elliepotten's 50 Book Challenge - take 2

The old thread was getting a bit unwieldy so I thought I'd start a new one to carry me through to December 31st!

Thread #1 is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/53768




THE YEAR SO FAR...
1) On Reading by Andre Kertesz
2) New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
3) The Pleasure of Reading by Antonia Fraser
4) Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs: The Left Bank World of Shakespeare and Co. by Jeremy Mercer
5) Remotely Controlled: How television is damaging our lives and what we can do about it by Dr. Aric Sigman
6) The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
7) Never Hit a Jellyfish with a Spade: How to Survive Life's Smaller Challenges by Guy Browning
8) Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage
9) Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
10) Egypt's Golden Empire: The Age of the New Kingdom by Joyce Tyldesley
11) Addition by Toni Jordan
12) My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin
13) Moan about Men: A joyful guide to the things men do that drive women mad by Juliana Foster
14) Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman
15) Passing for Normal: Tourettes, OCD and Growing Up Crazy by Amy Wilensky
16) The Madness of Modern Families by Annie Ashworth and Meg Sanders
17) Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey - The Sweet Liquid Gold that Seduced the World by Holley Bishop
18) The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
19) Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man by Tom Cox
20) The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
21) Gold, by Dan Rhodes
22) Bookworm Droppings: An anthology of absurd remarks made by customers in secondhand bookshops by Shaun Tyas
23) The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
24) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
25) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
26) Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
27) Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
28) Growing up at War by Maureen Hill
29) Minus Nine to One: The Diary of an Honest Mum by Jools Oliver
30) Housewife Down by Alison Penton Harper
31) The Hades Factor by Robert Ludlum and Gayle Lynds
32) The World According to Mimi Smartypants by 'Mimi Smartypants'
33) Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
34) Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction by Tom Raabe
35) Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
36) How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day by Kath Kelly
37) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

THE YEAR FROM HERE...
38) Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (post 3)
39) The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier (post 21)
40) The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (post 30)
41) Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (post 57)
42) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (post 69)
43) Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke (post 78)
44) What It Feels Like, edited by A.J. Jacobs (post 79)
45) Marley and Me by John Grogan (post 81)
46) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (post 89)
47) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (post 99)
48) Cinnamon City: Falling for the Magical City of Marrakech by Miranda Innes (post 115)
49) Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives by Richard Wiseman (post 135)
50) Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor by Max Pemberton (post 147)
51) Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (post 149)
52) Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (post 155)
53) Enough to Make a Cat Laugh by Deric Longden (post 164)
54) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (post 166)
55) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (post 167)
56) The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (post 169)

Going well so far, Ellie. If it gets a bit tight for finishing the challenge, does it mean I have to spend all day, every day on the shop floor so that you can read in the office? Dream on...!

38) Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

W-o-w. I must say, I am ashamed of myself for letting this one slide down TBR Mountain for so long. I'm not sure quite how to review it, except to say that this is one of those books, those turbulent memoirs, that has to be read to be believed. If you can believe it in its entirety at all, that is.

Augusten Burroughs was a strange child. He liked shiny things, making his hair lie flat, and generally being fabulous. His mother was a poet dangling over the precipice of insanity, and his father turned to alcohol to cope. Out of his life fell his father, and into his life wandered Dr Finch, his mother's psychiatrist, in more than a little need of therapy himself. While his mum hails Dr Finch as her saviour and his dubious methods as genius, Augusten is drawn slowly away from her into the madness of the Finch household. Hope worships her father and believes that her cat is talking to her in dreams. Agnes eats dog biscuits and has to put up with her husband's patients taking over her house. Neil, a patient of Dr Finch's, wastes no time in setting up a bizarre gay relationship with 13-year-old Augusten. A lady with OCD lives in a room upstairs and never comes out. And Natalie, cynical and driven to madness by her family, becomes his new best friend.

This world - and the book itself - is by turns repulsive and attractive, brilliant and insane, hopeful and hopeless, hilarious and deadly sober. It is incredible, it is bizarre, and the memorable childhood translates into a memorable autobiography. I liked it so much that I just ordered the movie version (starring Annette Bening and Brian Cox) and I'll be looking for Dry - the follow up and by all accounts just as good - very soon!

Well Mummy dear, there goes another one... I've only got 12 to go! And anyway, I probably read more on quiet days out front than I do in the office - except over lunch, of course. I think the shop decorating for that couple of months slowed me down, we spent so long here and were dead on our feet every night!

The 'D' Shortlist
Waterlog by Roger Deakin
Stranger on a Train: Daydreaming and Smoking Around America by Jenny Diski
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Here I is and there you is.
Gotcha starred my dear.
belva

Hola Ellie! Just saying hi to the new thread. By the way, I love that you've gotten your mama on here. (Hola Lynne!) I'd get such a kick out of getting mine on here.

Hey Belva! *waves cheerily*

And hello chrine! I thought it would be good for Mum to be on here now we're running a bookshop together. It's such a great way to learn about new books, get chatting to likeminded readers, and to see what people are buying/reading at the moment. And she's not Mrs Potten any more, as of about 12 years ago... :-)

Oops, my bad. I'm sorry. It just felt odd to call your mama Lynne. I had thought that you might have married a Mr. Potten and thus have had a different maiden name.

*sputters on coffee* Nope, I'm a 22-year-old terminal singleton... Lynne will be just fine!

Okay.....found and starred your new thread! I think your alphabet idea is great!!!

Hello and thanks Louanne! Apparently a few other people liked the idea too - AnnieMod just started a group for alphabet reading!

http://www.librarything.com/groups/alphabetchallenges

Hi Ellie! Thanks for complimenting my library :) I've been enjoying following your thread for a while now (and have just found this new thread) and am very interested to hear about your bookshop, which I hope to visit one day! I think I'm a fairly easygoing customer, so I hope not to send you rushing to the office in despair ;)

I was just poking around and saw your thread. I started (and dropped) The Stolen Child not long ago. I just didn't like the depiction of the changelings :(. I hope you enjoy it more than I did!

The Hound of the Baskervilles is, of course, great.

The problem being that the only one of the five books I haven't yet managed to locate amongst the chaos is... yep... The Hound of the Baskervilles! If I haven't finished The Virgin Blue by Thursday I should be okay, but right now my best bet on its location is In My Sister's Wardrobe (I have two shelves there for books). And since Hannah is currently getting ready to go back to uni on Thursday I don't think I'll be able to get near said wardrobe for love nor money right now...

Funny bookshop story:

We have a book by Paul Merton in our shop. Paul Merton is a 52 year-old British comedian who is perhaps currently best known for his long running stint as a team captain on the comedy panel show 'Have I Got News for You'. The book in question is the most spooflike spoof autobiography you have ever seen. On the front is a photograph of Mr Merton dressed in a flamboyant velvet jacket, cigar in hand, nose in the air. The blurb tells how little Paul Merton was born to music-hall parents in the 1930s and lived through a bizarre and dramatic childhood, before turning to showbiz and finding out just how far you have to go to get ahead... even murder. This is his shocking, tell-all tale of life in the entertainment business!

But at no point does anyone who has yet picked up this book realise that IT ISN'T REAL!!! Mum overheard a bunch of old ladies looking through the pictures and eagerly comparing the (revolting high-school geek) photo of his 'first wife' with the (gorgeous lingerie-clad reclining model) photo of his 'mistress'. Many people have been overheard remarking, 'Born when? That makes him ten years older than me! No, that can't be right, can it?... Blimey, you wouldn't think it to look at him, would you? Here, Margery - did you know Paul Merton's in his seventies?...' And so it goes on.

I put one or two of the poor fools out of their misery but it's just too funny, sitting behind the counter listening to them poring over it on the display stand, marvelling at his youthful appearance and the titillating life they never suspected he had lived... HAHAHAHA :-D

Hi - got your thread starred again! I work in a bookshop too, and we get stuff like that all the time - our favourite one this week was a guy who asked for "you know, that history book that everyone's reading, it's by that professor, Dr. Langdon". Me: "Umm, do you mean The Da Vinci Code?" Yes, he did. They drive you nuts, but we love them all the same!

Oh my, funny stories! But scary too...

I think the librarians here on LT have a thread where they talk about funny patron requests. You lucky bookshop people should do the same!

Aww, lol! It reminds me a little of people who are always on the lookout for the unabridged version of Morgenstern's The Princess Bride... of which, of course, there is no unabridged version; William Goldman made it all up!

*doesn't quite confess to having been one of those people, once upon a time*

Ha! I WAS one of those people, furiously searching the library catalogue (thankfully online, not in person) and having to resort to a Google search in frustration to figure out why I can't find it.

There's a horrible feeling seeping through my day off today, like something thick and gloopy in the pit of my stomach. My little sister goes back to university tomorrow, which is always a jarring change after so long having her here with us over the summer. I'm already nervous about it because I'll be working with my dad instead of my mum too, and he's only had a quick scan of the shelves and a couple of basic goes on the till to 'train him up' for the day. Which means me holding things together enough to run the shop largely off my own back, and deal with every single little query myself.

Then Mum and Hannah got back from the supermarket with bad news. Hannah used to work there, in the bakery, with a sweet guy called Pete who was in my form at school until we were 16. At school he barely ever spoke and was a bit strange - but when I met him again at the supermarket, maybe five years later, he was confident, friendly and completely altered. We chatted for ages each time I went shopping. Anyway, when we opened the shop he dropped by to see me, and a couple of months ago asked me to go out for a drink with him. I declined, for a whole lot of reasons - we had just opened the shop seven days a week, I still can't 'do' social occasions, and I wasn't really interested 'like that'. A couple of weeks ago I lost his number anyway when my phone died and had to be sent away for repairing. Hannah found out today that he blacked out on holiday in Scarborough recently and fell down a flight of stairs. When he got to hospital they found that he had a brain tumour. I don't know any more than that, how serious it might be - and I'm not quite sure WHAT to feel... guilty? Upset? Perhaps a dose of both, combined with a vague awareness that I needn't really be either of these things since I don't even know him very well?

Oh dear. Well, on a more positive note, I've watched a new movie and had New York cheesecake, and finished my book as planned...

