Darci in Cabin 13

wow - apple books, takes me back to the baby-sitters' club....i'd love to get a box set of those bad boys.
anyhoo
darci is along the same vein.....not very well written (sorry shayna). it's really weird, apparently Martha Tolles has sold over 2 million books! wtf! were standards that low in the '80s??? i kept waiting for a bigger conflict, i was suspicious of everybody! but nothing happened...this chick should have watched the original parent trap.
even though it's shayna's fave book, i'm afraid i can only give it
**
it helped me sleep though!

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

Another gem from Gail Carson Levine...I'm seriously falling in love with this writer! Great characters AND an awesome story worth telling. It's about 2 princesses, one's brave & the other's timid. They're both pretty of course..any way the timid one has to go on a quest & she grows some balls.
****1/2

final Queen of babble - Meg Cabot

Queen of Babble gets hitched. Ok - I'm officially full of chick lit. I really don't understand why she's meant to be a blabbermouth - she never says any thing (not that sounds natural)...and i hate in movies and books when there's 2 awesome guys interested one always becomes a cheating loser.
**

Quidditch through the ages

This totally doesn't count as a harry! I just needed something light to read before I could get back to the library. Make me chuckle - good writing. Only for the Potterheads.
***

Winter - John Marsden

I know he's a good writer - and I like that his main characters are strong Aussie females...but can't he lighten up a bit.....This one kinda reminded me of Jellicoe Road - I liked it, but could have used more fun & romance & less gun violence:)
***1/2

81 - Ella Enchanted

Oh my gosh - i loved this book! i didn't want it to end - i loved everything about it. great characters, great story, great writing.
i haven't seen the movie - but i'm sure the book's better:)
do yourself a fave - read it!
*****

80 - more Marian Keyes

Postcards from bed.....meh...just short articles that she's mainly already had published in women's mags.....some were funny...but she kept referring to her husband as "Himself"....i get that she may not want to name him, but it was annoying.
fine holiday reading though....**1/2

79 - Why Not?

Why Not by Shari Low
Geez - I'm getting a bit sick of chick lit...but they're so easy to read & i'm really hanging out for Harry.
This is about a Scottish chick and her 4 good friends and all of them finding the loves of their loves and getting married to awesome guys in 5 minutes. sigh. i did laugh out loud a couple of times, but she used to many similies.
**1/2

more Meg Cabot

Big Boned - meh....reality clearly has no place in chick lit. This is about a curvy blonde girl who used to be a pop star who now lives with a hottie private detective and works at a uni where people keep getting murdered. nuff said.
**

Queen of Babble - in the big city - a sequel that wasn't planned until the first one was successful. I love all the fashion talk, but it's annoyingly similar to the sequel of bridget jones. When you end happily ever after in the first book - don't go making the guy a tool in the 2nd book!
**1/2

76 - my first nick earls experience

i like this guy! and it's set in brisbane! so familiar!
this is about a guy in his last year at school and his parents have had to move overseas so he has to move to toowong to live with his young aunty and her young hot housemate. the main character's likeable - i'm gonna read some more of this guy. i kinda didn't want it to end, but nothing major really happened. oh well.
48 Shades of Brown - ***1/2

meg cabot

teen idol - ok totally unrealistic, but i got sucked it. it's about a highschool girl-next-door who gets along with everyone but people take advantage of her niceness. So a hot movie star comes along to her school (to secretly research a role) and gets her to start standing up for herself. On second thought, it's totally believable, it's pretty much my own high-school experience. scary.
**1/2

Queen of babble - i was confused by this title at first because the blurb reckoned that the protagonist's big mouth kept getting her into trouble, but she barely speaks for the first half. But most of the book is set in beautiful france, so that's lovely.
***

mayble i'll have to give the princess diaries a go....

Marianne Curley - Old Magic

Great concept. And set in rural Australia and ye old England. Good characters...but I thought could have used another edit. Bits were really choppy and didn't explain stuff - a shame.
***

My tally's up to 73 now! I don't think I'll be able to read anymore harry before the movie comes out in a few weeks...oh well...i'm really hanging out to read deathly hallows again:)

Marian Keyes - The other side of the story

I enjoyed this because of the insight into the publishing world....defo sounds like more pressure than I'd enjoy. It keeps changing the protaganist between 3 broads, so probably not enough of a story for 1 book. Quite funny in bits. Readable. That's about it - nothing too special.
***

Meg Cabot - Every boy's got one

Chick lit - but I couldn't put it down. Haha. I still don't know what the title's got to do with the story - but very enjoyable.....It's set in small town Italy - so picturesque. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times too....I'll have to read more by Miss Princess Diaries.
****

