The Read-a-thon starts in about half an hour and I am excited and rearing to go. To start things off, here is an introductory meme from Darcie.

Where are you reading from today?
At home, which is a small town in southern Sweden.

3 facts about me …
* I just came back from trip to London and am not quite caught up on sleep yet, so we’ll see how it goes.
* I have always loved reading. It used to get me teased, but that’s a long time ago now.
* I’m wearing cow-patterned pajamas with “Grumpy Cow” written on it, as I suspect that will be me by this time tomorrow. ;D

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I just counted, and it’s twenty-four. I know there’s no way I will have time to finish all of them, but ten or so would be nice.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
My goal is to read as much as I possibly can, but I won’t put numbers on it (though it would be nice to get past 1,500 pages…). I’m also going to try to blog at least once every couple of hours and keep track of everyone else.

Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
I am doing this for the first time, so no. ;D

Posted on June 28th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: June 28th, 2008 | 5 Comments »

I’m way behind on my reviews and I think at this point it’s probably just easier to give up and face that I won’t get around to writing about all the books I’ve read this month. At least I haven’t read very much this week—only about half a book—as I’ve simply not had time. I spent the last three days in London, and boy, do I love that city! We had good weather too, which is always nice. Actually, all the times I’ve been in London, I don’t think I’ve been rained on more than three times.

Anyway, I came back with a sunburn (I forgot the sun block, being a bit of an idiot and all), a few new books, English snacks, Jelly Belly jelly beans and some new clothes. A good trip, in other words!

While I was away, Eva tagged me for a meme.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was on summer holidays. A friend and I house-sat my aunt’s house while she and her partner were away on vacation. We looked after the chickens, read a bunch of books, went for swims in the lake and generally had a good time.

Five Snacks I enjoy in a perfect, non weight-gaining world:
1. McCoy’s salt and malt vinegar crisps
2. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Dublin Mudslide especially. Yum!
3. mini mozzarella pizza
4. chocolate-covered coffee beans
5. cheesecake, Swedish style (but only Vrigstad’s), with whipped cream and jam

Five Snacks I Enjoy in the Real World
1. slices of fresh pineapple
2. dried apricots (but only the dark kind), dates and figs
3. apple slices with peanut butter
4. frozen green peas
5. ice lollies

Five Jobs I Have Had
1. instruction manual folder
2. manual labourer (mostly digging and painting)
3. pharmacist
4.
5.

Three of My Habits
1. I’m obsessive about recording what I read. I write it down in an Excel spreadsheet, a notebook and this blog, as well as in a wall calendar.
2. Every morning, before going to work, I check my e-mail, Livejournal friends list and the feeds I subscribe to.
3. I scratch at my scalp. I can’t seem to stop, and as a consequence I almost always have one or two scabs I keep picking at. Disgusting, but true.

Five Things I Would Do if I Was a Billionaire
1. Donate to charities.
2. Give presents to family and friends.
3. Buy a house.
4. Pay off my study loans.
5. Quit work and spend most of my time travelling and/or reading.

Five Places I’ve Lived
1. Umeå, Sweden
2. Eskilstuna, Sweden
3. Flahult, Sweden
4. Bordeaux, France
5. Lund, Sweden

Five People I Want to Know Better: (i.e.: the tags!)
T Y, Kim L, Banquo, Stephanie and Iliana (but only if you want to, of course).

Posted on June 27th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Memes | 2 Comments »

A Strong and Sudden Thaw
by RW Day

For the Here Be Dragons reading challenge.

English
333 pages
Iris Print
ISBN: 978-0-9787531-1-5

First line: There’s an old scenic view about halfway up the mountain, alongside where the old highway runs.

Back cover blurb:
Dragons in Virginia?

Nearly a hundred years after the Ice changed the face of our world, the people of Moline work to reclaim the frozen land, both from the cold and from the dragons that now live in the hills outside of town—dragons that the government won’t believe exist.

