Collective Literature

Books...

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 06:05:21 GMT

Okay, this is so disgustingly overdue, I'm embarrased. Here goes...

In no particular order,

The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkein
0261102214
310 pages

The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
0451512480
218 pages

The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare
0440800749
223 pages

The Summer Tree
Guy Gavriel Kay
0006393195
320 pages

The Wandering Fire
Guy Gavriel Kay
0006393209
288 pages

The Darkest Road
Guy Gavriel Kay
0006393217
384 pages

Snow Blind
P.J. Tracy
039915339X
311 pages

The Breathtaker
Alice Blanchard
0446531391
391 pages

The Stranger in the Mirror
Sidney Sheldon
0446356573
319 pages

Catherine, Called Birdy
Karen Cushman
0064405842
212 pages

Swan Sister
Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
0689878370
165 pages

Pandemic
Daniel Kalla
076535084X
416 pages

The Five Men Who Broke My Heart
Susan Shapiro
038533723X
228 pages

A is for Alibi
Sue Grafton
0312938993
320 pages

Marley and Me
John Grogan
0060817089
288 pages

The Isis Trilogy
Monica Hughes
0887767923
560 pages

Bel Canto
Ann Patchett
0060838728
352 pages

So I guess that's all I've read since July 6th, which was the last time I made a book update. There are some really awesome reads in there. Marley and Me is a re-read, but one very much worth the while. That's a book I'll read every year just to keep it in my mind.

Bel Canto, which I just finished, was so beautifully written and so richly woven. It was recommended to me by a very good friend, and I read it in two days and then promptly called her to thank her. She was so pleased I finished it that fast. She must not know my "good-books-supersede-every-other-activity" policy. If all books were are good as that one, I wouldn't be fat. It's books like that that make me forget to eat. So good.

Catherine, Called Birdy is a children's book that seemed like a good way to spend a day at the cabin, and it was. It's a very fun story about a feisty young girl growing up in medieval England. The style of writing is really refreshing. The last time I read it I was probably about 11, but I enjoyed it just as much at 21.

Pandemic was also good. The author is Canadian, and well, here is a quote from his website, which will better explain my interest in this book...

Born, raised, and still residing in Vancouver, Dan Kalla spends his days (and sometimes nights) working as an Emergency Room Physician at an urban teaching hospital, where aside from his clinical duties he is also the Physician Operations Leader for Emergency Medicine.

Dan’s interest in emerging pathogens found him unexpectedly in March of 2003, when SARS burst on the scene. He saw one of Vancouver’s only confirmed SARS cases in the E.R. And at the time, when it was unclear whether the city was facing an epidemic, Dan sat on the SARS taskforce as director of physician staffing for the SARS screening clinic. The idea for his medical thriller PANDEMIC sprang from this experience.

Swan Sister had some good stories in it. I own a book (a very very good book) called Silver Birch, Blood Moon which is a collection of fairy tales, most of them modern takes on old stories. Many of the stories are from the perspective of someone totally different, my favorite being a poem on Sleeping Beauty written from the perspective of the evil fairy. Swan Sister is more a collection of fairy tales re-written for children, while Silver Birch, Blood Moon is definately for adults. But still some lovely stories, most thought provoking looks at old stories with new twists.

The first three books on the list (The Hobbit, The Wind in the Willows, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond) really need no thoughts from me. They were all classic books I keep at the cabin and read while I was there because they are great stories that are nice to curl up with. Enough said there.

The next three (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road) are all by Guy Gavriel Kay, who is another Canadian writer whom I very much admire. They comprise a trilogy called The Fionavar Tapestry, which was lovely. I made the foolish mistake to bring only the first book with me to the cabin, just to see if I liked it or not. Of course I did, and then was stuck in no man's land without the rest of the trilogy for a week. But it was worth the wait.

