Recommendations for a Friend #1 (52 Books #21, #22 and #23)

I was asked recently to make personal book recommendations to a friend - well who am I to refuse such a request! And so she (and she know's who she is) now has her very own set of posts for just this purpose!  I have also realised that, by some fortunate happy accident I'm remembering books I'd forgotten I'd read this year, so that's a few more to add to the 52 books list!

So, jumping in with Angelfall by Susan Ee.

This was one of those books that was first published digitally and received popularity through word of mouth. I picked it up on Amazon when it was going for a lowly 99p, and devoured it almost instantly. Angelfall is a shoe-in if you were a fan of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games,  following the similar theme of the older sister protecting the younger one. It will also appeal to Twilight fans, as it features a human/mythical romance, but as with both aforementioned it's all about the way the stories packaged and Angelfall, although being a familiar plot, was readable and different enough story. The sequel is coming out in mid-November, and I just hope it's worth the wait!

Another recent book I've read has been another Ngaoi Marsh, this time Death In a White Tie.

This one follows on directly from Artists in Crime and expanded on the characters beautifully. There's not much more I can say about these books that I didn't say here, but the same longing for a long-forgotten era is jolted when reading these books, especially as this one is set against the backdrop of the first "season" of the protagonist Roderick Alleyn's niece as she makes her entrance into society as a debutante.

The final book in this wee list of suggestions (and 52 books tally) is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I first bought this book when I was at uni, I'm going to hazard a guess at 2008, and read it after purchase. I remember thoroughly enjoying it, so I picked it up again to remind myself why.

I loved this book for two main reasons. One, it's an out and out mystery that surprised at every turn, and two, the novels two leading characters are an author and a bibliophile. It's a book persons story.  I am all about a good story, and a nice gothic mystery full of deep and dark family secrets makes a book you can really get into! Definitely one to give a whirl!

About time for down time! Phew! (and 52 Books #19 & #20)

It's been the best part of four weeks since I got back from my holiday to the UK and I've been rushing around being ridiculously social every since (for anyone who know's me this may be something of a surprise as I am most usually to be found eschewing large get-togethers in favour of down time with a good book, cup of tea or a blank page). There have been farewell parties, sad goodbyes, euphoric returns and a myriad of welcomes. This weekend I've spent my time off doing sweet f-all. It's been brilliant.

That's not to say I haven't enjoyed my running around though! I've been to new places (lets be honest, that's hardly difficult in Hong Kong, there is just SO MUCH to do), experienced a variety of weathers (well it's a Hong Kong Summer, though without a doubt cooler than last year - who'd have thought I'd ever look at 81% humidity and respond with "that's low!") and been on a Junk - only taken me 14 months!

What the last few days has afforded me (and about time too) is ample reading and writing time! I have just spent my time giggling away to Miranda's gloriously funny Is It Just Me?

Written as she speaks, it was a total delight and had me laughing out loud the whole way through! Miranda holds a special place as I spent happy times watching it with one of my friends who has now left Hong Kong, but fear not - she has gone armed with her Heather Small mask! In all seriousness, what more could you ask for!

I was finishing the above as the new broke that J.K. Rowling had written the Robert Galbraith book, The Cuckoo's Calling. My, what an outstanding marketing ploy that was. Naturally, I had to see what all the fuss was about.

While I have never pegged Rowling as the most technical of writers, it's never mattered due to her ability to tell an excellent story. I, personally, enjoyed A Casual Vacancy. I found it so very different to Harry Potter, yet still as readable. It was just what it needed to be - a complete departure. The Cuckoo's Calling dips a toe back into adventure (something that Harry Potter couldn't be without) and it's clear that Rowling was much more comfortable writing this one. I have a hunch this may also have been due to the complete lack of pressure surrounding it's writing and publication - and who can blame her after storm that is Harry Potter. It's well worth the read!

And for the next seven weeks I will be battling through summer courses and generally having fun with my students, that this week includes Mayan Headresses! Looking rather fine, even if I do say so myself!