39) The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

Simply put, this book is like an interesting fusion of Labyrinth and Practical Magic. Isabelle is a young woman in rural France who finds herself increasingly despised by those around her. Her bright red hair links her to the Virgin Mary, and whispers of witchcraft float around her as the Calvinist 'Truth' spreads through the people and the Catholics turn to persecution to fight back. Marrying into the wealthy but arrogant Tourniers, she is still marginalised and life becomes ever more difficult. Several hundred years later, Ella Turner moves from America to France with her husband, to a little provincial town that doesn't take kindly to strangers. Increasingly miserable and lonely there, she takes up the search for her ancestors as a project to pass the time, enlisting Jean-Paul, a local librarian, to help her. Tormented by a smothering nightmare of billowing blue and chanted words, she moves ever closer to discovering the fate of Isabelle and her children.

The book began disastrously for me. It was clunky, irritating, confusing and disjointed. In fact, if it hadn't been for jhedlund mentioning having a similar experience but really liking it in the end, I might have given up before the end of the first chapter. I'm glad I took that advice and persevered! I enjoyed seeing the parallels between Isabelle and Ella building, wondering if anyone else in the 'modern' chapters might be descendants of those in the 'old' sections, and how the tangle of characters around these women fitted together. The ties between women, in friendship as well as through the generations of a family, is nicely explored, with the whispering echoes of Isabelle and her red hair reminding me of the mysterious family curse at the centre of Practical Magic. The chapters alternate between Isabelle and Ella, between the third and first person voice, and between narrative styles, until the climactic chapters where both alternate ever more quickly, building suspense and a horrible sickly sense of dread and fear. That said, I worked out what was coming a little too early, which meant that I was waiting more for the WHY than the WHAT - and was therefore disappointed when the truth was revealed but never explained.

All in all, I'm really glad I carried on reading it - but I was a bit distracted by it's similarity to the later Labyrinth, which I read a few years ago now. It was evocative and exciting and suspenseful, but the anticlimactic ending let it down to some extent. I think the story will stay with me so I'll hang on to it a while and let the reflection run its course before I decide whether it's a keeper or not!

The 'E' Shortlist
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
The Coffee House: A Cultural History by Markman Ellis
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett

Oh, my dear girl, how to ever choose from this list----------I would never be able to. I would have to close my eyes and grab. Only one possible loser and it's a hysterical loser at that!~!
hugs,
belva
P.S. loved the review. It's on my shelf so I will get to it with my Alphabet Challenge:-)

I've seen a lot of 'meh' reactions to the memory keeper's daughter, if that helps at all... haven't read it myself, so can't give you my opinion. I guess Belva loved it though, which is a good sign! :)

Hi Ellie. Here's my input (for what it's worth) One For the Money is a very fun, friendly read. I didn't like The Memory Keeper's Daughter very much, but Like Water for chocolate sounds delicious. Happy choosing.

The only one of these I've read is Like Water for Chocolate. It's pretty good, though I didn't find it great. If you're a fan of magical realism, this book has that in spades. It aslo has recipes, which was a nice touch.

I am sorry, but I must say that I have not read The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I just found out a couple of weeks ago that there are a couple of other LTers with "nanny" as part of their user name. So perhaps it was one of those that you saw. Thank you though Muse, that you would feel that way. You made me feel really good.

The only one I have actually read is One for The Money and it is crazy, loony, funny!~!
I saw the movie Like Water for Chocolate and it took me two weeks to catch my breath. It is HOT!~! Over the top sensual!~! I don't know about the book. My younger sister loved it. But she hadn't had a man in like 10 years when she read it so I don't know if you want to go by that!~! hee hee
The Coffee House sounds really good to me.
St.Richard didn't like the Rupert Everett one. Rather thought he needed to get over himself.
Guess that is all the help I can give you. I did go over to the book pages and check out The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Chocolate Muse is absolutely right---all the reviews are "meh".

Tricky... The Memory Keeper's Daughter has such mixed reviews, but I kinda feel like I should read it eventually, see what all the hype was about. The Coffee House: A Cultural History was a gift while I was at uni, and right up my street, BUT only if I'm in a good place for a heavier read. Rupert Everett has an ego the size of a small country and apparently name-drops far too much, BUT I'll bet it's a scandalous read. The other two just sound lovely... It's a close competition right now! :-)

Slightly off topic for current reading - but I was reading someone else's thread and suddenly realised that I'd deleted Girl, Interrupted from my library a while back instead of shifting it to 'read but unowned'.

So I've re-added it and written a new review... I won't post it here but it's over on the book's page if anyone's interested! :-)

40) The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

This novella is quite the classic - and one of the longest-standing books on my TBR list - so I'm glad I was finally, ever so gently pushed into reading it by my ABC challenge. Basic story: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson get called in to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, and to protect his heir, Sir Henry, from falling foul of the family curse - the dreaded Hound of the Baskervilles, a demonic monster on the moors. Twists unfold, characters become suspects before falling out of suspicion again... poor Dr Watson struggles to fulfil his detective duties in the bleak Devonshire countryside, and Sherlock Holmes sits quietly in the background, smoking his pipe, cultivating his ego, and like the Miss Marple of classic literature, forming spectacular conclusions from overlooked details. The joy of this novel is that the likeable Dr Watson narrates the tale, so his fear and curiosity becomes our own without clever Holmes spoiling the excitement by working everything out too quickly.

Even though I've seen the television adaptation (starring Richard Roxburgh and Ian Hart) a couple of times, I still couldn't remember all the details of the climactic unravelling of the mystery - and there is something fundamentally chilling about the bleak moors, the craggy limestone and treacherous marshes, and the blood-freezing howl of the unseen, fiendish hell-hound echoing across the empty landscape. A very, very good little book.

OK, onwards and upwards!

The 'F' Shortlist
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Moonraker by Ian Fleming
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

White Oleander is a good choice! A little depressing, but very good. Once again, though, it's the only one from the list I've actually read.

What did you end up deciding for the "E" book?

I read Inkheart some years ago and loved it, though felt I was missing a lot by reading it in translation. Some day I will learn German and read it in Funke's own language!

Thanks for your review of Girl, Interrupted too - I intend to check it out some time - it might come in handy for an assignment I want to set for the medical students at work.

Here I am putting my two cents worth in again. I agree with Spacepotatoes that White Oleander is an excellent choice, but Inkheart holds a special place in my heart (pun, pun) because of its testimony to the love of books. If you love food Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder will have you drooling. Have fun choosing!

Thanks! I didn't think I'd have so many to choose from for 'F', but as it turned out I had real difficulty narrowing it down to five! I finished Hound of the Baskervilles last night and read a few pages of each of the 'E' books before settling on Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins by Rupert Everett. It should be spicy and blunt enough to draw me out from the rather dark, haunting last couple of books...

Nice review of The Hound of the Baskervilles, ellie! I couldn't agree more about the delightfully atmospheric setting.

Once again ChocolateMuse and I are on the same page (pun intended). I enjoyed Inkheart when I read it a few years ago. I haven't read the third in the series yet, but I want to reread the first two before I do because it's been awhile. I think you will find Inkheart a lot of fun, but a bit padded. The recent film version with Brendan Fraser was decent (though I couldn't get over how he had an American accent and his daughter had a British accent — so annoying!). Supposedly Funke wrote the character of Mo with Fraser in mind... which I would never have guessed.

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Hi ellie! Your review made me read Girl, Interrupted.:) On the F Shortlist I'd vote for Madame Bovary (it's the only one I've read and I liked it), but I also have White Oleander and Funke on my TBR, while Joanne Fluke is on my endless wishlist. I think you are in for a great ride whichever book you choose finally.:)

Thanks guys! If I read to the end of Rupert Everett I could end up choosing any of my 'F' shortlist - but if, as I suspect might be the case, my day off on Wednesday turns out to be a 'pyjamas and pizza' kinda day, I MAY dive in and read Moonraker or Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder ahead of time and go back to Red Carpets on Thursday...

It's been an interesting day today. First we had a woman wandering round the shop, calling out to her husband, 'Do you think it'll be under S or H?' Hmmm, we thought, some double-barrelled author? The old 'is du Maurier under D or M?' puzzle? Who could she be looking for? Across she came, turned to Mum, and asked, 'Do you have any Sherlock Holmes books?'

tash99 - reminds me of your customers asking for "you know, that history book that everyone's reading, it's by that professor, Dr. Langdon". :-D

*START OF EPIC MONDAY RANT*

Then there was this strange guy who came in quite innocuously with his friend and, dare I say it, wife (?), and during an odd conversation in which he was leaning right over the counter and making me really uncomfortable, he asked me if I'd read the Bible. In a kind of 'I bet you haven't' sort of way. So I smiled and said I'd started to once, but didn't get very far. BIG MISTAKE. The next thing I know he's offering me advice on how to read the Bible, telling his friends about me not reading the Bible, asking if we HAD a Bible, offering to go to his car to fetch a Bible, insisting on teaching me how to read the Bible best, offering to give me a Bible of my very own, and telling me all about some magazines from the 50s that he could give to us free 'for people to read to better their lives.'

Well, I wouldn't say I have no faith - I do - but it's never really been THAT kind of faith. I personally think people should believe as they choose to believe, whether they be Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or any other religion, and should follow their faith as they choose - for myself, I'm happy to wander through life appreciating the little miracles all around me, helping others where I can, and feeling that someone or something is guiding me quietly in the right direction and giving me the strength and reassurance I need to get through the bad days. This guy, however, was SO condescending and pushy, wouldn't take no for an answer, kept coming back to the shop throughout the day, didn't seem to comprehend anything I (politely) said to him, and made me so uncomfortable I ended up legging it into the office and staying there until he'd gone. So that was nice.

And then, to round off a good old Monday, my stomach had a total and utter tantrum and destroyed any hope of me doing anything remotely productive between about 3 o'clock and closing time. Post-dinner time this evening it apparently couldn't resist an encore which left me shaking like a leaf and feeling like death warmed up. Roll on Wednesday and a blissful, pyjama-clad day off!

