Wordless Wednesday

‘Garswood’

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A-Z Wednesday (Nov 18)

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicky of Reading at the Beach

To join, here's all you have to do: Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.).
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment. (We all love comments, don't we?) Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

THIS WEEK'S LETTER IS: O

Here is my “O” Title:

Oscar and Lucinda – Peter Carey
528 pages; published 1998

From Amazon
Oscar Hopkins is a high-strung preacher's kid with hydrophobia and noisy knees. Lucinda Leplastrier is a frizzy-haired heiress who impulsively buys a glass factory with the inheritance forced on her by a well-intentioned adviser. In the early parts of this lushly written book, author Peter Carey renders the seminal turning points in his protagonists' childhoods as exquisite 19th-century set pieces. Young Oscar, denied the heavenly fruit of a Christmas pudding by his cruelly stern father, forever renounces his father's religion in favor of the Anglican Church. "Dear God," Oscar prays, "if it be Thy will that Thy people eat pudding, smite him!" Lucinda's childhood trauma involves a beautiful doll bought by her struggling mother with savings from the jam jar; in a misguided attempt to tame the doll's unruly curls, young Lucinda mutilates her treasure beyond repair. Neither of these coming-of-age stories quite explains how the grownup Oscar and Lucinda each develop a guilty passion for gambling. Oscar plays the horses while at school, and Lucinda, now an orphaned heiress, finds comfort in a game of cards with an odd collection of acquaintances. When the two finally meet, on board a ship bound for New South Wales, they are bound by their affinity for risk, their loneliness, and their awkwardly blossoming (but unexpressed) mutual affection. Their final high-stakes folly--transporting a crystal palace of a church across (literally) godforsaken terrain--strains plausibility, and events turn ghastly as Oscar plays out his bid for Lucinda's heart. Yet even the unconvincing plot turns are made up for by Carey's rich prose and the tale's unpredictable outcome. Although love proves to be the ultimate gamble for Oscar and Lucinda, the story never strays too far from the terrible possibility that even the most thunderstruck lovers can remain isolated in parallel lives.

Seriespalooza

Ever start a series only to have things come up before you can get to the rest?

Got a pile of books next to your bed you’ve been meaning to get to to finish one off?

Signed up for a series challenge that you haven’t quite managed to fit in yet?

Sign up for Galleysmith’s Seriespalooza!

 

 

For the week starting December 14  through December 20 I’ll be holding Seriespalooza, where participants will read only books in a series they are either currently reading or are wanting to start.  It’s a relaxed affair where you can read at your leisure so there isn’t any pressure. It’s just a great excuse to dip into the pile of books you want to read instead of those you may have scheduled to read as a result of other obligations.

Teaser Tuesday (Nov 17)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page. 
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

 

 

In the end, if my mother is still sane, they will pose the question and let her be the judge.

Die a quick death and save her soul or go exist among the Unconsecrated. (9)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth – Carrie Ryan

Wrap Up for 42 Challenge

I finished a challenge this week – yay!

I’d have to say that the 42 Challenge (hosted here by Becky) was probably my favourite challenge this year. It covered more than just books, so it was an easier one for me to meet, and the sci-fi geek in me was in heaven!

Not sure if it’ll be running again next year, but I’ll definitely be signing up if it is.

 

My List

1. The X-Files. Created by Chris Carter. (1993 - 2002)

• Season One. (1993)

• Season Two. (1994)

• Season Three. (1995)

• Season Four. (1996)

• Season Five. (1997)

• Season Six (1998)

• Season Seven (1999)

• Season Eight (2000)

• Season Nine (2001)

2. Firefly. Complete Series. (2002)

3. Serenity. Written and directed by Josh Whedon. (2005)

4. The Mist - Stephen King. (1980)

5. Titan A.E. Directed by Don Bluth. (2000)

6. Stargate: Atlantis. Created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper. (2004-2008)

• Season One. (2004)

