Sunday 23 January 2011

Weekend Round Up

I've had a lovely peaceful weekend (after a hectic week) and have managed to get two short books finished.  I am also the proud new owner of a kindle, which I plan to use to read more classics.  I've made a start with Jane Eyre and so far I'm enjoying the kindle experience.  The books I finished this weekend were:

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger.

I am not a Niffenegger fan (I know I'm in a minority, but I didn't enjoy The Time Traveller's Wife at all) but saw this in the library and thought it might be a quick, fun read.  I loved the concept of the bookmobile containing all the books she had ever read; it appealed to the part of me that wishes I knew the same.   I found the second half a bit over-dramatic but it raised some interesting questions about how much we sacrifice in order to read and how much of life is missed.

Drina Dances in Exile by Jean Estoril

Did anyone else read the Drina series whilst growing up? The stories were all about Drina and her friends as she attempts to become a ballerina and I simply adored them.  I read them so many times that Drina came to feel like a friend rather than a fictional character. I recently found my copies at my parents house and was interested to see whether they had stood the test of time.  Whilst coming off as a bit dated (this one was originally published in 1959) I was surprised that it was still an enjoyable read.  The characters were all strongly developed and the book wasn't as fluffy and light as I had remembered. 

I was thinking earlier that when I started this blog I wanted to write about books in general and not just the books I am currently reading.  I wonder if anyone would be interested in a weekly/fortnightly meme where we spotlight some of our all-time favourite reads, maybe by genre or age range?  I was thinking Fabulous Fridays, Wonderful Wednesdays or Terrific Thursdays?  Let me know what you think, whether it would be worth setting something like that up.  I know I would be interested to read about everyone's 'favourites' rather than just what you are all currently reading.

9 comments:

  1. THANKS for stopping by my blog.

    The book was good.

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  2. Never been tempted to try any Brontes you know, not sure why!
    You'll have to let me know if it's worth the effort :) x

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  3. I think the meme sounds like a great idea :-) and a really good way to get even more recommendations!(because I dont alreay have enough to read...) the night bookmobile is on my list for one of my challenges-lots of people seem to be reading it lately!

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  4. Hope you enjoy Jane Eyre--it's on my TBR shelf but haven't gotten to it yet. Same old song & dance :D Aw, that's too bad you didn't like TTW as it's one of my faves. As for the meme idea, I like it & would definitely participate :)

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  5. The meme sounds like a great idea. I'm definitely going to participate=)

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  6. I enjoyed The Night Bookmobile and the questions it raised. I never thought of reading as a big sacrifice but considering it is mostly a solitary activity, there are certain things readers miss out on in life. I guess it's all about weighing your priorities.

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  7. Breanna - yeah it made me think about that too. My philosophy is that life is short, take pleasure wherever you can, so I try not to feel guilty about doing things I enjoy even if it means I can't do other things.

    Thanks to all for your input on the meme. I'm going to start it this Wednesday :)

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  8. You got a Kindle! I'm tempted to ask for one for my birthday but I just don't know if I'd like it or not. It would be wonderful to read the e-galleys from Net Galley on it and some of the free classics but it seems very strange to spend the same amount of money buying an e-book as a paper book. What are your thoughts on it?

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  9. I've only just seen this - Drina and Estoril caught my eye on the sidebar. I adored Drina! I never had all the series, but I read and re-read Drina Goes on Tour, the penultimate book, and of all my childhood books it was probably the one I engaged with most.

    As you say, the characters were fully-formed. The last in the series is quite rare. I'd never read it (can't remember the title right now!), but I couldn't resist buying it a few years ago just for old times' sake and to complete the story. It was good, but not as good as in my imagination.

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