Books I am Reading Right Now

Do Not Lick the Phones - Already Home - The Carrie Diaries.

Books I Really Want...

Flock – Lyn Huges - http://www.lynhughes.com.au/flock/

Sometimes you have to leave behind what you most love . . .

Sydney, 1950. Following a chance encounter at Central Station, Francis Sprigge and Lilian Powys, two strangers escaping their past, fall in love and move to the Blue Mountains to follow their dream of a creative life. But as Francis immerses himself in his newfound passion for designing exquisite wallpaper, Lilian finds that the life she has always craved is inexplicably beyond her reach, despite her loving husband and their young daughter, Addie. However hard she tries to come to terms with the past, she ends up with more questions than answers, and cracks begin to appear in the family′s harmonious veneer, with startling repercussions.

Nearly thirty years later, Addie returns to the Blue Mountains to lead a small group of conservators in the restoration of a historic house to its nineteenth-century glory. But as they peel back the layers of wallpaper and begin to uncover the secrets of the house, all four find the past resurfacing in unexpected ways. Addie learns much more about herself, Francis and Lilian than she ever could have anticipated.

Flock is a powerful story of talented and passionate people and the ghosts they must lay to rest, as well as a ravishing exploration of the nature of love.

Roadside Sisters – Wendy Harmer – http://www.wendyharmer.com

Meredith, Nina and Annie, three very different friends, are reluctantly approaching middle age and facing the ups and downs of their lives. On a whim they take off on a road trip up the east coast of Australia. A funny, heartwarming, hugely appealing novel about the enduring strength of women's friendships.

Nina, Meredith and Annie have decided to hit the road one more time. It's twenty years since they toured together as members of the gospel choir Sanctified Soul. How far have they all come since then? Do they still have anything in common?

Elegant Meredith, motherly Nina and the determinedly single Annie are as unlikely companions as you could find. But like a matched set of 1950's kitchen canisters of Flour, Sugar and Tea, they always seem to end up together.

When a tropical wedding beckons in Byron Bay, 2000 kilometres from their homes in suburban Melbourne, they make the alcohol-fuelled decision to drive a monster mobile home up the coast for the trip of a lifetime.

Squabbles and secrets, tears and laughter - not to mention the possibility of finding Mr Right along the way - this trip might tear them apart or it might just save their lives.

A funny and heartwarming story of female friendship, Elvis Presley, k.d.lang and a busted annexe, Roadside Sisters is the hugely appealing new novel from one of Australia's favourite comediennes, Wendy Harmer

Murder of a Bookstore Babe- Denise Swanson - http://www.deniseswanson.com

When school psychologist Skye Denison discovers a body crushed by a toppled bookcase in Scumble River's new bookstore, she has to read the clues before she becomes the killer's next work-in-progress...

TBR Bookshelves and Writing Inspiration

As a reader it is only natural to me that I love to write. Over the years my writing deteriorated into nothing more than a few notes and sporadic writing, still I had the comfort of writing books and books in general to keep me focused and all is not lost as I have learned so much just by reading about how to construct sentences, pacing, characters and what I like and dislike about writing and reading.

I thought for a bit of fun I would show you the overwhelming collection of books I have to read as well as my birthday splurge with new writing goodies that I hope will excite me to pick up some more books and start writing.

I am the kind of person who is either writing or reading. I find I write while reading writing books, but when I am finished the writing stops. I am trying to learn how to read many books and write at the same time without letting them influence my muse, but we all know how hard that can be at times.

So enjoy, and maybe post your own bookshelves...I cannot wait to see what they look like. Post links in my comment bar.

Blair xox

Living Oprah - Robyn Okrant

Pages: 257

Published: 2010, Harper Collins Publishers [Paperback]

Date Finished: 19^th July 2011

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Synopsis –via GoodReads:

What happens when a thirty-five-year-old average American woman spends one year following every piece of Oprah Winfrey's advice on how to "live your best life"? Robyn Okrant devoted 2008 to adhering to all of Oprah's suggestions and guidance delivered via her television show, her Web site, and her magazine. LIVING OPRAH is a month-by-month account of that year.
Some of the challenges included enrollment in Oprah's Best Life Challenge for physical fitness and weight control, living vegan, and participating in Oprah's Book Club. After 365 days of LIVING OPRAH, Okrant reflects on the rewards won and lessons learned as well as the tolls exacted by the experiment.