David Anderson knows very little of the world outside of his family’s farm, until Callan, an assistant healer from the south, arrives in Moline and begins to teach him of a world he never knew, full of books and ideas, and history long forgotten. When Callan is found in the arms of another man—a crime in this post-Ice world—David learns a frightening truth about himself, and the difference between what is legal… and what is right.

After trouble hits the nearby town of Crawford, David and Callan discover the seeds of a plot that affects not only their home, but towns just like Moline across the world. Now they must fight to save their home, not only from the dragons, but from a government that wants them dead!

Thoughts: I loved this novel to tiny little pieces. I was a bit sceptic, because a person, whose taste in books I usually do not agree with at all, liked this a lot, and so I thought that I probably wouldn’t. For this reason, I kept pushing back reading it until I couldn’t really push it back any longer, as the end of the Here Be Dragons challenge came nearer and nearer.

I picked it up one night, read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open a second longer, slept, woke up and read the rest of it. It was that good. I will say that it took me a little while to get used to the language used. David, the main character, might by some be considered a hillbilly/redneck, and he usually doesn’t bother too much about proper grammar when speaking. Don’t let that put you off, however, because once you get used to that, the story is so worth it.

David and Callan’s relationship is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time and I simply can’t find proper words to describe why this book is awesome. Just trust me on that.

It’s an A grade. I can’t give it anything else. This is the first book in quite a while where the characters stayed with me for at least a couple of days after I turned the last page, and I immediately wanted to go back and read it again.

The one biggest thing I wasn’t super thrilled about (yeah, there were a few things like that) was the ending. It doesn’t feel at all finished and lots of things are left unresolved. Still, it doesn’t feel like a bad thing, exactly, but more like an opening for a sequel (which I understand is being written/has been written and is waiting for publication).

Edit: It appears that Iris Print, the publisher of this book, has closed down without telling its authors, and that a couple of them has had trouble getting in touch with the publisher and RW Day had a royalty cheque bounce. While I do want a lot of people to read it, I don’t exactly feel comfortable recommending anyone buying it, with things being what they are at present. You can read more about it here, at the author’s website.

Posted on June 22nd, 2008 by Love
Filed under: A, English, GLBT interest, Here Be Dragons, Romance, Science Fiction | 2 Comments »

Throne of Jade
by Naomi Novik

For the Here Be Dragons reading challenge.

English
399 pages
Del Rey
ISBN: 978-0-345-48129-0

First line: The day was unseasonably warm for November, but in some misguided deference to the Chinese embassy, the fire in the Admirality boardroom had been heaped excessively high, and Laurence was standing directly before it.

Back cover blurb:
When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo—an unhatched dragon’s egg—Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.
Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands—and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, the captain has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East—a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

Thoughts: I read the first book in this series back in January, then bought the second book in mid-February, but I haven’t got ’round to reading it until know. Don’t ask me why, as I have absolutely no idea.

It’s a really good story. There is adventure and swashbuckling and excitement, and I could hardly put the book down. I adore the main characters (Laurence and Temeraire) and their relationship with each other, as well as the plot that takes them to China. I was a little worried that I’d find the voyage there a little dull, but Novik manages to make eight months at sea quite interesting, by skipping over the parts where nothing much happens. Good on her!

I will definitely get the rest of the books as soon as I can, because this is a series I want to follow to its conclusion. There are already two more books out (possibly three by now, as I do not know the exact publication date for the fifth in the series, except that it was supposed to be sometime in June, which is almost all gone now), which is nice. The only thing is that the two books I own so far are the ones published by Del Rey, and the ones published by Voyager really have so much prettier covers. However, I refuse to mix covers.

As for the rating, it’s a B.

Posted on June 22nd, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Fantasy, Here Be Dragons, Historical | No Comments »

I have been tagged for two memes.

The first one is from T Y and seems to be about books in general.

*A book that made you laugh: Apocalypso by Robert Rankin. The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived by same.

*A book that made you cry: Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb. About three quarters of the way to the end the pages in my copy start showing signs of water damage. That’s all I’m sayin’.

