A Read Worth a Fortune...

This week I concluded 'A Dangerous Fortune' by Ken Follett.

A friend of mine, an equally avid reader, recommended I give the book a go and had mentioned that Follett was her favourite author.
I had never heard of Follett beofre or his books but I was over joyed with the book.

Based in Victorian England, riddled with sordid love affairs, theft, murder and family secrets, 'A Dangerous Fortune' brings to life an era and society that has long past. The effort put in by the author to paint an authentic image of the time is just breathe taking, everything from the Summer social season, the courting traditions, the fashion and business as well as the role of Royalty and High Society is so extrodinarily documented that you can see the book play out as if you are in the theatre.

The characters of this story are by far the best part. With a mixture of villians, heros and in betweeners there is plenty to keep you interested and plenty to make you fall in love.

The Matriarch and all round bad bitch, Aunt Augusta, is a pivatol and crucial role in the story, her sloppy and pathetic son Edward and his evil and eager side kick Micky Miranda shape the "evil" team. The gorgeous and witty, if not, a bit rough around the edges Maisie Robinson/Greenbourne along with her lifetime love and hero of our story, Hugh Pilaster, and his various friends take the "good" side of the principal cast and all characters are written most wonderfully.

Hugh is just adorable, he is honest, has integrity, ambition but is not too proud, he is charming and is physically described as being darked haired, light eyed and over all just a stunner of a man ... move over Christian Grey - who ever you are!

I was transported back to a time often forgotten with this book. A time where sex, money, status and power were more important to a great deal of people. A book that reminds everyone that pride comes before the fall and only the best of us will make it out unscathed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gem of a book and recommend anyone with a mild interest in historical literature pick up a copy. I will definitely be looking into more of Ken Folletts books in the future.

I am now reading 'The Reading Group' by Elizabeth Noble.

Happy reading everyone!!!

Lex

Marley and Me, The Perfect Match

It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog and I have since devoured two books and am part way through a third.

First I read the Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult. Jodi is one of my favourite authors, I can rely on her to write a compelling plot, with characters I connect with and often a subject matter that really has me asking, "what would I do in this situation?"

The Perfect Match has all the right ingredients to be a great read. A strong lead character whose actions are powered by the love she holds for her son. A bold underlying issue that is prominent and somewhat ignored in todays society and a gritty legal battle which provides twists and turns throughout the book.

Nina is intelligent and exception in her work and is a really awesome female role model in a lot of ways. There is her dutiful and reliable husband, her gorgeous, witty and consistently loyal best friend Patrick, and of course her fragile and innocent son Nathaniel. Along with a host of partial characters the roles in the book are beautifully portrayed and provide the overall story with a solid foundation.

The subject matter Jodi tackles in this book was by no means going to be an easy feat for any author and I think the plot and general direction it took perhaps did not lend itself so well to the underlying issue. Essentially where is the line in the sand between getting even and getting justice?

While I finished up the book satisfied with the conclusion I didn't feel the fulfillment by the body of text that I usually have at the end of a Jodi Picoult novel. Perhaps I hold her work in such high regard I expect so very much from her. This book was good, but I did not ask myself 'what would I do in this situation' and I did not look at the characters motives, decisions or actions in as much depth as I have done with other works of hers.

MARLEY AND ME!
John Grogan put this little gem of a novel together about his experience with "mans best friend".

I remember sitting on the couch one night with my husband and flicking channels to find the movie of this book on tele. My husband and I had not heard about the book and had heard little about the film but we knew it involved a dog and as avid animal lovers stayed tuned for the full duration. The film was heart wrenching and I recall crying for a good 10minutes while the credits rolled away. I was warned the book would do the same, I can assure you it did that and so much more.

I think the reason that this book is such a huge hit is because you don't actually have to be an animal lover to enjoy it. I believe almost anyone could understand and feel the emotion that Grogan describes so eloquently and honestly in this somewhat unusual memoir.

