Booking Through Thursday: Series

 Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading.

This week's question is:

If you read series, do you ever find a series “jumping the shark?” How do you feel about that? And, do you keep reading anyway?

I recently experienced this feeling with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I've really enjoyed reading about Stephanie and her wacky friends though ten books, but with Elevn On Top I suddenly realised that this is as good as it gets. There will be no character development, no surprises plotwise, no life-changing decisions made. It didn't jump the shark in the traditional way of creating an absurd storyline (Evanovich's storylines are pretty absurd anyway) or changing the characters' personalities, but in the sense that it just isn't going anywhere. I'll probably still pick up Twelve Sharp when I need a fluffy read, but I'm in no hurry to find a copy.

I can't think of any other series jumping the shark – I've started quite a few series, but I've only read one or two books of most of them, so I haven't reached that shark moment with any. Yet.

You should ask me this question about television shows instead. (On second thought, don't. It will be a novel-length post.)

Teaser Tuesdays (9)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- Be careful not to include spoilers (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)!
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

These two sentences are from The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle:

The long road hurried to nowhere and had no end. [...] Time had always passed her by in her forest, but now it was she who passed through time as she traveled.

I ♥ this book. It's utterly wonderful.

In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which we share what books we have received in the mail, bought, borrowed or otherwise acquired during the week.

I stopped by The Book Depository UK last week and realised to my great excitement that they had a few books I've been looking for for a while. They were very reasonably priced too (€5 is cheap for a Norwegian), so I caved and ordered 7 books. 2 of them have yet to arrive, but these are the 5 I got this week:

Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block – This was written in 1977 and is the first in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series. Bernie is a burglar (a good one too) who gets himself into trouble when he accepts an assignment from a stranger to steal an item from a rich man – and is still there when the police arrives, with the rich man dead in the next room. I love a good bad guy with a sense of humour, and Bernie seems to fit the bill. Can't wait to start this series. You can't really tell from this picture, but the cover is almost neon orange – ensures I won't miss it when browsing my shelves.

The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch – Michael St. Pierre is a master thief who is about to steal the most important treasure in the Vatican museum, but the explosive secret he discovers sends him running for his life... This one has gotten mixed revies, but I decided it was worth checking out.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer – Four different people have been conned out of their fortune by the same man. Now they team up to find the conman and give him a taste of his own medicine. This is Archer's debut novel from 1976, and I just couldn't resist.

(Have you spotted the theme of these books yet?)

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke – I love Funke's Inkheart trilogy, and wanted to try something else by her. This is a children's book about two orphaned children, a gang of street children led by the mysterious Thief Lord, a bungling detective, a cruel aunt and a magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.

The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake – I've been wanting to read the John Dortmunder series for ages, and was so excited when I found this at Book Dep, I think I actually squealed. From the cover: John Dortmunder left prison with the warm words of the warden ringing in his ears and not one chance of going straight. Soon Dortmunder was riding in a stolen Cadillac with venetian blinds, reuniting with old friends and scheming to heist a large emerald belonging to a small African nation. As always, his planning is meticulous. As always, the execution is not. Undaunted, Dortmunder is now chasing the gem by plane, train and automobile. Because this hot rock has a way of getting stolen – not just once, but again and again and again... Seriously, how much fun does this sound like? I can't wait to read it!

And yes, I have a thing for charming thieves and con men.

I also got no. 6 and 17 in a series of 20 bookmarks design by The Book Dep's customers. Very nice.

In addition to this wonderful loot, I also got a surprise packet from a friend, containing chocolate and this book:

Ugler i mosen by Arngeir Berg & Øivind Jorfald – This is a collection of Norwegian idioms on the brink of extinction. It explains the emytology, what they mean and when to use them. A great gift to a linguist!

I'm very happy with my mailbox this week – what did you get in yours?

On My Wishlist (7)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we want to read but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Book 1 in the Bloody Jack series
Recommended by The Page Flipper

Chelsea from The Page Flipper speaks so highly of this series that she has convinced me this is a must-read. It sounds like so much fun – and it's got pirates.

Goodreads: Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.

There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life – if only she doesn't get caught...

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri 
Book 1 in the Inspector Montalbano series
Series recommended by Kittling: Books

I like mysteries, I like Italy and I like humour.