More C.S.Lewis

The horse and his boy - man this guy can write. Another lovely story from Narnia. Great characters, great setting, great story - what more can you ask for?
****

Prince Caspian - not quite up to standard, I thought...but still mainly very enjoyable. No romance - they must have added that for the movie:)
***

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

Awwww...I hadn't read this book before. And I loved it:) Lovely setting - so Brittish:) I wish we lived in the olden days where there was always a rich relative around - although I'd probably be one of tghe servants.
****

Eion Colfer - Artemis Fowl

Meh - good concept. And Artemis certainly grew on you....but I didn't find any of the characters easy to relate to....and compared with J.K...the bridge between normal and magical was never built for me.
**

Ganglands - Maureen McArthy

Weird. It's set near where I live in Melbourne, so that's cool...but apart from that....hmmmm.....I suppose it's just not my kind of book because I don't like violence. I thought that the drifting away from high school friends was pretty realistic, but apart from that....I don't think it was especially well written.
**1/2

More Jane Austen

Emma - Probably one of my fave books. I love Emma. Knightly's hot:) And Emma's lovely and uncomplicated.
****

Mansfield Park - I don't remember reading this. I think it's probably Jane Austen's best work, but I don't find it as enjoyable as others because it's darker. And the romance just isn't there for me (on both sides).
***1/2

Persuasion - I love this book! It's so exciting when the romance is rekindled. Wentworth's a babe:)
****

Melina Marchetta

One of my fave authors - and she's Aussie:)
I re-read Saving Francesca - well written and enjoyable characters. It's harder to like the protaganist because she's a bit of a negative nelly, but it's dealing with depression, so that's understandable.
***1/2
The Piper's Son. A spin off from the above. I really enjoyed it - again the background characters really made a difference.
***1/2

Diana Kidd - Onion Tears and 2 Hands together

These are books for primary school kids, but better written than a lot of adult crap.
2 hands together is about a nice close suburban aussie family & their interactions with the new indigenous kids next door. the kids are great, the adults are complex & there's one especially tense scene. v. good.
****


i've decided to do my literacy block assignment on onion tears. it's about a vietnamese girl who's parents sent her off to australia to avoid the war. again, very nice, understandable characters. if anyone has any memories of studying this in school, i'd be interested to here.


***1/2

Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen

After reading Carrie Bebris - I wanted to go back to the inspiration. Lovely. Lizzie's a more independent heroine than I remember - she keeps a lot to herself & doesn't confide in Jane as much as in the mini-series. Great story, great characters, lovely romance.
****

3 more from Carrie Bebris

I've finished the others in the Mr & Mrs Darcy series.
I still love them, but I think the author's getting a bit lazy. Rather than getting Lizzie & Darcy to figure out who the baddies are through detective work, they bad guy just confesses the whole plan to them (before it's carried out). sigh.
Still enjoyable reading, but some eye-rolling moments.
***

Playing with the grown-ups - Sophie Dahl

I was really curious to see how Sohpie's writing would compare with her g'dad - and she didn't disappoint. Very different style. Obviously was exposed to a lot of arty people & therefore experienced high fashion & travel & drugs & alcohol a bit early.
I liked it:) The protagonist's mum obviously had a mental illness, but i think she's written quite realistically (sorry if that spelling's crap).
Very foreign to my own experience of growing up in beautiful qld, but interesting, nonetheless.
***

More than love letters - Rosy Thornton

next up is more chick lit from the brits. it's written in the form of emails, letters, newsletters and minutes from meetings. pretty interesting. the author obviously loves harry potter as well as north and south, so i liked the main character well enough. a few little twists (that were unfortunately predictable)...but nice, easy reading.
***

more cecilia ahern

hi gang - quite a bit to catch up on today:)i've been super busy, but still had time for reading (just no blogging). I probably read this book over a month ago....but I still remember liking it - so that's something:)i wouldn't really classify it as chick lit at all...it's about a girl (can't remember her name). Another girl from her neighbourhood went missing when she was little, so she's spent the rest of her life a bit ocd about finding missing things.
won't give away anthing, but a little sad & crosses over into fantasy a little.
worthwhile - ***1/2

my roald, the hero

last one for tonight....
i read another penguin classic - roald dahl - going solo....so well written..sigh.
it's his tales of being a young fighter pilot in world war II. He was working in africa at the time. it sounds so unusual and exotic but he writes in such a matter of fact way that you don't doubt anything.
highly recommended.
****