Marley is the lovable, destructible family pet who joins John and Jenny as they begin their adult lives together. Marley is there in their honeymoon stage, when they become first time parents, when they make further additions to their family, when they change jobs and addresses. Marley is a large, not only emotionally but physically, part of their world for 13 years and I guess none of us really understand the impact that anyone; human or beast, will have on our lives over such an expanse of time.No matter how quickly it seems to pass.

I think what made me laugh out loud, cry into my tissues and feel those warm fuzzy moments the most was the honest integrity in which John portrays not only his beloved pet but his wife and children. I really felt like I knew this family, this crazy Labrador Evader. I feel like I was welcomed in to their lives and was able to share their precious memories.
It is not often you get caught up in a story that slowly melts your heart but I absolutely fell in love with the Grogan family and with Grogan's Majestic Marley of Churchill.

I might have to look at getting a Marley for Me :)

Happy Reading Everyone!

The Verdict is in, the Book Thief takes the win.

I have completed, with great disappointment (often when I finish a book I feel somewhat bereaved), the Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

It has been a long time since I have stumbled across a book that strikes me as being as unique as this book has.

The Book Thief is not the first book I have read set in War Time Germany; 1931 - 1945, however, this book took a rather different perspective of the time. While the book has a more predominant German landscape on the War and the World at the time there is defined beauty in the view.  

Narrated thoroughly by an unusual yet surprisingly lovable character the book leads us into the life and trials of foster child; Leisel Meminger. We meet Leisel as she parts ways with her birth family and travels on to a small town on the outskirts of Munich. Her foster parents, both prove to have extreme generosity of the human spirit, something that was not only rare but hidden at the time. We also meet various friends along the journey, a long time love and a hidden Jew.

The characters for me were hit and miss, some, for example 'Papa' Hans Hubermann was scripted beautifully and his image in my minds eye is clear and focused. Surprisingly the character of Leisel is slight blurred on the edges and while I can see her thoughts, her love and her purpose in the pages, her image is not so easily concocted.

While i found some weakness in the text I do believe the book overall is a beautiful read. The use of symbolism and iconography, so perfectly executed as well as the eternally important subject matter makes this novel so compelling.

The Holocaust is something that must be remembered in order to prevent its recurrence, this book takes away the weak and dying image that is so prominent of the time and replaces it with a man who is willing to Box the Fuhrer to his dying breathe, Germans who will feed the suffering - despite the adverse affects to their own quality of life and reminds us all that at the end of the day we are all human and we will all eventually meet the same end.

I not only implore you to go and pick up a copy of this book but also take a further look into The Holocaust. I have been able, during my travels, to visit some of the worlds best Holocaust Memorial Museums as well as some of the remaining Concentration Camps. The stories are often crippling and often inspiring but more than anything they are educational. In a world where history is scheduled to repeat itself, we cannot avoid the fact that Genocide has and continues to happen but we can look at ways that we might prevent it happening in the future.

Other Holocaust Books worth a read are:
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
Night by Ellie Wiesel
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Escape from Sobibor by Richard L Rashke

also worth a read.... Mein Kampf (My Struggle) by Adolf Hitler

An excerpt from the Book Thief on the night of the Book Burning, May 10, 1933
"Although something inside told her that this was a crime - after all, her three books were the most precious items she owned - she was compelled to see the thing lit. She couldn't help it. I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sandcastles, houses of cards, that's where they being. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate."

Happy reading everyone! I start my next read today, Jodi Picoult's -  'The Perfect Match'.

Lexie

12 July 2012

Alcoholic Units - 0 (v.v.g), Cigarettes - 0 (v.g), Calories - 1million, approx.

I have finished reading Bridgit Jones's Diary and after many tears of laughter, flocks of excitement butterflies, minutes cringing through frustration and second hand embarrassment, I believe that women globally can relate to the leading lady.