Snow Blind is the fourth book in the Monkeewrench series, by the very funny P.J. Tracy. I think most people have heard me rave about this series before, so I'll keep this short. This is a great mystery series by a mother/daughter writing team who go by the pen name P.J. Tracy, which is really a combination of both of their names. Great characters, unique plots, and funny dialogue. Good fluff reads. First book in the series is called Monkeewrench.

The Stranger in the Mirror is fluff that I'm embarrased by, but I think everyone has some of that. For some strange reason, I own every Sidney Sheldon book. I stumbled across this is Value Village, realized I didn't have it, and bought it. I read it about two months ago, and I don't remember at all what it's about. That probably says all that needs to be said about this book.

The Breathtaker was a recommendation from the lovely Ms. Stacey-face, and I enjoyed it. Much like the Monkeewrench books, it had a really unique plot, cool characters with spunk, and a good ending. Thanks Stace.

Also a recommendation from Stacey, A is for Alibi. This one though, did nothing for me. I've heard from customers that this series gets pretty good (it better, it's already at S is for Silence), but I really didn't like the main character. I don't think I'll be picking up B is for Burglar.

The Five Men Who Broke My Heart, is exactly what it sounds like. This woman tracks down five old boyfriends who broke her heart, and analyzes why things didn't work out. Part of me admired her courage and determination at facing all these old demons. Yet another part of me wanted to shake her and tell her to move on. Still, an interesting read, but not one for someone fresh out of a relationship. Too much baggage analyzing for comfort unless things are currently going well.

And last but not least, The Isis Trilogy. I wrote about this a while ago, because I had read the first book in grade 6 and just discovered there was more. Very sadly, the rest was awful. This civilization that's been created on this planet (Isis) just gets worse and worse and worse, and by the end of the triology, there is only a very scant hope that the madness will be resolved. I will continue to recommend The Keeper of the Isis Light, which is the first book in the trilogy, but I definately won't be pushing the rest of the series. A sad conclusion to a book I read and loved 10 years ago.

Okay, I hadn't really meant to write about every single book on that list, but I started and once I was half way there, it seemed the right thing to keep going. If you are still with me, thanks. Sorry to go on so long. Hopefully you see something on that list you might want to pick up for yourself.

no time for book smarts

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:26:19 GMT

sorry about the lack of posting ya'll, just had a busy...well...month, i suppose. ha.

anyway, down to business, i've only finished two books since i posted last. which is extremely unfortunate, but i'm hoping to blaze my way through a few more before my school semester ends.

as you may recall i was reading "The Rose of the Prophet" trilogy, which i finished.

and i just polished off:

The Legend of Huma - Richard A. Knaak.: 379 pages.

yee haw.

i have no idea what i'm going to read next.

hopefully i'll get hired at the Book Warehouse and will have a whole whack of titles to choose from. i've pretty much exhausted my entire library. :D

A'IGHT! PEACE OUT!

-stacey

Daughter of the Blood

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 00:08:26 GMT

So lately I've been reading this book that my roomie told me to read... she literally thrust the trilogy into my hands and said 'you have to read this, okay?'

The book is called 'Daughter of the Blood' by Anne Bishop. I'm about 1/3 in, and it's alright so far. I'm a little confused as to what the history of some of the characters is, but you can tell it's one of those books where you don't get to know everything until the end. From what i've gathered so far, there are three relms and a few different races on each. Hell is one relm, 'the real world' is another, and i think there's one more... as i said, it's a bit confusing. Anyways.
There's a race called the Blood, and they all carry jewels. The lightest, and weakest, jewel is white, all the way down to black. There are twelve types. Only women may rule, and they are called witches. There is a myth of a very strong. like crazy-go-nuts powerful woman to come called Witch, and of course, this book is about her. Saetan, the High Priest of Hell, is training her in Craft (magic) and other fun goodies. There's a lot of sex in it, half the characters are whores, and torture. Near the beginning there's a man who is put into a boat in a dungeon. It's like a row boat. He's tied down and a cover is fitted over top and there are holes where his hands and face are put through. there are also holes in the sides of the boat. Before he is tied down, they strip him naked and cover his gentials with bacon grease.
Then they release some rats.
By the end he has nothing down there left. It made me cover myself reading it.

