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Book review – Blankets
Blankets by Craig Thompson is a graphic novel of great beauty with sadness in it too.I am not averse to graphic novels, but have to say that they haven’t been high on my list of priorities when choosing a book to read but that has now changed. I discovered a review of this book near the beginning of the year and it apart from the striking cover, the review had only good things to say.
While at the library last week, I had a look in the graphic novel section on the off chance it would be there, and what luck! There it was. It wasn’t what I was expecting, in the first case, it was a thick book! I had envisioned it being thin and large, yet, it was a tome of a book. Great!
I started reading it as soon as I could, and it was another one of those,that I could not put down. I took me a day to read, in amidst looking after a busy toddler- that is one thing that graphic novels have in their favour, they have pictures and few words, perfect for when you don’t have time to concentrate.
The story line is simple and is a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson’s childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood. Thompson has said that the novel grew out of a simple idea: to describe what it feels like to sleep next to someone for the first time.
The graphics are beautiful and striking, simple and effective. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend you to read it. It brings back nostalgia for reading picture books, and, that first love.
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Book Review – The Forty Rules of Love
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, is breathtaking!
Once I started reading it, I did not want to put it down. It truly is a book that every single person on this planet should read.
The story is a simple one, with a book within a book. Ella is a married housewife with three children who starts a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first book, is by Aziz Z. Zahara about the fabled poet Rumi and how his world view was transformed by the whirling dervish Shams of Tabriz. Ella begins to correspond with Aziz, bringing about a change to her world view.
This story is written in such a way that it speaks to the average person, there is no judgement, there is only Love. Of course, as one reads, one discovers the ‘Forty rules of love’ , hence the title of this novel.
This is a classic and awe inspiring and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Yet, when I got to bed after having finished reading it, it left me pondering about Love. And why we as humans find it so difficult to open out heart. Why there is such fear from ridicule and the thoughts of others. If we all just opened our hearts and lived with Love, then the world would be a vastly different place.
What I enjoyed about this novel is that it struck to the very core of me, and made me realise, that all we have is this present moment.
This book is about Love. About Love of God, and of people. It challenges your opinions on Love and I urge you to find a copy and read it. Now.
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Calling all Book Blogs
So, after being out of the internet loop for so long, I am looking for some Book Blogs to read and I am hoping that with the help of all you lovely readers soon there will be a host of new links for me to peruse.
Firstly, though if any of you know of South African Book Blogs, please leave a link, it would be great to find out what is out there on this side of the world.
Secondly, we need some more international Book Blogs to add to the reading list and if you know of some or are one, please leave your link.
Once I have some, I will then do a post with all the links in one place and the rest of you can all do some perusals. You never know, you may find the exact book you have been looking for, but didn’t even realise it!
On that note, I wish you all a gorgeous Monday, (where I am it is raining, raining, raining and cold) and if you are where it is cold, keep warm!
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APOLOGIES
For lack of book reviews, competitions and give aways, we recently moved house and our internet connection hasn’t been connected for the last month. Luckily for 3G cards, I can be here this morning!
So, in my absence on the internet I have been reading, nothing like being forced into an exhile from blogging… and I have discovered Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series.
I am currently on the second book ‘The Great Hunt’ and have to say I am hooked. I can’t say it will be everybodies cup of tea as it is a fantasy novel and series. But the thing I am really enjoying about it is that it manages to pull you into the world that Robert Jordan has created. In a very similar vein to Tolkien. The characters grow into their respective roles and like most fantasy novels, they do not know that they have special abilities until a catastrophe happens and then their world as they know it, changes forever.
This is a series of 12 books, so it may take me some time to get through them and as I am taking them out of the library, it may take even more time (so far, I have been lucky in the fact that all three books have been in when I have gone in to look for them) I am 3/4 way through the second book so can see myself starting no 3, The Dragon Reborn, after the weekend.
As for other bookish news, I have also recently discovered Louise Bagshaw, she is great for those ‘non thinking’ days that you want something light to read. Sparkles was the first book I read, interesting story line, and light enough to be chick lit. I currently have Glamour on my bedside table, so expect a review of that in the near future!
But enough about me, tell me about you! What books have you discovered in my absence, what have you been reading? Its Winter and I’m sure that most of you have at least one book that is keeping you warm….
I am itching to know!
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Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Many thanks to Gareth for submitting this review (and apologies for the delay in posting it!).