Edging closer to the twenties (52 books #18)

Edging closer to the twenties and number eighteen has come in the form of One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner. It was my morning off work this morning so I lounged around the flat for a while and picked up a book. I started this book months ago and then put it down and forgot about it and I thought it was about time I resumed my progress! I have since wept my way through the rest of the book.

Now, I'm someone who turns to mush at the most mildly sad things, but parts of this book were heat wrenching. Add that to the fact that a good cry has been on the cards anyway and I nearly flooded the flat. But don't be thinking that One Moment, One Morning is a miserable weep fest - it's not. It's actually a warm,  thoughtful story that is full of hope and acceptance as it follows a group of friends dealing with a tragic loss.

I would read this book again and I'd recommend it. It's short but powerful and it reads well. Rayner has woven the interconnecting lives of her characters beautifully and with great thought and care. A lovely read.

Sometimes, a second go is all you need! (52 Books #17)

So I gave Mr James Rollins a second chance and read another of his books. I thought I'd go for Sandstorm, the first in his SIGMA series. It was fabulous.

It was fun, it was exciting, it was imaginative to the point of crazy and I found it much more rewarding than Excavation. The way Rollins organises his books is clearly to jump form character arc to character arc within chapters, and while I still found this jarring, I found Sandstorm to be a tighter knit story and the interviewing aspect of the story worked well. In general I think I prefer more linear books, I could get used to his style.

It is different for books like The Time Travelers Wife. They nature of the story lends itself to a narrative that jumps too and fro and Rollins' stories don't lend themselves to it in the same way. Despite that niggling qualm, I found this much more readable and I'm looking forward to reading more.

This is a book for anyone who's a fan of Matthew Reilly (as anyone who reads this will know I most definitely am) and would also suit anyone who like's Dan Brown (I am rather excited to read Inferno and I'm hoping it's better than The Lost Symbol) or even if you're just a fan of action films with a historical twist in a book form! Some parts of this plot are crazy it's true, but why not...just why not! 

Four in two days... Is it possible? Of course it is!! (52 Books #16)

It's been quiet of late, what with heading to the UK for a holiday (England... for a holiday... who'd have thought it!) and the constant run of departures and arrivals that have happened since it's all been rather hectic - in the best of ways! Thankfully it's calming down again now. It's feels like I've reached the peak of the mountain and I'm happily running down the other side (channeling the Sound of Music all the way) and with more of that elusive space in which I think I've been picking up my books and my pen again. 

Sadly I've not yet hit the target for this month and either I finish four books in the next two days, or I have to read six a month from now to December - luckily that's still manageable! I have managed to get through one book this month (even if I did start it in May!) I finally finished Divided Kingdom by Rupert Thomson. 

I read through the sample at great speed and then read through a handful of the reviews on amazon to see if the purchase of the rest was worth it - I usually wait for a book to come on offer as this was still fairly pricey.   Despite a fair number of reviews being less than positive about the latter stages of the book, I bought it anyway. While I wasn't disappointed by the book, I do have to agree with some of what I read on amazon. It is true that once Thomas Parry, the main protagonist, grows up and goes out into the world, the story loses  much of it's heart. It seems aimless, restless with a flicker of inspiration here or there that is never, quite, followed up on. 

That's not to say that it is not good. It is. The overall idea, the themes of the story, the idea that you cannot fit someone's personality into a box are good and sound and the beginning is exciting, I just wish that that excitement had remained through the entire book! I would recommend it, and I'd probably pick it up again, but there is this niggling feeling that, just perhaps, it could have been a little better! 

Running Away From Me (52 Books #15)

As everything this end has ratcheted up to silly levels, there has been little reading this week! Fear not! This is why the audiobook was invented! I am a bigger than big fan of the audiobook, I have been for years, only I've been listening to the same ones over and over again for a very long time now and I thought something new was needed. So off I went for some audible perusing and I came across Ngaio Marsh. I had never heard of her before, but I was intrigued (and sold on the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was narrating it - and his voice is lends itself well to an audiobook).

Artists in Crime is a winner if you are an Agatha Christie fan. I have been a Christie devotee since my mums old dog-eared copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was pressed into my hands. Now however, Christie will have to share her place close to my heart with Ngaio Marsh. She can never be usuerped, but Marsh tells stories with a similar feel from the same era and delight my imagination as much as Poirot and Marple do.

