Stories & Shout-Outs #13

After taking a bit of a break from joining in things - to give myself time to get ready for AusReading Month in November (warm up post coming very soon) - a few bookish events, readalongs and readathons have now come along and caught my eye.

The fine folk in Canada recently celebrated Science Literacy Week. Their website had a great list of science books to browse - check it out. My wishlist just got in touch with its inner big bang theory and exploded!

Naomi @Consumed By Ink is also getting into the 2017 Giller Prize longlist which celebrates fine Canadian literature.

I've been eyeing off the 100 Day Project for a few years now, but I have never been able to come up with an original idea let alone being capable of actually sticking something out for a hundred whole days!

Kim @Sophisticated Dorkiness decided to tackle the challenge this year with 100 bookstagram reviews on instagram. She writes about her experience here. I really enjoyed watching and reading her 100 days - it was a huge achievement and very inspirational.

It's big excitement time for the upcoming October 21st Dewey Readathon. They're hosting a #30DaysofReadathon to get everyone in the mood. Post it, instagram it, tweet it - share the buzz!

There's a L.M. Montgomery The Blue Castle readalong with Consumed by Ink and Sarah Emsley coming up too. The idea is to read (or reread as the case may be) the book before November so that you can blog/tweet about it with Naomi & Sarah using #ReadingValancy.

I don't need much excuse to reread The Blue Castle, but their timing is impeccable. Because I cannot read The Blue Castle without revisiting it's Australian cousin, The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough...which is a perfect book for this year's #AusReadingMonth with it's Blue Mountains setting.

I do agree with Naomi though, The Blue Castle has never had a good cover. Mine is a shocker.

I spotted this fab post with an amazing infographic (below) from Global English Editing about World Books last night. They've listed the most iconic book set in 150 countries around the world. Their choices will no doubt garner much discussion and debate, but personally I am very happy to see Cloudstreet represent Australia and delighted to see Pride and Prejudice come out on top in the UK.

I would have preferred to see Huck Finn instead of Tom Sawyer for the US. Japan's Tale of the Genji is about the twenty-third time I've now been recommended this as a must read book before visiting Japan, so I guess I should look into that some more.

I also liked the mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays in this list. For anyone, like me, who likes to read books in or about the country they're visiting, or hoping to visit, this is the perfect way to scratch that itch!

During our recent time in Cuba, we stayed with a friend of a friend and her husband in their B&B in Trinidad. They were incredibly generous and welcoming hosts and we had a ball the two nights we stayed with them. Hurricane Irma has had a huge, but fortunately not drastic, effect on their home and garden, Casa Los Mangos.

Fiona writes about their experience of living through the storm here.

Today I learnt about the difference between a tiger snake and highland copperhead. Our neighbour thought this might have been a baby tiger snake thanks to the shape of its head. But after posting the pic on instagram, a snake handler came back to me with the correct identification.

This particular baby copperhead was spotted on the top step of our mountain getaway on the weekend. Baby or not, it scared the bejesus out of me!

I consider myself to be very lucky - nearly 50 years of age and this was my first up close and personal with a snake - a cute little, sleepy, sluggish baby snake at that! The best kind.

Wishing you all a reptile-free, rewarding reading and blogging week.

Brona's Salon

Brona's Salon is a new meme which aims to gather a group of like-minded bookish people 'under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation.'

(wikipedia)

I will provide a few prompts to inspire our conversation.
However please feel free to discuss your current read or join in the conversation in any way that you see fit.

Amusement, refinement and knowledge will surely follow!

What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet. 

How did you find out about this book?

The Shadow (wo)man Booker group read and reviewed this book.

It was one that was generally enjoyed, with some reservations about it being worthy enough for a literary award. 

Why are you reading it now? 

I'm trying to read half the Booker shortlist before the big announcement next week. 

First impressions? 

Entertaining historical fiction with a metafiction touch - is this a memoir or not? 

What is real? What is fiction?
Is there such a thing as fictional true crime?

Metafiction seems to be a literary device that lots of writers are playing with right now.

I'm thinking of Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien with her book within the book, Elena Ferrante's ambiguous 'is it memoir is it real' Neapolitan tetraology, Michelle de Kretser's Springtime: A Ghost Story with its discussion mid-story about the nature of ghost stories, Kent Haruf's use of the same fictional town in all his stories and the referencing of his previous books in Our Souls At Night and Alain de Botton's use of footnotes to address issues brought up in his narrative in The Course of Love.

