The Mysterious Benedict Society [11] May 3, 2009

I recently read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. What a pleasure it was to read this book. All the characters were utterly memorable, colorful, and well written. A group of children are assembled, after passing some less than straightforward tests, and given the mission of saving the world. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, but all together they make the perfect team. The children are all orphans (in a way) and loneliness and the importance of family are themes that run throughout the book. It may be written for children and young adults, but I think most people would enjoy a weekend spent reading this book. The story was fun, the puzzles intriguing, and the ending….happy of course . There is a sequel out, but I will wait until it is in paperback to read it. 4.5/5

With No One As Witness [8] February 24, 2009

I am currently reading more than a few books right now which really seems to slow down my reading. I will have to work on knocking a few of them off before I start my new stash of Baldacci’s (YAY!). This latest , With No One As Witness by Elizabeth George, was another crime/drama, mystery, serial killer novel. She is a British author and lets you know that from the first page. The book was full of British vocabulary and slang (bloody this and that buggering off together to have a nosh). I was not prepared for this since I have not really read much British writing after the 19th century. It really bothered me for the first 150 or so pages, but then I started to become indifferent to it and the story took over. It was quite interesting bringing in racial politics of England, profiling, psychology of a killer, but then it brought in child pornography towards the end and became a little disturbing.

Something else I did not realize when I started the book is that it features a team of detectives, Havers and Lynley, that have quite a long history together. This is actually the 12th book in the series of 14 so far. It is kind of like starting to watch 24 in the 4th season. There were so many characters from previous seasons who made appearances but you may not care as much about them. While the main story of  the novel was stand alone, there were many smaller story lines that were not as meaningful to me. Even when tragedy strikes “at home” for one of the main characters it did not affect me as much as perhaps a loyal reader. I was far more interested in the parts about finding the killer and wanted to skip the rest. I am not in a hurry to go back and read the previous books but maybe someday. I only recommend if you have read the rest of the series first.

In other news I got my bookmark from my Ravelry swap partner today(thanks again drie80!). It is absolutely gorgeous (photo below). It was my first swap and I loved it.  I am doing an Envelope swap this month as well (fill it in under $5). With Ravelry and Postcrossing I am getting a ton of mail these days from all over the world. I also received my wedding invitation from Sarah . I can not believe how soon my trip will be coming. It is so exciting! I wish it were longer, but duty calls at work. Murat is getting everything ready for his visa so I will keep you all posted on how that turns out. Well off to do my Turkish homework so I will be prepared for lessons tomorrow.

Bookmarks I made (photo by MissJulie)

My bookmark by drie80

The Voices of Marrakesh [7] February 2, 2009

“I came into contact with camels on three occasions, and each occasion ended tragically.” When this is the opening line of a very short travel narrative, how can you not be intrigued? The Voices of Marrakesh was written by Elias Canetti, the 1981 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I am thinking I would like to read one of his novels now since I really enjoyed his writing style. His words seemed expertly chosen and his writing was so honest. The book was only 103 pages but he packed many stories and fascinating characters into it. There were the camels, the beggar children, and the “holy man” who sucked on the coins given to him to tell the denomination. I especially enjoyed his description the the souks. He may as well have been writing about the bazaars in Istanbul. I felt so at home there.  His words just rang true. It was a very quick, pleasant, and interesting read (2386 pages to date). Some times it is the smaller reads like this, and Jamaica Kincaid’s A Small Place about Antigua, that give you the best picture of a time and place.

Split Second [6] February 2, 2009

After having no luck finding a copy of Split Second in Istanbul, I asked my mom to bring it when she came to visit. I was so happy to finally read about how Sean King and Michelle Maxwell met. They have such great chemistry as friends, partners, and sometime soon *crossing my fingers* as more than all that . The book helped explain the few references made to the past in both the Hour Game and Simple Genius. Also, an important character that showed up in the first book made reappearances in the latest novel. I would definitely recommend reading the books in order now that I have read them all. According to the web, Baldacci’s fourth book in the series First Family will come out this year. I can honestly hardly wait!

I have now read 2283 pages and February has officially started. I am one book ahead of schedule but we will see if I can keep up the reading pace. Being on vacation has been great for reading, but once school/work starts again I think it will be more difficult.

The Camel Club [5] January 29, 2009

I am slightly ahead of schedule on my 52 books challenge. I decided to read The Camel Club, another David Baldacci book. This is my third one so I think it is safe to say I am a fan. I really love his characters. They are just so human. They always have questionable pasts, are always flawed, and always conquer their fears to become heroic (even if it is just to a single person). So far in each book I have found myself laughing out loud a few times, tearing up a little, and getting downright angry at the villains.
The Camel Club is the first in a series of four books so far (more to come). It deals with conspiracy theories, intelligence agencies, “resurrection of the dead”, and mid-east terrorists. It is like a whole season of 24, wrapped up in an extremely readable book, with Jack Bauer being divided into four love-able middle-age men. It also puts an interesting twist on the terrorist angle that you never see coming. It also tries to explain the mentality of the terrorists. While it does not excuse what they do, it does help shed some light on the psychological driving force behind it. The explanation is a little lacking though and Nelson Demille does a far far better job explaining it in The Lion’s Game. Overall I highly recommend the book and can’t wait to read The Collectors some time soon.