*END OF EPIC MONDAY RANT*

Carry on, everybody.

*pity and sympathy to ellie re: her lovely Monday*

I'm a Christian and the Bible is my authority — but I would never shove it down someone's throat like that! Besides being just plain rude, it's counterproductive; I bet you don't want anything to do with it after that! I almost feel like I should apologize for that boneheaded behavior :(

Thank you wisewoman! And please don't apologise - to be honest, I think this man would have made me uncomfortable no matter what we were chatting about, he was just that sort of person! No concept of personal space, for a start... You are quite right - I like to listen to people and share their experiences, and I have tremendous respect for other lifestyles and religions and choices and cultures - what I DON'T like is being put in a pressure situation when I can't politely extract myself! Hence my not reacting well to this gentleman.

I guess I'm just a simple lass - I like to smile and be friendly to people I meet. I like to listen to the blackbirds singing and feel the breeze on my face and walk amongst the trees in the woodland above our house, and I feel CONNECTED, like I'm safe and being guided in the right direction, whatever may happen. Call it God, call it the universe, whatever it might be, it seems to make everything right and brings calm and wellbeing back in times of stress and sorrow... :-)

OK, back down to earth. Today is a quiet day here. Market day is over, the rain is dampening the air even between showers, and the ducks are all happily quacking down on the river. I feel so tired after a couple of days of poorliness, but the shop's empty enough for me to catch up here on LT and read my book a little. So I drift on in the cheerful knowledge that in about three and a half hours I will be home, with a day off ahead of me filled with relaxation and reading...

Just wanted to tell you that I enjoy reading your thread, especially the adventures of having your own bookstore. I used to work in one here in the U.S. and was amazed and amused by the variety of customers.

I also think reading alphabetically is an inventive way to read through your TBR books. I tend to be guided by my book "muse". He/she/it has an ever-growing choice of books and, with another library book sale coming up next month, I may have enough books to open my own used bookstore!

Hi Ellie

If you haven't read it already, you may enjoy George Orwell's reflections on working in a bookshop.

http://www.orwell.ru/library/articles/bookshop/english/e_shop

Thanks guys! We certainly have variety in our customers, and we already have our regulars - and our stories to tell. We have David, a sweet little gentleman who is rather ill, who brings us biscuits and teabags, loves reading about Landrovers and expeditions, and comes to chat to Mum about sewing. Yesterday he brought his wife (they've split up but remain friends) to meet us, and he seemed so shy! Sometimes we tell him that he doesn't need to bring us things, but he just shakes his little beardy head and says, 'I'm just so glad to have met you, so glad...' He's a bit of a character, has had a hugely varied and interesting life, and it always puts a smile on our faces when he arrives in our doorway. Then there's Mr M, a rather charming, tall, handsome (and possibly gay) ex-academic who is perpetually on the book festival circuit, who sells us lots of high-brow literary fiction and books on everything from museums to writers to travel to... Tom Cruise. Mum thinks he looks like John Barrowman (Richard, control yourself)...

There's a young man who looks like he just fell out of a Dickens novel who stalks in from time to time. Another young man in a purple velvet jacket who only reads classics and may or may not in fact be a time-travelling Regency gentleman. A lovely old lady who brings us books for free and tells me off very fiercely if I try to sneakily knock a bit of money off her new buys. A sweet woman who comes on market day to look after a gorgeous old retired sheepdog while her owner is at the agricultural market across town. A tiny little girl who fell in love with the large cuddly camel in the children's corner, and earnestly proposed a deal in which she would bring us some of her books if she could take it home. Now we are constantly having to look out for 'camel rustlers' - he's very popular! Aloysius, the shop teddy bear, fares a little better but even he has had his moments. We are constantly being entertained by impromptu (grand)parent-child story sessions in the corner, sometimes complete with musical interludes...

For every moaning old miser who comes in expecting the charity shop as it used to be, we have some little gem making it all better, whether it be a word of praise, a good giggle or a heartfelt shared experience which reminds us how lucky we are...

Ellie, I hope you know that from now on I'm going to be the most self-conscious bookshop customer EVER.

However, I love your stories :) And I hope your sickness packs its suitcase and leaves you very soon.

Thank you! Unfortunately today has been RUBBISH - it started out well, with a book and coffee and a triple chocolate muffin for late breakfast (which was FANTABULOUS!), but by lunchtime it had descended back into poorliness and headachiness. That said, I've had enough of it this week and I'm bloody well determined to have something nice to eat this evening, even if it's just a pile of toast and a big mug of sweet tea, and I'm swaying towards watching 'Little Women' or some more of 'Charmed' on DVD since my head hurts too much for dear Rupert Everett. I may even open a box of Milk Tray, as a double act of rebellion against my stupid stomach. Ha!

As Tom Hanks advises Meg Ryan in 'You've Got Mail': FIGHT! FIGHT TO THE DEATH! :-)

Sounds like it's time to go to the mattresses ;) (I really hope I got that quote right!)

Sorry you're having such a bad day, hope the DVDs and some good comfort food (chocolate) help!

Yes - it's right - I was going to use that one but 'FIGHT! FIGHT TO THE DEATH!' has kind of stuck in my everyday vocabulary after far too many viewings! Aww, Tom Hanks is so lovely. :-)

I actually spent most of yesterday evening spaced out on co-codamol for my headache, watching Charmed and eating sherbert lemons (just call me Dumbledore!). I was attacked by a huge spider behind the sink in the bathroom at about 12.15. At 12.20 it went up the hoover. By 2.30am I was all Charmed out and very tired, went to bed, and this morning I feel quite human! Hooray! Now I can go back to normal human pursuits like reading my book and cleaning the (spider-free) bathroom...

My dear miss ellie;
What ever would we do without you to put a bit of the "sprite" in our lives. Your stories cheer me, your woes sadden me. (I even get sick with you) I think that I just love how you live and love your life. Your acceptance of all persons, even those who miff your day, is an amazing quality you seem to have.
I am so glad we both are better. I do believe that whitewavedarling has been ill as well. Happy we are coming out of it.
luv n hugs,
belva

Glad to hear you're feeling better! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who vacuums up bugs that are too large to contemplate actually touching, even with a kleenex :)

I think everybody has a certain threshold at which a spider goes from 'manageable' to 'oh dear me, no' - though I did feel a bit guilty because I have a feeling it might have been little Sammy, all grown up. He was a little friendly spider living behind the sink/under the pipe covering, and I left him to enjoy eating flies at his leisure. And, well, I haven't seen him for a while, so he could have become a big scary spider since then...

I am a bad person. :-(

OK, enough's enough - I've given up on Rupert Everett. I like the guy, ego and all; he's posh and rude and eloquent - a proper old-fashioned Wildean darling - but reading this book was getting painful. The eloquence and the wit is still there, but the name-dropping is pretty tiresome, the chronology is muddled, and the 'scandalous' exploits of this young, gay, flamboyant theatrical wannabe are... well, dull.

So, Esquivel has replaced Everett and I've started Like Water for Chocolate instead. Hopefully now my reading will get back on track and I'll feel more inclined to go back to my book instead of playing online or watching DVDs!

*cheers for book abandoners like me!!*

I like your description of Everett. Hope you like this next one better!

Ya know, miss ellie;
I like Rupert Everett and I most likely would do him in the dark (or light of day), but I do not think that I would like to hear him expound on anything that wasn't scripted especially for him. So I say: "Well done!" But my goodness girlfriend; Like Water for Chocolate will have you hyperventilating!~! But loving it!~!
love ya gal,
belva

I have definitely been on more of a DVD kick recently than a reading kick (one too many box sets arriving in one go!)... But I've been reading in the shop so far this morning, and Like Water for Chocolate is rather delicious. Very 'translated', very continental - like 'Amelie' in book form - but the food sounds so scrumptious, and the emotions are so beautifully described. Plus, in my head Pedro has become the gorgeous, tall, dark and handsome, deep voiced Steven Strait, which is definitely helping raise the temperature this breezy autumn day! ;-)

uhm...took me long enough but I found you again! *embarrassed smile*

Hi gug!~!

miss ellie;
You just make me laugh!~! LOL!~! Just this A.M. you were *itching about being so cold. I should had told you to grab your book then, huh?
luvs,
belva

41) Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

I'm not entirely sure how to review this exquisite book in a way that will do it justice. I started it with only the most basic idea of the plot: namely, that Tita, our young heroine, who has practically grown up in the kitchen under the tutelage of their cook Nancha, is deeply in love with Pedro, a local boy. Their love is condemned by the cruel family tradition stating that as the youngest daughter, she can never marry; instead, she must live at home and tend to her mother all her life. In order to remain close to his beloved Tita, Pedro accepts her mother's suggestion that he instead marries her older sister Rosaura.

Thus begins a sensual whirlwind of emotions, colours, flavours and scents, as Tita, under the fierce eye of her mother, pours all of her repressed feelings for Pedro and the torment of her life into her cooking. Cloaked in the mysticism of Mexican lore, each of those who taste her food are miraculously overtaken by powerful urges and emotions, manifestations of Tita's mood as she prepares each dish.

Like Water for Chocolate may turn out to be one of my favourite reads of the year. It is magical and mystical, and burns with fire and passion as Tita and Pedro circle each other through the years, tantalisingly close yet worlds apart. My heart broke for Tita each time her life was torn apart anew, I smiled when she was happy, and my tears must have rivalled hers by the end. I could hear the bubbling saucepans, sense the spices in the air, and taste the sumptious creations one by one. A beautiful, beautiful novel about the power of true love - and one I'll be treasuring for many years to come...

Interesting. I watched this film for a Spanish class and found it a bit corny (maybe it was just the subtitles and the heaving chests of repressed passion). I imagine it might be much better wrapped in beautiful prose!

I started watching the movie on YouTube and had a similar reaction - though we watched a fair few Spanish/Mexican movies along the same lines in our language classes and I found them all to be similarly clunky, if that's the right word. The translation of the novel is a bit clumsy too, but the insight into Tita's heartbreak sweeps you away regardless. I'm not sure a movie could do it justice... Maybe I'll try it, once the magic of the book has ebbed away a little, so I don't ruin the novel for myself if the film's not as good!