Even though I am no long desperate single girl who fears life alone will end by being eaten by Alsatian's, it was not so long ago that I cannot recall the feelings and fears that Fielding elaborates on so eloquently and humorously in this book.

While there are many authors out there that create these energetic and enjoyable "chick-lit" style books, few manage to create the feeling of ownership that Fielding does and when reading certain passages about inappropriate knickers or that irritating co-worker, you cannot help but think the book is about you.

What did you guys think of Bridgit Jones's Diary? Did you think the movie did it justice? Was Hugh Grant the perfect Daniel and did Colin Firth fit the role of Mark Darcy?

I have since moved on to The Book Thief and am thoroughly enjoying it thus far, I am reluctant to start a conversation regarding the book as a whole as of yet but am looking forward to the discussions this book will lead to.

Keep posted to share your current reads and try to read along with some of the up and coming books I am going to be getting through, it is always enjoyable to share reading experiences.

Happy Reading Y'all

Lexie

Upcoming Reads!!!

Hello fellow readers. I have put together a little list of the upcoming books I will be reading, if you wanna also pick up a copy of one or some of these books we can get a bit of a discussion happening.

I am currently reading Bridget Jones's by Helen Fielding. Published in 1996 the book went on to become a movie.  I am thoroughly enjoying this read if for no other reason than that the laughter it inspires. If you haven't read it, I recommend you pick up a copy and enjoy a good giggle.

Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding 

Is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud account of a year in the life of a thirty-something Singleton on a permanent doomed quest for self-improvement. Caught between the joys of Singleton fun, and the fear of dying alone and being found three weeks later half eaten by an Alsatian; tortured by Smug Married friends asking, "How's your love life?" with lascivious, yet patronizing leers, Bridget resolves to: reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1.5 inches, visit the gym three times a week not just to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult and learn to program the VCR. With a blend of flighty charm, existential gloom, and endearing self-deprecation, Bridget Jones's Diary has touched a raw nerve with millions of readers the world round. Read it and laugh--before you cry, "Bridget Jones is me!" *

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul. *
The Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult
In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars. But when her own five-year-old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband, Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futile justice system that Nina knows all too well. In a heartbeat, Nina's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son -- no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice. *

* Blurbs from Amazon.com

Happy reading everyone, as always send through and recommended reads or feedback on books.

Lex

Hey guys,

Just a quick post to let you know that Jodi Picoult is doing a book tour of Australia in the coming weeks. I am off to see her on the 24th.

Her daughter is going to be with her and together they are promoting their new book 'Between the Lines'.

If you are interested in seeing Jodi just go to her webpage and check out her event dates. http://www.jodipicoult.com.au/

I will of course blog about the experience after the signing.

Also for those of you interested in jumping on the group reading wagon I am going to start reading a new book this Thursday and suggestions are appreciated.

Happy Reading!
Lex

We Need To Talk About Books.

Hey all! I am starting this blog simply because I love reading, I love getting advise and recommendations on books from other avid readers and with the lack of credible book clubs in Sydney I thought that perhaps we could create a book club of sorts via our computers.

At the moment I am reading 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' by Lionel Shriver. I have read this book before and am a big fan. In saying that, I am not so keen on the exhaustive and unnecessary use of "fluff" that overtake the first half of the novel, this "fluff" comes across as an almost 'clutching at straws' by the author to develop character empathy and understanding. It is the subject matter discussed and the manner in which Shriver decides to deliver her plot line and character developements which makes this book such a compelling read.

For anyone with a remote interest into the pyche of High School/Teenage killers, this book makes the rare observation of what it means to be a parent of a child who one day decides to conduct a mass murder. What the world says when your child does become a killer and how you defy the odds to still call yourself a mother.

Have you read 'We Need To Talk About Kevin'? Is so have you got any feed back on the book? If not maybe its worth adding to your reading list.

Any suggestions on what our first book as a group read should be? Send them through.

Talk soon and happy reading
Lex