An Oprah-approved hype magnet that, for once, is worth the praise. Edgar Sawtelle is a mute who communicates with his farmer parents and their kennel of renowned, purebred ‘Sawtelle dogs’ by sign language. Being mute, his powers of observation are finely tuned.
He soon suspects visiting uncle Claude has a hidden agenda that no one else can see – but it’s up to Edgar and his exceptionally loyal pack of pups to prove it. Wroblewski’s writing is unfussy and authentic, credible even when ghosts and the inner thoughts of animals are introduced. A must for dog or literature lovers … and a great Cape winter read!
Anyone else read this? I have to admit that i did take it out of Bookclub, but am yet to read – although now I am more tempted. Thanks Gareth for the review!
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The Travelling Book
A little while ago we asked you to let us know what book was on your ‘must read’ list, that you didn’t already own.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog was on Paige Nick’s list – so off went the book to her.
It is now in my grubby little paws. Am dying to get into it, but have actually just started reading A Million Miles from Normal (Paige Nick) and am loving it. Such an easy read, but so funny. What a sense of humour Paige has. Anyway, i digress slightly.
I shall be reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog next. After that i need to send it on it’s merry way to someone who is chomping at the bit to read.
Any of you out there?
The stipulation is that once you’ve read it, it needs to be passed on. You have to post it off to someone who will then do the same once they are done with it.
Any takers out there?
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Book Swap!
I haven’t had a huge response to the Book Swap idea, but for those of us who are interested, there is a form at the top of the page, called Parcel Partner. All you need to do is fill in the form, and it will come through to my inbox. I will then mix and match partners, confirm that you are a willing and able partner and then stick up a deadline to the posting of the parcels. Then we wait for the postman to call:-)If anyone is still interested in joining, just fill in the Parcel Partner form.
Happy form filling!
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An early Christmas?
So, we are nearing the middle of the year and Christmas is still a long way off. Unless you have a birthday coming up, that means that there is most likely not any chance of getting presents for no real reason.
So, I have come up with an idea and am wondering if any of you, fellow book lovers, would be interested. Read on and then give me your verdict….
I love getting parcels in the post, in fact it is one of my favourite things, and I am sure that most of you would agree with me. This, unfortunately does not happen often enough so, here is my idea.
Sort of like the Book Blogger Holiday Swop, but instead of it being a Christmas holiday present, it can be a Book Swop. Basically, you sign up for it here with details as to where you are willing to post a book to, we can keep it national or make it international, it will depend on the general consensus of all who would like to take part. Then I will give each of you a Parcel Partner and a deadline of posting and walah! you give and receive a book but find it in your post box. It needn’t be a newly purchased book, it can be a gently used book of whatever tickles your fancy. An author that you greatly admire and would love someone to read him/her, or if your Parcel Partner is interested in non fiction, that can be posted too. I will get together a form which will find out all the relevant details of each postee, forward on the details to each partner (your details will not be shared with anyone else) and then we get posting.
So, what do you think? Who would like to be a Parcel Partner? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below and then make a decision.
Here’s to Parcels received in the mail…
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Today is D-Day!
Announcing the winner for our ‘A Million Miles from Normal’ giveaway, chosen by random.org is….
Susan from London! Go here to check out her blog, she has just recently relocated from Manhattan to London.
Congrats Sue! Send me your email addy so I can get your postal address in order to get your very own copy of ‘A Million Miles from Normal’.
And for the rest of you who didn’t get chosen by random, head on over here to try your luck in this competition. And hurry, it closes on the 30th April.
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Drum Roll, please…and a giveaway!
So by now most of you have heard the news that there is a new South African author in our midsts – Paige Nick, who has written the novel ‘A Million Miles from Normal’ but you may be a little confused because the name sounds familiar?
Paige’s blog is also titled ‘A Million Miles from Normal‘ and if you haven’t yet headed over there to check it, believe me, it really is a million miles from normal. But, Paige has also been a winner at The Book Club Blog for a couple of giveaways (here and here) as well as being one of our major contributors to The Book Raiser we did for Christmas last year.
It was with great pleasure that I invited Paige to do an interview with us, after reading her book, I was itching to know just that little bit extra… so without further ado, here she is… Paige Nick, the newly published author of ‘A Million Miles from Normal’!
1) Are the characters,events and locations in your book based on your own life experiences?