On a very happy note if my calculations are correct when this baby hits 88 miles per hour..you're gonna see some serious shit.
Also
I'm up to 51 books! past the half-way point!

austen fans rejoice

Mum bought me a book ages ago that I've only recently got round to reading - Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris.
I loved it!
It's the 2nd in a series of books that follow lizzie and darcy around and find them getting into nancy-drew-type scrapes. They're so loved up so...sigh...it's lovely and romantic. They interacted with the Dashwoods too & everyone will be happy to know that hugh & emma and kate & alan are all equally happy.
****
So I went to my library and the only other one in the series they had was North by Northanger. It's great too! It's set mainly in pemberley but they meet the Tilneys.
****
Lady Catherine & Lydia & Wickham etc are in the books too. I think any P & P fan would love them.
I've got the others on order & can't wait!

catch up

Howdy, I'm extremely tired and can't sleep so I thought I'd update my reading list. I'm pretty sleep deprived, so apologies if this is incoherent. (Or has weirdo spelling).
I've been frequenting the library a bit & read the following:
- The rest of her life - by Laura Moriaty: This one didn't become a fave...the protagonist was not very likable. Understandable though - so pretty well written and realistic. I just get so frustrated at characters that self-sabotage all the time. Hmmm **1/2

- Postcards from wit's end - by Sarah Harvey: Somehow I unintentionally seem to pick chick lit books involving a dead spouse. Despite that cheery factor I liked this one, everything was wrapped up in a neat little package by the end. Some bits that were clearly meant to be funny were not funny at all, but it'll appeal to someone else's sense of humour. I was jealous of the lead character for awhile because she was in publishing but it sounded kinda boring. I have nothing else to say about it.
***

suprising chick lit

hey dudes

just finished a couple of chick lit books. (but both authors are irish - so not as trashy)....i wanted something light to roll my eyes at, but i was actually suprised. the first one was THE BOOK OF TOMORROW by cecilia ahern. it was actually more of a mystery than a romance. kinda like flowers in the attic, but not gross. i recommend it - ****. The protagonist is a 17 year old girl, but i found her pretty realistic.

the other one was ANYBODY OUT THERE? by marian keyes...i'm not that big a fan of ms keyes (sorry lexi & lizzie)...but i liked this one. there was a nice twist half-way through...and the main girl had a nice eccentric family. ****

stay warm!

pocketful of rye

apart from a book i had to do for uni, this is the first agatha christie i've read. did you know the only book to outsell her is the bible? (well i learnt that before harry potter - so it may not still be accurate). anyhoo - i don't think the writing in this one is the best ever (quite like this post). (maybe she was just tired after writing 2 million books) but it's fun trying to figure out who the murderer is. i got it wrong!
*** out of 5 - i'll get a few more out from the library to see though:)

on the jellicoe road.

this is another re-read:) i've loved melina marchetta since loking for alibrandi in grade 9. again, loveable characters, she captures the angst & comradership (is that a word? sorry about spelling) of teenagers. i love the complexity of this story so much (all about the backstory) but it feels a bit rushed. once you've figured out what's going on it's great, i just think maybe she could have taken a step back & tried to explain it better to the readers who have no idea what she's talking about.
anyhoo i love this book.
**** out of 5.

sanditon

i've read this a few times already. it was started by jane austin, but she only wrote up to chapter 11 before she died. the chick that finished it was way less subtle than jane would have liked. but the heroine's likable enough & the love interest is dreamy:)
if you like the romance in jane auten books i defo recommend it - but it's not as refined. where did refinement get anyone?
***1/2 out of 5

fox in sock? (what was the name of that crap?)

since i was made to read it aloud & it took an age, i'm adding this to my hundred even though it's by dr zeus. i award it no points and may god have mercy on your soul:)

The Book Thief

Dianne recommended this book for me ages ago and i've finally read it. It's really impressive. I didn't think i would like it because it's set in Nazi Germany and the narrator is Death. But it's got beautiful characters & death gave me warning about who would die, so i was prepared. It's fictional, but reminded me of Anne Frank. The author is australian and did a lot of research, so all the more impressive. It's rare I like "literature", most of the time it's not enjoyable. But I think everyone should read this....let's see ****1/2. I'm only deducting half a star because of the sadness, but it would be unrealistic otherwise.
I've got a few books at home to read, but i'm obsessed with sudoku at the moment, so that's filling in my reading time:)

jane austen's only human, i guess:(

hi all...i finished jane austen's letters.....some of them were quite bitchy.....but i guess all there was for women to talk about back then were other people and fashion....got quite sick of all the clothes directions.....oh well.....she seemed to keep herself occupied & was obviously fond of her family.....it's not a novel, but let's give it ***

I'm reading the book thief finally (i think dianne recommended it to me over a year ago)....i really like. it's so well written...it's a bit weird having death as the narrator though.

ps - i miss hermione lots...bring on the cool female protagonists! (did i spell that right?)

