it safe and foreword by Neil Gaiman. Fantastic read, as always.

 

Cosmic

I can’t remember when last I’ve had this much fun reading a book. Possibly the first Percy Jackson, because it was so different to anything I had read up until that point. Cosmic has that same feeling, a lot of British dry wit and literally rockets of fun. I would highly recommend this book for any 9 to 14 year old of both genders. The young at heart may also enjoy this highly enjoyable young adventure.

When the Emperor Was Divine

Beautifully written story about the American Japanese and their treatment by the American government during the Second World War. Clean, crisp writing that reminded me so of Murakami, but with the natural flow that translations sometimes stutter over. And the story haunts for days afterwards.

 

In the Forests of the Night

A very quick read, but unfortunately quite forgetable. A vampire tale that flips between the present and flashbacks, the main character is not incredibly likable and the story didn’t do anything to drag me in. If I had another book with me, I probably would not have finished this one.

My daughter, on the other hand, loved the book and will most definitely read more of Ms Atwater-Rhodes’s books in the near future.

I also started reading Nathan Fox: Traitor's Gold, Diary of a Mad Housewife: A Novel and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters in the past couple of days. I should post a review of each (except for Diary, that I left behind) very soon.

Books books books

It has been a while since I have done one of these and when I saw that both Gina and Sally (two recent additions to my ever growing blog reading list) have both done it, I figured I would play sheep.

I have marked the ones I have read and liked in lime, the ones I have read (or started reading) and disliked in red and the ones I am planning on reading soon in yellow (bright enough for you?)

THE BORDERS 100 FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIMES

1. Jane Austen – Pride & Prejudice
2. Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird
3. JRR Tolkien – Lord Of The Rings
4. Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper
5. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga
6. JK Rowling – Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone
7. Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife
8. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief
9. George Orwell – 1984
10. Raymond E. Feist – Magician
11. Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns
12. Paullina Simons – Bronze Horsemen
13. Gregory David Roberts – Shantaram
14. Margaret Mitchell – Gone With The Wind
15. Bryce Courtenay – Power of One
16. Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code
17. Dan Brown – Angels & Demons
18. Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist
19. Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre
20. Tim Winton – Cloud Street
21. Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner
22. Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights
23. Arthur Golden – Memoirs of Geisha
24. LM Montgomery – Anne Of Green Gables
25. Joseph Heller – Catch-22
26. Elizabeth Gilbert – Eat Pray Love (I gave up on this one, but may try again some time in the future)
27. Niv Mass Market Bible With Bible Guide – International Bible Society Staff and International Bible Society
28. JRR Tolkien – The Hobbit
29. Yann Martel – Life of Pi
30. AB Facey – Fortunate Life
31. Douglas Adams – The Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
32. Lewis Carroll – Alice In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
33. Diana Gabaldon – Cross Stich
34. Rohinton Mistry – A Fine Balance
35. David Pelzar – A Child Called It
36. Li Cunxin – Mao’s Last Dancer
37. John Marsden – Tomorrow, When The War Began
38. Frank McCourt – Angela’s Ashes
39. Frank Herbert – Dune
40. JD Salinger – A Catcher In The Rye
41. F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby
42. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – One Hundred Years Of Solitude
43. Bryce Courtenay – April Fool’s Day
44. Ken Follet – Pillars Of The Earth
45. Patrick Suskind – Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer
46. Matthew Reilly – Ice Station
47. Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow Of The Wind
48. Stephen Hawking – A Brief History Of Time
49. Christopher Paolini – Eragon
50. Louisa May Alcott – Little Women
51. Mitch Albom – Tuesdays With Morrie
52. Jane Austen – Persuasion
53. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
54. Ian McEwan – Atonement
55. Leo Tolstory – Anna Karenina
56. George Orwell – Animal Farm
57. Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange
58. Antoine de Saint Exupéry – The Little Prince
59. Roald Dahl – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
60. CS Lewis – The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
61. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Love In The Time Of Cholera
62. Bill Bryson – A Short History Of Nearly Everything
63. Fyodor Dostoevsky – Crime And Punishment
64. Anthony Bourke – Lion Called Christian
65. Arundhati Roy – The God Of Small Things
66. Paullina Simons – Tully
67. John Grisham – A Time To Kill
68. John Grogan – Marley & Me
69. Vikram Seth – A Suitable Boy
70. Alexandre Dumas – Count Of Monte Cristo
71. Neil Gaiman – American Gods
72. Cormac McCarthy – The Road
73. Aldous Huxley – Brave New World
74. Brendan Shanahan – In Turkey I Am Beautiful: Between Chaos And Madness In A Strange Land
75. Tim Winton – Breath
76. Bryce Courtenay – Jessica
77. Graeme Base – Animalia
78. Donna Tartt – The Secret History
79. Mario Puzo – The Godfather
80. Anne Rice – Interview With The Vampire
81. Steig Larrson – The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo
82. Stephen King – Stand
83. Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones’ Diary
84. Eckhart Tolle – New Earth
85. Matthew Reilly – Seven Ancient Wonders
86. Jung Chang – Wild Swans
87. Nicholas Sparks – The Notebook
88. Bret Easton Ellis – American Psycho
89. David Eddings – Belgariad Vol. 1: Pawn Of Prophecy; Queen Of Sorcery; Magician’s Gambit
90. Louis De Bernieres – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
91. Melina Marchetta – Looking For Alibrandi
92. Celia Ahern – PS I Love You
93. John Irving – A Prayer For Owen Meany
94. Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds
95. John Kennedy Toole – A Confederacy Of Dunces
96. Terry Pratchett – Good Omens
97. Hunter S. Thompson – Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas
98. Joanne Harris – Chocolat
99. William Goldman – Princess Bride
100. Charles Dickens – Great Expectations

