Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Bookless on a Wednesday


It's Wednesday and I've nothing to read. Who am I kidding? I've been bookless for months. Novel-less, at least. I'm not sure what happened, but I've stopped reading. I'm still dipping into the best food book I've ever read most nights. But what's sorely lacking is a novel, a really good novel. Any advice? I can't do anything too challenging, or that requires too much of my brain. It must tolerate being read in bursts, sometimes only a page or two a night. That said, it must be beautifully written and tell a ripping tale. I certainly won't say no to un-put-downable, and while a slow-burner is fine, I have to be grabbed from the get-go. If the book calls out to me all day long, so much the better. I don't mind being taunted if the story is worth it.

I'm being taunted by this yarn. Beautiful, beautiful Quince Chickadee in richest Honey. I've enough to make myself a winter cardigan - this onethis one and this one stand out - but I need to find a break between hats to get serious about it. Winter's a few months away, and I know myself well enough to realise it might end up being for the winter after this one. But for the sake of balance, and all things good, I will cast this on before the month is out...once I decide what it will be.

I'm joining in with the Yarn Along despite the distinct and glaring absence of a book.

Also, please check out my very woolly giveaway. Two of my handknit hats are up for grabs - winners choose colour/style/size.

32 comments:

  1. Darling Friend - many, many book titles I have to share! You are normally my 'Book Nook' but our visits have been fewer and farer (I know, it's not a word) between. However, a few recents: Cross Stitch, The Secret River, Pillars of the Earth (this is totally against your brief, but if you haven't read it, I'm telling you, as my BFF, READ IT!), Room. There you go, just a few. But, you, my Book Nook, have prob read all. Just let me know if you come across any that I should read - and don't buy them on the kindle...I'm still part of the papyrus gang!
    xxx

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  2. The Most Beautiful Thing by Fiona Robyn (just finished it - slow burn first half, unputdownable second half) x

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  3. If you're anything like me I find it hard to read when I'm in the middle of making something, which is pretty much always these days and so I haven't read for a while. The Snow Child I thought I would read from start to finish while in Hospital having baby is still sitting on my bedside table taunting me. I read The Book Thief and Pillars of the Earth last year - both great. I second Cross Stitch, but you will need time to read the books that follow to see what happens to Claire and Jamie - they are quite unputdownable. That yarn is a beautiful Autumny colour. Lovely :-)

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  4. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Just finished it last night. Loved it, didn't want to put it down. It actually had me hooked during the first paragraph. Beautifully written. x

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  5. I'm not sure how gripping it is, but it keeps showing up everywhere I turn and is suppose to be a great read:

    http://www.amazon.com/Whered-You-Go-Bernadette-Novel/dp/0316256196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360750873&sr=8-1&keywords=where+did+you+go+bernadette+by+maria+semple

    I'm going to give it a try so my fingers are crossed.

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  6. Can't help you in the book department as I haven't been able to manage one since having a baby! Actually I lied... The last book I read was Jessica Rowe's on Motherhood. Quite an interesting read about some very famous and inspirational Australian mothers and their journey through motherhood. I esp liked stories by Quentin Bryce and Heidi Middleton (Sass & Bide) and her battle with breast cancer the during pregnancy... Good read actually.

    I'm liking contestant number two in the cardigan contest!

    Sophie xo

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  7. which ever you choose will look brilliant!! I guess you have your work cut out deciding :) I've knit with that yarn in that colorway for the color affection shawl (loved it!!!) Good luck deciding.

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  8. Jumping up an down and waving this book at you - 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak. An amazing tale where Death recounts a story from Nazi Germany about a girl who is a book thief. But that sentence can not do justice to this book. It is the kind of book you can read in little bits, or get swept away in on quiet afternoons. It has many layers and is at once sweet and sad. Nothing like I had imagined it would be. The characters are so well written. It is the only book my whole book club have all liked. Still jumping up and down and waving it at you. Unless of course you have already read it. :)

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  9. Mr God this is Anna is a lovely lovely book. Im not a big reader and read quite slowly and managed this. I recommend it!

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  10. If I had to recommend a book it would be the book we just finished in my online book-club "The Light between Oceans" A wonderful, gripping book that was very easy to read and hard to put down at times LOL! Our new book is "The Dovekeepers" which one of the members has started to read already and she was saying that it is also a great book thus far.
    Hope that helps :)
    x
    Natalie
    www.marigoldsloft.blogspot.com
    Book-Club: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/89922-marigolds-loft-online-book-club

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  11. great choices in sweaters.....and lovely color! I just finished Flight Behavior and it was a good read.....am loving this week's books too (listening to Sweet Tooth/reading Ella Minnow Pea)....some goodies already in the comments---loved Book Thief and Snow Child, too. Beautiful Ruins was a good read, too!

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  12. Hmmm...I am with you are what I require in a book, but I cannot seem to thing of one. Amanda at the Habit of Being always has good picks. I have read a few of hers and not been disappointed. (I did like many of the ones others have recommend, so I can tell you are in good hands). Another food book you may like is A homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette fame.

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  13. Beautiful color! I love the writing of Silas House -- if you look for Clay's Quilt, A Parchment of Leaves, and The Coal Tattoo, those are a series (but the books can stand alone) and he has a captivating writing style. -- Kathy at http://www.needleandspade.com

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  14. I participate in Yarn Along most weeks and I haven't really read a book in ages. It's either knit or read and these days I choose to read. I love the color of your yarn.

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  15. i know what you mean... being a mom and keep a hobby like reading is hard sometimes! that's why i'm trying to read at leat a book per month until august (when my second child will born)and i post a description in my blog. the last one i've read is the Maud Lethielleux newest novel "say yes, Ninon" (i hope there's the english version... i've read it in italian) and i loved it!