Well that's my update for now.
~Miya

Shadow Lines

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 20:12:36 GMT

I’ve been reading some really stellar books and wanting to say so much about them. Alas I’ve been so shittin’ busy that a short passage will have to do for now. This is from Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines

… I would wonder sometimes why it so happens that it is in this state, the state we call love, that people are most driven to enumerate and quantify, when the state itself, or so those very magazines tell us, is the obverse, the antithesis, of the notions of number and quantity. I wonder what the circumstances could be that could prompt a man to tell a journalist exactly how much money he had spent, down to the last pound or dollar, on buying a car or an island for the woman he loved; I would wonder why the advertisements hinted so carefully at the exact price of the jewellery they urged men to buy for their girlfriends and lovers; why a girl had attempted suicide exactly nine times to get back the man she loved; why I had been driven to count all the yards that I had walked when I went to see Ila. I could think of no answer, except that it is because that state, love, is so utterly alien to that other idea without which we cannot live as human beings – the idea of justice. It is only because love is so profoundly the enemy of justice that our minds, shrinking in horror from its true nature, try to tame it by uniting it with its opposite: it is as though we say to ourselves – he bought her a diamond worth exactly so much – in the hope that if we apply all the metaphors of normality, that if we heap them high enough, we shall, in the end, be able to approximate that state metaphorically. And yet between that state and its metaphors there is no more connection than there is than a word, such as mat, and the thing itself: they are utterly indifferent to eachother, so that we may heap the metaphors – the diamonds, the suicides, the miles, the suffering – till the end of our abilities and yet find no trace at all of the state itself.

I had a little trouble getting into this book since, technically, it’s still a book I had to read for school. I just didn’t read it when I was supposed to. But I still remember a fellow student’s presentation on this novel and I remember I was absolutely riveted by what she had to say so I thought I would give it a chance even though school books usually make me gag. As is the case for a lot of novels, I only started getting really attached to the characters and the style about halfway through. Very simply put, the story itself tries to juxtapose different worldviews either based around the idea of love (as demonstrated in the passage above) or around the idea of reality in general. It questions the usual distinctions made between what is Known (what is accepted as the truth of things) and what is Imagined and does a great job of demonstrating how each person’s fantasies project themselves onto the world. “Only until we are free to imagine are we free of the fantasies of others” is basically the premise here. And that’s not a direct quote at all but I can’t be bothered to find the page. Haha. Sorry.

Anyways, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in postcolonial literature. Shadow Lines
is set against London and Calcutta in post-Partition India. The story revolves largely around two families and their transnational relationships. Plus the main character’s a beautiful but dorky loser. Everyone loves that.

Introduction

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 23:19:00 GMT

My name is Mandy, and I live in Edmonton, Alberta. I am 32 weeks pregnant and have just stopped working to go on leave (yay!) so I am hoping to get a lot of reading done in the next two months, because after that I'm afraid that I won't be having much time to shower let alone sit down with a comfy book.
I have mostly only read ficton, my mom got me hooked on romance as a teen and I just kept going with that. And then there was Harry Potter (can't wait for the last *sigh* book to come out). I am, however, hoping to get some book ideas from you guys to broaden my reading horizons.
I am curently reading 'Life, the Universe and Everything' by Douglas Adams. I'm not to far into it, but I enjoyed the first two in the series. It was a little difficult to get into these books, rather confusing at times, but you get used to the fictional diction quickly enough.