• Season Two. (2005)

• Season Three. (2006)

• Season Four. (2007)

• Season Five. (2008)

7. Life As We Knew It - Susan Pfeffer (2006)

8. The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson (2008)

9. Star Trek: Generations. Directed by David Carson. (1994)

10. Star Trek: First Contact. Directed by Jonathan Frakes. (1996)

11. Star Trek: Insurrection. Directed by Jonathan Frakes. (1998)

12. Star Trek: Nemesis. Directed by Stuart Baird. (2002)

13. Stargate: the Movie. Directed by Roland Emmerich. (1994)

14. Stargate: SG:1. Created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner. (1997-2007)

• Season One. (1997)

• Season Two. (1998)

• Season Three. (1999)

• Season Four. (2000)

• Season Five. (2001)

• Season Six. (2002)

• Season Seven. (2003)

• Season Eight. (2004)

• Season Nine. (2005)

• Season Ten. (2006)

15. Changing Planes - Ursula Le Guin (2004)

16. Wall-E. Directed by Andrew Stanton. (2008)

17. Stargate: The Ark of Truth. Directed by Robert C. Cooper. (2008)

18. Stargate: Continuum. Directed by Martin Wood. (2008)

19. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Created by Gene Roddenberry. (1987-1994)

• Season One. (1987)

• Season Two. (1988)

• Season Three. (1989)

• Season Four. (1990)

• Season Five (1991)

• Season Six (1992)

• Season Seven (1993)

20. Star Trek in Myth and Legend - Thomas Richards (1997)

21. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (1977)

22. The Declaration - Gemma Malley (2007)

23. Cleopatra 2525. Created by R.J. Stewart (2000 - 2001)

• Season 1 (2000)

24. Aeon Flux. Directed by Karyn Kusama. (2005)

25. Innerspace. Directed by Joe Dante. (1987)

26. Andromeda. Created by Gene Roddenberry and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. (2000 - 2005)

• Season 1 (2000)

• Season 2 (2001)

27. A House of Cards (Star Trek: New Frontier, Book 1) - Peter David (1997)

28. The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau (2004)

29. Babylon 5. Created by J. Michael Straczynski. (1993 - 1998)

• Season 1 (1993)

• Season 2 (1994)

• Season 3 (1995)

• Season 4 (1996)

• Season 5 (1997)

30. Star Trek: Voyager. Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller & Jeri Taylor (1995 - 2001)

• Season 1 (1995)

• Season 2 (1996)

• Season 3 (1997)

• Season 4 (1998)

• Season 5 (1999)

• Season 6 (2000)

• Season 7 (2001)

31. X-Files: Fight the Future. Directed by Rob Bowman (1998)

32. Farscape. Created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. (1999 -2003)

• Season 1 (1999)

• Season 2 (2000)

• Season 3 (2001)

• Season 4 (2002)

• The Peacekeeper Wars (2004)

33. The Dead and the Gone - Susan Pfeffer (2008)

34. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller (1993 - 1999)

• Season 1 (1993)

• Season 2 (1994)

• Season 3 (1995)

• Season 4 (1996)

• Season 5 (1997)

• Season 6 (1998)

• Season 7 (1999)

35. Investigating Firefly and Serenity: Science Fiction on the Frontier - Rhonda V. Wilcox and Tanya R. Cochran (ed.) (2008)

36. Sanctuary. Created by Damien Kindler. (2008-present)

• Season 1 - various episodes (2008)

37. His Dark Materials, Book 1: The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman (1995)

38. Nebula Awards Showcase 2007 - Mike Resnick (ed.) (2007)

39. The X-Files Movie: I Want to Believe - Directed by Chris Carter (2008)

40. Earth Abides - George Stewart (1949)

41. Battlestar Galactica. Created by Davied Eick and Ronald D. Moore. (2003-2009)

• Mini-series (2003)

• Season 1 (2004)

42. Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Musing Monday (Nov 16)

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your bookshelf… 


With the holiday season now upon us, have you left any hint – subtle or otherwise – for books family and friends might buy you for Christmas? Do you like to receive books, or do you prefer certificates so you can choose your own?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks.

