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 At least, I think that’s the right hour! I’m at the moment nearly finished with On the Edge but I decided I needed a break.
| Number of Books |
3 |
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Books Read |
| Pages Read |
456 |
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How I Live Now |
| Time Spent Reading |
4:30 |
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| Time Spent Blogging |
######### |
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And here’s the only food passage I could find for Nicole’s mini-challenge. On the Edge isn’t the most foodie of books but I must say I want pancakes now:
“He slid the pancake onto a three-inch-tall stack, dipped a spoon into the sugar bowl, sprinkled sugar onto the pancake, and looked at her brothers.” – p. 52
I finished How I Live Now, so I thought now was a good time to do the intro meme and see what everyone else is up to! First, here’s how I’ve done so far:
| Number of Books |
1 |
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Books Read |
| Pages Read |
167 |
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How I Live Now |
| Time Spent Reading |
1:28 |
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| Time Spent Blogging |
######### |
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And the meme:
Where are you reading from today?
I am reading from my new flat in Beverley, East Yorkshire.
3 facts about me …
This is the one I’m bad at:
1. I like cats.
2. My favorite color is yellow (I may have used this one before …)
3. I like cheese and I like hamburgers but I don’t like cheeseburgers.
How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
At the moment, there are fifteen left. No, I will not read all of them. I just like choices!
Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
I’d like to read six books again. I’d aim for seven but I think Germinal will slow me down too much. Reading more than 12 hours would be nice too.
If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
Keep snacks around, choose short books, move around so you don’t feel bored and stifled in one spot! I have different rooms to read in this time and I’m very excited about it.
How is everyone else doing, if you’ve had a chance to check posts?? Amazingly, my husband is also reading (I gave him The Sparrow, so I shouldn’t be too shocked) so it’s nice and quiet around here. I’ll be back in a few hours, next up is my 50 pages of Germinal and then probably On the Edge by Ilona Andrews.
I’m ready for Dewey’s Read-a-Thon on the book front! There are just four hours to go. Here’s what I have waiting:
 I’m going to start off with finishing How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. I also want to use this exclusive reading time to make real headway into Germinal by Emile Zola, which I’m reading and enjoying for the Classics Circuit but finding it hard to take after work and things. If I read fifty pages of it in between books, I hope to get to around the middle or something. I wouldn’t try and read it in one go unless it really picks up!
Also, On the Edge is on top for a reason. I’ve been saving it – I know urban fantasy is great for the Read-a-Thon, so that one will be probably be second. After that, who knows?? I think I have a good mix though, of YA, fantasy, memoirs, and romance. Nothing too serious or strenuous except for Germinal!
I think I’ll be posting every three hours or so. I am probably not going to try and make it all night but we’ll see how I do.
Oh, and I’m sadly lacking on the snack front, but we do have leftover lasagna and some cookies, so I probably won’t starve! I’m just going to envy all of you with delicious food throughout the day.
Good luck everyone!
(If you’re not reading, I hope you have a lovely Saturday anyway!)
 Dongliang’s father used to be the son of a martyr, until the fish-shaped birthmark on his bottom was called into question. An investigation into the martyr’s descendants was instituted, but the family’s position was already too compromised and Secretary Ku lost his party membership. Now they live on a boat and Dongliang worries that his father is going to turn into a fish – but he can’t resist chasing after young Huixian, a beautiful little girl who is immediately accepted by the river people. To satisfy his obsession, Dongliang will have to challenge everything he knows, and make a difficult choice.
This book didn’t really work so well for me. It had an element of magical realism, which only sometimes works, and I found the whole thing kind of absurd. I think that was the point, but I still wasn’t a huge fan. I also didn’t really like Dongliang, which was a huge problem since the novel is mainly from his point of view. I could understand his frustration with his father, but I really disliked the way he chased after Huixian. I felt sorry for her more than sympathy for him, even though she was a bit strange. Actually I didn’t really relate to any of the characters, and I didn’t care what happened to them. I just felt disconnected from the story the whole time.
I know this review is quite subjective, and many of my issues with it might not bother someone else. Overall, though, I don’t think I could recommend The Boat to Redemption.
I am an Amazon Associate. I borrowed this book from my local library.