And that's just some of the books I've read this year that can be classified as metafiction!

Wikipedia describes metafiction as -

A story about a writer who creates a story.
A story that features itself as a narrative or as a physical object.
A story containing another work of fiction within itself.
Narrative footnotes which continue the story while commenting on it.
A story that reframes or suggests a radically different reading of another story.
A story addressing the specific conventions of story, such as title, character conventions, paragraphing or plots.
A novel where the narrator intentionally exposes him or herself as the author of the story.
A story in which the authors refers to elements of the story as both fact and fiction.
A book in which the book itself seeks interaction with the reader.
 A story in which the readers of the story itself force the author to change the story.
A story in which the characters are aware that they are in a story.
A story in which the characters make reference to the author or his previous work.

Have you read any metafiction books recently?

Which character do you relate to so far?

I'm not sure if relate is the right word, but I certainly feel empathy for Roddy's sister Jetta.

She has no rights, no protection but all the care and responsibility of looking after her family.

Are you happy to continue?

So far.

I can see Burnet building a case whereby the bullying, mean, officious Mackenzie Broad family got what they deserved (by being murdered), but it seems too neat and too obvious.
Is Roddy a reliable narrator?
The Macrae stoicism and acceptance of fate as being their lot in life feels a trifle overdone.
I'm enjoying the details of Scottish croft life - as bleak and as hard as it was.

Despite the topic, this is a fun psychological thriller read, but I can feel a bit of a drag creeping in.
I hope Burnet doesn't get bogged down or lose his way.

Where do you think the story will go? 

We know that Roddy killed the Mackenzie Broad's from the start. 

He didn't hide or deny what happened.

But is he covering for someone - his father? his sister?

I can see that his advocate is leaning towards an insanity plea - is this a ploy? Or a real concern about Roddy's mental state.
His journal currently presents a logical, thoughtful, intelligent man.

Top Ten Tuesday

The Broke and the Bookish host a weekly meme called Top Ten Tuesday.

This week is all about recommendations. 

So many of my books appear on my TBR pile thanks to a recommendation from family, friends, reps, or customers. Book reviews, podcasts, writers festival events, interviews on the TV and radio also play a part. 

The hard part is remembering where each recommendation came from!

I'll do my best.

Top Ten Books I've Read (or Acquired) Because Of Another Blogger (Or Bookish Person)

My good friend @girlbooker has been responsible for several of my favourite recommended reads over the years. I thoroughly enjoyed them all, especially The Children's Book, which will be reread one day.

1. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
2. The Children's Book by A S Byatt
3. The Secret History by Donna Tartt  (review here for all three)

4.Germinal by Emile Zola thanks to Fanda @Classiclit.
OMG!
A thank you and shout-out is not really enough recognition to Fanda for getting me started on the whole Zola thing.
Between Fanda and O @Behold the Stars's enthusiasm for all things Zola I now have years worth of incredible reading experiences ahead of me.

5. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty thanks to Melissa @Avid Readers Musings
Melissa's rave review made me pick up Big Little Lies one rainy weekend. I was hooked.

6. Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine de Vigan thanks to Nancy @Ipsofactdotme. This is one is still sitting on the TBR pile tempting me each time I finish a book.

7. Thomas @My Porch gave me Excellent Women by Barbara Pym during Pym Reading Week a couple of years ago.

8. It by Stephen King thanks to a young Mr Books. Nearly 30 years later and we still both love Stephen King (although I'm a bit pickier about which ones I will read).

9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte thanks to my mum.

10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen thanks to Mr Geerlings, my Yr 12 English teacher - I am forever in your debt.

Stories & Shout Outs #11

A whole swath of shortlists have been buzzing around the bookish world lately.

Some have got me bibliograpically excited but some have left me scratching my head.

Kim @Reading Matters alerted me to the Canadian literary award - The Giller Prize. It has been around for twenty years and recognizes 'excellence in Canadian fiction'.

For a full rundown on the longlist and the history of Kim's shadow reading of  the Giller longlist, click on her link above.

