A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends Rules: * Grab the book nearest you. Right now. * Turn to page 56. * Find the fifth sentence. * Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. *Post a linkalong with your post back to this blog. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
This week's Friday 56 comes from a book by Italo Calvino called If On A Winter's Night A Traveller.
'I felt a kind of vertigo, as if I were merely plunging from one world to another, and in each I arrived shortly after the end of the world had taken place'.
If you would like to take part in Sunday Salon, just click the Salon badge above!
Well, its Sunday here in Australia and this is my first Sunday Salon post. My blog is fairly new, so I have been spending a great deal of time reading other people's blogs and getting a feel for the 'book blogging experience'. I must say there are some fantastic blogs out there and I hope one day mine will also meet the high standard of some I have come across.
Unfortunately, I have been spending a little too much time on the internet and not enough time reading. However, over the past couple of weeks, I have managed to finish reading Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, which I really enjoyed and would recommend for anyone who hasn't already read it. I have made a start on The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende and I am looking forward beginning The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
Early this week, I came across a copy of an Australian book which I am looking forward to reading called The Trout Opera by Matthew Condon. I love Australian content and Australian authors, so I am eager to get around to reading this one. I would love to hear thoughts about this book from anyone who has read it. The following will tell you a little about the book:
'Wilfred Lampe is almost one hundred years old. After falling over in his paddock in rural Dalgety, he is airlifted out by the Sydney Olympic Committee who have earmarked him to play Australia's century-old Everyman at their opening ceremony. Helpless in his hospital bed, Wilfred discovers he has a great-niece, the wild and troubled Aurora. She has come to take him home, where he belongs. As Wilfred and Aurora criss-cross Australia in a clapped-out old Humber Vogue, Wilfred comes face to face with the new Australia, and Aurora, enmeshed in the complex social problems of a modern world, is taught how to repair her life. Flamboyant, operatic, inescapably funny, "The Trout Opera" portrays a mad world of history, war, romance, murder, bushfires, drugs and the fragility and resilience of nature. Through the story of a man who has experienced the tumultuous reverberations of the world while never moving from his birthplace on the Snowy, it asks, what is this relentless thing called life?'
I am hoping to post reviews of all these books when, and if, I finish them. That is about all from me for today, however, I am looking forward to reading everyone's posts. Have a great Sunday everyone!
A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends Rules: * Grab the book nearest you. Right now. * Turn to page 56. * Find the fifth sentence. * Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. *Post a linkalong with your post back to this blog. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
This week's Friday 56 comes from an Australian book I picked up called The Trout Opera by Matthew Condon.
'In the advance of the day's traffic, the long serpents of vehicles meandered towards their destinations, saying , I'm here, and my day has started'.
Do your bookshelves look like this? Do you enjoy reading and love to share that joy with those around you? Are you looking for a fun way to interact with others who share your love of reading? If you answered yes to these questions, then online social networking sites dedicated especially to books and reading may be what you are looking for.
Online social networking sites are becoming increasingly popular. These sites function like an online community and bring together computer users who share the same interests. The increasing popularity of social networking is good news for book lovers because online social networking sites allow avid readers to discuss the books they love to read.
If you love books and have a passion for reading, then you will be aware that most bookaholics love to share the great new book they have found, tell their friends about a fantastic new author they have discovered or let the world know about a bestselling new release. The digital revolution has opened up many new avenues for book enthusiasts to connect, share and review anything to do with books and reading. You might like to try some of the following sites and join the ones which suit your need:
All these sites do basically the same thing, however, features vary from site to site. BookCrossing is a little different in that it has a unique way of sharing books. The BookCrossing website asks readers to leave a book 'on a park bench, a coffee shop, at a hotel on vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym -- anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel. Track the book's journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person'. BookCrossing is an exciting and fun way to share books because you just don't know where your book will end up or where you may find your next fantastic read.
Basically, these sites allow the user to:
catalogue their books
create personal profiles
get book recommendations
build book lists
rate, discuss and review books
interact with other people who share the same interests.
Online social networking is a fun way to widen your social circle, share great books and find new books to read and it can open up a whole new world of opportunities for the book lover. So, why not get started today! Or, if you already use some of these sites, let us know which is your favourite and why!
A weekly meme hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends Rules: * Grab the book nearest you. Right now. * Turn to page 56. * Find the fifth sentence. * Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog. *Post a linkalong with your post back to this blog. * Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
This week, mine is taken from The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy:
'If a person couldn't even run a pickle factory profitably, how was that person going to run a whole country?'
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My Teaser this week comes from page 180 of The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende.