It is a sedate murder mystery, solved with common sense, conversation and a wealth of general knowledge floating around the wonderful Inspector Roderick Alleyn's brain. I loved it and it has hit the spot with a wonderful bit of calm this week.  If you want a relaxed and easy read that stirs up a world gone by, this is an author for you. I feel that for myself this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

It Never Got Off The Ground!

So I'm two days shy of my 6 weeks and I have to tell you that my Pinterest challenge was a resounding failure, It never got of the ground. So instead, with the mass amount of fabric I have acquired and the imminent purchase of a sewing machine, I am going to focus on the self-made wardrobe side of things and my 52 books challenge which is still on track and so far manageable.

So a wee reading list:

• Under The Net - Iris Murdoch ( I love my kindle but I also like to have one paperback book on the go!)
• Sandstorm - James Rollins (OK, I lied, I have to see if anything else is any good!)  See here for the full set of thoughts! 
• The Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss (I love his writing for Dr Who and Sherlock so I have to give this a whirl) 
• Moonfleet - John Meade Falkner (I have read the abridged young penguin version of this, but the original is blowing me away!)
• Inferno - Dan Brown (got to see how this compares!)

I think that's enough to be going on with for now, although I am not a heart subscriber to the following: 

Thank You Pinterest!

In Search Of Something New (52 Weeks #14)

They really are coming thick and fast at the moment. I'm just devouring books that come my way. This one did not quite hit the spot. It's always risky reading a book in the same genre and style as your favourite author, but I'm always willing to give something new a whirl! I came upon Excavation by James Rollins by accident (yes, it's another one from Flow) and more than anything I wanted to see how it compared with Matthew Reilly's Temple or Seven Ancient Wonders.

I do like the cover!
Sucker for a cover me!

Excavation was neither a success or a disappointment. It held me for the first few chapter, but then I found that it jumped around too much with no real plot direction and characters coming and going like nobody's business. The first two thirds of the book did move at a decent pace, but all my reading of Reilly's books had clearly spoiled me. He introduces his characters to you and gives you enough time, but not too much, to get an idea and feel for them before he tips them headfirst into action and adventure. Rollins just tipped me straight into the action and adventure with these people I had never met and knew next to nothing about. So we have a group of people blasting one man behind his back... why? Show me a reason he deserves that first! I also found Maggie to be a touch on the stereotypical side.

The last third was more of a mess, like looking out of the window when you're on a train. The scenery is all there, you know it is, but you can't really see anything, it's gone in a flash. And the ending, lackluster. I'm glad I gave Rollins a go and I wouldn't say no to reading another one of his books were one to come my way, but I'm not going to go out seeking one just yet.

Out Of Africa (52 weeks #13 )

So number 13 in this 52 books challenge is Little Bee by Chris Cleave. This is also known in the UK as The Other Hand.

I am a sucker for an interesting cover
and this was no exception!

This was a gripping, miserable and yet despite it all, hopeful book. Cleave uses language brilliantly to differentiate between narrators and writes in a way that flows well. Each chapter isan extra layer, a new colour added to a black and white picture, each new addition filling in gaps and making the picture bigger and more vibrant.

A lot of people refrained from picking up this book as there is no blurb, but this is exactly why I decided to bring it home (again this was another Flow find). There had to be something that made this book different, to make it stand out, for there to be no blurb. I was not disappointed.

Towards the end I did find that my enjoyment tailed off somewhat, but none of that could detract from what is, at base level, an excellent story. All the characters (well nearly) are likable and believable. Charlie grates after a few chapters, and the kindest way pf accepting it is to believe that it makes an obvious difference between him and the others.

In the end, I would recommend this as a book to be read for the enjoyment of some its more beautifully written passages. Yes, it is a hopeful book that was in many places a joy to read, but the ending left me hanging and I feel perhaps a little more could be done. Give it a chance though, and see if you think it is a book worthy of no blurb!

