Booking Through Thursday: Fantasy Worlds

Are there any particular worlds in books where you’d like to live?
I'm sure like other people I would like to disappear of into the fantasy worlds that authors create rather than the real thing. I think either the magical world of Harry Potter, I could be a teacher at Hogwarts, or much more fun a student. Unfortunately I'd probably the Hermione type as I always did my homework on time. Or, maybe off to Narnia, but when it was nice not when the witch was in control. I could have afternoon tea with Mr Tumnas and hot crumpets. Or the world of Faerie in Stardust. I could name loads, they all seem to include magical creatures and dragons.
Or where you certainly would NOT want to live?
Hmm, there are books about wars and the holocaust and things like that, I wouldn't want to live in that world at that time, though I'm sure that after the war it is a nice place to explore or live.
What about authors? If you were a character, who would you trust to write your life?
Not sure, someone with a vivid imagination who could make it really exciting!

My Thoughts: The Fragrance of Guava: Conversations with Gabriel Garcia Marquez by Mendoza (and a challange round up).

I saw this book in the library sale and picked it up out of curiosity, it's not the type I would buy in a bookshop, as I don't tend to get past the fiction section, but it was a really good read.

The book is an interview with Gabriel Garcia Marquez by an obviously close and personal friend Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza. It is clear to see the friendship in the questions Mendoza asks and the way he joins in or finishes Marquez's answers.

The interview covers a whole range of subjects, including Marquez's childhood, life as a struggling writer, politics, personal and literary influences, fame, superstition and obviously his thoughts of the books that he has written.

At only 120 pages this book was a quick read but filled with tons of information, and it has made me want to read more of Marquez's work.

Challenge:

Book 6 of 6 for the What's in a Name? Challenge

The 20th Century Project: Book 9 of 100 (1983)

What's in a Name Challenge

Another challenge completed! For this challenge you had to read 6 books, each books title must relate to a particular topic. Here is what I read:

1. Colour = The Red Queen
2. Animal = Moon Tiger

3. First Name = Elizabeth Costello
4. Place = Breakfast at Tiffany's
5. Weather = Gone with the Wind
6. Flower = The Fragrance of Guava

My favorite book by far was Gone with the Wind, with Breakfast at Tiffany's running up in second place. Moon Tiger was the only book I didn't think was a good read.

My Thoughts: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

It has taken me a very, very long time to read this, but I have enjoyed every page. I have never seen the film or knew a great deal about the story except Rhett and Scarlett's name so everything was all new to me.

As I'm sure most people know this novel focuses on just 12years in the life of Scarlett O'Hara. In that 12 years she faces a lifetimes worth of events and emotions. From a flighty, flirty and selfish teenage with a spread of men laid at her feet for her choosing, she ends up in a loveless marriage because she couldn't have the one man she wanted. This marriage leaves her a mother and a widow by the age of 17. The war betweeen the Yankees in the north and the south rages, at first leaving Scarlett with a sence of freedom and then a series of burdens and worries. Scarltett's fierce soul helps here battle her way to safety, fight poverty and kill a man so she can keep the hous that she loves going and in her possession. For the safety of this house and those in it she enters yet another love less marriage and produces yet another unwanted child. She is yet again left a widow and marries the Scalleywag Rhett Butler, a marriage full of passion, hatred, lies and deciet.

As much as Scarlett should be a hated character I couldn't help but like her determination, her way of getting what she needed - yes she was spiteful, and self absorbed but the reader always seemed to be kept on her side, in the knowledge that deep down she wasn't as strong as she liked to show. Melly, took a while to capture me, but she was created with a weak body and a stong mind and soul. Yet the most captivating character in the novel was Rhett, we had to learn to read the expressions on his face, just as Scarlett had to try and decipher them. We never knew how he was going to react to any situation, or to Scarlett's scorn. I loved all the passages about him with Bonnie, a way to love Scarlett through another person.

I shall definately get my own copy of this book, as I'd love to read it again in the future, and I shall hire the film in the next few weeks to see how it compares. The best book I've read this year by far.

