Dewey's 24-hour-read-a-thon, 2011 - Progress Report

Rather than spam you all with constant updates, I'm just going to have one post to serve as a progress report for my reading. That's what I've done the previous years as well, and it has always served me well. I'm not going to take time to write reviews during the Read-a-Thon, but they'll all be up at afterwards.

For now, I'm going to get myself sorted, so that I'll be all ready to hunker down and start reading when the clock turns 2pm (the starting time for central Europe)



13:59 - Hour 1 The crockpot has been turned on (, I'm trying your stew, and so far it smells divine!) so I don't have to worry about dinner, and I'm all ready to get started on Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce. Happy reading, everybody!

1)Where are you reading from today? Copenhagen, Denmark
2)Three random facts about me… a) I had to go on an unexpected bikeride today, because I'd accidentally bought an empty CD-case. Thankfully the shop believed me, and gave me a new one without problems. b) An anagram of my maiden name comes out to "Damnation, I'm a girl nerd!" It's true too! c) I learned how to read before I started school.
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 9 I expect to read about half of them.
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? No, I just want this to be FUN! :-)
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Stick to short, light books. You're less inclined to run dry that way.

15:02 - Hour 2 Progress in Lady Knight - 155 pages. That means I'm not even halfway, so I'm off to read on!

16:02 - Hour 3 I'd forgotten how easy it is to procrastinate by following other readers' statuses. Only managed to get another 70 pages read this last hour. The book's as good as always though - Tamora Pierce is a good choice for a readathon :)

17:06 - Hour 4 90 pages read this hour. I have another 90 to go of Lady Knight, so with a bit of luck, I'll finish before I update next. I've participated in my first mini-challenge too, which was a LOT easier said than done, as the challenge was to pick three books - non-fiction or fiction - that give a good description of the atmosphere of the state in which they were set. Not really being too familiar with US states, I had to go with the stereotypes. Hopefully that counts too! :-)

18:15 - Hour 5 I did it! Last 90 pages read, first book finished :-) I've also participated in another mini-challange - Sharing the Love, about the best ways for me to share my love of books with other people. For me, that all boils down to recommending and loaning out books. I view my library as just that - a library. I happily loan out books to friends and family (and fortunately have been very lucky with getting books back - I think I've only had to replace a book once). One of the best things I know is to loan somebody a book that I recommended them (i.e., not a book they asked to loan, but one I suggested that they loan), and have them come back to me and say, "Maria, that is the best book I have EVER read!" Apparently I'm not too bad at picking books for other people? At least I seem to have a good hit-rate with my closest friends. Carina fell in love with "Ender's Game", Nina couldn't put down "Twilight", Stine still raves about "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and eeeeverybody loves "The Yada Yada Prayer group". It gives me a thrill every time I manage to 'match' a book to a reader properly :-)

19:55 - Hour 7 I decided to go with "The Beasts of Clawstone Castle" by Eva Ibbotson. I've been wanting to read this for ages, but it only recently became available in Danish libraries. I've had to break for dinner though, so have only read 43 pages since my last update. That should pick up in the near future though ;-)

21:11 - Hour 8 I'm starting to feel that I've been reading for pretty much 7 hours straight - I'm just a tad tired. Still, it's only just past 9pm, so I've got plenty of hours of reading ahead of me before I'll have to succumb and go to bed (I have church tomorrow, so I can't read the whole night through... as if I would have been able to no matter what! ;-) ). I'm almost done with "The Beasts..." - only another 20 pages to go! It's good, but much more of a children's novel than I had originally thought. Not that that's a bad thing! Oh, and I've participated in my third mini-challenge - the a.k.a. challenge at http://ratb2.blogspot.com/

22:01 - Hour 9 I finished "The Beasts..." and have started "Dragonsinger" by Anne McCaffrey. It's one of my favourite books, and I have read it time beyond number, but I've had the craving to reread it for a couple of months now, so I figured why not? It's excellent read-a-thon material, that's for sure!

I've also entered my 4th mini-challenge: The Book Sentence challenge where you have to make out a sentence from the titles of at least 3 books.

And another thing, Lady Knight. Where do I go?

23:11 - Hour 10 I think I may have to cry uncle soon. For some reason I'm TIRED - even more so than I usually am at this time of day - so reading is a bit of a struggle. Dragonsinger is keeping me well entertained though. I do love that book!

The mini-challenge this hour is at Reading Romances - come up with your own anthology, listing authors and a theme.
I'd like to see an anthology with Neta Jackson, Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Ted Dekker and Frank E. Peretti with the theme "Walk With God, Talk With God".

All the above are among my favourite Christian authors, and especially Neta Jackson has written some of the most inspirational books I've ever had the chance to read. Since their standard writing is so varied, I think an anthology would be absolutely fascinating to read.

00:04 - Hour 11 Alas, I have to get up early to go to church tomorrow, so as much as I would love to stay up - at least to finish "Dragonsinger" - I'm going to have to call it quits now. Fortunately I'll still have some hours for reading after church tomorrow even if the time difference means that most other readers will be asleep, so they might be somewhat lonely hours. At least the cheerleaders and cohosts over at 24hourreadathon.com will still be around :-) So 'see' you tomorrow.

12:01 - Hour 23 Not much longer to go now. I've had a good night's sleep, done a bit of reading, gone off to church (I sing in the choir, so couldn't skip out today) and done a bit more of reading since I came home. I've finished "Dragonsinger" and have now started "The Grounding of Group 6". It's still just getting started, so I don't know quite what I think of it yet.

13:06 - Hour 24 As per usual - the end of event meme:
Which hour was most daunting for you? 11-12. I'd hoped to be able to stay awake past midnight, but I just couldn't do it.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Anne McCaffrey and Tamora Pierce are both excellent Readathon Authors.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Not really. Last year I suggested that fewer prizes were from The Book Deposit as they don't ship world-wide, and this year there were more Amazon prizes! Not that I won anything, but that's beside the point ;-)
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Preparing dinner ahead of time - having it simmer in the crockpot all day long, knowing I wouldn't have to take time out to fix it was excellent!
How many books did you read? I'm in the middle of book 4.
What were the names of the books you read? "Lady Knight", "The Beasts of Clawstone Castle", "Dragonsinger" and now "The Grounding of Group 6".
Which book did you enjoy most? "Dragonsinger". A reread, but one of my all-time favourite books.
Which did you enjoy least? "The Beasts..." Not that it wasn't good, it just wasn't AS good as the others.
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? VERY likely! And as a reader again next time. Possibly I may also host a mini-challenge - haven't decided yet.

14:02 - FINISHED! "The Grounding of Group 6" turned out to be a slower read than I had expected, so I'm only about half way through, making the final stats as follows:

Time Spent Reading: 10 hours, 20 minutes
Currently Reading: The Grounding of Group 6 by Julian F. Thompson
Books Finished: Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce, The Beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson, Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
Pages Read 987 pages (soooo close to 1000 pages. A shame I didn't make it).

Dewey's Read-a-Thon, Reading Selection

Tomorrow's the day! In case you hadn't guessed, I'm very excited about Dewey's Read-a-Thon. So far it's been great fun every time I've participated in it :) This will be my third time - the last two times I managed around 4-5 books and 1000'ish pages, so I'm going to aim for that this time too, but not setting myself any specific goals - after all, the point is to have fun! :-)

I've learned the hard way that light, short books are best, and that I need a larger selection than I'm actually going to have time for, in order not to limit myself. Not that there are any rules that you have to have picked out the books ahead of time, but I find that it motivates me to have a stack of books in front of me, and see it shrink as the day goes on :)

My selection this year will include, but not be limited to, some of the following


Let me know if you're going to participate too, so I can come cheer you on :)

Dewey's Read-a-Thon, April 2011 edition

Dewey's April version of the 24 hour Read-a-Thon falls on April 9th this year. Since this is the weekend before I leave for my 3-week trip to New Zealand, I'll be doing a Read-a-Thon-lite this time - if DH's at work anyway, then great! but if not, I don't think he'd take too kindly to me devoting a full day to reading rather than spending time with him. I'm not sure I would take too kindly to me doing that either!

However, I'm still bound to get some reading done, but I'll just aim for a smaller goal. The last two years I've read for 12+ hours and a total of 1000+ pages, so I think 6 hours of reading and a total of 500 pages should be completely doable.

It'll be fun!