The Quick Read and the Non-Starter (52 Books #12)

I whipped though this book in no time at all, admittedly helped by the fact that it was only just over 100 pages long, but don't let that belittle it in any way. Hell Island but Matthew Reilly was the only Scarecrow book I had yet to read and there it was sitting on a shelf in Flow, calling to me!

I was engrossed from the beginning as Reilly drew me in the way he always does. The fact he managed to explain so much and continue Scarecrows development in so few words showed his skill and the story moved along at incredible pace but never felt rushed. 

I'm not going to go into plot detail, Reilly's books have to be read and appreciated by the individual and this is no exception. I'm also sure I read it differently to anyone who's picking this up as their first Matthew Reilly book. It is a magnificent introduction to his style and to this set of characters and I can see how this book can make a reader want to go and find out what happened before and after the events on the page. 

Scarecrow will always be a favorite of mine and I doubt I'd ever be able to talk about any or Reilly's book without bias. He is brilliant and I CANNOT wait for his next offering - see I'm so excited I'm using capitals!! 

I also started Vernon Godlittle by DBC Pierre last week. I battled through a few chapters before I had to put it to one side. It did nothing at all for me and I felt no reason to trudge my way through the rest of it. I can appreciate that it is a style that would appeal to many, but sadly it didn't float my boat. Instead I trawled through the kindle backlog and came across a sample of Divided Kingdom...I had to buy the book so that I could find out what happend next...nearly done now so will let you know how it goes! 

Yes, We Have Another One! (52 books # 11)

I may be doing appallingly in this personal challenge of mine, but it's still going...only another 41 to go... This equates to roughly 6 books per month from now to the end of December! If I can read the entire Hunger Games trilogy in a couple of days then I can complete this challenge by 31st December!

Today then we have another kindle store snap purchase: White Bones by Graham Masterton.

Crime Fiction just isn't Crime Fiction
without the gloomy backdrop!

This book was majorly creepy, there were bits of it I had to force myself to get through, wincing all the while, but I couldn't stop reading it. Masterton wove a story that I just had to know the end of and it couldn't just be a skip to the end. There were so many interweaving facets to the story that on occasion the brain got a little befuddled, but it all came right in the end.

I initially picked up in this as it is essentially a crime novel, with Katie Maguire as the leading protagonist who is as strong a female detective as you'll find anywhere. she has a steeliness and yet open vulnerability that makes her easy to like and respect all at once. She doesn't try to be macho or hide everything just to keep up with the boys, and I like that. She expects to be taken as she is, not what people assume. I was not expecting it to be as creepy and gory as it was (I've never heard/read Graham Masterton before) but it was one of the most captivating detective stories I've read in a while.

Horror/Creepy stuff isn't really the first thing I look for in a book, they're pretty far down my radar, but Masterton cloaked the creepyness in History and Irish myths (which are my cup of tea) and made it much more palatable and readable.

It's not a book for the squeamish or fainthearted and if you can't cope with gore or any kind then it's not for you, but if you can cope with the aforementioned then read this book. It's an excellent story, I like the characters and I had to read it to the end. I had to know who, why and how. It wasn't what I was expecting,  but it was an excellent 59p purchase and I am off to go and find some more (tame) Graham Masterton to read...

And We're In Double Figures (52 books #10)

So yes, it is a book I've read before (many times) but not in the last 16 months *sob* and this was the book I went to Flow in search of! Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly is one of my all time favourites, aided in no small part by my horrendous bias! I have loved every story Matthew Reilly has written and though for a long time Scarecrow and his crew were top of my list, there were well and truly usurped by Jack West and his multi-national team of heroes!

Flow Bookshop (courtesy of their webpage) - How utterly brilliant is this place!!

I was first introduced to Matthew Reilly's books back in the early 2000's when a friends brother took a tip to Australia and returned with three books: Contest, Temple and Ice Station. After they had been consumed by the brother and my friend it was my turn. I read them in the order above and now own all of them (and the rest) myself. Temple is also high up there on the list, and I can say that with two specific pages in mind. They bring back the memory of my friend and I sat on her bedroom floor, each with a Matthew Reilly book in hand and quite content. 

