Bout of Books 15: Saturday

Ugh.  Another night where I just couldn't get comfy enough to drift off to sleep...  I ended up having a lie-in until about 10am this morning, despite my alarm being set for 7am so I could get up and do something useful, but... c'est la vie.  It's more important that I get enough sleep at this time of year, potential for seasonal depression and all, so I'm never too worried about what time that sleep happens as long as it does.  Aaaaaanyway, I'm up now, so ON WITH THE READATHON!

~ SATURDAY ~

Books I've read from:  Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge; The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Pages read today:  132

Books finished today:  None

Running total:  2 books; 690 pages 

The menu: Blueberry muffin, mixed tinned fruit and coffee; sweet tea; buttered toast with orange and ginger marmalade; apple; Graze 'chocolate pudding' punnet (sultanas, jumbo raisins and chocolate chips); my stepdad's amazing kedgeree with smoked fish, boiled egg, rice, peas and herbs; cocoa puffs with sultanas; vanilla rooibos tea

Today #insixwords:  'Ellie and Charles Dickens: The Reunion'

10:30am:  We begin the day, naturellement, WITHOUT the call of the laptop but WITH the readathon breakfast of champions: blueberry muffin, fruity goodness, and a small bucket of coffee.  I'm diving straight back into Zoo this morning, because I'm intrigued and worried and puzzled and I'm not quiiiiite sure what's happening.  The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach (as well as the hefty remaining page count) is telling me that the animal-human conflict is probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  Always a good draw to keep turning those pages!

1:30pm:  Oooooh, things are getting really scary in Zoo!  I'm still reading, over a lunch of buttered toast with orange and ginger marmalade (my favourite), an apple and more coffee.  Our protagonist Oz, a young biologist, and his new friend Chloe have just returned from their scary trip to Botswana and are now up against government red tape, disbelieving officials and the awful possibility that the change in animal behaviour may have made it to the US.  Properly, not just the odd isolated incident.  What I like about this book so far is that it combines the best of all elements of a biothriller - intelligent theories, interesting characters, overarching menace and just enough shocking moments to remind the reader that the situation isn't just bad, it's outright terrifying.

4:30pm:  STOP THE PRESSES.  I HAVE BEEN FOR A WALK.  Yes, this IS news, in my world anyway.  Regular readers of this blog and people I've known from days of yore may remember that I left university due to crippling levels of agoraphobia which left me completely housebound.  Obviously things are not at that point any more - I don't have a panic attack every time I go outside - but I've noticed that over recent months I've been deteriorating again to the point where I only really leave the house to hop in the car and visit my sister, or go to Tesco or to the doctor's surgery for my prescriptions.  Even then it's not always voluntary.  It's not good.  My world has narrowed to my room again, and if I'm not careful it will stay that way.  And obviously, this has health implications for everything else too, including my weight, my cholesterol, my bad hip, my sleep patterns, my IBS, my potential for depression... EVERYTHING.

So, I decided to go for a walk.  Just one, little, fifteen-minute, round-the-block walk.  Even then I had to psych myself up for a few minutes first, and I thought about putting it off 'until another day' because it was raining a bit.  BUT I WENT.  Without my phone, but with my camera, because some of my favourite photos that I've ever taken have been a result of happening to have my camera in my pocket at the right moment.  Gently, at a relaxed pace, just enjoying the breeze on my face and the scent of damp trees and earth, for the first time in MONTHS.  I have a bit of a headache now (cold wind whistling in my ears, it's been getting me like this since I was a kid), and I think my dicky hip will feel the sudden switch from 'sitting still' to 'striding purposefully up and down hills', but... I went.  One step at a time, right?


8:45pm: Another readathon day draws to a close... I've kind of faltered a bit with Zoo as the day's worn on (I'm wondering if the title should actually be ZOO, as it's a government acronym in the book now, but whatever), but I HAVE spent a few sweet minutes diving back into the first chapter of The Pickwick Papers.  Back in 2014 there was a readalong of this book going on, which I was really enjoying.  Unfortunately everyone else, including the host (*eyes Bex sternly*) was bored stiff, and the whole thing fell apart.  After several months of it just sitting there on my bookshelf, I pulled the bookmark on it, and I've decided to start again from the beginning.  This time I'll read one or two chapters a week instead of cramming a ton of them in there (all the better to appreciate the humour and the many stories-within-the-story), PLUS I won't have a blog feed full of weekly doses of hatred for it this time around.  So hopefully it'll be a more positive reading experience all round!

Aaaanyway, I read the first little chapter - reintroducing myself to the key four Pickwickians: honourable Mr Pickwick, romantic Mr Tupman, sporting Mr Winkle and poetic Mr Snodgrass - and now I'm going to turn the laptop off (as per the rules of a digital sundown, which I'm trying in an attempt to counter my ongoing inability to get to sleep at night), read a bit, maybe do some colouring in the fancy Secret Garden artist edition thingy my sister bought me for Christmas?  One more day left, fellow readers!  UNTIL TOMORROW!


Quote of the day:  "Turns out an apocalypse actually comes on pretty slowly.  Not fire and brimstone but rust and dandelions.  Not a bang but a whimper."
- from Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge


CHALLENGE: COMFY READING SPOT
Hosted by Once Upon a Chapter

I have two comfy reading spots, kinda.  The most obvious one is, of course, my library corner.  It's got a bright light and books and lots of cushions - including my two new ones, based on Psycho and Beauty and the Beast (the Gemini in me is strong - Disney and death, that's the best way).  HOWEVER, the Ikea chair is not as comfy as it appeared in the store - it tips me backwards so my head's at the wrong angle to read, and it pulls on my bad hip - so I don't sit there often at the moment.  I might have to admit defeat and buy a new chair sometime soon.  Maybe a Poang one from Ikea?