 Astronomer Jimmy Quinn is having a long night at work after time with his friends when he hears an alien radio signal. Almost immediately, plans are laid to explore this alien signal, and a group of friends, including a few Jesuit priests, heads into space to make contact with and study the alien population. While on the planet, however, things go wrong, and only one damaged man returns.
The story begins with him, Emilio Sandoz, and his return, switching between time periods to explore the back story of the mission. So don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled anything. And let me also start off by saying I simply loved this book. I read it when I started working and I actually enjoyed that because this was the first book that I really enjoyed that I had to spend more than a day with. Spreading it out over four days meant I could grow to love these characters and I was completely wrapped up in the story every single time I picked up the book.
This is science fiction which works for people who don’t like science fiction, with tons of character development and a truly enthralling plot. We know the basics of what’s happened from the start, but finding out why it’s happened, especially to people we care about so much, is amazingly compelling. There isn’t really any technical jargon at all; there is only basic detail to understand what’s happening. The focus is all on the breathtaking story. Even though so many clues are laid, it’s hard to guess what’s happened. I feel like I could almost certainly pick up more on a reread than I did this time, and this is a book that is worth rereading.
I also thought that Russell’s worldbuilding was interesting and well-done, but not extensive enough to bore any readers. Rather, it’s wrapped up in the sense of discovery and each revelation ramps up the tension, so it’s impossible not to keep turning the pages whenever you have the opportunity. The book really made me think about culture clash and what would happen if we ever really came into contact with aliens – and what we’d do if aliens came into contact with us.
Overall, my review doesn’t feel particularly coherent, but I doubt talking about such an amazing book will ever be coherent! The Sparrow comes hugely recommended by me.
I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased this book.
 Willow is a destitute child in Southern China, reduced to begging and stealing for food, until she becomes friends with the local missionary’s daughter, Pearl Sydenstricker. From that moment on, their lives intertwine, as Pearl goes on to become a famous writer after her share of struggles and Willow experiences the worst of the new Communist regime under Chairman Mao. Throughout they remain friends and in contact wherever possible, sharing pain, sorrow, and joy.
This is such a touching book. The friendship between Pearl and Willow feels right and true, from its development to its end. It’s not a perfect friendship, as of course there are roadblocks as there might be between any two women. Towards the end, with the effect of the Cultural Revolution, no letters are allowed at all, and Willow finds herself endlessly wondering what is happening to her friend even as she endures persecution for refusing to denounce Pearl. This is certainly the darkest and slowest part of the book, but these things genuinely happened to people, and they deserved their place here.
I found it so interesting that Pearl is genuinely regarded as a Chinese writer. She spent the large majority of the first forty years of her life in China, spoke Chinese fluently, and had a great understanding of Chinese people. The author writes in her prologue that when she read The Good Earth, it was so accurate and so moving a picture of Chinese peasants that it made her cry and inspired her to write this book. The parts reflecting Pearl’s life are drawn from history (I’m not sure if Willow was a real person or not) and I’ve been totally inspired to learn more about her life. She seems like such a fascinating and driven woman, confronted with obstacles but determined to surmount them in the end.
Pearl of China is a great book for those of us who are interested in China. The more I read, the more I want to read, and this was a fantastic choice for fiction. I’m looking forward to reading more by Anchee Min.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the Amazon Vine program.
 Tasha and I decided to team up and read a classic together for Classics Month in March. We chose Lorna Doone when we realized I had it and she could get it easily out of the library. This is the first part of our joint review, head on over to Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Books for the second half!
First, though, a summary:
John Ridd is a young mischievous school boy faced with the abrupt reality of his father’s death, reportedly by the Doones of Exmoor, a band of high-born outlaws who constantly terrorize the area around his home town. On a fishing trip after his return home to care for his mother and sisters, John accidentally enters Doone territory and meets young Lorna Doone, who is something of a queen to them. John can’t help but fall immediately in love with her, but his struggle to win her from the Doones will be long-lasting and dangerous for both of them.
Heidenkind: Love or hate? 
Meghan: I think I have to go with hate!! Actually, my feelings aren’t quite as strong as that. I mostly just feel a mild dislike. I know you disagree though. =)
Heidenkind: Yeah, I actually liked it a lot. I love the A&E miniseries based on the book, and I think the actual novel is a lot better. It’s very romantic, no?
So, in the introduction in my copy, the person compared Lorna Doone to Jane Eyre and bemoaned the fact that it’s not as popular as Jane Eyre even though it’s just as good–if not not better–and has similar themes. What do you think–is LD the forgotten Jane Eyre?