*A book that scared you: Cujo by Stephen King

*A book that disgusted you: Dream Boy by Jim Grimsley

*A book you loved in elementary school: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (though I’ve later realised that the one I read was a highly edited version)

*A book you loved in middle/junior high school: Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. Emily’s Quest, by same.

*A book you loved in high school: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson.

*A book you loved in college: As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. Mélusine by Sarah Monette

*A book that challenged your identity: Faghag by Linda Leopold (maybe. Or it confirmed it. I don’t know)

*A series that you love: the Farseer/Tawny Man trilogies by Robin Hobb. The Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L Sayers

*Your favourite horror book: Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist

*Your favourite science fiction book: Making History by Stephen Fry. A Strong and Sudden Thaw by RW Day (I’d classify it as fantasy myself, but the cover says it’s sci-fi, so I guess I’ll have to trust it).

*Your favourite fantasy book: either The Golden Fool or Fool’s Fate, both my Robin Hobb

*Your favourite mystery book: Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L Sayers

*Your favourite (auto)biography: A Liar’s Autobiography by Graham Chapman

*Your favourite “coming of age” book: Duktig pojke by Inger Edelfeldt. Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates.

*Your favourite classic: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

*Your favourite romantic novel: A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

*My favourite book (non-fiction): The Complete Jack the Ripper by Donald Rumbelow

*My favourite short story(ies): I hardly ever read short stories, so I’m afraid I can’t think of a favourite.

The second meme is from Word Lily and is Read-a-thon related.

If I had 24 hours to read, be my goals would be:
To read as much as I possibly could and see how many books I might be able to finish in that time.

This is what I am going to have to do to get 24 hours of reading:
I haven’t decided yet if I will stay up the full 24 hours, as my time zone makes it a little tricky, especially coupled with the fact that the Euro 2008 final is played on the evening of the 29th and I go back to work on the 30th. But to keep myself up for as many of those 24 hours as possible, I expect I shall load up with caffeine and snacks, and maybe go for a short walk now and then to get fresh air.

If someone asked me for recommendations of “can’t put down” books for the read-a-thon, I would recommend:
It’s so hard to recommend books to others, I always find, because I’m never sure they’ll like a book as much as I did. However, a couple of “can’t put down” books for me, personally, are Mélusine by Sarah Monette, Now & Then by William Corlett, Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates and A Strong and Sudden Thaw by RW Day (the latter which I’m going to write a review on in a tick).

If you participated in the October 2007 read-a-thon:
I didn’t, so the last two questions don’t apply to me. I wish I’d known of it when it took place, though, because I would have loved to participate in that one too.

For you, what was your favorite part of the October read-a-thon and why?
How many hours/ books/ pages were you able to read in the Read-a-thon?:

I won’t be tagging anyone, because I figure most people participating in the Read-a-thon have already done that meme. Also, I’m lazy. So anyone who wants to do either of these memes, but haven’t been tagged by anyone, can consider themselves tagged by me.

Posted on June 20th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Memes | 1 Comment »

You may, if you’ve read this blog a while, remember that I read Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books a few months back. I found them quite okay, almost addictive, though I had a few problems with certain things (and I don’t actually quite understand why I liked them, but that’s another matter), and this I said in my reviews of them.

Now, I’m sure most of you have noticed that there are a lot of Twilight fans about, and that a lot of them take things very seriously. Most of them are rational creatures and perfectly fine with people disagreeing with them, or the cast of the film not corresponding exactly to the images in their heads, or whatever else might run contrary to their view of things. Then there are the rest, and a few days ago I had the joy of one of them commenting on my Twilight post. I’ve debated long and hard with myself if I should approve these comments or not, because they attack not only me, but some of the other people who commented on that post as well, but in the end I decided to go ahead and post them, because I figure most of you will appreciate the lol-factor (as they say) in this.