Goodreads: "The goats of Vigata once grazed on the trash-strewn site still known as the Pasture. Now local enterprise of a different sort flourishes: drug dealers and prostitutes of every flavor. But their discreet trade is upset when two employees of the Splendor Refuse Collection Company discover the body of engineer Silvio Luparello, one of the local movers and shakers, apparently deceased in flagrante at the Pasture. The coroner's verdict is death from natural causes - refreshingly unusual for Sicily. But Inspector Salvo Montalbano, as honest as he is streetwise and as scathing to fools and villains as he is compassionate to their victims, is not ready to close the case - even though he's being pressured by Vigata's police chief, judge, and bishop." Picking his way through a labyrinth of high-comedy corruption, delicious meals, vendetta firepower, and carefully planted false clues, Montalbano can be relied on, whatever the cost, to get to the heart of the matter.

The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff

I can't resist things with the word "Emporium" (did you see Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium? Wonderful film), and this one sounds very good.

Goodreads: Alysha Gale is a member of a family capable of changing the world with the charms they cast. Then she receives word that she’s inherited her grandmother’s junk shop in Calgary, only to discover upon arriving that she’ll be serving the fey community. And when Alysha learns just how much trouble is brewing in Calgary, even calling in the family to help may not be enough to save the day.

The Pawn by Steven James 
Book 1 in The Patrick Bowers Files

I'm always on the lookout for new thriller series, and I figure a book with a 4.00 rating on Goodreads is worth checking out.

Goodreads: Special Agent Patrick Bowers had only met one man who made him truly afraid. Until now. When he’s called to North Carolina to consult on the case of an area serial killer, he finds himself in a deadly game. Cunning and lethal, the killer is always one step ahead of the law, and he’s about to strike again. It will take all of Bowers’s instincts and training to stop this man who calls himself the Illusionist. And just when the pieces start to come together, Bowers realizes they’re not quite adding up. Can he unravel the pattern and save the next victim? Or will the Illusionist win the game by taking one of his opponent’s pieces? Thrilling, chilling, and impossible to put down, The Pawn will hold suspense lovers in its iron grip until the very last page.

Review: The Secret River

The Secret River by Kate Grenville

Read: 17 August - 18 September 2010
Pages: 349

London, 1806 - William Thornhill, happily wedded to his childhood sweetheart Sal, is a waterman on the River Thames. Life is tough but bearable until William makes a mistake, a bad mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly. His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life. Soon Thornhill, a man no better or worse than most, has to make the most difficult decision of his life ...

My thoughts

I have always been interested in Australian culture and history, and I have learned a lot from visiting institutions like Hyde Park Barracks and The Rocks Discovery Museum in Sydney. But reading a novel gives you a different, more personal perspective on history. The Secret River is based on the story of Grenville's ancestor Solomon Wiseman and his arrival on the Hawkesbury River, which lends it an air of credibility. I could easily believe this story to have happened.

I started out sympathising with William Thornhill and his struggle to stay afloat so to speak, but by the end of the book I didn't care much for him anymore. At one point he became greedy and selfish and although I understand him wanting to move up in the world, he completely disregarded his wife and family's needs and safety. His wife, Sal, is by far the strongest character. She is capable of living for the moment, doing the best with what she's got. Her only wish is to save enough money so the family can go back to London one day, and it is heartbreaking to see that hope slowly fade as time passes.

One thing I never got used to was the way dialogue is noted. Direct speech is in italics instead of being marked with quotation marks or a dash. This was new to me and a bit difficult to grasp at first. For some reason, it felt more like thoughts than speech, and several times I had to remind myself that the characters actually said this out load to each other, and didn't just think it to themselves. But the writing is wonderful. Grenville has a straightforward yet almost singing language which is easy to read. She has the ability to convey a lot of meaning with few words. These are just two lines that stuck with me (both from page 310, incidentally):

It was only a matter of enough tomorrows.

Thornhill felt something inside him slow down.

I know there are many issues to address when reviewing this book – the clash between the western settlers and the aborigines for one – but to be honest I don't feel I know enough about these subjects to comment. So I'm going to leave it at this, and simply say that I found The Secret River to be a good story about hardship, love and the search for home.

My rating: 4/6

Kate Grenville has also written a follow-up to The Secret River, called Searching for the Secret River, in which she describes both the research she undertook into the history behind the book and her writing process.

I read this as part of the Aussie Author Challenge.

Top Ten Tuesday - Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is

Top Ten Favourite Book Quotes

I had a hard time narrowing this list down to just ten quotes, because my gosh, books are just full of them. So yes, I cheated and included 12 quotes, even an entire poem. Trust me, they're worth it.

