Saturday 31 December 2011

The outdo yourself reading challenge

I found this challenge today and since I already want to do this, I decided to join in. Basically the aim is to read more books than you did last year (2011). I am going for the Getting out of breath level i.e. Read 11 - 15 more books than in 2011. Sign up on the Book Vixen's blog

1. Swimsuit by James Patterson

2. Don't blink by James Patterson
3. Run for your life by James Patterson
4. Step on a crack by James Patterson
5. Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
6. Not that kind of girl by Catherine Alliot
7. Leaving by Karen Kingsbury
8. Kiss the girls by James Patterson
9. It's now or never by Carole Matthews
10. The Geneva Deception by James Twining
11. Start somewhere by Calvin Nowell
12. Duncton Tales by William Horwood
13. Learning by Karen Kingsbury
14. The great hunt by Robert Jordan
15. Atlantis by David Gibbins
16. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
17. Sphinx by T.S. Learner
18. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
19. Wilt on High by Tom Sharpe
20. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
21. Girl missing by Tess Gerritsen
22. Worth dying for by Lee Child
23. The dragon reborn by Robert Jordan
24. Spring by William Horwood
25. Trackers by Deon Meyer

Monday 26 December 2011

Chunkster Challenge 2012

Another challenge which I enjoyed last year. This year, I am going to step this up a bit and go for the Mor-book-ly obese challenge i.e. 8 books of 450 pages, 3 of which must have 750 pages or more. If you would like to join in, click on the picture above.

1. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (707 pages)
2. Duncton Tales by William Horwood (592 pages)
3. Not that kind of girl by Catherine Alliott
4. Atlantis by David Gibbins (464 pages)
5. Sphinx by T.S. Learner (501 pages)
6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (850 pages)
7. The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (699 pages)
8. Spring by William Horwood (505 pages)
9. Trackers by Deon Meyer (500 pages)
10. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

New Author Challenge 2012

Another challenge that I thoroughly enjoyed this year was the New Author Challenge. It was really nice to branch out and I read some amazing books as a result, and discovered some new favourites. So, here I am back for the second year. This year I would like to read 25 New Authors,and HOPE to read 50. I know that it will be a busy year, so not sure if I will make 50, therefore will have that as my "stretch target" as we say at work!
Click on the link for more info or to join up.

1. Leaving by Karen Kingsbury
2. Start somewhere by Calvin Nowell
3. Sphinx by T.S. Learner
4. Too close for comfort by Clare Dowling
5. The red coffin by Sam Eastland
6. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
7. The tenth chamber by Glenn Cooper
8. The sandalwood tree by Elle Newmark
9. Worst case by Jassy Mackenzie
10. Goodnight Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson
11. The redbreast by Jo Nesbo
12. The prisoner of paradie by Romesh Gunesekera
13. The moses Legacy by Adam Palmer
14. The captains daughter by Leah Fleming
15. The messiah secret by James Becker
16. The whispering road by Livi Michael
17. Fifty shades of grey by EL James
 

Outlander Reading Challenge

The outlander series is one of my favourite series of all time, and since the 7th book is due to come out this year (hopefully) I had planned on rereading the series in 2012. Whilst hopping around I came across this challenge, which seems perfect for me. I will definitely read the Outlander series and as many of the Lord John books as I can get hold of. Pop over to Literary Escapism to check it out.
1. Outlander

100+ books in a year reading challenge 2012

In January I signed up for this challenge in two places, and managed to complete it.  This year, I have decided to sign up at Book chick city for the 100+ books in a year. Since I have read 107 books and will probably make it 110 this year, I have decided to set myself a personal goal of 120 books for 2012, my aim is also to write more reviews. We will see how that goes, lol. If you would like to join in, pop over here or click the button in my side bar.