The commenter, who dubbed her(?)self Team Edward, left the following comments on this post. See if you can follow everything she’s saying, because I sure can’t!

ok..ppl if you havent noticed THIS ROCKS.

ok..first of all TWILIGHT SHOULDNT deserve a B??????? like hello! it should deserve an A+++++++++++! Im like the only one in this conversation that actually likes talking about the book., normally .instead of the collection. I HAVE TO SAY, go READ it before u make a fool of yourself saying how u have the collection and stuff. IF YOU HAVENT READ IT GO SHOOT YOURSELF..or ill do it for you. I MEAN COME ON!. geesssssss like EVA?! who in the world are you to say ’soul mate” LIKE WTF???? we talk about TWILIGHT cuz of EDWARD..I DONT GIVE A S*** if you dont like EDWARD..well I DO..SO GO FUCK YOURSELF.!

I HATE JACOB BLACK AND EVA!

OH AND EVA…and NICOLE B. yeah…U CAN FIND A SOULMATE AT 17! FUCK ITS THE REAL WORLD..PPL FIND EACHOTHER AT 13..so like GET A LIFE? WHY WOULD U EVEN BOTHER SATYING THAT SHIT ABOUT TWILIGHT..if you hate that then LIKE..wow! =\ U PPL HAVE NO LIFE…U NEED TO USE A BRAIN ONCE IN A WHILE! GOSHHHHHHH.
yeah. so like I MRS.CULLEN! if you ahve a problem with the age 17 then like wow. WHO CARES.its a book with beautiful story. GOSH. GOOOOODD JOBBBB STEPHANIE MEYER.

Posted on June 11th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: General booktalk | 3 Comments »

Annika Larsdotter: barnamörderska
by Inger Lövkrona

For the Back to History and To Be Read reading challenges.

Swedish
255 pages
Historiska Media
ISBN: 91-88930-64-5

First line: Boston — Min vän slänger tidningsartikeln på skrivbordet med en kort kommentar: “Ja, här har du en till.”

Back cover blurb:
Annika Larsdotter avrättades 1765, 18 år gammal. Hon hade då erkänt dråp på sitt nyfödda barn genom kvävning. Barnets far var Annikas svåger som hade tvingat henne till sexuellt umgänge, men sedan förnekade faderskapet.

Annika Larsdotter var en av tusentals unga svenska kvinnor som under 1600-, 1700- och 1800-talen anklagades för barnamord eller fosterfördrivning. Brottet ansågs vara samtidens största samhällsfara. Barnamörderskor dömdes strängt och utan förbarmande — kvinnan beskrevs ofta som en osedlig, ondskefull och grym moder, i nära släktskap med häxor.

Denna bok handlar om Annika men också om några av hennes olyckssystrar. Varför valde dessa kvinnor att mörda sitt barn? Varför valde de inte istället att, i likhet med andra ogifta mödrar, ta på sig rollen som ogift mor?

Etnologen Inger Lövkrona söker svaren genom att studera rättsfall från perioden 1729-1776. De bevarade domstolsprotokollen ger unika möjligheter att komma nära barnamörderskornas handlingar, tänkbara överväganden och känslor.

Very short synopsis in English: This is the study of eight cases from 18th century Sweden where young, unwed women murdered, or were accused of having murdered, their newborn children. Why did they do it?

Thoughts: This was a very interesting read, but what struck me as most shocking was an excerpt at the very beginning of the book, about “prom moms”. It’s easy to read about a case from the 18th century, where shame and desperation led someone to commit almost unspeakable offenses, and think that at least we’ve moved on from that now. Not everywhere we haven’t. Young women still sometimes don’t see any other way out. It’s absolutely horrifying and sad — it was then and it is now.

The book was sometimes a bit tricky to follow, but that always happens to me when I haven’t read academic texts in a while. All things considered, a C grade is in order.

Posted on June 9th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Back to History, C, History, Swedish, To Be Read, True crime | No Comments »

Doctor Who: The Resurrection Casket
by Justin Richards

English
254 pages
BBC Books
ISBN: 0-563-48642-2

First line: Death was hiding in Kaspar’s pocket.

Back cover blurb:
Starfall — a world on the edge, where crooks and smugglers hide in the gloomy shadows and modern technology refuses to work. And that includes the TARDIS.