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 07:15:10 GMT

Books Completed Between July 3 and July 9th:

A is for Alibi - Sue Grafton: 214 pages

B is for Burglar - Sue Grafton: 211 pages

These were SO GOOD! Extremely entertaining! And the protagonist is so....endearing. Sue Grafton really nailed it on the head by making her extremely relatable while still giving you a great, easy to follow murder mystery to solve. No chain smoking, attractive but rough around the edges, bad boy turned good cop detectives. Easy to read. Great for my camping trip because they're fairly short. All in all, I totally liked them. Too bad I left C at my parents house in surrey. Otherwise I'd be reading that now. :)

Y the Last Man: Issues 43 to 47 - Vaughan, Guerra and Marzan. Published by Vertigo Comics: approx. 30 pages each

A comic series I've been following for a while now. Absolutely fantastic. The storyline is brilliant. As the title suggests, it follows the last man on earth after a freak plague wipes out all males on the planet, animals included, EXCEPT for our hero and his Capuchin monkey. It's amazing that it was written and illustrated by men, because their protrayal of the women left in a world without men is very...unique. Right up my alley at the moment, as the idea of a world without men can be EXTREMELY appealing sometimes. Ha. (Apologies to those ladies out there who are currently interested in the company of men.) Not your average super hero in spandex comic book. Very intelligent and with fantastic artwork. :)

Currently Reading::

The Rose of the Prohet Triology: Book 1: The Will of the Wanderer - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman: on page 55

This is my favorite trilogy of ALL TIME. I've probably read it more than 10 times and it's still excellent. I've mostly run out of new material aside from several comic books a friend lent me, and I don't have any money to purchase new literature with, so I went for an old favorite. Like a blankie, it's comforting.. :)

I'm completely in love with the story. 20 gods feuding to maintain order in a fantasy world composed of wizards and nomads forced to marry the daughters of their hated sheep-herding, distant cousins. Angels, demons, djinn, efreet, gods, and incredibly lovable and hateable characters. It's really amazing how well these two authors combine modern religion and politics into the novels all cleverly disguised as a sci-fi fantasy read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for PURE ESCAPISM.

Plus, after I read them I like to pretend that I'm magic. Because that's always fun. :D

Until next time ladies and gents.

-sk.

Introduction

Sat, 08 Jul 2006 05:42:18 GMT

I'm Janet, a student of English Literature at UBC. I'm currently finishing my BA in English and Women Studies. My interests in literature lean very much towards the post-modern/post-structuralist end of identity exploration. That's just a stupid fancy way of saying that I'm interested in hybridity and the breaking down of water-tight categories. Right now I'm taking a course in Canadian Literature. The reading list so far has been stellar.

All the books we have been reading seem to probe our conventional ideas of what it means to be Canadian. My instructor brilliantly had us read The Wars by Timothy Findley as an introduction to the course. It's a compilation of World War I stories gathered from many different biographies and sources (letters, archives, history texts, etc.) which was then put together as a fictional biography of a man named Robert Ross. As Canadians who often think of "our history" as that tied to European wars, it's a really great book to start looking at how Canadians themselves managed the war both in the literal battlefield and on the homefront. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to write about the other book that I wanted to talk a bit about. I'll save that for another day. Until then, read The Wars! It's super short but I promise you'll want to read it again some time. I immediately went back to the beginning and read most of it again. The only reason I didn't read it twice right off the bat was because I had to read other things for class.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 16:04:58 GMT

I just finished a very cute book from my childhood. It's called "The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles" and it's by Julie Andrews Edwards. When I first read this book, I received it in exchange for a tooth. My parents never put money under our pillows when we lost a tooth. We got a toy or a book. I had a good laugh with my mom years later about this. She said she was always tempted to leave money, because there are only so many toys that fit well under a pillow and she didn't like to repeat. Although I'm pretty sure I remember getting more than one skipping rope, but that's okay. Once it became obvious that I was a reader, things got a lot easier for her, and one of her picks was this awesome book.