 

My favoured reading spot at the moment is on my bed.  See the picture of my library above?  Well, on the left hand side there's another set of Kallax cubes, forming the last part of a square 'U' shape of shelving.  On the other side of THAT is my bed.  The library side of the shelves are filled with more books, and the bed side houses some of my DVDs, my sunrise alarm clock lamp radio thingy, my current reads and a heap of backlogged Graze boxes.  I have more cushions, my 'Bee Happy' canvas from our local honey farm, plus lots of natural light from the big window.  Also it's nearer the radiator, which comes in quite handy at this time of year.  :)

 

Just a few more hours of the readathon to go... 

Bout of Books 15: Friday

OH HAI LOVELY READERS!  Another day, another frenzy of reading... hopefully, anyway.  I had a better night's sleep last night than I've had in WEEKS (more comfortable, the heating didn't come on and fry me in the night, the cat left me alone), and I've got a fast-paced thriller to return to, so... what are we waiting for?!

~ FRIDAY ~

Books I've read from:  Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Pages read today:  119

Books finished today:  None

Running total:  2 books; 558 pages 

The menu: Blueberry muffin, mixed tinned fruit and coffee; buttered toasted teacakes; apple; cheese and bacon quiche with peas and sweetcorn; Terry's chocolate minis

Today #insixwords:  Reading sprint increases page count beautifully.

1pm:  Another laptop-free morning in which I read over breakfast, kept going for a while, then had a nice hot shower before heading downstairs to make lunch.  Now I've got a couple of hot buttered toasted teacakes, an apple and a big mug of coffee, and I think I'm going to play a little game of 'see how many pages I can read in an hour'.  The font in this novel is quite big, and the pace quite quick, so I wonder if I'll improve on my average 28-35 pages an hour (which I know from a fair few Dewey's readathon stat updates, haha)?

 

2:30pm:  Well, whaddya know, I managed to sail in at around 55 pages read in that hour!  And that includes occasional pauses because I was eating teacakes at the same time.  The book is nearly 500 pages long so it's unlikely that I'll finish it today even with the best of intentions, but I enjoyed that little sprint - and it's heartening to know that I can read at a decent clip, with the right book and the right conditions!

Things are getting a bit exciting in Zoo, it's all quite intriguing.  Our hero, a young biologist called Oz, has flown out to Botswana to document aberrant behaviour in the local lion population as part of his theory that some environmental shift is occurring that is pitting animals and humans against each other in increasingly brutal ways.  Naturally, when he gets there, the shit royally hits the fan as he and his guide reach a safari camp to find the place all but deserted and reports of bizarre lion behaviour in the immediate vicinity.  Ooooooooh...

 

 

9pm: Or at any rate, it WOULD have been good if I hadn't pissed away the rest of the afternoon playing on the internet.  Well, playing was part of it.  I used to play Bust-a-Moves on my old Playstation as a kid and now I've found Puzzle Bobble, the online version, and it's so easy to play 'just one more game'...  But I'm also doing a bit of a blitz of everything on my laptop/online at the moment, while I have some free time, so I also spent a couple of hours sorting through bookmarked sites and starting to deal with my picture files, both of which are overflowing.  Not reading, but necessary!  I've read enough today anyway, so I'm happy with that.  :)

 

Bout of Books 15: Thursday

The last couple of days have had their fair share of distractions and I haven't read THAT much - though still way better than recent weeks, obviously - so today I'm going to make a concerted effort to really read.  Laptop off, book open, the way I like it.  :)

~ THURSDAY ~

Books I've read from:  Knots and Crosses (Rebus 1) by Ian Rankin; 21st Century Dodos: A Collection of Endangered Objects (and Other Stuff) by Steve Stack; Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Pages read today:  180

Books finished today:  Knots and Crosses (Rebus 1) by Ian Rankin

Running total:  2 books; 439 pages 

The menu: Blueberry muffin, mixed tinned fruit and coffee; sweet tea; cheese and bacon quiche, peas and sweetcorn; apple; buttered toasted teacakes; cocoa puffs with sultanas; vanilla rooibos tea

Today #insixwords:  Reading thrillers is a GREAT strategy!

12 noon:  I've had another great start to the day, reading over breakfast, ploughing on through the morning, alternating between Knots and Crosses and 21st Century Dodos every time I needed a change of style.  Things are all kicking off in Knots and Crosses - there's been a sudden colossal break in the murder case which has sent the pace rocketing - and I'm on the 'newsagent' section of 21st Century Dodos, which is bringing back lots of memories of old sweets and magazines that I used to get as a kid.  And NOW I'm going to carry on reading with half a cheese and bacon quiche and a heap of peas and sweetcorn, and see if I can finish this book today!

 

5pm: YEEEES, I FINISHED IT!  It certainly kept me turning the pages towards the end, even though it wasn't the most gripping or earth-shattering finale I've ever read.  One more review to write when this week's over, hooray!  So.... what next?  I was contemplating starting We Were Liars, but I was flicking through the pages and not feeling it so instead I've moved onto Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.  It's about a global animal uprising against humanity, it's already been made into a TV series, it's got big font, it's super-easy reading... it screams 'readathon', in other words.  If I can sail through it by the end of tomorrow there'll still be two days left to cram in another book!  I'm going to make some hot buttered toasted teacakes and get stuck in.