Meghan:
Definitely not! I love Jane Eyre and I think it’s vastly better. For one thing, I don’t think it suffers nearly so much from the same long-windedness. I love a well-crafted sentence as well as the next former English major but I think there are definitely extremes. Charlotte Bronte does it well, but R.D. Blackmore not so much. I can’t really forgive any book pages on nature – maybe it’s for others, but not for me.
Also I have to admit that Mr Rochester is a far more dashing hero than John ever could be. I think of John as big and strong but rather boring. At least Mr Rochester has a bit of a scandalous history to make him more interesting and I can’t help but imagine him as a very attractive man. I also much prefer the romance in Jane Eyre, obviously, even if it is initially bigamy.
What do you think?
Heidenkind: Even though I enjoyed Lorna, I don’t think it’s anywhere close to Jane Eyre, and I can’t see any modern high schooler picking up LD and just falling in love with it the way I did with JE. For one thing, there’s too much pointless stuff in the book. And for another, the writing is just impenetrable, especially in the first part. A Victorian trying to do 17-th-century speak is just not good–and don’t even get me started on the accents. Ugh! Every time that John Fry guy started to speak, I just skipped it. My brain had a hard enough time trying to understand the book already.
Meghan: I think I skipped a whole conversation that they had in there somewhere. There was the cook who spoke in it as well. I shuddered! I really, really hate dialect in books and it was NOT done well here.
Heidenkind: I agree. As for John, he’s not as dashing as Mr. Rochester, no, but he’s the “average guy” hero of the story. Lorna is supposed to be the dashing, mysterious love interest. I actually liked John a lot–I though he was charming in a simple way. Not that I would ever go out with him or anything. 
Meghan: I certainly wouldn’t, I didn’t like him at all and he was one of the problems I had with the book. I really felt like he was constantly demeaning to the women in his life even though I could tell he loved them. I’m not sure whether the author was just that bad or he was trying to emulate 17th century attitudes, but I did not appreciate feeling like all the women were silly and little and cute. And he didn’t like the sister he had with a brain, Eliza, instead being annoying about how she was always buried in books. I could not figure out why Lorna wanted to be with him. And his behavior towards his cousin Ruth really annoyed me as well – once it was established that he was going to marry Lorna, he still flirted with her and IMO really led her on when he shouldn’t have been doing that.
Heidenkind: I couldn’t figure out what John and Lorna saw in eachother, either! But on the other hand, Lorna did really want out of the Doone encampment, and here’s John telling her he loves her and offering to help her escape. So maybe there’s a knight-in-shining-armour complex going on there.
 Hector is a young psychiatrist, and a very good one. He often knows how to help his patients, but he struggles with those who don’t really have an identifiable illness; they’re just unhappy. Even when they are rich, in successful marriages, with smart children, these people aren’t happy. And sometimes Hector finds that he is also unhappy, which he doesn’t understand. So he sets off on a worldwide tour in an effort to find the secret of happiness, if there even is one.
This was a cute “modern fable”, as it’s titled on the back. The writing style is very simple, almost juvenile in tone, but it suits the book somehow as Hector goes around writing down his list of what happiness is. And the list was relevant, as he pointed out many things I agree with, some of which were obvious and some not as much. Hector finds what makes him happy in the end, with a few missteps along the way.
I think it was the missteps which were really the only thing I didn’t like about the book. Hector cheats on his girlfriend twice over the course of the book, and while both incidents make him learn something about himself, it did turn me off him somewhat. He didn’t even seem particularly guilty about his indiscretions, so it made me unsure if he really deserved his happy ending.
I did like how the countries weren’t really named, even though we could figure out which ones they were; it leant a timelessness to the book it wouldn’t have gained otherwise. It was interesting how violence was portrayed in this simple tone as well. At times I knew Hector was in danger but it was never too scary and to be honest I never really worried that much about him. I haven’t decided if this was a good or a bad thing, but it made his discoveries about happiness a little more relevant to the harsher places in the world.
Overall, I did enjoy my time with Hector & the Search for Happiness. It was very sweet and I think it had a number of good lessons in it, as a fable should, but I never felt talked down to despite the simple narration. I would recommend it.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for review from the publisher.