Seven Ancient Wonders is the first in a set (well trilogy for now, but I'm keeping my hopes up for more) about Jack West Jr. Being a history nut the story here was always going to be a winner for me and it did not disappoint. Add to that Reilly's ability to create a vast range of colourful characters and imagine increadible things and you have a book that made moi almost squeal with glee. The inner Indiana Jones was more than satisfied. 

It's a race against time, space and the bad guys with a group of central protagonists who themselves are not all entirely at ease with the lot that has fallen to them, but fallen to them it has. They do what they have to do, and we get to rocket along with them. Reilly's balance of action and explanation is (for me) prefect. 

Reading a Matthew Reilly book is like reading a film. It takes your imagination to new levels with his excellent description and with the odd plan thrown in. What I will forever be sure of is that so long as Matthew Reilly keeps publishing, I will keep reading.

Toodles, 

Nelly x

I Swear I'll Never Doubt Again (52 Books #9)

The first book I picked out of my mammoth pile was The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. To my shame, despite the popularity and my love of Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series, I have never made any attempt to pick up one of his No. 1 Ladies books. I even bought this one on a whim rather than making a pointed effort to seek it out. Here is why I bought it:

This copy had such a lovely cover and I really like the stamps inside the front cover (there are also scribbles in the back too). I like a book that's traveled and this one feels loved and appreciated. 

Then I started reading... and all I have to say is I will never again doubt or question Alexander McCall Smith.  I was in love from the fourth line:

"Then there was a teapot, in which Mma Ramotsew - the only lady detective in Botswana - brewed redbush tea. And three mugs - one for herself, one for her secretary, and one for the client."

Quiet frankly any book where tea is placed in such high regard was going to be a winner for me, and this is no exception. From there I just fell more and more in love with the story, the characters and the place. I have no doubt that a lot of this is to do with McCall Smith's own love of Botswana, it shine's though the text pulsing through every word McCall Smith committed to the page.

Anyone who's read through any of my other book related posts will know I'm not a plot spoiler and I don't go into vast amounts of detail. The reading of a book is a personal thing and everyone takes from it what they believe is the most important and each subliminally bookmarks their favourite moments. I like to talk in terms of how it makes me feel and "if you like x/y/z give it a go!" A traditional crime book this is not but it was a joy to read and if you, like me, are an Alexander McCall Smith fan and you have not read this book... well what are you waiting for!

Hope the pages keep turning!

Nelly x

A Book I tell You... Another Book... (#8)

So it's not a week, but maybe I'll be able to hit 52 by the end of the year... (see post below). Challenge heartily accepted and here is one that I have read through at double quick speed: Going Solo by Roald Dahl.

I have read Boy many a time and delighted in Roald Dahl's wonderful ability to recount his memories in the most humours and laugh-out-loud ways. Going Solo maintained much of this but also had a level of seriousness that I have not encountered in any of his writing that I have read up to now. This alteration is of course because of the time to which he was referring (from 1939) and the stories and ideals of the people he meets. Despite this backdrop Dahl still manages to inject much of the book with his wonderful humour.

I was hooked within the first two pages simply because of the explanation of the collective vocabulary the the Empire Builders as-was had in common, regardless of location. Some are words that I am very used to hearing and I can put this down to the fact that my father and my grandfather are all connected to various parts of the British Armed Forces. The fact there are a few words thrown in their that I use makes it all the funnier.

I would always recommend Roald Dahl to anyone. The Twits and Fantastic Mr Fox have long been favourites and I vividly remember the first time someone but an old battered copy of Boy into my hands. I didn't put it down until it was finished and there was little difference for this. Dahl's autobiography is a must for any fan of his writing and it is so much fun to join him as he flies (almost literally) through Africa. Magical!

Nelly x

Go With The Flow.

So it is no surprise that my 52 books challenge has become as flat as a pancake, but I have not stopped reading, oh no! I recently discovered the most amazing bookshop in the world: Flow.