Red	5
Green	30
Total read	35 (yikes – need to work on that)

EXCLUSIVE BOOKS 101 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE

1.The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
2.The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
3. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
5. The Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
6. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
7. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
8. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
9. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
10. The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
11. Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
12. Spud – John van de Ruit
13. The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay
14. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
15. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
16. Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
17. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
18. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
19. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
20. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
21. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
22. Disgrace – J. M. Coetzee
23. My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
24. The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
25. Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
26. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
27. Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
28. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
29. Cry, the Beloved Country – Alan Paton
30. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
31. A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
32. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Mark Haddon
33. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
34. Atonement – Ian McEwan
35. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
36. The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
37. The English Patient – Michael Ondaatje
38. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
39. Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
40. Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
41. The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
42. I Know This Much is True – Wally Lamb
43. A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
44. Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
45. War And Peace – Leo Tolstoy
46. Clan of the Cave Bear – Jean M. Auel
47. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
48. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
49. The Secret History – Donna Tartt
50. Possession – A. S. Byatt
51. Perfume – Patrick Suskind
52. The House of the Spirits – Isabel Allende
53. Chocolat – Joanne Harris
54. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
55. Q & A – Vikas Swarup
56. Dune – Frank Herbert
57. Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
58. Fugitive Pieces – Anne Michaels
59. River God – Wilbur Smith
60. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
61. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
62. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
63. Mort – Terry Pratchett
64. Crime and Punishment – Feodor Dostoyevsky
65. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
66. East of Eden – John Steinbeck
67. The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
68. The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
69. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
70. The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy
71. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
72. Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
73. The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx
74. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
75. Animal Farm – George Orwell
76. The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
77. Watership Down – Richard Adams
78. Magician – Raymond E Feist
79. Middlemarch – George Eliot
80. The Day of the Jackal – Frederick Forsyth
81. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
82. The Magus – John Fowles
83.The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Agaat – Marlene van Niekerk
85. The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
86. The Shell Seekers – Rosamunde Pilcher
87. The Colour Purple – Alice Walker
88. The Beach House – James Patterson
89. Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak
90. Kringe in ‘n Bos – Dalene Matthee
91. The World according to Garp – John Irving
92. Northen Lights – Phillip Pullman
93. Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
94. Shades – Marguerite Poland
95. Kane and Abel – Jeffrey Archer
96. Fiela se kind – Dalene Matthee
97. Story of an African Farm – Olive Schreiner
98. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
99. The Magic Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
100. Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
101. Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne

Red	3
Green	40
Total:	43

That’s a bit better.