The books author was written on the cover as Julie Edwards, and in my childish mind, I was convinced that that was the same thing as Julie Andrews. I'd seen Mary Poppins once, but I must have watched The Sound of Music about 30 times. One, because I loved it, but also because it was the only movie my grandparents owned and I spent a lot of time at their house. I told my Mom that the Sound of Music lady wrote this book, but she didn't believe me. If I get attached to something, I'll believe anything about it. Much like I always thought that my favorite bands all wrote their own music, or that my favorite actors were all Canadian. I would hear no opinion that stated otherwise. And my Julie Edwards book was the same. It didn't matter that her last name was different, and that my parents pointed this out to me repeatedly. It was close enough to me and I held my ground. I, of course, knew in my head that I was likely wrong, but I'm stubborn and don't easily admit that, so I'd go down fighting, defending my position until I had no possible ammunition.

So imagine my absolute delight when I discovered that Julie Edwards IS Julie Andrews! She wrote this book while married to Blake Edwards, and used his last name as her pen name. All her books have since been reprinted with the name Julie Andrews Edwards, and there is another couple books that I may pick up sometime. One is called Mandy, and it's about a girl in an orphanage, and the other is called Dragon: Hound of Honor, about a dog and a prince. Both sound really cute, and I do enjoy going back and reading kids book now and again. Keeps me fresh for recommendations in kids, which most people struggle with.

Anyway, this is an very sweet read, about three children and a proffessor who venture into Whangdoodleland in search of the last living Whangdoodle. (Look up this word in your dictionary. It's there.) They encounter many strange creatures along the way, and have many strange experiences. The book is just FULL of little lessons in manners and moral values. It's very obvious that prim Ms. Andrews wasn't writing just a pretty story, but also a lesson for rude, naughty little children everywhere. But they are blended in so well to a very interesting story, that I don't mind the "mind your manners" tone of the book. It's still a great read. If anyone has a niece or nephew of the 8-12 year old range, this would be a great read. Or, if your a child at heart like me, read it yourself! It's very fun.

teacher's book list

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 07:26:42 GMT

since i'm reading to kids over the summer i was trying to find a list of books that might be good to start with for kids aged 6-10. i discovered a list of 100 books...and the thing i found really amazing, is that i've read ALMOST ALL OF THEM. it almost matches EXACTLY the list i made when i first got the position! haha.

and because i was feeling proud, i wanted to share.

1. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (9-12 years)
2. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (4-8 years)
3. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
4. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
5. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (4-8 years)
6. Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch (4-8 years)
7. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (All ages)
8. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Baby-Preschool)
9. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (Young Adult)
10. The Mitten by Jan Brett (4-8 years)
11. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (Baby-Preschool)
12. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (9-12 years)
13. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (9-12 years)
14. Where the Sidewalk Ends: the Poems and Drawing of Shel Silverstein by Shel Silverstein (All ages)
15. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (9-12 years)
16. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (4-8 years)
17. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
18. Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola (4-8 years)
19. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst (4-8 years)
20. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr. (Baby-Preschool)
21. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (9-12 years)
22. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (4-8 years)
23. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (9-12 years)
24. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (9-12 years)
25. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
26. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka (4-8 years)
27. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault (4-8 years)
28. Little House on the Prarie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (9-12 years)
29. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (9-12 years)
30. The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (4-8 years)
31. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (9-12 years)
32. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (9-12 years)
33. Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks (9-12 years)
34. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (9-12 years)
35. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (9-12 years)
36. The BFG by Roald Dahl (9-12 years)
37. The Giver by Lois Lowry (9-12 years)
38. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff (4-8 years)
39. James and the Giant Peach: A Children's Story by Roald Dahl (9-12 years)
40. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (9-12 years)
41. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (9-12 years)
42. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (Young Adult)
43. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
44. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (9-12 years)
45. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (9-12 years)
46. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien (9-12 years)
47. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (All ages)
48. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister (Baby-Preschool)
49. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman (4-8 years)
50. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (9-12 years)
51. Corduroy by Don Freeman (Baby-Preschool)
52. Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (4-8 years)
53. Math Curse by Jon Scieszka (4-8 years)
54. Matilda by Roald Dahl (9-12 years)
55. Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (Young Adult)
56. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (9-12 years)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (9-12 years)
58. The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White (9-12 years)
59. Are You My Mother? by Philip D. Eastman (4-8 years)
60. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (9-12 years)
61. Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (4-8 years)
62. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
63. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (9-12 years)
64. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Baby-Preschool)
65. The Napping House by Audrey Wood (4-8 years)
66. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (4-8 years)
67. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (4-8 years)
68. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (9-12 years)
69. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (All ages)
70. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (9-12 years)
71. Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
72. Basil of Baker Street, by Eve Titus (4-8 years)
73. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (4-8 years)
74. The Cay by Theodore Taylor (Young Adult)
75. Curious George by Hans Augusto Rey (4-8 years)
76. Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox (4-8 years)
77. Arthur series by Marc Tolon Brown (4-8 years)
78. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson (9-12 years)
79. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (4-8 years)
80. Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (9-12 years)
81. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (4-8 years)
82. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (Baby-Preschool)
83. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar (9-12 years)
84. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish (4-8 years)
85. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (9-12 years)
86. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (9-12 years)
87. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater (9-12 years)
88. My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (9-12 years)
89. Stuart Little by E. B. White (9-12 years)
90. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (9-12 years)
91. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (9-12 years)
92. The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola (4-8 years)
93. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (4-8 years)
94. Clifford, the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell (4-8 years)
95. Heidi by Johanna Spyri (All ages)
96. Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (4-8 years)
97. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (Young Adult)
98. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (9-12 years)
99. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney (Baby-Preschool)
100. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch (4-8 years)