Here we go, in no particular order:

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
– Dr. Seuss

"This is nonsense! First you say I am a murderer - an agent in league against you - and now I am a deluded heartsick girl! Pray make up your mind so I can scoff at you with precision!"
– Miss Temple in The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by G.W. Dahlquist

"Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results."
– Rita Mae Brown, Sudden Death

"There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts."
– Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

”Don’t Panic.”
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

”It takes much bravery to stand up to our enemies but we need as much bravery to stand up to our friends.”
– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

”I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
– Douglas Adams, The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
– Dr. Seuss

"The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued."
– Robert Frost

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
– Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

"How terribly sad it was that people are made in such a way that they get used to something as extraordinary as living."
– Jostein Gaarder, The Solitaire Mystery

“Let’s think the unthinkable, let’s do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
– Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

Teaser Tuesdays (8)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- Be careful not to include spoilers (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)!
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

I haven't started The Last Unicorn yet and don't want to spoil myself looking for teasers, so this one is from The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani.

Then he was waking in a panic and springing to his feet as the door of the apartment burst open and four heavily armed men crashed into the room.

Doesn't bode well for our hero, does it?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (11)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

READ LAST WEEK
I finally finished The Secret River by Kate Grenville. I found it hard to concentrate on it for a while due to being ill and having way too much work, but once I got going again it didn't take long to finish. Review coming soon!

CURRENTLY READING
I'm continuing with The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani, and I'm just about to start The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle, my last book for the BookCrossing challenge.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. I received it as a BookCrossing ray, and as I was the last person on the list I've put off reading it for a while. But now someone else has been added to the ray, so I need to read it soon and pass it on. Looks like a fun read though.

What are you reading this week?

On My Wishlist (6)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we want to read but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

 

The I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken

Recommended by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

I hate to cook, so this must be the cookbook for me.

Goodreads desciption: Philosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an alternative: quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy.

50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't. This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible.

 

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

I love Funke's Inkheart trilogy, and can't wait to try something else by her. This is apparently the first book in a new series, and it sounds rather dark.

Goodreads description: For years, Jacob Reckless has been secretly disappearing to another world, a world behind a mirror, a world for which his father abandoned his family. The mirror world is Jacob's escape from reality. It's a place for treasure hunts and magnificent quests. A world where witches haunt the forests and giants and dwarfs roam. A world locked in a deadly war.

Jacob's secret seems safe, until one day his younger brother Will follows him, with disastrous consequence. Faced with a curse that is quickly turning Will to stone, the Reckless brothers are thrust into a race against time to find a cure before Will is lost forever.

 

Things Go Flying by Shari Lapena

I can't remember where I stumbled upon this, but it sounds interesting.

Goodreads description: Shari Lapena takes the wit of David Sedaris and the outrageousness of Douglas Coupland to create a dark, hilarious and wildly inventive contemporary comedy about how the past can come back to haunt you. Literally. Harold Walker is desperately average and listless at mid-life, stemming in part from the abrupt death of his one-time best friend, Tom. Harold's wife Audrey, an increasingly frustrated housewife and mother to their two teenage sons, is a control freak silently harbouring an explosive secret. Things go flying in the Walker household when Harold's long-deceased mother comes back to haunt them. He finds he has her gift for opening the door to the past - and if there was ever a gift he wanted to return, it's this one! Audrey is similarly terrified-how is she to safeguard her secret now? If she can't control this world, how is she to control the next one? And how will she protect her good China? Harold, who has made a practice of avoiding things all his life, must confront two problems - how to find meaning in this life, and how to come to grips with the mostly terrifying idea that life just might go on forever!

 

Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson

First in the Declan Ross series

Because it's got pirates. 

Goodreads description: Shari Lapena takes the wit of David Sedaris and the outrageousness of Douglas Coupland to create a dark, hilarious and wildly inventive contemporary comedy about how the past can come back to haunt you. Literally. Harold Walker is desperately average and listless at mid-life, stemming in part from the abrupt death of his one-time best friend, Tom. Harold's wife Audrey, an increasingly frustrated housewife and mother to their two teenage sons, is a control freak silently harbouring an explosive secret. Things go flying in the Walker household when Harold's long-deceased mother comes back to haunt them. He finds he has her gift for opening the door to the past-and if there was ever a gift he wanted to return, it's this one! Audrey is similarly terrified-how is she to safeguard her secret now? If she can't control this world, how is she to control the next one? And how will she protect her good China? Harold, who has made a practice of avoiding things all his life, must confront two problems - how to find meaning in this life, and how to come to grips with the mostly terrifying idea that life just might go on forever!