 March was a crazy month for me – pretty much my whole life changed in the space of it! I had an interview, got a job, found a flat in the space of a week (actually my husband mostly did this but it stressed me out too!), started the job, moved, and have been adjusting ever since. It’s been overwhelming at times, but the end of moving may be in sight now and we’re settling in nicely. I can already tell that working is making me happier and I’m actually less stressed. So far I’m pretty good at my job, I have more of a purpose, and I am relieved knowing that I can finally cover my half of the bills, and now I don’t have to spend my savings to pay my student loan debt.
 I still managed to read 19 books, too, which I think is pretty good, and they’re not even all concentrated at the beginning of the month. Considering I spent almost the entire month trying to motivate myself to read Lorna Doone, I think that’s pretty good! This was Classics Month for me and Tasha and I admit I dropped the ball a little. I still read classics, but I didn’t really say much on my blog about them like I had planned to simply because I haven’t spent any time at all on my blog in the past three weeks. All those reviews you’ve been seeing were written before my job even started. And it turns out I’m not very good at theme months. I love classics, but after I’d read three I was ready to read modern fiction. I’m actually still working on Villette. I did read/post about five classics this month, though:
Tasha also wrote a guest post for me on Gawain and the Green Knight and I featured a guest post from Nicole at Linus’s Blanket on her top three classics.
I also read a lot of other stuff.
Historical Romance
- Reese’s Bride, Kat Martin
- The Duke of Shadows, Meredith Duran
- Bound by Your Touch, Meredith Duran
Mystery/Women’s Fiction
Historical Fiction
Contemporary Romance
Literary Fiction
- The Uninvited, Geling Yan
- The Boat to Redemption, Su Tong
- Hector and the Search for Happiness, Francois Lelord (actually a modern fable – best fits here I think)
Science Fiction/Fantasy
- The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
- The Bookman, Lavie Tidhar
As you can see I still have a bunch of reviews to write. I’m hoping to catch up today, but we’ll see how that goes.
My plans for April mostly include catching up on review copies. I seem to have had a semi-storm of them lately and I want to get them read and reviewed ASAP. I don’t mind too much, I just have limited time with the job and constantly being in the car on the weekends moving stuff. I’m also joining Carl’s Once Upon a Time IV challenge, so I hope to start reading some fantasy soon! I’ll have a pool up in a few days. I’m also signed up for the Read-a-thon next weekend and just can’t wait! I’ll be putting together a pool for that as well, but might not post about it until the day. I have a few books I’m hoping arrive this week that will pretty much be the planned reading. And I REALLY want to read Written on Your Skin by Meredith Duran this month. I absolutely loved her first two and I’ve just heard that I’m getting the fourth for review. You could have heard my squee across the street!
Lastly, I have mostly given up reducing my TBR pile. It’s going to grow and I think maybe I should be happy to be surrounded by books instead of feeling guilty about them!
Oh, and of course, happy Easter to all those who celebrate!
 Lucy Valentine’s family have been matchmakers for as long as anyone can remember. Each member of the family sees a colored aura around people, enabling them to match the perfect couples. Due to a strange accident in Lucy’s youth, she can no longer see these auras, but she can find people’s lost belongings. That’s no use in the family business, however, and so Lucy is at loose ends when her father leaves her in charge. She doesn’t stay that way for long with sexy private investigator Sean Donahue upstairs and a murder mystery to solve. Perhaps Lucy’s talent for finding lost things will come in handy after all.
This was a really cute, light read. Lucy is a charming character and I definitely wanted success for her. I could understand how terrified she was to match couples when she didn’t actually have the ability to tell if the romances were going to work, and I thought her efforts to get people to give one another a try were really sweet. Her own beginning romance was cute, too, but doesn’t wrap up as neatly as most novels would have done. I suspect it will continue to grow in later books of this series.
The mystery was fairly predictable, but I didn’t expect anything else to be honest! The groundwork for the solution is well-laid and for once I actually picked up on it, and as a result I was groaning when Lucy willingly threw herself into danger without putting the pieces together. While this would ordinarily have irritated me, for some reason it didn’t here as I knew the plot had to wrap up and this was the only way it could happen. Lucy’s talent was intriguing and I was glad she put it to good use.
Truly, Madly certainly isn’t going to make my favorites of the year, but it is definitely a perfect choice for anyone who wants a fun, romantic read.
I am an Amazon Associate. I received this book for free from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
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