 

9:30pm:  Blech.  The lingering headachy feeling I had this morning has grown and to be honest I'm not feeling amazing - hopefully I'm not succumbing to whatever my family's had, which we've established is probably a bug but mercifully sans vomiting, to my overwhelming relief.  Anyway, I'm still weirdly hungry despite feeling icky, so I'm going to fetch some cereals and tea and watch an episode of Being Human for a bit.  Each one's only an hour long, so I might still have time to read before bed, and hopefully the distraction and something in my stomach will leave me feeling better by the time it ends.  Also, Aidan Turner ALWAYS helps.  Obviously.  :P

 

Quote of the day:  "Sometimes it was hard to hold onto reality when that reality was overpowering.  The shield came to protect you.  The shield of the breakdown, of forgetting.  Laughter and forgetting." -
from Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin

Bout of Books 15: Wednesday

Hello, hello, hello.  Well, I'd hoped to read some more last night, all de-internetted and snuggled up, then ended up just zonking out and going to sleep instead, oops.  The perils of a late-night reading plan, I guess.  Today we have just one errand to run - to Tesco's - plus I have a load of laundry to do, and then I SHOULD be able to spend more time with my nose in a book again.  Isn't it nice when your little appointments and things are done for the week when you're readathonning?!

~ WEDNESDAY ~

Books I've read from:  Knots and Crosses (Rebus 1) by Ian Rankin; 21st Century Dodos: A Collection of Endangered Objects (and Other Stuff) by Steve Stack

Pages read today:  74

Books finished today:  None

Running total:  1 books; 259 pages 

The menu: Blueberry muffin, mixed tinned fruit and coffee; cold leftover pizza with a little Thornton's toffee fudge dessert pot thingy; vanilla rooibos tea; buttery mash with baked beans; Terry's chocolate minis

Today #insixwords:  "The second star to the riiiiiiight..."

10am:  Helloooo lovely readers.  As has become my habit this week, I've been reading over breakfast today instead of turning my laptop on - and once again it's worked beautifully to get some early pages under my belt before the internetty distractions kick in.  I should definitely keep this in mind once Bout of Books is over, it's been so satisfying.  I don't think I could have managed Knots and Crosses so early, but 21st Century Dodos is PERFECT for not-quite-alert-yet reading!  Domino's been reading with me, which makes it even NICER.

12 noon: I'd hoped to do some reading in the car outside Tesco, since I usually shop so fast that I'm done 20 minutes before my mum and stepdad, but alas, I was thwarted at the final hurdle.  I got onto a till just fine, but the old couple in front of me produced about 12 vouchers at the last minute, several of which WOULD. NOT. SCAN.  So I was in the car all of three minutes on my own.  Dammit.

I did, however, buy two things in there.  I was looking for You by Caroline Kepnes and couldn't see it anywhere, BUT it turns out that So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson has just come out in paperback, so I bought that instead for a bargainous £3.85.  I also bought Disney's Peter Pan on DVD, to celebrate having finally read the book, which proved a bit confusing when the checkout girl was deciding whether or not to ID me for my alcoholic purchases.  Responsible grocery shopping, sensible book, the general demeanour of an 80 year-old woman - yet with the complexion of a 14 year-old and the movie habits of a small child.  :)

3pm: Uh oh.  After my sister had a queasy 24 hours a few days ago, my mum's now got an upset stomach and keeps feeling faint and dizzy - a sure-fire sign that she's picked up a bug of some kind - and now I'm feeling a bit... off... too.  Kind of tender and headachy.  Nooooooo!  I hope fervently that it's just the leftover pizza I had for lunch sitting funny on my stomach or something.  See, not only am I an IBS sufferer, which means that recovery from a tummy bug lasts about four times longer than for most people, but I'm also emetophobic.  My nightmare at this time of year is neatly encapsulated by the word 'norovirus'.  I've managed to avoid it since a run-in with it when I was about 17, but once it's in the household there's only so much you can do... *crosses everything and hopes to high heaven that it's ANYTHING BUT THAT* 

This, only about 80% more urgent.  Possibly with crying.

4:20pm: I have been captivated by #DrummondPuddleWatch.  What even is my life, Jesus Christ.  Someone set up a Periscope webcam on a big puddle across a path in Newcastle, and 19,392 people are literally sitting watching people try to cross it.  Walking across it.  Jumping across it.  Tiptoeing across it.  One guy brought a lilo.  Someone added a 'slippery when wet' sign which a thief just ran past and nicked.  Oh, and it's back.  The comments on the side are ranging from 'fall in, FALL IN' to '#prayforthepuddle' to 'This is a great day out in England'.  I CAN'T LOOK AWAY.  It's even made it into the news.  Oh Britain, never change...


9:15pm: Weeeell.  I ended up reading a titchy bit more this afternoon, then made myself a bowl of buttery mashed potato and baked beans, cracked open the Terry's chocolate minis, and watched Peter Pan.  It was every bit as charming and funny as I remembered, the music is wonderful, and the flying sequences are still a joy, so much more exuberant (and obviously less CGI-y) than the live-action version. 

I also realised that despite not having seen the film since I was about 10, a couple of my vocal 'things' - random phrases I use all the time - come directly from little Michael, cadence and all.  I've done this before, watched something years later and found that I've adopted bits of it into everyday speech without ever realising.  A certain line, a certain phrase said a certain way, and when I stumble across its origin years down the line it's very strange and surprising but also wonderful!  Anyway, I had a lovely time reconnecting with an old favourite, and NOW I'm going back to my book for a little while before bed!

*wells up happily*  IT'S SO BEAUTIFUUUUUUL!

Quote of the day:  "These tourists spent so much time photographing things that they never actually saw anything, unlike the young people milling around, who were too busy enjoying life to be bothered capturing false impressions of it."
- from Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (ohhhh, how things have changed since 1987!)