I've read a few pages of Flaubert's Madame Bovary AND Joanne Fluke's Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder and I haven't decide between them yet, so I may be back to two books on the go and a double whammy for 'F' in my Alphabet Challenge...

In the meantime, here are my next round of contenders:

The 'G' Shortlist
The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid by Pat F. Garrett
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto
The Future Homemakers of America by Laurie Graham
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Wonder of Girls: Understanding the Hidden Nature of our Daughters by Michael Gurian

Thunk thunk thunk, three more books hit the wishlist. Dumbing us down sounds right up my alley, and the future homemakers sounds cool - I'd never heard of either one.

And your review of Like water for chocolate makes it sound delicious! (yes, bad pun intended) Thanks... I think... for my enlarged wishlist!

Thanks! I have quite a few books on social sciences, particularly on consumerism and/or children and education. It's such a fascinating area to read up on, and it's what propelled me out of one degree into sociology (not that I got more than a term into that one either, stupid agoraphobia!). I'm kinda looking forward to choosing my 'G' read because this is the first time that only one of my five shortlist has been fiction...

Hi Ellie! The only one of the "G" books I've read is Dumbing Us Down, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it changed my life. I was truant from age 8 until I dropped out of high school and went to work, and only then did I begin to be a happier person. (I'm still not 100% "happy," and maybe if I'd gotten anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds as a youngster, school wouldn't have freaked me out so badly--but, who knows.) I didn't learn about Gatto's book until grad school, in 1997. (Yes, I'm a high school dropout with a Master's degree in Library Science.) I was impressed enough with it that I wrote him a letter, and amazingly, he wrote back to me!

One shortcoming with it, for me, is the lack of references. If Gatto had notes and references for even half of what he writes, I think the work as a whole would be much stronger. But, it's a quick and very interesting read. No pressure, though, if you want to pick one of the other "G" titles! ;-)

"this is the first time that only one of my five shortlist has been fiction..."

a-ha! That explains why I didn't know any of the books on it! :)

I think I'll probably end up reading either Dumbing Us Down or The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid... The former I've had since early on at university, and the latter I've had since WAAAAY back in my GCSE years when we studied the American West in history and I was quite taken with the life of Billy the Kid. I read a modern bio at the time, which was great, but never got round to Garrett's. Pat Garrett was the sheriff who had kind of circled Billy for a few years, and finally shot him dead to put an end to his feisty career as an outlaw. Should be an interesting take on the whole story...

ellie, How cool that you're considering The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid. One of my reading hobbies is the Old West, especially New Mexico stories and the Kid lore. The Garrett book is good fun reading. Garrett's life is such an interesting one and some of the biographies of him are captivating. If you choose the Garrett book, just remember that it's a first person account, not always the best for accurate story-telling. Garrett and his relationship with the Kid is actually much murkier than his little book indicates. And Garrett is much more in the grey regions than he would like us all to believe. I look forward to your thoughts if you read that one.

I think I was about 14 when I 'fell for' Billy the Kid, as it were. I read Robert Utley's biography Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life, which I enjoyed, and did plenty of extra reading online, even though he was such a tiny part of our American West syllabus. I bought Garrett's book at the same time but just never got round to reading it. Maybe now I finally will!

Utley's is actually a pretty good one. If you're interested in the Kid and Garrett, you should see if you can scare up a copy of Leon Metz' Pat Garrett: The Story of a Western Lawman.

42) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

* SPOILER ALERT *

I thought I'd better put that in since every reflection I have seems to mention key plot points.

Well, first let me say that I am 95% sure that I will never read this novel again. That is not to say that I'm not glad I read it, or that I disliked it particularly, more that I don't think I could put myself through it again.

It is a novel riddled with complex moral and social issues - and Emma Bovary is a complex anti-heroine. At times I felt sorry for her. She is a woman seeking something bigger for herself, something that her role as wife and mother can't offer her. But she is also a very silly character, reminding me somewhat of Catherine in Northanger Abbey in her futile pursuit of idle dreams. Every emotion coursing through her body is absolutely genuine and heartfelt - until disillusionment comes and it vapourises again. She is reaching for a love and a life that exists only in stories, a terminal case of greed, of always seeing that vibrant, greener grass on the other side of the fence, of vanity and utter selfishness. Yet have we not all occasionally felt unhappy with our lot in life? Can we not look around nowadays and see hundreds of selfish and deluded young people indulging their vanity and trying to win fame, fortune, more money, a richer partner?

Was Madame Bovary just too vain for her time? Should she have taken a long hard look at her life, at her loyal husband and little daughter, at her friends and her situation, and been content? Of course. But then, with such corruption dragging her down, could she be blamed entirely for her downfall? One of the most dreadful things about this novel is the violence of Emma's end, the torment of her descent into despair. Worse still is the fact that in the last chapter, the fairytale she has been seeking is utterly demolished: everyone who contributed to her downfall continues with their life, while those around her are ruined. While Berthe is poor, Charles dies of a broken heart and her father is paralysed, Homais is applauded, Lheureux continues to gain from others' ruin, and her two lovers walk away without so much as a word of recrimination or a twinge of remorse.

All in all, a novel that is valuable for its portrayal of society in the 19th century, including its ideas about women, marriage and adultery, religion, and about medical theories and advances. The characters are strongly drawn and as real in their complex and flawed personalities as any I've ever read. It raises questions, it provokes thought about blame and morality, it parallels certain worrying trends that continue into today's society... and despite everything, I was moved by Emma's tragic demise. But I think the repetitive nature of the novel - mistake, regret, repentence, repeat - and the unlikeable, unredeemable nature of the title Madame will stop it being a keeper for me.

* SPOILER END *

Ahh. I've been wondering where you got to. Now I see you were Battling Bovary.

Great review, thanks. Flaubert is known for his earnest search for the mote juste (probably wrong spelling) - the exact perfect word, but I think something of that must necessarily be lost in translation which is a pity. You did well to get all the way through! I didn't!

Great review! I agree with all your comments... except that I love this book, and have read it quite a few times now. Funny that what puts one person off is what draws another person in. Hope you like your next book more!

I wouldn't say I didn't like it exactly, more that I was just so frustrated that Emma never learned her lesson or looked outside of herself long enough to see the destruction she was causing all around her. She was just so vile to Charles and Berthe, I just wanted to give her a good slap!

Anyways, next up is Marley and Me for a little light relief - plus it'll be a quick one in these last few days before the People of the Book group read... I'm also keeping that in mind for my 'H' choices - things that I can read easily alongside the Brooks.

The 'H' Shortlist
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Sea Trek by Martha Holmes
Children of the Jungle by Per Host

Marley and Me - good, definitely good. Light relief - you may be in for more than you'd expect. There's more about life in that book than I ever expected in a dog book.

Oh, and my vote for H - A Moveable Feast. For a book lover, there are few better books about the written word. One of my all-time favorite books.

My vote goes to Curious Incident, though that is partially because it's the only one from the list I've actually read...but it is very good!

Good thoughts on Madame Bovary, ellie! It's one of those books I own but haven't read, mostly because I think it will infuriate me. You pretty much confirm that.

I haven't read anything on your short list but I have seen the movie for 84, Charing Cross Road with Anthony Hopkins. It was very good — bittersweet.

Hey ellie! Just wanted to chime in with appreciation for your comments on Madame Bovary. I read it SO LONG AGO -- I was about 16 and new to "the classics" and more serious reading. I wanted to read literature and "better myself," but didn't have much guidance or any plan, I just read whatever I happened to find checked in at the public library when I went browsing.

I know I got through the whole book, and probably enjoyed it in some fashion (since I now own a copy), but I've been thinking the past couple years that I should reread it. Not only am I much older (with more life experience, etc.), but I also have an English degree, more years of reading, and the knowledge that the novel influenced countless other writers -- three things I *didn't* have at age 16!

I love how you said, "I don't think I could put myself through it again." We've all met THOSE kinds of books before -- I think you described that feeling perfectly!

Hi Ellie, thanks for your review of Madame Bovary. I was 17 when I read it (I was doing something similar to HeathMochaFrost!) and didn't enjoy it very much. You make me feel much better about disliking Emma Bovary, although you clearly got much more out of the book. I think I should try it again now that I have a slightly less black-and-white view of the world!

I've read the first three books on your shortlist and enjoyed them all very much, but I expect that's not a very helpful comment!

43) Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

I was reading this as light relief from Madame Bovary during moments of sleepiness, headachiness, and general weariness. It was like the book version of 'Pushing Daisies', which was rather nice. No dead people coming back to life, but where there was Ned, there is Hannah, and where there was The Pie Hole, there is The Cookie Jar. Hannah Swensen is a nice normal woman, living with her cat Moishe, fending off her mother's attempts at matchmaking, and happily running her little bakery-cum-coffee shop with her assistant Lisa. But when friendly local milkman Ron is found dead in her alley, surrounded by Hannah's cookies, she turns sleuth to help her deputy sheriff brother-in-law solve the case.

It wasn't particularly well written, let's be honest - and some of the speech was so clunky it was painful - but it was a sweet little story nonetheless. It comes with plenty of delicious cookie and candy recipes to try, and the last third of the book is actually a separate, festive Hannah Swensen novella. When a young runaway called Candy breaks into The Cookie Jar to escape another cold night on the street, Hannah and her friends have to use their sleuthing skills to find her family and give her a happy Christmas. Pure fluff, but enjoyable enough for me to go straight ahead and order the next book, the equally scrummy-sounding Strawberry Shortcake Murder!

44) What it Feels Like, edited by A.J. Jacobs

I guess if I'd seen the tiny size of this book, or the words 'Esquire presents...' emblazoned across the top, I might have thought twice about buying it. But I didn't, so I did. It sounded like such a brilliant concept: rounding up a group of people who have experienced things most people never will, and asking them to present a short piece explaining what it was like. What does it feel like to be struck by lightning, or gored by a bull? To be bitten by a shark or held hostage? To have leprosy or live with multiple personalities?

