Seasons Greetings

Merry Merry Christmas everyone....

New years resolutions:

Read more

Blog more

Live more!

Even though it's holidays I haven't had the luxury of being able to curl up in a chair and read a book!
Dreaming of the time I can snuggle up in a chair like this and read away....

Getting Cracking!

So I've finished "A Town Like Alice" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.. I loved the way the the story was structured, starting in the present, going back to the past and then moving forward into the future. I kept wondering when I was going to meet the character Alice, and only discovered halfway through that it referred to a town in the Australian Outback- pretty silly of me considering the title!
There were so many aspects of this book that I enjoyed: from the different locations (Britain, Malaysia and Australia), to hearing about a group of ladies' hardships through WWII, to a story about business initiative and, not to mention, love!
Although a love story, I think this story was ultimately about being an independent woman and finding love within that independence.

Next up is "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens- I can't wait!

Sorry I've been so quiet lately- I've been consumed by exams. But the light at the end of the tunnel is shining brightly!

There was much excitement when my delivery arrived last week...

I'm currently reading "A Town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute. I chose to read this novel first because I remember an English teacher once telling me it was her favourite book. I've really enjoyed it so far, it hasn't been anything like what I expected and is a gripping yet easy read. I love it when books are set in different countries, I feel like I'm on a holiday when reading about them!
Review to come soon!

Food for thought...

There are more half written novels in the world than what there are written novels...

What does this tell us?

Ideas are everywhere, but the world belongs to those who make their ideas reality!

Stay Calm...

With exams fast approaching I can't help but feel a bit stressed!

Here's some advice for anyone who is feeling some tension:

Stay hungry, stay foolish...

Today is a very sad day...

President Obama: "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators"
Dianna Agron: "We never met, yet I stand beside members of this giant playground that you discovered for us. We use it every day, never tiring of the sand." 
Ashton Kutcher: "We have all surfed on the wake of Steve Jobs ship. Now we must learn to sail, but we will never forget our skipper."
New York Mayor Bloomberg: "America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein"
Fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak: "It's like there's a big hole left in you... He made a lot of people happy"
Mark Zuckerberg: "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend"
Google's Larry Page: "He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance" 
Google's Eric Schmidt: "Steve was so charismatically brilliant that he inspired people to do the impossible"
Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang: "Steve was my hero growing up"

Steve Jobs: "Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Awaiting Delivery

I'm very excited because I have just ordered 6 books from my reading list!
As you can see, I've taken a bit of a break from the reading list and have decided not to limit myself to just reading the books on the list. It seems that as soon as I have to do something I don't want to do it anymore! Hence the change in my approach...

I'm so elated at the thought of  receiving my parcel of books in the post! It's a pity I won't be receiving them by bicycle as pictured above (and in that quantity!)... 

Fonts, fonts everywhere!

I'm currently reading "Just My Type" by Simon Garfield and am enjoying discovering the history behind those fonts that have become such a big (and unnoticed) part of our day to day lives! We've become so accustomed to seeing various distinctive fonts throughout each day, that we've stopped noticing them. It has been interesting to learn the important role that fonts play in terms of structuring transport systems and enabling learning. I look forward to reading the rest of this book!

Some interesting font facts from the book:

Steve Jobs played a crucial role in introducing fonts to the computer. Although many fonts had already been created, he first introduced the idea of being able to change fonts on a computer. His most distinctive font, in my mind, is called Chicago. It conjures fond memories of the first iPod that I owned in 2003.


The child-like Comic Sans font was at one point such a widely used font, that it was often used inappropriately, sometimes appearing on online porn sites! It even initiated a hate campaign, led by husband and wife Holly and David Combs.

Gills Sans, the creator of well known Gill Sans (surprise!), was quite a creepy bugger! He was notorious for his scandalous and incessant sexual exploits with various family members (and pets). Interestingly enough, his font can now be found on the covers of all the Penguin Classics books and as the official font of the BBC as well as the church of England.

When IKEA changed their in-store font from Futura to Verdana in 2009 it sparked public outrage, with some complaints revolving around the disappointing change in the roundness of the O's which no longer mimicked IKEA's famous meatballs.

The Happiness Project

I've just finished reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin and can recommend it to anyone who feels that their life needs a bit of revolutionising! It's the type of book that when completed, is absolutely filled with little flags and highlighted bits to be remembered. Although I'm one to usually avoid a 'self help' book, this book offered much more than that as I followed Gretchen on her journey of striving to become a happier person over the course of a year. Gretchen offers many nuggets of wisdom in this book, and only just after having put it down, I feel I need to read it again! It has inspired me to remain focused on my blog and to continue following the goals that I have set for myself.

You can learn more about the Happiness project here: http://www.happiness-project.com/

Confessions...

I fear I am no longer capable of reading a book! Gone are the days where I could laze around in bed all weekend reading book after book...
Not only does my lack of time constrain me, but so does my lack of concentration! What has become of me?
I used to be a mean speed-reading machine!

Oh dear

Well.. this "readathon" may end up being more challenging than what I originally imagined. Thus far its been approximately one month and I have read one book. I have also read a book that I mistook to be on the list- The Old Man and the Sea.. and by read, I mean battled halfway through. 

I've just purchased Catch 22 in honour of its 50th anniversary. Lets hope I have more luck with this one!

This image has been obtained from the book, Information is Beautiful, by David McCandless

Its been a while

Sorry I have been rather slack in updating my blog recently. I have now finished Pride and Prejudice, and must say that I found it quite a pleasing book to read. I thought the second half of the book was more exciting than the former, and must admit that my stomach turned to knots when Darcy first confessed his love to Elizabeth. From that moment  I was hooked! Favourite quotes will follow soon..

I am now on a beautiful Greek island, and thought it would be rather apt to read "The Old Man and the Sea" by Hemingway whilst here. Despite the minuscule size of the book I haven't got far as I am constantly drowsy in the heat and just fall asleep after one page! 

Progress... not so much

Making Progress

After a leisurely recline in a hammock, overlooking the beautiful views of Frankfurt, I have finally started to really get into this book and coming to grips with the different characters. So far, my least favourite is Mr Collins, it is even annoying to read what he says! I thought the vast family library in the house I am staying in would be a good photo opportunity to document my "reading marathon".

Egotism and Foregone Conclusions

Having picked up my copy of the Penguin classic, Pride and Prejudice, at Terminal 5, I'm coming to realise that it was perhaps a bit foolish of me to begin this challenge whilst experiencing the delights of Europe. 

Thus far I am enjoying the read and find it notable that social class has long had an effect on one's perceptions of others. I feel that I am experiencing deja vu when reading this story, but it must be due to the widespread knowledge of this famous story and many way it may have entered my psyche over the years. My favourite phrase so far has been, "Keep your breath to cool your porridge," a real insult in those days I can imagine... 

I'm already behind schedule, having only read 73 pages! Onwards and upwards!

Intentions

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie 


List obtained from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100_2.shtml