CHALLENGE: RAINBOWS!
Hosted by Ranty Runt of a Reader (Best. Name. Ever.)

I'm going to do both of these challenges - the cover colours rainbow (picture) and the author names rainbow (via an acrostic-type situation).  ALL THE RAINBOWS!

R owell, Rainbow - I've read and loved Attachments so far.*

O rwell, George - I've read Animal Farm and Down and Out.

Y ancey, Rick - I've read The Fifth Wave - soon to be a movie!

G askell, Elizabeth - I adored North and South.

B ryson, Bill - I've read and loved a bunch of his books.

I sherwood, Christopher - I cried at A Single Man!

V izzini, Ned - I have It's Kind of a Funny Story on my TBR.

* Do I get bonus points for managing to cram a third Rainbow in?  :)

Bout of Books 15: Tuesday

*flits into the blogosphere merrily*  Afternoon all!  Yesterday was a really good day for me readathon-wise; I finished my first book of the year, and read more than I have in months.  Today has a couple of distractions mixed into it, but should be another relatively open day for reading, so we'll see how far I get with my next novel by bedtime!

~ TUESDAY ~

Books I've read from:  Knots and Crosses (Rebus 1) by Ian Rankin; 21st Century Dodos: A Collection of Endangered Objects (and Other Stuff) by Steve Stack

Pages read today:  50

Books finished today:  None

Running total:  1 books; 185 pages 

The menu: Blueberry muffin, mixed tinned fruit and coffee; Goodfella's deep pan pepperoni pizza; bran flakes with sultanas; Graze toffee apple punnet; vanilla rooibos tea

Today #insixwords:  A busier day - but reading happened!

11:30am:  HALLELUJAAAAAAH!  I had a dentist's appointment this morning, which always gives me serious anxiety despite the fact that the dentist and his nurse are just lovely, and I WAS OKAAAAAAY.  One very painful but satisfying scale and polish later, and I was set free for another year or so, yaaay!  Anyway, before this appointment I countered my anxiety somewhat by reading over breakfast, and then when I came OUT of my appointment I made the most of the peace in the waiting room to read a bit more while Mum had her checkup.  So far, so productive!

 

1:45pm: PIZZAAAAAAA! Yes, I realise I'm doing a lot of excited shouting in this post, but ssssssh.  I'm definitely enjoying this Rebus novel so far, though the fact that this seasoned policeman doesn't think to so much as tentatively link a massive abduction/murder case in the city with the cryptic letters he's started receiving is kiiiiind of irritating.  I'm only 40 pages in though, so I'm sure he'll catch on soon enough!

 

 

5pm: My reading detoured off a cliff a bit this afternoon, because I was on the radio, wheeee!  Every day on BBC Radio 2 they do a 'non-stop oldies' half hour (during Steve Wright in the Afternoon) where a listener picks the music, and today it was me!  I actually submitted my list a few months ago, so my little bio was a bit out of date, but I still got major household brownie points for mentioning 'my lovely mum'. 

 

They managed to squeeze eight songs into my half hour - you submit about twenty-five for them to choose from - including two I used to sing in the car with my mum (Circle in the Sand by Belinda Carlisle and I Just Can't Stop Loving You by Michael Jackson), one from car trips with my dad (Keep the Customer Satisfied by Simon and Garfunkel), one my mum detests (Jumping Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones), plus four more that have made it onto my favourite songs playlist over the years!  They kicked off with this one, which I first heard in an episode of Dexter.  Season 1, when Dexter, Rita, Rudy and Deb clear his dad's house and he brings some of the records home?  LOVED IT.  Now I can head off for a shower and go back to my book!

 

 

 

8pm:  Weeell, I think that's my internetting done for tonight.  I've done a bit more reading, eaten bran flakes and watched an episode of Being Human, so I think it might be time to switch off and go back to my book before bed.  Happy reading all!

 

Quote of the day:  "It was everywhere, crime.  It was the life-force and the blood and the balls of life: to cheat, to edge; to take that body-swerve at authority, to kill."
- from Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin


CHALLENGE: BOOKISH WOULD YOU RATHER?
Hosted by Writing My Own Fairy Tale

Would you rather:
Lend books to someone who dog-ears pages or to someone who reads with cheesy Cheetos fingers?
Dog-ear pages, definitely.  The book might look a mess at the end, but at least it wouldn't be dirty!

Would you rather:
Be able to meet one character of your choice or meet one author of your choice?
One character, I think.  It'd open the possibilities up to all the wise and magical characters out there, people who've had incredible adventures or have intriguing world views.  Obviously, this all comes from the author to begin with, but... what about the things that don't make it onto the page, the things the character could tell you that even the author doesn't know about?  I may be overthinking this.

Would you rather:
Never be allowed in a bookstore again or never be allowed in a library again?
Bookstore, sad though that would be.  A library is ever-shifting, convenient, free, has great facilities, can order books in, is fantastic for the most expensive books and fleeting interests as well as more mundane stock... why would I ever want to be without that option?!

Would you rather:
Have to choose one of your favourite characters to die in their book or have to pick one of your favourite couples to break up in their book?
Oh, break up, definitely.  Life goes on, more fish in the sea, etc etc.  Unless... UNLESS... the character I was killing off was already on that road anyway.  Maybe someone in a terrible situation, or very ill, or 105 years old.  Then maybe, MAYBE, I would think about saving love over life.

Would you rather:
Be required to read Twilight once a year for the rest of your life or The Scarlet Letter once a year for the rest of your life?
I haven't read The Scarlet Letter yet, so I'm going to have to say Twilight.  I really liked it when I read it all those years ago, and it's a quick read, so it wouldn't take up a massive chunk of my reading life even if my feelings about it shifted upon rereading.