Review:

Super excited to read this I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it. I have always had my eye on Oprah and while my opinions of her have been clouded by judgment of family and friends, for the most part she inspires me on many levels, to quote ‘live a better life.’

Robyn’s journey is one that made me both cringe and grin. It was a rollercoaster ride that at times made me stressed for her and at others, motivated me to search for ways to incorporate her Oprah’s lifestyle advice into my own life.

The breakdown from month to month with the quotes and the accounting was a brilliant way to break up the monthly feedback and run downs of her experiences and while for the most part it was an easy read at times she tended to repeat particular topics that had already been explained in enough detail.

The more I read, the more I wanted to be a part of the year long experiment and experience as well. I find the concept of handing over all control to someone else provoking. This book often pressed my moral buttons and had me questioning Robyn’s sanity, while in other parts had me taking in her observations ready to express my own opinions.

Bravo to Jim. I must admit I can imagine it being very testing to the relationship and his third-person feedback was just what the book needed sometimes to lighten the intense mood.

Living Oprah offered to me as a reader an open opinion of Oprah and the reality of her life from her talk show, to endorsements, charity to her multi-million dollar business. It explored Oprah as a person as well as a product and business woman and allowed Robyn to make person changes in her mental, physical and spiritual and social lifestyle. Showcasing both the up’s and downs Living Oprah was more than morbid curiosity and entertainment and I loved being a part of the experience as a reader.

Definitely an experience I would certainly recommend to those who ‘love’ Oprah or are curious about this brilliant social experiment. I thoroughly enjoyed Living Oprah.

You can find her site here : http://www.livingoprah.com

Frankie Says Relapse- Siobhan Curham

Pages: 310

Published: 2003

Date Finished: 10^th July 2011

Recommend it: Yes – Find it and read it

It is a scorching May Bank Holiday and Caitlin Kennedy’s marriage is in meltdown, her daughter dreams of being adopted by Britney Spears and her four-year-old son has just declared he wishes to be renamed Daphne. Where did it all go so horribly wrong? In a bid to find out Caitlin retrieves her long lost diary from 1984 and is sent hurtling back into her past. Back to a time where t-shirts urged everyone to ‘Dig Deep for the Miners’ and ‘RELAX’ and an angst ridden teenager embarked upon her search for a ‘real’ man.
As we journey back with Caitlin, we slowly piece together the events that transformed a fun-loving romantic into a wise-cracking cynic. But there are still pieces missing from the jigsaw; pieces that Caitlin has been too scared to search out before. Forced to confront her past for once and for all, she finally discovers the answer to the eternal question, what if? Synopsis- Siobhan Curham

Review:

Loving this book from the moment I brought it, it was not surprising that I devoured the novel yet again. There was still so much to learn from the story and I found I noticed things that I hadn’t when reading it previously. While I didn’t get the same feeling from reading it as I did the first I did find myself laughing and almost crying in places as I remembered not only the story itself, but memories from the times I was reading it. More than a trip down memory lane I was enlightened and brought back into a time before my own.

As I come into adult hold myself I questioned myself, the impact of first love and how they can affect you. For some, they move on, but for others they are a part of your life that you can never forget. What does it mean to be in love? How do we move on? These and so many more questions are explored throughout this novel which makes it perfect not for adults, but for young adults as well. Think it’s a chick-lit romance, think again ‘Frankie Says Relapse’ is a brilliant combination of many genres and can be enjoyed by so many.

Written in a diary format for most of the novel, Siobhan’s writing fast becomes addictive. It made it all the more enjoyable for me being a fan of Anne Frank, and as she addresses her diary to Anne I lost myself in Caitlin’s world and in the world in my mind. I love that her style of writing can evoke humour in my spirit, and provoke me to grab out my own journals. I never wanted to stop reading.

I do recommend anyone who hasn’t read this book to search for it and read it. It is one of my favourites and always will be. I can’t bear to ever get rid of it and I cannot wait to read it again a few years down the track.

Flash Back July - Week One

So I finally started my July reading challenge and already I am thinking of a theme for August. While I have been a late bloomer to begin this journey I have cracked and carved the time to delight in reading while no one is awake, but my cats. It’s been odd without my partner around the house and you would think that having the time alone would have prompted me to go on a reading spree, but when I look at the pile of books by his bedside table I feel a little odd and reminiscent of the times when I lived alone and would stay up all hours of the night chatting to him with a book in hand.

