Read-a-thon: I finished my third book! (Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys by Francesca Lia Block)

Oh it's getting hard here, but I'm still enjoying reading so I'm holding on. It's almost 2 a.m and it's time for some pot noodles and a mini-review update.

This is the third book in the Dangerous Angel series. I loved Weetzie Bat and Witch Baby so I had no doubt I would adore this one too. I was right.
There's something about Francesca Lia Block's writing that belongs to a magical world. I think she's a fairy in disguise, or she must have known a hippy fairy once who taught her to write like this. This book feels like a urban magic tale. Just read this passage, about Cherokee and Raphael, after making love for the first time:

"It was different. It was light-filled red waves braking on a beach again and again - a salt-stung fullness. It was being the waves and riding the waves. The bed lifted, the house and the lawn and the garden and the street and the night, one ocean rocking them, tossing them, an ocean of liquid coral roses."

Liquid coral roses...how does she come up with these images?
All her writing reads like a beautiful, colourful and shimmering poem. Or a song about young love, and young fears, about music and jealousy and the excitement of creating something powerful but dangerous as well.
I'm happy there's still two books to read, I could never get enough of this!

Read-a-thon: second book down! (Oranges in no man's land by Elizabeth Laird)

I can't believe it's already hour 9! I'm getting slightly sleepy but no way I'm going to sleep soon, I still lots of reading ahead. I had a lovely microwaveable dinner of turkey with mash, carrots and stuffing, and now I'm sipping my first cup of coffee. Time for my second update!

What a great short read Oranges in no man's land was! I knew I was going to like Elizabeth Laird. Just looking at the books she has written makes me love her. A Little Piece of ground set in Palestine. Or Kiss the Dust set in Iraq. And this in Lebanon during the civil war. She writes for children about difficult matters, that even adults feel uncomfortable about. Judging by this short wonderful story, she does it with a lot of heart and intelligence.
Oranges in no man's land is the story of Ayesha, a ten year-old girl living in Beirut as a refugee with her granny and her two little brothers. Her father is always away looking for job, and her mother was killed during a bombing raid. After her mother's death, they had to move into a communal building, sharing a big flat with other refugees. Here she meets Samar, a deaf girl the same age as her and the two become friends despite the difficulties in communication. Then one day Ayesha's granny falls sick and Ayesha makes a very brave decision. She will have to cross the invisible green line that divides the city, to reach the doctor who has the medicine to save her granny. But crossing the green line means passing two checkpoints and walking through the no man's land in between. Can a little girl survive all this?

Despite the war subject, or maybe due to it, the story is full of small (and big) gestures of kindness. A checkpoint soldier cuddling a baby, a fruit seller offering an orange for free to a girl, a doctor offering help without thinking twice. The refugees shared their house generously and almost felt like a great family. In a war zone life is not kind, but in this strangely uplifting tale, it's kindness and generosity that made a difference and saved a woman's life. That and the reckless courage of a little 10 year-old girl.

This was my first book my Elizabeth Laird and it certainly won't be the last.

Read-a-thon: One book down!(The White Tiger)

Wow, I loved being the blogger of the hour together with Chris!
So many of you, thanks so much especially for the Halloween's party suggestions. Some very cool ideas there, I will have to try some.