But it just falls flat. Some pieces are better than others - Buzz Aldrin's experience of walking on the moon is very lyrical, for example. The piece describing what it feels like to be an executioner at a Mississippi gas chamber was heartbreaking, the one about giving birth eloquent and uplifting. But there are others, ones that should have been fascinating, that were dull as anything. The tale of a man being bitten by a venomous snake pretty just went 'I was bitten. Someone took me to hospital. They gave me the antidote.' Each essay could have been so much better structured, fleshed out to give the reader a more complete picture of the incident, the feelings, the experience as a whole, to make us feel the nerves, the adrenaline, the sadness or elation. The book just didn't deliver any of that.

If you're going to read it, do yourself a favour and get it out of the library!

I am a sucker for Hannah Swensen .... she's just such a fun person.....with a great cat, a loopy mom and 2 beaus vying for her affection.

Thanks for the heads up on What It Feels Like ... I browsed through a couple of the essays and they didn't catch, so I left it on the shelf. Sounds like it was a good move.

45) Marley and Me by John Grogan

I put off reading this book for a long time, suspicious of the hype around the book and then, not long after, the movie. I needn't have worried so much. John Grogan has done for American dog lovers what Deric Longden did for British cat lovers. He has written a memoir with a deceptively simple premise - one man's story of life with 'the world's worst dog', his labrador retriever Marley.

What actually leaps out of the story is a wonderful portrayal of family life with this huge personality in its midst, a heartwarming tale of one dog from bouncy puppy to geriatric old dog. There is enough humanity to keep the book grounded, enough Marley to fill the whole with boundless energy. It made me laugh out loud, it made me cry so much I had to do some serious mascara damage repair, it made me think, it made me smile... I'm definitely a cat person, but Marley's personality won me over from the word go, with his fierce loyalty and sheer enthusiasm for life.

"Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty."

Beautifully written, full of hilarious anecdotes, and well worth a read!

Hi Ellie, So glad you enjoyed Marley! I was lucky enough to have read it before all the hype started but I know what you mean about being suspicious of it. I would have put off reading it, too.

Glad you read it. You totally nailed the book and it's charm. Less about a dog and more about life.

I'm always wary of too much hype in case I'm disappointed, but I loved Marley and Me! I just ordered the movie too - I've heard its nowhere near as good, but on the plus side, it has a cute lab doing funny things, right?!

I've managed to restrain myself on the Helen Hanff front for now, since I have a category for essays, short stories and letters in my 1010 challenge for next year. If I don't manage to hold out until then it'll make a nice read over Christmas! So I'm now reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time alongside The People of the Book. So far, brilliant! Not many choices for my next read though...

The 'I' Shortlist
Cinnamon City by Miranda Innes
Authors in Context: The Brontes by Patricia Ingham

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the Bronte book, ellie!

>84 elliepotten: I watched the movie on a flight back in May and I really enjoyed it, though I haven't read the book so I don't know how much difference that made. I wasn't intending to see it otherwise but I was stuck on a plane and it was one of the few options...it was a pleasant surprise. And it made me get all misty-eyed. I hopes it lives up to the book for you!

I loved reading Marley and Me. Thankfully I read it before the hype was unleashed. I didn't watch the movie because I was afraid it wouldn't be true to the book and just capitalize on the funny bits. Your review of it was brilliant. I wept buckets.

My mother has a lab who could be Marley's brother. ;-)

Um, you wept buckets at the book or at the review...?! ;-)

46) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I must admit, I had a bit of a mixed reaction to this one. On the one hand, I absolutely loved the voice of Christopher Boone, and the way Mark Haddon really got into the mind of a boy with Asperger's. It is an innocent and naive voice, yet in other ways an utterly brilliant one, throwing the world into a whole new light. I found it absolutely charming to read, and found some of Christopher's extensive knowledge on his favourite subjects quite fascinating.

The story started off well for me. Christopher finds his neighbour's dog, Wellington the poodle, dead in her garden, run through with a garden fork. He sets about 'doing investigating' to find out who could commit such a terrible murder, and with the help of his aide Siobhan, writing a book about his experiences. This is that book, filled with observations and trivia, thoughts about life and the rituals and logic that make him feel safe.

To my surprise, the mystery was solved sooner than expected and the story veered off on an entirely new tangent that I didn't enjoy as much. By the end the strangeness of Christopher's family situation had lost me a little; where I should have felt for him and his courageous struggle to set everything straight, I felt only a vague kind of sympathy. I wasn't as moved or stirred as I thought Haddon probably intended me to be.

Not a keeper for me, but nevertheless I really enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any of the, hmmm, ten people in the world who haven't read it yet!

Right, well, so far neither of my 'I' choices are gripping me in the slightest, so by tonight I may have to give them up as a lost cause and take 'I' as a free choice letter instead.

The 'J' Shortlist
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
The Mummy Diaries by Rachel Johnson
Paris: A Biography by Colin Jones
To the Baltic with Bob by Griff Rhys Jones
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Looking forward to choosing from those five, actually!

Oh, missellie;
I do hope you choose Paris: A Biography. That one sounds fascinating. (I did a search on each one of them) But whether you read it now or later, I can't wait to hear what you think about it. Ummmmmmmmm Paris. Can you imagine? Although you have probably already visited there.
How have you been feeling? And are you getting your DVD fix, warm toast & hot tea, and lovely munchies on your days off yet? I do hope so.
I will talk with you soon.
love,
belva

Great review of The Curious Incident. I was one of those umm, ten people you mentioned who hadn't read the book. I only read it last month. Your review is deadly accurate. The book was good, and even though I would recommend it, my own personal feelings after finishing were mixed and kind of complicated.

Belva! It's nice to see you around again, how are things going with Chrissy and other general busy things? Hope both are going in the right direction.

I'm definitely looking forward to choosing from these five, so who knows... I haven't been to Paris though, excepting Disneyland Paris, and going around the Paris ringroad in the dark en route to Santillana, up near the mountains in Northern Spain. We could see the light on the top of the Eiffel Tower flashing round and round in the middle of the sea of Parisian lights, it was quite beautiful. One day I'll get there - to go to Shakespeare and Co., the ultimate bookstore!

Unfortunately my last day off was just one of those days when errands must be run and you don't feel like there's been much 'day-offness' about it. A doctor's appointment, an upset stomach, a vet's visit, several hours grubbing about on the floor of my old school library choking on dusty, grubby books, a dead laptop (plus rush to save photos)... So I've planned ahead and made next Wednesday a No-Go Zone for anything except being utterly lazy. ;-)

In the meantime:work, reading, my little sister home for a night or two, and making every evening moment count.

P.S. Thanks Louanne! I'm glad I'm not the only one who simply enjoyed it for its charm and unique voice rather than finding it to be the best thing they'd ever read...

Things are going great now. Chrissy and I talk on the phone on the days I don't go up to Seattle for a visit. And my life is beginning to come back to normal (for my life).
I am reading quite a bit and am back into some heavier material. That feels good as for a time I just needed escapism for pain relief.
But things are good.
I am sorry your day off wasn't as I had imagined it to be. I like to think about you on your day off. Watching "Charmed" or some such DVD, looking at some magazines, having your sweets and your teas and reading your books. But I am happy that sis is home for a bit. That will be so nice for all of you.
luv ya,
belva

Yes, it's just been one of those weeks this week, y'know, where things need doing but it all feels like such a big effort! Plus we've had some not-so-great customers again this week, after a few weeks off, which doesn't help! But it's been nice having Hannah here for a couple of nights - she has a corner on one of her front teeth where she chipped it years ago and it came off, so she came home to get it fixed - and we've managed to see her quite a bit around work, which is good.

But I always look forward to Saturday night, and more so tonight since Wednesday was so busy. We have a family drama on called 'Merlin', which is funny and exciting, perfect weekend entertainment. Uther Pendragon is King of Camelot, Prince Arthur is trying to prove himself, Merlin is Arthur's servant, hiding his magic to stay safe, Lady Morgana is Uther's ward and Guinevere is her maid... Then after that, Charmed and my book, as if it was Wednesday after all. All that and this year's debut box of luxury mince pies... ;-)

Fully agree on Curious Incident. I taught it for a few years because I thought it was great for point of view, learning about Asperger's, etc., but we'd always discuss the ending in class - with the students usually coming to the same conclusion that it just felt abruptly wrapped up, and in ways that weren't necessarily consistent. Looking forward to what you thought about People of the Book, too...

Ohhhhhhhhhhh lovely mince pies!~! Tis that time of year. Love them.

47) People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

I came to this book with great expectations, having read and loved Brooks' first novel Year of Wonders several times over the years. This one didn't quite live up to her debut for me, but I certainly wasn't disappointed. Brooks has put together a sweeping work giving the reader glimpses into the journey of the famous Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illustrated ancient Jewish prayer book.

She alternates chapters from the point of view of Hanna, a feisty young book conservator working on the haggadah, with episodes from the book's history, flowing through time and skipping across countries to follow it from its creation to its revered status today. It is an epic story, filled with hardship and death, war and persecution, romance and courage. Perhaps one of the reasons I preferred Year of Wonders was its message of pulling together in times of natural disaster in order to survive. This novel was about the survival of the book when human bonds were being torn apart, and Brooks doesn't shy away from the cruelty of war and the idea of history repeating itself in the face of mankind's own futile desire for superiority.

I don't think I would read it again in a hurry - although the book survived, it was heartbreaking the way lives were being senselessly destroyed all around it. Suicide, murder, book burning, torture, it's all here. Most of this book is fictional, but the research on the religious turmoil and the bravery of the people known to have protected the haggadah is as meticulous as we would expect from Brooks. It's well worth a read: it made me think, it made me cry, it left me pondering huge themes and questions, and it reminded me of how lucky I am compared to these individuals who had to show immense courage just to hold on to their beliefs and stay alive.

Beautifully put, Ellie!