Books mentioned in "Shelf Discovery"

I've just finished "Shelf Discovery" by Lizzie Skurnick (and loved it! You can read my review here), and thought it actually lent itself perfectly to a reading challange - reading all the books mentioned. Not having grown up in an English speaking country I have a LONG way to go, but here is the complete list:

• *A Wrinkle in Time
  
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
  
• Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself
  
• Harriet the Spy
  
• *Farmer Boy
  
• *Danny, the Champion of the World
  
• Ludell
  
• The Great Brain
  
• *Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
  
• Sister of teh Bride
  
• Blubber
  
• The Cat Ate my Gymsuit
  
• A Ring of Endless Light
  
• *Tiger Eyes
  
• The Long Secret
  
• Then Again, Maybe I Won't
  
• And You Give Me a Pain, Elaine
  
• To Take a Dare
  
• Caroline
  
• The Westing Game
  
• Daughters of Eve
  
• The Grounding of Group 6
  
• Summer of Fear
  
• I am the Cheese
  
• The Arm of the Starfish
  
• Dragons in the Waters
  
• Secret Lives
  
• Jacob Have I Loved
  
• Summer of My German Soldier
  
• The Pigman
  
• Bridge to Terabithia
  
• Tell Me if the Lovers Are Losers
  
• A Day No Pigs Would Die
  
• Beat the Turtle Drum
  
• The Gift of the Pirate Queen
  
• *Deenie
  
• Don't Hurt Laurie
  
• Are You in the House Alone
  
• *Go Ask Alice
  
• It's Not the End of the World
  
• Island of the Blue Dolphins
  
• *Little House on the Prairie
  
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond
  
• Homecoming
  
• The Endless Steppe: A Girl in Exile
  
• Julie of the Wolves
  
• Understood Betsy
  
• Ghosts I Have Been
  
• A Gift of Magic
  
• The Girl with the Silver Eyes
  
• *Stranger With My Face
  
• Hangin' Out with Cici
  
• Jane-Emily
  
• Down a Dark Hall
  
• *Forever
  
• Happy Endings Are All Alike
  
• *Fifteen
  
• My Darling, My Hamburger
  
• In Summer Light
  
• The Moon by Night
  
• To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie
  
• *An Old-Fashioned Girl
  
• The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
  
• *The Secret Garden
  
• *Cheaper By The Dozen & Belles on Their Toes
  
• *A Little Princess
  
• All of a Kind Family
  
• *My Sweet Audrina
  
• *The Clan of the Cave Bear
  
• Wifey
  
• *Flowers in the Attic
  
• Domestic Arrangements

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?
Squire by Tamora Pierce. It's a reread, but perfect for this time of night (it's currently 1am here), as it's engaging, well-written and - probably most importantly for this stage - an easy read.

2. How many books have you read so far?
I've completed 3 and am half-way in a fourth.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I haven't completely decided on which books to read for the rest of the challenge, so I don't quite now. Perhaps more Tamora Pierce, in which case it'd be In the Hand of the Goddess. Perhaps I'll need a break from her after finishing Squire and pick up something else entirely, in which case I have no idea what that'll be.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
No, because I didn't free up my whole day ;) The read-a-thon started at 2pm DK time, and I was out until 4pm, so I missed out on two hours of reading time there. I have no other plans though, so should still get quite a bit read :D

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
After returning home I've pretty much only been interrupted to make and eat dinner and to update my LJ and read other people's progress reports.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
Nothing yet. It's my second read-a-thon, and I'm having just as much fun as the first time around! Oh, perhaps that it's quite a bit harder to stay awake, but that may just be because I hit the wall (and fortunately now also my second wind) earlier than last time.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I wish more mini-challenges offered prizes from other places than The Book Depository. Not only do they not offer free shipping to Denmark, they don't offer any shipping to Denmark, so there are SO many contests where I'm ineligible. I wish those had the alternative of a gift certificate to an Amazon of your choice instead.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I'd really, really try to free up my entire day. Sometimes it just won't be possible - like this year, I really couldn't/wouldn't use a read-a-thon as a reason not to have our birthday brunch today - but it could be fun to actually be available for all of it :)

9. Are you getting tired yet?
At 1:11am? You'd better believe it! Usually I've been in bed and asleep for 1-2 hours by now!

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
I don't think so, no. I'd tell people to stick to light literature (YA and childrens' lit is great for that!) and well-known/trusted authors, so you're pretty certain to pick books that catch your attention, but most people seem to have figured that on their own ;)

Dewey's 24-hour-read-a-thon, 2010

Yes, I'm joining Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

The timing isn't optimal for me - it runs from 2pm Saturday - 2pm Sunday, meaning that I'm going to miss out on quite a number of hours because of sleeping and a family birthday. Still, it's a read-a-thon, so I'm sure I'm going to have a blast no matter what!

The idea is that I pick a list of books to read, and then spend the day alternatively reading and updating here on my progress. I'll probably just have the one post and then update as I go along. Cheering would be lovely - or join in the fun yourself!

Last year I discovered that shortish and light books are necessary in order not to get bogged down - especially in the later hours - so I was actually considering rereading a number of Tamora Pierce books. I'm not as much in the mood for her books any longer, so I'm reconsidering that, and trying to come up with other ideas. Funnily enough, there are very few YA books on my to-read shelf... didn't really plan that part too well, but like I said, I was planning on Tamora Pierce ;) On the other hand, I do have a LOT of YA on my e-reader, but I have a feeling that an e-reader won't do as well for a read-a-thon - I need the variety of physical books. Anyway, as I've always known, I'm an erratic reader at the best of times, and like to choose from book to book, so the following list is just a brain storm and me shouting to make a noise.

The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce
Page by Tamora Pierce
Tunnelmanden by Dennis Jürgensen
Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede
Lake News by Barbara Delinsky

Last year I managed to read around 1000 pages. I'm not expecting to be able to do the same this year, as the family birthday will last longer, and Lars is home (he had a night shift last year). I'm going to give it my very best shot though! :D My reviews will be up at bogormen sometime after the Read-A-Thon has finished.

T-6 (8:00) This will be my progress post for the Read-a-Thon Challenge. I'll be updating it throughout the day, so those interested can bookmark it, and those not can just skip this post and forget all about it ;-) Right now I'm about to head out to the birthday brunch my cousins and I are having, so I won't be back until the read-a-thon is well under way. I'll see you then!

Hour 2 (16:00): Back from a lovely brunch with my family (19 people!!!!) and ready to start my first book. I'm going to deviate from the list already and start out with a very quick and easy read, to get myself motivated for a lot of reading. Claudia and the Perfect Boy by Ann M. Martin.

Hour 3 (17:01): BSC books always have been quick reads for me, so it was definitely a good book to start with. Wasn't the best BSC book ever though, but it seems to be that the later into the series we get, the weaker the books get. Ah well, it was a good way to spend 45 minutes ;) I've now started Tunnelmanden by Dennis Jürgensen - a quite famous Danish author. So far it seems good :)

Hour 4 (17:52): Tunnelmanden isn't half bad! Typically Dennis Jürgensen (thriller/horror for kids/YA), but a quick read and I'm actually really enjoying it. Progress: 235 pages. I'll need to take a break in about 30 minutes to make dinner, but hopefully I can finish it before then - I'm only missing 80 pages, so it should be do-able.

Hour 5 (18:29): Finished with one minute to spare! It was surprisingly good (although I don't know why I'm surprised - Dennis Jürgensen usually is good. Now on to some Tamora Pierce I think. But first - a break for dinner.

Hour 7 (20:55): Dinner made and eaten and I'm back at reading :) I picked up Page by Tamora Pierce, and just as expected, as soon as I started reading her books, I got into the mood for her writing again - she really is excellent! We'll see how many of her books I get through, or if I decide on something different again once I've finished this one ;) Progess - 103 pages.

Hour 9 (22:54): Finished Page and have picked up Squire. Yeah, yeah, I know. I take back everything I said about not being in the mood for Tamora Pierce. It wouldn't even surprise me if I end up picking up some of the Lioness series as well at some stage! But they really are perfect reading material for a read-a-thon, and as far as I can see, there are no rules against rereads ;) Progress on Squire - 26 pages.

Hour 10 (00:04): I'm paying for my lack of sleep right now. Last year I lasted until around 2am before having to give up and go to bed, but I only had 6 hours of sleep last night, and I can definitely feel that now. Staying up after midnight gets increasingly more difficult the older I get. So even though it's definitely more fun to be up when other participants of the read-a-thon are (and most of those are in the US), I think I'm going to have to give up and head off to bed now. See you in the morning. Oh, and progress on Squire - 100 pages.

ETA: Oh, I forgot the Mid-Event Meme occurs in one hour. I'll have to stay up for that! I don't mind doing some things out of order, but doing the Mid-Event meme 8 hours late just seems wrong. You're stuck with me for another hour then ;)

Hour 11 (01:01) Honestly I think I may have gotten my second wind, it's easier to stay awake now. I obviously don't read quite as fast when I'm tired though. Only another 62 pages read since last.

Hour 21 (10:54) I'm back! Not that I actually slept for all 10 hours, I just haven't had my computer on to update. I only have another 60 pages to go of Squire, so as you can see, I've been keeping busy! Oh, and happy 10-10-10! Thankfully a date USians and Europeans agree on ;)

Hour 22 (12:05) Only two hours left! I wonder if I'll have time to finish another book before the read-a-thon ends. I finished Squire about a half-hour ago, and have decided to take a bit of a break from Tamora Pierce and read Sorcery and Cecelia instead. I'm only 40 pages into it though, so haven't formed too much of an opinion about it yet.

Hour 24 (14:00) Alas, the last book I picked was too long for me to finish by the end of the read-a-thon. I'm only 239 pages into it, so still have another 80 to go -- meaning another 40 or so minutes to finish it. So that brings my grand total to 4.75 books read, 1388 pages read and 12h25m spent reading! I feel a bit bad for only spending a little over half the time reading, but at least I more than met my desired goal of reading more than 1000 pages :D

It was a LOT of fun! I'll definitely be doing it again next year, if time allows.

Books Read: Claudia and the Perfect Boy (150p), Tunnelmanden (314p), Page (245p), Squire (380p), Sorcery and Cecelia (239p, WIP)
Time Spent Reading: 12h25m

E-reader review: BeBook One

I've had my e-reader for almost 9 months now, and am still really pleased by it, but it definitely does have its pros and cons.

My e-reader is a BeBook One from Endless Ideas. I've never tried reading books on any other e-readers (although I've briefly had my hands on both a Sony E-reader, a Kindle and an iPad), so this isn't a review of one e-reader compared to another, but of e-readers vs. paper books in general.