I’d say it’s 95 – 99% fictional. But some of the places and things that happen to Rachel are very loosely based on experiences I’ve had over the years.
2) How long did it take you to write ‘A million miles from normal’?
It sounds so corny, but I really think this has taken me 35 years to write. Only because I feel like everything I’ve done to date has led me to this point.
For years I had an idea for this book I wanted to write, but it turned out to be a terrible idea that I ended up wasting years on. The best thing I ever did was put that dodgy idea aside and start something new, which then became A Million Miles From Normal. Once I knew what I wanted to write it just fell out.
In reality I started physically writing A Million Miles in September 2008.
3) What inspired you to write ‘A Million Miles from Normal’?
I was inspired by every dodgy date, lying-cheating-stealing boyfriend, mad boss, insane client and crazy art director I’ve ever come across, I knew they’d come in handy somewhere along the line.
I was also partly inspired by the advertising industry. I’ve been a copywriter for the last sixteen years, and I love books and TV shows set in adland, like Mad Men. But there just aren’t that many books out there set in the industry. I thought it would be a fun thing to write about. And they say you should write what you know.
4) I love how you bring ‘Five Roses’ tea into your story line, the epitome of South African tea lovers, what is the perfect setting for your perfect cuppa?
The physical writing of this book went hand in hand with endless cups of Five Roses tea. The one certainly couldn’t have happened without the other.
5) As a newly published author, what were your experiences dealing with publishers and editors?
I think I have been incredibly lucky through this process. I nabbed an agent early, the wonderful Ron Irwin, and we put the manuscript out to pitch after two redrafts. Then we signed with Penguin in September 2009. The process has been a huge learning curve for me. After being in the advertising industry for so long, and feeling like I understand it inside and out, it’s been a fantastic challenge to get to see the inner workings of a whole new industry.
Coming up with the right cover was hard work, and probably the trickiest part of the process for me. We must have bombed over twenty covers before we finally got to this one, just days before deadline. But seeing the finished product and loving it so much instantly made all the trauma history.
6) Do you have any ideas percolating for your next book?
Yes. Yay! I’m just finishing up with the first draft of the next book which will hopefully *holds thumbs* be out next year. It’s not a sequel but something completely different. It still doesn’t have a title, but I’m hoping something will pop up soon. I really can’t call it ‘Untitled’, or as it is currently lovingly named in the folder on my computer; ‘Thingy’, for too much longer.
7) Which authors would you recommend to read which are in a similar writing style to yours?
Well if you’re a Chick Lit fan you can never go wrong with Marian Keyes. And Cathy Kelly Rocks. And it’s not strictly speaking Chick Lit, but I’ve also loved Alexander McCall Smith’s series of books called 44 Scotland Street.
I love a book that makes me laugh or sucks me in with believable characters. I want to disappear into the pages and not come out till morning.
8) What were your favourite books as a child?
I just loved ‘A Fly Went By’ by Mike McClintock, and devoured anything Dr Seuss. My whole family would traipse down to the library every Saturday morning to pick out our books for the week and I would always just re-check out ‘A Fly Went By’. I don’t think any of the other children in the neighbourhood ever got to read it because I always had it out.
Then when I was slightly older I remember reading and rereading Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It made me truly believe in magic.
9) What authors would you most like around your dinner table, and if you could ask them one question, what would it be?
At this stage I’d love to have dinner with any prolific author. I’m only just starting out here and any advice would go a long way. I’m curious how my process measures up to other writer’s processes.
But if I had to be specific, I’d love to meet Alexander McCall Smith and pick his brains. And my new all-time favourite author is Jim Crace. He writes literary fiction that is lyrical and poetic and magnificent. I could see myself stalking him quite easily.
Thanks, Paige for sharing with us, it was great to hear a little of the ‘behind the scenes’ action, and once again, congratulations!
And to celebrate with Paige, we have one copy of ‘A Million Miles from Normal’ to giveaway! Why, because we like celebrations and that’s what we do here at The Book Club Blog!
What you need to do to stand the chance of winning is leave a comment, telling us one thing which has happened to you, which was a million miles from normal. The giveaway is open to everybody, yes, you read correctly, so that means, internationally and come next week Friday 16 April, random.org will pick a lucky winner. You never know, it could be you. You know what they say, you have to be in it to win it;-)
And believe me, this is one giveaway that you don’t want to miss!
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