I am thinking that I should possibly give Great Expectations another chance, since I can’t even remember why I didn’t like it. And, wow, so many books still to read.

Book: Coconut

The urban slang term ‘Coconut’ is used to describe black people who act “white” - it literally means black on the outside and white on the inside. The title sets the tone for this well written, easy to read book about two young girls growing up in the ‘new’ South Africa.

It is really two separate stories, the one of Ofilwe who grew up white and the other of Fikile (or Fiks) who desperately wants to be white, and the struggles each of them have with the paths their lives have taken. Some scenes in the book are hard to swallow, not because they suspend belief, but because we never want to accept such situations, but they are dealt with so graciously and elegantly that one almost smiles through it.

I try and make a point of reading ‘local’ literature as much as I can stomach, but as I prefer reading fiction, it doesn’t happen too often that I do pick up a locally published, South African-flavoured book. My mom bought my daughter a copy of Coconut at the recent Jozi Book fair, so I thought I would see what it was like, as it was in the house already, and I am quite pleased that I did pick it up.

You can read an excerpt from the book here, but I would recommend reading the entire book instead.

Sea monsters

Following hot on the heels of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I am reading at the moment and thoroughly enjoying), Quirk brings you (queue the organ music) Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

I found the book trailer on Myke Amend’s blog, and enjoyed it so much, I had to share.

Cannot wait to read this one too.

Thoughts on the Jozi book fair and the local publishing industry

My daughter and I went to the Jozi Book Fair today, where my mom was promoting her book (Steps to Financial Freedom).

The fair was held at Museum Africa in the Newtown Cultural Precinct, Johannesburg and was the first such event in Johannesburg. All the publishers were there with tables - groaning under piles and piles of books - and friendly smiling faces.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have been very well publicized, as there were more organisers than attendees – or so it seemed, at least. I only heard of the event because my mother was speaking, so I wonder if anyone else had heard of it. Which is a pity, because there is a great need for such an event. In fact, because I hadn’t seen any advertising for the event, I assumed it was an industry only event, and declined taking my daughter’s friends along.

Another pity is the vast number of political literature available, and how little fiction there is by comparison. Our culture has a rich tradition of story telling, and yet we spend all our money on fiction written by non-South Africans. And I doubt that this has anything to do with a lack of writers or readers.

I do hope that this changes quickly. I have seen some non-political South African fiction on the shelves recently, so I am positive that there is change happening in the local publishing industry. But the reality is still that, when I walk into my local bookstore, I am more likely to purchase a book by an international author rather than a local one, because, for some strange reason, local fiction is more expensive. That, and there simply isn’t enough available that is compatible with my tastes.

I really do hope that next year’s event is much better advertised, and that one day, I am there talking about my own book.

Book meme

Nicked from the Fabulous Miss P

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?

Honestly, I don’t really mind. I love buying the hardbacks when I can, but if I buy paperback, I tend to be able to buy more books.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?

Neither. Exclusive Books is my poison.

Bookmark or dog-ear?

Bookmark. Always bookmark. Those who dog-ear should be placed in front of a firing squad.

Amazon or brick and mortar?

Brick and mortar. Although, it is rather nice to buy online every now and again, because the books arrive just when you need a little pick-me-up

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?

By genre, then by author, then in order of being published.

Keep, throw away, or sell?

Keep, keep keep. I am a little obsessive about books.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?

Keep!!!

Read with dust jacket or remove it?

Remove dust jacket while reading and carefully replace afterwards.

Short story or novel?

I am partial to novels, but quite like short story collections for in betweeners, and for while I wait in queues.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

Unfortunately, I haven’t read Lemony Snicket, so the choice will be Harry.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?

When tired.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?

It was a dark and stormy night…

Buy or borrow?

Buy. I struggle to return books I have borrowed.

New or used?

I prefer new. I want to be the first to read that book. And I like knowing that (some of) the money gets to the author.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?

A combo of it all. I will often use services like Goodreads to find new authors. And before Goodreads, I relied on the recommendations of friends and librarians and bookshop attendants.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?