Pros:
It's a great conversation starter! I mostly use it when travelling, and have had several fellow train-/bus passengers ask me what it was or "Oh, is that that Amazon thing?" Obviously that isn't so good for shy people, but I love talking books in any shape or form, so it's never bothered me :)

It's so handy when I'm away on vacation! As you know, I read a LOT, so trying to guesstimate how many books to bring with me is always interesting. I hate being caught short (although that's of course more of an issue when going on vacations where I can't just go out and buy a new book, so not so relevant when going to London ;) ), so I tend to pack one for every second day or so, which can get rather heavy at times. With the e-reader I just need to bring one average-sized book and I have enough reading materials for several years :-D

E-books are cheaper than paper books. Not in Denmark though! You definitely don't want to buy e-books here. They are still so new that they often cost 2-3 times as much as a paper book. However, I can get hold of English books online, and there are several places where it's possible to find free e-books either for keeps or to loan.

It's nifty and a shiny new toy! Yes, my geeky heart loves new gadgets :) One of my colleagues saw me receive it (it was sent to work) and though he first laughed at me, he then admitted that new toys were great and new toys with cables were even greater ;)

Cons:
Yup, nifty and shiny, but not nearly as cozy as paper books. Apparently I have a great emotional attachment to the act of physically turning pages, feeling how many pages I've already read, and feeling how many pages are left. Seeing the number slowly increase just isn't the same.

It's really best for reading from A-Z. Flipping through a book to look for something specific is almost impossible. First of all because I tend to remember where things were written by how the book "feels" (approx. how many pages are left, was it on a right or a left page etc.) rather than the specific page number. Secondly it just takes too long to turn a page. Depending on the format and the size of the book it can take anything from 0.5-3 seconds to turn a page.

Apart from the sensation of reading paper books vs. e-books, there's also the issue of a physical library vs. a digital one. I'm proud of the library I've managed to put together by now. I would like it to be bigger, but who wouldn't?! ;) I like looking at my books, picking out old favourites to read a page here and a paragraph there. I like seeing a wall full of books and knowing that I've read them all. Looking at folders on a computer just isn't the same. Also I like having guests comment on my books and loaning books to others - and most people I know feel a LOT more comfortable browsing bookshelves in a living room, than browsing folders on a computer. The former is perfectly acceptable within etiquette, the latter definitely isn't unless expressed permission has been given.

An e-reader is a lot more egoistic than physical books. Mum didn't bring along enough books when we were on vacation together last. Had this been BER (Before E-Reader ;) ) I could just have given her one of mine to read, as I was bound to have brought several, but we couldn't very well both use the e-reader at the same time, so I couldn't be of any help. And I like being of help!

BeBook itself:
I got the BeBook One because it by far supported the most formats (lit, doc, rtf, txt, pdf, epub, html - just to mention the most common ones). At the time I received it, I'd never had my hands on any other e-readers, so I had nothing to compare it to. However, since then I've also seen a Kindle and the Sony e-reader, and I can see that it's definitely more low-tech than those two. It only has the most necessary features (page turn, zoom), no touch screen or keyboard, the screen's a very dark grey (similar to the old Palm) and it takes longer to turn a page than on the Kindle and the Sony e-reader.

My sensible self is satisfied with it. It fulfills its purpose, and that's really all I need it to do. My geeky self thinks it would be nice with something a bit more high tech and is seriously considering buying a Sony E-reader when I'm in London next ;) Or I might wait a couple of years until I see what actually becomes available in Denmark. Since I'm not out to replace my physical library with an electronic one (far from it!), I can say patient a while longer :)

Book Blogger Hop: Judging Covers

The question was: Do you judge a book by its cover?

My answer: a clear yes and no.

Yes: When I go book-browsing, I judge a book by its cover. That and its title are the only two things you've got to go by when browsing unknown books, and I absolutely base my desire to pick it up and read the back blurb on whether or not the cover appeals to me. Sometimes an intriguing title can make me move past a lousy cover, but that doesn't happen terribly often, and I actually can't think of any specific examples right now.

I receive books for review, so I don't always get to chose the covers there, and some of them are ridiculously tacky. I'll still give it a chance, but sometimes it really goes against my better judgment. I've just received Eternal Hunger which looks really tacky, and Bloody Good by Georgia Evans was almost as bad - that one turned out to be okay entertaining though. Finally there was Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer, where the book was actually really great, but the cover was so suggestive that for the first time ever, I actually felt embarrassed reading it while on public transportation! See for yourself....


Of course, there are also covers that are so gorgeous that you (or I, at least) almost want to frame them and enjoy them in all their beauty. For me, some of those are The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers. Fortunately here the quality of the book fit the quality of the cover :)


No: When I have books recommended to me, I don't stay away from reading them, just because I don't like the cover. And if I have one edition of a book, I don't go out and buy another, just because I discover I prefer that cover. Some of my favourite books have absolutely hideous covers. Cases in point, the below editions of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. In both these cases I'm able to disregard the extremely ugly covers because I know and love the books so much.


And although I did write above that I judge a book by its cover when I'm browsing books, and probably pass over what may be terrific books because the cover don't catch my eye, neither do I buy books just because of the cover. An intriguing cover isn't enough. It has to be combined with an interesting-sounding back blurb. So I don't judge books that much.

Top Ten Childrens Books

These are a mixture of books I loved as a kid and books I'm looking forward to reading to my own children. It does not include picture books, but only chapter books that I either read myself, or that I had read aloud. We had a great tradition of Dad reading aloud to us (actually lasting until I moved out, although in later years it was only when on vacation) and got through a lot of classics that way.

As usual, I've decided not to include any Danish books, but I would be remiss if I didn't even mention Estrid Ott, as she was one of my all-time favourite authors as a child. Especially her delightful series about the adventures of the stuffed toy-Elephant, Bimbi. It's such a shame that these have never been translated to English!

Picking my Top 10 is hard enough, so there's no way I could list them in order of preference. These are just in no particular order. Oh, I decided I could only pick one book per author, but there's no real "rule" about that ;)

Top 10 Childrens Books

The Year of Plenty - Rebecca LeeAnne Brammer (2009)

I only discovered this book last year, but it's a wonderfully cozy and charming book in the same style as Little House in the Big Woods. The language is suitable for children, and I think it would work very well as a read-aloud book. Definitely a book I plan on reading to my kids - even if I have to translate it to Danish myself! ;)

Professional Shrink - Mac (2008)

Another book I didn't discover until last year, but it's one of the very few childrens books that I read for the first time as an adult and still gave 5 stars on Goodreads. It doesn't need the rosy-coloured glasses of nostalgia, it just works! It's absolutely hilarious and delightfully quirky. Probably best for slightly older kids (8-12), and I wish I'd been aware of it (or rather, that it had been written!) when I was a kid.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (1964)

I couldn't write this list without including Roald Dahl, although it was really difficult to decide which book of his to use - Matilda runs a very close second. However, Charlie... was my introduction to Roald Dahl, so if for no other reason than that, it deserves a mention. I think it may still be my favourite - I've always been intrigued by the chocolate factory, and am sad that Willy Wonka rushed past so many interesting doors with no more than a quick mention. I'd love to roam about the factory more. One of the best things about Tim Burton's film adaption of it, was that he completely managed to capture the magic of the factory, and made me just as eager to explore it as Roald Dahl's book itself did.

Raging Robots and Unruly Uncles - Margaret Mahy (1981)

The first two books on this list were books had never read as a kid, this is a book I haven't read since I was a kid and had it read aloud to me. Margaret Mahy is a Kiwi author, and we discovered her during our first year in New Zealand, where Dad read this book aloud to us, to our great delight. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it anywhere since, so I haven't read it after 1990! Obviously I don't remember much of it, other than that I LOVED it, so I'm very eager to get my hands on it again at some point. Perhaps it'll show up second hand somewhere.

Margaret Mahy's books were all delightfully quirky, and most of them were illustrated by Quentin Blake (who also illustrated many of Roald Dahl's books). I've always loved his work!

Heidi - Johanna Spyri (1880)

I vaguely recall seeing either a movie or a mini-series based on this book when I was young. Can't remember any details though, other than that I loved it, and immediately went out to find the book. It's a sweet classic which I was gratified to see completely passed the test of time, when I reread it a couple of years ago.

The Ordinary Princess - M.M. Kaye (1980)

I have very vivid memories of my Dad reading this aloud to us when we were in San Tropes, France in 1986. The book hasn't been translated to Danish yet, but Mum would try to keep ahead of Dad, translating a couple of pages at a time, and if we got impatient, Dad would translate on the fly (he's insanely good at that!). I loved the idea of an "ordinary" princess, and a fairytale where the prince and princess of an arranged marriage are finally allowed to get to know each other and fall in love ahead of time :)

Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie (1911)

This falls squarely into the "why haven't I read this before!" category. Again a book I read for the first time last year (what is this with last year? I obviously read a lot of great childrens books!), and I was very impressed by it. It's a lot darker than I had expected, but in a way that I think would go over the heads of most children, and I caught myself laughing out loud several times. I suspect it's a book that - like Narnia - works for both children and adults, but just on different levels.

Gone-Away Lake - Elizabeth Enright (1957)

I was reminded of this book just last month when it was chosen as book of the month for a book club I'm part of. I had completely forgotten how lovely it is, and was delighted to revisit Gone-Away Lake with Julian and Portia. It has all the important things in a childrens book - a magical atmosphere, good solid friendship both among peers and between the ages, and lots of fun adventures. I feel transported to another time whenever I read it.

