Sunday 12 October 2014

Sunday Summary: Fly-by post

Hello all, hope you're well. I've been back at work this week and it's been ridiculous. Two weeks into October, we are well and truly into the Retail Christmas season. I'm working full time this month to cover various other people's shifts, and my days off aren't even the same every week. I've worked four days, have today off, and have another four days starting tomorrow. I'm physically tired from moving so many heavy books and boxes around, so today is pretty much a duvet day.

This week I have been:

Reading: 



Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett. I'm still working through all the Discworld books I haven't read before, and hope to finish the series by the end of the year.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. This was my birthday present from Ellie, a moving and surprising story about the effects of an unconventional upbringing on a family. It was very different from what I had expected - another book following this year's trend of excellent books with bright yellow covers.

Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok: the story of a little girl and her mother who move from Hong Kong to America, to find life there very different from the life they had envisioned. A beautiful, often sad but ultimately hopeful story about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Kwok evokes well the confusion of being young in a strange culture, with an incomplete understanding of the language and culture.

Not reading:

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. I have to confess that went back to the library unfinished. I would like to read it at some point, but I've got so many newly-bought and birthday books to read, and I'd much rather get stuck into them.

Unwrapping:



Two more birthday presents arrived this week: books from bloggers Hanna and Charlotte. Charlotte sent me science fiction classic Flowers for Algernon, as well as a little Tolkien treasury full of poetry, art and ponderings about the Lord of the Rings. (This has found a home on my Lord of the Rings feature shelf - yes, I have a shelf of my bookcase devoted to Tolkien!) Meanwhile, Hanna sent me Stephen King's 11.22.63 which I, along with probably all of the UK Stephen King readers, keep writing the wrong way round, and which I have been wanting to read ever since it first came out. She also sent me The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making. How can a book with that title be anything but excellent? Thank you both so much, I'm thrilled by all of these books. My only problem is: which do I read first?

Watching:

Heroes, season one, which I have been buddy-watching with my sister (even though she lives in London.) This never interested me when it was on TV - I couldn't be having with those superheroes. And then The Avengers happened, and I realised that those kinds of stories appealed to me after all. So far, Heroes is fairly familiar territory to anyone who watched X-Men or Agents of SHIELD, but with a greater focus on the effects of developing superpowers on ordinary people's ordinary lives. I'm only a few episodes in so far but I'm already getting attached to the characters. Hiro Nakamura is my favourite character so far - he is so unashamedly geeky! His excitement is so endearing.

Playing:

Some friends had a tabletop gaming evening last night. The previous week, I was introduced to Netrunner, which was not very successful due to a poorly two-year-old refusing to go to sleep. Luckily young Sam was fast asleep last night, and we got through a game which I can't remember the name of, but was based on Lovecraft's writings. It is a collaborative game: players versus the monsters. The monsters won.

Internetting:

Not a lot, because the thunderstorm a few nights ago did something - I don't know what - to our wireless router. But since that's been fixed, I've been reading and watching Mark Oshiro reading Wyrd Sisters. With the introduction of Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, the series becomes a very different thing. This is when it starts to get really good. 

9 comments:

  1. Hi Kaite, the game we played last night was Elder Sign, It is fun but we don't often win.

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  2. OOh nice haul! Those are new to me reads but hope you enjoy them all!

    Here's my STS

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  3. Oh man, I feel really bad about going to waterstones yesterday and totally bothering the staff by making them give me a student card now... Except not that much because TEN PER CENT BACK IN POINTS YES PLEASE! (Sorry)

    I loooove Flowers for Algernon so much, hope you enjoy it!

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    1. I'm sure your local booksellers will agree that book-loving kindred spirits are what makes the job worthwhile. Also, WOOHOO STUDENT PERKS!!! Spend your bonus points unwisely, my friend! :D :D

      I'm still so touched and thrilled by all the books you people sent me for my birthday, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I really OUGHT to impose another book-buying ban on myself until I've got my three book piles down to one... but that's not going to happen. Maybe nearer to Christmas.

      In short: YAY BOOKS! YAY BOOK PEOPLE! :D :D

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  4. All the best people are late... *cough cough*

    I'm glad you liked your package and the Stephen King title irritates me EVERY TIME. I just don't see why they couldn't have made that teeny change for UK publication. I love the Tolkien book that Charlotte sent but get the tissues out ready for when you read it!

    Aww, you've made me want to read one of the Witches books - I love Magrat.

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    Replies
    1. The way I look at it, as long as a present arrives in the same year as a birthday - any birthday - it is a bonus! :D Considering that the title of Joe Hill's N0S4R2 was changed so it would sound right with a UK accent, it wouldn't take much to switch the numbers. Now we will be forever confused!

      Thanks for the warning about Charlotte's Tolkien book.

      I love the Witches. Magrat is most like me, but they are just such a great team, and Nanny Ogg is hilarious.

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  5. 1) I'm very glad the book turned out to be lovely, I just bought it too so that bodes well!

    2) How did I guess Hanna sent you 11.22.63? Oh yeah... because she's STILL TELLING ME OFF FOR NOT HAVING READ IT YET!

    3) I really want to read Flowers for Algernon, I hope it turns out to be as amazing as everyone says it is! All the reviews I've ever read/seen have been 5-star rave ones, so fingers crossed. :D

    4) I really should go back to Heroes again. I got completely lost somewhere in the second or third series, but I loved the first one. PETER PETRELLI IS THE BEEEEEEST.

    5) Thunderstorms or just regular storms, I am UNIMPRESSED with October's weather so far. Unimpressed, Katie. I shouldn't want to go into hibernation until at least mid-November, but I'm having a hard time finding reasons to get out of my pyjamas this week. :P

    6) Hope another bookshop Christmas doesn't end up feeling TOO bad - I'm looking at temp work at Waterstones and I'm genuinely not sure if it's a great idea or the worst one I've ever had. On the one hand, back in a bookshop - on the other, RETAIL. AT CHRISTMAS. AGAIN. *sighs heavily and slopes off to make another cup of tea*

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    Replies
    1. 1. I hope you love it! It was very different from what I had expected, but I love being surprised by books. It's very thought-provoking and a bit sad, but really beautiful.

      2. I was not surprised Hanna chose that book, either, though very pleased, because I've been delaying buying it for so long, just in case someone was to buy it from my wishlist. :D :D

      3. I think I remember seeing Flowers for Algernon on your wishlist. It was one of the books that kept coming up when I looked for classic science fiction recommendations. Plus I love those yellow SF Masterworks covers!

      4. I went into Heroes knowing only "Save the cheerleader, save the world," and that Young Spock is the villain (although I haven't yet met him.) I'm just about to watch another few episodes in a minute.

      5. Already it feels like it is going to rain FOREVER and I do not approve of this weather. Though I do like getting the jumpers out again. I have missed jumpers, fluffy pyjamas and blankets.

      6. Good luck with Waterstone's! Though retail at Christmas can be... challenging. Fingers crossed, this year is better than last - I'd already had a severe wobble by this time last year (ended up crying over something stupid like running out of binbags!)

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