Youth In Revolt and a day in bed

I've been gone for a while, lost in a world of work and social engagements leaving very little room for books. I've missed blogging though so will be coming back, just have so much going on at the moment. Today was a hungover, partied-too-much day so spent it in bed watching movie and catching up on the news papers that I have been neglecting.


One of the movies was "Youth In Revolt" - having read the book and loved it (review on its way), I had to see the movie. It stars one of my favourite actors, Michael Cera, who does teenager troubles better than most actors. It was hilarious, really really fun but do read the book before you watch the film, it is the only way to do it with this one. As the book is quite long, the film only showed some of the scrapes that our anti-hero gets himself into but it was well edited and managed to convey the tone and spirit of the book really well!


Here is the official trailer - see you soon for the book review:

Less reading, more walking

Lately, I have been reading a whole lot less than normally. Not because I don't feel like reading, I do, but I used to read on the tube and the bus to and from work but as spring has set in, I have decided to walk instead. It takes 45-50 minutes, it is a journey of a little over 4 kilometers each way and it does mean that I don't get to read as much. Instead I get to:

1) Listen to audiobooks - so please please please recommend good ones!

2) Enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air

3) Enjoy the sight of amazing architecture (pictures will follow)

4) Exercise

So I have to say that it is a pretty good deal. Instead I will try to read in the evenings and not watch as much bad TV - less reality shows, more books must be the new way forward.

I am still reading though; currently I am reading two books (changing between them depending on mood):

"The Cure" by Rachel Genn

"Cassandra at the Wedding" by Dorothy Baker

Harry Potter or Edward Cullen? The King's verdict...

"Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend." 
- Stephen King 

(ps. there seems to be some controversy about whether or not Stephen King actually said this but I am going with the majority who seems to think yes) 

Soon in my mailbox!

It has been a long time since I have bought any books so the other day, I went a little bit crazy and bought quite a few. And now, all I have to do is wait for them to arrive which I must admit is testing my patience. I am currently reading a really really funny non-fiction book about feminism and gender equality (it is so funny that I keep giggling when I am reading it on the way from work!) but I have to say that I long for that special feeling of being absolutely absorbed in a good book.
So hopefully on of these beauties will make me feel exactly that:



Netherland by Joseph O'Neill



The London Satyr by Robert Edric



The Cure by Rachel Genn



From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma

However... I want to get a few more. Do you have any suggestions?

Pictures from a sunny weekend in October

Spent the weekend hanging out at my parents' place and going for walks with them. Very relaxed and a pretty amazing way to spend a warm Indian summer weekend.

Here's the photo evidence :-)

Tweet tweet

So... after having told myself for a looooong time that Twitter was definitely not for me (just as I always thought that blogging was not for), Willa now has a Twitter account!! WillaWWW - not very imaginative but hey, what's a girl to do when it's past midnight and she can't sleep.

If you guys are on Twitter, please let me know so I can follow you!!

Thank goodness for sequels!

To whoever invented sequels: I thank you!! Have finished Deborah Harkness's AMAZING, WONDERFUL book "A Discovery of Witches" and luckily there is a sequel!! Not yet but it is in the making. Dear Deborah Harkness, of course I appreciate that it takes time to write such great books but please hurry up. If I be of any help walking your dogs, doing your dishes or something along those lines so that you have more time writing, please let me know. Until the second book in this trilogy comes out, I will be daydreaming about Matthew Clairmont.

Ps. For more info about the delicious Matthew, please watch this space as review will be posted soon.

7 reasons to read "The Rivers of London"

7 reasons to read "The Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch (there are many more than seven by the way!)

Reason 1 - page 103
"I'm just going to have a chat with this troll", said Nightingale
"Sir", I said, "I think we're supposed to call them rough sleepers."
"Not this one we don't", said Nightingale. "He's a troll"

Reason 2 - page 142
I agreed that being part of something real was indeed wonderful, but it would be groovy if she could tell me what she'd seen. I actually used the word "groovy" and she didn't even flinch, which was worrying on so many levels.


Reason 3 - page 178
A London copper doesn't like to intrude on a traveller camp with anything less than a van full of bodies in riot gear - it's considered disrespectful otherwise.

Reason 4 - page 202
"We think he is hiding in Walthamstow," she said. Many would say that was punishment enough.

Reason 5 - page 229
"You really are the most extraordinarily gullible young man", she said, "What on earth are we going to do with you?"

Reason 6 - page 265
The trouble with the old boy network is that you can never really be sure whether it's switched on or not, and whether it's operating in your interest or some other old boy's.

Reason 7 - page 320
Nobody likes a riot except looters or journalists.

I love pre-loved books

Some people would never consider buying a used book but I have to say that I am just the opposite. Call the what you like - used books, vintage books, second-hand books, I call them pre-loved! And I love trawling the thrift shops for books that need a new home and to donate books so that others can read them and enjoy them. Especially the ones that I didn't like - I feel like they deserve a second chance. The other day I was going from second-hand shop to second-hand shop looking for books to buy and this is what I came home with:









Happy reading!