1. Swimsuit by James Patterson
2. Don't blink by James Patterson
3. Run for your life by James Patterson
4. Step on a crack by James Patterson
5. Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
6. Not that kind of girl by Catherine Alliot
7. Leaving by Karen Kingsbury
8. Kiss the girls by James Patterson
9. It's now or never by Carole Matthews
10. The Geneva Deception by James Twining
11. Start somewhere by Calvin Nowell
12. Duncton Tales by William Horwood
13. Learning by Karen Kingsbury
14. The great hunt by Robert Jordan
15. Atlantis by David Gibbins
16. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
17. Sphinx by T.S Learner
18. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
19. Wilt on High by Tom Sharpe
20. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
21. Girl Missing by Tess Gerritsen
22. Worth Dying for by Lee child
23. The dragon reborn by Robert Jordan
24. Spring by William Horwood
25. Trackers by Deon Meyer
26. Shopaholic ties the knot by Sophie Kinsella
27. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
28. Private by James Patterson
29. Too close for comfort by Clare Dowling
30. The red coffin by Sam Eastland
31. Secret Daughter by Silphi Somaya Gowda
32. Keeping the dead by Tess Gerritsen
33. The tenth chamber by Glenn Cooper
34. Ants in the big onion by Annica Foxcroft
35. The shadow rising by Robert Jordan
36. Ice hunt by James Rollins
37. Lord John and the private matter by Diana Gabaldon
38. The sandalwood tree by Elle Newmark
39. The sacred cut by David Hewson
40. Bored of the ring by The Harvard Lampoons
41. The bone of Avalon by Phil Rickman
42. Sarum by Edward Rutherford
43. The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory
44. Worst case by Jassy Mackenzie
45. Forgive and forget by Patricia Scanlan
46. Air Babylon by Imogen Jones
47. Circles in a forest by Dalene Matthee
48. The last templar by Raymond Khoury
49. Goodnight beautiful by Dorothy Koomson
50. Mortal Remains by Kathy Reichs
51. Thud by Terry Pratchett
52. The last rhinos by Lawrence Anthony
53. The genesis plague by Michael Byrnes
54. The worst case by James Patterson
55. Death benefit by Robin Cook
56. Fires of heaven by Robert Jordan
57. The winter ghosts by Kate Mosse
58. The redbreast by Jo Nesbo
59. Monday mourning by Kathy Reichs
60. Crusader Gold by David Gibbins
61. The prisoner of paradise by Romesh Gunesekera
62. Temple of the gods by Andy McDermott
63. Pyramid by Tom Martin
64. Torn apart by James Patterson and Hal Friedman
65. Lord of chaos by Robert Jordan
66. Under the knife by Tess Gerritsen
67. The Moses Legacy by Adam Palmer
68. The whispering road by Livi Michael
69. Digital fortress by Dan Brown
70. Captains daughter by Leah Fleming
71. The messiah secret by James Becker
72. Duncton Rising by William Horwood
73. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
74. Fifty shades of Grey by EL James
75. Zoo by James Patterson
76. Road to Paradise by Paulina Simmons
77. Fifty shades darker by EL James
78. Fifty shades freed by EL James
79. A crown of swords by Robert Jordan




 

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge 2012

It is that time of year when we start looking at various challenges for the coming year. I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge this year, and in fact this has become one of my favourite genres at the moment. So, I am back for another year. This year I hope to read 24 books during the year, and hope to be better at reviewing the books as well! If you would like to join, just click on the link or the button in the side bar.

1. Swimsuit by James Patterson
2. Don't blink by James Patterson
3. Run for your life by James Patterson
4. Step on a crack by James Patterson
5. Devil bones by Kathy Reichs
6. Kiss the girls by James Patterson
7. The Geneva Deception by James Twining
8. Atlantis by David Gibbins
9. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
10. Girl missing by Tess Gerritsen
11. Worth Dying for by Lee Child
12. Trackers by Deon Meyer
13. Private by James Patterson
14. The red coffin by Sam Eastland
15. Keeping the dead by tess Gerritsen
16. Ice hunt by James Rollins
17. The sacred cut by James Hewson
18. Worst case by Jassy Mackenzie
19. The last templar by Raymond Khoury
20. Mortal Remains by Kathy Reichs
21. The Genesis plague by Michael Byrnes
22. Worst case by James Patterson
23. Death benefit by Robin Cook
24. The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
25. Monday mourning by Kathy Reichs
26. Crusader gold  by David Gibbins
27. Temple of the gods by Andy Mc. Dermott
28. Pyramid by Tom Martin
29 Under the knife by Tess Gerritsen
30. The mose legacy by Adam Palmer
31. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
32. The messiah secret by James Becker
33. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
34. Zoo by James Patterson

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Bout of books readathon wrap up post

For some reason this wont let me post a picture tonight, grrr!
Anyway, here is my very belated wrap up post for bout of books! I have been so busy since Monday I havent had a chance to come on.
I felt like I totally failed at this readathon, since I hardly read that much and I didnt update much. I did however, regularly check peoples tweets! Having said that I actually met my goal and managed to read two books, so that was a bonus. The books I read were:
Cracks by Sheila Kohler
The return of the king by J.R.R Tolkien. I also read about 50 pages of THe lost city of Z, but taking a break from that since I didnt really get into it.
I really enjoyed the readathon and am looking forward to the next one!

