Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books
Nearing 1PM now, I haven’t had much read this hour because I was out for that errand. But I am ready to get back into as I’ve just made a pot of green tea as is my usual weekend habit.
The challenge for this hour is at Taylor the Teacher. Open my current book randomly, and make 4 lines or so from the first words I see. These weren’t the first words I saw, but I liked it most: “a positive echo”.
A positive echo in the void.
It sighs, it laughs, it repeats.
More than silence, less than voice
Am I the source of this noise?
Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books
Becky and I have been named Readers of the Hour at Dewey‘s blog. I am about 120 pages into First Among Sequels, and I just had lunch. I’m going to finish my current chapter, and then go off on an errand hoping to be back in an hour for an Hour 4 Update. I’m going to make some tea and finish this book before I go to bed tonight, and definitely start another one. Good luck to fellow participants, and thanks for all the comments so far.
Also, I highly recommend the Thursday Next series I am reading if you have not tried it out, pick up the first in the books called The Eyre Affair. Review of First Among Sequels after the Readathon.
Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books
Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books are set in a fictional alt-universe version of Swindon, England. Here are some five facts about the real Swindon via Wikipedia.
- Swindon’s motto is “Salubritas et Industria” (Health and Industry).
- Peope from Swindon are called Swindonians
- It is located in the south west of Englan, in Wiltshire, about 130KM west of London
- As with many towns in England, Swindon owed much of its growth to the Industrial Revolution.
- Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is also set in Swindon.
From 43 places, only 7 of 15 people think Swindon is worth visiting. Ending on a positive note, Swindon was the location for Polish refugees during World War II and many remained.
Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books
Just got up, and am ready to read. I’m going to start off with Jasper Fforde’s First Among Sequels, the latest in the Thursday Next books. I’ll also be posting about a couple of book challenges I’ve joined for 2008 and their tentative lists as I pick them today. Cheers!
Posted on October 19, 2007 in Books
Tomorrow is the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. It starts 2PM GMT which is 9AM EST for me. There is a good chance I’ll start at 10AM because I will work late tonight. I do not plan to stay up all 24 hours because I can’t afford to do that during the school year, and I’ve only ever done that when travelling or when I did blogathon a couple years ago (in the summer). I intend to update every couple of hours at least. I’ll post book reviews of any books I finish after Sunday.
I’m very excited because I have not been able to read very much at all this year. It’s been hectic and it seems it continue to be as I get older. So it’s good to take some time to dedicate to reading. Here are some books I plan or may read tomorrow:
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde – I got it today! I love the Thursday Next books; I’m pretty psyched to read this.
The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander – Which I first read when I was 11.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksande Solzhenitsyn
Hunrgy Planet by Peter Menzel
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
So I doubt I’ll finish more than two books (if I’m lucky) in the marathon since most of these books aren’t small and not all are exactly light. These are actually the shortest of the books I have in my TBR queue. See you all tomorrow then!