Flow is a second hand, predominantly English bookshop tucked away in a tiny room just off the Mid-Level escalators in Soho (and who ever thought a few years ago that I'd be writing that sentence!) Flow really is the last word in second hand bookshops. The organisation is brilliant and logical (titles in alphabetical order or books by subject) and but the overflow is a jumbled mess of all sorts, but to my mind this makes the experience ten times more exciting. You never know what you are going to find! Flow is so called because it is all about the flow of the books themselves; coming into the shop, leaving and coming back to be sold again. It's like a localised Book Crossing!

I finally found my way to Flow (it felt a little like a treasure hunt) in order to find one particular book. I had been hankering after the book for a few weeks and it is one of the many books that I have sitting on my shelves back in England that have not been digitalised. The book in question was Matthew Reilly's Seven Ancient Wonders. I love all of his books, but this one and Temple have always been two particular favorites. To my joy of joys, there the book was, sitting happily on a shelf calling out to me to be bought. And so it was.... along with seven others... (though one was for a friend). Flow has thus cemented itself as one of my favourite places in HK!

So I have a reading list and all in proper book form. There is nothing better than having a real book with real pages in you hands, and the books that I will soon be reviewing are:

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave Finished!
• Vernon Godlittle by DBC Pierre  Had to call it a day on this one!
• The Guernsey Literary Peel and Potato Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
• Hell Island by Matthew Reilly  Finished, see review here.
• The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith Also finished, see review here.
• Excavation by James Rollins Another finished, see here. 

Alongside these I am also reading Bloodlands by Timoth Snyder and Tea: A History of the Drink that Changed the World (I am a devoted tea lover) and Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone in French (somehow Madam Pomfrey became Madam Pomfresh....!) Really it's not unusual for me to have a good ten books on the go at any one time, but that's the way I like it. Reviews will hopefully be flooding in shortly!!

Nelly x

52 Books Challenge #7

This week has not been the best of them! Three days off for Chinese New Year was an excellent boon to the week but the lagging recovery from the last illness and they sudden swooping arrival of a new and nasty one meant that the week was rather turned on its head.

What this did mean however, was that the purchasing of sympathy books (when one buys books to make themselves feel better) is totally applicable and utterly guilt free. It is one of my sympathy purchases that is this weeks book: Fixing Shadows by Susan Barrett.

I spotted the spine of this book on a bookshelf and being a sucker for a decorative cover I had a peek. The cover indicates a vast cast, which this book has, but I barely warmed to anyone. By the end of the book, though still not enamoured of any of the main players, I could very much appreciate and enjoy the delicate weaving of the story and the interesting way in which it was told.

Two baby boy are born on the same night to a Duchess and her governess; one dies and the other does not. What follows is how their lives played out in the aftermath of that fateful night and what effect it had on the child who lived!

It took a while to trudge through the first few chapters and get used to the style and the absence of connection but it was well worth the effort and an excellent sympathy purchase indeed.

52 Books Challenge #6

So I'm back on track with a brand new unread book, but sadly this weeks book was a bit of a disappointment, so much so that I read it rather quickly and I'm sure there were bits and pieces here and there that I skipped. I wouldn't say that I would never read the author again ( I hear on the grapevine that her second novel was much better) but this one while not abysmal, wasn't great. The book in question is Trade Winds by Christina Courtnay.

 

The plot of the novel was, for the most part, it's saving grace. The writers personal knowledge and interest shine through and it is believable and in parts exciting, my personal problem was the way in which it was written. Set in the 1700's the dialogue did not match the time period and the section set in Scotland had swathes of dialogue that made me physically cringe. Having spent four years in Scotland, and having read Trainspotting, I know that this can be done better. It was the literary equivalent of Gerard Butler's terrible Irish accent in the film adaptation of Cecelia Ahern's P.S. I love you (a great book by the way).

All that said it was a joyful romp and although not one I am ever going to read again, I may brave Courtney's second novel.

52 Books Challenge #4 & #5

So it's been a busy fortnight, preparing for the brothers arrival, having epic amounts of fun while he was here and now recovering after his departure (not helped by the immune system taking a bashing thanks to lurgyfied kids sneezing everywhere). As such I have not managed to bend my mind to reading anything new and instead I have re-read some old favourites that I haven't dipped into for a while.