Bout of Books 15: Monday

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal.  It is a week-long read-a-thon that begins 12.01am Monday, January 4 and runs through Sunday, August 10th in whatever time zone you are in.  Bout of Books is low-pressure.  There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional.

For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

- From the Bout of Books team

********

~ MONDAY ~

Books I've read from:  21st Century Dodos: A Collection of Endangered Objects (and Other Stuff by Steve Stack; Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie; Knots and Crosses (Rebus 1) by Ian Rankin

Pages read today: 135

Books finished today:  Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Running total:  1 books; 135 pages 

The menu:  Blueberry muffin, mixed tinned fruit and coffee; lasagne and sweetcorn; Graze punnet with dried mango, pineapple and coconut; vanilla rooibos tea; toasted muffins with butter and honey; Terry's chocolate orange minis

Today #insixwords:  My best reading day in MONTHS!

11:30am:  Well.  I nearly started reading at about 12:30am this morning because I COULD NOT SLEEP - but turns out, I couldn't read either (because SLEEPY) so that idea quickly went out the window.  I've kicked off my readathon at a PROPER TIME with a chunk of 21st Century Dodos by Steve Stack, breakfast, and now more dodos with a cup of tea in my new FAB mug, because nostalgia breeds more nostalgia.  Topics covered so far today have included blackboards in schools, 'answers on a postcard', half-day closing and fish and chips wrapped in actual newspaper.  Oh, and you know when you used to buy a CD in Woollies or something, and you had to take the empty case to the desk and they disappeared into a labyrinth of drawers to find the disc in its little cardboard case?  Yeah, that.

 

 

3:50pm: Okay, so I got distracted eating lasagne and watching YouTube videos.  I turned my laptop off until then though, and read a couple of chapters of Peter Pan.  I'm really loving it now I've settled into the style and the sudden surreal moments, though it's still frustrating me that Wendy basically does nothing but darn socks and talk about babies.  No "I'M RED-HANDED JILL!" in this original incarnation, nope - because who needs piracy when there's laundry to be done?  NOBODY, THAT'S WHO, NOW BE A DOLL AND GET THE DINNER ON.

 

 

 

8pm: I decided to turn my laptop off again and not turn it back on OR have tea until I'd finished Peter Pan - so that's what I did.  That's my first completed book of the year as well as my first of the readathon; I had about 100 pages left this morning, or a little over half the novel.  So NOW I can read something new, and also treat myself to Disney's Peter Pan on DVD when I go to Tesco tomorrow, if their Disney collection is still there post-Christmas. 

 

I definitely have mostly positive feelings about the novel, although it kept veering off into knowledgeable diatribes about the nature of girls, and into strangely affectionate racist discourse on the hunting abilities of the redskins, and at one point into a seriously Oedipal moment that directly placed Peter as husband and son to Wendy and made it sound like she was doing naughty things to him to calm him down when he had nightmares.  (I scrawled the page number in my review notes with 'WTF?!' next to it.)  Still, it feels really good to have finally read it; it's such an iconic story, it was a big part of my childhood in its various movie forms, and it's one of the books that's been on my TBR shelves the very longest, since I was only a tweenager or so I would think.  Hooray!  (Or should I say, 'Oh, the cleverness of me!'?)

 

I might sign off here for the night actually, and go make some supper (I'm having toasted muffins and honey and a mug of tea, yummy), then sit and read a new novel for a while before bed.  I have to go to the dentist tomorrow morning, something I hate hate HATE, so the more I can distract myself this evening the better chance I have of actually sleeping tonight.  I'll come back tomorrow to finish off my stats and all the jazz, and get a post up for Tuesday's reading!

 

 

 

Quote of the day:  "Not the pain of this but its unfairness was what dazed Peter.  It made him quite helpless.  He could only stare, horrified.  Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly.  All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness.  After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but will never afterwards be quite the same boy."
- from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

November: What I Read, What I'm Reading

How the hell is it December already?  Not that it feels like it, because despite the Channel 5 movie marathons and Christmas readalongs and Instagrammed decorations, there's still a whole lot of real life left between now and the 25th.  Give it another week, and POSSIBLY I'll be ready to watch or read something borderline seasonal, we'll see.

So, last month's reading.  Despite taking part in two separate readathons (the 24 in 48 readathon and Tika's minithon), I actually didn't read very much at all, especially over the last week or two.  Not that it was a bad thing, I've just been doing other things - like exploring going back into higher education, completing a couple of fairly heavy-duty job applications, helping my mum with a Forth Bridge-esque 5-coat paint job on our panelled hallway, blitzing my overloaded laptop, watching Criminal Minds (my new favourite thing) and stalking Amazon for Black Friday Week Christmas present deals.  Here's what I DID finish:
 

 

~ What I Read ~

 

Beloved

by Toni Morrison
This was my first Toni Morrison, and it managed to be both everything I expected and nothing like I expected...  It's the story of Sethe, a runaway slave living in Ohio, who many years ago killed her small daughter to prevent her being taken away by a posse of men from her former plantation.  It's about how her actions have reverberated down the years, and about how slavery penetrated every part of society.  There is a pervasive feeling of fear and oppression that seeps under the skin of the reader and refuses to leave.  This is also, however, a ghost story, a feat of magical realism slightly akin to Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child - and that I WASN'T expecting.  I'm still not entirely sure what was going on with Beloved and Sethe, and I'm not entirely sure I liked it as a plot device (especially the stream-of-consciousness weirdness near the end)...  but there we go.  As a whole the book was beautifully written, brutal and evocative, and I think that even when the content, the storyline itself, has left my memory, the FEELING of reading it will linger.  An interesting reading experience - 3.5 stars.


