The Book Club Blog

So, you walk into a bookstore, your favourite book store. You know, the one you go to and the sales person knows your first name? The one you go to when you are feeling somewhat blue, or happy or just needing some alone time where you can wander slowly around the shelves,  picking up a book, reading the back cover, the blurb, putting it down because you haven’t felt ‘it’ and trying another. Where you can softly run your fingers down the spines and get that tingle of  ‘what and who will I discover today?’

Well, imagine going into this bookstore and after pleasantries from the sales person, and maybe a little discussion on the weather, said salesperson, says these words to you ‘

‘Today is free book day, you can choose any book you like, to meet and take home with you completely free of charge. Gratis. For today only.’

Imagine your surprise and delight in this unexpected gift. No birthday wishes required, no need to return the favour, just this unexpected gift, imagine the feel of this book weighted in your hands, then popped into a carrier, making its way home to your home.

Now, imagine what book this would be.

And leave a comment telling me what it would be.

You never know, your wish could come true…(and if it does, it will by Valentines day)…

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Truth time here on The Book Club Blog.

I found this book at the library and picked it up because I needed some light- hearted entertainment, and where better, than chick lit?

I haven’t read any of her books before, but decided to give her a go. For some reason, I just haven’t ever ‘felt’  it when picking up her books. And I’m sure you know what I mean by it. That feeling of knowing you’re going to enjoy a particular book, or not even enjoy it, but its going to nab your attention. That magical feeling when you know you have found something that appeals to that secret reading part of you. But, I ignored the fact I hadn’t felt anything and checked it out of the library anyway, I was desperate for a ‘non thinking’ book!

Well, a non thinking book it is indeed. I read it in one sitting. Or should I be more clear in that when I say read, I mean skim read. This book is written in the format of emails and text messages, which I don’t mind at all, in fact a story can be told extremely well in this way, remember this review? But I found this one to be very long winded. I don’t suppose it helps that the story line was fairly long winded too.

********************** Spoiler alert************************

In a nutshell:

Rosie and Alex are childhood friends, thick as two thieves and do everything together.  They grow up from naughty children to rebellious teenagers until Alex’s family moves from Dublin to America. Rosie stays behind and on the eve of her departure from Dublin to meet up with Alex and go to college, she falls pregnant.

Here starts the story of how Rosie and Alex keep missing each other due to marriages and missed flights and divorces and more marriages. It is a typical case of  ‘fate meddling’, ‘not taking the bull by the horns’ and ‘keeping ones feelings to oneself’.

Then at the end, they manage to get together. And the story starts again with Rosie’s daughter having a similar but not so drawn out experience with her childhood friend.

I cant say this book blew the wind up my skirt, but for an evening of not thinking, it worked very well.

If you like this type of story, you will most likely enjoy this book, if you are a fan of Cecilia Ahern, you will probably love it. But, considering I have never read any of her books before, I couldn’t honestly say.

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I discovered this challenge on Dolce Belezza and considering that I had a book in my bookshelf that needed to be read, it made perfect sense to participate.

I am a huge fan of Haruki Murakami. I was introduced to him by a friend of mine with ‘A wild sheep chase’. I enjoyed it so much, I went off and read most of his other works, not all of them, but def most of them. My favourite by far is ‘Kafka on the Shore’. But for this challenge, I chose ‘Blind Willow Sleeping Woman’.

I bought this book on my return from the UK purely because it was a Murakami book. It is a short story book and I have never really been a fan of short stories. I have always liked getting stuck into a story and the characters knowing that they are not going to be short lived. (And I liked the name of the book…) I wasn’t too impressed with his last novel ‘After Dark’, I was expecting more, but I think that was because of ‘Kafka’.

So, what did I think of this one? Read on and I shall tell you.

‘Blind Willow Sleeping Woman’ is a rich tapestry of stories. Ranging from the macabre to the downright bizarre, but would we have it any other way?

Murakami has the ability to bring an other worldly presence to his characters day to day lives.  His stories are rich, and full and if you read too many of his stories in one day, can result in an overload, not dissimilar to gorging on a decadent box of chocolates. Preferably the types that come from a chocolatier, you know the ones?  Where you promise yourself only one or two, then get a little more greedy and eat more, knowing that the delight and pure indulgence will make you feel a little ill if you ‘have just one more’. That is how I felt with reading this selection of short stories.

Slivers of oddities, with a magical resonance that echos long after you have finished reading. But isn’t that typical of Murakami?

They need to be savoured. One story at a time, to allow the senses to take part, to not rush through them. I enjoyed this book, but still have to go with my original opinion that short stories are not my cup of tea. (or type of chocolate).

26  tales, a handsome volume of prose which proves that Murakami is versed in the art of both novels and first rate short fiction. For those of you who enjoy rather odd narrating and short stories, I would recommend this book. But, if like me, you prefer novels, I recommend ‘Kafka on the shore’, ‘The wind-up bird chronicle’ or even ‘Norwegian Wood’ if you haven’t had a taste of his style of writing yet.

And if you have read him before, or even read this one,I would love to know what you thought? Just leave a comment so we can compare notes.

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This review was submitted by Angie, who is an avid reader, and was responsible for introducing me to Michael Connelly. Watch out for more from her!

I bought this book on special “3 for R99” and it was such a surprise when I finally got to read it.  Despite being on special, it has apparently featured at bookclubs and seems to have been popular.  I couldn’t put the book down and savoured every moment of the story.