The idea for July, revolving around me experiencing some of my favorite books growing up has already been a challenge in itself. I found myself putting it off even though I was excited to begin with, because as well as the memory of reading the book itself, along comes with it the memories of life around the time of reading the book and the experiences that I took and shared with others.

I started with a book that I know was meant to be in my possession. Let me take you back to a time when my pocket money consisted of loose change I found in odd places around the house and small tokens of begging or subtle hinting. I was looking through a bargain bin at a local bookstore and was coming up with some hideous options. Then as I dug deep into the pit of books I found it – Frankie Says Relapse by Siobhan Curham. It cost me five dollars and forever has stayed in my collection of books. Never to be given away and rarely lent out. [ I almost killed my sister for bending the cover and dog earring the pages] Dubbed as one of our family favorites, my sister, my mum and I have enjoyed reading this countless times and it was my first choice when looking at the pile of books I wanted to read for July.

It took me a little to pick up the courage to begin the novel because a lot of strange memories and old fears that came with my reading experience jarred me in the possibility that I could relapse myself in the memories of my teenage years. I don’t know if you could call it irony. But facing those issues like the character in the book quickly made me realize that there was a message still to be learned from the novel and while I was reading for enjoyment, I began to read – in search for what I could take from it re-reading it again.

At 4 am in the morning, with my bland tea and aching tooth, I warm to the pleasure of reading again late in the morning. I am dedicated to at least finishing one book out of the pile and if I don’t complete them all I will be revisiting them regardless.

I would urge all readers to give this a go at some point. I know there are so many books to be read, and while you can never read them all. Sometimes even at the most splendid times in your life, it’s important to remember why you fell in love with books in the first place and reignite the experiences you had with your favorite books, so you can learn and grow and make new ones to share with those who delight in the same bookish passions you do.

Looking forward to the month ahead, Happy reading as always,

Bittenbybooklust – Blair xx

Devoted- Dick Hoyt with Don Yaeger

Pages: 224

Published: 2010, Da Capo Press

Date Finished: 6^th June 2011

Recommend/ Rating: Yes – 4 stars

Born a spastic quadriplegic, Rick Hoyt was written off by doctors. They advised his parents to put him in an institution. His parents refused. Fighting to give their son every opportunity that normal” kids get, Rick’s mother helped to pass a landmark bill that enabled Rick and other physically handicapped kids to attend public school. With the help of a brilliant device the Hope Machine Rick was able to use a headswitch to communicate with others.

But one day their lives changed forever as Rick asked his dad to enter a charity race and push his wheelchair to the finish line. More than one thousand races later, at sixty-nine years old, Dick Hoyt continues to push his son’s wheelchair.

From the Boston Marathon, which holds a special place in the Hoyts’ hearts to Ironman triathlons, Dick and Rick continue to celebrate a truly special bond between father and son and live their lives by the motto, Yes, you can.”- Synopsis

Review:

The first time I heard about Team Hoyt was the first day of my business class. I recalled watching it and going home elevated and excited. So when I found Devoted in my local library the last day of my course I knew it was important for me to read it and remember how much progress I had made myself as well as remembering the Hoyt’s motto ‘I CAN’

Sports memoirs or stories are not something I would usually go out of my way to pick up, but I have to say even this one got me questioning myself. Behind the sports there is so much to take from this book I don’t even know where to begin. I found myself laughing, smiling and even tearing up and sometimes [don’t judge me] talking to myself about my dreams as aspirations and how blessed I am to be able bodied and minded. I think we often take it for granted and Devoted reminded me of how grateful I am to be alive and healthy.

What I loved about Dick and his story is that they don’t play victim and they fight for what they believed in and still do. Hearing about what life was like back then in the 70’s and 80’s outraged me and I am so glad that even with the little progress we have made to our attitudes towards the disabled, that there are more rights and equal acceptance in this age.

Thought the book there was a lot of repetition and while great to reiterate motivation and inspiration it grew frustrating and stilted the story. However as a whole, I found the writing to be inspirational, and it flowed well making it a well enjoyable read.

Please pick this book up or check out Team Hoyt online on Youtube. It only takes a few minutes and trust me even if it reminds you to follow your dreams, or reminds you to count your blessings I guarantee it is worth it. Devoted is a great book and I really enjoyed the read.

~CAN ~