i can't believe how many of my childhood favorites are there. no wonder i'm so well adjusted. heh. ;)

-stacey

hiya

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 21:30:57 GMT

Hello! Well here is my obligatory intro post (I'm a little overdue in posting this, I just haven't had the energy lately!)! My name is Megan, and I live in the COQ (coquitlam, bc), and I read a fair amount.

I'm a Coupland fan, and also have a place in my heart for Francesca Lia Block. I'm into Japanese fiction right now, such as Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, and my current favourite: Koji Suzuki (he wrote "The Ring" series, and does VERY well in the horror genre IMHO).

I keep a log of everything I read, and sometimes I post in my own book-lj bookparty, so yeah!

I'm currently reading "Dark Water" by Koji Suzuki, which is a bunch of short stories about creepy/scary water-incidents. I'm also really into Jean Godfrey-June's autobiog "Free Gift With Purchase" right now, about her career as a beauty editor.

Introduction, as instructed...

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 17:48:37 GMT

Hello all. My name is Evelyn. I'm 21 years old and I live in Surrey, BC.

I like to read.

That is all.

Okay, no, that's not all. My book taste is pretty varied and I'll give anything a try. I used to read nothing but fiction, but I've been branching out in the last year, to great success. I work in a book store (Chapters) so I end up hearing about books that I normally wouldn't give a thought to. I made a promise to myself that if I get two seperate customers recommend a book to me on two totally seperate occasions, I will immediately read that book. This system has worked out great. And interestingly enough, on all occasions but one, these books have turned out to be non-fiction reads that I have absolutely loved. I'm sure you'll hear my rave about them in this journal.

Right now, I'm heading to my family's cabin for a whole week (leaving on the 8th of July), and I'm looking for some easy, preferably funny, fiction to read while I'm up there. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

So that's a little bit about me. I look forward to discussing books with everyone.

RIght now, I'm currently reading "The Time Travellers Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. This is the one exception to my non-fiction recommendation experience. It's a fiction title, and one of my managers has been raving to me about it for months. I've been balking at it, because it sounded pretty sappy, but a customer told me it was great, and then Stacey said good things about it, so I picked it up. Of course, it was supposed to be a cabin read, but a book can't just sit around in my house and not have me read it. I should have bought it with a decoy book to keep me occupied for the week. Oh well. :) So far, it's a great.