Review: Eleven On Top

Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich

Book 11 in the Stephanie Plum series

Read: 25 - 29 August 2010

America's favorite bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, is back in her eleventh adventure. Trouble seems to find Stephanie no matter where she goes, and once again she's struggling with her tangled love life, her chaotic family, and her God-given gift for destroying every car she drives. This time, Stephanie Plum has decided to quit her job as a bounty hunter. She wants something safe. She wants something normal. She's tired of creeps, weirdos, and stalkers. But just when she thinks she's out, they pull her back in! (Tanum)

Business As Usual
I'd be lying if I said this was a very engaging and unpredictable book, because it wasn't. Evanovich has obviously found a recipe that works, but after 11 books that formula starts to feel old. The only change from earlier books is that Stephanie isn't actually a bounty hunter in this one - she quits her job because she's tired of people shooting at her. Other than that there's the usual bad guy stalking her, the usual car bombings, the usual antics with Lula and Stephanie's usual inability to decide who is hotter, Ranger or Morelli. In other words, it's business as usual.

Even though this book doesn't have much new to offer, other than Ranger's work place which was interesting, I still enjoy the motley crew of characters. Despite all the crazy situations she gets herself into, Stephanie rings true to me. She gets scared, she gets angry, she finds relationships hard and she has the occational donut craving, just like the rest of us. Lula isn't hard to picture, and Grandma Mazur is hilarious (her fight with Grandma Bella is epic). I'm definitely a Morelli gal and would like to see him interact more with Steph outside of the bedroom than he has during the last few books. Seems it's all about Ranger when it comes to catching the bad guys, which is understandable, but I'd like Morelli to get in on the action too sometimes.


Bottom line: Not a very innovative plot, but great for those times when you just want some mindless fun.

My rating: 3/6


The books in the Stephanie Plum series are:
One for the Money (1994)
Two for the Dough (1996)
Three to Get Deadly (1997)
Four to Score (1998)
High Five (1999)
Hot Six (2000)
Seven Up (2001)
Hard Eight (2002)
To the Nines (2003)
Ten Big Ones (2004)
Eleven on Top (2005)
Twelve Sharp (2006)
Lean Mean Thirteen (2007)
Fearless Fourteen (2008)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen (2009)
Sizzling Sixteen (2010)

MIA

I just wanted to leave a quick note and apologise for my absence the past few weeks. I came down with a flu which was hard to shake, and then I started working on a huge project that takes literally all my time (I only just finished for the day and it's 11 in the evening). Unfortunately my blog - and my reading - has been pushed to the sideline during this, but rest assured I will be back soon (my deadline is Fridag at 3, so only 40 hours left of this craziness). I'm hoping to post some new reviews when I come back, and I want to announce a new feature here soon too, so please stay tuned!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I'm Dying To Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I'm Dying To Read


Note: This list is subject to change. Perhaps even tomorrow.

1. The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake
A master thief, a reluctant heist and an emerald with a sense of humour. It's gotta be good.

2. Bad Debts by Peter Temple
An Australian crime thriller that won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel in 1997.

3. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
The sequel to The Lies of Locke Lamora, which I absolutely adored. I hope this second book in the Gentleman Bastard Sequence is as good as the first.

4. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
I love pirates, but I've never actually read a pirate novel. This sounds like a lot of swashbuckling fun (BTW, "swashbuckling" is definitely a word that should have made my Top Ten list last Tuesday).

5. The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan
This could possibly be the best fantasy book ever. I hope it is.

6. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Everything I've read about this book suggests that I'll like it, and I wouldn't mind finding out if that's true.

7. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
I need to know how it all ends.

8. The Secret Life of Wombats by James Woodford
I've wanted to read this ever since I saw it in a bookstore in Mudgee, NSW last year. I love wombats.

9. Here Speeching American: A Very Strange Guide to English as it is Garbled Around the World by Kathryn & Ross Petras
This book must be hilarious. A taste: "Wondering where to eat? Grill and Roast your clients! Open for lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch. –slogan of the Hibiscus restaurant in the Jakarta Hilton International"
Which reminds me of a sign I saw on a table at a local cafe: "Reserved for eating customers."

10. The Case Files of Veronica Mars 1 & 2 by Rob Thomas
I love the TV series Veronica Mars, but these books are impossible to find anymore.

What are you dying to read?

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which we share what books we have received in the mail, bought, borrowed or otherwise acquired during the week.

