Musing Mondays - Back To School

What books did you read while in school? Were there any that you particular liked, or even hated? Did any become lifelong favourites?

I was one of those girls who always had my nose in a book at school. Weirdly enough, though, my school didn't allow non-library books in the school premises, which I personally thought was unfair, but, there you have it. I've had a good number of books confiscated, and I had to plead to the teacher's better sense to have them back, because I wanted to know how the novels ended. What really did annoy me, though, was an English literature teacher confiscating my copy of The Poetry Of Robert Frost. I have always loved Frost, and I used to keep that in my bag at all times, just because Frost used to be my favourite poet. I never got that back, and that was the last time I ever took a non-library book to school. Being the stubborn teenager I was, I also stopped paying attention during English lessons (which was a pity, as I genuinely loved Eng Lit), and I started arguing with the teacher unnecessarily. However, in my defence, I still can't fathom why an English teacher would not be happy with a book of Frost poems!! At least I wasn't reading Mills & Boons or Danielle Steels or Sweet Valleys, or god knows what else!

Enough ranting, though.

We read a lot more short stories and poems than we did proper novels. We did read Little Women, but, it was the abridged version, and we didn't experience any of the tragedies the book had to offer. We also read a lot of Shakespeare, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant Of Venice, and The Tempest. I tried to get my school do a play on Macbeth, but, to no avail. A pity, as Macbeth remains my favourite work by the great Bard of Stratford.

Outside school, my reading pattern continuously changed. While in junior school, I tried getting my hands on as many Enid Blytons and Roald Dahls as possible. I did read some of the children's classics (Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn, The Secret Garden, Uncle Tom's Cabin etc), but not as vociferously as I would have liked to. Middle school was mostly Nancy Drews, Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators, and the like, before slowly moving on to John Grisham, Jeffrey Archer, Arthur Hailey, Robin Cook and Ken Follet.

Only at the age of fourteen did I dive into better books, like, Catcher In The Rye, The Fountainhead, An Equal Music, Lust for Life, etc. I think this was my defining year in terms of books I read, and the shape my life as a reader was going to take. Yep, I did read my share of really bad books, including a couple of Sweet Valley Highs and Nancy Drew On Campus, but neither of them were for me. A pity as I was hooked on to the Nancy Drew Casefiles.

I can't really remember much of what I read after that, and I don't think I actually read in my final two years of school, as I was struggling to get a good grade to get into University, while simultaneously keeping on top of all the extracurricular activities I had so enthusiastically dived into. So, yeah - that's my school reading, in a nutshell.

Musing Mondays - Borders' 100 Favorites

This past week, Borders re-released it’s 100 Favourite Books of All Times. Do you vote in these kinds of polls when they arise? Do you look through the list, or seek out books featured?

I do, if I come across the polls. However, I didn't see this poll, hence, nope to this one!

I try and look through the list, and see which ones I'd like to seek out, and which ones I've already read. So, highlighted in blue are the ones I've read, and in red, the ones I intend to seek out:

  1. Jane Austen - Pride & Prejudice
  2. Harper Lee - To Kill A Mockingbird
  3. JRR Tolkien - Lord Of The Rings
  4. Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper
  5. Stephanie Meyer - Twilight Saga
  6. JK Rowling - Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone
  7. Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
  8. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
  9. George Orwell - 1984
  10. Raymond E. Feist - Magician
  11. Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns
  12. Paullina Simons - Bronze Horsemen
  13. Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram
  14. Margaret Mitchell - Gone With The Wind
  15. Bryce Courtenay - Power of One
  16. Dan Brown - The Da Vinci Code
  17. Dan Brown - Angels & Demons
  18. Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist
  19. Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
  20. Tim Winton - Cloud Street
  21. Khaled Hosseini - The Kite Runner
  22. Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
  23. Arthur Golden - Memoirs of Geisha
  24. LM Montgomery - Anne Of Green Gables
  25. Joseph Heller - Catch-22
  26. Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat Pray Love
  27. Niv Mass Market Bible With Bible Guide - International Bible Society Staff and International Bible Society
  28. JRR Tolkien - The Hobbit
  29. Yann Martel - Life of Pi
  30. AB Facey - Fortunate Life
  31. Douglas Adams - The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy
  32. Lewis Carroll - Alice In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass
  33. Diana Gabaldon - Cross Stich
  34. Rohinton Mistry - A Fine Balance
  35. David Pelzar - A Child Called It
  36. Li Cunxin - Mao's Last Dancer
  37. John Marsden - Tomorrow, When The War Began
  38. Frank McCourt - Angela's Ashes
  39. Frank Herbert - Dune
  40. JD Salinger - A Catcher In The Rye
  41. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
  42. Gabriel Garcia Marquez - One Hundred Years Of Solitude
  43. Bryce Courtenay - April Fool's Day
  44. Ken Follet - Pillars Of The Earth
  45. Patrick Suskind - Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer
  46. Matthew Reilly - Ice Station
  47. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow Of The Wind
  48. Stephen Hawking - A Brief History Of Time
  49. Christopher Paolini - Eragon
  50. Louisa May Alcott - Little Women
  51. Mitch Albom - Tuesdays With Morrie
  52. Jane Austen - Persuasion
  53. Alice Sebold - The Lovely Bones
  54. Ian McEwan - Atonement
  55. Leo Tolstory - Anna Karenina
  56. George Orwell - Animal Farm
  57. Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange
  58. Antoine de Saint Exupéry - The Little Prince
  59. Roald Dahl - Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
  60. CS Lewis - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
  61. Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love In The Time Of Cholera
  62. Bill Bryson - A Short History Of Nearly Everything
  63. Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime And Punishment
  64. Anthony Bourke - Lion Called Christian
  65. Arundhati Roy - The God Of Small Things
  66. Paullina Simons - Tully
  67. John Grisham - A Time To Kill
  68. John Grogan - Marley & Me
  69. Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy
  70. Alexandre Dumas - Count Of Monte Cristo
  71. Neil Gaiman - American Gods
  72. Cormac McCarthy - The Road
  73. Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
  74. Brendan Shanahan - In Turkey I Am Beautiful: Between Chaos And Madness In A Strange Land
  75. Tim Winton - Breath
  76. Bryce Courtenay - Jessica
  77. Graeme Base - Animalia
  78. Donna Tartt - The Secret History
  79. Mario Puzo - The Godfather
  80. Anne Rice - Interview With The Vampire
  81. Steig Larrson - The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo
  82. Stephen King - Stand
  83. Helen Fielding - Bridget Jones' Diary
  84. Eckhart Tolle - New Earth
  85. Matthew Reilly - Seven Ancient Wonders
  86. Jung Chang - Wild Swans
  87. Nicholas Sparks - The Notebook
  88. Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho
  89. David Eddings - Belgariad Vol. 1: Pawn Of Prophecy; Queen Of Sorcery; Magician's Gambit
  90. Louis De Bernieres - Captain Corelli's Mandolin
  91. Melina Marchetta - Looking For Alibrandi
  92. Celia Ahern - PS I Love You
  93. John Irving - A Prayer For Owen Meany
  94. Colleen McCullough - The Thorn Birds
  95. John Kennedy Toole - A Confederacy Of Dunces
  96. Terry Pratchett - Good Omens
  97. Hunter S. Thompson - Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas
  98. Joanne Harris - Chocolat
  99. William Goldman - Princess Bride
  100. Charles Dickens - Great Expectations

So, I've read 39 of the 100. That's not too bad... What concerns me is, there's a lot of "new" fiction on here, which probably wouldn't be on the list, if the list was created say, ten years later. For instance, I am not convinced that The Twilight Saga, the Steig Larrson, both the Khaled Hosseinis, and the Jodi Picoult would make it to the list.

On the other hand, I'm quite surprised that books like Rebecca {Daphne du Maurier}, The Fountainhead {Ayn Rand}, The Handmaid's Tale {Margaret Atwood}, Midnight's Children {Salman Rushdie}, Disgrace {JM Coetzee}, Schindler's Ark {Thomas Keneally}, and Anne Frank's Diary didn't make it to the list - and that's just from the top of my head.

Do you think these lists are accurate? Are you surprised to see any of the books here? Which books would you add on?