3 down

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 22:32:45 GMT

Completed June 18:

Pope Joan - Donna Woolfolk Cross: 433 pages

Good read. Interesting facts brought up (the parts that were fact. I always like it when a book can TEACH me something, and this one definitely did. I was a little disappointed with the ending. Almost seemed as though the author realized how many pages she'd already written and sort of, rushed it, so that it wouldn't be any longer. Still, I liked it.

Completed June 23:

The Breathtaker - Alice Blanchard: 391 pages

I REALLY liked this book. It was a super easy read. TORNADOS!!! MURDER!!! WHATEVER SHALL WE DO?!?!?!?!? I haven't read a good murder mystery in a while, and i REALLY took to this one. I was interested in the characters, I cared about what was going to happen to them and wanted things to work out for the best. If you're looking for a good, not exceptionally challenging read, I highly recommend this book.

Completed June 30:

Emma's Secret - Barbara Taylor Bradford: 481 pages

I really wasn't too impressed with this. It was well written, very....eloquently...written, but I really could've cared less about the characters. There are three families that are central to the novel and every single member of each family is EXTREMELY beautiful/handsome/attractive in general, EXTREMELY intelligent, and EXTREMELY successful. They are all rich, powerful, good-looking people, and nothing bad happens to them. I wish i were joking. There was NO conflict in this book. "Oh no...attractive, intelligent, successful so and so may be illegamite!!! Oh no...she's not. She's just not the decendant of people we originally thought she was." And the only villian in the story doesn't even do anything. He might hurt one of them, but no, he just moves to Malaysia instead. And there's a woman who's husband might be beating her, but no, no, he's not really. She gets out before anything actually happens to her. NOTHING BAD HAPPENS IN THE WHOLE BOOK!!!

I was bored, and disappointed. I only finished it because I was hoping someone would die at the end. Really. It sounds horrible, but it's true. Oh well.

Once again though, because now I feel guilty, it was very well written...i just wish something exciting would've happened.

Currently reading:

A is for Alibi - Sue Grafton

Very engaged so far. :) The protagonist is a very likeable female detective. I have high hopes.

-sk

posted on the user page as well

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 08:30:14 GMT

When you join up, all I ask is that you make a short intro post. Just let us all know who you are and what you like to read! Also, if you're reading anything at the moment, feel free to tell us! Maybe you'll inspire someone else and end up with a reading buddy. :)

Thanks so much for joining up thus far gang! Hearts all around!

-stacey

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 14:41:37 GMT

Hello. My name's Miya, as most of you know, and here's a quick intro.

I like fantasy books, always have. My Fave author is Jean Auel for her Earth's Children's series. Depending on the author I like some sci-fi, but not very often. And i just *adore* biographies.

Currently I am reading a book called The Rotter's CLub by Jonathan Coe. It's about some teen boys in Birmigham, England, 1973. I'm all of two pages in so I have no clue as to whether I like it or not. It was a dollar at the book store so I thought I'd give it a try.

~Miya

filler. awesome.

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 07:48:03 GMT

ha. yeah...so...i'm just going to copy and paste everything from my other journal to put some content in here. if you've already read all this, please feel free to ignore it. new stuff coming soon!!!!

books i've completed in May:

The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown: 489 pages

I was a little disappointed, truth be told. Although I suppose all of the hype around it sort of ruined it for me. Well researched, but i'm still not jumping on the "Jesus was married" bandwagon.

Aphrodite - Isabel Allende: 315 pages

I've never read a book that made me want to cook before. She describes aphrodesiac dishes so well I practically orgasmed on the bus. Yum.

The Bone People - Keri Hulme: 450 pages

Excellent book, although the subject is questionable and definitely not for everyone or the faint of heart. Her style is very unique. I loved it.