I've just finished The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. I believe this is the first time I blog about a book I've just finished. I normally have plenty of time to think about what to write. So I'd say I skip "normal" reviews for this Read-a-thon and will just give you a general feel of the book.
The White Tiger was an unusual read for me. At first I had no idea how it was going to be like. You don't get the idea of what the book is going to be about till after few pages...At first you can only understand that an Indian guy is writing a letter to the China's Premier, Wen Jiabao (I had to google his name to check if he is actually the Chinese's Premier!) telling him about the truth about India and about Entrepreneurship. Through a series of seven letters, written during the night, The White Tiger tells him his story. Of how he became the man he is now, an entrepreneur in Bangalore, after being born from a poor family, on a small village along the river Ganga. Of how he managed to escape the Darkness (that's how the area along the river is called) and become the driver of a rich man. And of how he manipulated his future and became a business man.
This is not a pleasant read. It's about the darkest side of India. Its corruption, its poverty, its contradictions. For a while I wasn't sure when the book was supposed to take place. I supposed a long time ago. But then mentions of Internet, Harry Potter and mobile phone brought me back to reality. This is the 21st century India. Not a forgotten past. This is how things work now. I know it's a work of fiction, but as the author said, his fiction draws from the reality he experienced. I hope it wasn't in any way autobiographical though, but only inspired by what he saw.
I could never identify with the narrator. Although you might feel pity for him and for his fate that made him grow up in such poverty, he is a repulsive man, most of the time. He is sly, selfish, unpleasant, a liar with little heart for anyone except himself. He is not the worst man that you'll encounter in the book, no. Unfortunately. The book is full of rich corrupted men who would do anything to keep their power, poor helpless people who can't do anything to change the system, and rich cowards with no guts to say no to what's going on around.
So, it's hard to blame Balram, the narrator, for what he does to liberate himself.
I've read this book was anti-capitalist. It probably is because of the way it reveals India's dirty secrets and because it blames everything on the rich. It didn't have any answer to what could be done, though. It couldn't, because who told the story didn't want to change the system, but only find a safe spot in the world for himself. But you can tell where the heart of the writer is.
So, in conclusion, it was an interesting read. Not my favourite, but definitely worth it. I can't tell if it deserved to win. I haven't read the others and I'm not sure I will.
It sure helped me to understand India a lot more. It felt so drenched in reality I almost forgot it was fiction. It also had the merit to be easy to read. No struggling through the prose here, just straight to business. That's why I could finish it so fast.

That's all. I think I'm ready for something much much lighter now! It's getting dark already here and it's only ten to 7...but still many hours to go!

other reviews:


Caribousmom

Michelle at 1More Chapter

Marie at The Boston Bibliophile

Susannah at 7th Decade Thoughts

Karen at Bookbath

Mystic Wanderer at What I Am Reading

Dovegreyreader Scribbles

Raidergirl at An Adventure in Reading

Redhead Ramble

Read-a-thon: Introduction Meme

I just noticed this Introduction Meme,which is a perfect way to start talking about this reading binge I'm doing :)

Where are you reading from today?
From my house in Dublin, Ireland. I mostly read on the couch and on my bed.

3 facts about me …
In general? totally unrelated? hmmm
1) I love sushi. I could eat it everyday. But I won't have any sushi today, unless some serious cravings hit me and I will call the sushi place for a speedy delivery.
2) I've recently started teaching Italian and I've enjoyed it very much. Hopefully I'll manage to get a qualification and do it more extensively in the future.
3) I have to organise a Halloween party in the bookshop for the kids. Any ideas for games?

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
As many as I will need. I have some books that I plan to read but that can change anytime. So far I've chosen 7, plus the book I'm reading now which is The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, the winner of the 2008 Booker Prize. I'm almost finished. I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it, but it's definitely not boring, in a strange way.

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, just to have fun. I'm not going to count the pages, only the books I'll finish. I plan to enjoy my full day of reading that's it!

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
I'm a newbie! Even though I've spent many days in my old happy days of long summer holidays, doing just this, but probably not 24 hours.

Ok back to the White Tiger!

Read-a-thon

Yes, I signed up! A while ago actually. It's almost time, I can't wait! I'm seriously doubting I'll stay up all night, as I'm noticing me getting sleepy before midnight lately, but we'll see. I don't drink coffee normally, so that should help to keep me awake...
I'm already thinking of what books to read. I'd like to stick to short books, so that I can finish quickly and then start another soon after. I'm not a very fast reader, so if I choose a longish one I might have to say at end "err...I've only read one...but it was long, you know!"

For now I have:

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
L'odore della notte (the scent of the night) by Andrea Camilleri
Cherokee Bat and the Goat guys by Francesca Lia Block (and possibly Missing Angel Juan and Baby be-bop if I'm in the mood.)
Oranges in no man's land by Elizabeth Laird
Keep going with Tapping the Dream Tree by Charles de Lint, I'm really enjoying it, surprisingly since it's short stories.
In the hand of the goddess by Tamora Pierce

I'm also considering borrowing something from the library, any suggestions?
I'm thinking Nation by Terry Pratchett, but it might take up most of the time. Although it might be worth it.

Also, for Carl's RIP mini challenge. If I'm still awake at that early hour...what could I read that I already have? Is the Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter creepy enough to qualify? It'd be good cause it's short stories.
I don't think I own anything else appropriate.