Children of Noisy Village - Astrid Lindgren (1947)

No list of childrens books would be complete without a mention of Astrid Lindgren. She was a huge part of my reading while growing up. But it was almost impossible to decide which book to list, and I'm still not entirely sure I made the right choice. Other books I considered were Emil, Pippi Longstocking and Ronja Robber's Daughter. The reason I chose Children... is not that it's my favourite (I think that would be either Pippi or Ronja), but that it's the first book I can remember being read and reading myself. I remember loving the chapter where one of the girls gets her own room, and the descriptions of how she arranges it and keeps it nice and neat. I'd always get into a fit of tidying my room after reading it... a fit that would last for as long as it took me to move on to the next chapter ;)

Astrid Lindgren is a must on any book-shelf in a child's room. I can't wait to get to introduce my own children to her books.

Famous Five - Enid Blyton

And of course - Famous Five. I am almost certain that these were the first longer chapter books I read by myself, and I know that they were the first books I started collecting. For many years I'd get at least one for every birthday and Christmas, until I had the entire series - including some of the newer ones, written by ghostwriters. They weren't nearly as good, but I still wanted to read them all! My favourite was (and is) Five Run Away Together, because I loved reading about how they found the cave on Kirrin Island and Anne fixed it up really nicely :)

I still reread the original series every now and again, and fortunately they too pass the test of time. Also, they are remarkable in being a series where (at least in the first books) people actually get older the way they're supposed to! After four summer vacations, Julian went from being 12 to being 16! ;)

Books for August

The Professor and the Madman - Simon Winchester, 3/5, 230 pages
This is one of those weird books where the subject matter is extremely interesting, but the writing only so-so. I'm glad I stuck it out though, because the descriptions of what it takes to complete a reference book as complicated as th Oxford English Dictionary was absolutely fascinating! It must have been an insanely daunting task, and I'm impressed that they didn't give up from shear overwhelmedness (yes, that's a word ;) ).

The story of the madman himself actually didn't interest me all that much, although it did make me wonder how much of a difference there is between the treatment of the criminally insane now and back then.

Billy and the Bubble-Ship - Elwy Yost*, 3/5, 141 pages
This was a childhood favourite, so I figured it was time to reread it. It's still enjoyable, but I must admit it couldn't quite live up to my expectations. Interestingly enough in part because it was too short! There were so many possibilities for expanding the plot and adding details, but since it's a childrens book, most of these were left out.

I liked Billy and the Princess and would have liked to read more about them.

Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr, 3.5/5, ~10hrs
Another book in the long list of paranormal fantasy that has sprung up during the last years. I had no expectations at all about this one, but decided to give it a shot as I'd seen it around in book stores and then found it as an audiobook.

Actually, it's not half bad. I quite enjoyed it and was very gratified to see that the by now apparently compulsory love triangle didn't turn out Twilight'esque, but actually had a very agreeable resolution for once. It was a fun read, and I liked all the details about faeries.

Crystal Singer Omnibus - Anne McCaffrey*, 4.5/5, 1069 pages
This omnibus has the entire Crystal Singer trilogy ("The Crystal Singer", "Killashandra" and "The Crystal Line") in one book.

Over all, a 4.5-star trilogy, even though the first book is definitely the best. I guess I'd rate them 5, 4.5 and 4 respectively. I loved reading about how Killashandra learned how to cut crystal in the first one, and her relationship with Lars in the second.

I had this book recommended to me because I mentioned liking McCaffrey's Harper's Hall trilogy, so I assumed Crystal Singer would be similar to this trilogy in its atmosphere and descriptions of music. Not so at all! It took me awhile to shake my pre-conceived notions of the book. Not that I was disappointed, it was just disconcerting to expect to read about dragons and thread fall and instead read about spaceships and crystal cutters.

That said, I loved the book, as the rating indicates, and would recommend it to anybody who enjoys a good fantasy/sci-fi novel. Crystal singers have a long life-span but cutting also results in severe memory loss, which makes for some very interesting situations. It also made me think - if I knew I was likely to forget everything about my past and everybody I knew... how much effort would I go to to make recordings of my life? What would I willingly forget, and what would I want to remember?

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson, 4.5/5, 330 pages
I started this book with mixed expectations. One of my friends had LOVED it (all capital letters), another had thought it extremely overrated. As I usually trst recommendations from both people, I had no clue where on the scale I would end up. However, it kept popping up in discussions, reviews and on bookshelves, and the story fascinated me, so I decided I had to give it a chance.

It took me a bit to get into it - I've started to think that introductions should really be read last rather than first - but once I did, I was absolutely captivated. Greg Mortenson's story is extremely fascinating, and I'm deeply impressed by all that he does for the people of Pakistan. Also, it was really interesting to see the USA-Pakistan relationship from the Pakistani side of the fence.

I'm amazed by Tara's fortitude and bravery in letting Greg go off so often and for so long periods of time. I doubt I'd be able to do the same.

Three Cups... is in no way a literary masterpiece - it could definitely have profitted from a thorough editing - but it blew me away.

The Year of Living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs, 4/5, 332 pages
As a Christian who believes in a mostly* literal interpretation of the Bible, I found this memoir absolutely fascinating! First of all, it was interesting to see the Bible through a non-religious Jewish POV. And secondly it was fascinating to see anybody attempt to follow all the laws of both the Old and the New Testament.

I really enjoyed A.J. Jacobs' writing style, and was releaved to see how respectful his approach was. He actually ended up teaching me a thing or two about how to follow the Bible as well.

I've wanted to read this book for ages and was very gratified to see that it completely lived up to my expectations.

* There are some passages that are obviously meant to be taken figuratively - when Jesus calls the disciples "salt of the earth", He didn't actually mean they were made of NaCl ;)

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, 2.5/5, ~12hrs
I knew almost nothing about this book when I started it - nor even about the story actually - but it turned out to be very different from my expectations. I'd expected it to be somewhat similar to Dracula (although that one ended up being different from my expectations as well, but that was mostly because of the writing style), but the similarities were slim to none - which ended up being to the detriment of "Frankenstein". The writing wasn't as captivating, and the characters were either unlikable or just plain boring.

While I did find the story interesting enough to finish it, I have to admit, I didn't care for it much, and it puzzles me how it managed to obtain the rating of 'a classic'.

Dewey - Vicki Myron, 4/5, 304 pages
I think it's a bit of false advertising to say this is a book about Dewey, the library cat. It's more a book about Vicki Myron's life as it intersected with that of Dewey's. That didn't stop me from loving the book, and I laughed out loud several times, but the descriptions of Dewey's antics were definitely the best parts of the books, and I felt the rest was mostly filler stuff to make the book long enough.

It was very, very charming though, and the perfect read for a cozy afternoon. I think I would have adored Dewey if I'd ever had the chance to meet him.

Gone-Away Lake - Elizabeth Enright*, 5/5, 172 pages
This was one of my favourite books as a child, and I'm happy to say that it completely passed the test of time. It's just as charming as I remembered it, and Elizabeth Enright really made me feel like I knew the characters and I got to care for them.

Usually I can take or leave illustrations in a book, but the illustrations in my copy of the book (or rather, my mother's copy) - done by Beth and Joe Krush - are gorgeous, and really add to the story.

Garlic and Sapphires - Ruth Reichl, 5/5, 333 pages
One of the best foodie books I've read in a long time - even if I did get ridiculously hungry for good food while reading it. I do NOT recommend reading a couple of chapters and then going out to heat up left-overs :-/

The stories of a restaurant critic were fascinating to read, and the way she went about creating new characters as not to be recognized had me in stitches. I really enjoyed Ruth Reichl's writing style, and also liked the way she portrayed herself in this memoir - not arrogantly, but aware of her own mistakes and shortcomings.

Really brilliant book, even if it is perhaps a tad too old to be used as an accurate restaurant guide for NYC - more's the pity, as I'd have loved to try some of the restaurants she visited!

Knit Two - Kate Jacobs, 4/5, 235 pages
Not quite as good as "Friday Night Knitting Club", but then sequels seldom are. And it's still a very enjoyable and comforting read. As usual it made me want to knit, so I guess I'll have to go out and replenish my stash after all ;) But to me, its true merit is in the descriptions of the friendships between the women of the knitting club. From "Saving Graces" to "The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society" that aspect never ceases to appeal to me.

Return to Gone-Away - Elizabeth Enright*, 4.5/5, 145 pages
Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but then it is hard to improve on perfection ;) And it's still really excellent, and a wonderful comfort read, even if the plot isn't as interesting and a tad more repetative.

Man jager et bæst og fanger et menneske - Bent Isager-Nielsen, 5/5, 267 pages
(You Hunt a Beast and Catch a Human)
Henni has worked together with Bent Isager-Nielsen for several years, so when she recommended this memoir of his, I was very keen on reading it. It's a fascinating account of how the police actually works in order to solve a serious crime, and a reminder that usually the killer is not that different from me or you - he's just less well equipped to handle setbacks.

Bent Isager-Nielsen makes a strong case for gun control as well as a national resident registry. He credits these two things for the fact that Denmark has a resolution percentage of more than 95% for murder cases (in 2007 39 out of 40 murders were solved) and no known serial killers.

"You Hunt a Beast..." is almost impossible to put down, and I was intrigued by this look behind the scenes and insight in the techniques and technologies involved in police work. Definitely a book well worth reading!

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins, 4/5, 353 pages
As eager as I was to read this book, I have to admit it was a bit of a disappointment. I still liked it, and still had difficulties putting it down, but the series definitely decreases in quality as it goes along.