Why thank you! *bows deeply*

I must admit, I did read this novel more attentively, knowing it was for a group read. Kinda like being back at university again and knowing I'd be contributing to a discussion afterwards! It felt good reading that actively again. I do read more carefully now anyway, because I like to add a LT review for each book I finish, but this time I made notes and everything! :-)

I know what you mean, I was doing that too. A few friends and I started up a book club last month and I read our first book (The Thirteenth Tale) with a pad of paper and pen by my side the whole time, first time I've done that with a novel since high school! It's worth it, though, I feel like I got much more out of the books this way than I would have otherwise!

Yes, me too. I feel like I notice more when I know I will be reviewing it or discussing it at the end. I seem to pick up on more details and remember things better. Plus, because I tend to recognise what I DON'T like about the book as well as what I do, it makes it easier to part with those books I probably won't read again. Win-win situation, methinks!

I loved The Thirteenth Tale!

Good job on People of the Book, Ellie! You make me want to read it, and I haven't wanted to before. You and spacepotatoes are right! I've got to start taking notes with each book I read. On one hand, it feels like being back in school again and takes me away from the book when I just want to keep reading, but like you I also find that I get a lot more out of the book than I would otherwise. Maybe that will be my New Year's Resolution.

Just passing through ...been really busy lately so I haven't been on LT for a while.

I wasn't completely bowled over by People of the Book either. I did like bits of it, but I didn't think it was as strong a book as A Year of Wonders or March which I enjoyed more. I didn't think she handled the transition between the different people who owned the books over time well.

Thanks Caroline!

It's been pretty rubbish working in the shop these past couple of days. Our beautiful baby cat (well, very old cat but still our baby!) had to be put down this morning. She's been with us more than half my life and I don't think it's entirely sunk in yet because while she went to the vets with my stepdad, Mum and I had to pull it together and head to work. Yesterday morning Mum called me to say that Marmalade was very poorly. My stepdad took her to the vet, who said she probably had a stroke during the night, and sent her home full of steroids and medication for the day. Something similar happened two years ago and twelve hours after her jabs she was fine. But this time her back legs had gone completely. She was still chirpy enough to be purring at us, then trying to get around and miaowing piteously. We said our goodbyes for the third time this morning (we didn't think she was coming home yesterday, then that she might not last the night) and my stepdad took her back to the vets again to be put to sleep.

R.I.P. Marmalade, baby sister and bestest friend.

I think a night of keeping distracted is in order - DVD box set, ironing, good book, not necessarily in that order... :_(

oh dear, I haven't been on LT in such a long time and I'm trying to catch up but I see it's nearly impossible. Skipped your review of Madame Bovary because I haven't read it and I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but completely agreed with your review of Curious Dog in the Night-Time. I had a bit of a mixed reaction as well, though it was an easy read and I definitely enjoyed it. Not sure if I would read it again though. Also loved your review of People of the Book which I haven't read, though have heard much about.

P.S. I was reading one of my older threads (looking for sth specific) and saw you mentioning I should look you up on Facebook so I just did and found you, too :)

Excellent! I'll head on over there tonight then...

Aaah! :-( So sorry to hear about your Marmalade! Cats are so cozy to hang out with. Perfect for readers--unless they want to curl up on your book! I'm picturing a very orange cat. Do you have a picture to share?

I'll take my laptop down to Mum's tomorrow and hook it up to a working monitor (my screen's dead) so I can upload one to my profile. She was indeed a ginger tabby - very unusual, female ginger tabbies, apparently - with a white patch under her chin and little white feet. She liked flowers, dribbling on books, and her pet hair bobble, Bernard. Poor Marmy.

Ah. I Love Cats. Female Ginger Tabbies are very rare. Just like male Calicos are rare too. I have a male Ginger Tabby and a female Calico plus a stray male Ginger Tabby that we see once in a blue moon.

Sorry to hear about Marmalade.

Very sorry to hear about your cat :(

rest in peace, Marmalade!

Thanks everyone. Poor Marmy will be much missed - and our other cat doesn't know quite what to make of it. They used to fight a lot so they were kept apart, but now Pippa has the run of the house. She's already chosen a favourite spot by the radiator in the hall and we're all starting to settle in a bit. Yesterday we planted some Jetfire dwarf narcissi where she's buried, with the little orange trumpets to remind us of her... :-)

Meanwhile...

48) Cinnamon City: Falling for the Magical City of Marrakech by Miranda Innes

I picked this up while I was still at university, never got around to reading it, and was pretty close to pulling the Pearl Rule on it this time. I'm very glad I persevered (well, started it again from the beginning THEN persevered) because it actually turned out to be rather delicious.

It's essentially a typical 'couple make completely out-of-the-blue impulse purchase of house in foreign country' travel writing book. The difference is that while most books in this genre seem to be about olive groves in Italy, villas in Spain or vineyards in France, Miranda and Dan had already moved to Spain from England - this book is about their purchase of a shabby old riad in Marrakech.

The book takes us from their first visit to Marrakech with their friend Maggie, through the trials and tribulations of renovating the house, right up to the moment when they realise it finally feels like home, a palace to be proud of, ready to open to the world. Innes is a mistress of exotic magic, conjuring heavenly images of spices and snake charmers, bustling streets and belly dancers. At the same time her British sensibilities allow her to bring to life the exuberant characters who transformed the riad - and their lives - amid the pink stone and crying muezzins of Morocco.

It is amusing and down to earth, yet also descriptive and deeply evocative of a different world, a different culture, a different way of viewing life and its triumphs and tribulations. The one thing I would have liked is a few photos. There are a few of Dan's line drawings scattered through the book, but it would have been nice to see how the house had progressed. That said, given that the riad is lettable accommodation it wasn't too difficult to locate it online (http://www.riadmaizie.eu/) for a nosy at it in all its finished palatial glory.Recommended for a bit of scrumptious escapism that might just leave you wanting to follow in their footsteps...

I love this genre. I've seen this in the bookstore but didn't get around to buying it yet. I will pick it up the next time I'm in the store. It sounds like I'll really enjoy it.

Some other similar books to Cinnamon City which you may enjoy if you've enjoyed this one are:
Bitter Lemons of Cyprus by Lawrence Durrell
A Trip to the Beach by Melinda Blanchard
The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah
Spanish Lessons by Derek Lambert
The Summer of my Greek Taverna by Tom Stone

Thanks Caroline - as it happens I have a whole load of Amazon vouchers to spend, plus a whole other load of 'physical store' vouchers that I was planning to take to Waterstones in a couple of weeks' time, so I'll keep an eye out!

The 'K' Shortlist
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

I've chosen Three Men in a Boat for my 'J' read and so far it is promising to be sparklingly wonderful. It's very funny, but also has beautiful passages like this, which just reminded me of our summer narrowboating holidays, mooring for the night on a quiet country canal:

"Slowly the golden memory of the dead sun fades from the hearts of the cold, sad clouds. Silent, like sorrowing children, the birds have ceased their song, and only the moorhen's plaintive cry and the harsh croak of the corncrake stirs the awed hush around the couch of waters, where the dying day breathes out her last.

From the dim woods on either bank, Night's ghostly army, the grey shadows, creep out with noiseless tread to chase away the lingering rearguard of the light, and pass, with noiseless, unseen feet, above the waving river-grass, and through the sighing rushes; and Night, upon her sombre throne, folds her black wings above the darkening world, and, from her phantom palace, lit by the pale stars, reigns in stillness."

Oh, I LOVED The History of Love! I hope you read that one! But I think you'll like The Secret Life of Bees better.

Unfortunately The Secret Life of Bees is currently AWOL, so unless I find it within the next couple of days I'll be picking something else. Do I even have it still?! Who knows... :-)

Aw, I hope you find it, that was going to be my recommendation too! I think you'd love it.

Otherwise, the Confessions of a Shopaholic book is fun if you want some light entertainment.

At the moment I'm leaning towards Confessions or The Jungle Book - but then, who knows where my fancy will carry me post-Jerome? After that I may start to fill in my letters a little more haphazardly in an attempt to finish my ABC by the time the 1010 starts in January. All the books are coming from Mount TBR anyway, but since it does still feel a LITTLE bit like cheating I'll decide post-'K', I think...

Three Men in a Boat is one of my favorites. It's hilarious, yes, but you are right to quote a more contemplative, descriptive passage... there's lots of those little gems scattered throughout.

Oh deary me, in my slightly emotional current state I just got completely choked up by a little family who came into the shop. Dad, nine-ish year-old boy and tiny little girl, maybe four or five. Off they ran to the children's section, very enthusiastically (which sometimes rings alarm bells!). But when they came to the till the little boy paid for his book, very politely. Then he cut his dad off mid-wallet-search, paid for the little girl's book out of his own pocket money, asked if she could have her own little bag to carry, gave her a very 'proud brotherly' smile, and walked out of the shop with his arm round her. If all the children who came in were so very wonderful, we'd be very happy (even if I would be trying not to tear up all the time!)... :-)

awwww...that's so sweet, now I'm tearing up too. :-)

Hi Ellie- I've been meaning to stop over here forever! Glad you enjoyed the group read! Are you joining us for World Without End? I migrated over to the 75 Book Challenge recently, stop by and check out my new "digs"! Hope you have a great weekend!
Mark

Spookily, this is pretty accurate!

Eleanor Potten's Dewey Decimal Section:
544 (Unassigned)
Eleanor Potten = 5251458650054 = 525+145+865+005+4 = 1544

Class:
500 Science

Contains:
Math, astronomy, prehistoric life, plants and animals.

What it says about you:
You are fascinated by the world around you, and see it as a puzzle worth exploring. You try to understand how things work and how you can make them better. You might be a nerd.

Hey Mark! I don't think I'll be joining you for World Without End, unfortunately - I haven't read Pillars yet, it's on my list for next year after the rave reviews it got from your last group read! - but don't forget about me next time, okay?

Can you add me a link to your new place so I can drop in with a housewarming message?! I was considering moving across to the 75-ers myself for 2010... The actual physical labour doing up the shop in the spring put paid to much reading for a couple of months, I was so tired, but now I'm working here every day I have plenty of time to read behind the counter. I'll consider it nearer the time I think, when I know my final tally for '09!

Ellie- Sorry I thought you had joined us for Pillars! I'm planning on doing a group read of Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie in March. Several people have shown interest. Here's my link: http://www.librarything.com/topic/78161

Just stopping by to say hello .... and I loved the story of the little boy. Had me tearing up too.

