Seems trite to say the year is zipping by, but there you go, it is. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Markus Zusak
Six Degrees of Separation – from Murmur to Staying
It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up. Continue reading
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
For how do you walk towards your father without being a son? How do you leave home without realising where you’re from?
This book… it’s a 568 page poem about brothers, running, fathers, a bridge, mistakes, Homer’s Odyssey, mothers, stories, dying, legacies, horses and a mule, clay, painting, David and the slaves, reading, Pont Neuf, grief, refugees, an engraved lighter, a piano, a typewriter, a peg…
…there was always a bulkiness to us. A bursting at the seams. Whatever we did, there was more: More washing, more cleaning, more eating, more dishes, more arguing, more fighting and throwing and hitting and farting… It didn’t matter how in control or on-top-of-things were, there was chaos a heartbeat away. We could be skinny and constantly agile, but there was never quite room for all of it – so everything was done at once. Continue reading
Lately – autumn edition
Enjoying: selecting my Easter holiday reading. Continue reading
Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts
01. I’ve been to see #ALLTHETHINGS over the last few weeks – Continue reading
Six Degrees of Separation – from We Need to Talk About Kevin to Little Known Facts
It’s time again for my favourite meme. Based on the concept of six degrees of separation, Emma Chapman and Annabel Smith have created #6DEGREES, where bloggers share links between books in six moves. Check out the rules if you want to play along.
This month, we begin with Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin. I could talk endlessly about this book – it left an indelible impression on me and although I read it when it was first published in 2006, hardly a month goes by without thinking about it. But I haven’t reread it – I’m not sure I could cope. Similarily, Sonya Hartnett’s Of a Boy is a book that will never be far from my mind – devastating, crushing and one that I’m unlikely to reread because: too stressful. Continue reading
Book vs. Film – The Book Thief
It seems that I’m making a bit of a habit of not choosing between the book and the film*. But I can’t help it if ‘they’ keep making film versions of my favourite books.
I cried for about two hours as I watched The Book Thief. So obviously, it was very, very good. They got the characters right. The actors didn’t overplay the German accents. The setting was largely how I imagined it. Only two things annoyed me, and they were so minor that I’m obviously being picky (but I bet you still want to know what they were**).
The reason I’m allowing a total cop-out on a critique of the film is simply because I went to a screening that included question-and-answer time with author Markus Zusak. And I think it’s far more interesting to report on his thoughts about the book and the movie than mine. Continue reading
Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts
1. Holidays don’t really feel like holidays to me until I set foot on sand. And immerse myself in salty water. And now I’m on holiday… *relaxes*
2. And because I’m at the beach I won’t be blogging much. But I am reading lots. Don’t be too jealous, it’s been 40-44 degrees for five days straight. Continue reading
Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts
Christine at Bookishly Boisterous started this meme – get amongst it.
1. There’s a lot of ‘Best of 2013’ book lists out… Don’t these people read in December*?
2. Finished two books on the same day this week – Back to Back by Julia Franck and Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. Unless you’ve read both you won’t understand how weird it was to have chosen those books to be read at the same time. And to finish them within hours of each other. Continue reading
Book Q & A
Australian author and book blogger Annabel Smith tagged me in a fun (quick) meme last week. Yes, it’s taken me a few days to get to it but that’s because I was busy testing my nerves on roller coasters and ridiculous water-slides with the kids on the Gold Coast. I’m still recovering.
Book Q&A Rules
1. Post these rules
2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover
3. Answer the questions below
4. Tag a few people to answer them too
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. Make sure you tell the person who tagged you that you’ve taken part! Continue reading