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Bout of books day 2 and 3 update

Didn't get a chance to update yesterday, what with studying for todays exam. I did get to do some reading and hope to post a review tomorrow when I get some time on the computer!
Books read since last update: 2 (cracks by Sheila Kohler and The lost city of Z by David Grann)
Books finished since last update: 1 (cracks)
Books fished in total: 1
Pages read since last update: 177 (125 cracks and 52 Lost city)
Pages read in total:218

I am not sure if I am enjoying The lost city of Z but will carry on for a bit longer
#insixwords not enough time in the day!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Bout of books Day 1 update

Doing this from my phone and will add links etc later.
As expected I did not read too much yesterday, partly due to studying and partly because my sister arrived with my new nephew.
I did however, read a very little bit. I started with a book called cracks by Sheila Kohler.
Books finished today: 0
Pages read today: 41
Today in 6 words: #work, study, baby, couldn't read much!
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Saturday 22 October 2011

Bout of books readathon starting post


I am doing my start up post tonight, since I probably wont get a chance tomorrow, then I know it is up!

Time devoted to reading: 
I commit to reading something every day for the entire week, but realistically it will probably be limited until Wednesday. I have an exam first thing Wednesday morning, and then will be at work the rest of the week.

Goals:
Read  a minimum of 2 books (due to above exam limitations) but would like to read 3 which will bring my total for the year to 90, only 10 away from meeting my goal of 100 books this year.

Possible books to read:
To dream of the dead - Phil Rickman
Lost City of Z - David Grann
Leaving - Karen Kingsbury
The last Oracle - James Rollins
Labyrinthe - Kate Mosse
Break no Bones - Kathy Reichs (will be starting this one tomorrow)
The return of the King - J.R.R Tolkien
Crack - Sheila Kohler
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson



I will update in daily posts so that I can do it from my phone quickly if I dont get much computer time. If you would like to check out the readathon then click on the button at the top of the post. Go on, you were going to read anyway!


Saturday 15 October 2011

Bout of Books Readathon and taking a break


I totally missed the last readathon I signed up for. Had so much going on that week even though my daughter was away that I didnt get a chance to read. However, I have signed up for the above readathon which occurs during the week break between my two sets of exams, so that should be a nice destresser!
Since I have 3 exams coming up over the next week I wont be bloggin at all until those are finished.
 

Sunday 18 September 2011

Frightful fall read-a-thon

As I write this we are having the hottest day so far this spring with temperatures outside of 28C at 5:30pm, so it feels strange to write about a fall readathon. But here I am doing just that! Michelle over at Castle Macabre is holding a readathon from the 3 - 9 October 2011. I thought since it is far enough away from exams to give me a bit of leeway I would join in. The main requirement is that you read one scary book, sounds easy enough!
 

Monday 5 September 2011

It's Monday, what are you reading?

This meme is where we share what we have been reading and what we are going to read.
This last week I have not really got very far with my reading at all. I havent been able to get down and read much, but am getting little bits done.
I am busy with two book:
1. Duncton Found by William Horwood. Now, dont get me wrong I love this series and this book. I would have to if I have read it 3 times before, lol. However this time, although I am enjoying the story I am battling through it a bit. I think it is because it is quite a long book and I havent had much chance to read at all. So, reading just a few pages a day makes me feel that nothing is really happening. I do love the book though, so will definitely get back into it.
2. The Black sun by James Twining. I started reading this because I thought it would be a bit easier to pick up and put down, and it definitely is so. I am thoroughly enjoying it!
For more reading inspiration pop over to Sheilah's blog.http://www.bookjourney.wordpress.com/
 

Monday 29 August 2011

Bout of books readathon wrap up post



I didnt get to post last night, so here is a wrap up post.