Hey I noticed you're almost at the end of your challenge. Looks like you'll be done before Christmas!

Hi Caroline! Good to know I'm spreading some festive cheer, making everyone on LT cry... But it's a Tiny Tim-esque crying, so it's sorta Christmassy, right?

Yeah, should be fine with my 50 - I'm reading four at once at the moment, so I'm well on my way, and there's still the Christmas break to go! I'm more interested in finishing my ABC challenge as well now, so I don't have to overlap it too much when my 1010 starts next year!

Hi Ellie - love the profile cat picture.

I'll send you the link to the next 75 challenge when it's out, if you don't see it.

So what's the 1010 challenge? 10 books in 10 days? ;-O

It's the 999 updated - ten books, ten categories, 2010... except most people have decided that might be a bit much so are cheating one way or another: stepped challenges (one in category 1, two in category 2), or like me, five books in each category instead of ten.

Ten books in ten days... now there's a twinkling thought - if only I was Stasia I might stand a chance!

My dear miss ellie;
It has been too long. I am so sorry to hear about your "Marmy". We, too, lost our ginger tabby this fall. She lost all control of bladder and bowel and of her hind quarters as well. She was almost 18 years old. And of course was a rescue. My daughter brought her home with her when she moved home from San Diego. She actually stole her from her neighbor who was a crackhead and she had seen her putting cigarette burns on poor Gabby's ears. She carried the scars her whole life. We have lost 3 in just under a year. Spot, our calico, was 17 and we think she just went off somewhere to die last winter. Moose, our little Siamese with 6 toes on each front paw and now Gabby. Moose was young though; only 3. We are down to 5.
Loved your review of People of the Book. I thought it very well done so good job!~! I wish you had time to read Pillars of the Earth in the next month so you could join us for World Without End mid January. But we all have our own agendas. I am still finishing War and Peace for that group read, have begun Clarel for that one and when done with W & P, will begin Les Miserables for that group read. I am already late in starting (Dec 1st), but when I was reading Life and Fate and War and Peace at the same time it was really too much. So I have decided only one tome at a time!~! And I am excited about Mark's group read of Midnight's Children coming up in March as I have yet to finish anything by Rushdie so I think the group will help me.
I also love your story of the children with their little book purchases. What a little man brother proved to be. So very nice to see in this day and age of me, me, me.
Well, back to my book.
luv ya and a big hug,
belva

49) Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives by Richard Wiseman

Not much to review here, because there is so much information contained in this book that it really has to speak for itself. Suffice to say, it is just what I like best - a fascinating look at the quirky side of human psychology. Wiseman has compiled a huge amount of research on the funny little aspects of human life that we might not otherwise think twice about, weaving them together in a very accessible and humorous way that compliments the subject matter.

Do you want to find out why there are so many fishermen named Fisher, or so many people called Louis in St. Louis? The funniest joke in the world, and how you can be led to remember events that never happened? Why Friday 13th is really unlucky, and which religion produces the best Good Samaritans? How much life has really sped up over recent years, and how to tell whether someone is lying? If the answer is yes, read this book!

Belva! It has indeed been too long, but as long as we've all been reading happily and winding our way slowly towards Christmas, then all is good. Now that I've almost finished my Christmas shopping, and there are only one or two little work-related trips left, I'm beginning to feel almost festive! Our shopping trip to town on Wednesday was disastrous (my stupid stomach struck again despite all my pill-popping beforehand), but we managed to head to the cinema in the afternoon so it wasn't a totally wasted day. We still have to head out of town for another set of donated books from my mum's old GP - a 91 year-old who could pass himself off for 75, no problems, and has taken something of a shine to me recently! - and nip across to the charity shop (where I volunteered) for a last load of their leftovers before the New Year, but by next Friday we'll be counting down the home straight to Christmas Eve.

In the meantime we're just looking forward in eager anticipation to ten whole days of Christmas movies, delicious spreads and work-free reading time. I can't wait!

The Wiseman book sounds really interesting! It's always neat to read about these things that are all around us but we never really think about. I'm adding it to the ever-growing TBR!

Hmm...1010 sounds like an interesting challenge. I'll have to see if I can incorporate that into my other challenge for 2010. I suppose I should put together my 10 category list first.

Sorry to hear of your disastrous shopping trip. I hope it doesn't act up again when you have to collect the books from your new beau.... although if you didn't want his attentions, passing out with a green face, might just do the trick ...oh wait, he's your mum's old GP .. nevermind... he might look at that as an invitation to provide you with personal treatment.

I can't wait for the Christmas break too for the parties, Christmas movies (my favorites are the Sound of Music, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Carol), the feasting with family and friends and some quiet reading time.

Ellie, the 2010 75 challenge is out. Here's the link: http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2010#forums

Thanks Caroline - I've headed over to join but haven't started my thread yet. I'll post it here when I do!

I like Christmas telly as a way to catch up on movies I might have missed at the cinema or on DVD - I even discovered a love of High School Musical when the first two movies were on last year! They were cheesy but so good! Plus, of course, I'm actively trying to settle on a pile of books for the Christmas break (kinda like for going on holiday) which is difficult but soooo much fun...

And thanks for the happy wishes for Tuesday. Hopefully I'll be so tired/hungry after a day at work that we'll have a good excuse to head straight in and out of there and I'll be half asleep in the car to save my nerves! It's amazing how a bad day can set things back a bit - but I DID make an extra effort to leave Mum minding the counter and head out into Bakewell this week for an hour of Christmas shopping and exploring a new shop or two, which made me feel a bit more confident again.

Now, back to my book for a few minutes, then half an hour in the office for me, then it'll be time to wash up and clean the floor and get home... It can't come too soon today, I'm having a tired wintery day and I can't wait to get home to a movie and a pizza or something!

For anyone who wants to follow my thread again in 2010 (I feel horribly vain yet strangely hopeful writing that), I've set it up in advance over at the 75-ers group. I won't move over there until January but hopefully now the shop's settled there'll be rather more reading going on in the New Year than we managed through all the renovations and agoraphobia-busting this year!

http://www.librarything.com/topic/79224

I'm just hoping I don't miss anyone in the flurry of new threads being set up right now - if I don't appear to have found you, drop by and leave me your link...

I've got you starred, Ellie, but will try not to post on your 2010 until you've moved over after the New Year. And that's a good idea to remind our friends to "link" us if they don't see us on their threads.

I have your thread starred ready for next year :)

I shall be staying put with the 50 Book Challenge group, since I still aspire to reach that number!

Rebeki - you'll get there! I've been tracking my reading for three years now and after a 42 in 2007 and a 43 in 2008, this year, for the first time, I'm finally reading #50 right now. And anyway, it's the journey that counts, not the destination... :-)

I've got you starred too. I don't want to miss your shop stories.

Hi Ellie- I'll be setting up my 2010 also! It's cool that everyone can launch at the same time! I hope you have a great Holiday Season!!

I made my fifty with a couple of weeks to go!

50) Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor by Max Pemberton

I don't read The Daily Telegraph, so I'd never heard of Max Pemberton until I started to hear the gentle murmurings about this book. I picked it up on a whim when it arrived in a box of books at our shop, and it turned out to be well worth a read.

It's a kind of diary of Pemberton's first year as a junior doctor, fresh out of medical school, terrified, and absolutely clueless as to the day to day running of a hospital ward. Along with his friends Ruby, Supriya and Lewis, he has to negotiate the egos of his consultants, befriend the nurses and secretaries who will help him adjust, learn to book scans and prescribe medication, cope with his mistakes and develop a confident bedside manner. Along the way there is death and despair, hope and uncertainty, joy and laughter.

I learned a lot about the way a ward operates, and developed a whole new respect for the doctors and nurses who fight every day to alleviate suffering, sometimes against the most horrific odds. There are also some pertinent points made about the way the NHS has been politicised by the government and the changes that are being made against all common sense. It's nice to hear a doctor's view of these issues rather than just the political spin placed on it for the media. All in all, this is a great little read; amusing, informative, eye-opening and full of heart.

Thanks, another one to add to my list.

51) Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Quintessentially British, this little novel-cum-memoir exudes a Wodehouse-ish humour that is quite charming with a cup of tea of an afternoon. Jerome based his book on a journey he made with two friends (but no dog) up the Thames from Kingston to Oxford in a wooden skiff.

In the book J, George, Harris, and the endearing Montmorency the dog, set off for Oxford in order to boost their health and wellbeing after a fearful bout of terminal hypochondria. Taking turns rowing and towing their little boat, they share meals and memories, arguments and laughter. They explore the pretty riverside villages and spend the clear nights camping in the boat. Of course there are scrapes aplenty given their hopeless ineptitude and fearsome laziness...

The book is certainly very amusing, and I read most of the first half with a stupid smirk on my face. But I don't know whether it was my own 'winding down to Christmas' tiredness or the book itself, but it enchanted me less and less towards the end. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing, perhaps it was the same thread of humour growing thin, who knows. The final verdict: quite funny, yet also quite beautiful, with evocative descriptions of life on the river that reminded me of the narrowboating holidays I've enjoyed over recent years. Well worth a read, and I'll be reading Three Men on the Bummel soon...

Great review, ellie! I really enjoyed that when I read it a few years ago. It was the first book that made me laugh out loud several times as I was reading.

I haven't read Bummel yet, but I have a friend who read them right in a row and she said Bummel is best read a little while after Boat, because — as you say — it almost becomes too much of a good thing.

Are you a Wodehouse fan, by chance?

I haven't read any Wodehouse for years actually - he was the first writer my mum pulled out for me from the adult area of the library, to move up from teen reading! A Wodehouse or two, and The Chase by Louisa May Alcott, if I remember rightly. I really do need to read him again, don't I?

Yes you do! He's brilliant :). If possible, you should look for Peter Cecil's audiobook readings. I'm not sure I've ever laughed so hard in my life!

I don't know whether it was my own 'winding down to Christmas' tiredness or the book itself, but it enchanted me less and less towards the end.