The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger: 520 pages

When I first started reading it I wasn't sure if I would like it. It takes a minute or two and 20 or so pages to really figure out the writing style. Once I did though, I was completely immersed. All things Stacey enjoys. Time travel, romance, just a little comedy, and a happy ending. I'm in love with this book and anyone named Henry henceforth.

Historian - Elizabeth Kostova: 816 pages

She clearly did a lot of research before she wrote the book. A fictional account of the search for the resting place of Vlad Dracula. Actually covers that he wasn't just from TRRRAAAANNNNSSSSYYYLLLLVVAAANNIIIAAAA. I thought it was exceptional. (I've read a LOT of books on dracula. haha.) Would definitely recommend it for those interested in the topic.

Currently reading:

Saturday - Ian McEwan: on page 59

-sk.

"Now is the time to state, with absolute frankness and before the reader wastes any more time reading, that the only true aphrodisiac is love. Nothing can stay the burning passion of two people in love. When love exists, nothing else matters, not life's predicaments, not the fury of the years, not a physical winding down or scarcity of opportunity; lovers will find a way to love each other because, by definition, it is their fate."
"Aphrodite" - Isabel Allende

Completed May 31st:

Saturday - Ian McEwan: 279 pages

Interesting, for sure. a little under 300 pages to describe in detail a single day. It didn't amaze me but it was well written. I know other people thought more of it than I do. I suppose it's mostly because I'm just not all that into neurosurgery. :)

Currently Reading:

Pope Joan - Donna Woolfolk Cross: on page 21

-sk.

still reading Pope Joan, but i left it at work one night, and during the two days that followed i managed to find something else to read on the bus.

Completed June 11th:

Turning Thirty - Mike Gayle: 350 pages

supoer entertaining read, very easy on the brain. a....semi....coming of age story....just not the sort that leads into your teenaged years. i really identified with the main character despite the fact that i'm going on 22, and he was approaching his 30th birthday. i have a certain affinity for english writers and this one is definitely along the lines of Nick Hornby. just a fun, true to life story. no "between the lines" reading required. it's all laid out for you. and sometimes, in a world of twists and turns and convoluted lines of prose, it's a nice break.

i really enjoyed it. :)

Currently Reading:

Pope Joan - Donna Woolfolk Cross: on page 224

-sk.

"That's the thing about turning thirty: before you even get there you already think you know exactly what it will be like. Because it's the big milestone you've been looking forward to all your life that means you've arrived at adulthood. No other birthday has that same power. Thirteen? Pah! Acne and angst. Sixteen? More acne, more angst. Eighteen? Acne plus angst plus really horrible dress sense. Twent-one? Acne, angst, plus a marginally improved dress sense. But thirty? Thirty is the big one. Somewhere in your parents' house there is a list (or maybe just some random jottings) that you scribbled down whern you were, oh...say, thirteen, about the near mythical date in the future when you would be turning thirty. In your own inimitable scrawl will be written things like: 'By the time I'm thirty...I want to be a [insert name of flash job here] and I'd like to be married to [insert name of whichever person you were obsessed with at the time].' What's clear from this excercise book is that even at the tender age of thirteen you've realised, like Freud once said, that when it comes to life, 'All that matters is love and work.' a statement that, if you're only thirteen, leads to you to ponder two major questions:

1) What am I going to do with my life?
2) Will I ever ger a girlfriend?"

Introductions.

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 21:47:33 GMT

Welcome to Collective Literature! I'm hoping that this place will be it's own mini book club, except that you get to read whatever you want!

I've always wanted to be able to share works of literature with others, and hopefully get some handy tips on what to read next.

Over the course of time I'm sure this place will aquire it's own unique feel and we'll really get a handle on it, but for now, do whatever you like. :)

Also, if there's anything you don't like...be it layout, color scheme, anything, please don't hesitate to make suggestions or just complain in general. i may not always ACT on your suggestions, but i'll definitely take them into consideration. :)

Thanks so much.

-Stacey