Mockingjay was less repetitive than Catching Fire, which was nice, but even without the hunger games, it was a lot darker than the two other books. Suzanne Collins still doesn't pull any punches, but here, for the first time, I felt that some of the punches were unnecessary and even pointless.

And once again an epilogue that sounded like it was solely tacked on to please the fans. I wasn't as invested in this series or the 'ships' though, so unlike "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", I didn't mind it - even if I did see it for the cheap trick is was ;)

Good Book - David Plotz, 4/5, 320 pages
Very interesting book, especially when read (like I did) on the heels of The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. I'm not sure what I would have thought of it if I hadn't been as familiar with the Old Testament though - I have a feeling it could get a bit difficult to follow otherwise, but I do think it would be a great (although occasionally irreverent) commentary to a read-through of the OT. I didn't always agree with David Plotz on his conclusions, but at the same time, he did occasionally manage to point things out to me that I'd never noticed before (e.g. that there are two sets of 10 Commandments found in Exodus - one in chapter 20 and one in chapter 34).

Good book for anybody interested in the Old Testament - no matter whether they'd consider themselves religious or not.

After finishing the book, I discovered that David Plotz is also the author of one of my favourite blogs, Blogging the Bible, which I should really have guessed, but I just never added 2 and 2 to get 4.

Diget - Teddy Vork, 2.5/5, 190 pages
(The Dike)
I'll admit it. I only read "Diget" ("The Dike") because I had to. It's not the type of book I'll usually pick up, but my publisher sent it to me for review, so pick it up I did. That said, it actually wasn't half bad. "Diget" was a mixture of Knud's experiences inside the dike, old legends and his experiences with the people of his village which worked surprisingly well. Until now I've only known Teddy Vork to write short stories, and "Diget" also mostly read like a collection of short stories, tied together by the red thread of Knud's imprisonment and attempts to get out. Generally it worked well, but there was a time or two where the connection was a bit too forced.

The end was very different from what I had expected, but actually worked a lot better than the ending I had envisioned.

Still, I think Teddy Vork is a better short story author than a novel author, and while good, "Diget" didn't quite live up to the expectations his short stories had caused me to have.

Babysitters Club 250 pages
Only one this month - I'm slacking off obviously!

Book of the month: Hard choice, as there were SO many good ones this month, I think I'd have to say Garlic and Sapphires thought. Really interesting.
Biggest disappointment: Frankenstein. I'd expected more.

Book Blogger Hop - TBR shelf

This week the Book Blogger Hop asks: How many books do you have on your "to be read shelf"?

I can't help but laugh at the thought of having just one TBR shelf! (Or even more - a TBR pile!) My owned, unread books take up 3 shelves, double stacked and at last count I had 153 books on those shelves... and that's not counting all the books on my TBR-list that I don't own.

TBR - Owned fiction
TBR - Owned Non-fiction

My Top Ten YA

This list was really hard to make for two reasons. The first being that quite a number of my favourite YA are Danish books, which I decided not to include in this list, as it's more fun if you actually know the books I'm talking about ;) The second is that... well, what qualifies as YA? Some are obvious, of course, but others might just as easily be classified as children's books or as books for adults. I've tried to limit myself from taking any that are borderline - keeping the questionably young ones for "Top 10 Childrens Books" which I'm also certain will show up at some point ;)

I decided not to repeat books from my comfort reads list, so that excluded Alanna and Harper's Hall Also, I decided to limit myself to only one book per author.

And as always when I make lists such as these, I have the distinct feeling that I've forgotten some really obvious books, that for some reason chose this moment to completely elude both my memory AND my list at goodreads! Go figure ;) Also, I almost feel like I should only include books I've read more than once, so I know they're actually worth while, and I didn't just get overly excited on my first read-through. I don't reread nearly as much now as I used to though, so I feel like I'd limit myself far too much if I chose to do that. Still, with the exception of two, these are all regular rereads.

Top Ten YA Novels (in no particular order)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

I wavered between this one and Goblet of Fire - both are good, for very different reasons, but HPPS was more magical in that it was the first of the lot and thus my introduction to the series. I know it has received a lot of flack, but it started out being one of the best series I'd read in a very, very long time. Unfortunately J.K. Rowling couldn't quite perform under pressure, so the later books aren't as good, but the first four were excellent!

The Giver - Lois Lowry

One of those books I'd have to exclude if I only allowed myself to pick rereads, but I have to include this one! I can't rightly explain why, but it blew me away. I loved the universe described and the entire atmosphere of the book. Unfortunately the two companion novels didn't quite live up to my expectations, but this one was amazing! One of the rare books that I borrowed to read and then immediately went out and bought it.

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

I realize the ridicule I'm opening myself to by including this book on my list, but honestly, there have been few YA books that have ever grabbed so completely hold of me, so I would be lying if I didn't mention it... even if it does make me sad that I feel like I have to defend it ;). I'm not claiming it's high literature, and I can see its flaws, but I love it regardless and end up completely disappearing into the universe whenever I read it. I wavered between Twilight, Eclipse and The Host - this one "won" by virtue of being the one I've read the most times and again by being my introduction to a new series/author.

Anne of the Island - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Quite possibly my favourite of the Anne books. She doesn't get into as many embarrassing scrapes as in AoGG, and I love reading about her schooling, and her life at Patty's place. I really need to reread that entire series sometime soon!

First Test - Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce is one of my all-time favourite authors, so I couldn't leave her off this list, just because I'd already used Alanna elsewhere. First Test is the first book of my second-favourite series of hers - I've always liked the Tortal ones best. While part of me misses the magic, another part of me is happy to finally see a "normal" heroine, who gets through based on her ingenuity alone.

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

I greatly enjoy dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels (I tend to use the words interchangably), and thankfully this was no exception. The first one was definitely the best in the series, but actually I enjoyed all of them :) I know many people got frustrated with the vocabulary Scott Westefeld used among the characters ("happy-making", bubbly etc.), but I actually really liked it, and thought it added to the atmosphere.

Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Dore Boylston

This has been one of my favourite series for the past 18 years! I've never wanted to be a doctor or a nurse myself, but I've always been fascinated by descriptions of their lives, and loved reading about Sue's experiences in nursing school. There's no great depth in the series, but it's just comfortable and cozy. Especially the first three books of the series I return to again and again.

Winter of Fire - Sherryl Jordan

Dystopian/fantasy - so basically a mix of my two favourite genres. I was introduced to Sherryl Jordan while living in New Zealand, and was immediately taken by her. I've enjoyed just about everything I've ever read by her, but this and Rocco have always been my two favourites. I like this one just a tad more, as I think the universe is more well-rounded.

Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

(a.k.a. "The Golden Compass") I never really took to the two other books in the series, but this first one blew me away. I vividly remember diving into it one Boxing Day not too many years ago, and not coming up for air until I finished it several hours later. No matter the quality of a book, if it swallows me up like that, I'm bound to love it, and will think of it fondly ever after (says the 30-year-old...). The compass especially fascinates me, and it's one of the few things I think they did get right in the movie. The series is accused of being anti-Christian, but I've never seen it, and will happily read it and recommend it :)

Min ven, Thomas - Kirsten Holst

Okay, I caved. I had to add just one Danish book to this list. Mostly because no YA list would ever be complete for me without it. Min ven, Thomas ("My friend, Thomas") is the coming-of-age book in Denmark (at least it used to be when I was that age). You follow a 16-year-old boy through the last years of high school, his falling in love with a class-mate and his sexual debut, his relationship with friends and family, and his discovering that his best friend is gay and is slowly dying from AIDS. It's extremely well-written and tragic and life-affirming at the same time. I haven't read it in years, but it used to be one of my favourite books, and one of the ones I'd get out of the library again and again until I finally decided to just get it over with and purchase it for myself ;)

July Reads - 20 Books

Wicked - Gregory Maguire, 3/5, 454 pages
I'd heard very, very mixed reviews of this book, but absolutely loved the musical, and was intrigued by the book, so decided to give it a shot anyway. As the rating indicates, I found it fairly average - not as bad as I'd feared (low expectations always help), but not as good as I'd hoped either. The musical is definitely far superior, and they've changed the plot quite a bit, as the book is a lot darker and sadder. I still liked it through, and while I doubt I'll read more of Maguire's Oz books, I'm glad I've read this one.

The Man Who Tasted Shapes - Richard E. Cytowic, 2.5/5, 182 pages
Half interesting, half very dry and occasionally boring. Richard Cytowic is obviously very interested in synaesthesia - what causes it, how it is manifested in different people, whether or not you can track it by scanning the brain etc. - but his book isn't really meant for non-medical readers. I was fascinated by the experiments and the discoveries, but there was a LOT of medical babble that I had no interest in at all, and ended up just skimming.

A non-fiction that reads too much like a textbook for me to enjoy it as "casual reading".

84 Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff, 5/5, 230 pages
This edition contains both 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, and I'm glad, because I don't think either would have been complete without the other.

I had this book recommended to me because I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I can definitely see how the later was probably inspired by this one, but apart from a similar start, the two books are very different in both genre and atmosphere.

The book is labelled "an unmitigated delight from cover to cover" by the Daily Telegraph, and I would have to agree, although for me the real charm came in the diary that makes up The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street rather than in the letters that make up 84 Charing Cross Road (the last four letters did bring tears to my eyes though). It was such a delight to follow Helene Hanff's pure joy in finally getting to visit London - especially since I knew many of the sites she visited.

It did surprise me how many fans she made through 84CCR though. Certainly, it is good, but I think it would be a book I'd soon forget, if it wasn't for the follow-up. I was very surprised by how short it was too! Not even 100 pages.