The shortlist will be announced at the end of this month and the winner will be declared in November. But for now, here's the longlist...

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

Yiddish for Pirates by Gary Barwin

Pillow by Andrew Battershill

Stranger by David Bergen

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

The Party Wall by Catherine Leroux, translated by Lazer Lederhendler

The Two of Us by Kathy Page

Death Valley by Susan Perly

Willem de Kooning's Paintbrush by Kerry Lee Powell

By Gaslight by Steven Price

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

The Man Booker shortlist is now out there too! The (wo)man booker shadow panel read through the longlist and prepared their own thoughts about what should have been shortlisted and why. The various posts and links to the panel are here @Dolce Bellezza. 

The official list, I confess, has me scratching my head. I really thought The North Water was a contender for taking out the big prize this year. I do at least have Do No Say We Have Nothing on my TBR pile, so I can read one of the books on both of these lists so far.

Paul Beatty (US) - The Sellout

Deborah Levy (UK) - Hot Milk

Graeme Macrae Burnet (UK) - His Bloody Project

Ottessa Moshfegh (US) – Eileen

David Szalay (Canada-UK) - All That Man Is

Madeleine Thien (Canada) - Do Not Say We Have Nothing

Meanwhile the Royal Society Science Prize has a shortlist that I can get very excited about. Especially as I've read one of the contenders (Cure), I'm a third of the way through another (The Invention of Nature) and have my eyes on a third (The Gene).

Cure Jo Marchant

The Gene Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Hunt for Vulcan Thomas Levenson

WINNER - The Invention of Nature Andrea Wulf

The Most Perfect Thing Tim Birkhead

The Planet Remade Oliver Morton

Finally, closer to home, we have the shortlist for this year's Queensland Literary Awards. They have an incredible number of categories to work through, so grab a cuppa and settle back to check out the wonderful diversity that makes up Australian writing in 2016.

Queensland Premier's Award for a work of State Significance

Nadia Buick & Madeleine King Remotely Fashionable: A Story of Subtropical Style 

Matthew Condon All Fall Down 

Elspeth Muir Wasted

P. J. Parker The Long Goodbye

WINNER - Lesley and Tammy Williams Not Just Black and White

The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award

Tony Birch Ghost River

WINNER - Georgia Blain Between a Wolf and a Dog

David Dyer The Midnight Watch

Patrick Holland One

Charlotte Wood The Natural Way of Things

The University of Queensland Non-fiction Book Award

Madeline Gleeson Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus and Nauru

Stan Grant Talking to My Country

Drusilla Modjeska Second Half First

Tim Winton Island Home

WINNER - Fiona Wright Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger

Griffith University Young Adult Book Award

Will Kostakis The Sidekicks

WINNER - David Metzenthen Dreaming the Enemy

Glenda Millard The Stars at Oktober Bend

James Roy and Noël Zihabamwe One Thousand Hills

Claire Zorn One Would Think the Deep

Griffith University Children's Book Award

Lucy Estrela, illustrator: Matt Ottley Suri's Wall

Bob Graham How the Sun Got to Coco's House  (R)

Libby Hathorn; illustrator: Gaye Chapman Incredibilia

WINNER - Julie Hunt; illustrator:Dale Newman KidGlovz

Chris McKimmie Me, Teddy

University of Southern Queensland History Book Award

Vicken Babkenian and Peter Stanley Armenia, Australia and the Great War

Stuart Macintyre Australia's Boldest Experiment: War and reconstruction in the 1940s

WINNER - Julia Martinez and Adrian Vickers The Pearl Frontier: Indonesian Labor and Indigenous Encounters in Australia's Northern Trading Network

Jeff Maynard The Unseen Anzac

John Newton The Oldest Foods on Earth: A history of Australian native foods with recipes

Garry Wotherspoon Gay Sydney: A History

University of Southern Queensland Australian Short Story Collection - Steele Rudd Award

