I'm loving Shelfari!

Thanks Kaisievic!

I can now tell you that other than the current book I am reading I have 111 books in my to read pile.  So less than I thought (I did get through quite a few towards the end of last year).

I'm hoping I can reduce that by half during this year although I've learned from past experience not to put any trust in life working out how I want it LOL.

The Rosie Project

It has to be said that there's nothing like packing your entire life into boxes to make you aware of just how much 'stuff' you own.  Our house move at the end of last year brought my stashaholic tendencies into sharp focus in many forms - books, cross stitch, fabric, papercrafting, shoes, bags, clothes.  Even smaller items like ribbon - I have an entire box full of ribbon that I bought purely because it was pretty, not because I had a hundred projects lined up that required the stuff.

We both did so much de-cluttering before the move.  We got rid of over 250 DVDs, around 100 books, furniture, clothes, kids stuff (cot, pram, stroller, high chair - it's not like we'd ever planned a third child, just been too lazy to get rid), junk we'd just chucked in the garage and forgotten about, you name it, we probably had it.

The thing is though, I still have way too much stuff.  Especially books (and ribbon but that's a matter for another post LOL).  I must have around 150 books I haven't read although I'm not brave enough to actually count.  And this is on top of the several hundred I have that I have no intention of getting rid of because I read them again and again or they hold a special place in my stashaholic mind (ie my large collection of Hollywood biographies, Monkees items and Monty Python related books).

My biggest problem is lack of space.  I've acquired two additional bookcases in the new house but that's clearly not enough as I've still got three boxes left to unpack and very little usable space left despite having double layered on some shelves.  Clearly my biggest win is going to be to read the aforementioned unread books and then remove them from the house.  Unfortunately this will be a relatively slow procedure given all the other demands on my time but I have decided to try and focus on this job over this year and also keep track of how many books I actually finish.  I have attempted this before but given up around April-time but hopefully I'll manage it this year.

Which brings me to the title of this blog post.  I have just finished my fourth book of the year which is The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.  I had never heard of this book before spying it in a shop and I purchased it purely because I had a discount voucher on a multibuy of books and it sounded good when I read the blurb.

I have to say I loved the book and have devoured it over the last 48 hours.  It's an unconventional love story told by protagonist Don Tillman, a 39 year old geneticist who has never had a second date.  He devises The Wife Project which is a scientific test to find him the perfect partner and things then get interesting. 

I don't want to spoil the book although I have to say the outcome is kind of predictable but the ride to get there is a damn good one!  It's a new book - published last year, the first by this author and it's already being turned into a film (which I may not bother watching on the basis that they'll probably ruin it LOL).  So if you're looking for a good read and spot it in the shop I definitely recommend you pick it up.

Even more books

Just a fly by to note this weeks reads. Bedknobs and Broomsticks by Mary Norton (who knew? I read The Borrowers as a kid but never realised this was by her too. Or that it was two books).

The Prodigal Sister - Laura Elliot. Fab girly read, finished it off in 24 hrs which is something of a record for me these days!

The Brightest Star in the Sky

by Marian Keyes is the 11th book I've read this year and I totally loved it.  I have read several of her novels before and really enjoyed them and this was one of those 'can't put it down till I've finished it' books for me.

Review is a teeny bit of a spoiler so be warned

It tells the story of a group of people who all live in flats at the same address.  A 'presence' appears that the reader comes to realise is a baby waiting to choose it's parents.  This presence flits in and out of the lives of those at 66 Star Street and gets to know them through their current activities and their memories and, at the end of the novel it picks the couple it wants.

It's an interesting idea and, in my humble opinion, a good way of pushing the narative along.  The characters are all really well drawn and likable and there are some unexpected twists that keep you guessing till quite near the end which revolves around an event that I really didn't see coming.

So this one is a definite recommend for me - Keyes is a fab writer and I am now looking forward to the next novel from her.

A Weekend with Mr Darcy

AKA book number 10 read this year.

The book is by Victoria Connelly, another new author to me and is well and truly in the realm of chick lit.

The story takes place at a Jane Austin conference and focuses on two women and their love lives. I have to say there is absolutely no surprise as to the outcome of the book but it was a fun quick read. The characters in the book are obsessed with all things Jane Austin and I did find myself moved to read her novels myself (I read two or three a long time ago but so long ago I don't really remember them).

The author obviously has a love of Austin herself (it is very well researched) to the extent that her next novel is called 'Dreaming of Mr Darcy' and it would appear from the taster chapter that is included at the end of this novel that the story is likely to be very similar.

A recommended read only if you like your fiction fluffy, girly and ever so slightly predictable.

I should also say that I can count, books 7, 8 and 9 read this year were the final three Harry Potter books.

We Interrupt the Usual Schedule

To let you know that the lurgy monster has well and truly lurched back into existence and has dumped a shed load of lurgy in my ear!  I have never in my life had an ear infection but I sure as heck have one now.