Books finished during the readathon: 2 (Fat Tuesday and Ant in my sugar)
Other books read: Duncton Found 300 pages

All in all, I am pretty happy with what I achieved, considering the fact that it was an exam/prac week.


Friday 26 August 2011

Bout of books readathon day 2-5


Sadly, all my good intentions came to naught! I was just so busy with my course that I didnt get a chance to post. I have however, been reading! So this is in fact an update post from Tuesday.
Books read today: 0.2
Books read so far: 1 + 0.2
Completed: Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown
#insixwords Thank goodness I can now read!

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Bout of books readathon Day 1

Just realised while I am sitting outside UNISA that I forgot to add an update last night. Thank goodness for modern technology and my phone!
I didn't get to read much at all yesterday, but I didn't really expect to.
Books read yesterday: 106 pages of Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown.
#insixwords sadly not much chance to read

I hope to get a bit more time today, but won't hold my breath.
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Sunday 21 August 2011

Bout of Books Readathon


Ok, I am becoming quite the readathon addict these days! I recently came across this one and since I have had such  a busy time lately with university work, a lot of which will come to an end this week, I decided that this is just the reward I need. It starts tomorrow and ends on the 28th, so a nice long time.get

How much time I intend to read?
Now, I probably won't get that much time to read during the week, but plan to spend most of next weekend reading. As a result, my goals are going to be set quite low!

Goals?
Due to the above my goal is only to finish Duncton Found which I am about  a third of the way through and read one other book. I have about 13 books on my to be read pile, so I wont have any shortage of books! Will decide what to read based on how exhausted I am feeling by the end of the week!

There are also going to be some challenges, prizes and lots of fun, so pop over to On a book bender for more information.



Monday 8 August 2011

It's Monday what are you reading?



This meme is where we share what we have been reading and what we are going to read. I have been busy and sick with flu for the last few weeks, but hopefully will be back for a while now.
Last week I read 3 books:
Tell It To The Skies
Tell it to the skies by Erica James tells the story of  Lydia who is sent to live with her grandparents after her parents die. Neither of her grandparents really want her there and she has a miserable childhood, only made better by the presence of her best friend Noah. Unfortunately when she is 18 tragedy strikes and she flees to Italy. We start the story with her step-daughter having met Noah's son which makes Erica go back over what she experienced as a child. I enjoyed this book a lot and would really recommend it, the only thing I have against it is that there were two many convenient tie-ups. But still it was a good book.
Sandstorm (A Sigma Force Novel)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It has all my favourite aspects - action, a bit of romance, intrigue, lots of historical detail. In the Dan Brown genre, but a lot more action involved!

Lastly, what I am reading at the moment:
Duncton Found (The Duncton Chronicles)

I absolutely love the Duncton Chronicles, this is my third or fourth time reading the series. It tells the story of a community of moles, and although I thought I wouldnt enjoy it I have been hooked for years! Think The wind in the willows on a huge scale. I only started this last night, so havent got very far.

For more inspiration pop over to Sheilah's blog, link on the picture.

Sunday 7 August 2011

Sizzling summer readathon Update 3

Okay, this will probably be my last update since I will probably go to bed fairly soon. If I read a lot more I may post another one tomorrow, but it is unlikely.
I have actually managed to finish 2 books and started on my 3rd.
Status:
Total books read: 2
Total pages read: 724
Books read since last update: 1 finished (Sandstone by James Rollins), I have read 22 pages of Duncton Found)
Pages read since last update: 267
Total time read: about 8 hours, forgot to time today
How I am currently feeling: Just had a bath, so I am nice and warm and definitely ready for bed. (its winter here)
Currently munching on: Just had supper - macaroni cheese, garlic bread and salad. Got some coffee and chocolate to enjoy now!
I have really enjoyed this readathon and although I didnt get as much read as I could have, I am happy with what I did. I never got to start The return of the king, was not in the mood for it. Thanks to Lisa and Stephanie for organising this!

Saturday 6 August 2011

Sizzling summer readathon

Here is my first status update, I didnt do one last night since I didnt read much. Today has been much better although I did have a bit of running around to do.
Status:
Total books read: 1
Total pages read: 457
Books read since last update: 1 finished (Tell it to the skies by Erica James) I am about two-thirds of the way through Sandstone by James Rollins
Total time read: 5 hours 30 minutes
How I am currently feeling: COLD - it is raining and miserable so planning on having a warm bath and crawling into bed to read for the rest of the night.
Currently munching/sipping: Coffee, will be having supper soon.