This is a spell-binding saga set in Barcelona in the 1300’s and focuses on the life of Arnau Estanyol.  When Arnau was just a baby his father managed to escape the cruel Feudal system in the outlying Spanish countryside for the safety of the City of Barcelona.  At this time the Cathedral of Santa Maria had just started being built.  As a young lad Arnau becomes friends with Joanu and the two of them spend much time with the Bastaixos – the strong men who carried the stones from the quarry to the new cathedral.  A strong friendship is formed between the two boys and many long-lasting relationships are foraged with the Bastaixos during those times as the boys became part of the daily life near the cathedral.  Arnau’s love for the Virgin Mary provides him with the inner strength to survive life in medieval Barcelona.

Arnau’s life takes on many twists and turns – he lives through famine, wars and the plague.  He is denied love and despite this, his compassion and fairness prevail.  For his time, he is a very forward thinking and generous man.  King Pedro makes him a baron as a reward for an act of bravery during war, and at this point his fortunes change.  During his life he has opportunities to change laws and make life easier for the poor people, who develop a strong admiration and support for him.  On the other hand, he makes enemies of certain of the lords and noblemen of the time who would like to see his ruin.

The author blends story with fact and one learns about life in the fourteenth century.  The cathedral is still there today and it is incredible how those stones were carried on the backs of the Bastaixos and through ingenuity were lifted and positioned to build the cathedral.

I couldn’t put this book down, and hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thank you Angie for your review, we eagerly await your next one!

Posted by Timeout

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Isn’t this just the coolest birthday cake? In a shape of a stack of books? I found it here…

So, it is almost that time of year again, when it is my birthday and I can request books to be bought for me on this most wondrous occasion *wink wink nudge nudge*. And what a fortunate time it is because I have just read a fantastic review about a book, well, a graphic novel, which are not my usual reading fare. In fact, I think the last graphic novel I read was by Neil Gamain and for the life of me, I cannot remember the name. What I do remember, is that the pictures were stunning and the colours inspiring.

But to get back to my topic, I read this review about this book

and I want to read it. As soon as I can get my hands on a copy.

As for other books, I am also itching to read this book

and this one

which I am hoping that I am going to win over here, AND  its a first edition signed copy. Oh be still my beating heart! *swoon swoon* and while we are on the Jasper Fforde topic, this one wouldn’t go amiss either..

I  mean, two of his novels in one go. Ooh, it is just too exciting to think about.

Now, wouldn’t those be fantastic additions to my growing library?

Here’s sending prayers to the birthday fairies!

Posted by imsonotablogger

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I seem to be experiencing a severe case of ‘missing reading mojo’.

How should I embark on getting it back?

I’ve gone from devouring a book in a couple of days, to not having devoured one since the beginning of December.  Nothing seems to grab my attention and keep me captivated.

I’ve tried chick-lit, murder mystery, christian, psychological thriller, humour, self-help and even a classic.

Nada, niks.

Suggestions anyone?

Posted by timeout

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This review was submitted by my eldest daughter (12) who is a complete bookworm and has already made her way through the Inheart Trilogy as well as the Eragon Trilogy.

‘Imagine you could talk to dragons ……’

This book is about a young girl, aged 11, called Quenelda.  She is the daughter of the Earl Rufus De Winter, Commander of the Stealth Dragon Services (SDS).  Quenelda has been riding dragons since she was 3 and her dream is to join the SDS and fight alongside her father in the war against the hobgoblins.

This is a story about danger, tragedy, hope and making sacrifices for others.

It is a truly remarkable book and anyone who enjoys losing themselves in a fantasy novel will love this book.

Thanks Daniella, for your review!

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So, the Exclusive Books Summer Sale is on this week! I am so excited, I have a voucher or two to spend and what better place than at the sale…

The preview for fanatics members is on the 27 January and for the rest of the public, the 28th January. I dont think Im going to make the preview due to Pilate’s, but Il def be there first thing on Thursday morning. Ooh, cant wait, I even have it book marked in  my calendar. Cant possibly forget such an important occasion, now can I?

Will you be going? If so, do let me know what bargains you picked up, you can be assured I will let you know what my loot contains.

Gorgeous Reading Tuesday to you all!

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Another review from Laura – thanks again!

“They are now putting perfectly nice wine into screw-top bottles and my life is transformed”– Eleanor

This is why I loved this book – because they appreciate the value of screw-top wine bottles.

And for the understanding in this;

“What is it about motherhood that could put marriage in the shade? What is it about oneself that made one still not want motherhood to be the only identifying mark? What was it about money that seemed – seductively – to promise a taunting vision of freedom even within the confines of these relationships” – Karen.

This is a simple tale about friendships – unlikely friendships. It involves two single mothers and as any single mother knows, your friends are usually found in the most unlikely of places because, I think, as a single mother you have to cling to whoever holds their hand out.

An older woman decides to befriend two young single moms, Lindsey and Paula and their children. They meet on Friday nights. They don’t do anything special – it is not a book club or a dinner club – they just meet and chat and enjoy being with each other.

The little circles widens to include two more ladies, Blaise,  a career women and Karen a married mother of 2 little girls. And lets not forget Lindsey’s wayward sister who lives from day to day in a world of her own.

Their Friday Nights become a comfort, a safe place to go. Their friendships deepen and strengthen. But then a man arrives onto the seen and the dynamic is forever changed. Their friendships and loyalties to each other are tested.

This is a great easy read. It deals with the challenges of being married as well as the difficulties of being a single mother. There is a love story or two. There is  story of a sisters love.

More than that though there is a very real story about life that Joanna Trollope writes about with insight only gained through experience.

A lovely book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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I am so excited and pleased to see that there is another South African Book Blog, Being Brazen Books, which I would love you to go over and visit here. Welcome!

She is attempting to up her reading and in order to inspire herself, she has started this blog. Which I think is awesome!  There is  reading list which is up for 2 months and a new one is put up on the 27 March, which means there is hopefully ample time to get some reading in. Even with the busyness of daily life.

These are the books she has chosen for the next couple of months:

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