The Dead-Tossed Waves (TFoHaT 2)
by Carrie Ryan
Another novel that wasn't quite what I expected!  (That seems to be becoming a running theme of late...)  I really didn't like the first book (The Forest of Hands and Teeth) when I read it back in August, but I took a gamble on this one because my main problem was with the unbearably selfish protagonist and I knew the viewpoint for this novel shifted to a new character.  From her name - Gabry - I thought it would be a kind of prequel from the perspective of the girl-turned-Breaker in the first book, but it's actually not.  Instead we've jumped forward a generation - and Gabry's story is SO MUCH more enjoyable to read than Mary's.  There's another love triangle (bleurgh), and the pervading bleakness remains, but the overall plot is more interesting and I actually found I preferred the way Ryan concentrates on looking forward instead of returning to answer questions from the first book.  After all, the characters can't get answers from the past because the past is literally dead - so why should we dwell on it too much as readers?  I think I'll see this series through now, find out what happens to these characters and their battle against the Mudo in the end!  3 stars.


Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
by Lucy Knisley
A super-fun graphic memoir that seems to be doing the rounds at the moment.  I'd heard of Lucy Knisley, but had never visited her website or anything like that.  I will probably drop by more often now, because this book was so cute.  It's pretty much a series of comics about different elements of growing up as a food-loving individual in a household devoted to it (her mother is/was a caterer and her father a keen appreciator of good cuisine).  There are vignettes on craving garlic mushrooms and discovering the world' most amazing croissants in Venice.  She talks about following in her mother's footsteps as a student, and about the comforting power of cookies.  It's all done in a simple, charming and amusing style, interspersed with recipes that sound amazing.  Loved it - I'll definitely be reading more of her books!  4 stars.


The Unknown Unknown
by Mark Forsyth
This tiny pamphlet is this year's Independent Booksellers Week essay.  I missed last year's by Ann Patchett, and had to go looking for this one on AbeBooks because there was nowhere else for me to get it locally, but it's so good!  It's all about the idea that bookshops can lead you to books you never even knew you wanted to read, and that such serendipitous discoveries are actually quite important - not to mention FUN.  I've never read Mark Forsyth before, but his style is clever and amusing, with plenty of pop culture references and some interesting thoughts on book buying culture.  It's under 25 pages, £1.99 in-store and only takes a few minutes to read - so if you see one still sitting around on a bookshop counter, do pick it up!  4.5 stars, it's such a lovely little thing for a reader to be able to return to every so often.


~ What I'm Reading ~

  

At this moment I'm ACTIVELY reading three different books: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, Harry, A History by Melissa Anelli (a history of the Harry Potter fandom) and Project X by Jim Shepard (a novella about a pair of would-be school shooters).  I've also got two collections that I'm still dipping in and out of: poetry in the form of Charles Bukowski's The Pleasures of Damned, and columns in the form of Charlie Brooker's Dawn of the Dumb.

 

Aaaaand that was my November!

 

A Mini Readathon, in 50 Steps

1) Locate snacks, make cappuccino. Instagram them.
2) Go on Twitter.
3) Consider reading.
4) Text Hanna.
5) Go back on Twitter.
6) Pick books - completely different from planned reading or current reads, because fuck it.
7) Instagram them.  Peek at what other Instagramming minithonners are doing.
8) Text Hanna again.
9) Read first line of Charlie Brooker book.
10) Stare at wall.

11) Baaaack to Twitter. Pin hot Spencer Reid photo on profile so I can look at it and smile like a smitten teenager later.
12) Eat first snacks: mini rocky road bite, cappuccino (now cold).
13) Go get on bed, away from laptop, determined to read something.
14) READ SEVEN PAGES. Success!
15) Twiddle thumbs.
16) Reply to Instagram comments.
17) Use up new Candy Crush lives.
18) Cat climbs into arms for a cuddle. Instagram it.
19) Pop downstairs to make food. End up watching telly with mum and stepdad.
20) Show mum and stepdad cute Instagram of kitty cuddles.

21) Make tea.  Instagram tea.
22) Look at book. Watch Criminal Minds instead.
23) Use up new Candy Crush lives while tea 'settles'.
24) Pick up novella. Carefully read back cover.
25) Equally carefully read the 'critical acclaim' pages and author bio.
26) Congratulate self on getting back to quality reading.
27) Tweet about it so everyone knows quality reading is happening.
28) Use up new Candy Crush lives to celebrate.
29) Read 10 pages of novella like a FUCKING PRO.
30) Go downstairs to fetch copious amounts of coffee and popcorn. Pat self on back for deserving such a treat.

31) Instagram coffee and popcorn.
32) Look to see what snacks other people are Instagramming.
33) Read another handful of pages while shoving popcorn into face.
34) Decide to make bed for later.
35) Get distracted using up new Candy Crush lives.
36) Actually make bed for later.
37) Fuck it, put on pyjamas as well. LIVING THE THUG LIFE.
38) Devour entire bowl of popcorn while reading actual pages, for the first time since the minithon began six and a half hours ago.
39) Just one little game of Candy Crush.
40) Cat arrives for more purry snuggling time. Commence kitty smushing.

41) Send Snapchat of cat to sister.
42) Instagram cat for good measure.
43) Read more actual pages.
44) Instagram picture of bookmark in book to prove that pages have been read.
45) Use up new Candy Crush lives.
46) Imbibe huge mug of coffee.
47) Pause to consider that 11:30pm is probably not the best time to be imbibing huge mug of coffee.
48) Baaaack to the book.
49) Okay, one more game of Candy Crush.  Sneak it in there before midnight.
50) Just a couple more pages and - THEY THINK IT'S ALL OVER!  IT IS NOW...

