Vanishing Acts

A colleague and I were talking about Jodi Picoult the other day and both admitted that we had not read her books because we are book snobs. I ended up reading 'My sisters keeper' because it was in my book group and everyone was raving so I secumbed and I loved it. I read it in no time flat and cried alot.

I enjoyed Vanishing acts although I found it a little little samey but still a good story. She seems to like putting forward a scenario that has several aspects and makes you challenge your own prejudices and explores those through the characters. I read it in 4 days and enjoyed it as a casual read. Wouldnt want to read more than one of her novels a year.

If you click on her name you can go to her website and find out all about this book, Jodi and her other titles.

Vanishing acts : a novel / by Jodi Picoult.
Author:
Picoult, Jodi, 1966-
Publisher:
New York : Atria Books, 2005.

Brokeback Mountain

I read this in my lunch break yesterday. Perfect timing really as the movie won several BAFTA's yesterday. After reading it I really want to see the movie. That Annie is a fabulous writer. In 59 pages she achieves more than some do in 500. Gorgeous writing - but we all know that already.
This is the library entry
Brokeback mountain / Annie Proulx.
Author:
Proulx, E. Annie, 1935-
Summary:
An epic love story set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.

magazines this week

The New Zealand Listener...I am a librarian, it is just too hard not to put the full title on everything. We subscribe to the Listener and as it is a weekly, it is often just a tv guide if we are having a busy week. Perhaps less tv and more Listener might be the key here.
What do I love about the Listener?

• social and political comment
• feature articles - relevant, topical, contraversial
• books, arts, music,
• gossip, letters, tv and radio pages
• everything really!

The library has it so you can just plop yourself down and have a good catch up read while you have a coffee or something.

onHoliday ... this is a New Zealand title publised 4 times a year. It comes from the 'NZ house and garden' stable and is glossy and light. Covering local and international destinations it can be inspiring and interesting. I like how it focuses on interesting places in NZ and the websites, books and merchandise bits. It can make the most mundane place look wonderfully interesting. This month I got some good 'travelling with children' websites. We are planning a trip to Aus. so we are interested any any suggestions. There was also some really intersting info about the Weka Pass Railway which we want to visit in North Canterbury. Nic would love it. Nice mag.

These are my only mags this week. I have a few lined up for our camping holiday which I am looking forward to consuming page by page.

more than novels

After having posted two novels on this blog I can see that it is going to be very boring and slow so it totally makes sense to blog all the books I read not just the novels. When I say read, I am not talking cover to cover like a novel but those that I bring home from the library and read and use in small bits. I am not sure how this will look but I am guessing it might take some subject slant. I will put the magazines in too as I LOVE magazines and consume a great deal of them. I am going to add quotes and interesting bits and pieces from them all including web links and pictures where possible etc. I hope there is something vaguely interesting and useful in these posts somewhere.

Hot flash holidays

I have just waded my wau through this book. Here is the entry from the library catalogue.
Title:
Hot flash holidays : a novel / Nancy Thayer.
Author:
Thayer, Nancy, 1943-
Summary:
A gathering of the members of the Hot Flash Club at The Haven, an exclusive spa, is turned upside down when Shirley announces her new financial partnership with a much younger boyfriend.

Nancy Thayer is a long time favourite author of mine. I started reading her books about 20 years ago and loved her writing. Now I am a bit over her because the books seem so ordinary. I am not sure if it was me as a younger person being more impressed by others lives and writing or whether she was a better writer then. Anyway, her earlier titles are much better so if you are interested in reading her, get some of her old titles they are much better than this one.

It was perfectly fine but nothing to rave about.

The Taming

Here is the first book in my book blog. This info has been cut and past of the
Christchurch City Libraries catalogue. It is a wonderful resource for several reasons - it has the summaries or blurb of the books and also a large number have a images of the covers

The taming / Victoria McHalick.
Author:
McHalick, Victoria.
Summary:
Hamish Harrison lives with his mum, a menagerie of animals, ever-present money worries and the social problems of a boy more inclined to music than sport. On the brink of his teenage years, the trials of family life seem less important when the concert pianist next door offers to teach him play.


I chose this book from our bookgroup box becasue it was a New Zealand title and the cover and story appealed. It had a slow begining but nicely formed characters emerged. The only thing I could say is that I thought a few too many issues might have been added to the plot. However, it has a positive ending and it was well written. Initially I wondered if the voice of the boy was too old and thought it was quite feminine but eventually I think Hamish found his 'voice'. I am guessing the pet rabbit 'Snowflake' was a metaphor for purity and life etc. Without revealing too much, I am thinking that the survival of the rabbit so obviously paralleled the survival of Hamish. So, although not a stunning book 'The taming' was a nice read.