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  16. persuasion by jane austen got me out of a book drought recently, and then put me right back into one because i loved it so much i didn't have the heart to read anything else! : ) if you enjoy children's literature, dr. doolittle is fun! right now i'm reading p.g. wodehouse's my man jeeves. it's excellent. good luck finding something gripping!

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  17. Hee hee, I was almost bookless too until I remembered I was creeping through a watercolor book-still isn't a novel of course. I love that yarn and the name-very romantic. I am afraid I can be no help in the book suggestion department at the moment. Good luck. ;)

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  18. I haven't read a book in years then my lovely hubby bought me a Kindle for Christmas that I was so dead against and I haven't stopped reading since then. Still trying to find that 'one' good book though.

    Nina x

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  19. Love all those cardigans so can't help you choose! You could try anything by Paullina Simons, Margaret Atwood or Margaret Forster I have enjoyed all the books I have read by them.

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  20. I vote for cardigan #1. So cute! Books...I feel the same way. Here are some of my all time favorites and a recent read: The Thirteenth Tale, The Snow Child,Crow Lake, The Art of Fielding, The Silver Linings Playbook, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

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  21. I'll be coming back to these comments when i'm next in need of a book recommendation! Have you read The Red Tent. A must for every woman. I also love anything by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm dipping into the classic at the moment. Just finished Wuthering Heights.

    rachel xo

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  22. The Turning by Tim Winton - Short stories which are beautifully woven together and can be confronting at times. Loved it so much though. Also Blueback by the same author - Usually a adolescent novel but beautifully written :)

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  23. On the hunt for 'a good read' here too. Been between good books for too long so will be reading these comments in the hope of finding something to get stuck into.

    My recommendations:

    Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey - Australian author, set in Australia, a coming of age story of a young boy and a mystery. Very engaging and an easy read

    The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - beautiful: A young boy who does not speak, lives on a farm that breeds a special kind of dog, a story about loss and family and the relationship between a boy and his dog. Couldnt put this down and thought about it a lot after reading

    Oscar and Lucinda - a great read but heavy going. "Thickly" written - do have to concentrate on reading this one (or I did)

    A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - wow. Epic tale of India, the caste system, slums etc. Several main characters interwoven life over some time. Another one I could not put down and have thought a lot about since reading. Its not a light happy read but eye-opening. I had no idea of the enforced sterilisation policies in the 70s for example. One that makes you grateful for your blessed life and all that you have

    Bloom by Kelle Hampton - blogger, story of a mother learning and growing after birth of Nelle who has Down Syndrome

    The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham (spelling?) - beautiful. Awesome on DVD too

    The Time Travellers Wife - awesome book but not so awesome on DVD

    Atonement - awesome as both book and DVD

    The Kite Runner

    A Thousand Splendid Suns

    The Potato Factory series by Bryce C

    The Pillars of the Earth mentioned above are good and if you like that sort of thing try anything and everything by Edward Rutherferd ie Sarum, London, Dublin etc. Takes historical times and events and weaves a novel around over long periods of time. So good! I think Rutherferd so much better than Ken Follett but same sort of thing with historical fiction

    Geraldine Brooks is good - Year of Wonders, March, Calebs Crossing all good reads but was not a fan at all of People of the Book

    What else???

    Breath by Tim Winton, Cloudstreet

    Foals Bread by Gillian Mears - awesome australian novel about the show jumping industry, poverty, family life. Well written.

    Will come back and post any others that I think of and will be checking back for more ideas myself

    I think my next read will be The Art of Fielding

    Let us know what you find to read and how it is




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  24. the snow child. the snow child. the snow child. the snow child. the snow child. i can't say it enough.

    so glad to hear you are making for you!

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  25. I'm terribly afraid of recommending books because I feel like I'll be in trouble if doesn't work out well. All I'll say is that Ellie and the Shadow Man by Maurice Gee is one of my favourite books of all time (I read it at least once a year) so give it a go if you so wish.

    Also - do you use Quince yarn often? Is it super duper soft? I'm never sure about buying wool that isn't merino if I can't touch it first.

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  26. Oh Greer I have been bookless since before Christmas. I keep starting new ones but can't settle to anything. That's no help to you, is it! If you do find a super book, please let us know and I can add it to my amazon wishlist.

    Gillian x

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  27. I have so been there! Good luck! I say that the book will find you when you are ready for it, that's what always happens with me.

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  28. Have you read: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. This is what I have been reccommending to everyone lately.

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  29. My most recent read is The Slap (it's really old now so you probably read it years ago) and I loved it. My best reader friend gave Room her vote for 2012 book of the year (still have to get to it myself.) After reading all the comments I'm going to look for The Snow Child! And I quite like cardi number 1. Good luck!

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  30. I tried to leave a comment here after work last week, but something happened and it got lost and I was too tired to retype .... but I had asked this very same question of two friends over text when I was at the library last week and the replies were anything by Alice Munro, and Junot Diaz (neither of which I could find at Waverley library), but I thought it was worth a mention as the tips come from very reliable sources of mine. I am in desperate need of a new read, so I am going to take to some of these suggestions above. Excellent! Kellie xx

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  31. Some really good recommendations here, and quite a few I was going to suggest. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a perfect place to start as you can do it in delicious bite size pieces. It always inspires me to sit and write letters afterwards (you will see...)
    Once you are back in the swing I have to second The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, amazing book. Tim Winton is just about my favourite ever, but save him for when you have fallen back in love with the written word.

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