It's well worth reading though. Very charming and very enjoyable. I finished it in a day.

Rumo - Walter Moers, 4.5/5, 688 pages
Walter Moers is a fairly new discovery, but so far I've loved everything I've read by him. This was no exception, although it started out a lot more slowly than the other books, so took me longer to get thoroughly hooked. However, by the time Rumo made it to Wolperting, there was no looking back.

I love Walter Moers' quirky humour, and the way he lets the book medium help him tell a story and set an atmosphere. Rumo was a lot darker than the two other books, and it seemed like Walter Moers tried to combine more plotlines and tangents than he perhaps should have. The reasons for some of the digressions sometimes didn't become obvious until several hundreds of pages later.

A terrific book, and I came to care a lot for the characters and the universe both. Fortunately I still have one Zamonian book left to read.

Dystopia - Dennis Jürgensen*, 5/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
Dystopia is one of those amazing fantasy books, that - though I remember I love them - I forget from time to time just HOW good they are. I love the universe that Dennis Jürgensen creates, and the detail he puts into the description of it.

Even though I more or less know the story by heart by now, I still lose myself completely in the universe of Dystopia, and the fates of the eudaimons and the two humans. It's the age-old fight between good and evil, but with some delightful twists that make it seem new and original.

Unfortunately it's never been translated into English. It's well worth learning Danish to read it though! ;)

The Physician - Noah Gordon*, 5/5, 720 pages
I think this is the 5th or 6th time I read this, and I enjoy it every bit as much as on my first read-through. It's a long book, but there's a reason for the length, as it allows the author (and the reader!) to dwell on the atmosphere of the different places Cole visits, on the things he learn and on the people he meet. Not that it's slow-moving - quite the contrary, I have a very hard time putting it down once I've started it.

I don't know much about England or Persia in the 11th century, so I have no idea how accurate the descriptions are, but they fascinate me nonetheless, and I love reading about the life of a physician of that era.

It's one of those rare books that draw me in completely, and where I have a very hard time letting it go even after I've turned the last page.

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader - Anne Fadiman, 4.5/5, 162 pages
I love books about books, so when a friend recommended this as one of the best of the genre, I knew I had to pick it up. And it didn't disappoint.

Ex Libris is a charming essay collection all about books, reading and the love of both. As something of a bibliophile myself, I could very easily relate to Anne Fadiman's experiences, and was delighted to see some of my own thoughts echoed in her writing.

Dragonfly - Julia Golding*, 5/5, 354 pages
A gorgeous fantasy novel with lots of humour, romance and action. I was especially intrigued by how Tashi and Ramil not only had to learn how to get along, but had to learn to accept the traditions and culture of each other's countries.

And I was totally taken in by Tashi's self-appointed protector Gordoc, who in his simple-mindedness often ended up more insightful than all of his so-called 'knowledgeable' friends.

Lies - Michael Grant, 4/5, 502 pages
A fascinating continuation to the series. This book had a very interesting twist that once again has me wondering how many books are left in the series. Also, I'm starting to think that the series will soon start to get tedious/repetative if Michael Grant lets it go on for too much longer.

Aaanyway, for now the series is still interesting and captivating. It is not a comfortable read, but I'd come to expect that, so it didn't freak me out as much as the two first books in the series. I did feel that there were some threads that were just left hanging from the earlier books. The Human Crew was such a big part of Hunger but hardly touched upon at all in this one. On the other hand, I did like seeing something of a resolution to the tensions between Sam, Astrid and the Committee.

The fourth book is coming out in 2011, and after that, there are another 2 to go.

Mistwood - Leah Cypess, 4.5/5, 300 pages
I was oddly taken with this book from the very start, and have no idea why it took me so long to read, other than that I'd keep getting sidetracked by other books.

Mistwood is a fun and more classic fairytale/fantasy novel than most common publications. It got back to the basics of the genre, and I actually found it a refreshing change. Also, I liked that it kept me guessing, and I never could figure out what was up with the Shifter.

It's a very charming story, that I was sad to leave behind me. I would like to hope that it's part of a series, but it does very much seem like a stand-alone book... which in itself is a refreshing change for the fantasy genre ;)

Hævnens gudinde - Sara Blædel, 4/5, 420 pages
(Goddess of Revenge)
Just like many of Sara Blædel's other books, Goddess of Revenge is slow to start, but once it picks up, it's well worth the effort. This one especially because I loved the secondary plot-line of Louise's issues with getting used to having a foster son.

Sara Blædel is good at introducing believable twists to the story that neither seem forced nor are spotted a mile away (not by me anyway!). Her writing is tight, and any small detail is likely to be picked up again later in the book.

The book very obviously paves the way for a 6th book in the series which would be fine by me!

The Singer of All Songs - Kate Constable, 4/5, 297 pages
A friend recommended this series to me, and I was fascinated by the idea of singing spells, and having music be part of the magic, so I immediately went out and got it out of the library. Fortunately, it did not disappoint, and had I read it as a kid, I think it could easily have become a fast favourite.

The story itself was nothing out of the ordinary, and did occasionally come across as a bit rushed, but it was charming and I really got to care for Calwyn.

Unfortunately the copy I'd gotten hold of was rather poor quality, so the map was almost illegible, which did frustrate me a bit as I tried to follow their wanderings, but really - that's nitpicking!

Hell and a Loving God - Claus Tondering*, 5/5, 122 pages
I have read this book several times since I first got my hands on it, and now wanted to read the English version.

I won't claim to understand everything about hell - far from it - and there are still things that make no sense at all to me, but this book has given me a greater understanding for how the idea of a loving God can be combined with the horrors of Hell.

Babysitters Club, 1050 pages total
Only 7 this month.

Book of the month: 84 Charing Cross Road. Very charming book! Thanks !
Biggest disappointment: The Man Who Tasted Shapes. I'm very interested in the topic, but was bored by the book.

Currently Reading...

A common question I often get asked is, "So, what are you reading at the moment?" Sounds like an easy question, right? Yet my answer very much depends on who asks, and how long an answer I think they're looking for ;)

See, I'm never reading just one book. I know there are readers who can't cope with (or simply don't want to) read more than one book at a time. I'm the complete opposite. I can't cope with ONLY reading one book. I think a typical average number would be somewhere between 4 and 6.

Exceptions to the rule are when I'm off on vacation - there I usually only read one book at a time. Don't know why, other than that it would be too much of a hassle to bring along THAT many books ;)

There are several reasons for why I read several books at a time. The first (although this is not quite as true as it used to be) is thta I get bored with reading just one book at a time. I need variation, so though there are days where I honestly only do pick up one book, I usually read a bit of at least 3 on any given day.

The second reason is that I need different books for different occasions! So generally it's not that I feel like reading and then arbitrarily decide which book to turn to - it all depends on the time of day, where I am, and what I'll be doing while reading. I don't want to lug around heavy books on commute, and I obviously have to pick an audiobook for 'reading' while doing the dishes.


So! In case you're wondering what I'm reading and the moment and why, I'm here to satisfy your curiosity!

Book 1: The "for my entertainment" book
There is usually one book that I consider my "main" read. Either this is because it is the book I'm most interested in reading just now, or it's because it's the one I need to finish first (in the case of an ARC or a library book that has to be turned in soon). If I don't think you really care about all the details, this is my stock answer to the "What are you reading" question.
The Physician by Noah Gordon
A reread - I think it's the 5th or 6th time I'm reading this. I love historical novels, and though I have no clue at all how accurate it is, I still find it fascinating. I'm currently debating whether or not to continue with Shaman once I finish. They're LONG books though (700+ pages), so they take awhile to get through - even for me ;)

Book 2: The audiobook
Ever since I discovered audiobooks, I've had one on my mp3-player to listen to on my bike ride to and from work. If it's an interesting enough book, I'll also have it on while shopping, doing dishes or other mindless chores. Audiobooks can't be too heavy, as I can't give them my full concentration all the time.
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
One of those books I saw ALL the time on "Paranormal" book tables in book stores. I found it on audible and decided to give it a try, and it's actually not half bad. Quite entertaining, and not nearly as predictable as most books of that ilk.

Book 3: The commute book
Though I usually bike to and from work, sometimes I get lazy or the weather is too bad or my bike's in the shop, and I have to take public transportation. Of course I have to have a book for that occasion too! Ever since I got my e-reader, it's been an ebook, as they're so much easier to lug around :)
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Though this has mostly received bad reviews from my friends, I've been intrigued by it ever since before I saw the musical. I decided I might as well give it a shot, and am actually enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I only have another 150-200 pages to go, so I'm pretty sure I'll finish it.

Book 4: The book I HAVE to read but simply can't get through
This is usually a book I have to review, a book for a book club, or a book that I for whatever other reason feel like I have to get through, but which doesn't hold my attention enough to end up in the "Book 1" category. So I set myself a set number of pages a day/week and plod my way through it as best I can.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
I received this as an ARC as it's being considered for translation into Danish, but really can't make myself read it. I'm only a couple of pages in, but so far nothing about it appeals to me - not the writing style, not the characters, not the plot. I'll give it another 30-40 pages and then tell my publishers I had to give up. Thank goodness for that "boredom-clause" in my contract! :D

Book 5: The Book I WANT to read, but have currently abandoned
The book I have no real reason for not getting on with, but due to the other books being slightly more interesting (or more pressing), it's been put on the back burner.
The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic
A slightly more scientific approach to synesthecia. It's interesting enough that I want to finish it, but unfortunately not interesting enough (and a tad too dry) to hold my attention. It's a library book though, so I have to finish by August 2nd. I may or may not give up - haven't completely decided yet.
If you've read this, and can let me know whether or not it's worth pushing through, I'd love to hear it!