I didn't do this meme last week, so this is two weeks' worth of IMM.

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
Received from BookMooch. This is the second book in the Rizzoli & Isles series. I haven't actually read the first one yet, but from what I've heard about it I think I'll like it.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
I don't usually buy books that cost £25, but I had to have this gift edition. I originally bought the movie cover version, but I had to leave it behind when I went home from Australia. Then I got the gift edition of Inkspell from Amazon because it was the cheapest edition, but since I'm an idiot sometimes I didn't buy Inkheart and Inkdeath at the same time. When I finally realised I should probably get those too, they were sold out. I found Inkdeath in a Norwegian bookstore, but I couldn't find Inkheart anywhere. When I finally came across a copy from a private seller at Abebooks.co.uk I just had to have it, no matter how expensive it was. And I'm glad I did - don't they look beautiful together?

Top Ten Tuesday - Favourite Words

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature / weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we make a top ten list from a given topic.

This week's topic is:

Favourite Words

I had to think hard about this one, because even though I'm surrounded by words every day, not only through reading and writing, but through my work as well, I only knew of one word that was sure to make the list. The rest came to me while writing this post, and I'll admit it's pretty random.

1. Myriad - I first heard this word in a My Little Pony story I had on an audio cassette when I was about four years old. The context was that the flowers in Blossom's garden bloomed in a myriad of colours, and I can still hear the narrator's voice in my head saying that phrase. I thought it sounded so beautiful. 23 years later it's still my favourite word.
2. Christmas - My favourite time of the year. Makes me think of many good things.
3. Zest - This word lifts my spirits.
4. Hypernevrokustiske diafragmakontravibrasjoner - This is the (Norwegian) medical term for hiccups. I learned it from a guy a long time ago, and it's one of those completely useless things that just take up space in my mind. But it's impossible to forget, and quite fun to say at parties.
5. Brilliant - My current favourite adjective/interjection. I think I originally picked it up from Doctor Who, but now it seems to be everywhere.
6. Aurora Borealis - Northern lights. The name is almost as beautiful as the phenomenon itself.
7. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - The fear of long words. You gotta love the irony. (I can neither pronounce it nor spell it. I just think it's funny.)
8. Struth - Australian slang: an exclamation expressing surprise or verification. I love it. 
9. Eloquence - Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to me. But it rolls nicely off the tongue.
10. Home - Isn't it strange how such a small word can be so meaningful?  

What are our favourite words?

My First Award

A while ago I received my very first award from Booksploring; The Versatile Blogger award. Thank you so much! As a new blogger, I'm flattered to be recognised.

The award comes with a few rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award

Seven more or less random things about me
1. I can wiggle my ears and juggle with three balls - at the same time
2. I watch a lot of television (probably too much!) and my current obsession is White Collar
3. As a true Northern Norwegian girl I love cod tongues, lutefisk and boknafisk
4. I love stuffed animals - the fluffier the better
5. I'm terrified of spiders
6. My kitchen is cow-themed. There are black and white cows everywhere
7. My favourite city in the world is Sydney

I had intended to pass this on to some of my favourite blogs, but it turns out most of them have already been given it (deservedly so), so I'm going to break this rule for now. Instead I just want to say that I deeply respect and appreciate the work you all put into your amazing blogs - my life is richer because of you. Thank you.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (10)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

I'm sorry for being absent most of the past week, but I've been ill and wasn't feeling up to much, reading and blogging included. The flu knocked me out for a few days, and now I cough all the time and my sinuses hurt. If I don't feel better soon I'll have to go see a doctor, because the coughing keeps me up at night. I'm thinking it might be a sinus infection.

All this has made it hard to concentrate on reading, so I've spent most of my time watching television instead (anyone watching White Collar? Great series!). That means I didn't finish The Secret River last week as planned, but at least I'm closer to the end than the beginning.

CURRENTLY READING
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
I also started The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani, a thriller that doesn't require too much brainpower.

WHAT'S NEXT
I suddenly realised that the Bookcrossing challenge ends this month, and I still have to read The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle, so I moved it to the top of Mt TBR.

Have a good week, everyone!

Book Beginnings on Friday (7)

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

"Nobody knew how many centuries the desolate Bedouin fort had been standing out here among the oceans of sand, it's crumbling walls abandoned long ago."

This is the opening line of The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani. I like this line. I can almost taste the sand in my mouth, and I keep thinking this will be some sort of Indiana Jones adventure. A books that has me creating pictures in my mind from the very first sentence can't be all bad.

What do you think?