Tegan Bennett Daylight Six Bedrooms

Sonja Dechian An Astronaut's Life

WINNER - Elizabeth Harrower A Few Days in the Country and Other Stories

Julie Koh Portable Curiosities

WINNER - Fiona McFarlane The High Places

State Library of Queensland Poetry Collection – Judith Wright Calanthe Award

Joel Deane Year of the Wasp

Liam Ferney Content

Sarah Holland-Batt The Hazards

WINNER - David Musgrave Anatomy of Voice

Chloe Wilson Not Fox Nor Axe

Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Awards

WINNER - Emily Craven

Sam George-Allen

Anna Jacobson

WINNER - Michelle Law

Andrew McMillen

Unpublished Indigenous Writer - David Unaipon Award

WINNER - Paul Collis Dancing Home

B.A. Quakawoot The Song of Jessica Perkins

Yvonne Weldon 67 Days

Emerging Queensland Writer – Manuscript Award

H.E. Crampton for The Boatman

Laura Elvery for The Elements

Which book, from all of the above, should I read next?

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

Angle of Repose is Wallace Stegner's Pulitzer prize winning novel from 1971.

Stegner created a part fact/part fiction story of life in 1880's America based on the real letters and journals of Mary Hallock Foote. After his book was published, a controversy brewed with some of Foote's descendants about how Stegner went about this merging of fact and fiction and his use of Foote's letters.

My edition of Angle of Repose carried Stegner's brief note explaining that,

though I have used many details of their lives and characters, I have not hesitated to warp both personalities and events to fictional needs. This is a novel which utilises selected facts from their real lives. It is in no sense a family history.

To my mind then, it was pretty clear, as I read the book, that this would be a kind of fictionalised biography.

Stegner combined real life people with fictional characters. His fictional characters spoke the words of real life people and the letters written by the real life Foote were liberally used (with minor changes) to tell the story of her fictional counterpart - Susan Ward.

Real and imaginary events existed side by side.

As the fictional Lyman Ward re-imagined his grandmother's life to suit the needs of his own personal narrative, so too, did Stegner, re-imagine this amazing story of a New York artist living life in the wild, wild, West with her adventurous, engineering husband.

The Irrigation Ditch, 1889, Mary Hallock Foote

Past and present informed each other as the fictional Lyman looked for lessons or clues to help him come to terms with his own life and failed marriage.

It was also very clear that Stegner (and his character Lyman Ward) had a great deal of affection and respect for Mary Foote/Susan Ward.

The time spent in Boise, Idaho, planning the building of a new dam, that could transform the barren desert, was particularly evocative - you could taste the dust and heat and feel Susan's growing isolation.

The Foote home, 1885, Idaho

The Angle of Repose is also a story about marriage.

The choices we make for love and for security and the courage required to see it through.
Stegner explores loyalty, hope, frustration and how to maintain a sense of self and independence.

We see the importance of open communication, but also how to turn a blind eye and hold your tongue at times. He delves into the daily negotiations and the battles of will. He shows how the small discontents can build into seemingly insurmountable mountains over time, so that guilt and forgiveness become the thing that keeps a couple together.

Angle of Repose was a tremendous read. It's another example of a fabulous Pulitzer winner that completely embraces and encapsulates a period of time and way of life in American history.

It felt like this book has taken me ages to read. But it was only 3 weeks in the end.
Angle of Repose was a book to savour slowly. At 557 pages with small font and minimum line spacing, it wasn't a small undertaking, however it was worth every minute, every page, every letter. In fact, for me, it was Mary's many original letters that made this story such an absorbing gem.

9/20 Books of Summer (winter)
57/110 Classics Club

Addendum, or the dangers of writing a review too soon.

As some of you know, I avoid reading reviews about the book I'm currently reading. I like to write my own review unfettered by anyone else's opinions.

However, every now and again, a book does cause me to do some research on it as I'm reading it. 

Angle of Repose was one of those books. I felt the need to find out about Mary Hallock Foote and where the fact and fiction existed in this story. I found a fascinating PDF of Foote's life at the Newsletter of the Idaho State Historical Society.

Reading this brief bio about the Foote's made me realise just how much of Mary's life was actually in Angle of Repose.

The main facts and figures and people are straight from Mary's real life. Stegner imagined conversations, motives and feelings to suit his literary purposes. When questioned afterwards, Stegner never denied his use of Foote's diaries and letters but it is curious that he didn't chronicle this properly at the time as one would expect of such a well-regarded academic.

The Newsletter above states at the end in it's bibliography that Angle of Repose is "A fictionalized telling of Mary Hallock Foote’s life, Angle of Repose is a great book, but don’t look to it for historical accuracy".