GIVEAWAY: "Wetlands" by Charlotte Roche

Time for another give-away - this time it is my own hardback copy of "Wetlands" by Charlotte Roche. It cause quite a stir when it came out and you can read my review of the novel here.

Rules to participate in the give-away:
- The competition is open globally
- Winner will be selected on August 1st in a random draw
- Leave a comment recommending a book that you think I will like and remember to write you email address so I can contact you if your name is drawn
- Book will be sent to the winner in the middle of August

:-)

Pride and Prejudice. Love and Hate.

Can't fall asleep so have given myself a fun little challenge - finding Pride and Prejudice covers and reviewing them in one word and one sentence.

CLASSIC
A hardback edition for those of us who read this classic again and again and again.



ENCHANTING
A beautiful cover for a beautiful book


MISUNDERSTOOD
For those who think that Edward Cullen is the modern girl's Mr. Darcy (he is not!)



UNNECESSARY
Wrapping up a classic in a modern jacket to attract a new audience - kind of like if The Rolling Stones had botox in order to perform at the MTV Movie Awards



SACCHARINE
Designed by somebody who has seen the movie but not read the book...




GIRLY
Special edition for girls who closets full of shoes




STRANGE
A great British romance set in a Japanese garden?


Which one is your favourite? I would love the second one but in a hardback edition!

Too many books at once - does it happen to you?

When I visit a bookshop, I am like a kid in a candy store. I want to grab everything and limiting myself to buying just one book - or buying none! - seems impossible. Luckily, I manage though, otherwise my home would be like a library... Lately though, I have been starting to read a lot of books, then losing focus and starting on another one. This really is a terrible habit and cannot be recommended. I will use this post to try and get an overview of which books I am currently reading and hopefully this will stop me from starting on more until I have finished these.
Here we go:

Schooling by Heather McGowan
I have been wanting this book for a long time and now finally got my hands on it. It is the story of 13-year old American girl Catrine who is sent to an English boarding school and it is written in a stream-of-consciousness style that is quite powerful.



Repeat It Today With Tears by Anne Peile
A stunning debut novel set in London in the 1970's where a young girl becomes obsessed with finding the father she has never known. So obsessed that she seduces him.



The Enchantment of Lily Dahl by Siri Hustvedt
A coming of age story about Lily Dahl, a Minnesota waitress and aspiring actress.



Horns by Joe Hill
This one was featured on Amazon's Best Books of March 2010 list and I have heard a lot of good stuff about it. Ignatius William Perrish (love the name!) wakes up after a night that he hardly remembers and have grown horns. And that is not all that has changed about him, people are now telling him those things that they are normally too embarrassed to share with others.



Now that I have summed it up, it doesn't seem so bad. I was sure that there were more on this list. Wonder if I have left any out...
What are you reading at the moment?

I wish it was a book!

Right so I've written a couple of posts about books that have been made into films - but there are also a bunch of films that I really really wish was based on books. And maybe they are and I just haven't noticed. Anyway. There are quite a few films that I would love to read:



Juno. Script written by the cool, clever, imaginative and brave Diablo Cody who is never afraid of tackling difficult issues (teenage pregnancy in Juno, mental illness in United States of Tara). Would love to have her over for dinner and talk to her about screenwriting.



Adventureland Starring a rather cute guy and Twilight-girl Kristen Stewart this is a far cry from sparkling, moody vampires. This is all about a rich kid whose parents go bankrupt forcing him to work at the local adventureland (read: freak show) during his summer vacation. It would work really well as a coming-of-age book, I think.



Easy Virtue with Colin Flirt and Jessica Biel. I've mentioned this one before. It is set in the thirties and full of bright young things and fantastic music. The story of an English aristocrat who marries an American nobody to the extreme displeasure of his mother. It would be a classic - reminds me of "The Edwardians" by Vita Sackville-West.

Pictures from a day in the garden

Time has flown and I have been busy - and that is my absolutely only excuse for not having blogged for a looooong time.

What have I been doing you ask? Well a whole lot really. Lots of traveling - a few days here, a few days there. Reading in airports, on planes and at night. But now I'm back and ready to review and write and read all of you wonderful blogs.

However, this post will be a short one but I will share some pictures with you. A month ago I had an absolutely wonderful time lying in my parents' garden for an entire day reading, talking to my cat and enjoying the sunshine and just being perfectly happy (apart from my leg being all busted up and my mind being slowed by painkillers). Have a sunshiny day people :-)

I am Elizabeth Bennett!

I need to share!! :-) Just took the "Which Jane Austen Heroine Are You?" Quiz.
And I am Lizzy Bennett! Very happy with the results, was rather sure I would end up as one of the Dashwoods, though not sure why. And I really like both the Dashwood girls but I LOVE Lizzy. Made my evening.

Take the Quiz here!

Top Ten Tuesday: Little White Lies

If you haven't visited The Broke and Bookish - www.brokeandbookish.blogspot.com - hosts of this fun meme, then you absolutely need to do so as it is a really great blog.

Today's Top Ten subject is telling lies about books and reading...