During the months that they were separated, Blanca and Pedro Tercero exchanged burning letters, which he signed in a woman's name and which she hid as soon as they arrived. Nana managed to intercept one or two, but she did not know how to read, and even if she had she would not have been able to break their secret code - fortunately for her, because her heart would not have withstood the shock.
Title: Like Water For Chocolate
Author: Laura Esquivel
Published (this edition): 1993
Publisher: Black Swan
Genre: Magical Realism
ISBN: 0552995878
Laura Esquivel’s bestselling novel, Like Water for Chocolate, is a tale of forbidden love, passion, tragedy and food. The narrative is told in twelve chapters and each chapter begins with a traditional Mexican recipe.The storyline weaves around the preparation and consumption of the food produced from these recipes, as the tragedies and secrets of an all-female rural Mexican family unfold.
Like Water for Chocolate is set on a ranch on the border between Mexico and Texas during the Mexican Revolution and tells the story of Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter of the domineering and controlling matriarch of the family, Mama Elena.Tita, because of Mexican tradition, is forbidden to marry and is sentenced to a life of servitude to Mama Elena and must care for this vengeful and hard-hearted woman until the day she dies.
However, things become complicated when Tita falls deeply in love with a young man named Pedro.Mama Elena refuses to let Tita and Pedro marry and, desperate to remain close to Tita, Pedro marries her sister, Rosaura.From this point on, Tita is forced to live a lonely and loveless life and it is clear that her cooking becomes an outlet for her emotions. Tita transfers her feelings to the dishes she lovingly prepares and Laura Esquivel describes these dishes so vividly you can almost taste them.
Time, distance and Mama Elena keep Tita and Pedro apart for many years.However, a series of tragic events result in the deaths of both Mama Elena and Rosaura and, finally, Tita is reunited with her true love Pedro. However, this reunion culminates in an ending that can only be described as passionate and bittersweet.
Like Water for Chocolate is a passionate and tragic story which combines romance and fantasy. Those who have longed for something they could not have will relate well to this story. It is a story of forbidden love and a cookbook all rolled into one. This book is an entertaining, compelling and highly recommended read.
2. A relaxing bubble bath & good book waiting especially for me.
3. Silliness is a required ingredient for sanity.
4. Have fun this Halloween.
5. Outstanding or not life goes on.
6. Choclolate cake is what I want right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to an early night, tomorrow my plans include work and Sunday, I want to relax and do nothing much at all!
I have recently read Bram Stoker's Dracula, So my Can't wait to read book is:
Dracula: The Un-Dead By Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
From Publisher's Weekly:
In this sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula, his great-grandnephew offers one of the rowdiest revisionist treatments of the most influential vampire novel ever written. In 1912, as Stoker labors to adapt Dracula for the stage, its “characters” are dying gruesomely all over London. It turns out they are as real as Stoker himself, who learned their secret story on the sly and took creative liberties when turning it into his popular penny dreadful. Dracula's true story involves the passing of his blood line through Mina Harker to her son; a malignant Dr. Van Helsing, who Scotland Yard suspects had a hand in the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper; and the exploits of a 16th-century vampire countess, Dracula's former lover, who cuts a bloody swath through London seeking the survivors of Dracula's last stand in Transylvania. Energetically paced and packed with outrageously entertaining action, this supernatural thriller is a well-needed shot of fresh blood for the Dracula mythos.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My teaser comes from page 156 of Water for Chocolate by Laura Exquivel:
'She couldn't begin a discussion between them right now that would spoil the good impulse she felt to forgive Rosaura for how she had harmed her. Instead of voicing her thoughts, Tita promised her sister that she would prepare a special diet to help her lose weight.'
First published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula is regarded as the classic horror story. The narrative is in the form of journal entries and letters written by the characters.The story of Dracula opens with the journal of Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor who travels to Transylvania to assist Count Dracula in purchasing a London property. As he travels closer to the Count's castle he finds the reactions of the locals quite strange, but disregards them and travels on.
On his arrival at the castle, Jonathan Harker is quite impressed with the Count. However, he begins to make some horrifying discoveries within the walls of the castle and soon finds that he is being held captive by Count Dracula and barely manages to escape the castle with his life.
Meanwhile, strange incidents are occurring in England. A Russian cargo ship washes ashore with its entire crew dead or missing and from this ship a lone wolf escapes into the night, a patient of a lunatic asylum begins to talk of the return of his master and children are being stalked during the night. Soon after the ship incident, two young women, Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker fall victim to the blood-lust of Count Dracula.
These disturbing events prompt the main characters, led by Dr Van Helsing, to form a small band of vampire hunters who vow to end the horrifying reign of Count Dracula. This group embark on a terrifying journey which will eventually take them all the way back to Transylvania.