Next up will be one of three books The Voices of Marrakesh, Seeing Redd, or Split Second. We will see which one suits my fancy, although all will be read during February. My pages read total is now 1802

The Burnt-Out Town Of Miracles [4] January 21, 2009

Since I have been lying in bed with the flu for the last few days, I have had some extra reading time. My latest book was The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles by Roy Jacobsen. It was a book that intrigued me by the title alone. I like to do that sometime, pick a book because of the title or cover. I have found some gems that way and only one disappointment I can think of.

Anyway, the story takes place in Finland during the Winter War of 1939 when the Russians invaded. One man, Timo the woodcutter, decides to stay in his village while the rest flee from the coming Russians. The town is burned down before the troops arrive and Timo is taken as prisoner. It is a story about courage and bitter cold, unlikely friendships and violence, hard-work and stubbornness, and about a man that your heart just goes out to. I just wanted to give Timo a giant hug so that he knew that at least I know his story now, and he won’t be forgotten. It is also a reminder that war lasts, long after peace treaties have been signed, for those who have lived through it. I highly recommend it, but its themes are heavy for such a light book.

I will pick a new book tomorrow but for now I have read 1209 pages…

New Europe [3] January 18, 2009

I have finally finished New Europe by Michael Palin. I should probably start of by saying that I had no idea who this guy was until after I bought the book. He has done some popular travel miniseries for the BBC but is most well known for being one of the Monty Python gang. I saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail twelve years ago in my high school ceramics class. It was supposed to inspire us to make out own “holy grails” but I think it was mostly our teacher’s favorite film. I was not impressed. Maybe I should give it another try, but British humor is usually lost on me.

Having said this, I did enjoy the book. Palin travels all around “new Europe” better know as eastern Europe. From the Balkans to the Baltic with a short foray into Turkey as well. These are the countries that top my list of where I want to travel to next. He meets the most interesting cast of people and always seems to be in the right place at the right time for every festival and event. His writing is very smooth, easy to follow and I think his sense of humor is quite nice.

On the other hand I feel like this must be a companion book to the miniseries of the same name. So much seemed to be missing. As soon as he got somewhere he left. I am sure his coversations with people lasted much longer than a paragraph or two. I was constantly left wanting/expecting more. I think he could have done a much better job if he had not tried to cram 21 countries into 300 pages. I would love to see the miniseries sometime to see if I am correct. I am not sure I would recommend the book unless someone has traveled through the area and wants to reminisce. I have made it to 5 out of 21, but will hopefully change that in the near future.

Stay tunned for book number four, The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles by Roy Jacobsen. I am right on schedule with my 52 books and am happy to announce that I have 1009 pages read so far this year. I will keep a running tally

Postcrossing and Watercolors January 14, 2009

There have been some new developments in the new year for me. I recently joined a website called Postcrossing. You sign up (for free) and say you want to send someone a postcard. They give you a random address of someone in a different country (who belongs to the site), and you send them one. Then someone from a completely different country sends one to you. I love this idea! My first card goes to a girl in Finland.

This brings me to the second piece of news. I decided to take up watercoloring as a small hobby. This may seem odd to many folks because I am not artistic in a painting/drawing way. I have never done more than the occasional forest scene (that I have been doing since I was 10 years old). I am much more into photography, writing, knitting, and crocheting than painting. I have to say that I am very pleased with my first piece. I used a photograph I took as inspiration, but made some of my own changes to it. It will actually be the postcard I will send to the girl in Finland. I need to get a can of spray for protecting it this weekend, but then off it will go. I will also my making/painting a bookmark for a handmade bookmark swap in my Ravelry group. I am really excited to try new things this year and see what happens.

Also, I should be finishing up my book in the next couple days so check back for a full review…

My first watercolor!!!

Simple Genius [2] January 6, 2009

I literally just finished reading Simple Genius by David Baldacci. It is my second book by him and I am still very much impressed. He has four books out that feature the freelance PI team of Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. I absolutely love them! He is incredibly smart but human, and she is incredibly flawed but strong. You can’t help but root for them. I started with the second book, Hour Game, and this was the third in their series. It was right up my alley with the subject matter: CIA, cryptology, spies, WWII, treasure, Alan Turing, and the Enigma machine (I got to see a real one in Germany!). It was exciting until the very end. I can not wait to get my hands on more of his books!!!

James and the Giant Peach [1] January 3, 2009

For my first book of 2009 I chose a book I had not read in ohhhh…. eighteen some odd years, James and the Giant Peach. Back in primary school one of my teachers read it to the class (Mrs. Maxwell or Miss Fazer I believe) and I loved it. I read it a few times after that, but over the years I had all but forgotten about it. All I could remember were giant insects, a flying peach, and the terrible aunts that met their timely end.

It came back into my mind as I was thinking about stop-animation films, and remembered that the book was made into a movie a while back. I tracked down a copy at one of the English bookstores in town and saved it for January 1st. I had forgotten so much and thoroughly enjoyed reading it again! I had forgotten about the Cloud Men, about how terrible the aunts really were, and about the wonderful rhyming songs Centipede sang. Perhaps I will make a point of reading one favorite childhood book a month. Next month I will reserve for The Little Prince.

Onto the next books this month, Simple Genius by David Baldacci and New Europe by Michael Palin.