Now being honest ;-) I don't think I can think of ten separate lies that I've told in relation to reading, though I am sure that I have plenty. Just can't remember them. It must be something about forgetting the things that I would rather not remember, I think. But let's give it a go anyway:

1) Lying about liking a book to please somebody - this would usually be because the book was a present from this somebody or maybe their favourite book. I hate hurting peoples feelings so sometimes a little white lie goes a long way

2) Lying about choosing a book NOT just because of the cover... because it sounds like such a ditzy thing to do... but I do sometimes do it...

3) Lying about having read a classic that I haven't read. I swear it doesn't happen often but it has happened a couple of times out of sheer embarrassment.

4) Lying about liking a perceived classic that I really didn't like/see the point of... I know you know what I mean :-)

5) Pretending that it is not a new book but really one that I have had for quite a while to stop my boyfriend from accusing me of being a compulsive book-buyer (I really am not babe!)

What I never lie about is books that I like. If I have genuinely liked a book, I will stand by it. I have made that promise to myself and it is one that I intend to keep. I will even admit to liking Twilight because even though it has soooo many flaws, it makes for wonderful entertainment. So I stand by my books.

What about you - what do you lie about?

Penguins in my bag

I love the Penguin books for their classic, graphical style where all the focus is on the title and the author's name - lit up by bright colours. And now you can enjoy this great design on-the-go with these cute accessories in the classic Penguin style. The perfect present for a book lover! I saw the thermos when I was shopping in central Copenhagen with my sister yesterday and I just found that and other great little thins on Gifted Penguin - http://www.giftedpenguin.co.uk/
I have a bit of a crush on the Pride and Prejudice notebook. Normally I use Moleskine notebooks for my diaries but I think that I will try this one next time!

Books for a better world

Every weekend I read this great Danish weekend paper Weekendavisen because it is the only Danish paper to have an entire section dedicated to... books! And this weekend it featured an article about a Danish bookshop in Kathmandu, run by Lars Braaten, a Dane who fell in love with Nepal.
Now this is not just any old bookshop - this is a bookshop with a purpose because the proceeds from the bookshop goes towards funding Nepal Bal Ghar, a children's house where poor children with nowhere to go can get a roof over their heads and warm meals. Nepal Bal Ghar has existed since 1997 and you can read more about it here: http://www.nepalbalghar.dk/english.shtml

70% of all children in Nepal are illiterate so supporting a charity that helps them get life's necessities so that they can focus on going to school and learning to read and write.

Here is a quote from their mission statement:
Nepal Bal Ghar - Something Right Children's Home was started April 1st in 1997 in Sanepa, Kathmandu, Nepal. I - Lars M. Braaten - am the person in charge, responsible for the Children's Home, Lars M. Braaten.

People often ask me:

Why do you do it? and How did you come upon that idea?

and everytime I reply:

Because I have that option! I am in good health, financially OK and because my heart burns for Nepal. In fact, it is quite 'easy', when you relate to and think about the huge need for education here in Nepal.

I really admire this man for doing something, for bettering the life for almost fifty children. Next time I have a book clear-out (soon as we will soon be moving apartments), I will be sending the books I no longer want to Nepal so that they can do some good.

Back again!

Wild monkeys playing

I'm back again :-) Having spent the last two weeks in Thailand enjoying the food, the culture, the weather and the company I am now back on the blog and ready to review the books that I have spent my days reading in the Hilton's hotel garden underneath palm trees and flowery trees with beautiful white blossoms.


The beach

I was quite ambitious about my reading and brought several books:

"Tiger, Tiger" by Margaux Fragoso
"The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov
"The Last Samurai" by Helen Dewitt
"A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin
"The Russian Debutante's Handbook" by Gary Shteyngart


Bangkok seen from the river

However, I only made it through the first three and half way through Shteyngart's novel but then I also spent a lot of time listening to "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. As you can tell from the list, it was quite an eclectic bunch of books I brought with me and I was quite surprised by some of what I read - more will follow in the reviews in the next couple of days. For now I will sign out and enjoy a lovely relaxed Sunday but first I will share a few holidays snaps with you. Have a great day :-)


Hilton garden - perfect from reading!

Friday Fun Facts!

Want to learn more about your fellow bloggers? Then you need to go visit www.parajunkee.com!

For this Friday, the GIVE US FIVE BOOK RELATED SILLY FACTS ABOUT YOU.

1) I ALWAYS have a book in my bag. Always. Even when I am going to a party or going out for drinks, I bring a book to read in the metro.

2) When I was a kid, I took piano lessons. However, I never become really good at playing the piano because I always ended up trying to read while practising...

3) I love shopping - my favourite shopping involves hunting for second hand books.

4) Instead of meditating or doing yoga, I find my inner calm by sitting down and just looking at my colour-coded shelves of books. It makes me relax and remember all the good times I have spent reading the books and all the good times to come.

5) When I was a little girl, I really wanted to be a librarian, it was my dream job and I used to go to the local library (tiny and only open 8 hours a week) and just walk around looking at the books and enjoying the smell of books.

Now it's your turn :-)