Friday 5 August 2011

Once upon a chapter Sizzling summer readathon



I have just seen this and signed up, or I hope I have signed up. My internet doesnt seem to let me want to comment at the moment! I may even have signed up 5 times, lol.Since Brenda will be going to my sisters house tomorrow and only coming back on Tuesday I thought it was the perfect weekend!
I will be starting with:
Tell it to the skies by Erica James

I hope to read: 2 books (do have a bit of other things to do)

Books I hope to read:
Tell it to the skies
Starting The Return of the King

Otherwise, I am drowing in my TBR pile, so have a lot to keep me going.

Status:


Total Books Read: N/A
Total Pages Read: N/A
Books Read Since Last Update: N/A
Pages Read since Last update: N/A
Total time read: N/A
How I'm currently feeling: Reading to start reading!
Currently munching/sipping: About to have my supper and then will start reading.

Monday 1 August 2011

High summer readathon final update


My blog was down last night so I couldn't update. Anyway, here is my update post for the end of the readathon. My weekend was much more productive reading wise than my week and so I got quite a lot done.
Books read since last update: 3
  • New York 208 pages
  • Getting Home 338 pages
  • Bones to ashes by Kathy Reichs 464 pages
Books finished since last update: 3 (as above)
Books finished in total: 3
Pages read since last update: 1010
Pages read in total: 1498 (pity I didn't notice would have started another book, to make it 1500 lol)

I am very happy with my progress especially since that takes me up to 70/100 books for my challenge for the year! Although I do like the hectic 24 hour readathons, I also really enjoy these ones where it is longer and there is not as much pressure in it! So, thanks to Michelle for an awesome readathon! I cant wait for the next one, although it might clash with my exams.
 

Saturday 30 July 2011

High summer readathon - update 2


I have not had much chance to either read or update during the week. Pressure of work, studying, bookclub and life has kept me off the computer. I have also had flu for 2 weeks so trying to rest as much as possible.
So, here is my progress for the entire week.
Books read during the week: 3 (Wilt on High 24pages, Getting Home 77 pages, New York 334 pages)
Books finished during the week: 0
Pages read since last update: 435
Pages read since start: 488

I plan to spend more time reading over the weekends although I do have a couple of commitments. This is the coldest winter we have had in years, so the perfect weather for staying indoors and reading.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

High summer readathon day 1


Well, I havent had much time to read at all since yesterday. Been studying, working and got a bit of the flu, so havent read too much.
Books read since start: 3
  • Wilt on High by Tom Sharpe (16pages),
  • New York by Edward Rutherford (8 pages),
  • Getting home by Celia Brayfield (29 pages)
Pages read since start: 53
Books finished since start: 0

I hope to have done much more by tomorrow.

Monday 25 July 2011

High summer readathon starting post

=
I have been at work and had quite a busy day, so only had a chance to post now. I actually left work early planning on going to the tax office and then coming home to read. Of course, when I got there there was a huge queue and I am going to have to go back at some stage. Then I was informed that Brendas hockey shoes had a hole, so I had to go and get a new pair since it is hockey tomorrow. As a result, I have not had much chance to read at all and have so far only read 5 pages!
My aim for the readathon is the following:
1) Finish getting home by Celia Brayfield (I have about 450 pages left)
2) Finish New York by Edward Rutherford (I have about 500 pages left)
If I finish all that, there are about 10 books on my to be read list so that will keep me busy for the week!

Friday 22 July 2011

High summer readathon


Michelle at The true book addict is hosting a readathon next week. I am not quite sure how I missed it, but better late than never. It runs from the 25-31 July. I wont be able to read much during the week since I have 1) work
2) studying
3) bookclub on Thursday night.
But, anyway, I will definitely read as much as I can and will do more on the weekend. (I know I failed dismally at my last readathon, but all sorts of drama occurred on that day) If you would like to sign up, pop over to Michelles blog (link above)

Monday 18 July 2011

It's Monday, what are you reading?