Oh I wish I hadn't read the Graveyard Book so I could read it again...*sigh*

Picture Book Monday: "The Great Paper Caper" by Oliver Jeffers

Ok, resistance is futile. I have to review this book. I'd have rather feature a new unknown author or illustrator, but Oliver Jeffers keeps producing such great books that I can't just ignore him. Basically all he has done is in my favourite list:
How to catch a star, Lost and Found, The Incredible Book Eating Boy are just masterpieces. The Way Back Home was nice too. And now this:

"A thrilling tale of mystery, crime, alibis, paper planes, a forest, and a bear who wanted to win."

The story is this:
Things are not as they should be in the forest. Branches have been disappearing from the trees mysteriously. All the inhabitants are puzzled. The owl, the duck, the beaver, the pig, the fawn and the boy. They all start accusing each other but they all solid alibis. So they decide to get to the bottom of things and find the culprit...

As usual Oliver Jeffers uses bare, almost stylized illustrations, that manage to be so surprisingly expressive. I mean, he draws sticks for legs (with no feet), dots for eyes, the boy's body is a rectangle and basically everything looks like is being sketched. And yet they are enriched by small details, humour, imagination and originality, that bring everything to life.



The story is a mystery with a final important message: "save the trees". But also "learn how to make great paper planes"!
I love its autumn feel, it's just perfect for the season.
Also for a picture book with fairly little text it introduces some big words like "alibi" and "prosecutor".
And as if all this wasn't enough, Oliver Jeffers added a little extra which should make a lot of kids happy. The dust jacket (which doesn't appear in the picture of the cover that I found) is a paper plane manual in disguise! Once you take it off it reveals an even better cover and the jacket can be read and then used for making a plane,but I haven't tried it cause I've only borrowed the book :)
Oh and it also has instructions on how to make more paper after you've finished using the plane, which should be very interesting.



For "All Ages +", as the back cover says.

"Take it easy": my dream bookshop

Yesterday I started daydreaming about the day when I will open my own bookshop...and I thought it was so good I had to share. It would be called "Take it Easy", and its name would reflect its mission: a place where we take everything the easy way. Absolutely no uniforms. Individualism in dressing would be encouraged, as well as in the hairdos, make up and everything else. Staff behaviour should be friendly and open but not sales driven. Customers should feel like they're stepping in their own place, like a second home, where they're welcome but not pushed to buy or to make conversation. The shop and the shelves should be neat and tidy but the shelves and the walls would be customised by the staff and the customers: stickers, accessories, any kind of decoration. All the posters would be hand-made, painted by a member of staff recruited for their artistic skills. Or any of us should try out our artistic senses.
Then, and here I think it's the best part, the sections wouldn't be your regular, traditional ones. Well, yes, I would retain maybe the main "Fiction" or "Biographies" for examples. But the main features should be sections like "Books to keep you awake at night" , "Unputtadownables", "Banned books you should read", "Future Classics", "Non-sappy romances", "Gates to the Otherworld", "Books you shouldn't bother, you're warned"(I'd say that'd be a small section, but yuu always have those people who always want to do the opposite of what they're told...), "Comfort reading", "Recommended by customers" and others...
Then I'd have a section for the dead stock (unreturnables) with a mailbox beside it for people to leave whatever they think the book is worth ( inspired by Hay-on-Wye!).
I imagine the shop itself to be very colourful. Also, if there's enough space, I'd like it to have a small coffe-shop, run by the staff at turns. I don't want a different company inside it. I would hire someone to bake organic and fair-trade cookies, muffins and cakes. And pancakes in the morning. This idea is stolen straight from my other dream job which is a coffe-shop with lots of other things going on, but that's another story. If I can't have that one, I'd have a bit of both in them. So, in my "Take it easy" bookshop, there would be regular gigs in the evening, with locals or emerging bands, and obviously book launches as well!
To encourage the building of a community of people I would offer free coffee or cake to anyone who writes a review for our newsletter/magazine. Also I'd have bookclubs, make-and-do clubs, knitting clubs, and lots of other stuff.
It'd be AWESOME!
Now, who's willing to put the money in? :P
No? Ok then, I'll keep dreaming:)