In the reviews and articles I've now read, I've come across a lot of literary regard for the character of Lyman. To my mind, as a character, he was nowhere near as interesting as his grandparents were. And I've now been wondering about the patriarchal attitudes that were still alive and kicking in the 70's, that not only saw Lyman's story as more relevant than Mary's, but also allowed Stegner to claim and bend a little known female writer's life to his own purpose, without any consequence.

I'm surprised that new editions of the book haven't rectified this oversight. Stegner clearly held his female characters in high regard and he wrote about them with warmth and affection. Yet, the more I read, the more it feels like something a little dishonest has happened here.

Should I have left my initial enjoyment of Angle of Repose alone?
Or does my new found knowledge, although tinged with shadows, allow me to view the book and the author(s) and the controversy in a more correct context?

The Pulitzer Project has several reviews for Angle of Repose which you can find here.
Jean @ Howling Frog Books review.
Rosemary and Reading Glasses' review.
Lisa @Bookshelf Fantasies review.

LaRose by Louise Erdrich

LaRose is now my best book for 2016.

I'm not sure what I else I have to say after that!

Except, do yourself a favour and read this book now.

The only reason LaRose doesn't get a 5 star rating on my goodreads page is that I will probably never reread this book.

In this case the blurb really does say it all...

In this literary masterwork, Louise Erdrich, the bestselling author of the National Book Award-winning The Round House and the Pulitzer Prize nominee The Plague of Doves wields her breathtaking narrative magic in an emotionally haunting contemporary tale of a tragic accident, a demand for justice, and a profound act of atonement with ancient roots in Native American culture.

It's literary; it's a masterpiece and I suspect LaRose will be an award winning book for Erdrich. It's emotionally haunting (and very very compelling). It's tragic yet hopeful. It's about justice and also about retribution and redemption. It's profound and thought-provoking. There is atonement as well as forgiveness and understanding. And there is a lot of fascinating stuff about Native American culture and mysticism, and about contemporary life and how ancient traditions continue to influence modern behaviours.

I loved it. I feel like a richer, more soulful person because this book is now a small part of my story as well.
LaRose would make a great bookclub book - is has interesting moral provocations and ethical dilemma's to discuss.

LaRose and his family will stay with me for a long time. I hope I am correct in sensing that another story, a continuation, could be born from the ending of LaRose (for some of the characters at least).

I don't want to say much more. I want you to discover this tremendous book for yourself just as I did.

But if you do want to know a little more detail, Teresa @Shelf Love's review is worth checking out.

If you have read any of Erdrich's previous books and have a favourite that you'd like to recommend, please do. I'd love to read more of her work.

P.S. I love the cover too. I think it taps into the heart of the story beautifully.

Stories & Shout Outs #9

It has been quite some time since I wrote a housekeeping post and I feel the need, the need to read...and to chat about it some.

During the week Melissa @Avid Reader Musings put me onto a new book app called Litsy.

I know, I know! We all need a new app like a hole in the head.

Apps already take away too much of my precious reading time.

But this one looks like it might be useful to me.

I have been using Goodreads more and more to keep track of what I actually read each year (there are always a few books I fail to write a review for, which means my blog stats are not 100% accurate for my reading year).

I like Goodreads' ability to keep track of pages read and how easy it is to add favourite quotes and passages as I read them. It is also a great way to keep track of reading challenges and for events like Dewey's Readathon (by the by another readathon is fast approaching if you haven't already signed up).

However I abandon a lot of books along the way.

I rarely blog about the abandoned books - I'm too busy enjoying the books I actually want to read!

Nevertheless my reading year is littered with the forgotten, the ho-hum and the couldn't-be-bothered's. Goodreads doesn't make it easy to track these books that have failed to get past second base. But Litsy does.

Litsy has a 'bailed' button. It also provides a 'review', 'blurb' and 'quote' button. If you'd like to follow me, you can find me under my usual tag of Brona's Books. You'll also find lots of familiar blogging faces on there already.

I wonder how this pervasive app-time will affect us all as time goes by?

I find it's a real struggle to maintain a semblance of control. I use social media apps for work and for play. They're everywhere. It's fun, but it's also mind-numbing. It sucks time and my ability to be present in the here and now. It's addictive. And despite all the talk about 'social media' and 'connections' and 'friends', apps are actually anti-social towards the people you're actually with right now.