Musing Mondays - Judging A Book By Its Cover

Today's Musing Monday's question is:

We all know the old adage about not judging a book by it’s cover, but just how much sway does a book cover have when it comes to your choice of book – whether buying or borrowing? Are there any books you’ve bought based on the cover alone?

Yup, I'm guilty of the above. If a cover *looks* interesting, I will pick up the book. Of course, if the blurb at the back of the book is uninteresting, I'll drop it like a hot potato. However, most publishers have this annoying knack to make any gist sound interesting. That's daylight robbery, in my opinion.

In the recent past (last two months), I've picked up two books based solely on their covers, and ironically enough, for very different reasons.

A Murder Of Quality by John le Carre was one such book, where the cover was simple, and classic, but the title of the book was written in a nice sprawly font.

And then there's Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop, where the title and the cover intrigued me. It's a busy cover, which looks like something out of a fantasy book. Normally, I wouldn't be attracted to covers like this, but... there was just something about it that caught my eye.

How about you? Do you tend to impulse buy, based on the cover of books, or are you a more pragmatic well-researched buyer?

Musing Mondays - Half Way In

This week's Musing Mondays muses on mid year reading.

Now that we’ve come to the middle of the year, what do you think of your 2009 reading so far? Read anything interesting that you’d like to share? Any outstanding favourites?

I've completed forty-two books so far. That's about eight short of my half-year target, which means I'll need to read eight more books in the second half of the year. However, I do have a couple of holidays planned, which means long flights, which means books to read like there's no tomorrow. :)

I've enjoyed almost all the books I've read this year, with three notable exceptions:

  1. Anne Enright - The Gathering
  2. Kate Summerscale - The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher
  3. Kurt Vonnegut - Breakfast of Champions

If I had to recommend only three books (this is tough), they would be:

  1. F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
  2. Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange
  3. Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood

My proudest achievement so far has been finishing and enjoying Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. I had tried reading it some years back, and wasn't able to finish it. Didn't think I'd make it this time, but... (Well done, me!)

I do have the following reviews outstanding (naughty me!):

  1. Jodi Picoult - My Sister's Keeper
  2. John le Carre - A Murder Of Quality
  3. Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale

So, that's my half-year in a nutshell. How about yours? Happy with your progress? Not so much? Plans for the rest of the year?

Musing Mondays - Prizes

This week's Musing Mondays asks:

Do you feel compelled to read prize-winning (Giller/Booker/Pulitzer etc) books? Why, or why not? Is there, perhaps, one particular award that you favour? (question courtesy of MizB)

'Compelled', no. 'Inclined', yes.

There are way too many books out there, and try as I might, I'm never going to read all of them, which is quite depressing. So, resorting to an old cliche, life's too short to read bad books. More oft' than not, a prize-winner is not going to be 'bad', so, it's relatively safe.

That said, if I like the look of a book, award-winning or not, I will pick it up. I don't need to see Sunday Times Best Seller or, Costa Book Awards Winner on the cover to convince me. Sometimes, these will disappoint, and sometimes they'll be fantastic, and that's something I've made my peace with. It's not that I've enjoyed all the prize-winners (case in point: The Gathering) I've read. In fact, I tend to feel more let down when I don't enjoy a prize-winner, than when I don't enjoy just another book off the shelf.

I think I lean more towards the winners of the Booker Prize, but I don't quite know why. It's almost done subconsciously... However, last couple of years, I've been picking up books by authors who have won the Nobel Prize, and so far, I haven't had a bad experience. (There you go, I've probably jinxed it now!)

How about you? Do you have a favorite prize? Or, a favorite prize-winner?

Musing Mondays - Time

This week's Musing Mondays asks:

Do you have a set reading time (before bed, perhaps)? Do you read more at night or during the day? Is there a day of the week, perhaps, that you set aside to catch up on reading

I normally read while commuting to/from work, which is about two hours a day. While this is more-or-less okay, it gets tough if I'm reading a page-turner, or, if I really want to finish the book. If I have enough time to play with in the morning, sometimes, I find myself wandering over to a cafe, to read while having my morning coffee. Other times, I just keep giving my book wistful glances through the day...