A bit of both. I like using my imagination, but I also don’t want to feel like the story ended halfway through.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or night-time reading?

When ever I can.

Stand-alone or series?

It doesn’t really matter, as long as the story is good. I just don’t like getting into a series that ends up dragging on forever and ever. I think this is one of the reasons I love the Discworld novels so much – even though they are part of a series, they can also be read as stand-alone books.

Favourite series?

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.

Favorite children’s book?

Anne of Green Gables, Charlotte’s Web, Heidi

Favourite YA book?

The Twilight series, The Outsiders

Favourite book of which nobody else has heard?

All the Haruki Murakamis.

Favourite books read last year?

Well, the Twilight books. And I rather enjoyed the Bridget Jones ones too.

Favourite books of all time?

The World According to Garp, Norwegian Wood, the Discworld novels, Wuthering Heights, Dracula… the list goes on and on

What are you reading right now?

Inkheart. It is beautifully written, I am just struggling to read (in general) right now.

What are you reading next?

I have Eat Pray Love, Kite Runner and Vampire Academy sitting on my bedside table waiting for me.

Favourite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?

If a boy, then the Percy Jackson series. If a girl, either Anne of Green Gables or Heidi.

Favourite book to reread?

I reread Wuthering Heights and World According to Garp on an almost annual basis. I also often reread the Diskworld novels, in particular Last Continent and Pyramids.

Do you ever smell books?

Yes. I tend to listen to them rustle too.

Do you ever read Primary source documents?

Er. Ok. No. I do, on occassion, read technical documents, for work, you know. But nothing touching history.

Veronika decides to die

I am surprised that this one only caught my attention now for the first time. Based on one of my favourite books, Veronika decides to die will be hitting the big screen this year. Here is the trailer:

I am not a huge SMG fan, but I will give her a chance. And I think the casting of David Thewlis is simply spot on.

New book happy

I’ve got that new book happy feeling :)

I walked across the road in the rain this afternoon after work, and visited my favourite bookshop, vouchers received as gifts for my birthday recently in hand.

I’ve been reading a lot of YA recently, so I decided to buy myself some grown-up books.

First, because it contained all my favourite Dahl stories:

And then, because it has been highly recommended from all sides:

More rain is predicted for the week-end, so I will be spending time in bed, reading and doing some rewriting on Young Gods.

First Kiss: Pyramids

My mother died when i was young... she went for a moonlight swim in what turned out to be a crocodile.

~ Terry Pratchett, Pyramids

As I have said before, the first book I read by an author is like a first kiss, and, if the author then becomes one of my favourites, that book will forever be my favourite favourite, regardless of how much I love the others.

My first introduction to Terry Pratchett was Pyramids, way back in 1991, when I was still in high school. I had read every single book I could lay my hands on in the horror/thriller section of our local library, and a fair amount of mainstream fantasy and sci-fi too, and asked the librarian, desperately, if she could suggest anything else for me to read. She didn’t even hesitate, but walked straight to shelf, pulled out this colourful book and handed it to me with a big smile on her face, as if she knew she had just played cupid.

I looked at the busy cover and could not help but be sceptic – it looked like it was written for children, and, at 17, I was definitely no longer a child. I mean, really, I had been reading Dean Koonz and Stephen King and the like for a couple of years already.

I read Pyramids for the first time that evening. I did not sleep until I closed the book. And then I read it again. And then I went back for more. I laughed so loudly that first night that my parents ran into my room to check if I was ok, convinced that either I was on crack or being assaulted.

Little did they know that Pratchett was to become my crack.

Later that year, I was interviewed by some official for my bursary application, and one of the questions I was asked was about a book I had read recently. I was so completely and utterly in love with Pyramids, and all things Pratchett, that I proceeded to give a lengthy analysis of the book, its satire and its application to our world. I was awarded the bursary and was able to attend university, and I always like to think it is because of Pyramids.

I now own every single Discworld novel ever written, with the exception of Pyramids (thanks to someone who decided I no longer needed my copy), as well as as many of the other books Mr Pratchett has written as I could find in our local bookstores, and still list Mr Pratchett as my favourite author and one of my main sources of inspiration in my own writing.