Book 6: The inspirational book for mornings
That elaboration should become apparent in a minute ;) I try to hold a morning devotional every weekday morning, and read an inspirational book for about 10 minutes.
The Hippopotamus in the Living Room by Tommy Hellsten
Yes, I know it's usually called "The elephant in the living room", but it's not my fault that's not what the title is! An interesting book about children who've grown up with abusive and/or alcoholic parents.

Book 7: The inspirational book for evenings
And there you have the explanation ;) I try to read a few pages in bed each evening before going to sleep.
The Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Gretchen Rubin went on and on about this autobiography in her book, so I became intrigued and went out and bought it. I'm not that far into it yet, but so far I like it. It's interesting.

Book 8: The Bible
Hopefully selfexplanatory. I try to read a bit of the Bible as often as possible. At the moment I'm reading the Psalms for my morning devotion, and we're reading Galatians for Bible study.

Of course I don't always have books for every one of these categories. Books 1, 2, 6 and 8 I'll have at any given moment (although sometimes 6, 7 and 8 - or any two of those - will be the same book), but the others come and go as circumstances demand. Just a lucky coincidence that I actually have all 8 at the time of posting this! :D

June Reads - 29 Books

I didn't go quite as nuts with BSC books this month - down from 49 to just 15! Which probably also accounts for the total number of books read.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer, 2.5/5, 323 pages
This is a really, really weird book. I still haven't quite decided what I think of it. I can see its literary merit, but I guess it just didn't appeal to me at all. I did like the way Jonathan Foer used the medium to tell the story though. I always appreciate it when authors dare use the book as more than just something to carry the words. However, the writing style did come across as very artsy at times. Not necessarily a bad thing (Milan Kundera does the same, and I rather liked his The Unbearable Lightness of Being), but completely different from what I had expected, so I wasn't prepared for it. However, it wouldn't surprise me if this becomes the kind of book people study in high school 5-10 years from now.

I'm glad I've read it, but I'm also glad I just got it out of the library rather than buy it, as I doubt it's a book I'd want to read again.

The Monsters of Otherness - Kaza Kingsley, 4.5/5, 320 pages
The second book about Erec Rex, and I think I might even like this a tad more than the first book. The first book tired to introduce too much of a new universe too quickly, which made the start rather cluttered. This sequel didn't suffer from that issue, meaning that the plot was a lot cleaner and got started much faster.

Of course the story is rather predictable, but it's well-written and fun! I like the main characters, and loved hearing about the tasks Erec had to fulfill in order to become a king -- even if he did only manage the first 2 in this book. I'm already looking forward to reading the next!

My Sergei - Ekaterina Gordeeva, 3.5/5, 187 pages
I picked this up because I'm fascinated by figure skating, and thought it sounded really interesting. And it was in parts, but unfortunately Ekaterina Gordeeva is obviously not a writer, so certain sections of the book were rather clunky making the emotions difficult to relate to.

Two things really affected my experience of the book though. The first was discovering that I may actually have seen Ekaterina and Sergie perform 'live'! At least I remember my mum taking my sister and me to an international skating competition back when I was a teen, and it might very well have been the 1994 World Championship in Copenhagen.

The second was thanks to modern technology - about halfway through the book, I realized that many of the competitions mentioned would probably be on YouTube. Honestly, it was a really, really odd feeling to read about a program, and then sit down to watch it on the computer - especially knowing that Sergei died rehearing for just such a competition.

It was a surprisingly slow read, but well worth the time spent on it.

The Gift of Fear - Gavin de Becker, 4/5, 300 pages
Very engagingly written. I found the subject interesting, and the language easy to read (meaning that it wasn't as dry and technical as it could have been). Hopefully I'll never have to put any of this theory into practise, and Becker himself said that the book was more relevant for people in the US than anywhere else.

What I found especially fascinating about the book was the view it gave the reader into the psyche of violent people - how there are always warning signs, how a person never "just snaps" and how to trust one's instincts. For that reason alone, I found the first half of the book most interesting, and it more thoroughly focused on what to look for. The last chapters was more made up of examples met by Becker's firm than case studies the average Jane could learn from.

I guess you could accuse the book of fearmongering, and I probably wouldn't recommend it to somebody already suffering from an anxiety disorder, but Becker does make a case for not worrying unnecessarily, and I guess that's what it all boils down to.

A very quick read, which I found difficult to put down.

It Must've Been Something I Ate - Jeffrey Steingarten, 3.5/5, 320 pages
An amusing collection of food-related essays. Like in almost all essay collections there were some I laughed at, some I found interesting, and some I couldn't relate to at all. Steingarten does have a very entertaining writing style, but I must admit that I didn't care much about his adventures when going fishing or the quest for finding the perfect original French cuisine restaurant.

On the other hand, I loved reading about his research of chocolate (who wouldn't!), his taste experiments of salt and coffee, and the description of how to make the perfect bread and pizza crust.

A fun read, and each essay only takes about 10-15 minutes to get through.

A Moment of Weakness - Karen Kingsbury, 3.5/5, 433
I honestly don't really know how to rate or review this book. There were parts of it I loved, and parts where I just wanted to throw the book across the room. I think I'll have to try something new, and do a review in bullet form.

Things I Liked
* The childhood friendship between Jade and Tanner. Very sweet.
* Jade's reaction to meeting God. Brought tears to my eyes.
* Jade and Tanner's friendship 'that summer'.
* Jade and Ty's relationship
* The 'conversations' with God. I always wish I could hear Him that clearly.

Things I Disliked
* The heavy, heavy, HEAVY forshadowing. It almost made me give up on the book already on page 70!
* The blatant moralizing.
* How the evil people were evil, with no remedying qualities.
* The unrealistic judge and courtcase (at least I hope both were unrealistic!).
* Worst of all - how things just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, and you could see that it was going to continue downhill (thanks to the lovely forshadowing mentioned above), until finally everything was resolved lickity-split and (as also mentioned above) in a very unrealistic manner. When you end up saying, "Oh, come ON!" as you read the final pages - it is not a good sign.

I don't know if this is standard for Karen Kingsbury, or just specific to this book, so I am going to give her a second chance, because as cringe-worthy as the bad things were, I LOVED the good things, so did end up finding it slightly more good than bad.

Halfway to Forever - Karen Kingsbury, 4.5/5, 339 pages
I'm glad I decided to give Karen Kingsbury a second chance, because I LOVED Halfway to Forever. It had all the good points of A Moment of Weakness and none (or only very few) of the bad ones. I do realize that this means I'll have to read more by her to figure out which is the rule and which is the exception ;-)

Halfway to Forever is a wonderful book about trusting God through adversity, and listening to Him, even when He seems far away. It's probably too in-your-face for a non-Christian, but an excellent reminder for a Christian. It's a sad book though. The adversity the main characters encounter is pretty severe, and I cried buckets while reading (good thing I was home alone!), but it was also very, very beautiful and reaffirming.

She's the One - Gregory Gilderman, 2.5/5, 189 pages
I don't know how I managed this, but I'd gotten completely the wrong impression about this book. I'd somehow been lead to expect that it was a Christian relationship book (probably by myself), and was therefore quite surprised to discover that that was definitely not the case.

Rather, it's a book for 20-30 year-old single women, whom the author think are being mislead by the media and he therefore wants to tell them what men really want.

So really not at all relevant for somebody who's been married for 7 years. Sure, there were some few pieces of advice I could use (e.g. a chapter on fighting, which was actually quite an eye-opener), but in general I read it more for its entertainment value than anything else.

Thankfully it did have that. Gregory Gilderman knows how to write catchy essays, and while I'm not always sure he's representative of "Average Joe", he's probably right more often than he's wrong.

So if you're single and looking for some light-hearted advice, I'd pick it up, but if you're in a committed relationship, I'd give it a miss.

The Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Emmuska Orczy, 4/5, ~8hrs
I'd seen a movie version of this ages ago, but remembered nothing of it other than the "They seek him here, they seek him there" rhyme and that I rather enjoyed it, so when I discovered that one of my favourite Librivox readers had recorded it, I decided to try it out.

And it's quite good. Nothing that blew me away, but definitely an enjoyable read. Quite predictable - I either guessed or subconsciously remembered all the twists - but as it wasn't exactly a whodunnit, that didn't bother me.

Who Do I Lean On? - Neta Jackson, 5/5, 358 pages
Neta Jackson never fails to inspire me through her books, and thankfully this third book in the House of Hope series was no exception. Though I did still occasionally want to shake Gabby for her bad choices, she had come far enough to realize her mistakes herself, before they got her in too much trouble.

Phillip was at his most likeable here, and I was grateful for this glimpse into the person he used to be - until now it had been difficult to understand why Gabby ever married him in the first place. Here we got to see behind his ambition to the person he could be.

I did think the Lee story line was much too easily resolved though. It seemed a bit too convenient - I would have liked to see Gabby come to a decision by herself, rather than being forced into it by an ultimatum.

But as always Neta Jackson delivered an AMAZING story that made me ache to be part of that kind of Christian fellowship myself.

I read the book in one sitting, and stayed up until 2am to finish it. Unfortunately the next (and last) book in the series won't be out until March 2011.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer, 3/5, 152 pages
To be honest, I wasn't sure I even wanted to read this novella. Everybody who's read Eclipse knows what's going to happen to Bree - why would I want to get to know and find sympathy for somebody I knew would die in the end?