Dracula explores themes of salvation and damnation, suppressed Victorian sexuality and violence, as well as, good versus evil. While, the beginning and ending of Dracula are filled with fear and suspense, the middle leaves a lot to be desired. There are a few suspense filled moments when you are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. However, these are few and far between and the pace is very slow.
The characters in the novel conform to the stereotype of the Victorian era in all aspects. The women are presented as fragile, sheltered and vulnerable. The men as brave protectors. However, at times, Mina breaks out of this stereotypical Victorian ideal of what women should be to give the reader a glimpse of a strong and courageous woman.
While not my favourite book, Bram Stoker combines the essential elements of the Gothic Horror genre such as adventure, horror and supernatural themes brilliantly to produce a novel that has withstood the test of time. If you are interested in where Dracula and vampire legends come from this could be the book for you. Overall, I would recommend this book, but be aware that is very slow in some parts.
1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth? Toast
2. Where was your profile picture taken? I don't have a profile picture of myself
3. Can you play Guitar Hero? No, but my son desperately want me to learn.
4. Name someone who made you laugh today. What was it about? My dog. She is quite mad, so everything she does makes me laugh.
5. How late did you stay up last night and why? This is embarrassing, but I was actually in bed at 6.30 pm. However, in my defence, I need to mention that I get up at 3 am most mornings.
6. If you could move somewhere else where would you and why? I wouldn't move! I love Australia.
7. Ever been kissed under fireworks? No, never.
8. Which of your friends lives closest to you? I'm lucky my 3 best friends live with me! My 3 dogs.
9. Do you believe ex's can be friends? With benefits? No way!
10. Do you like Dr. Pepper? Never tried it! Don't know if we get it here in Australia.
11. When was the last time you cried really hard? Really hard as opposed to just sniveling? Last week.
12. Who took your profile picture? Don't have one.
13. Who was the last person you took a picture of? My grandson.
14. Was yesterday better than today? Why? Don't know, today has only just begun for me.
15. Can you live a day without TV? Yes.
16. Are you upset about anything now? The state of the world.
17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Sometimes.
18. Are you a bad influence? I used to be before I grew up.
19. Night out or night in? Night in everytime.
20. What items could you not go without during the day? My computer.
21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? My mother before she passed away.
22. What does the last text message in your inbox say? It was telling me I had just made another sale.
23. How do you feel about your life right now? Ok, few things I would like to change.
24. Do you hate anyone? I try hard not to hate.
25. If we were to look in your Facebook inbox, what would we find? Nothing, I don't have Facebook.
26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? Yes, Yes, Yes.
27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? Oh, no way.
28. What song is stuck in your head? Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles.
29. Someone knocks on your window at 2 a.m., whom do you want it to be? The pizza delivery man.
30. Do you (or did you) want to have grandkids before you’re 50? No, but I have 3.
31. Tell us your Saturday night. Went to bed at 6.30, watched a soap opera, read a book and went to sleep.
32. Do you think too much or too little? Way too much.
And here is my first ever Friday Fill-In! You can take part to at Friday Fill-Ins
1. I have a history of not finishing what I start.
2. The answer to world poverty is something I wish I knew.
3. I'm eating (or recently ate) pasta salad.
4.Don't play on the road.
5. So that's it, that's life.
6. Something is better than nothing!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include getting up at 4 am and going to work for a few hours and Sunday, I want torelax a little and take my grandchildren shopping!
Two-thirds of Brits have lied about reading books they haven’t. Have you? Why? What book?
I was intrigued by this question and my first impulse was to say 'no'. However, once I thought about it for a while I realised that, at some stage, I probably have lied about reading a book that I haven't actually read. An example which comes to mind is the boring reading lists which were forced on us at school. While I can't recall specific instances, I know during my school years Shakespeare did my head in and I read as little as possible of him. So, it is quite possible that I didn't get as well acquainted with William as my teacher thought I had.
However, as an adult, I can say that I haven't lied about reading a particular book and can't think what people would get out of lying about such a thing. I read for pleasure - not to impress anyone with a long reading list of what might be considered trendy titles or the 'in thing' to read.
So, to answer the question, Yes I suppose I have lied about reading a particular book, but only when I was young and full of self-importance. However, now I am a reformed person and would never again mislead anyone about anything I have or haven't read.
Well, its Sunday here in Australia and this is my first Sunday Salon post. My blog is fairly new, so I have been spending a great deal of time reading other people's blogs and getting a feel for the 'book blogging experience'. I must say there are some fantastic blogs out there and I hope one day mine will also meet the high standard of some I have come across.