October: What I Read, What I Watched, What I'm Reading

Another month comes to an end, ALREADY.  I mean, Jesus, where the hell is 2014 going?  Summer's dead (R.I.P. Summer), the clocks have gone back, my winter coat has been brought out of retirement for another cold season, and wintery drinks like chai tea and hot chocolate have suddenly started to feel very appealing.  Even more scarily, the first 2015 reading challenges have appeared on A Novel Challenge.  IT HAS BEGUN.

So, let's get to the books and movies I consumed in October, shall we?  It's actually been a fairly slow reading month (it hasn't felt like it), but I DID watch quite a few movies, which is something I love but tend to let slide when I'm in a reading fever.  I think it balanced out okay in the end!
 

 

~ What I Read ~

 

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding
This was the second of the two books (the other being To Kill a Mockingbird) that I was determined I would definitely read this year - so hooray!  I've had it on my bookshelves since I was a young teen, so it was about time really.  Unfortunately for such a highly anticipated read, I wasn't as blown away by it as I'd hoped.  I wanted a kind of Coral Island-esque adventure that gradually descended into savagery and violence; what I GOT was a disappointingly jerky, uneven allegory that glossed over the survival element almost entirely, skipped forward in time in unspecified bounds, and grew quite repetitive at times.  As a result, some of the most important and moving scenes didn't have that much impact at all, and the hunters' savagery was less "diminishing sense of civilisation" and more "well, that escalated quickly".  It took me a surprisingly long time to read such a short novel - well over two weeks - and sadly the cover remains my favourite thing about it!  2 stars.


Austenland (Austenland 1)
by Shannon Hale
This book's been drifting on and off my reading radar for a while, when it first hit bookshop shelves and then again when the movie came out, but I finally picked up a copy from The Works this month and devoured it pretty much whole.  It was a nice break from the relentless misery of LotF, and FAR better than I expected.  It's about a Darcy-obsessed woman who travels to England to visit a holiday estate which promises a complete Austen experience - manners, men, a grand ball, and a happily ever after.  Jane hopes to use it to purge herself of her life-squashing romantic fantasies - only to find that maybe she's not quite done with love and the Austen magic after all.  I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel - same premise, new character - which I bought at the same time.  A cheery 4 stars.


Our Zoo: The Real Story of My Life at Chester Zoo
by June Mottershead
I was midway through the TV series when I found out this existed, and I bought it on the spot.  I actually read JUST this for the whole of the most recent Dewey's readathon (not something I normally do during a 24-hourer) because it was such an easy read, so charming and interesting and generally lovely to immerse myself in.  It's different to the BBC drama - that portion of the story is done within a couple of chapters, and the book moves on to the development of Chester Zoo from a tiny idyll to the world-famous force it is today - but the tone is just right, enthusiastic and entertaining, sharing stories from a magical childhood yet not shying away from the inevitable sadness that comes with working with animals, wild or otherwise.  June's voice is so warm and it's rather nice that now, in her eighties, her family's dream and decades of hard work are finally being recognised by a wider audience.  3.5 stars.


The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This was a buddy read with Bex from An Armchair By The Sea (who is also hosting a readalong of The Pickwick Papers before Christmas, if anyone's interested), and it provided an excellent excuse to FINALLY read it!  It's so many people's favourite book, it's a classic I missed out on at school... it just had to happen, sooner or later.  Most people probably know the basics - the yearning love of the enigmatic Jay Gatsby for his old flame Daisy, set against a backdrop of moneyed twenties life in all its bittersweet glory.  It didn't have as high an impact as I'd hoped, admittedly - the end was spoilered for me, for a start - but it had all the alcohol, parties, wit and style I could possibly have wanted from my first Fitzgerald.  3.5 stars, and you can read my full review here.


I Remember Nothing, and other reflections
by Nora Ephron
Just sneaked this one in under the wire before midnight on Hallowe'en, whew.  And oh Nora.  How I love you.  In much the same vein as I Feel Bad About My Neck, which I read last year, this is a loosely-linked collection of wryly humorous sketches and vignettes, of various lengths, about family and getting older and life in New York.  It's not hysterically funny, it's not deeply profound, it's not life-changingly memorable - but it is warm and real and lovely to read.  Considering that I read a large portion of it alongside the decidedly less-than-lovely Beloved, that was exactly what the doctor ordered.  3 stars.

~ What I Watched ~

 

Seann to be Wild (2012)
 Stand-up comedy, by Seann Walsh
Not much to be said about this one really.  Seann Walsh is a young comedian who appeared on things like Stand Up for the Week and Live at the Apollo for a while, made me laugh hysterically every time, and that was that.  He sort-of reminds me of a bewildered lion, like he should be in Oz when he's not on stage.  His stand-up is of the 'everyman' observational comedy type, particularly aimed at 20-somethings and students I'd say, and I love him.  Yaaaay! (watch a clip)


Harold and Maude (1971)

Starring Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon, directed by Hal Ashby
Guys.  GUYS.  This movie is amazing.  Barry recommended it in a film video aaaages ago (possibly even before I started watching him - I binge watch BookTubers when I first find them to see if I like their stuff) and I spotted that it was on Netflix, so I gave it a go and IT WAS SO GOOD.  It's about a boy obsessed with death (mostly to try to get his ridiculous mother's attention) and an almost-eighty year-old woman overflowing with life, and their unlikely friendship-turned-romance.  It sounds so icky, but it's not, it's bittersweet and hilarious and I laughed and cried and the characters are wonderful and the soundtrack is by Cat Stevens and YES.  I want my own copy now, I adored it.  (watch the trailer)