And I have to admit, even after having read it, that's still my thought. This is NOT a novella for people who want happy endings - or even just closure. It was interesting enough, but I found myself much less engaged than usual, probably because I didn't care - and didn't want to care. The reason I still gave it a rating of 3, is that I can clearly see that this isn't the fault of the book.

I still love the Twilight saga, but I doubt I'm ever going to reread this.

Frygt - Helene Tegtmeier, 2.5/5, 192 pages
(Fear)
Not a very pleasant book, and I'm very dubious as to how realistic it was. That's usually not a problem, but I'm pretty sure this book was supposed to be realistic, which was unfortunate. I think the book would have benefitted from being longer, so not quite as much had to happen in as short a span of pages. The plot could easily have been stretched another 100 pages, as long as the author was competent enough to fill out the details. I'm not entirely sure that would have been the case though.

Idol Musings - Various, 4/5, 644 pages
I don't think the thrill of reading my own name in print is ever going to get old :-D

This collection of Idol Musings is very representative of the competition. Some entries made me laugh, some made me cry, some left me cold, and some made me sit back with a feeling that all is right with the world.

I doubt the book will register on the radar of people who haven't either participated in the writing competition themselves, or know some of the contributers, and that's a shame, because there's a lot of really, really good writing in there.

It's not a book I can sit down and read from A-Z, but for a few essays here and there, it's a pure treat.

Too Busy Not To Pray - Bill Hybel, 5/5, 180 pages
Somebody recommended this book to me many years ago. I no longer remember who, and I'm not even sure I got the right book, as Jo Carro has also written one with the exact same title. However, I'd been utterly unable to find that one, and the library had this one, so I'm going to claim this was it! ;)

Besides, even if it wasn't, I'm SO glad I've read it. Bill Hybels tackles some of the large issues about praying - how to pray, when to pray (scheduled prayer time is just as important as spontaneous prayer), why some prayers are answered and others aren't, and that listening is just as important a part of praying as talking is.

Very thought-provoking, very inspiring and very interesting, even if Bill Hybels didn't always touch on the topics that are most relevant to me: I have no doubt at all that God is able to provide whatever miracle I'm praying for - I wonder if he's going to. I know that listening is an important part of prayer - I just don't know how to, as my mind is always too busy with other things. He did have some practical advice though, which I'm going to try to follow.

A highly recommendable book, which I think I need to own for myself so I can underline stuff.

Babysitters Club, Babysitters Club Super Special
Not quite as many this month. Only another 15 books read. It's very obvious that the quality deteriorates the further into the series I get.

Book of the month: A tie between Too Busy Not to Pray and Who Do I Lean On?. Both were amazing.
Biggest disappointment: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I'd expected SO much more of it!

My Top Ten Comfort Reads

Stolen shamelessly from Giraffe Days. I have a feeling I'm going to be ganking a lot of "Top Ten" book lists from her :-)

I am big on comfort reads. If I'm feeling out of sorts, I turn to books first and foremost (well... not quite, but first out of material things anyway). I read when I'm bored, I read when I'm sad, I read when I desperately need to be distracted.

In those cases (well, not so much bored, but the other two), it's important that it's a book that won't have any triggers, and won't make me even more sad. In those cases, it's good to turn to the tried and tested and much loved ones. But of course I don't have to be sad or blue to pick up a comfort read... sometimes I just feel like re-reading a favourite book!

As for the definition of a comfort read... well, really, I'm just going to quote Giraffe Days there:

What is a comfort read? That's an easy one. It's a book that, no matter your mood, you can snuggle down with. A book that you know, because you've read it before, has the power to absorb you, de-stress you, shine a little light on your soul for however long. It's a book where the characters are like family, a book that has associations and memories for you - good ones. A book that's like your best friend, like a cuddly old jumper that you will never throw out no matter how tattered it becomes.

A comfort read is, quite simply, a book you read to comfort yourself with. You know what happens but that's never a problem. It's the characters and the story that you love, like a favourite movie or comforting song. And, for me, I think it needs a happy ending. I want to be left with that feeling of wholeness that is happiness.

My Top Ten Comfort Reads


The Blue Castle - Lucy Maud Montgomery
I can't remember when Mum first introduced me to this book, but I can't have been much older than 13-14, and I think I've probably read it about once a year since then. It fits all the hall-marks of a comfort read - humour, cozy descriptions, romance and - of course - a happy ending. Although this one is perhaps a little contrived ;)

But generally, almost everything LMM wrote would fit the bill of a comfort read, especially the first four and the last Anne book (a comfort read may be sad in the middle, as long as it has a happy ending!), Jane of Lantern Hill, and Emily of New Moon.


Little House... - Laura Ingalls Wilder
I know it's not one book, but it might as well be, as I seldom read just one :) Although truth be told, I do tend to skip Little House on the Prairie. It's just not nearly as interesting as the others.

My favourites are Little House in the Big Woods (although I'll often skip Father's stories), Farmer Boy, Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years. I realise I just listed almost half of the series, but that just goes to show that it might as well be one book, with me reading favourite chapters ;)

I love all the descriptions of how the Ingalls (and Wilder) family lived, I love all the good food descriptions (even if it does make me terribly hungry!), I know the Ingalls family so very well by now, and love 'visiting' them, and it's just generally a nice series of a simpler time, with people generally being nice to each other. I know the latter is probably fabricated, or written through rose-tinted glasses, but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of it in the slightest.

I've read at least one book in this series yearly since I was 10.


Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind
I first read this in 1997 by recommendation of Christian (my BIL), and have already read it many, many times. It doesn't fit the usual definition of a comfort book, as it has some very unpleasant scenes, but this is where I have to resort to the definition above - it has the power to absorb me, it de-stresses me, and it holds good memories for me. At a time where my life was closed to be turned upside down it was the only book that could hold my attention long enough to read it (and even so, it doesn't now have bad connotations, because I'd already read it so many times by then). It's by far the best book in the series, and draws me in completely.

It's one of those books I really have to be careful not to start reading during the week, because I won't want to stop neither to go to sleep or to go to work.


Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
Another comfort read that includes some very unpleasant scenes. But the thing is, I know they're there, and I know it all works out in the end, so it doesn't matter terribly that I have to read them.

Again it's a book that draws me in completely. Again it's a book with humour and romance, and again it's a book that offers nice descriptions of how people lived, worked, cooked etc. Apparently such descriptions often occur in my comfort reads ;)

I was very, very unimpressed by the latest kerfuzzle surrounding the author and her views on fanfiction, and lost a lot of respect for her because of that. However, I love the books separate from my feelings about the author, so this still counts as one of my comfort reads.


The Yada Yada Prayer Group - Neta Jackson
This is probably one of the most comfortable comfort reads on my list. Reading this book (well, the entire series actually) is like coming home. I love the characters and am interested in their lives. These books have done more for my Christian life than any other book I've ever read - non-fiction and fiction both - and yet, despite being challenging, they're also comforting, and I'll happily dive into one and not come out of it again until the last page has been turned.


Alanna - Tamora Pierce
The Song of the Lioness was my introduction to fantasy (other than Narnia), so even if nothing else, I'd have to love it for that. Thankfully, the book itself turned out to be wonderful, and quickly made its way to being one of my favourites, and being a lovely comfort read.

Like I've already mentioned, I like descriptions of a person's life - this goes double for life at school (which you'll also see from the next book), so following Alanna's education is absolutely fascinating to me.


Dragonsinger - Anne McCaffrey
One of my very first internet friends recommended Harper's Hall trilogy to me. Fortunately the library had it, so I got them out, and was immediately hooked! Life at Harper's Hall was extremely fascinating to me, and I so desperately wanted to go there myself (even if I'm no where NEAR musically talented enough, but ah well). Humour - check, friendship - check, descriptions of school life - check, evil people getting their just desserts - check, lots and lots of lovely music - check. Oh, and it's short enough that I can read it in just over an hour. That's not a requirement for a comfort read (as you can see from some of the other books on this list), but it does make it handy for when I don't want a long dive, but just a quick dip.


Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Another series where I really can't pick just one. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is probably my favourite, but it's also the one I know the best, so I don't have the same need to reread it. I LOVE the part of Prince Caspian where the children first realise they've come back to Narnia, but the rest isn't as terrific. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is just lovely, but I miss Peter and Susan.

But they're all comfort reads. Lucy, Edmund, Susan, Peter, Caspian, Tumnus... they're all old friends, and I fully expect Heaven to be something like Narnia - talking animals and all! :)


Singularity - William Sleator
If Alanna was my introduction to fantasy, then this was my introduction to sci-fi. It's not your standard comfort book, as the plot itself is rather uncomfortable in places, but I'd still rate it as such, because of my familiarity of it. Also, I like that it makes me think, and the way it draws me into the universe so completely, that I occasionally have to shake myself to get back to reality and that I have just lived a year in the span of a night.

My love for this book cannot be explained. It's completely unlike most books I love, but it's fantastic.

The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay
No list of comfort books would be complete without a mention of The Rosary. I think this is possibly the most beautiful book I've ever read. The plot is fairly standard, and while both sweet and romantic, it's of the type that's a dime a dozen. No, it's the writing that really makes this book. Ms. Barclay has a way with words that is unlike almost any other I've ever encountered (with the possible exception of LMM).

So add beautiful writing, amusing scenes and a romantic story and you end up with a very happy Maria :)

I've stayed away from Danish books, as most people here wouldn't know them anyway. That's NOT to say there aren't some wonderful Danish comfort reads out there, and if you're able to read Danish, you should definitely go pick up some books by Estrid Ott :D