Monk Kidd, Sue - The Secret Life of Bees

I don't often use the word sweet, it gives me the irates (as does that word) but how else to explain this book. Both funny, sad, sweet (there!) and amazingly interwoven with these facts (at the start of each chapter) about Bees. Such a beautifully written story. I've had my eyes on this for some time at Dymocks as a nickname of mine is Bee. That was the initial fodder for curiousity and a raving review from 90% of the rest of the staff. Borrowed off Katie, thank you again. It made for a fulfilling train trip or two.

Haddon, Mark - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

What and amazing book!

Thanks so much Katie for the lend.

Written from the perspective of a boy with Asbergers Syndrome (which I find exceptionaly interesting in light of a boy I know with it). So so facinating, entertaining and not predicatable.

Honest, different look at the world. Produced this massive empathy and understanding and admiration.

This is no kids book.

Peck, M. Scott - The Road Less Travelled

I was, to say the least, fairly excited when Mum let me know we owned this as I've been sorely tempted to buy it recently. The poor book has now been thoroughly battered after surving a pen's explosion in my bad and having multiple corners folded (not just return to reading, but 'check this out again later').

Very very interesting book. It's a bit of a long haul - you have to want to read it. It's split into four sections. The first is Discipline, then Love, Growth and Religion, and finally Grace.

I have, through the entire time I've been reading it been trying to work out if the guy is a Christian. I understand his work has been well recieved in Christian circles, but some of his writing makes me a little unsure. I shall have to research his background a bit.

The first two sections of the book were extremely interesting. The Love section is clearly the most facinating (isn't it always!) and it provided a text based resource for a lot of what Tim Hein talked about during a class on love last year.

The last two sections are a bit more tedious. Both still have some/many descisive and well made points, but yeah - my enthusiasm waned after being sucked in to his theories on love and spat out the other end.

Read this. But read with discernment.

Frey, James - A Million Little Pieces

A good thing about working where I do is that occasionaly the 'staff freebie' tub yeilds something half decent. I took advantage of this yesterday when I spotted a copy of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. It is minus it's back cover - as are most of those they are getting rid of, but you do not need to read a blurb when you are going to read the book.

A month or so ago we had this minor obsession from customers about getting hold of this book. It was recommended by Oprah (and I confess I've never really watched any, so I can't complain legimately about how bad it is). The book is an autobiography about a drug addict.

The validity of 'autobiography' has recently come in to some speculation. My world will not change if 100% of the novel is not entirely true. I ususally read fiction anyway so I will treat it mostly as fiction regardless.

I have spent a goodly part of today utterly consumed.
This is not a good book, because that would be the wrong word, but a powerfully written book. My mind hurts from concentrating too hard and attempting to keep feelings arms distance away.

The Young Man came to the Old Man seeking counsel.
I broke something, Old Man.
How badly is it broken?
It's in a million little pieces.
I'm afraid I can't help you.
Why?
There's nothing you can do.
Why?
It can't be fixed.
Why?
It's broken beyond repair. It's in a million little pieces.

The above is from a blog I wrote a day or so ago. I have since finished the book entirely impressed. I've read a few reviews and many condemn the validity of it all. This does not really matter to me so much as I said before. The book is oustanding. Not a light read no, but rivetting and eye opening. It says much about addiction (;p to reading even). It is full of it's own adrenaline.

McKinney Hammond, Michelle - In Search of the Proverbs 31 Man

A title to get slighly freaked out about. It was on sale during a trip to Koorong, $5. So I thought - 'Why not?'

I get in the car and Laura lets me know she thinks it's a book for guys. She is right. But it is also for females. For singles, for marrieds, for those in a relationship.

I was extremely pleased with the usefulness of this book. It's nice to have a few things spelled out once in a while. Good alternative and a different look at the Proverbs 31 passage.

The author sets out to say that this is not a man-bashing book but maybe strays a little close sometimes or I'm just being too nice. I think I'll have to give it to a male friend and see what he thinks. Its also the kind of book you'd like to lend people but don't want to give them the wrong idea at the same time.

Most excelent despite a page that made me do the whole, "hmmm.... maybe" thing (I forget what that was about now, sorry).

It is informative, generally uplifting and puts a bit of the hope back into an already idealistic mind.

Watson, Don - Death Sentence

This is basically an essay (novel size) on the decay of public language.

I had about a two week period where I forgot about this book (I was halfway through) and re-found it this afternoon, so picked it up where I left off.

I confess a lot of it went over my head, there was a lot of political related information, but I got the general gist, it's sarcastic jibes at use of language. Good explanations (if not bordering on the complicated for a tired youthful mind) and beautifully written paragraphs. Very pleasing, but a hard slug.

Wyndham, John - The Day of the Triffids

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I thought I'd give this one a go as it is on many of the 'top books' kind of lists. I have read one other of Wyndhams a long time ago, The Midwitch Cuckoos which is brilliantly strange and exceedingly disturbing. This was well worth my time. Quite rivetting actually. Futuristic (set on earth) of basically a domination by these plant things, triffids. I much prefer sci-fi that has potential to be likely than those that involve other freakish creatures set in outerspace.

A good feel of humanity and the rest of human race gone slightly mad. The female character has an unusual name: Josella. The guy (who is the main character) is Bill - which is the kind of name that I check at the end of every now and then as I continually forget.

I seem to do that fairly frequently, read a book and have minimal to zero clue as to who the main character's name is (same with movies really). Slight oversight.

There's this massive stash of Wyndhams that mum has put aside to sell on ebay, I might start removing the odd book from the stack.