Challenges:

The Southern Challenge Book 2 of 3

The Classics Challenge Book 4 of 5

Unread Authors Challenge Book 2 of 6

What's in a Name Book 5 of 6 (Weather)

1001 Project

Around the World

20th Century Project 1936

Pulitzer Project Book 11 of 81

If anyone has reviewed this, please leave a link to your review in the comments and I'll add it in

My Thoughts: Apache by Tanya Landman

My second read of the Carnegie shortlist, and another fantastic read, another to be added to the recommended reads wall in my classroom.
Apache is a novel about a teenage girl living in an Apache tribe, having seen her young brother killed brutally by the Mexicans and having lost both of her parents, she seeks to avenge her brothers killers. Although female warriors are not the norm, there are no rules governing that a female annot become a warrior if she can pass the tests, so she takes the trials and does well fighting beside the men in bloody and violent battles.
Not everyone within her tribe is happy with her path as a warrior, seeing it as against the nature of women. As a result she comes up against battles whilst at home and away. Keste a local youth is enraged when she becomes a warrior, his battle against her causes rifts and violence, and the unravellings of the secret of her fathers death.
As the novel progresses the Apache tribes no longer have to fear just the Mexicans but with amore brutal degree the white men, who have come to claim the land, and who do not follow the rules when it comes to battles.

Landman tells the tale with a sparse language, she does not jumble the page with countless adjectives and poetic sentences, this created the voice of the character for me, giving her depth. I assume in America the tales and history of the Apache are taught in schools, and a lot of what is in this book about their lives and culture isn't new to an American readership. I, however, enjoyed reading about their culture, in particular their spiritual beliefs. The battles are described from a first person account so may be deemed by some as too violent for a childrens book, but I have read books about life in the treches to kids at school which are just as violent.

Challenges:
Young Adult Challenge Book 5 of 12
Unread Authors Challenge Book 1of 6

Other Reviews
Table Talk's excellent review here
If you have reviewed this book please leave a link to your review and I'll add it in.

Sunday Salon and a Meme

I haven't been as great at reading this week, the weather has been grey and overcast for days with rain threatening so I haven't been sitting in the garden with a book like I was last week. I managed to get finished 2 books and two books are well on the go. The end of the week got taken up by planning for the next school year (I still have 4 weeks holiday, but I thought whilst I was in the mood I'd get on with it).

This week I need to finish Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates, Gone with the Wind and Apache plus try and start Theft by Peter Carey.

I've also been thinking about my reading plans for August, here is the huge list I'd like to get through:

Finish the Southern reading challenge, I need to finish Gone With the Wind and Cold Mountain.
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
The View from Africa, various authors
Blood River, Butcher
Frankie and Stankie, Trapido
A Woman of my Age, Bawden
Pawn of Prophecy,Eddings
Apache, Landman (from the Carnegie shortlist)
What I Loved, Hustvedt
The Valkynes, Coehlo

Theft, Peter Carey

The War of the Worlds, HG Wells

Gods Behaving Badly, Phillips

A Meme, gautami tripathy posted this for us Sunday Saloners to complete:

1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why?

I don't have one favorite author, but a few that I know I'll love their work: Sarah Waters, JK Rowling, Phillip Pullman, the Brontes, Jane Austen, A.S Bayatt - the list varies on a regular basis.
Marquez. Atwood. I name here only a miniscule. Amongst new authors, I liked Jay Asher and Mathias B. Freese.
2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favorites?
Either Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl. I haven't picked up an Enid Blyton book in years, but when I have kids I'll make sure I read her to them. As for Dahl, I'm teaching two of his books this year and I reguarly use his poetry in school, I think I enjoy it just as much if not more than the kids.
3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?

I loved the Neil Gaiman stuff and Will Self who I have read recently, I'd never tried any of this type of stuff before because I assumed I wouldn't like it, but I was gripped.

I've also discovered Paulo Coelho this year, both the books I read where thought provoking, and I definately plan to read more.
4. Tagged: All you Sunday Saloners, consider yourself tagged.