Funny that you should compare him with Wodehouse because that has been my experience with the only Widehouse book I've read. Funny at first but then...too much of the same kind of humour. Best read in small bits, I guess.

Exactly Eliza (that would make a good movie title!) - too much of the same kind of humour, especially when it's the old slapsticky style. There were some great one liners and giggle-aloud moments of sheer ridiculousness, but it got a bit much. I actually preferred the earliest part, before they even got on the boat!

52) Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

A fun, quick girlie read perfect for a pyjamas-and-pizza kind of day. It was quite amusing, it was ditzy, ridiculous, romantic, and completely fluffy. I didn't like it anywhere near as much as The Undomestic Goddess (my favourite Kinsella so far) but perhaps that's because I'm definitely not the stereotypical clothes-and-makeup girlie shopper. I thought the fixing of all Becky's money problems was a little TOO convenient, even allowing for the chick lit thing, and I'd have liked a little more romance and a little less bimbo... but ultimately it is a well written little novel and I found myself carried along quite nicely in spite of my lack of shopping expertise!

Perfect for a quick fun read over these last few days before Christmas.

I have trouble understanding how some women can get such a kick out of buying clothes and make-up when there are BOOKS to be bought instead!

LOL. I don't like regular shopping, but I love thrift-shopping... and the first place I head when I enter a thrift store is the bookshelf. Then the shoes, then everything else. I like my priorities :)

I second the comment about thrift-shopping, but I must limit myself to 15 minutes in the book aisle and 2 books per visit.

Last time I did a PROPER tour of our town's seven charity shops (pre-agoraphobia, with my shopaholic friend Amy), I came away with about 25 books and a handful of clothes (amongst other things), and we had to take a taxi home rather than struggle fifteen minutes uphill from the bus stop... :-)

Congrats on passing the 50 books mark!!!!

Congratulations on making (and passing!) 50 books! I too love The Undomestic Goddess. It's totally unrealistic, but it gives me the warm-fuzzies and sometimes, that's just what we need :)

Thanks everyone! Now I'm just trying to finish one more book at work today, so I can get straight off to a good start with my Christmas Break Reading tonight! It's a sweet book and the town's very quiet (it's not the last-minute-shopping kind of town, more of a cup-of-tea-and-a-wander kind of town) so I should get it finished today.

Honestly, we just had a whirling dervish in here who spent twice what we made all day yesterday. Three young adult books, an antiquarian one, a crime novel, two mugs, a book light, two bookmarks... And actually I didn't think she'd spend anything because I had a little accident with my new iPod, which as it turns out, has inbuilt speakers. The shop being empty and there being very little to do work-wise, I was listening to some music while I browsed the LT threads. She walked in, taking me by surprise, beautifully dressed and well spoken, with her two young daughters, to find me desperately trying to switch off the iPod as the singer of Offspring shouted the line 'we're gonna kick his lily ass!'...

Oops! A LOL moment for us though!

53) Enough to Make a Cat Laugh by Deric Longden

This was a re-read for me, but there's nothing so nice as a couple of days of sweet reading with a Deric Longden book. My mum bought me my first Longden many years ago and I would thank her very heartily for the pleasure. Deric is a local man - he grew up in the same town as me, albeit rather before my time - and his books are peppered with Derbyshire places and the occasional phrase my grandparents throw out every once in a while.

But this book could be read and enjoyed by anyone. Provided you're a cat lover, that is. Deric lives with his registered-blind wife, the writer Aileen Armitage, and a veritable army of cats. Officially the line up for this book goes like this: Thermal (young white tom, has a pet sultana called Ralph), Tigger (saintly tortoiseshell who lives for her charity work amongst local strays), Arthur (old black cat who has seen it all) and Frink (small white turbocharged kitten). On top of that there are plenty of other felines - and even the occasional canine - dropping by from time to time to join the fun.

Deric Longden's gift is to make the most ordinary of days, the most uneventful of situations, into something worth telling, something amusing and insightful and brilliant: a foggy day, a walk to the shop, an afternoon in the study... Oh, and he talks to his cats. In fact, one of the most charming things about his books is the fact that he gives each cat a voice of their own. It sounds eccentric, it sounds ridiculous, but beneath his clever and capable pen it just WORKS.

I have read all of these books several times since I was given that first one (The Cat who Came in from the Cold, where Thermal is introduced to the Longden family for the first time) - and I'll be keeping them to read again. I have a beloved kitty of my own (two, until recently) and I think Longden just perfectly captures what it is to live with a cat, all the humour and heartbreak and companionship and character quirks that make life with such a demanding little member of the family worthwhile. The bottom line? If you like cats, you'll love it!

Hi Ellie- I hadn't visited in awhile, so I'm dropping by! How are you? Are you a Nick Hornby fan? I just finished his latest Juliet, Naked and it was excellent, right up there with his best work! Have you stopped by my 2010 Challenge?
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

54) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Bruno is a little boy in the tradition of little boys: hates his big sister, looks up to his dad, loves exploring and reading adventure stories, all combed hair and shorts. Bruno's father, unlike others in the tradition of little boys, is a Commandant under Hitler. When Bruno and his family are taken away from their lovely home in Berlin to a grim new house, his life is turned upside down. There is no one to talk to and no one to play with, there are unpleasant soldiers hanging around the house at all hours of the day, and right outside Bruno's bedroom window is a huge wire fence, stretching as far as the eye can see. On the other side hundreds of men and boys live in huts, being told what to do by the soldiers, all wearing grey striped pyjamas and little cloth hats. Who are they, and why does no one like to talk about them? Exploring the fence boundaries one day, he comes across a little boy sitting on the other side of the fence, and he and Schmuel strike up a strange but devoted friendship that changes both their lives.

One thing I would say is that although this is marketed as a young adult novel, I certainly wouldn't place it in that category. It is written in a childish style, but the themes and the undercurrents are decidedly adult. Like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, much of the heartbreaking sadness of this novel comes from the fact that the reader has a much greater awareness than the main character of what is really happening around him. Bruno calls his home 'Out-With' and Hitler 'The Fury' because he can't pronounce them properly, and he assumes that the salute 'Heil Hitler' means 'Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon.' His struggle to understand what the reader already knows is devastating to read, and the inevitable tragedy of the novel is even worse than I had expected. (Not really a spoiler - it was hardly going to be a happy ending, set in Auschwitz, after all...). I was sat in bed at 1.30am sobbing and had to get up to compose myself before I could sleep! I wouldn't recommend it to a child under, say, 14 or 15.

There was a long section of the novel at the beginning where Bruno is a tad irritating in his complete naivety, and Schmuel doesn't actually appear for a long time, but ultimately I thought it was a brilliant book. There may have been inaccuracies, there may be things that just wouldn't have happened, but it was still a brutal reminder of the capacity for human cruelty and the horror of one of the worst atrocities in our history. Bruno's sister's change in attitude from uncomprehending to profoundly anti-Semitic also clearly demonstrated the way children's natural innocence can be so easily corrupted by the views of the adults around them.

Highly recommended...

55) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Slim, sweet hardback with stylised illustrations by J.K. Rowling herself. It's made up of five little fairy tales, each with a magical moral, with each tale followed by a short discourse by Albus Dumbledore. The tales are traditionally styled and each quite different, while 'Dumbledore's' commentary is amusing and gives new insights into the world we already know from the Harry Potter series. Rowling makes the wizarding world so plausible, it makes for a magical little read. A nice accompaniment to the series, and benefits the Children's High Level Group to boot, which is just the icing on the cake!

Ellie, funny your finishing your year with this book, and I started my year with it. It is a sweet addition to the series for those of us who love HP.

56) The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

This a re-read for me, and my original review, upon, well, review, still stands after two years. I'll post it here anyway:

"Alan Bennett’s dry and astute wit sparkles in this short novella which imagines what would happen if the Queen became addicted to reading.

One day the Queen follows her naughty corgis into one of the palace courtyards, where she stumbles upon the local mobile library. Popping in to apologise for all the noise, she meets Norman, a young red-haired kitchen boy with a passion for reading and a penchant for gay authors. She feels obliged to borrow a book from the van out of politeness, and quickly becomes hooked on reading. Norman is promoted in the palace and together the pair embark upon an odyssey of literature and biography, pulling books from libraries and collections all over England.

But as the Queen becomes more and more devoted to her books, her devotion to her duties and to her country starts to suffer, and the people around her begin to plot against her new hobby in an attempt to put her back in her rightful place as the monarch of the people. Her eventual conclusion? Perhaps she should become an insightful and influential writer instead…

This is a charming look at the power of books and an interesting take on our enigmatic monarch. It is dry and witty, and bites all the right people in all the right places! A real little gem."

I did notice that this time I appreciated more of the sentiments about reading, understood more of the references and noticed more of the themes introduced in the novella. Perhaps as I get older and widen my experience year by year this little book will just get better and better!

Well done on exceeding your goal this year. I did not make mine, but I was bad and took about 3 months off of reading books over the summer. Maybe I will make it in 2010.

What will your goal be in 2010?

I'm going to start The Uncommon Reader today! Love your review...

My goal is 75 for 2010. I've been averaging about 42/3 until now, but this year has been a good one! There was a spell at the start of the year where I wasn't reading much, and while we were doing the shop up I was exhausted most of the time from all the hours of painting and decorating and cleaning and whatnot, but now we're open I never get my nose out of a book. So I'm thinking, with maybe three quiet shop months at the start of 2010 before the tourist season picks up, and the same at the END of the year as it quietens down again, plus post-work time... 75 should be pretty doable. Wish me luck!

Just finished The Uncommon Reader, I really enjoyed it! Happy New Year and Best of luck with your 75 book goal!

Peace, love and good will all coming your way from me to you miss ellie. I luv ya & wish you & yours the best in 2010.
big new year hug,
belva

New year, new thread - new group, in fact! Here's my threads for anyone who wants them:

For the last ten books or so of my ABCs:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/72998

My first ever category challenge over on the 1010s:
http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=74010

And the straight-up 75 Book Challenge:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/79224

Happy New Year everyone, and looking forward to seeing you there!