My Thoughts: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Shaffer and Annie Barrows

My second audiobook finished this week (can you tell its the holidays and I've had lots of spare time!), this one was as great as Sabriel although very different.
You've probably read and seen hundreds of posts for this book so I'll keep it short and sweet.
I loved it. I fell in love with the characters and place. I would happinly go live in that book.

A quick synopsis: Juliette, a war-time writer starts a correspondence with a reader in Guernsey, a small island. The correspondence develops and she form a friendship with many of the members of the reading society. It doesn't sound exciting but it is.

The audiobook was read by a single woman who gave each character a different voice which enhanced their personality.

Read it if: Your looking for something quaint and English

Challenges:
999 (New Fiction)
War through the Generations: WWII
Notable Books

Orbis Short Story Sign Ups and Recommendations

Sign Ups and Recommendations to be left in the comments please.

My Thoughts: Sabriel by Garth Nix (audio book)

Just spent the last hour and a half playing solitaire on the computer so I could finish listening to Sabriel on my ipod. This is only the second full audiobook I have managed to get through, but unlike the first this was no struggle.
I first picked this up in paperback a few years ago after a friend raved about it and I have to say I didn't get very far. So when I saw this was avaliable as a audio book I thought I'd give it one last try. And I'm so glad I did!

Sabriel, for those of you who do not already know, is an Abhorsen. Well, she suddenly finds herself to be when the previous Abhorsen, her father, is trapped in death.
She has to travel over the wall which protects the world from the Old World and go in search of a way to save her father's life. Once their she is greeted by many things, including a magical cat who once was an evil spirit and has been rendered a slave cat as both a punishmet and a method of control.
She also goes on to meet a handsome youngman trapped as a statue for 200 years who turns out to be King of the country. Romance blossoms. All fairly fairy tale like till this point.
The pace and tension speeds up as Sabriel has to find a way to fight the dark force which threatens to over both the old and new world.
A very dark and pacy novel meant for older teens I would assume 13+ As an audiobook, read by Tim Curry, I was hesitant at first when he attempted to sound the voice of a scared teenage girl, but after this point he is fabulous. The voices of Mogget the cat is particuarly brilliant and resounding. This was my dark bedtime story each night, making me remember being read to as a child.
Challenges:
A-Z (Author)
999 (YA )
2009 YA Challenge

My Thoughts: 2 for 1

I'm being lazy and posting two reviews in one post - its been a lazy day, only 25 papers marked (I was aiming for 100), I joined a new gym but still haven't popped out to cancel the new one, most of the day has been spent dwindling time away.

I did however finish a book and read a short story.

The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby.
This is one of the many Nick Honby article collections that has been doing the rounds on the blogsphere lately so I had to pick it up to see just what all the fuss was about.
Hornby writes each month in Believer magazine about his thoughts on his months reading, along with comments about Arsenal football club (I support their rivals), his children and friendships with other authors.
The articles are generally short, witty and make some interesting comments on reading. However I was shocked that at the end of the collection I hadn't even written down one book title to search out.
I did enjoy the collection but won't be racing out to pick up the next book in the collection for a while yet.
Challenges:
999 (Non Fiction)
Non-Fiction 5


Now for the short story.

'When I Was A Witch' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
opening line:
"If I had understood the terms of that one-sided contract with Satan the Time of Witching would have lasted longer - you may be sure of that."
The narrator having oe of those bad days where nothing turns out makes a wish. A wish that the horseman she has just witnessed thrashing his horse could feel the pain he inflicted whilst the horse went free from pain. She is a little shocked when she sees the horseman wince and rub his head but thinks nothing of it.
The next day she makes another wish that all the cats which are trapped in the city die peacefully, and that anyone harming a horse is inflicted with an equal amount of pain. She gradually realises that these whimsical wishes are coming true and starts to make more and more wishes.
After exposing the lies in newspapers, making parrots tell the truth to their owners and killing off unhappy dogs Perkins-Gilman gets her narrator to express a wish that she herself was fighting for. She says:
"I thought of all the other women, the real ones, the vast majority, patiently doing the work of servants without even a servants pay - and neglecting the noblest duties of motherhood in favour of house-service; the greatest power on earth, blind, chained, untaught, in a treadmill."

I really enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to reading more of the works in this collection

My Thoughts: The Secrets of a Fire Kig by Kim Edwards

Isn't the cover gorgeous!

I've been dipping into this book of short stories for the last couple of months and I have to say I loved the vast majority of them. Eacg story is vastly different: people living in a secret society; the discovery of gold; rat stories and a housewife who befriends Marie Curie to give but a few examples. The writing in each story is rich, creating pictures to feed your mind.

I have read a few negative reviews elsewhere on the net but most of those people seem to want Edwards to replicate The Memory Keeper's Daughter. For me this showed that she had more to her. I loved The Memory Keeper's daughter but it was a 'Jodi Piccolt' novel, heart wrenching but not well written in a literary sense. These stories hint that a literary novel could be brewing.

Read it if you love dipping into short stories.

Music Mundays

I've seen this band live a few times and they're very cool. A small indie band who are yet to make it big time. They dance like crazy and have random songs with random titles. I could only find one 'proper' music video.

Check out their myspace page for a proper taster: http://www.myspace.com/thekabeedies

Little Brains

Salon Sunday: Library Loot and stuff...

It's half term and it is hot outside!!! (Tomorrow rain is predicted) I think this is the first summers day this year when I've been able to go out and appreciate the sunshine. I took a leisurely walk to the library which involved walking across a meadow and down the side of the river - perfect setting, whilst listening to Sabriel on my iPod. Then I spent an hour or so weeding (not quite so appealling as the walk).
Eventually I came in so my poor skin doesn't get too shocked by the sudden feeling of sunshine - I SHALT NOT GET SUNBURN this year!
I also took a break in my reading (Buddig Prospects by TC Boyle - not sure I'm that bothered by this book), to read a YA classic, Stone Cold by Robert Swindells (review to come).

Library Loot: Hosted here by Eva.
Well I arrived at the library hoping some of my reservations would have arrived but no such luck. So I went browsing....





So Many Books, Gabriel Zaid apparently 'a conversation about reading'. For the Non-Fiction 5 challenge and it may fit into the culture section of Eva's World Citizen Challenge
The Waste Land, Martin Rowson a Graphic Novel version of my favourite poem, a book I may either love or despise.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde, Edginton, Culbard both for the graphic novel challenge.
Orbiter, Ellis, Doran, Stewart another Graphic Novel

Now off to try and finish Budding Prospects (only another 100 pages to go) and read some more of the fantastic Polysyllabic Spree. Then going to watch 24: Redemption