Sunday Salon and My Thoughts on Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Another fairly busy week but I managed to finish 2 books so I'm back up to my average speed. This week is the final week at school before the holidays and rather than helping us teachers relax they shove everything in at once. It's not all bad though, I off to see Twelfth Night at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park (lets hope the weather has improved by then).

I spent my of my reading time on Stardust this week, my first Neil Gaiman of many, I'm sure. It was lovely to come home and disappear into a fairytale world for an hour or so.

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer

Yesterday I started Twilight (it got finished this morning in bed), yes I know I'm probably the last person to read this but at least I got around to it eventually.

For those few of you who haven't read this, the book is about a teenage girl, Bella, who has just moved from sunny Phoenix to dreary Forks, apparently the most rainy place in America. In this small town Bella stands out and everyone wants to get to know her. Everyone, that is, except her lab partner, Edward. Edward and his brothers and sisters are aloof, they stand out, they are stunningly beautiful, they are awfully pale, they don't make friends and they prove a great danger to the curious Bella. And you guessed it, they are vampires! Bella, decides to fall in love with Edward and he with her, and off the adventure begins.

I loved this novel. Yes it's predictable. Yes it's a typical YA romance/Gothic drama. Yes it is like a million other books I read as a teenager. Yet there was something about this book that stood out. It was fairly well written, they avoided too many stereotypes. Most importantly it made me feel like a teenager again - in a good way. It also reminded me how overpowering your first love can be, to the point where it is all consuming.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I think this is going to be the first book we read for the reading group I'm setting up at school.

Challenges
Young Adult Challenge 2008 Book 1 of 12
July Book Blowout Book 3

Reading Around the World - American States
I also joined Becky's Stephanie Meyer Mini Challenge, 1 book down 1 to go

Other Reviews:
Me, My Book and the Couch
A Striped Armchair

Marg
If you've reviewed this book please leave you link to your review and I'll link it to the page.

My Thoughts: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I've been meaning to read a Neil Gaiman novel for a while as everyone seems to rave about him and I finally got around to it! I had seen the film earlier this year, and while I loved the film I seem to have forgotten the majority of it so this story was still fairy fresh to me.

The novel, for anyone who doesn't know, is set in the village of Wall, a small English village in which the locals guard the wall which leads to the land of Faerie. Despite no one being allowed to cross into Faerie a market exists every 9 years which allows the inhabitants of Wall to mix with the people of Faerie. Early in this book the market results in a child being born, he is brought to live in Wall and grow up as a normal citizen.

When this child is 18 he falls in love with the popular Victoria Forrester. So in love with her is he that he promises her anything she wants in the world, she requests the star she has just seen fall from the sky. The star lays in Faerie, so off he goes on his journey. Along the way he meets a variety of characters and situations.

This is a feel good book, something nice to drift off into at the end of a busy day at work. I will certainly be looking out for more of Gaiman's work. I have seen a stunning graphic novel copy of Stardust in the bookshop and may have to ask for it for Christmas.

Challenges:

July Book Blowout

20th Century Project

Others Thoughts:

Andi.Lit

A Striped Armchair

Just a Reading Fool

Becky's Book Reviews

Bart's Blog

If you have read and reviewed this book please leave a link to your review and I'll add it on, also feel free to link back to my review.

The Japanese Literature Challenge 2

Yes, yes another challenge!

This challenge is held over at Dolce Bellezza the aim is to read 3 Japanese books between the 30th of July to the 30th of December, whether it is fiction, poetry, graphic novel, autobiography or a biography.

I'm not one hundred percent sure what I will be reading at the moment but I have a few ideas:

Any of Murakami which I haven't read

The Pillow Book by Shonogan

The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea, Mishma

Out by Kirino

I have read:

Goodbye Tsugumi, Yosimoto

Hardboiled/Hardluck, Yoshimoto

No Reading :'(

I had a whole weekend of no reading, not even a page. Boy does it feel strange. I spent my Saturday helping out at our school community fete. I assure you that when I battled a child (a big 16 year old lad) at Jousting I won easily ;-) I didn't really make a fool of myself by not even being able to stand up straight! I then spent that evening working in a bar, feeling the effects of the sunburn I had aquired during the day (Typical British weather, I left the house with heavy rain and wind crashing down around me, I end up baked!).

I then spent all day yesterday either in traffic jams and in training for my summer job, working with little kids at summer camp.

I went back to school shattered today, it's a good job a lot of the kids I teach are either on study leave or work experience at the moment.

My Thoughts: Junky, William Burroughs

Another book read that fulfuils a few Challenge slots (well done me ;-) ).

Junky is a classic cult novel that I have been meaning to read for ages. Apparently it is semi-autobiographical, it tells the story of a man who starts selling Heroin, never having taken it before. He quickly falls into the slippery slope of addiction. He struggles to pay for his next fix so he has to deal as a means of satisfying his need, as we all know dealing drugs is always going to be full of dodgy characters and situations. The character copes with withdrawals, both voluntary and forced as well as betrayal by those around him.

The book is fully submerged in the drug world, the language - with a helpfull glossary provided by Penguin - uses a range of terms for vaious drugs and drug users, most of which are fairly recognisable. The language is fairly sparse, matter of fact and focuses on action rather than description so the events in the characters life seem to rush through, one major event after another.

I have a few other books by Burroughs on my wish list and I look forward to reading them in the future.

Challenges:

The Classics Challenge 1/5 See other peoples reads in July for the Challenge here.

1001 BYMRBYD

July Book Blowout

20th Century Challenge (1953)

If you have read Junky please feel free to leave a link to your review and I'll tag it into the post, and feel free to do the same for mine.

My Thoughts: The Red Queen, Margaret Drabble

This is a book I seem to have on my list for many challenges so it was great to finally get around to reading it, and it was a good read.

The novel is divided into three sections. The first section is told in a very interesting manner. It is the story of the Red Queen about her time as a princess and queen in South Korea 200 years ago. That's no unusual I hear you say, but it is the way in which the story is told that makes it different. The queen tells her story through a modern author, she refers from another world about how life was for women in Korea in the past and compares this to modern life.

The second section is about a academic living in modern Englan on her way off to a lecture tour, and how the memoirs of the Red Queen has influenced her journey.

As I started the book I was really not sure about it and on a few ocassions nearly abandoned it as I found the style at the beginning of the book hard to get into, but once I had excepted it I found that I whizzed through. I will say that I prefered the second and third section the most despite the fact that the story in the first section is much closer to my normal reading taste.

Challenges:

10 out of 100 out of 1001 BYMRBYD 3/10

What's in a Name? 3/6

Book Blowout

Around the World Challenge: set in Korea

Book Blowout: Meme

The Book Blowout started yesterday and to celebrate Mrs S placed a meme so we can all get to know each other better. Here are my answers:

1. Describe yourself in one sentence

I'm an English teacher in England and my tbr pile has managed recently to escape onto my staircase.
2. What book will you start the challenge with?

I'm in the middle of The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble so I will be finishing that and then reading After Dark by Murakami
3. Where is your favourite place to read?

Curled up on the sofa with a blanket or in the bath
4. What is your favourite book of all time?

Hmm, I have a list about 12 books long. Off the top of my head I would say either Jane Eyre or The Time Traveller's Wife
5. Remind us all of your challenge target

It's 15 ! But the list is already changing, 2 more bookring books arrived today so they will need to be added in favour of something else.
Either post your answers in the comments - or post them on your blog and link us up in the comments - whichever works best for you.