I do wonder how the booklets and their friends (who have grown up knowing nothing else) are going to move forward into this brave new app world.

Perhaps it is simply the same scenario and the same concerns that surrounded the advent of television...and before that, radio...and before that, cars...and before that, steam engines...?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Catherine @Victorian Geek created The Life According to Literature meme that she uses each year to highlight her reading year that was. I've just discovered it - better late than never I say.

THE RULES: Using only books you have read during the year (2015), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title.

Describe yourself: Yes, Please (Amy Poehler)
How do you feel: The Doldrums (Nicholas Gannon)
Describe where you currently live: The Great World  (David Malouf)
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Gone With the Wind  (Margaret Mitchell)
Your favourite form of transportation:  A Motor-Flight Through France (Edith Wharton)
Your best friend is: My Brilliant Friend (Elena Ferante)
You and your friends are: A Year of Marvellous Ways (Sarah Winman)
What's the weather like: You're Still Hot to Me (Jean Kitson)
You fear: Being Mortal (Atul Gawande)
What is the best advice you have to give: Tiny, Beautiful Things (Cheryl Strayed)
Thought for the day: Stand Up and Cheer (Loretta Re)
How would I like to die: Vile Bodies (Evelyn Waugh)
My soul's present condition: Heat and Light (Ellen Van Neerven)

Does your current reading matter fit into any of the above questions?
I've just started The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf which fits nicely into 'If you could go anywhere, where would you go'.

Thanks for listening and happy reading.

Stories & Shout Outs #6

I'm just coming back in from the wilderness of a three day migraine headache binge.

I'm still not really with it or up to doing much.

My final hundred pages or so of The Fortunes of Richard Mahony are languishing, waiting for a headache free period to enjoy the home run stretch of this amazing Australian chunky classic.

Thankfully I started this post last week....

A BIG thank you and hurrah to all my fellow #AusReadingMonth readers during November.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how you responded to Australian books and authors. I loved your enthusiasm, curiosity and interpretations.

Any tips or suggestions for next years AusReadingMonth are always welcome.

Note to self - I do NOT need to post a review or piece every single day during November! I confess I feel rather exhausted - it may have been a contributing factor in the migraine madness of this week!

Also a big thank you to the girls who host Non Fiction November - I love this annual chance to immerse myself in the NF world and get lots of great ideas to tide me over until next November. (Although I have now also spotted Katie @Doing Dewey's Non-Fiction Friday meme to keep me motivated during the rest of the year.)

On to other blogging related matters:

I've often wondered why blogger folk rave so much about Goodreads. I use it a bit to keep track of what I'm reading, but I'm not super diligent about it.

When I'm participating in a readalong, I keep track of pages read and occasionally I spot a new book via someone else's feed that I save for later.

But last week I was very pleasantly surprised to find another use for Goodreads.

Thomas @Mytwostotinki sent me a book recommendation.

The Tortoises is a Holocaust story. Thomas has written a brilliant review and it is sooooo my kind of book.

It not only hones in on my Holocaust obsession, but it ticks all my women writer's boxes as well as my love of fictionalised bio's.

I was really touched that somewhere out there in blogger land, someone I've never met, but have only ever bumped into on his blog or mine, remembered that I have an obsession with Holocaust literature and thought to send me a recommendation.

Since this recommendation, I have taken the time to explore Goodreads a little more. I'm adding favourite quotes as I read them and I'm trying to be a little more interactive with comments. I've also wasted a lot of time adding the Australian book cover edition to many of the titles!

I hope to see you and your seasonal reading choices on #XmasinSummer #XmasinWinter

Happy Reading and Happy Blogging

Stories & Shout Outs #5

I've had a successful month finishing off all my half read books thanks to Andi's challenge to read #15in31.

I managed to finish 15 books, although a few of those books were picture books. The reviews for the Aussie books will pop up during November for AusReadingMonth.

I also joined in Blog Ahead during October.

I now have 10 scheduled posts and another nine draft posts for Brona's Books. Another four posts are scheduled for my photo/food blog - Four Seasons.

Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies recently shared an Ursula LeGuin poem in honour of her 13 yr old son's bar mitzvah.
The poem is so beautiful,
Please take the time to pop over and read it. You won't regret it, I promise.

Any excuse really.
I've been looking for a reason why to buy the gorgeous new illustrated hardback edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Andi @estella's revenge has just given me one.

The chance to reread the Harry Potter books over the Australian summer sounds like a lovely, lovely way to enjoy our long, hot days and nights.

I always associate HP with the summer months as my first binge reading of HP happened during the summer holidays of 2001/2002 after I saw the first movie at the cinema.

It was a hot, hot Sunday afternoon. I lived in a small country town at the time. The only cinema had only one theatrette. On show was this kids movie I'd never heard of called Harry Potter. I didn't care, I was hot and wanted to cool down in the air con.

I was instantly converted. A HP fan born in a couple of short, cool hours.

I left the theatre, walked across the road to the local bookshop and purchased my first Harry Potter book.

The next day I went back to buy the next three books.

A week later, I joined the rest of the world waiting, waiting, waiting for the next HP book to be released.

I will wait until AusReadingMonth is over, but I think that a #potterbinge will be just what I need after reading the Australian classic chunkster, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony.
Thanks Andi :-)

Stories & Shout Outs #4

I'd rather be busy than bored, but I do feel like I'm constantly chasing my tail and never really getting anywhere.

In an attempt to gain a semblance of order in my chaotic life, it's time to write a Stories & Shout Out housekeeping post.

In real life October has been a month of family birthdays, HSC exams, hay fever and extra shifts at work.

Next weekend is the Cancer Council's 7 Bridges Walk which I plan to do for the first time in it's ten year history.

In blogger land October has been a month of reading thanks to Andi's #15in31 challenge.

I'm a chronic multiple book reader.
Every now and again I need a prompt to simply finish all the half-read books cluttering up my life. With 11 days still to go, I can proudly say that I have just finished reading book no. 12, although I'm rather behind in writing the subsequent reviews.

Maybe November will be my Month in Review!!

I attempted to join in Dewey's 24hr Readathon this weekend, but it clashed with my niece's 5th birthday party. The time difference meant that I was able to join in reading for the first hour and the last hour as it coincided with my usual read-before-sleep routine.
I was able to finish Geraldine Brook's The Secret Chord during this time - yay me!

I have also been working on Blog Ahead during October in an attempt to get organised for the Silly Season with some scheduled posts.
I currently have 6 scheduled posts for this blog and 3 scheduled posts on my Four Seasons blog.

The Classics Club announced their Women's Classics Literature challenge last week which I was all over like a rash with a quick sign up post followed by a lengthier list of women's lit books.

Looking ahead to November we have AusReading Month & my Fortunes of Richard Mahony readalong as well as Sophisticated Dorkiness et al's Non-Fiction November.

Personally, November features our wedding anniversary and one family birthday. The trial season for next year's soccer teams also starts in November....there go the weekends!

No wonder I feel tired!

But at least I now feel like I've got it all straight in my head.

How are your October plans panning out?

Stories & Shout Outs #3

Due to visitors, a Yr 12 Graduation, Mr Books birthday and a neighbourly farewell party, Bloggiesta was a bust for me this time around.

The last Bloggiesta gave me Feedly.
I love it.
It's a great way to keep track of my favourite blogs...although it does need a tidy up of categories already....!

I had hoped to tackle that job and join in some twitter chats to get more great tips and new ideas. But it was not to be.

At odd times throughout the weekend though I would catch myself thinking about my blog and what I really wanted from it.

I love reading and reviewing.

I love visiting other blogs to discover new books, new authors and I love joining in discussions about the books we've read.

I also love joining in memes.

Over the years I have created my own as well as joined in others on a semi-regular basis. But the same thing happened with each one. I found myself unable to commit to the same time, same place scenario for very long.
(I also have the same problem with exercise regimes!)

All this pondering eventually led to my weekend ah-ha moment.

I would create my very own personal meme where I can talk books, housekeeping and blogging whenever I want to. A meme that is not tied to any day of the week or schedule.

So goodbye Shout Out Sundays.
Hello Stories and Shout Outs....on any day of the week that suits me.

____________________________

After writing the above last weekend, life and blogging have once again got away from me...which only highlights the perfection of my newly created meme!