 
Every year my mother cuts out ‘Christmas ideas’ from the catalogues that get delivered in the mail, stickytape them to A4 pieces of paper and leave them on various walls and doors around the house. I tried sticking up the entire Dymocks catalogue, but it wouldn’t stay put!

My sister and I are exchanging books this year for Christmas – something we don’t normally do – and so we’ve given each other a wishlist to pick from. That’s about as far as my hinting really goes. I’m more inclined to receive certificates, because I find that my family (most of them non-readers) get nervous buying books as gifts, because they don’t know what I own/have read/etc.

Wordless Wednesday

‘Magic String’

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Musing Monday (Nov 9)

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your bookshelf… 


Does your house have a communal bookshelf? If not, is your bookshelf centrally located so everyone has access to it?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks.

 
I’m the only regular reader in my house, but my bookshelves are still pretty centrally located – one in my craft room off the kitchen, and one in our living room. Everyone else has a few books in their bedrooms, but not enough to warrant a bookshelf.

While I’m the only one who makes use of the shelves on a daily basis it’s not unusual for my sister (or very occasionally my brother) to pick out a book every once in a while. They’re both very well trained – they leave the book on my desk when they’re done so I can put it back in the right place.

Friday Firsts (on a Sunday)

This month Wendy supplied us with a list of first lines and asks which books we’ve read and which would make it to our tbr list on the basis of the first line.

Bold = the books I’ve read
Pink = tbr pile

 

1. Call me Ishmael. Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

2. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

3. A screaming comes across the sky. Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow

4. Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

5. Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

6. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.  Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

7. Riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodious vicious of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.  James Joyce, Finnegans Wake

8. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. George Orwell, 1984

9. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

10. I am an invisible man. Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

A-Z Wednesday (M)

A-Z Wednesday is hosted by Vicky of Reading at the Beach

To join, here's all you have to do: Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.
Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.).
Be sure to visit other participants to see what book they have posted and leave them a comment. (We all love comments, don't we?) Who knows? You may find your next "favorite" book.

THIS WEEK'S LETTER IS: M

Here is my “M” Title:

March – Geraldine Brooks
346 pages; published 2005

From Publisher’s Weekly
Brooks's luminous second novel, after 2001's acclaimed Year of Wonders, imagines the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, the absent father in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. An idealistic Concord cleric, March becomes a Union chaplain and later finds himself assigned to be a teacher on a cotton plantation that employs freed slaves, or "contraband." His narrative begins with cheerful letters home, but March gradually reveals to the reader what he does not to his family: the cruelty and racism of Northern and Southern soldiers, the violence and suffering he is powerless to prevent and his reunion with Grace, a beautiful, educated slave whom he met years earlier as a Connecticut peddler to the plantations. In between, we learn of March's earlier life: his whirlwind courtship of quick-tempered Marmee, his friendship with Emerson and Thoreau and the surprising cause of his family's genteel poverty. When a Confederate attack on the contraband farm lands March in a Washington hospital, sick with fever and guilt, the first-person narrative switches to Marmee, who describes a different version of the years past and an agonized reaction to the truth she uncovers about her husband's life. Brooks, who based the character of March on Alcott's transcendentalist father, Bronson, relies heavily on primary sources for both the Concord and wartime scenes; her characters speak with a convincing 19th-century formality, yet the narrative is always accessible. Through the shattered dreamer March, the passion and rage of Marmee and a host of achingly human minor characters, Brooks's affecting, beautifully written novel drives home the intimate horrors and ironies of the Civil War and the difficulty of living honestly with the knowledge of human suffering. (Amazon)

 

My review here