I have been busy for a while with work, plus had a bit of flu, so havent had a chance to get online much. I have, however done a fair bit of reading.
In the last week I have read the following:
  • Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith which I enjoyed, but found a little slow going
  • Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer. I really love his books, and read this in a day
Currently reading 3 books
  • Dandelions in the Garden by Charlie Courtland. I was lucky enough to win 3 of this authors books and this is the first I am reading. I am thoroughly enjoying it, however since it is an e-book and I havent had much time on the computer I havent had a chance to read much
  • New York by Edward Rutherford. A huge novel about the origins of New York, which I am thoroughly enjoying, but it is definitely time-consuming at just over 1000 pages.
  • Getting home by Celia Brayfield. This is my first time reading Celia Brayfield that I remember and at the moment I am not too sure. I have only got 5 pages into it though, so will give it a chance.

So, that is what I am currently reading, for more inspiration pop over to Sheila's blog.

Sunday 10 July 2011

Summer mini readathon

I signed up for this a few days ago, posted in draft and obviously forgot to press publish! I have been reading since 8 am my time (GMT + 2). So far I have read the following:

Books read since start: 1 (Polar star by Martin Cruz Smith)
Books finished since start: 0
Pages read since start: 79
Time read since start: about 90 minutes

I do unfortunately have to go to the shops and have a bit of work to do, but will otherwise read for most of the day.

Friday 1 July 2011

The two towers - possible spoilers

The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
When we left the end of the first book Frodo and Sam had become seperated from the rest of the fellowship and this book continues that. Most of the book focuses on the adventures of the rest of the group. After burying Boromir, Legolas, Gimli and Aragon set off to find Merry and Pippin who have been captured by Orcs. They eventually meet up with Gandalf and go off to Gondor to fight a couple of battles. Merry and Pippin meanwhile escape from the orcs into Fangorn Forest where they meet Treebeard the ent and go off on some adventures of their own. In the meantime Frodo and Sam are nearing Mordor and finally meet up with Gollum and recruit him as a guide. The book ends with them in dire straits in Mordor.
This book is one that I always have mixed feelings about. There are some of my favourite parts and characters in it. I love the Ents and the parts in Fangorn Forest, I love the part where Frodo meets up with the Riders of Rohan and of course Gollum is always fascinating. As always, Tolkien builds such a fascinating world, which really draws you in to it, there are some wonderful battle scenes, and I love the banter between Gimli and Legolas. We also get to see Merry and Pippin as real characters on their own, rather then hangers on, which up until now they seem to have been. However, I do sometimes feel as if this book is just a "filler" There is no real beginning and end, it is just there in the middle, almost like something you have to get through to get to the good stuff in the last book.
I also have to talk about Sam here, he is such a wonderful supporting character. Always, loyal, helpful and trying desperately to do things for the good of his "master". I always think I would love to have a Sam by my side all the time!
I am really looking forward to starting the third one.
I just have to talk about Sam here  

Saturday 25 June 2011

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

LostSymbol.jpg
This is going to be very quick since I am trying to catch up. I have been desperate to read this book since it came out, but it was always out at the library. A few weeks ago, I thought to check the Large Print section and there it was, in fact they had two copies. So, now I know what to do in future.
Robert Langdon, a renowned symbologist is asked by his mentor to give a lecture on very short notice. He rushes off to Washington only to find that his mentor, Peter Solomon has been kidnapped by Mal'akh and his right hand left in the Capitol building for Robert to find. Robert then teams up with Peter's sister Katherine to find the lost Masonic Pyramid and discover the lost word which will obviously solve all mysteries. Of course, nothing is as easy as it sounds and they are continuously chased and hindered by the CIA as well as being sent around by Mal'akh.
I enjoyed the book,however, it really follows the same old Dan Brown formula (not necessarily a bad thing) and I really didnt feel it was his best. Having said that there is a lot of action, twists and turns and enough historical information to keep me hooked throughout. What really frustrated me about this book was the CIA agent, Sato. She was so arrogant and obnoxious, and refused to give anything out. As a result she appeared to be the bad person and infact I thought she was in cahoots with Mal'akh in the start. I realise that obviously this is part of the plot, mystery etc, but in this book I thought that it was taken to such an extreme that it didn't really help the story.
Anyway, all in all I did enjoy the book and will be looking out for the next one.