I woke up on Tuesday last deaf in my right ear and basically every time I attempted to get vertical I threw up (which made the trip to the Drs extremely interesting).  I get extreme travel sickness and even a normal head cold can leave me throwing up for days so you can imagine anything going on with my ear has the same effect.  I have been taking antibiotics for five days and the underlying infection seems to be cleared up but the ear still feels it needs to 'pop' and until that happens I guess I won't stop feeling really nauseous.

The good news is that I can just about stay upright and, as long as I keep my head perfectly still, I can surf and read.  Not that I've had the energy to read anything much so, whilst I have finished books 5 and 6 of the year I have reverted back to Harry Potter (books 3 and 4).  Still, given I haven't managed to stitch anything at least I should be grateful I can do something to stop me going totally mad with boredom (TV makes the sickness worse and radio doesn't work due to my current wonky hearing).

So thank you all for your recent comments on my WIPs (scheduled blog posts I should add) and I apologise to Lesleyanne - I haven't forgotten I said I'd get that code to you I just haven't gotten around to it.

Once this annoying ear sorts itself I will be getting the sewing machine out as I have set myself a crazy task of stitching 'goody bags' for the family party at the end of April - I think I need to do about 100!!!!!

ps - a quick look at Wikipedia tells me that a 'Dilly bag' is a traditional Aboriginal bag worn around the neck to transport food in.  The design is from The Cat's Whiskers, an Ozzie design company, so I guess that's why they picked the name.  This one comes with a needlecase, scissor keep and fob and I can't see me ever wearing it round my neck!

Here's a pic of what it should look vaguely like when I get it made!

Books 3 and 4 read

Well given it was the first two Harry Potter books I don't suppose I really need to review them - if you haven't read them by now I would imagine it is unlikely you will and if you have read them you certainly don't need me to tell you what I think LOL. This post is more of an aide memoire than anything else. I am back on adult books again now though.

Book 2 - Family Album

So last night I finished book 2 of 2011 - Family Album by Penelope Lively - another of my christmas book token purchases.

Again she appears to be a prolific author but I've never read any of her books before. It's about a family and their memories of events from the past. There are six children, their parents and an Au Pair who has stayed for 30 years and we get to see events of the past through the memories of the children and occasionally the adults.

The house that the family live in is actually the centre piece of the story and we are drawn to see the house as the central character of the novel rather than any of the humans.

I did enjoy the book but the 'family secret' mystery wasn't exactly difficult to guess and also at the beginning it is quite difficult to keep track of all the character names. However it was an interesting concept as the author was trying to show how events of the past are coloured by the person that remembers them not by the facts of the event. Some of the characters were really well drawn but I think we missed out because the 'adults' weren't quite so explored as people as the children and I would have liked to have had a bit more of an idea of how they viewed events, especially the father. Having said that I think the father was the most stereotypical character in the story and, as such, the one who would be most difficult to expand.

Definitely one I'd recommend though.

Noah's Compass - Anne Tyler

Without fail every birthday and Christmas DH gives me a book token. This doesn't show a lack of imagination on his part though as he does it because he knows it's my all time favourite present (yes, even more so than stash) and has been since I was very young as I like nothing better than browsing for books. When we were kids my Mum used to take my bro and I to town and the local book shop was our creche as she could leave us there and nip off to do her shopping knowing there was no chance we'd leave the shop. On the rare occasions we didn't get left at the book shop it was the library LOL.

Anyway, one of the biggest book shop chains here in the UK has a constant '3 for 2' offer on books and I am a total sucker for it - I pretty much always come out with 6 books (and, in more solvent times 9 LOL). This year was no different as I used my Christmas token and a bit more to come out with 6 books (although one of them was The Wombles so I can take some Mummy credit for thinking of the kids).

I almost never read book reviews so base my purchasing on the blurb on the book cover. Also for a complete bibliophile I am terrible at remembering the names of authors, even ones I've enjoyed in the past. Other than Pratchett, Adams, Tolkein and Eddings I'm pretty clueless and I never understand why as I'm usually an extremely organised person. Oh and just because those are all fantasy type writers please don't think I only stick to that genre, that was just my early and enduring favourite one.

So, Noah's Compass. This is now my first finish of 2011. I've never ready any of Anne Tyler's books before so can't compare it to any earlier novels (subsequent reading of Amazon reviews seem to suggest earlier books are felt to be better by some readers) but it was an okay read. Nothing spectacular though as I felt it kind of lost it's way somewhere in the middle and left me a bit 'oh, okay' at the end. It sets up a mystery that ends up not being relevant to the story in the way you would expect and I found the two central characters not that likeable.

To sum up, I'd say read it if you're given a copy or get it from the library but maybe don't use your Christmas book token on it...