Boy

Man I love Roald Dahl! I think i must have read matilda a zillion times when i was in primary school, and the witches still creep me out.
Boy is his sort-of autobiography. Only it ends just after he finishes school & gets a job. He's such a good writer! And his mum sounds like she was so strong!
Highly recommended - *****

I can't wait to read his follow-up, but that would involve going to the library....so much energy....I'm reading Jane Austen's letters at the mo'. She's not the nicest chick.

Any suggestions, anyone? I need something light.

Cranford

Hi all,

I finished cranford...it ended up being quite enjoyable. No romantic plot at all unfortunately. But it was very nice and proper. Turns out Elizabeth Gaskell was a bit of a feminist & she wanted to provide a record for how the english gentility lived day-to-day. There were lots of essays out at the time claiming how women without a husband were unnecessary and could never live in harmony with other spinsters/widows....she prooved them wrong! Girl power:)
A nice look back, but not much action, so let's give it ***.

I've just started Boy - Roald Dahl's autobiography....man that guy knows how to put pen to paper, hey?

percy jackson & bergdorf blondes

i read a couple more books.....after seeing the percy jackson movie i bought the book. meh....it was too jam packed & the main girl was a blonde:(
bergdorf blondes was a typical chick lit....very easy reading.....
now i'm half-way through cranford & waiting for the plot to reveal itself:)
happy reading everyone!

oops i forgot to rate them!
let's give percy jackson ***
and the same for bergdorf blondes (minus a star for being chick lit) **

It seemed like a good idea at the time

Ok. If I were more proactive I would have started this blog months ago, but better late than never.
In the lead up to any new Harry Potter movie (which I am inevitably disappointed in) I always re-read my fave books - the Harry Potter series. However although remaining brilliant, they lose a little of their magic everytime (and I border on obsessive). I would like to state here though that I love J.K.Rowling...I think she is a genius...and I love her characters more. Hermione would have to be one of the best female role-models I've ever read.

Despite my love, I decided that I should expand my horizons....maybe read some grown-up books & postpone gratification by reading 100 other books before allowing myself to re-read the Harrys. I started awhile ago, so I've made some progress.
The following is what I've accomplished so far & my thoughts.....hopefully after this each blog will only be referring to one book.

Marley & Me ***1/2 Nice doggie.
Eat, Pray, Love *** I liked the eat part.
The Changeover ****1/2 Awesome Australian teen fantasy..Thanks Lizzie!
My Sister Sif *** Good writing, but the characters didn't really win me over.
Jane Eyre***1/2 Mmmmmn Mr Rochester.
The Anne Books ****1/2 I love Anne Blythe nee Shirley!
Finnikin of the Rock **** Melina Marchetta would have to be my fave Aussie author.
Accidents can happen when I'm thinking of you * Chick lit.
Inkheart**1/2 Good story, but a bit too long.
The White Tiger ** I guess it broadened my Indian knowledge, but too depressing.
The Lovely Bones **1/2 Ditto.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe ****1/2 Brilliant writing- great lion.
Burned *** American teen fiction...interesting story

Quidditch through the ages *** This isn't cheating!

Cassandra's Conflict (0) Non-enjoyable porn.

People might hear you ****Great story, scared me silly when I was younger.

Secrets (0) crap

Lolita * The one star is for originality and good writing.I hated it.

Villette ** Painful. Lighten up Bronte!

Twilight ** Hardly original, but something keeps you turning the pages.

Brideshead Revisited ***1/2 I didn't really like the ending, but I liked the main guy.

This Charming Man ** Chick Lit, but kept me going.

New Moon ** I prefer werewolves, but hate soppy girls.

The Magician's Nephew *** Not as good as the Lion etc, but well written.

Eclipse **1/2 Go team jacob.

Breaking Dawn *** Finally she has an opinion of her own!

You or someone like you **1/2 Good idea, but annoying way of writing & cold protagonist.

Notes from the teenage underground **** Reminded me of Alibrandi, but set in Melbourne.

Me likee.

So according to my calculations I've read 34 books so far (7 in the Anne series). I've got quite a few unread on my bookshelf, but if anyone knows of any good reads please advise me. At the moment I'm feeling strong, but I'll be at my weakest when the next film promos start...Think positive! I'll be reunited with Hermione in 66 books!!!!