Lost in Austen (2008)
Starring Jemima Rooper and Elliot Cowan, written by Guy Andrews
I was really fancying a little Jane Austen time in the middle of the month, but was already reading other things - so I went on a mini Austen TV and movie binge instead.  Rather than watching straight-up adaptations I first went back to this TV series, in which feisty Londoner (and die-hard Pride and Prejudice fan) Amanda Price finds a magical door into Longbourn in her bathroom and switches places with Elizabeth.  It's actually better (and funnier) than I remembered, watching Amanda completely screwing over the original plot and desperately trying to get everybody's storylines back on track - and Elliot Cowan's Darcy is seriously fine, WET SHIRT OR OTHERWISE.  So much fun!  (watch the trailer)


Austenland (2013)
Starring Keri Russell and JJ Feild, directed by Jerusha Hess
Hanna mentioned really liking this when I met up with her in September, hence buying the books and the DVD soon afterwards.  I watched it as soon as I was done with the novel, and I LOVED IT.  It's smart and cheesy and ridiculous and romantic, and JJ Feild is basically what would arrive on Earth if Tom Hiddleston and Alan Cumming had a love child, so...  Yes.  GREAT fun for Austen fans who aren't too precious about modern twists on the original stories, which I'm not.  Interesting fact: Jennifer Coolidge was actually on Shannon Hale's fantasy cast list before the movie was made, so it's nice that what's on screen at least partially matches up to what the author had in mind on the page! (watch the trailer)


Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Starring Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton, directed by Jim Jarmusch
FINALLY!  It feels like I've been waiting for this movie forever - buzz started early, festival fever fanned the flames (ALLITERATION), the rest of the world saw it, we finally got a limited release (which meant nowhere round here bothered), and then forever and a day later the DVD arrived...  It was worth the wait.  I think.  The immortal and slightly weary characters are beautifully portrayed (Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Tilda Swinton and John Hurt, come on), the cinematography is dark and interesting, and the soundtrack is one of my favourites of recent movies.  It's definitely a slow-burner - not much really happens - but it's gorgeous and intimate and I had a deep feeling of satisfaction when the end credits rolled, which is always a good sign for me.  Definitely one for a rewatch sometime soon. (watch the trailer)


Our Zoo (2014)
Starring Lee Ingleby and Liz White, written by Matt Charman
This is actually a TV series rather than a movie, but since I'm planning on acquiring the box set at some point I thought I'd include it here like I would any other series I own on DVD.  It's basically the story of the creation of Chester Zoo - a dramatized and enhanced version of the earliest part of June Mottershead's story (see above).  George Mottershead, a shell-shocked WWI veteran, and his young family move to a large house in Upton with the intention of opening a zoological gardens, a 'zoo without bars', where animals can live comfortably and safely while also providing an educational opportunity for visitors.  Unfortunately, the conservative residents of Upton have other ideas...  It's a beautiful BBC period piece, with superb acting across the board, a great cast, adorable moments and some really nail-biting ones, even though obviously you know it all came good in the end!  Lovely cosy cold-weather viewing.  (watch the trailer)


Catching Fire (2013)
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, directed by Francis Lawrence
Do I really have to explain this one?  No, probably not, but here we go.  I rewatched the movie at the end of the month, because I want to finally read Mockingjay in November before the first instalment hits the big screen.  Unlike last year, I don't want to reread the first two books - not yet - so I watched the film instead.  It was as brilliant as I remember, from the thrilling moments of rebellion to the ingenious arena to that incredible Mockingjay dress.  I've heard bad things about the last book, but my love for the first two and their corresponding films goes undiminished! (watch the trailer)


World War Z (2013)
Starring Brad Pitt and Mireille Enos, directed by Marc Forster
First up, can I just say that this movie was NOWHERE NEAR as awful as I expected it to be from the dreadful reviews and tirades of abuse I've seen around the internet.  It was never going to be a straight-up adaptation of the book (which I read in September), because an oral history-style novel by its definition has no cohesive narrative or prominent character to root for - but I thought the compromises made to bring the overall story to the screen were excellent.  The tone remained quite faithful: the emphasis was on military intervention, and the zombie apocalypse as a contagion, rather than on gore and cheap thrills.  It did manage to cram in plenty of horror-movie staples - terror on a plane, terror in a military facility, terror in an apartment building - but although they were noticeable, I didn't mind.  It just added to the feeling of zombie saturation and the fact that literally nowhere was safe.  It's not going to be my favourite movie of the year, but I'm really glad I gave it a try and formed my OWN opinion.  Definitely one I'll be returning to next time I fancy an easy-to-watch sci-fi action movie of an evening.  (watch the trailer)

~ What I'm Reading ~

  

This has actually changed a tiny bit since I started writing this post (and took the photo for it), but let's go with it...  I've finally remembered that I'm working way my way through The Pleasures of the Damned, the collection of Bukowski's poems, so I've read a few more of those recently.  I picked up Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley, a cute graphic memoir that I'd originally planned to read during the Dewey Readathon but set aside in favour of Our Zoo, so I'm a couple of 'chapters' into that as well.  It's very cheerful and chirpy, providing the perfect happy-break from my final current read, Beloved by Toni Morrison.  I've actually finished it this evening and Jesus, it's brutal.  Beautiful, but brutal.  More on that in next month's wrap-up...  I haven't picked my next novel yet, but it'll probably be something from that groaning library pile that never seems to go down, haha.  Or Mockingjay!  Must read Mockingjay... *wanders off to have a look*

 

Aaaaand that was my October!