Thursday 23 June 2011

Spud by John van de Ruit

Spud
I have been a bit over-blogged since the read-athon. Not to mention busy with work! I am quite behind on my reviews, so there should be a few more coming very soon!
Spud is a book by a South African author, about a young boy who wins a scholarship to a prestigious private boarding school. He arrives at the school which closely resembles a mad house, and in diary form it takes you through his adjustment to school, life as a young teenager in 1990s South Africa, his meetings with girls and assorted other adventures.

Now, I first read this book shortly after it came out. A little bit of background information here, is that I played tennis with the authors sister, I grew up in the same area and his mom came to our church. My grandparents also lived about 15 minutes away from the school it is based on. So, when the book first came out, that was the reason I bought it. But I loved it then. I saw the movie at the beginning of the year, which I also enjoyed and decided to reread the series.
Spud is a really mad book, and  has a bit for everybody. It is laugh aloud funny at times, but deals with serious issues that all teenagers face at some stage. There is really a bit of everything and Spud has to face it all - night swims, romance, ghost hunting, mad parents and even madder granny (aka The wombat), being the star cricketer, actor, but failing hopelessly at rugby (closely aligned to god in South Africa),not to mention an insane cubicle mate, demented cat and some really odd teachers. It deals with bullying, issues of identity, self-esteem, romance and even death, all of this is handled in a light-hearted way without getting bogged down in too much negative emotion.
Obviously this book appealed to me for the fact that it really took me down memory lane in a way, and it is quite South African. However I think it would appeal to many groups of people - those who like comedy, anybody who was a teenager in the late 80s, early 90s,  anyone who went to boarding school.
A couple of things which may upset some people - there is a bit of reference to sex in a typical early teenage manner, although there are no sex scenes, it is more them desperately trying to devise ways to have sex. Also, one of the pupils has an affair with a teachers wife, this is not really out there, but is alluded to rather than discussed. There is also a lot of typical boy high jinks and a little bit of violence, bullying etc, although not by the main character. It didnt bother me and my 13 year old has seen the movie and read the book, we had a discussion about the issues and that was it.
Anybody who read and enjoyed Adrian Mole will love this book!
On a totally different note, I am desperate to read a book called Hard Time by Shaun Attwood, which details his experiences of life in prison in Arizona. His blog entries reminded me so much of a grown up Spud! Obviously, much bigger issues dealt with, but his style is very similar.  

Sunday 19 June 2011

FINISH LINE: SiS Readathon Report # 2

Ok, I failed hopelessly last night at staying up all night. I wrote my last update at 8pm my time (12:00pm MT) , but only started reading again at about 9pm. I read until 12, from then I battled to stay awake until about 1:30am. Then I decided to have a half hour nap, when I woke up I still couldnt stay awake, lol. I did set my alarm, but it didnt help. So, here we are at the end. I hope it is okay that this is a little late, since I have only just got up now.
1.First of all, give us an end-of-read-a-thon status update. Books read, pages read, you know the drill!
Total Books read: 4 and a half
Total pages read: 1308
Books read since last update: 1
Pages read since last update: 255
Total time read: 21 hours. (Was probably a bit more, but since I kept falling asleep I havent counted it)
How am I feeling now. Well after about 6 hours sleep not too bad! Just wondering why I am able to stay up much later to read books than to study.

Books finished since the start of the readathon:
  • Absolution by Caro Ramsay
  • The two towers by J.R.R Tolkien
  • The secret Island by Enid Blyton
  • Beach Road by James Patterson
  •  King Solomon's mines by H.Rider Haggard.


2.What is your favorite book you read during the read-a-thon?
The two towers but I enjoyed all the books that I read

3.Did you participate in any mini-challenges? Which ones?
I have to say I didn't do very well in this department. Partly due to the difference in time zone. By the time the challenges got up and running I wasn't in the mood to be sitting at the computer. But, a lot of it was also that I was just so busy reading that I didn't get onto the computer much. I only did the Book Character Pairing and the Organisation one.

4.Which mini-challenge was your favorite?
I loved looking at the wordles and this will definitely be something I do on my own. But this is my daughters computer, so have to wait until I get mine back.

5.What has been your favorite thing about the read-a-thon?

I loved the twitter feed, although I didn't tweet much. I also enjoyed just taking the time out to read.


6.Are you satisfied with how much reading you got done? Did you do more than you expected? Less?

I actually read more than I expected mainly because I got more time to read than I expected. With my daughter spending time away unexpectedly I was uninterrupted.

