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Happy Mother’s Day!

It is Mother’s Day here in the UK so I’d like to wish every one a

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

I have been having a lovely day with my family. I had a long lie-in and was then woken up with pancakes in bed. After enjoying breakfast I had the opportunity to read a few chapters of Small Island and then we headed out for the day. We had a picnic and then went for a walk in the wood.

We played hide and seek….

….walked on logs….

….and discovered a lovely old windmill.

I’m off to spend some more time with my family.

I hope you have had a good weekend too!

Orange Prize Other

Who will be long listed for the Orange Prize 2010?

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 11, 2010
50 Comments on Who will be long listed for the Orange Prize 2010?

Next week (17th March) the long list for the Orange Prize 2010 will be announced. The Orange Prize is awarded annually for the best fiction novel written by a woman. I have really enjoyed reading books nominated for this prize in the past and so am looking forward to seeing who makes the list this year.

I thought it would be interesting to try to predict which books would make it on to the list. I found it very hard to come up with 20 titles – the first 12 came to me very quickly, but it took a long time for me to complete the list. I have no idea if they are all eligible and haven’t read them all (so don’t know if they deserve to be there) but here is my prediction for books that might make the cut next week:

What do you think of my selection?

Have I missed any books that you think deserve to be on the list?

Which book would you like to see win the Orange Prize this year?

Other Weekly Geeks

My favourite author: David Mitchell

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 6, 2010
78 Comments on My favourite author: David Mitchell

The weekly geek task this week is to talk about our favourite author and why we love them.

My favourite author is David Mitchell – he is the only author where I have read and loved every single one of his books. Jose Saramago and Rohinton Mistry have the potential to knock him off the top spot, but as I haven’t read their entire back-catalogue yet I’m afraid they’ll have to languish in second and third place!

My love for David Mitchell’s books began when I read Cloud Atlas as part of the Richard and Judy book club. I fell in love with his amazing ability to create several unique writing styles within the same book. By the time I read the section where the man becomes trapped in an old people’s home I was hooked by his ingenuity too.

His writing is beautiful, but never complicated and packed with wonderful quotes:

A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.

My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?

I went on to read Ghostwritten and Number9Dream; they weren’t quite as good as Cloud Atlas, although Ghostwritten got close, but as these were his first books I’ll forgive him. Both of these contain elements of Japanese literature that I love. David Mitchell lived in Japan for a number of years and the influence of their culture is especially strong in these two novels. I love the way he has incorporated their folklore and unpredictability into his novels.

Black Swan Green was a big departure in style and theme. It is set in a small English village and describes the life of a young boy growing up in the 1980s. I think the fact that I was a child of the 80s gave this book a special appeal to me. I loved reminiscing about the sweets, music and clothes described in the book and the fact that I was gripped throughout, despite the gentle plot, shows the author’s talent.

After waiting for 4 years I was very excited to hear that David Mitchell had a new book out later in the year. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is released in the UK on 13th May. Yesterday I received a proof copy of it through the post. I was so happy! I think it is the highlight of my blogging career. I have already read the first few chapters and am loving it as much as I hoped I would. I really hope that it wins the Booker Prize this year as I feel that he is one of the most talented authors alive today. He has been short listed twice before, but a win would give him a lasting place in literary history. I haven’t read anything else good enough this year, so I’ve got my fingers crossed!

Have you read any books by David Mitchell?

Which is your favourite?

Tags David Mitchell

Discussions Other

Bad book group choices?

When I was researching titles to add to my recent 101 Book Group Choices post I was forced to think hard about which books created good discussions. I found this article about writing for book groups by Amanda Ross (famous for choosing books for Richard and Judy and now The TV Book Club) but am not sure that this advice is different from that given to any author. It sounds as though she is just describing a good book; one which is original and has a great plot.

Is there any difference between a good book and a good book club choice?

Are there any fantastic books which make terrible book club choices?

When I was compiling my list of books I was trying to include books which contained moral issues which are often thought provoking and in theory promote discussion, but in my book group discussion of the moral issues hasn’t occurred and I have a feeling that it could create argument rather than discussion in a lot of groups. I find talking about the characters more interesting than discussing the pros/cons of abortion, euthanasia or other hotly debated topics.

Should book group choices contain moral issues?

Every single one of my book group’s discussions has been enjoyable. Some have been slightly more successful than others, but I sometimes wonder if it really matters what book is chosen – I think we could talk about any book. That may be because half of us are book bloggers with an extreme passion for books, or perhaps we just haven’t come across a bad book group choice yet.

Is it possible to chose a bad book, or can people who are passionate about books create a good discussion whatever is chosen?

Which books didn’t work for your book club? Why?

Tags Book Club Reads

Other

February Summary and Plans for March

Post author By Jackie
Post date March 1, 2010
30 Comments on February Summary and Plans for March

I finished 11 books in February. The quality was surprisingly evenly distributed, with a range of fantastic books and a few I didn’t enjoy at all.

If you get the chance then I highly recommend you read Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and Rupture by Simon Lelic they are both fantastic!

Books reviewed in February

Cutting for Stone – Abraham Verghese

Rupture – Simon Lelic

Disgrace – J.M. Coetzee

The Harlot’s Progress: Yorkshire Molly – Peter Mottley

Ruby’s Spoon – Anna Lawrence Pietroni

Brixton Beach – Roma Tearne

Blacklands – Belinda Bauer

After the Fire, A Still Small Voice – Evie Wyld

The Girl with Glass Feet – Ali Shaw

The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

Dangerous Liaisons – Choderlos de Laclos

Plans for March

I got a bit distracted by the TV Book Club in February, so didn’t manage to read many of the books I planned to at the beginning of the month. Most of my plans are identical to last month – sorry to all those who are waiting for me to read things from this list, I really do hope to get to them soon!

Small Island – Andrea Levy

The Little Friend – Donna Tartt

The Woman in the Dunes – Kobo Abe

My Father’s Paradise – Ariel Sabar

The Native Hurricane – Chigozie John Obioma

The Hiding Place – Trezza Azzopardi

The Love We Share Without Knowing – Christopher Barzak

I’m going to finish reading:

Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Sex and Science – Mary Roach

July’s People – Nadine Gordimer

The Blasphemer – Nigel Farndale

I am also hoping to read some of these:

So Much for That – Lionel Shriver

Pocket Notebook – Mike Thomas

Marcelo in the Real World – Francisco Stork

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim – David Sedaris

The Solitude of Prime Numbers – Paolo Giordano

My Driver – Maggie Gee

Have you enjoyed any of the books I plan to read in March?

Tags Monthly Summary, Summary

Other Recommended books

101 Book Group Choices Guaranteed to Provoke Discussion

Post author By Jackie
Post date February 24, 2010
39 Comments on 101 Book Group Choices Guaranteed to Provoke Discussion

Choosing a book for a reading group is hard, but I’ve compiled this list of books to help you make that difficult decision. I think the majority of people will enjoy them and, more importantly for any book group, they will create an interesting discussion. This list is a combination of books I’ve read and those that have worked well for other book groups in the past. I hope you find it useful!