Normally, I enter work, listening to music, my eyes glued to a book. While reading, I shrug off my overcoat, and pull out my ear phones, completely oblivious to the people around me 'til I finish the page/chapter. One morning, one of my colleagues greeted me with a 'Morning, how goes' about three times, before I even acknowledged him. I was slightly embarrassed!

I read a fair bit over weekends, and try and read a bit before sleeping, every night. However, sometimes, I'm too tired to think, and just want to slip into dreamland, as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I guess, for an avid reader, I don't read as oft' as I'd like to. I do try and make up for this during my vacation days, where I get through a book a day (obviously depending on the location, and the books I'm carrying). Just re-reading this post, and I feel quite guilty. I really should set aside some more time for reading. Oh well...

How about you? When do you read the most? And where? Do you occasionally find that you have to make more time to read? Or, are you happy with the time you devote to reading?

Musing Mondays - Stick Or Kick?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about sticking with it… How much time (or how many pages) do you give a book that you aren't really enjoying before you'll set it aside? If you're reading it for a book group discussion, or for review, will you give it more of a chance then, say, a book you're reading for your own interest?

One hour two minutes to go, before I lose this opportunity to muse on Monday! Right, I'm going to race this one through...

It's an interesting question, because, I normally hate leaving books half-finished. No matter how 'boring' or 'dull' they seem, I figure they'll come good, especially if they are prize-winners, or if they've come highly recommended from a friend/fellow-blogger. However, just last week, I discarded Anne Enright's The Gathering at 89 pages, just because it seemed like pointless tripe, that I really couldn't be bothered with. I am still struggling to understand how and why that poor excuse for a book won the Booker.

Not really, I don't think. At the end of the day, I want to enjoy reading, and not feel as though it's compulsory to read. If I'm not enjoying the book, and it looks like the odds of the book improving are near negligible, with a tinge of remorse I'll place it at the back of my bookshelf. At the very back, so that I don't have to see it every day, thereby escaping that pang of guilt. Sneaky, huh? I've read about thirty-five books this year, and just shelved one, so... that's a reasonably okay statistic, in my humble opinion.

How about you? Do you tend to give up soon, or, do you wait for the book to become better? Ever been a time when you've given a book a chance, and felt severely let down?

Musing Mondays - Gift Certs

Do you give gift certificates to book stores as presents? If so, do you give for actual stores or online stores? Do you like to receive them yourself?

Nope, I don't. Not normally, anyway. Most of the people for whom I need to buy presents don't really like books. The couple who do... I find it much more personal to go and buy them a book myself, and write them a little note on the first page (with a pencil, before you accuse me of vandalizing books), as to the occasion, and why I think they'll like the book. Or, it just might be a quote I really like. 

Yup, I do like receiving gift certificates as presents, or books themselves. When I was growing up, my birthday present from my parents was always book-related. I remember dropping hints from a month before, and continuously changing my list. My poor parents almost always got it right! 

My predominant issue with gift certificates is that I never know what a good sum to put on them is. And sometimes (depending on the recipient), it seems as though not enough thought has gone into it. As one of my friends says, I'd rather get a 5 quid present, which shows a personal touch, as opposed to something just for the sake of, like a gift certificate. It takes a book lover to appreciate just how personal gift certificates to book stores are.

Musing Mondays - Early Reading

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? Was it from a particular person, or person(s)? Do you remember any books that you read, or were read to  you, as a young child? (question courtesy of Diane)

The first book I read was The Little Red Hen. I still remember sitting on the couch in my parents' room, as my mum made the three-year-old me read it out loud. I had inherited a great collection of Ladybirds, from my older brother, so I lapped them up pretty quickly, with my mother helping me out.

As soon as I was done with the Ladybirds, I was introduced to a series and an author that pretty much got me addicted to reading, and I think I've almost read practically every book by her, over the years. Yup, you got it - it was Noddy's adventures in Toyland, and Enid Blyton.

I mean, as a five-year old, how can you not love a fantasy world, called 'Toyland', where a nodding doll drives a yellow car, and lives next to a family of bears? I was completely enthralled, and for the longest time, I actually believed that I could catch a train to Toyland someday. I also believed in the tooth fairy, and Santa Claus, so....

