Recent Activity

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  The Sea, John Banville

  No. Let me know if you continue to enjoy it. I can suggest it for my Book Club.

  Posted 25 Mar 07

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  The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

  I LOVED this book and no longer have it because I was compelled to pass it on and when i did, said please keep passing it on.

  I echo your thoughts Rira. It is a pity that more people had not read it before the bombing of Afghanistan.

  That book resonated with me for so long after finishing it. It also brought the city's sensual aspects alive for me - the dust, the pomegranate trees, their homes, the smells, the colour etc...

  Was the boy's name Hussein? Oh. His story was just so moving. 

  I warn you though - it will make you cry.   

   

  Posted 17 May 07

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  We Need to Talk abut Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

  My Book Club has this book. I'll pick it up at the next meeting.

  Posted 17 May 07

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  The Peaceful Pill Handbook

  So they have banned it because it's a "how to" book? I wonder how often they ban books. What an enormous power to be able to tell people what they can and can't read.

  Posted 26 Feb 07

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  Books that sadden

  Ever read a book that makes the world look a little bit nasty? I am reading The Riders by Tim Winton. The premise of it is a bit cruel and it's painful watching these people try to survive each other and themselves. I am feeling quite sad! It is beautifully written though and I cannot put it down.

  Posted 13 Mar 07

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  Running with Scissors

  By Augustine Burroughs. Augustine writes this book as an adult but it is about his childhood and his passage into adulthood.

  He is sent to live with his mother's psychiatrist, Dr Finch, when his father leaves and his mother has another psychotic episode. The Finches are very unconventional and the house is squalid. Augustine lives with no rules.

  The book is also about his sexuality, his first gay sexual encounter and his first love, although he is quite emotionally cruel to his boyfriend and only realises how much he loves him when he leaves. Having said that the boyfriend is not without his abuses of power.

  As a reader I felt I developed coping strategies for reading this book, at about the same pace that Augustine develops his own, to survive his slightly strange, unpredictable rollercoaster life. I liked it as it has a lot of black humour in it. Completely shocking and very interesting. 

  Anyone else read it? 

  Posted 13 Mar 07

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  War of the Worlds

  It's not what I would normally pick but the premise sounds interesting. Will have to see if my library has it...

  Posted 25 Mar 07

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  D.H. Lawrence

  Did he write The Rainbow? I remember reading it but have no lasting impressions...

  Posted 05 Feb 07

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  A Gathering Light

  Sounds like a Paulo Coelho book, especially The Zahir.

  I never ever ever want to see you reading that book... ever. 

  Posted 15 Feb 07

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  Coming soon from Tolkien

  That's exciting. Look out for The Children of Hürin everyone.

  Could we see yet another fantastic flick from Peter Jackson?

  Did I tell you I visited "Hobbiton" on a sheep farm on New Zealand's North Island? It was a blast although the studios demanded that the farmer rip down most of it because of 'COPYRIGHT'. Don't get me started on copyright law (my hubby is ex-Kazaa and we had the personal pleasure of a threatened law suit which lasted more than two years and only ended recently. Arrrrggghhh). Anyway, where was I?

  The army built the set in secret and no-one in the surrounding community knew what was going on. Someone was fired because they smuggled out a picture and were caught.

  Anyway, here is the link: 

  Hobbiton Tours NZ  

   

  Posted 20 Feb 07