7.What did you think of the updates? Too close together? Didn't like the time limit?

I liked that they were 2 hours apart, gave you time to get reading inbetween. I understood them to be voluntary unless you wanted to win that prize and so I chose to do 4 hourly updates. The reason I did this is I know I am a computer addict and tend to get stuck here, so didnt want to be on the computer too much. What I did do is to check the site on my phone every 2 hours then if there was a challenge that I really wanted to take part in I would have. I think also that having regular updates means that you fit in with every bodys schedule. Those that are ready for a break can stop, those that aren't can carry on. As far as the time limit goes I think 2 hours is fine, especially for those that only require you to answer a question. Maybe it could be extended to 4 hours for those like the writing one, the puzzle and the wordle that require a little bit more.

8.If you could change one thing about the read-a-thon, what would it be?

As I said in my previous post one of my problems was the time difference. But, obviously that will never satisfy everybody and has to fit in with the host! Where I did have a big advantage was that it only started at 4pm for me so I didnt have a problem with work. I wouldn't change anything actually I thought it was well planned and run. I would make sure I had a few more drinks at home and more comfortable reading places. I got a bit tired of the same places and it was rainy so I couldnt go outside. Also, I would have a few childrens books (long ones obviously) available. I did read one and it really broke the intenseness of the reading.

9.Would you participate in another read-a-thon hosted by Squeaky Books? Why or why not?
Yes I would I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

10.Any last comments on the read-a-thon?

Nope, they are sprinkled above.

Thanks for a really great 36 hours.








 

Saturday 18 June 2011

Spring into Summer Readathon Day 2 Update Post

Update 2 (officially number 8)
This is my 2nd update for today, but the 8th in the readathon.

Mini-challenge:
If you had bookshelves FULL of all of your favorite books, how would you organize them?
Now this is really a question that I need to consider, since I have so many books and need to sort them out. When I say so many books, I have my own, my dads, my moms and even some of my grandparents! They are in bookshelves and boxes all over. I really need to go through them.
Most likely I would organise them alphabetically by authors name, since it makes them so easy to find. It is one of the reasons that I hate the main library near me, since it is so huge that often books are put back incorrectly and you can never find anything. I would put series together, but otherwise strictly alphabetically. But now here comes the problem! I really love the look of a row of books all of the same size. I dont like the higgledy piggledy look of all different sizes together. Whenever I have organised my daughters bookshelf (which I have to do fairly regularly) this is my main bugbear. So, I would probably have it alphabetically but bigger books in a shelf on their own.
Whew, that was a bit of a novel wasn't it?

Update:
Total books read: 3 and a half
Total pages read: 1103
Books read since last update: 1 (Beach Road by James Patterson)
Pages Read since last update: 232
Total time read: 1017 minutes (16hrs 57 min)
How am I feeling: Actually I am quite tired at the moment, so I have stopped for a bit of a break, to eat and rest my eyes a bit. I may have a little nap later, but hope to read right through now. My daughter is home, so she has been reading with me for the last couple of hours.

Books finished since start of readathon:
1. Absolution by Caro Ramsey
2. The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien
3. The secret Island by Enid Blyton
4. Beach Road by James Patterson




Update1 (officially update 6)
24 hours into the readathon and I am doing relatively well, I think anyway. I had a bit of a nap at lunchtime but apart from that and making and eating lunch I have read for most of the day. I have also just found out that my daughter is going to play squash with her friend and will get dropped off, so I dont need to go out at all and can just continue reading.
Total books read: 2 complete books, (Absolution, The secret Island), and a half (finished The Two Towers)
Total pages read: 871
Books read since last update: 1 and a half
Pages read since last update: 313
Total time: 840minutes (14 hours)
How am I feeling: Actually quite good, enjoying the book I am reading at the moment, about to get some coffee. I just want to say that this time I have had much less snacks etc since the last readathon and I actually seem to have managed better!

Mini-Challenge
Was to pair two characters from different series.

When I saw this I was immediately reminded two of my favourite male characters of all time (Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series is the third)
I personally think that al Lan Mandrogaron from The Wheel of Time Series and Aragorn/Striker from Lord of The Rings would make an awesome team. They have always struck me as similar characters, both strong, silent type, loyal and will do anything to do what they need to do. They definitely would kick some *ss if together.