Read 1 book a week

What I’ve finished so far since 2 weeks ago:

The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan
The Novice by Trudi Canavan
The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

All very good books that I could hardle put down. Word of warning though, some people may have difficulty reading Jane Austen at first with the somewhat archaic English language she employs. But the wit she displays is amazing.

So far I’ve managed to keep up with this goal. More titles that I’ve read recently:

a. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
b. The Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
c. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
d. The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan
e. Wander Girl by Tweet Sering
f. Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah (a graphic novel) by Carlo Vergara
g. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
h. The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan

Mark Dunn’s Ella Minnow Pea was a breeze to read – simply wonderful!! BUT despite seeming a light read, one must carefully consider the essence of the book which is dictatorship and censorship.

The Diary of Adrian Mole was a hilarious book. As I told my friend, I couldn’t decide if the main character Adrian was obnoxiously funny or funnily obnoxious!

Roy’s prize-winning book The God of Small Things definitely offers a lot to consider, particularly the caste system and how her countrymen regard women in their culture, but I have to admit that her flowery prose is not my style.

Wander Girl and Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah meanwhile are both local (Philippine) publications – both very funny. I could definitely relate to the protagonist of Wander Girl, a twenty-something aimless wanderer through life and land until she comes to many realizations.

Then I return to the mystery genre once more with Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Very interesting book that brought the Cathars of Europe to my attention (never even heard of them before then) and broadened my knowledge of French history and geography (I even read up on it while reading the book). The book shifts constantly between two women living centuries apart linked by one thing – the Labyrinth Trilogy – so this book is not for people who hate shifting timelines.

I just finished Canavan’s first book in the Black Magician Trilogy called The Magician’s Guild which is actually my first foray into the fantasy/sci-fi genre apart from Maguire’s Wicked (if one calls it that), Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide books, and of course the Harry Potter series (The others aren’t totally counted because I was assured by most people BEFORE i bought the books that they were excellent). The Magician’s Guild is a good introduction into the world of Kyralia (where the books of the trilogy take place) and into the magician’s guild that the young female protagonist Sonea is invited to join. I can’t wait to read the next two books and find out how the story progresses. If only I had been able to buy the other books as well…

Now it’s a toss between Nelson’s Daughter by Miranda Hearn and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – unless I manage to buy the other two books following The Magician’s Guild by tomorrow!

I’ve just finished The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I love it!!!!! See my post in www.livejournal.com/users/goddess_jen about it if you’re interested. :)

Still deciding what to read next, I’ve got several unread books lined up:

Trading Up by Candace Bushnell
The Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (halfway through this)
Maya by Jostein Gaarder

And the book saga continues yet again:

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
Life, The Universe, And Everything by Douglas Adams
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy by Nick Bantock
The Morning Star Trilogy by Nick Bantock
Making Mischief by Elizabeth Young
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Currently reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

All of the books were fascinating in their own way, and I would recommend all of them (depending upon preference and mood of course – Neverending Story and Douglas Adams’ books definitely for sci-fi and fantasy enthusiasts) but if I only had to pick one book out of all listed above for a recommendation, it would have to be Memoirs of a Geisha. Haunting, lyrical, but also quite informative/historical, it is a masterpiece.

finished the following:

the cryptographer by tobias hill
swift as desire by laura esquivel
goodbye mr chips by james hilton
the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by douglas adams

i really love esquivel’s writing style, it’s so imaginative and passionate. reading hilton’s goodbye mr chips after that required a bit of change in pace, but his book was lovely all the same and very touching. both books highly recommended.

now i’m off to finish douglas adam’s next 3 books in the hitchhiker’s series. :)

Week 1 = The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Week 2 = Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Week 3 = In Evil Hour by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Identity by Milan Kundera
Week 4 = The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Week 5 = The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder
Week 6 = Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli and Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

Just started on The Cryptographer by Tobias Hill for week 7. :)

Any suggestions on future reads? Will be borrowing the following from friends:

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
On The Road by Jack Kerouac