My one rule for this challenge is not re-reading anything I have read since I came to Hong Kong, thankfully neither of these books were on that list!

There's not much I can really say about either of them. They are both so well known that I'm sure my reading of them can be understood. One is just a classic and the other is such a good comfort read, especially when feeling under the weather:

I would love to re-read the hunger games at the moment, but sadly I read those since being in Hong Kong, so I am going to peruse through the extensive kindle library to find something that catches my attention!

52

So it's all been a little quiet on the western front. There hasn't been much going on out here. This past week things have picked up a little. Of course, Christmas happened, but it was a strange one. It felt like it was a summers day outside and everything was still open. It's not as big a celebration for the locals as Chinese new year is and as such Christmas day felt like a non-day. It was almost like I was watching it go by, and it did go by in a flash.

Then there are the films that have come out recently. First Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2.

 I had to go and see this one. I have seen all the others in the series and had, therefore, to finish the job. It was much better than the last offering, but to be fair the fist half of breaking dawn was also my least favourite part of the book series. The film in the twilight saga was very good and almost as fresh as the first one, and cleverly directed with good opening and closing titles. There was a moment when I feared a terrible deed had been done and the ending had been altered but thankfully my fears were alleviated and overall it was one of the better films of the saga.

Next came The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

I was so excited about this film. I have been waiting for it since Lord of the Rings came out and I could not wait to get the cinema to see it. I was not disappointed. In fact I loved it so much that tomorrow I am going to see it again. The acting is superb, the costumes and make-up sublime and Peter Jackson delivers the story with love and care. There were moments I was unsure of, as many things that are mentioned in passing in the book are expanded on, but Jackson does an excellent job of explaining the Lord of the Rings after he has made it. It will, I think, make all six of the films  (once the following two installments of The Hobbit are released) into a complete unit.

The final film is, of course, Les Miserables.

I have also been eagerly anticipating this release, though I knew I would be somewhat hard to please. I grew up listening to the 10th Anniversary Cast, featuring Colm Wilkinson who has dominated the role of Valijean since it's inception. I have not heard, and will be hard pressed to hear, a rendition of Bring Him Home that matches Wilkinson's. Despite being hard to please, I thoroughly enjoyed Les Mis. Anne Hathaway was excellent as Fantine and her I Dreamed a Dream was a highlight of the film. Hugh Jackman delivered an award worthy performance as Valjean and Eddie Redmayne's Marius was the best I have seen him act. Russel Crowe's Javert was strange. He brought Javert to life well and I liked his interpretation of the character, but I struggled with his voice, It was nothing like I was expecting, and I am used to more strength and depth than he had. That said, Crowe's numerous duets with Jackman worked very well and their voices meshed together excellently. Isabelle Allen was a revelation and Amanda Seyfried voice was perfect.
Overall, and regardless of my gripes, there is no doubt in my mind that Les Mis is a cinematic masterpiece and I do hope it does as well as it deserves during awards season.

That has been my time back at the cinema and I am now plotting a further task. Reading is one of my favourite things, and I have more books than I remember on my kindle, so to help me get through them I am taking on the challenge of reading 52 books in a year, one a week. The list is nearly done (though I am sure it will change a few more times, and may even cross over to next year) but I am rather exited. Nothing like a bit of structure and a list to make you do something! Here's just hoping I can stick to it!

The comfort factor

When you're in a foreign country there is nothing quite like having a few home comforts hanging around. Luckily for me, Hong Kong Public Libraries have plenty of them, the highlight of which came when I paid a visit to my local library and found this most wonderful of books on the library shelves:

This books has always been a favourite and curled up in my room I could've been anywhere. The story is told so brilliantly and however many times I read it I am still enchanted (no pun intended). One of the (smal) irritating things about moving away was not being able to bring my books with me. I love my kindle, but even so there is nothing like an actual book in your hands and turning pages instead of pressing buttons.

But now I have a new book to read, The Zahir, by Paulo Coelho was pressed into my hands only yesterday with the instructions to read it - instructions that I am now about to follow.... never having read any of Coelho's work I am intrigued....