The pioneers who used to be drawn by the hope of making a fortune from the mines can find easier pickings elsewhere. But they still come — for the romance of it, or in the hope of finding the lost treasure of Hamlek Glint — scourge of the spaceways, privateer, adventurer, bandit…

Will the TARDIS ever work again? Is Glint’s lost treasure waiting to be found? And does the fabled Resurrection Casket — the key to eternal life — really exist? With the help of new friends, and facing terrifying new enemies, the Doctor and Rose aim to find out…

Thoughts: Again with the Doctor Who — sorry (I have three more Ten+Rose books coming in the post any day now, but after that I should be able to shut up about them — at least in this book blog).

This was a fun adventure novel about space pirates, with quite a few reveals I didn’t see coming from a mile away (sometimes, surprises are nice) and the nicest vicious monster ever. A B rating again for the good Doctor and his companion.

Posted on June 8th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Science Fiction | No Comments »

Doctor Who: The Stone Rose
by Jacqueline Rayner

English
254 pages
BBC Books
ISBN: 978-0-563-48643-5

First line: Rose carefully dropped three pound coins into the large collecting box at the entrance to the British Museum.

Back cover blurb:
Mickey is startled to find a statue of Rose in a museum — a statue that is 2,000 years old. The Doctor realises that this means the TARDIS will shortly take them to ancient Rome, but when it does, he and Rose soon have more on their minds than sculpture.

While the Doctor searches for a missing boy, Rose befriends a girl who claims to know the future — a girl whose predictions are surprisingly accurate. But then the Doctor stumbles on the hideous truth behind the statue of Rose — and Rose herself learns that you have to be very careful what you wish for…

Thoughts: I’m still on a Doctor Who kick, still pathetically in love with the tenth Doctor and still enjoying the companion books. I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn’t like them at all (which is why I just got one or two at first to test the waters a bit), but I do. Now, the writing isn’t the best thing I’ve read in my life, but it gets the job done portraying the Doctor and giving a sense of adventure, which is all I’m asking for.

They are different writers, of course, so the tone is slightly different from book to book, but I haven’t been let down yet. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Jackie are all written in a way that I can hear their (well, the actors’, technically) voices in my head.

The Stone Rose is a nice adventure and mystery and deserves a B grade (I’ll let it be known that that rating is tremendously influenced by my love for anything Doctor+Rose, however).

Posted on June 6th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: Adventure, B, English, Science Fiction | No Comments »

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens

For the Decades ‘08 reading challenge (first published 1843) and part of the BBC Big Read.

English
77 pages
Dover Publications
ISBN: 978-0-486-26865-1

First line: Marley was dead: to begin with.

Back cover blurb:
In October 1843, Charles Dickens—heavily in debt and obligated to his publisher—began work on a book to help supplement his family’s meager income. That volume, A Christmas Carol, has long since become one of the most beloved stories in the English language. As much a part of the holiday season as holly, mistletoe and evergreen wreaths, this perennial favorite continues to delight new readers and rekindle thoughts of charity and goodwill.

With its characters exhibiting many qualities—as well as failures—often ascribed to Dickens himself, the imaginative and entertaining tale relates Ebenezer Scrooge’s eerie encounters with a series of spectral visitors. Journeying with them through Christmases past, present, and future, he is ultimately transformed from an arrogant, obstinate and insensitive miser to a generous, warmhearted, and caring human being. Written by one of England’s greatest and most popular novelists, A Christmas Carol has come to epitomize the true meaning of Christmas.

Thoughts: I’ve been meaning to read this for years and years and years, but I never did get around to it until now.

I knew the basics of the story already, of course, having seen an animated adaption or two in my day, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good I found it. Somehow, I don’t know why, I was expecting to almost struggle through it and want to give up because of boredom, or what have you. There really was no reason for me to be expecting that, as I’ve liked all the Dickens I have read so far, plus there has to be a reason for its popularity.

At any rate, I get to mark another book on the BBC Big Read as successfully read, and to dole out a C rating.

Posted on June 6th, 2008 by Love
Filed under: C, Classics, Decades '08, English | No Comments »