My Reviews - Alphabetical by Title

44 Scotland Street, McCall Smith
A Dog So Small, Pearce
A Fine Balance, Mistry
A Kestrel for A Knave, Hines
Apache, Landman
A Pure Swift Cry, Dowd
A Walk in the Woods, Bryson
A Woman of My Age, Bawden
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Daughter of Fortune, Allende
Elizabeth Costello, Coetzee
Flowers for Algernon, Keyes
Gatty, Crossley-Holland
Gods Behaving Badly, Phillips
Gone with the Wind, Mitchell
Goodbye Tsugumi, Yoshimoto
Intimacy, Kureishi
Journey to the River Sea, Ibbotson
Junky, Burroughs
Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
Milkweed, Spinelli
Mister Pip, Jones
Mirrormask, Gaiman
Moon Tiger, Lively
Neverwhere, Gaiman
Orchard on Fire, Mackay
Peony In Love, See
Persepolis, Satari
Persian Brides, Rabinyan
Portrait in Sepia, Allende
Rabbit Proof Fence, Pilkington
Regeneration, Barker
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Taylor
Ruby Red, Glass
Siddartha, Hesse
Silas Marner, Elliot
Skin, Dahl
Sour Sweet, Mo
Stardust, Gaiman
Stuart: A Life Backwards, Masters
Tatty, Dwyer Hickey
The Alchemist, Coelho
The Book of Dave, Will Self
The Changeling, Jenkins
The Children's War, Stroyar
The Devil and Miss Prym, Coelho
The Echo Maker, Powers
The End of Mr Y, Scarlett Thomas
Theft: A Love Story, Carey
The Famished Road, Okri
The Fragrance of Guava, Mendoza
The Garbage King, Laird
The Law of Dreams, Behren
The Inheritance of Loss, Desai
The Motorcycle Diaries, Che Guevara
The Night Watch, Sarah Waters
The Plague, Camus
The Red Queen, Drabble
The Sandman: Dream Country
The Secrets We Keep, Monroe
The Shadow of the North, Pullman
The Space Between Us, Umigar
The Stolen Child, Donohue
The Tenderness of Wolves, Penney
The Virgin Blue, Chevalier
The World Unseen, Sarif
The Unabridged Pocket Book of Lightning, Foer
Three Shadows, Pedrosa
Tomaree, Robson
Twilight, Meyer
Two Caravans, Lewycka
Varjak Paw, S.F Said

My Reviews - Alphabetical by Author

Daughter of Fortune, Allende
Portrait in Sepia, Allende
Regeneration, Barker
A Woman of My Age, Bawden
The Law of Dreams, Behren
A Walk in the Woods, Bryson
Junky, Burroughs
The Plague, Camus
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Capote
Theft: A Love Story, Carey
The Virgin Blue, Chevalier
The Alchemist, Coelho
The Devil and Miss Prym, Coelho
Elizabeth Costello, Coetzee
Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
Gatty, Crossley-Holland
Skin, Roald Dahl
The Inheritance of Loss, Desai
The Stolen Child, Donohue
A Pure Swift Cry, Dowd
The Red Queen, Drabble
Silas Marner, Elliot
The Unabridged Pocket Book of Lightning, Foer
Neverwhere, Gaiman
Mirrormask, Gaiman
Stardust, Gaiman
The Sandman: Dream Country, Gaiman
Ruby Red, Glass
The Motorcycle Diaries, Che Guevara
Siddartha, Hesse
Tatty, Dwyer Hickey
A Kestrel for A Knave, Hines
Journey to the River Sea, Ibbotson
The Changeling, Jenkins
Mister Pip, Jones
Flowers for Algernon, Keyes
Intimacy, Kureishi
The Garbage King, Laird
Apache, Landman
Two Caravans, Lewycka
Moon Tiger, Lively
Orchard on Fire, Mackay
Stuart: A Life Backwards, Masters
44 Scotland Street, McCall Smith
The Fragrance of Guava, Mendoza
Twilight, Meyer
A Fine Balance, Mistry
Gone With the Wind, Mitchell
The Secrets We Keep, Monroe
The Famished Road, Okri
A Dog So Small, Pearce
Three Shadows, Pedrosa
The Tenderness of Wolves, Penney
Rabbit Proof Fence, Pilkington
The Echo Maker, Powers
The Shadow of the North, Pullman
Persian Brides, Rabinyan
Tomaree, Robson
Varjak Paw, S.F Said
The World Unseen, Sarif
Persepolis, Satari
Peony In Love, See
The Book of Dave, Will Self
Milkweed, Spinelli
The Children's War, Stroyar
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Taylor
The End of Mr Y, Scarlett Thomas
The Space Between Us, Umigar
The Night Watch, Sarah Waters
Goodbye Tsugumi, Yoshimoto