To focus on reading this month I have joined in Andi's #15in31 challenge.
My plan is to finish all those half-read books by my bed before AusReadingMonth starts in November. So far I have finished two of the books on my list and reviewed one of them.

I also spotted Blog Ahead hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Herding Cats & Burning Soup. This is a great way to keep ahead of the blogging game by scheduling posts to be used later.

I need this for two reasons - firstly I used up all my old scheduled posts during the craziness of our recent move. And secondly, I have AusReadingMonth coming up and I would like to prepare for it ahead of time this year.

I'm not going to commit myself to any specific number as anything will be better than the big fat nothing that I currently have in reserve!

Kate @Books are my Favourite and Best recently reviewed A Little Life.
I really liked her discussion on "allowable weaknesses" as I felt this accurately summed up my feelings on the book as well.

Allie @A Literary Odyssey reviewed Liane Moriarty's What Alice Forgot.
I've read Big, Little Lies and The Husband's Secret and had been wondering whether the earlier books would be as good. Turns out they are!

It's a long weekend Monday in NSW today (yay!) It's also HOT, HOT, HOT.
Which means it is time for me to go and finish My Brilliant Friend...poolside!

What have you been up to this lovely long, beginning of daylight savings weekend?

Stories & Shout Outs #2

Stories & Shout Outs is a time and place to highlight stories, reviews or posts that caught my eye during the week.

This week was a little crazy, busy at our place - Mr Books birthday, my eldest booklets Yr 12 Graduation, a visit from my F-I-L & hayfever symptoms running amok. All of which added up to very little time to check out other blogs this week.

But I did spot that Stoner by John Williams was recently reviewed by The Cue Card (here). Stoner is in my TBR pile so I was pleased to be reminded of its presence.

I also really liked Cleopatra Loves Books idea to highlight the best books that she had read and reviewed from years gone by on her blog.

Her best of 2014 is here.
And 2013 here.

I love seeing what other book bloggers consider to be the best from their year of reading, esp after a few years have gone by.
It's curious to see which books have lasting power - its not always the ones you initially think.

When I have time, I may even work out my "best of"'s too!

Did you spot any great reviews or fascinating posts this week?

Stories & Shout Outs #1

One of the things I love about this blogging life is visiting other blogs.

I love finding new books and authors, I love the friendly discussions about books and I love the connections.

Some weeks are busier than others though.

Some weeks I stop by lots of blogs, leave comments, join in memes and write several reviews.

Other weeks I'm lucky to write one review, let alone visit any of my favourite blogs.

I also regularly spot reviews of books I'm about to read, but I don't want to read the review until after I've finished the book. The problem is when I finally finish the book and want to go back to read the review, I can't remember who, what or where it was!

I thought I might try to keep a record of them here...on Stories & Shout Outs - a time and place for me to highlight and keep track of reviews or posts of interest.

My Shout Outs may or may not be of interest to others.
You may or may not want to write your own Stories & Shout Out post.

If there is any interest I will add a linky, but for now you can let us know about your Stories & Shout Outs by leaving a link in the comments.

A while back I spotted that the busy folk at Bloggiesta were planning another week of blog maintenance.
I had planned on joining in, but we now have visitors coming to stay this week, so I doubt that I will get much work done on my blog. But I would like to join in some of the twitter chats if I can - so this is the link to the Bloggiesta Twitter Chat Schedule starting on Thursday (note to self - check time zone differences for each one).

I'm about half way through A Little Life and would like to go back to read reviews by Savidge Reads, Dolce Bellezza, Roof Beam Reader and Sam Still Reading.
If you also have a review of A Little Life I'm happy for you to leave your link for it in the comments below for me to get to next week. I suspect I will want to talk to lots of people about it at the end!

I have Paris Nocturne by Nobel Prize winner, Patrick Modiano on my bedside table.
Lisa Hill's was the first review I had seen for it anywhere. It made me keener to get stuck into it....after A Little Life perhaps.

I would also like to check in with the bloggers participating in the (wo)man booker shadow panel to see what their personal shortlists are before the big announcement on Tuesday from Booker HQ.

But for now, that is all.
It's time to dive back into ALL to see what Jude is berating himself for this time.

#StoriesandShoutouts