And then there was the Amelia Jane series, the Faraway Tree books (which is probably my favorite series from my childhood), the Galliano circus books, and a couple of more 'real' books like Those Dreadful Children, The Put-Em Rights and The Three Naughty Children.

Giving a little child a series like Faraway Tree is surely the best (and worst) thing you can do to her (in my case!). I spent ages imagining myself as one those kids, and going to The Land of Do-As-You-Please, and having friends like Silky and Moonface. I envied those fictional characters, and sometimes asked my mum why we didn't live near the Enchanted Wood. I think she got quite annoyed with me by the end of it...

I moved on to The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find Outers, The Secret series, Snubby's Mystery series, Jack's (and Kiki's) Adventure stories, and I think that led to more fantasy adventures. I would've done anything to be a part of The Famous Five, to know a dog like Timmy, and to know someone who had their own island, or their own lighthouse!

And finally, I read all of St. Clares, Malory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl. I tried modeling myself on Darrell from Malory Towers - she was just so.... perfect! I think I learnt a lot from them, and quite wanted to go to boarding school, just to re-live some of their adventues - like playing pranks and having midnight feasts.

So, I guess I have Enid Blyton to thank for my love of books, for 'til I was eleven, that's all I read (and re-read). I haven't re-read a single book by her in about three years, but I still remember the characters and the books, and it still makes me so blissfully happy.

I should also mention Roald Dahl, for I think as I started running out of Enid Blytons to read, and was in denial, my mum took me to the library, and checked out  The Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both were amazing, and I recently bought the box-set of Roald Dahl books, just because they were very enjoyable.

So yea, I actually remember most of the books I read while I was growing up, and I think I have my mum to thank for getting me hooked! Wouldn't have it any other way. :)

How about you? Who were your favorite authors / books while you were growing up? Any you read and re-read over and over again?

Musing Mondays - The Bottomless TBR List

How many books (roughly) are in your tbr pile? Is this increasing in number, or does it stay stable? Do you ever experience tbr anxiety in the face of this pile? (question courtesy of Wendy)

I have about twelve books that are just stacked on my desk/bookshelf, begging to be picked up and read. However, I maintain a virtual 'tbr' list (62 books at the moment), which seems to grow faster than Moore's Law (replace 'number of transistors on a chip' with 'number of books on my tbr list'). I apologize for the geek-speak. 

So nope, it doesn't stay stable. I think there are more books that I want to read, than the amount of time I have to read them. Even if I quit my job, and renounce every worldly activity I indulge in, I still doubt I'll be able to read all the books I want to. And that, is depressing. Extremely so. 

Anxiety - nah! But sometimes, I do spend ages contemplating which book should I read next so as not to waste time. I'm actually making a conscious effort to go through the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, as well as Booker and Pulitzer winners, just because the odds are, those books will change my life (for the better). Of course, I am bound to pick up the new Mary Higgins Clark, or the new Grisham. Even the new Jeffrey Archer novel. And sometimes, I do sigh, thinking of all the good books out there, just waiting for me to read them.....

 

Musing Mondays - A Third Of The Way There

Coming towards the end of April, we’re a third of the way through the way through the year. What’s the favourite book you’ve read so far in 2009? What about your least favourite? (question courtesy of MizB)

I've read about thirty books so far this year, and it's almost a pity but my two favorite books so far stand out by a mile. If you've been reading my reviews, you'll know... they're both classics, and both exceptionally well-written. I envy those who haven't read these books already, for they're in for a few hours of unprecedented joy. And I almost regret not reading them earlier on in life. The more I think about them, the more incredible they are (in my head, anyway).

So... drumroll, please! And, the books are:

As for the books I didn't like: again, two books make the list, for very different reasons. I found one of the books incredibly boring, and the other just... 'silly' for lack of better words. Both were tedious reads, but, give me a pat on the back, for I struggled through and actually finished both (and nope, didn't find a saving grace!).

Have you read these books? What did you think? Agree with me, or want to throw rotten eggs and tomatoes at me? Or, are you slightly more dignified, and will just agree to disagree?